Chapter 1

Tipa was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. When the miasma got to close the grass died; people got deathly ill, children weren't aloud outside when it rained poison from the sky. Somehow, it was hotter then, even if the sun was blocked by dark clouds. Little kids weren't aloud to go near the bridge, that was the only way out of our village, nor anywhere around it. People moved more slowely then.

We lived on the small farm near the edge of Tipa-Father, Negi, and I. Our crops would usually wilt and lose most of their taste, but the people didn't mind much. Their wares would be weak flimsy swords, sickly cows, rotton fish. That's when Roland made the announcement that our village would get a caravan. The oldest of six families would collect myrrh for Tipa.

The six were picked, packed up and left. Just like that; no festival or good bye party. We couldn't afford it. Roland said they'd be safe with the chalice. He said he had high expectations for them. I nodded at Roland's words. Roland was always wise when he spoke, standing up straight with his shoulders hunched back. He told me to go home before the poison rain came again.

I always felt close to Roland. Our mother died when I was three, so I could never remember her. She was a Clavat from The Fields of Fum. Father met her when he was visiting relatives. She was fifteen then, he was a few years older. Father said it was love at first sight; he brought her back to Tipa were they wed months later. Negi was born ten months later; five years later I was born, and three years later our mom died from a miasma plague. I didn't miss her much, but Negi did. He remembered her clearly, and sometimes would sit out on the porch and look up at the sky, depression on his face. I knew better than to bother him when he was like that.

When I was twelve and Negi was almost sixteen, our summer was cleaner than any other had been. The caravan made atleast ten trips with the chalice. We were able to go to the bridge and wave to the caravaners as they left once again to collect myrrh. And just like Roland had told me, they were safe and made amazing progress. I smiled as I sat on his small porch and he told me about the stories they had told him. About the foolish thieves that tried to steal from them, the cheap merchants in Marr's Pass, the other skilled caravaners they had met and-my favourite-the monsters they faught. I found them interesting and would ask Roland to tell me more stories every time I visited. He pat my head and told me to go play.

Negi and I were skimming near the fisherman's river, sneaking up on the different fish and snatching them out of the water with our bare hands. That's when I heard something near Miss Sai Coo's fence. While Negi was busy keeping a slippery fish in his hands, I climbed out of the river and slowely walked over to the wooden fence. I was hopping it would be one of those strange creatures that the caravaners had talked about. Instead I found someone leaning against the fence looking at me. I stared back at him until I found courage to speak:

"Hey."

"Hey yourself." he said.

"What are you doing on Miss Sai Coo's fence?" I said, knowing Miss Sai Coo didn't have any children.

"I'm Aunt Sai Coo's nephew, Fie Coo." he said. "I don't live around 'ere, I'm just visiten' "

I knew I hadn't seen a Selkie like him around Tipa before. He asked me what my name was. "Sukari Sakurabi; the farmer's daughter." I said.

He looked at me in a strange way. "How old are you? Seven?"

"Twelve." I said proudly.

"Really? I'm twelve myself but you look puny for twelve."

I didn't like the way he said I looked puny. Father always said that if you don't anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. I frowned at him. "I'm little but I'm old."

Fie Coo brushed his hair back to get a better look at me. He gave me a heart warming smile: "Would you like to come over, Sukari Sakurabi?"

I forgot all about Negi when I took Fie Coo's hand and he helped me over the fence to Miss Sai Coo's porch. Fie Coo was from Marr's Pass, was spending the summer with his aunt, Miss Sai Coo, and would possibly be staying in Tipa longer because of the miasma. His father was a Selkie merchant; much like the ones from Roland's stories. His mother worked in their shop with his father, who arranged for Fie Coo to come here. He said it was easier on them if he stayed here until his parents could care for him better. Caravaners from all over placed many orders for strong shields and weapons; it was a lot of work for them to take care of their son and handle all that work at the same time.

Don't go feelin' bad." he said when I started to pitty him. "Aunt Sai Coo's place is better than back home with my father."

Fie Coo was a curiosity. He wore normal Selkie attire; blue top and skirt lined with white fur and tight fitting black shorts underneath. His hair was light blue and went a good length past his shoulders with bangs that hid part of his eyes. He had sharp silver eyes that would lighten and darken as he told his tale. He was only a few months older than me but much taller; making him seem like he was Negi's age. I smiled at him when he laughed lightly, his voice soft.

"There you are, Sukari." Negi said, climbing over Miss Sai Coo's fence. He ran up to us. "Don't just run off like that. You had me worried."

"Sorry, Negi." I said. "I heard something by Miss Sai Coo's fence and wanted to see what it was. I found him. Fie Coo; Miss Sai Coo's nephew."

Negi looked over at Fie Coo, raising an eyebrw. "I've never seen you around 'ere before." he said.

"I don't live in tipa. Just visitin'," Fie Coo said. "You must be Negima Sakurabi."

"Negi." Negi said. "I don't much like Negima."

Negi joined us on the porch and asked Fie Coo questions, like if it was one of those personality tests that my school teacher, Mrs. Siake, would give us every year to see how much we've matured. Negi was big on the fued between Clavats and Selkies, though I didn't mind it much. Mrs. Siake would say that we had bigger things to worry about than the differences of our tribes. She was wise for a Yuke; I liked when she told me stories after Sunday classes. I remember she told me that Selkies were little thieves and she found them quite cute.

