It was a perfect night, the gentle rush of the grass as an animal ran and the wind blew her hair back from her sweaty back. She closed her eyes momentarily, forgetting that she was hunted and that she had to fulfill a task. She glanced down at the small wand that she held in her hand, the vivid red contrasting greatly with her pale flesh. She gently fingered the black star that rested upon the very top, she knew she had to reach her destination; she wanted to show her father that he could not kill innocent people to make their damned god pleased.
She clutched the rod hard into her hand, her fingers curled around the smooth shaft so tight her knuckles became white. She would revenge all the people who died unjustified deaths at the hands of her evil race. She gritted her teeth and continued on, the trees becoming less spread than before; she glanced up and drew in a sharp breath. The shy was turning a bluish haze, orange and greens mixed in as if the sky were being painted in front of her. A deep burden settled into her stomach, morning had come and she did not know how close the Falls were.
Than something happened that was so much unexpected and more beautiful than anyone had ever witnessed. There was a moment when the whole forest was silent and the wind stopped blowing, than just as suddenly as it began, the silence was broken. She looked in awe at what just happened, nothing in her hundred plus years of life had she witnessed something so indescribable. She felt the wind slowly brush her face again, and she threw her arms wide, embracing the wind. She laughed and twirled around, her sacrificial gown sweeping around her. Never in her life did she feel so free.
She never wanted this moment to end; she wanted to continue on forever dancing with the wind and being the free soul that she should have been. She stopped her pirouettes and gingerly grabbed unto a nearby tree for support, her mind whirling from dizziness.
She closed her eyes to rid the whirling forest from her eyes and slowly slid down the trunk of the tree. The grass was still moist from the morning dew and she shivered as her white gown soaked with water. She tilted her head back and rested it against the rough trunk, pieces of loose bark falling upon her face. She shook them free and watched the sky, the sun was just peeking over the treetops and the sky was turning more blue but the second. She knew it was time to go.
Standing, she found, was much more difficult than expected and she held onto the trunk for support, the sun seemed to be sucking the strength right out of her body. She gritted her teeth and continued to walk, keeping her eyes on the sun and her ears open for any sounds of running water.
Seconds seemed like minutes and minutes seemed like hours, the time seemed to be in a continuous state of stand still. Sweat started to run down her back, soaking the white gown once more. Her eyes stung with her sweat which ran down her face in little rivers and she ran an arm across her visage. The sun was rising higher into the sky and still no sign of the falls, she was beginning to think that she may never find these elusive falls, or perhaps, she was going in the wrong direction completely.
Fear began to sink in and she began to doubt herself even more so than ever. She tried to push these thoughts away, knowing that they only led to panic, and panic was one feeling she did not need at the moment. Not until the mission was complete.
She was about to continue when she heard her name being called behind her:
"Shakaku!"
They had found her but she was still far enough ahead of them that she knew she could still escape! She still had a chance to survive, to actually complete this mission. She gritted her teeth and took off forward. Shakaku ran, her breathing coming out hard and very harsh. She knew she had to either loose her pursuers or become captured and sacrificed to their damned god.
She lowered her eyes into a squint and jumped through some brush, stumbling upon an uprooted tree and fell to the harsh ground. She gasped for breath and clutched her chest, she was very tired and completely soaked with her own sweat. And yet, she had made it to the Falls.
She did not hear the water falling due to her heart pounding in her ears and there the falls stood before her. She drew in a shallow breath, her awe surrounding her small frame and she walked over to the clear waters. She gazed into the crystal clear waters, and was astounded to see her own reflection returned, tiny ripples played by the small white fish.
She heard herself laughing, a sound that could be described as wind kissing a flower, and bent down and touched the cool waters. Her pale fingers elongating as they breeched the water and saw the illusions that they radiated back to her. Her violet eyes grew wide and she knew that this was what freedom tasted like and what the Woodland elves always had. She envied them suddenly but this envy was caught short but a violent shove.
Shakaku shot forward and fell into the waters, the chill shocking her and she coughed abrasively. She turned around and her eyes grew wide again but now for a different reason than freedom.
"Shakaku, you should know better by now that you can't hide from an Ommara."
Shakaku's lip curled up in disgust as she watched the three Ommara mock her, she stood up and ignored the bitter wind biting at her flesh and the water running down her slender form. She only took once glance at them than crossed her arms over her chest, knowing that her white gown turned transparent due to the water.
"Carose," she said in a measured tone, "How nice to see you."
Carose laughed, a bitter sound to the quiet world that surrounded them, the fish retreated back to their home in the falls and birds suddenly took flight. "My beautiful little princess, you did well escaping your fate from Thanatos. Come back with us and you shall not die at the hands of your father but instead be rewarded with a much better fate."
