Chapter 3: A Look Into The Past
The sun was warm and soft in the late afternoon sun. The long practice rod, which was once slicing the air in skillfully controlled strokes, now lay limp in her hands. She had forgot practice, she had forgot Shep; all that mattered at that moment was him. His hair shown brightly, illuminated with a soft golden sheen, and his eyes glittered with amusement as he laughed with the other town boys. He couldn't see her; he was at least forty yards away and traveling through thick underbrush, but her sharp eyesight picked up his profile easily. She had come to memorize his features; his light gold hair, his soft brown eyes, the slight yet sinewy shoulders of a boy not yet a man, and the slight tilt of his head as he watched his friend's wrestle each other to the ground.
Meaganu closed her eyes and sighed softly.
The boy could never be hers, and she knew it. It was just trying to get her heart to accept it that was the problem. They were different in too man ways.
Meaganu raised her practice rod once more and continued the exercises Shep had taught her. Although gruff and often irritable, Shep was the closest thing to a father she ever had. He was hard on his students even when they got things right; it was hell when they didn't. But they were good, and his most valuable student was now gathering her thoughts and executing precision techniques with natural grace and skill, the rod whistling through the waning sunlight. Meaganu's head was far away from the small wooded clearing just outside of the small village. Her mind had traveled.
~ * ~
She was bathed in moonlight, her hair unnaturally free and blowing around her. The soft rippling of a nearby stream and the smell of the clean water filled Meaganu's senses, and yet she sensed nothing. Nothing but his stare, so cold and set like the mountain faces in the distance. There was no amusement in these eyes; only a deep resounding pity that hurt her heart to even think about.
"I never meant it, Meaganu."
Slicing ice, bitter in her once so hopeful heart. Those words hit deep and echoed through-out her hollow heart walls. He had told her he loved her. This man who is really just a boy had held her hand and spoke the words she had wanted to hear since she was ripped from her mother's arms and never returned. The boy's face had been gentle then, a comforting orb that had made her melt inside, and break down the walls she had tried so hard to enclose herself in. And now it was gone. A worthless memory in a soul's sea.
"Of course not. I never thought you did. I'm not a child." But a betraying tear slid silently down her cheek, appearing silver in the ghastly glow of the moon. Her arms were crossed before her, a pose of indifference and almost boredom that weakly hid the truth. But he was just a human. He wouldn't be able to see through the visage.
"I never said you were." His voice was empty, lack of emotion, and he draped lazily over a large rock. The boy's hands were behind his head and he was gazing at the cloudless night sky.
"I didn't mean to… lead you on, I guess. I thought that since I was human, you know…" He trailed off, as if that one statement summed up everything that needed to be said. Standing up and stretching, a small smile rose to his lips. He turned to walk away, but slightly dipped his head to the side. "We'll laugh about this someday, Meaga. Trust me."
As his figure slowly faded to a shadow, Meaganu dropped her head into her hands.
"I did…" she whispered, but no one was there to listen.
~ * ~
The sun was slowly slipping behind the distant hills when Meaganu finally decided to head back to the hut. She lived with Shep on the outskirts of the village; far enough away to avoid conflict yet close enough to be able to trade with the villagers if needed. As Meaganu crested the low hill behind the hut, a shrill shriek was heard from within the town. Her heart sped up as she trotted down the hill and into the village.
Worrisome women. There's always a little garden snake ready to send them into hysterics.
Meaganu met Shep at the entrance to their hut and nodded toward the village.
"What's going on? Another pest?" Shep started to shake his head when all of a sudden one of the huts caught on fire, the flames billowing thick smoke into the dusk air.
"What the heck was that?" Meaganu started to run down the hill, not wanting the fire to spread and catch the dry autumn grass. She reached the hut and stopped dead, slowly moving into a defensive position even as her head was trying to comprehend what she was seeing.
"What the hell is that?" she croaked.
~ * ~
It was huge. At least eight foot tall, this creature was like nothing Meaganu had ever seen in life. It had the head of a predator bird, with a sharp beak and glistening eyes, but the body was almost human like. Barrel-chested, with hands the size of large plates, this monster was terrorizing a poor village woman. Meaganu came up fast, jabbing a strong kick into its side. The beast flinched slightly, but turned back to the easier prey. Before Meaganu could prepare for another attack, the bird beast had broken the women's back with his bare hands, the sickening crack heard loudly.
"No! You bastard!" Shep had come up behind her and stared in horror at the beast. "It's a condor demon." He turned to her and lowered his head, a scary look of hate and greed in his eyes. "You have to kill it, Meaganu. Kill it before it kills someone else."
She was shocked, and her eyes widened. "Kill it?! Are you nuts? It would rip me apart!"
"You have been training for this for a long time. Use it. You must kill him." Shep handed her the practice rod she had just been using, though that time of peace seemed far away. Seeing the demon heading toward another villager, she sprung; flying through the air and swooping the rod down onto his head with a resounding crack. As if swatting an annoying insect, the condor demon swung and connected a colossal fist into her side. Meaganu was thrown to the ground and the impact with the compacted dirt's hard surface stole the wind from her lungs. Clutching her still chest, she looked up and followed the demon's path of destruction with widening eyes. She knew the hut he was approaching and gasped for breath, finally stealing oxygen from the air smothered in smoke. With shaky legs she stood, still holding her chest, and opened her mouth to let out a raspy cry.
"Danichel! Run!"
(Sorry it was so short, guys. I'm performing in a musical and we have two more days until production! Things have been hectic to say the lest. But I'm trying. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please… please review. I love to hear from you!)