“He's not ready yet”

“Oh he's ready I mean he's already 8 , back when I was his age I was getting ready to take on the world” my father said while making grandiose motions of conquest and adventure

Unbeknownst to them, I found myself nestled under the table they had unwittingly transformed into a battleground for their verbal sparring. What began as innocent play had ensnared me in an unexpectedly tense scenario. The stakes were too high for me to reveal my presence, so I chose to remain concealed.

“Oh no you weren't “ my mother said while rolling her eyes in exasperation

“Yes you're right! And that's one of the things I regret . “ my father said sternly back letting it be known how he felt on this issue.

" fine " my mother relented placing her hand over her forehead in stress

And like that the usually harmonious duo came to a fragmented decision. Seeing this as my opportunity, I rushed out from under the loose hanging table cloth eager to make my escape.

Woodley mouth agape “ Oi! Autumn did you hear all that? … eh … come here”

Stopping mid sprint I obeyed my father.

Woodley walked up to me and placed both hands on my shoulders while kneeling. The size difference was noticeable . Giggling inside, I wondered why adults were so big , and if one day I would be as big as him.

After a lecture of why a man should be self-sufficient at an early age , both my parents seemed to be sending me to the forest for a few days to get experience. My mother began showing more approval of the idea. This wasn’t so different from what I did regularly so I didn't mind so much.

“Ahh, ok pops. When do I leave ? “ I asked curiously

“ now “ he said with a big smile on his face

“Eh!” I gasped . I had no time for preparation .

_______

Standing in front of the forest entrance I faced my caring parents

“ Now listen Autumn I know you're confident but be careful ok?”

“Okay” I replied with energy

“Honey please be safe “

“Okay” I replied again

“And remember moss likes to grow towards the north”

“Okay” my enthusiasm waning.

“ and - “

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Tch I was starting to get worn out by all their needless concern. As much as I loved them, I'm confident nothing will happen to me or to them .Running towards them , I embraced them in a last big hug . We stood there for a good while

“Bye mom ,bye dad .I love you” I said as I jogged into the forest having enough of the fluff.

Big grin on my face I wondered how the rest of the day would turn out.

After walking for what felt like miles I stopped and stretched my developing legs.

I was wearing brown overalls with a baby blue shirt and a small brown flat cap. Holding the survival backpack given to me by my father , I unfurled it just enough of it to wiggle my small hand in there to get a snack. Sitting on another conveniently placed log I chowed down.

Feeling the tender touch of the gentle sunrays slightly warm me in contrast to the cool breeze , I let out a soft smile. Hopping back onto my feet I made my trek into the second home that I had .

Mhh mhh mhh - I hummed a melodic tune my mother sang to me and my sister on occasion. This melody served as a care lullaby that gave me courage and most of the time lulled me to sleep.

" ♬ black crows , winter leaves , angelic harmony♬ "

That was it . The message of the poem perplexed me but it was catchy enough to hum, so I hummed it.

My unassuming stroll transformed into a playful skip, only lasting a mere five minutes before coming to an abrupt halt. During my final leap, my foot collided with something, sending me tumbling to the damp forest floor.

Ahhh! Closing my eyes and gritting my teeth . I thought to myself who placed that lo-, Upon opening my eyes I saw something unexpected. It was a woman laying on the floor. Covered in mud she had a blood stained green top with a leather piece of protection over her. Her brown tresses were sprawled across the forest floor , as she lay there bleeding from an assortment of wounds.

Unadulterated shock and panic

This was my first encounter with experiencing anything of such distress , in fact I wasn't even aware of the concept of death. All I knew was that this was far from ideal. So I stood there, legs frozen, unable to process the graphic scene in front of me .I could see some of her innards , yes long red fleshy intestines threatening to make me evacuate my dinner. Along with the pungent smell of dark copper filled my young nostrils making me gasp for air.

I couldn't do it.

as hard as I tried not to , I felt the feeling of water overflowing in my mouth.,

BLeeeh bleeeh I promptly released my mum's special cooking . Dropping to my knees in a pool of blood and vomit . I was disgusted

Left to grip with the reality of the situation before me , I made terms lest I get caught off guard. Standing up I smeared off my blood covered hands best I could onto a nearby tree . Taking precaution I made sure to rub ample amounts of dry sod on my shoes and knees to dampen my scent . If there were predators in the area I wouldn't be next. Looking up at the small dagger next to the corpse's side I grabbed it. I wasn't a fool and recognized its potential utility in the future. It didn't fit in my petite hands , but it was still small enough to be usable if I used both of them.

Hack heh Hac - hearing the cacophony of a man coughing I whipped my head towards that direction, a survivor? It was a boy in his teens who had metal armor and dark brown hair. Like his compatriot he laid in a bleeding mess , using the base of a tree as a temporary rest.

He was alive and I could save him! Using the dagger I severed open his armor ,through the less durable straps to take a look at his wound. It was gruesome and there was no conceivable notion that he was going to survive. The sight of the dying man made me turn my head, feeling my whole body be swept with the uneasy feeling of mortality. Not knowing what to do helpless and powerless, I did what any 8 year old would do in my situation.

Held his hand to make his passing easier. Holding on to his big fingers I sat there beside him making sure that at least one person cared until the very end.

Eyes locking onto his dying body a wave of sadden erupted from my soul but i kept it at bay , starting to hum the tune my mother taught me .

“♬ black crows , winter leaves , angelic harmony ♬ “

I tried not to cry as the very essence of life ebbed away from his body, but the river was stronger than the dam .

I felt a hot clear liquid flow down my cheeks and all my defenses were worthless.

I wept I wanted to save him like I did so many others but I couldn't,

In my mind this one question reverberated like echoes going back and forth , bouncing against the core of my being.

Why would anyone ever do this?

In the silent rebellion of my tears the forest began to respond emitting a glow green and life energy started to collect in any orifices uncovered.

At first the feeling was pleasant but then it was overwhelming .Like a green tsunami, forces of nature gained life and filled my being . More and more and more and more and more !

so much more so that I was left with no other option but brace myself for the oncoming green barrage . Energy assaulted my body pouring through my eyelids , mouth ,nose , fingernails and all. The sensation of the magic caused me to first grab my throat , then my eyes and finally claw at my face. I was desperate for anything that would end this pain but my pleas were left unanswered.

That hyper dose of stimuli caused me to black out

When I awoke I saw the frame of a man above me . Wanting to move but not being able to, I desperately tried to move my neck to no avail.

“Hey hey calm down buddy “ the voice of a teenager wrung in my ears

Looking at me our eyes locked, the youth had brown hair and freckles, which contrasted with his blue eyes and pale skin . After a brief silence he looked like he was contemplating a great task.

Asking me he said “ Did you save me earlier? … thanks …but how? humans can't use magic. “