-Into The Woods-

Luna

Roars echoed off the trees and my footsteps made a light crunch sound as I sprinted across the forest floor. The air was cool and humid, and I looked up to see that the sun was halfway up into the sky. Where are they? I wondered, pausing to catch my breath and to wipe the sweat off my forehead.

I stopped and sat on the leaf covered ground, and I leaned against the base of a wroshyr tree. I set down my spear and my bow and ran a finger through my long, black hair that went two-thirds down my back. Two thirds... I thought, It's always two-thirds. Even though two-thirds is a strange measure for hair, that was the way I liked it. It made me look more wild yet beautiful... Not at I really cared much about beauty. I was a huntress, but I had to be, well, presentable. If my hair was any longer, it might get in my way of shooting an arrow or throwing a spear or something. That would be a disaster...

Another roar echoed off of the trees, but this time the echo was stronger, meaning it was closer. I stood up, and stretched. All of the sudden, another sound echoed through the forest. But this sound was softer. It was calmer, and more musical. The sound of a flute.

I fumbled for my small silver flute, which was attached to my belt. I took a deep breath a blew into the flute, and played a quick tune.

I waited.

Three other flutes played back in response in the distance.

I grabbed my spear and put by bow on my back. I began to run towards Spring Flat, where the flute noises had come from. Just as I took off, I heard another roar, even louder that the last.

It only made me run faster.

I burst through the brush and leapt over rocks. The ground changed under my feet as I sprinted. Instead of fallen leaves, or grasses, or flowers, there was a smooth, brown-yellow stone. Spring Flat. I paused and looked around. I was still near the edge of the forest, where the trees ended and the stone began, the boundaries of Spring Flat. I paused for a second to take in the beauty of my surroundings. Spring Flat was one of my favorite places in the Forest. A soft wind always seemed to blow across the flat, beige-yellow stone landscape. There was an occasional stone arch or boulder, but other than that, Spring Flat was pretty...umm... flat. But my favorite part were the Oasis Islands. The Midnight River, which flowed from the Midnight Falls, cut the Forest neatly in half. My sisters would often tell me the river reminded them of my blue eyes. I always shrugged and turned around, only to blush in secrecy.

Anyway, as I was saying, the Oasis Islands were my favorite part of Spring Flat. The Midnight River flowed through Spring Flat, and the river slowly eroded away the weaker rock, leaving small islands that were surrounded by The Midnight River. Eventually The Midnight River meets back up and continues going near the edge of Spring Flat. Over the years, small plants and flowers with vibrant colors grew on the islands in the cracks of the rock. Spring is the best time to visit, because Spring Flat and the Oasis Islands are absolutely infested with beautiful plants and ferns. Even the rock arches are covered in ivy-like vines.

I walked up to the largest stone arch in Spring Flat. I put my hand on its warm, cracked surface. "Hello, Lethamal," I whispered "How do you do?"

I'm not crazy. I'm not insane. I'm sensitive and respectful towards nature. It is my belief that if we do not respect nature, the gods will visit their wrath upon us. So, yes, I gave a stone arch a name.

I remember, when my sisters and I were younger, we would climb up onto Lethamal. He was a good 50 feet tall, and we could see for miles around. Of course, this was before we put platforms in the trees...

Another roar interrupted my thoughts. I was starting to get frustrated. Where is it? Where are they? They should be here by now. What if it got them... No. You can't be thinking like that Luna, or you'd scare yourself half to death. They're fine. They're coming. You know that Luna. You can sense it. I stopped my rational thinking and began to climb Lethamal. I got to the top and sat down. I looked at the tree-covered horizon, and saw, in the distance, a stone silhouette.

The village. I growled in my head. That stupid village, full of stupid, stubborn, people who care about no one else but themselves. I bit my lip. Not everyone in the village is selfish, Luna, said the reasonable voice in my head. Think about Ms. Udala, and the Wookies, and all of the kind townspeople. They try to help, Luna, they really do. But they can't do anything about it. About what happened. About your parents. I think you already know that, but do you accept it?

