Cherche stood outside the front door dreading the lecture she was about to get. The fights at school were not her fault, but they would never believe her. They never had before so why would that change.
The girls at school were cruel. She was tormented every day without mercy because of her status. Her parents considered it a blessing that House Crowley would pay for her to become a cleric. It was nothing of the sort.
The brown door to what could be described as a glorified hut opened and her mother stood with a stern look on her face.
"Get in here young lady."
Cherche quietly walked into the house and sat down at the table. The rusty hinges squealed as she shut the door and the boards creaked as her mother walked to the table. This house truly was a shack.
Her mother pulled a chair and sat down with a sigh. It was obvious she was tired of having an unruly daughter.
"Why? Why do you do this to me?"
This immediately angered Cherche. They acted as though it was her fault and no one else's.
"Do you know what they call us?" Her voice rose.
"I don't think it matters. You should have more control. Mr. Crowley has done so much for us and you take that for granted every day you get in trouble."
Cherche slammed her hand in response and stood up.
"Mr. Crowley this and Mr. Crowley that. Why don't you tell Father why Mr. Crowley is really paying for me to be a cleric? It sure isn't because he cares!"
The slap came so suddenly Cherche couldn't believe it. The tears ran down her cheek before she felt the sting.
Her mother looked as shocked as Cherche; her eyes wide in disbelief that she struck her daughter. "I'm sorry Cherche. I….I…"
She didn't give her time to explain before she rushed out. She ran and ran until her legs were tired. Anywhere was better than home. She collapsed on the outskirts of town and lay there in the tall grass.
"Why don't they understand that I'm trying my best?"
She turned on her side and spotted a dandelion puff. People always said if you could blow all the seeds off your wish would come true. She took the dandelion in her hand studied it to make sure it was small enough and made her wish.
"I wish I could go on an adventure and make a friend. That's all I've ever wanted."
She blew hard as the wind picked up and all but one seed remained. "Figures." She fell back on her back and smirked.
"I don't need some stupid weed granting my wishes anyway. I'll make them come true myself."
It was getting dark and her stomach started to growl. She didn't want to go back and face the beating she was going to get from her father so she came up with a plan instead.
"I'll sneak into the kitchen and get a ton of food and then I'll grab my weapons and be off on an adventure. Hmmmm where to go, where to go? Ah-ha! I've always wanted to see a real live wyvern. Wyvern Valley it is!"
After gathering all the supplies she needed she headed out for Wyvern Valley. She felt a little guilty about running off but she wasn't going to live her life under her parent's thumbs.
The closer she came to the valley the more fear started to creep into her mind. Cherche stepped up to the edge and looked down at the drop. The wind made her even more uneasy as it caused her to lose balance. Her pink hair flew every which way making it harder to concentrate.
She reached into her pack and pulled out a white headdress that her mother wore when she cleaned the Crowley estate.
"This will keep my hair out of my eyes."
Seeing the lace in her hands made her regret yelling at her mother. After this adventure she would try much harder for her parents.
She pulled her hair back and tied the headdress on.
"That should do it."
Taking it nice and slow she went over the edge and made her way down clutching tightly to the rock wall. Every now and then she would look down instead of at her hands and feet. That was a mistake because it instantly made her afraid. She spotted an outcrop that looked like a good place to rest. It was getting really late and she shouldn't take any risks when climbing down.
"I just have to get there and I will be safe."
Cherche took her eyes off her feet for just a second and lost her footing. She tried to grab a hold but her fingers slipped. She wanted to scream but nothing came out. The first hit was almost unbearable. After that everything went numb and her world went dark.
In the darkness she thought she heard men's voices, swords clashing, and a wyvern's roar. It was almost like a dream. Any minute she would wake up in her bed. That wasn't the case.
Cherche's eyes slowly opened and the pain was instant. Her whole body ached. The wind was still strong as the howling filled her ears. She carefully moved on her side and saw that her clothes were ripped.
"Mother will be furious." She tried to smile.
Her supplies lay scattered around her. She spotted what was left of her food supply and her staff and axe. A coughing fit started when she tried to sit up. Her throat was dry and she realized the need for water. She could have been out for days, the way her body felt.
"Body, you have to work for a little while longer." She braced herself for the pain and crawled to her water pack. The sweet relief she felt as the water went down was like nothing before. She managed to chew and swallow a little food before she passed out again.
This time when she woke up it was late in the day. Her body was still sore but the pain had significantly dropped. She was able to stand and gather her things.
"What an adventure this turned out to be. Now I know why mother always says be careful what you wish for."
She looked up the valley and tried not to lose hope. "How am I going to get out of this mess?"
Suddenly this adventure started to look like it would be the last. Tears formed in her eyes as she walked toward a small cave. "Naga, if you're listening I promise never to disobey my parents if you get me through this. I'm so very sorry."
A low growl came from the nearby cave at the sound of Cherche's voice. Startled, Cherche limped to the side out of view. It didn't sound too threatening so she peeked inside.
"Hello?"
Cherche quietly stepped inside and explored the cave. When her eyes adjusted she gasped. A large wyvern lay with dried blood surrounding it. Cuts and arrows covered the scaly skin.
"Who would do such a thing to such a beautiful creature?" She walked towards the head and saw movement.
"Who's there? Show yourself!"
A small wyvern moved from behind the fallen one. Cherche lowered her axe as she realized what had happened. Those shouts and cries last night weren't a dream. Someone had just slain this wyvern last night and left the baby to die.
She grabbed what food was left and reached out for the baby. It growled and hissed as she came closer. She didn't blame the poor thing.
"Poor you. I can't imagine going through something like this. Don't worry I won't hurt you." She reached closer with the food. The small wyvern sniffed at it inquisitively.
"It's good. Trust me. Everyone loves my mother's cooking."
Her voice seemed to calm the wyvern down. It eventually ate the food and stopped growling.
"Now if you'll let me I can tend to your wounds. I'm a cleric in training."
The little wyvern snapped at her hand.
"Ahh. It looks like this will take a little work. You must be very stubborn."
Looking closer Cherche noticed the wyvern's eyes were red.
"Such pretty eyes. Hmmmm red eyes with a stubborn and tough nature. I hope you are a girl because I'm going to name you Minerva."
