It had started many full moons ago, Sarah would guess about 9 or 10. She remembered because it were her eyes that had first spied the huge, wooden beasts bobbing in the water out in the sea. They had been on a hunting trip, an agonisingly long and fruitless one. She, Thomas and Branson worked well together, helping to provide their homely village with food. Though Sarah never liked to involve herself, Thomas was not above telling anyone who would listen about their success record in the village. Sarah hated the drama of it all - she performed her duty as a hunter, and that was that. It wasn't about the competition, nor the bragging rights, it was that she simply had a job to provide. There was no glory to be sought in that.
This particular hunt, however, had seen the trio defeated, and it had been Thomas to first suggest retreating back into the thickness of the forest. They usually stuck to the shadows of the trees, but for some reason, the decision had been made for them to journey to the edge of the forest, where the air was salty and the rushing of the sea called out to them from across the pebbled beach. Branson, usually so stubborn and proud, had agreed with Thomas. With no case to argue, Sarah had bowed to the defeat of the hunt, annoyed at their empty offering.
"Go ahead," she'd said. "I'll follow behind you both in a few moments."
She wasn't sure why she'd decided to lag behind. Perhaps she thought the change of air would refresh her mind, or the sound of the sea would be soothing to her. She rested against a old, twisted tree, still hidden in the shadow of the forest, but still able too see the openness of the ocean. She could hear gulls somewhere above her, their distinct sound dispersing over the canopy of the trees and seeping down into the floor where she rested. It was peaceful, and though the air wasn't as delicate as that deeper into the forest, it was charming. The earth was softer here, and the winds coming from the ocean where waspish and sharp as they speared through the gaps in the trees. It was normal for her people to sit and simply listen to their surroundings. They lived alongside this land, without it they could not survive and so they had such massive respect for it. These moments of peace offered them guidance, a moment to reflect and simply feel.
And so when her moment of peace was shattered by a strange noise from the sea, her eyes flew open, and she growled lightly to herself. She peered around the tree she was resting on, through the gaps of the gnarled barks, for the culprit. It sounded again, louder this time. It was slightly alarming, a noise that was familiar but so very different. She was reminded of a time when Carson had called for the other tribes to meet using an ancient tribal horn. The noise had scared her slightly, so loud and hard on her pristine ears. But why would such a noise be coming from the sea? She crept forwards silently, her expert feet navigating her over the earth. She reached the edge of the forest, her eyes adjusting to the sudden brightness coming from the sand and the water.
That was when she first saw it. It was the strangest, most peculiar thing she had ever seen. Perhaps four trees in length, and two trees in heigh, bobbing along on the surface of the usually untamed sea. It had dirty white clouds attached to it, but they were unnatural and oddly shaped. The horn sounded again, and Sarah flinched, stepping behind the tree in a moment of panic.
She lost track of how long she watched it, transfixed at the goings on. Its tiny, wooden children were released into the sea, and they sailed towards the edge of the beach, roughly landing on the previously untouched pebbles. Dispersing from them were people, strange people with such colourful and oddly patterned clothes. They yelled to each other in strange tones across the beach, moving shyly at first but gaining confidence as more of them came ashore. Sarah was forced to move along the edge of the forest, careful to remain unseen in the shadows. She watched furiously as one took some sort of weapon to the tree she'd first hidden behind, hacking unsympathetically at the ancient trunk. She'd have loved to have hacked at his head for the crime of it! She held back a growl, her fingernails burying deeply into the rough palms of her hands as she watched him.
"Oh darling, isn't it beautiful?"
Sarah shrunk back again, her breath catching in her throat at the closeness of the voice. It was high pitched and mellowed, like the gentle mewling of a newborn bobcat. She'd never heard a voice quite like it. It was joined by another voice, and then another, and finally a fourth.
"Don't wander too far, Sybil."
"I won't, Mary."
"Is it was you expected, mama?"
"I'm not sure what I expected... But your father was right, its nothing at all like home."
"I think it's wonderful."
"You would! I still think we ought to have stayed on the ship until the wall was up..."
"Oh Edith, you're such a bore. I couldn't stand to be on that ship for a second longer."
"But there are savages out here, Mary. Didn't you hear papa?"
"Savages?"
"Yes, savages, Sybil! Uncivilised, barbaric people who eat each other and skin the likes of us alive!"
"Oh Edith, stop scaring her! Pay no attention Sybil darling..."
"It's true! I heard Papa talking about them with Matthew and Carlisle!"
"Enough, Edith! Go back and see if your father requires any help!"
There came a crunching of the pebbles as one of the voices took me off across the beach, presumably to joins its father.
"Are there really savages, mama?"
"I don't know darling, but not to worry. They won't be as bad as what Edith says... She reads too many novels. And we'll be safe behind the wall when the men get it up, won't we? Now come, your Papa will be worrying about where we've gotten to."
Sarah held her breath, her hunters instinct telling her to remain motionless. There was, however, a curiosity nagging at her, willing her to peer around the tree she was using as a cloak. She did so, and her eyes fell upon the owner of the first and more mature voice. Taller than herself, and dressed in such long, oddly coloured material that stretched from her shoulders to the ground. Sarah could see how the rim of the gown had dulled against the dirt of the pebbles as the woman had moved across the beach. Her hair was so neatly styled and pulled back into a strange shape on her head, protected by a hat of the same colour as her dress. Her skin seemed so untouched and pure, like a soft piece of lone cloud in the sky. She held herself in a way Sarah had never seen a woman do, so stiff and statue like. She looked as though she could break so easily, as if a strong gust of wind could simply blow her to pieces. Sarah watched as the two younger women moved ahead, arms linked and chattering about something or other that Sarah could not understand. Her eyes were drawn back to the tallest woman who had stopped as she watched her daughters leave. There was a tiny smile on her tender face, and Sarah frowned in confusion. Then, the woman turned around, and Sarah had to retreat behind the safety of the tree. She tightened her grip on the gnarled bark, willing for the woman to follow the others across the beach. That curious feeling stabbed at her, however, and for a second she considered whether or not to reveal herself to this strangely beautiful person.
Sarah, what are you doing?!
A flutter of panic moved across her chest. What was she thinking? How could she even think of showing herself to this woman? What had come over her? Perhaps this woman was a temptress, perhaps she held some strange magic that drew people to her? The tightening of her abdomen when she looked at this woman could be proof of this, and Sarah shook her head in annoyance. There was another, final crunch, and the woman glided away from her and back across the beach.
Sarah remained still for a moment, the thumping of her heart loud in her ears as her chest clenched uncomfortably. The woman's delicate face swam in front of her through the forest, and even when she blinked, she was there in her head, smiling gently. She clenched her hands and used her fists to push herself up onto her feet. She had to get back to the village, back to her people. They had to know about these strange people and their strange clothes and their strange tones. She flinched as a sharp bang suddenly went through the air, followed by loud voices echoing across the beach. She turned to look over the canopy to see a small, dark cloud flying into the air and disappearing as it climbed. A cold shadow rippled over her as she watched, and she turned to set off into the darkness of the forest.