His smile was grossly out of line but Shakaku could not help but to contain her curiosity. She lowered her eyes into slits and took the bait, "What kind of fate?" She turned her head slightly to the side, her skeptical look apparent upon her face.
Carose's grin broadened and he approached her, resting his large hands upon her wet shoulders, "Come home now and be married," he paused long enough to study her eyes, "to me."
Shakaku reeled backwards, pulling herself from his grasp and glared at him. Her violet eyes turning a darker shade as her anger came out of her soul. "I will never marry you ,Carose!" She clutched her hands together to make tight fists, "I did not agree to it two hundred years ago and I will not agree with it now!"
Carose growled and raised a hand and slapped her across the face, causing the young princess to fall back into the water. Shakaku clutched her cheek with a trembling hand and fought the tears that was fighting to dwell in her eyes. She could not find one word to say to him in retaliation and bit her bottom lip in defiance to him.
She opened her mouth to speak to him when suddenly an arrow shot forward and became stuck in one of the warriors back. The young man's mouth gapped open and he fell to his knees, Shakaku could see the light dying from his eyes and she knew he would soon be dead.
Carose whipped around, turning his back upon Shakaku and looked towards the trees, trying to find the perpetrators whereabouts. Shakaku took this moment and grabbed the dying man's dagger out of it's sheath and lunged upon Carose's back.
Carose, feeling the sharp bite of the blade upon his shoulder, roared in pain and threw Shakaku against the stone lining of the falls. She groaned in pain and almost missed a deep voice speak from the forest.
"Leave the girl alone."
Carose pinpointed the voice and stalked forward towards the voice and proceeded to hunt him down. Shakaku shook her head, trying to clear the double vision that she was seeing and saw that the other man was approaching her. Shakaku clutched the dagger and found to her dismay that it was not in her hand. When Carose threw her against the wall, the dagger had fallen out. She followed the path that she was thrown and saw the dagger, half way between her and the approaching man.
Shakaku narrowed her eyes and shot forward, hoping to reach the dagger before the man reached her. She fell upon the ground and grabbed the dagger, rolling away just as she heard the death defying shout and the sword slamming into the ground just near her shoulder. Shakaku somersaulted away and stood up, breathing heavily because of nearly dying and out of anger. Her chest heaved up and down and she clutched the jeweled dagger tighter in her fist.
The man struggled to get his sword out of the ground and Shakaku didn't miss her chance. She vaulted upon his back and dug the dagger deep within the man's jugular vein. She felt the warmth of his blood as it ran down her fingers and dripped upon the ground. The man was silent as he slowly slumped to the ground and was no more.
Shakaku looked around and saw a battle pursuing between Carose and a man white long white hair. She drew in a deep breath and screamed at Carose.
"Carose! Stop!"
The man with the white hair hesitated for a moment, but a moment too soon and Carose saw his chance. He hit the white haired man with the hilt of his sword and the young man fell to the ground quickly.
Shakaku ran forward, knowing that this was Carose's favorite way to finish off an opponent. She saw the sword racing down to the man's heart what seemed like slow motion and she wrapped her arms around his muscular frame, tackling him to the ground and saving the other man's life.
She sat upon Carose's chest, trying to keep his arms pinned to the ground. Her chest heaved up and down and she looked down to the amused face of Carose.
"If only we were in a different situation, Shakaku…I do enjoy you on top of me."
Shakaku's face distorted with disgust once more and punched that sly grin right off of his face. Her fist arching back, spraying his blood from his busted nose up into the air. Carose's broken face twisted with anger and kicked her back into the rock wall that she was before.
Carose's breath came out rough and he approached the young maiden, her crumpled form laying upon the ground. His chest heaving, her looked down and saw a bloody wound upon her temple, and traced it back to a protruding rock from the wall. Just for a brief moment did Carose's face show remorse but then he slowly lowered the blade of his sword and rested it upon the soft flesh upon her neck.
"Okumi, my beautiful love." he whispered to her and began to put pressure upon the hilt, slicing through the fragile flesh. He was about the begin deeper when he felt the tip of a sword resting upon the hollow of his neck.
"Leave," the white haired man demanded in a solid voice, "and never venture upon this falls again."
Carose spat a curse out in Ommara at the other man and pulled his sword away from the throat of his young victim. He slowly sheathed his brilliant sword and turned the face his opponent.
"You are lucky that she stopped me," Carose said through his grin, "I was going to take your heart."
The white haired man pointed towards the forest with his free hand and watched as Carose retreated into the darkness of the tree's shadows. The white haired man bent down next to Shakaku and tested for a pulse and found it strong but he knew that she was unconscious.
He tenderly picked up the slender form of Shakaku and gazed at her face. 'That man was right….you are beautiful.' He thought and began his long journey back to his home.
