Disclaimer : I am not writing this fiction for money, and I own nothing.
Don't sue me.
Summary : This follows the life of a young girl and her father, living on a Chocobo ranch right after the Light of Judgement, and how a strange young woman becomes an important part of their lives.. slightly A/U, in that Terra doesn't reside with Duane and Katarin in Mobliz. You can guess where she is instead.
Chapter One Alone
I am waking up in a new world. Every morning the water seems to get redder, the sky darker. What happened to clear oceans and lovely sunrises? I used to adore wandering the wilderness, either on foot or on one of our Chocobos. I'd wake up early, leave a note for dad and slide on to Goldy bareback. I understand those animals, and I love them.
There are only three of our Chocobo herd left alive, and Goldy's dead. Everyone's dead, it seems. I never had a mother ; she died when I was born, so it hasn't been much different at home, but when I leave our little shelter I enter a world full of sorrow! I'm constantly searching for familiar faces whenever dad takes me to Tzen, but those quick, careful trips are getting fewer and fewer, what with wild monsters roaming the plains. And the faces I do see are never the ones I want. My only human friend, Tina, is gone. She perished, with her father, into one of the cracks that split open the world and buried its people, leaving her mother all alone.
I'm not allowed to go out anymore without my dad and a Chocobo to escort, and at first I didn't think much of the ban from the outside world. But it's so DULL here! I never knew how boring life could be without the freedom of the pretty, raw wilderness to wander, but I'm finding out now. I can't even stray from the ranch ; the forest is teeming with monsters breeding like rabbits.
But at least I can't see the Tower from here.
Nimbly scaling a tree (I've known how to climb for all my life, it seems, living in a forest), I peer up from the canopy and try to catch a glimpse of blue in the sky. It's my daily routine now, searching for hope. I've pulled every weed and watered every blade of grass on the ranch, trying to drive out the ugliness.
Glancing down, I don't expect to see much, and so when I notice a flash of pale green among the dark bush, I twitch. Oh, great. Have the monsters managed to get into the ranch again? Hoping to scare it away, I hiss, "Treading here will do you no good, demon!"
I can hear the rustling of leaves as the figure collapses, and, my heart pounding like a drum, I slide down the tree trunk, ready to grab onto a branch and hoist myself back up if the monster makes any unexpected movements. They're clever, these forest creatures, and they're mean. The last time a stray demon wandered on to our land, I barely escaped alive. That was several weeks ago, and the absence of danger in my home has made me careless. I should be more careful before I submit myself to the vulnerability of being up in the trees, since many of the monsters are skilled climbers.
Creeping forward, I fumble for my dagger in my pocket, and sigh in relief once the reassuring coldness of the blade stings my hand. Only two more steps, and I'll be close enough for it to attack, if it wants to . . .
"Ugh . . who's there?"
The weak voice stops me dead in my tracks. A human?! And a female, at that! What's she doing in these perilous woods, all alone? Shoving the grass and bush away from her, I look down at her motionless body and gasp.
This is no ordinary woman! Look at the armor she's wearing: Is that crystal mail? A genji glove? A golden shield?!
"Who ARE you?" I blurt out, then practically fall over at my own rudeness. "Um, sorry. Do you need some help? That armor looks, uh, kinda heavy." And expensive! I add in my head.
Her head twitches a little bit, which I guess she meant as a nod, so, gingerly, I hook my arm under her stomach and help her up. She stumbles a bit, but stands straight, and so I remove my arm from her and hope for the best. We make a funny little scene, this tall, green haired girl in warrior's garb and a common rancher's daughter, but there is no one to see but the monsters that lurk in the distance.
"Did you get hurt by a monster?" I ask, once we've made it to our door. A hint of a smile curves her lips upwards, and it's nice to see her grim expression fade. But why is she amused at such a serious question? "No," she says simply. She pauses a moment, as though pondering something, and then says, "I can't remember much . . .only, light. And the airship, it broke apart and fell. . ." Her eyes are dark as she bows her head solemnly. "And I woke up in this forest. Alone. It's been a couple weeks now."
