Early Morning
Narrated by Sori
I couldn't help if I had red eyes. But Albino seemed like a nice name for me, so I kept it. It was my turn to go out in search for food, but Oka refused to let me leave without these things she calls "cloths." Ano did tell me to listen to her, so I wore her silly cloths without questioning. I wasn't exactly listening at the time but I heard something about Winter. Walking off with a basket, I collected as many berries as I could. I didn't check to see if they were poisonous; I didn't have time. Kneeling down to pick up as many berries as I could without hurting myself on the thorns, I couldn't help but notice the frogs were watching me. I ignored them, moving on to the next berry bush with my dagger unsheathed. The beautiful, but freezing cold, white floor hindered my progress, but I forced myself to continue getting berries. I looked back up in the leafless trees to check on the frogs that were watching my every move. They didn't appear like they had the intent to kill, but I wasn't about to let my guard down. My feet stung in the cold, but I had to get more food for everyone. It took more and more effort to kneel down and pick berries. I could hear laughing from the frogs. Sniffling , I thought it best to turn back. "Having trouble?" I looked up. One frog was different from the rest. "I can help you back to your home if you'd like." His voice was soothing and reassuring, but my dagger was still drawn. I was so fatigued and freezing I could barely stand. the red poncho Oka gave me wasn't helping much; I was starting to wish I took more cloths. The seemingly friendly frog slowly descended from the leafless trees. After it got close enough, I made a weak but quick slash at the air to scare him away from the berry basket. "I won't hurt you. Come on, I can help you." The frog offered his arm to help me up. It took me a long while, but I was somewhat convinced he was friendly. I grabbed onto his hand, and he lifted me up. He picked me and the basket up, carrying me to a cave. This frog was big, his arm was about the size of me. Slipping out of consciousness, the frog gave me his warm poncho. All I remembered after that was a sweet kiss from the frog.
?
I woke up in a cave next to the frog who saved my life. He was cradling me lovingly. A strange bowl was sitting on top of a fire. Steam rose up from it, warming the cave much like how a fire warmed our home. He noticed that I was awake, quietly whispering. "Hey, little one. Have you ever tried soup before?" He asked. Weakly, I shivered and stuttered. "N-no. Wh-what's it...like?" "It'll warm you up, that's for sure." Smiling, the frog retrieved a small bowl and scooped it what he insisted was a pot. "Try it." He offered. "Why are you being s-so nice?" I asked. "I know what happened back at Growton, but I understand you thought they were trying to hurt...Ano, right?" "Yeah." The pot started bubbling and hissing. "Oops. Forgot to get rid of the fire." He removed the fire, and darkness swallowed the cave. Oddly, the frog's eyes glowed. Slightly terrified, I whimpered quietly. "Oh, sorry. Forgot you guys can't see in the dark. One sec, I'll be right back." Abandoning me on the floor, I waited in the darkness. I could see shapes and monsters on the walls. One monster had 2 horns and was slender. They all seemed to be watching. Their eyes glowed faintly. As my new friend left to get fire, I was greeted by terrifying monsters closing around me. I remembered that I had a dagger, but since I couldn't see, I groped at the cold, hard floor. I was begin to feel more and more terrified as the monsters started coming closer. Nothing I could find could have been used as a weapon. In desperation, I gripped my poncho and flung it about wildly. The monsters didn't retreat. Shaking from both fear and freezing, I used my poncho to hide from the monsters. Then, I waited to be eaten. "I'm back!" Relieved, I revealed myself. He had scared the monsters away with his fire and I rushed over to him. "Whoah! Are you okay?" "The monsters tried to get me." The frog laughed and explained. "That's just your mind playing tricks on you. When I was little I used to be scared, too." Picking me up gently, I noticed my weapon was in his hands. "Can I have my-" I reached for his other hand, but he pulled it away quickly. "No." He said sternly. The massive frog discarded my weapon and retrieved a spoon. Gently, he began feeding me what he called soup. It tasted almost as good as the honey I had a month ago. The soup filled me with warmth. "What's your name?" He asked. "I'm Sori." "Pretty name." He commented. "My name is Diego." Feeding me another spoonful of soup as he said it. I didn't want to leave this place, but I knew I'd have to go. "Alright, Sori. There's still some soup leftover. you can take that and the berries I saved for you." He gave me back my berry basket. I was amazed to discover that the berry basket was completely full. I only had it half full last time I checked. "I might have went off to get some berries while you were asleep. Do you want help getting home?" Diego was so kind. We were about to start our journey, but I remembered something. "Do you know where a Nibellian like me named Fil is?" I asked. Diego's smile quickly turned to into a frown. "Uhh... Follow me." He took the pot of soup and took a backpack. He led me back to the tree, back to home. Nobody was playing in the snow like I thought they would be, but then I remembered Diego was with me. Diego cupped his hands and started to yell. "We mean no harm! Come out!" "We?" I questioned. "Yeah. You and me." Ano was the first to pop out of hiding. Diego waved and smiled brightly. "I have gifts and news for you!" "Oh, uhh. Come in?" Ano offered. He seemed suspicious. "How long was I sleep for?" I asked. "About a week." Diego replied.