They called her orphan. They said it described her perfectly. They told her that she was worthless and stupid, not worth the money used to keep her alive. She never let them see more than a blank stare. The tears waited until night, when no one could hear. And she lived like this for almost fourteen years. Until she could cry no more, and she found that she could stand this life no longer. Picking up her bag, she left Mayburry's house, worn boots making no noise as they floated over the packed earth of the floor. Her baggy black sweatshirt and faded, patched blue jeans kept her hidden in the darkness, she was guided by the silver beam of the rising moon on the path. She walked away from the memories, the tears, and the dark shadow of a past that she'd had. Her green eyes glowed eerie in the dark, and her red-brown hair reflected the light of the white glitters that flew around her, eager to have her join their dance. She walked until she would collapse, then walked many miles more. Finally she stopped at a trickling brook, and there she rested her blistering feet in the cool water, and fell asleep, the rhythm of the forest singing her the sweetest lullaby. She didn't even notice the whispers that followed her, guided by the light of a sinking moon. And thus the story begins…
Groaning, Orphan woke from her sound sleep with a heavy weight on her chest. Startled, she tried to sit up, but felt something sharp dig into her skin. Inclining her head a bit, she could see a small orange cat curled up on her chest. Orphan gently lifted the cat up. No more than a kitten, really, she decided. The little kitten yawned and opened its milky blue eyes. Orphan had always had a soft spot for cats, and she wondered where this ones mother was. Glancing around, she saw soft pad-prints in the mud around her. She knew then that the kitten had been abandoned, and she felt even more connected to it. It was an orphan, just like her. Neko. She decided. Ill call her Neko. That settled, she set out to find some food, hunger gnawed at her stomach, and she realized painfully that she hadn't eaten in almost a week. Sighing, she rolled up her sleeves and took off her fish-net gloves. Reaching gently into the brook, she waited patiently for over an hour until a medium size fish swam between her waiting hands. Faster than an eye could follow, she flipped the fish onto the shore. Walking over to where it landed, she watched as it slowly suffocated. Its gills pleaded for air, it mouth gasped, and it flopped around. She felt sorry for it, but she knew she wouldn't survive without eating it. Getting on her knees, she bowed her head in thanks. After the fish had died, she built a fire of fallen wood she had easily found in the forest around her. When it was hot enough, she put the dead carp onto a stick, and slowly roasted it, watching longingly as fat and oils sizzled and dripped into the fire. She could feel the heat on her face, and the aroma was tantalizing. After it was finished, she ate it ravenously, and it took all her self control not to stuff herself and save some for the kitten, now contentedly sitting on her lap, purring.
All day, Orphan thought about what she would do. She could stay by the brook, but she didn't want to live there forever. She wanted to be able to go to a village, to be able to live with other people, and work. I want to be appreciated. She thought bitterly. Like that'll ever happen. Sighing, she leaned back, hands behind her head, watching the fast-moving clouds. "Ah flip!" She screeched. Big, black clouds were rolling in, and the air was becoming heavier. A storm was coming, and she hadn't been paying attention enough to notice. "Great! Now what? Shelter. I need shelter." Orphan immediately began searching for something, anything, she could use to protect her against the furious storm that was coming in. Neko, safe in her sweatshirt pocket, mewed, then jumped out. Running after her, Orphan saw that Neko had led her to a massive cave, yawning mouth at least ten feet wide. "Niko, it's great, but what if something's living in it? What then?" Neko just looked up at her with her wide milky blue eyes, then walked fearlessly forward. Just then, a large drop of rain fell and hit Orphan on the head. "Fine! I'm coming!" she yelled, exasperated. Walking in, she turned to face the caves mouth, and watched as the storms furry rose to climax, a force that was knocking down trees. "Thank god for cats." Was all she could say as lightning struck down a tree five feet away. Neko just purred.
After the storm, Orphan walked outside the cave to see the damage. The forest had been utterly demolished. Trees lay uprooted and were strewn about. The brook had flooded, its muddy banks now almost eight feet higher then they were. Looking at the destruction around her, Orphan marveled that she was alive. If it hadn't been for Neko, she would have most likely died. "Ne, remind me that I owe you a lot. If you ever need anything, just ask" She said as she stepped over the charred remains of an oak that had been struck twice by lightning. The sun was setting, and the glitters were coming out, in brilliant shades of white, silver, and blue. They danced around her head and feet. Neko lunged playfully at them, chasseing them several feet before coming back to walk beside Orphan. When they reached the swollen brook, Orphan once again removed her fish net gloves and reached into the water. This time, it only took a couple minutes until a fish jumped into her outstretched hands. She flipped it onto the muddy bank, then waited for another one, determined to eat as much as she could for the first time ever.