Ah, so it's another survivor. We got several injured citizens from Tzen showing up on our land during the first few days after the Light, but I haven't expected any to come for weeks. How has she survived on her own? And those people were always a pitiful sight ; dirty, shaking and babbling incoherently. Although she's obviously a bit injured, this girl hasn't seemed anything but poised and calm. She almost seems regal, in a mysterious way.
I get lost in my trail of thought, but suddenly I realise what she just said. Airship?! Has she gone mad? Who ever heard of such a ridiculous notion? There's no such thing as airships. What silliness. I eye her warily, wondering about this peculiar girl that has stumbled into our ranch.
"Who's this?" my father cries once he sees her. By now I've gotten used to her strange appearance, and for a moment I frown, wondering why he would be so shocked. But then, deciding to look her over from a stranger's eye, I can see why he's so surprised. With her bright green hair and thin body covered in glimmering armor, she is a rather bizarre spectacle.
"I'm not sure," I shrug. "She says the last thing she can remember is the Light. Apparently she's just been roaming around, alone, for the past few weeks." I choose, wisely, not to mention her crazy ideas about an airship of some sort.
She stares at the ground quietly, not moving, not making a sound. In fact, she's so still that for a moment I wonder if she's alive. And then she whispers something inaudible, resting her forehead on her hand. I guess she's tired. "We don't have any extra beds, but I'm sure we can construct a makeshift one for now," dad tells her. I nod and groan inwardly, knowing that for the next few hours I'll be shovelling hay into sacks. I get to work immediately.
By the time night falls, I've managed to build a reasonably comfortable bed. We dress the girl's wounds, give her something to eat and let her sleep.
It seems that life on this ranch is going to get a bit more interesting!
A/N : Well, that's it for chapter one. Sorry it's so short. Could you find it in your hearts to review anyway? ^_^
Summary : This follows the life of a young girl and her father, living on a Chocobo ranch right after the Light of Judgement, and how a strange young woman becomes an important part of their lives.. slightly A/U, in that Terra doesn't reside with Duane and Katarin in Mobliz. You can guess where she is instead.
Chapter One Alone
I am waking up in a new world. Every morning the water seems to get redder, the sky darker. What happened to clear oceans and lovely sunrises? I used to adore wandering the wilderness, either on foot or on one of our Chocobos. I'd wake up early, leave a note for dad and slide on to Goldy bareback. I understand those animals, and I love them.
There are only three of our Chocobo herd left alive, and Goldy's dead. Everyone's dead, it seems. I never had a mother ; she died when I was born, so it hasn't been much different at home, but when I leave our little shelter I enter a world full of sorrow! I'm constantly searching for familiar faces whenever dad takes me to Tzen, but those quick, careful trips are getting fewer and fewer, what with wild monsters roaming the plains. And the faces I do see are never the ones I want. My only human friend, Tina, is gone. She perished, with her father, into one of the cracks that split open the world and buried its people, leaving her mother all alone.
I'm not allowed to go out anymore without my dad and a Chocobo to escort, and at first I didn't think much of the ban from the outside world. But it's so DULL here! I never knew how boring life could be without the freedom of the pretty, raw wilderness to wander, but I'm finding out now. I can't even stray from the ranch ; the forest is teeming with monsters breeding like rabbits.
But at least I can't see the Tower from here.
Nimbly scaling a tree (I've known how to climb for all my life, it seems, living in a forest), I peer up from the canopy and try to catch a glimpse of blue in the sky. It's my daily routine now, searching for hope. I've pulled every weed and watered every blade of grass on the ranch, trying to drive out the ugliness.
Glancing down, I don't expect to see much, and so when I notice a flash of pale green among the dark bush, I twitch. Oh, great. Have the monsters managed to get into the ranch again? Hoping to scare it away, I hiss, "Treading here will do you no good, demon!"