"Yes, so called "Reasonable Luna"," I said out loud. "I do know that. I do accept it. I just don't understand why they don't tell me. Tell us." I sighed. "I wish I knew. I wish I knew what happened the night I was born. I wish I knew about my parents. I wish I could go. And explore. And see what's out there in the galaxy, waiting for me. Don't you wish those things too?"

And for the first time, the reasonable voice in my head had nothing to say.

So I sat there, for what seemed like hours but was probably only just a few minutes. I sat there, my mind blank. I sat there, staring up at the sky as the sun passed from mid-day to the afternoon, tracing the cracks in the rock with my fingers. I closed my eyes and tried to meditate. The sun shone on my face, warming my skin, and I could hear the soft sound of the Midnight River, flowing around the Oasis Islands. And for once, there were no roars of it in the distance.

I concentrated, and tried to pull memories from the past, hoping to get a glimpse of my parents, or even maybe other things. Things like why my sisters and I were banished, isolated, and frowned upon by the Council of Elders. Why were we forced to reside in the Forest, fighting for survival. And if they didn't want us here, then why couldn't we leave?

I concentrated more, and my surroundings began to fade. The noises had stopped, and I knew I was fully submerged into my thoughts. I subconsciously groped in the darkness, I saw all the things I had done with my sisters and my accomplishments. I saw myself as a small 5-year-old, with a spear that was much too large for me, in my hand. I stood there with my sisters, listening attentively to what Ms. Udala was telling us. You will soon have to leave this village, and live in the forests of The Beyond. I will be very disappointed in all four of you if you waste away at the merciless hands of nature, whether you expire from starvation, freeze to death in the cold of the Winter, or get torn to shreds by some beast in the Forest. I will teach you how to survive, obtain resources, and, most importantly of all, hunt. This will be your lifestyle, and you have very little choice. I expect you to succeed in becoming the best huntresses I have seen in entire life. Now we begin your training. The words were clear, and I would remember them for the rest of my life. They did not strike fear into myself, like they did to my sisters, but inspired me.

I dug deeper into the darkness, searching, looking. I saw myself getting older, getting stronger and more shaped. I saw myself winning my first archery contest. I saw my sisters and I sprinting so fast on a dirt track that our feet seemed to not be touching the ground, the day we broke the record and became the fastest runners in the village. I saw the day my sisters and I, drenched with sweat, looked up into the Sacred Grove to see our finished home stowed safely up into the branches of a tree.

Then it hit me.

I was suddenly in a cradle, in the middle of a forest. I could barely make out a tall, beautiful, glowing-blue figure that was obviously female was looking at me, a serene smile on her face. I also saw a man with black hair and green eyes holding her hand, smiling down at me too.

But I could barely see. It was night and my vision was blurry. The woman opened her mouth, as if to speak, and everything went black.

I opened my eyes and saw that I was back to the present, sill sitting on Lethamal. "NO!" I yelled, to the sky, pounding my fist onto the soft, warm rock surface of Lethamal. "I was so close." I whispered, burying my face in my hands. "So close..." I opened my eyes and looked at the place where I had hit Lethamal with my fist. There was a crack in the rock that I had made when I did so, and I instantly felt guilty. "I... I'm sorry Lethemal. I shouldn't have done that..."

I traced my finger on the crack in the rock, and wherever my finger touched, the rock instantly mended together. When I was done, I stood up (which was pretty dangerous, considering I was a good 50 feet above the ground) and stretched my hands out to the sky. "O, glorious gods, forgive me. I have disrespected nature, therefore, I have sinned. If you must, punish me for my wrongdoing!" Luckily, nothing happened, meaning that the gods had forgiven me. I sat down and patted the surface of the rock.

I sat there again, bored out of my mind. For the hundredth time, I wondered, Where are they? I've been sitting here forever, and the roars are getting louder and more frequent. I swear if it gets to the village, the Council of Elders will have our heads...

I didn't have to worry much longer, because a voice behind me answered my question.

"Hey sis, where have you been?"