Negi invited Fie Coo to come hang out with us, a sure sign that Fie Coo had been studied and found acceptable. Thereafter the summer passed in routine contentment: I would wake up early in the morning and sit on Roland's porch listening to stories about monsters and myrrh trees. Negi would help father with farm work and then we would meet Fie Coo by the big crystal and play caravan games.

One day, Roland didn't have any new stories that I haven't heard before so I told him about Fie Coo and the stories he told me. Roland said I was very fond of the young Selkie from the way my hazel eyes would light up and my lips would curl into a smile when I said his name. I said he told good stories.

I decided to bring Fie Coo with me one morning, even though he protested on getting up that early in the morning, to listn to Roland's stories with me. I knew his stories fascinated Fie Coo, in spite of his constant bickering and saying they were bull. His eyes would lighten when Roland told about the boss monsters that kept caravaners away from the myrrh trees. He often asked how the myrrh trees were able to grow in that kind of poison plague and dead enviroment. Roland dissapointed him when he could not answer those questions.

Fie Coo was drawn to the outside world like the moon draws water, but drew him no nearer than the middle of he bridge,a safe distance from the miasma. There he would sit, his legs swinging back and forth over the side, his silver eyes scanning the dark outside. I sat next to him and threw a rock into the water below, making a small splash that spotted our shoes.

He told me how creepy it was traveling through the miasma. The ring of light the chalice made being the only thing that protected them from the miasma. I knew he wanted to go and travel with a caravan someday. The way he talked about it made me frown.

"Are you gunna leave with the caravan someday?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Aunt Sai Coo said she'd whip me good if I ever tried."

Negi said that if Fie Coo wanted to get himself killed, all he had to do was walk fifty or sixty feet passed the bridge. He said the monsters wouldn't stop for a kid. I told Fie Coo that if he tried to leave I would make him work on my father's farm in the blazing heat of summer.

He shook his head and muttered my name, laughing lightly. He stood up and took my hand and led me back into Tipa. "It's past your bedtime, Sukari. Mr. Sakurabi is probably worried about you." he said. He dropped me off at my porch and said good night before walking over to Miss Sai Coo's house.

The next few days pased by quickly. Fie Coo and I made our morning visit to Roland until Negi was done with his chores. Then we would continue playing caravan games until we got bored.

"Let's do somethin' different." Negi said.

"I have an idea. "Fie Coo said. "How's about we play a game of dare?"

"What kind of dare?" Negi asked.

"Well you see, I found a crystal shard in Aunt Sai Coo's desk drawer."

"So?" I said.

Fie Coo motioned us to follow him to the bridge. We stopped where the wood came out of the ground and Fie Coo took out the crystal shard that was about the size of a pebble. "Put this in your pocket," he said. "And go touch the main road."

"Past the miasma?" I asked.

"Yep. The shard is strong enough to keep one person breathin'."

"I ain't doin' that." Negi said.

"You're scared." said Fie Coo.

Negi thought about it. I suposed he loved honor more than his head, for Fie Coo wore him down easily: "Clavats are all the same," he said. "To scared to do anything."

This was enough to make Negi march to the bridge, where he stopped and leaned against the railing, watching the miasma clouds slowley move.

"I hope you've got it through your thick head that the monsters will kill us if I go out there, Fie Coo." said Negi, when we joined him. "Don't blame me when they cut you up with their claw and bite you good. You started it, remember."

"You're still scared." murmured Fie Coo patiently.

Negi wanted Fie Coo to know once and for all that Clavats weren't a cowardly tribe. He was just afraid that the monster would actually catch them. He had his little sister to think of.

"Touch the main road, that all?"

Fie Coo nodded. "Yeah, that's all. Nothin' more. A troll will probably come after you when he sees you, then Sukari and me'll throw rocks at him so he doesn't catch you when you're runnin' back."

Negi took the crystal and placed it into his pocket. I made sure no on was looking as Negi crossed the bridge. He stopped at the border where the ring of light ended.

"Well go on," said Fie Coo. "Sukari and me'll be right here."

"I'm going," said Negi. "Don't hurry me."

He walked a few inches past the border, then back again, studying the simple terrian as if deciding how best to effect an entry.

"You don't have to do it if you don't want to, Negi." I told him.

He sneered and sped to the side of the road, stomping on it with his foot and ran past us, not waiting to see if his fray was successful. Fie Coo and I followed on his heels. Safetly on Roland's porch, panting and out of breath, we looked back. There was no monster chasing after us, the bridge looked all the same, but as we stared down the path we thought we saw a shadow past the ring move. Flick. A tiny, almost invisible movement and the miasma was still.

When Fie Coo went down to the bridge a few days later he was catious about sitting so close. I told him that Roland said the monsters weren't dumb enought to come into the village. Fie Coo said that it might because Negi went onto their territory. It would only be fair if they came on ours.

"But, I'm not scared." he said walking to the middle and sitting down, swinging his legs over the side. His silver eyes looked up at me. "Are you too scared, Sukari?"

I shook my head and sat down next to him. "I'm not scared." i said even though I really was. Fie Coo must have sensed it because he said:

"I won't let the monsters get you if they do come." Fie Coo said. "I'll fight them off and you can make a run for it." he winked.

I smiled up at him and skipped a rock across the water. Lucky for us, a monster did not come.

XXXXX

I haven't been on this pen-name in a looong time. I really wanted to post this story though.
Chapter 1 is kinda boring and goes by pretty fast, but I have a lot planned for this story so it will get better. Please review and tell me how I did so far!