I can hear the rustling of leaves as the figure collapses, and, my heart pounding like a drum, I slide down the tree trunk, ready to grab onto a branch and hoist myself back up if the monster makes any unexpected movements. They're clever, these forest creatures, and they're mean. The last time a stray demon wandered on to our land, I barely escaped alive. That was several weeks ago, and the absence of danger in my home has made me careless. I should be more careful before I submit myself to the vulnerability of being up in the trees, since many of the monsters are skilled climbers.
Creeping forward, I fumble for my dagger in my pocket, and sigh in relief once the reassuring coldness of the blade stings my hand. Only two more steps, and I'll be close enough for it to attack, if it wants to . . .
"Ugh . . who's there?"
The weak voice stops me dead in my tracks. A human?! And a female, at that! What's she doing in these perilous woods, all alone? Shoving the grass and bush away from her, I look down at her motionless body and gasp.
This is no ordinary woman! Look at the armor she's wearing: Is that crystal mail? A genji glove? A golden shield?!
"Who ARE you?" I blurt out, then practically fall over at my own rudeness. "Um, sorry. Do you need some help? That armor looks, uh, kinda heavy." And expensive! I add in my head.
Her head twitches a little bit, which I guess she meant as a nod, so, gingerly, I hook my arm under her stomach and help her up. She stumbles a bit, but stands straight, and so I remove my arm from her and hope for the best. We make a funny little scene, this tall, green haired girl in warrior's garb and a common rancher's daughter, but there is no one to see but the monsters that lurk in the distance.
"Did you get hurt by a monster?" I ask, once we've made it to our door. A hint of a smile curves her lips upwards, and it's nice to see her grim expression fade. But why is she amused at such a serious question? "No," she says simply. She pauses a moment, as though pondering something, and then says, "I can't remember much . . .only, light. And the airship, it broke apart and fell. . ." Her eyes are dark as she bows her head solemnly. "And I woke up in this forest. Alone. It's been a couple weeks now."
Ah, so it's another survivor. We got several injured citizens from Tzen showing up on our land during the first few days after the Light, but I haven't expected any to come for weeks. How has she survived on her own? And those people were always a pitiful sight ; dirty, shaking and babbling incoherently. Although she's obviously a bit injured, this girl hasn't seemed anything but poised and calm. She almost seems regal, in a mysterious way.
I get lost in my trail of thought, but suddenly I realise what she just said. Airship?! Has she gone mad? Who ever heard of such a ridiculous notion? There's no such thing as airships. What silliness. I eye her warily, wondering about this peculiar girl that has stumbled into our ranch.
"Who's this?" my father cries once he sees her. By now I've gotten used to her strange appearance, and for a moment I frown, wondering why he would be so shocked. But then, deciding to look her over from a stranger's eye, I can see why he's so surprised. With her bright green hair and thin body covered in glimmering armor, she is a rather bizarre spectacle.
"I'm not sure," I shrug. "She says the last thing she can remember is the Light. Apparently she's just been roaming around, alone, for the past few weeks." I choose, wisely, not to mention her crazy ideas about an airship of some sort.
She stares at the ground quietly, not moving, not making a sound. In fact, she's so still that for a moment I wonder if she's alive. And then she whispers something inaudible, resting her forehead on her hand. I guess she's tired. "We don't have any extra beds, but I'm sure we can construct a makeshift one for now," dad tells her. I nod and groan inwardly, knowing that for the next few hours I'll be shovelling hay into sacks. I get to work immediately.
By the time night falls, I've managed to build a reasonably comfortable bed. We dress the girl's wounds, give her something to eat and let her sleep.
It seems that life on this ranch is going to get a bit more interesting!
A/N : Well, that's it for chapter one. Sorry it's so short. Could you find it in your hearts to review anyway? ^_^