After a large dinner of two fish and some wiled berries, Orphan was playfully snatching glitters out of the air, then letting them go. She caught a particularly large one, with sky-blue wings that shone bright in the fading light. She held it close to her face and took a close look at it. The glitter had large eyes that looked back at her angrily. She wondered why glitters were called glitters, as they glowed more than anything. They looked almost like butterflies, except bigger. And with sharper teeth, she realized as the glitter she was holding bit her hard on the nose. Quickly letting it go, Orphan looked around for Neko. She saw her sitting by a tree, staring intensely at the bush a few feet away. Orphan crept around the other side, careful not to make a sound. Slowly, oh so slowly she parted the bushes and gasped. Laying unconscious was a boy about her age. He was bleeding from the head, and his shirt and pants were torn and bloody. Gingerly reaching out and taking his hand, Orphan checked his pulse. It was normal, and she was relieved. She didn't like seeing dead things or things in pain. He groaned, and she quickly let go of his hand. He had black hair, the ends crimson with blood. His face was pretty, but Orphan barley noticed. She was more worried about his multiple wounds. Tearing her sweatshirt off, Orphan wadded it up and used it to mop up the blood. A metallic scent hung heavy in the air, so pungent that she could taste it. She ran the course wool of her sweatshirt over a particularly large gap on his chest, and suddenly his hand shot out and grabbed hers. She shrieked, and Neko tensed, hair on end.
"ouch?" orphan asked, not nervously, but not fully confident, either.
"Ouch" he confirmed with a weak smile. Then he groaned and shut his eyes. "remind me, don't pick fights with wolves" he said, then he let go of her hand. Took 'im long enough Orphan thought. Out loud, she replied
"most people are smart enough not to pick fights with wolves anyway"
"ahh, but how do you know if im like most people?" he asked, and she thought that if his eyes had been open, they would have had a gleam in them when he'd said it.
"Regardless of who or what you're like, I think I should get you over by the river, it'll be easer to clean you up. The only problem is, I'm not fully sure I should move you yet, you might still be…um…fra- weak. You may still be weak." she said, hoping she hadn't damaged his pride too much.
He raised an eyebrow and opened his eyes. " Too fra-weak? I don't think I've ever heard that one. Is it French oh oww." He groaned as she moped up more blood. "that hurts you know" he said weakly. "those cuts are open, and I can feel everything your doing"
"I think I liked you better when you were asleep." Orphan commented, as she pulled her blood-soaked sweatshirt away from his torn body. "now, hold still, and don't twitch." She commanded. Pulling out a little case from her jean pocket, she pulled out a green dust and inhaled it. Suddenly she got this look like she was concentrating really hard. Her eyes rolled into her head, a wind started blowing from nowhere, and her palms glowed a regale purple. She ran them gently over his most grievous wound, and his mouth hung open as the flesh melted together or entirely new skin filled in the bloody holes. As suddenly as it had started it stopped, and Orphan looked down to view her work. "its alright. It may scar a little right there though." She said, indicating the largest wound across his chest. "now I can move you." She tried to stand up, but suddenly nausea and dizziness took over her. "or maybe I can't. I didn't realize healing people took so much energy." She said, a little put off. He gaped at her.
"where did you get that stuff?" he inquired, as he gently rolled over to look at her.
"I made it. It's a few rare herbs and plants and glitter dust, ya know, that stuff that sometime comes off their wings when they shed? Well, you mix it together, then crush it. My mother…" She choked as she said that. Mother. Orphan hadn't talked about her mom in years. There had been no one to talk to about it. Cursed Mayburry defiantly wouldn't have cared, and she had never known her father anyway.
"oh." Suddenly he got quiet. "My mothers dead too."
"dead? My mothers not dead, she's just… not exactly alive, either. Its complicated, and since I just met you, im not goanna grace you with an explanation. No offence"
"none taken."
They both fell silent. Sitting lost in thought, Orphan barley glanced up as Neko jumped up on her chest. Looking up, the black haired boy reached out a hand to stroke Neko's fur. Hissing, Neko swiped her paw out. He laughed.
"its ok, pretty kitty. Im not gonna hurt you. Look, see? Sniff." He held out his hand, and Neko gingerly sniffed it. "theres a good kitty. My names Megume. See? No harm." After licking his hand, Neko lowered her head, a sign that she would allow him to pet her. He ran his hand down her back, and she arched up to meet it and started purring. Orphan sat up slowly. Finding that she wasn't getting sick, she stood. Reaching down, she picked up Megume before he could oppose. He should have been heavy, sence he must have been a good four inches taller and three inches wider than her, but he had lost a lot of blood, and it felt like he hadn't eaten in a while. Having hauled firewood for the past twelve years hadn't hurt either. Carying him as gently as she could she took him back to the brook, the water already slowly going down.