The morning came quicker than Kiirara thought possible. Surly somebody had put her life on fast forward; yet she felt hindered by the use of just one hand.
It was in these 18 hours that she was prone to short outbursts of anger and frustration. So much to do in so little time- she had been such a fool to decide to leave so soon. But something had made her feel uneasy at staying with Mara's family any longer.
While going so fast, time finally seemed to freeze as the cold dawn light reached the house. The entire family had gathered outside of the dwelling, tearfully awaiting her departure. Kiirara just stood there, not knowing quite what to say- all she could do was mournfully stare back, blinking away tears.
Mara broke the long silence by coming forward and hugging Kiirara- this seemed to come from the depths of her should and everything was poured into that single action.
'I thank you for everything' Kiirara said after time had resumed its normal pace. 'I have owed you my life and more; I shall try to come back here... some day...' She broke off as emotions finally overcame her.
Kiirara broke away from Mara's side and smiled at the rest of the family, tears shining down her face in the cold morning light. 'And words cannot express how much you have encouraged and changed my life.' Kiirara then hugged all of them, hoisted on her pack; her face was no longer remorseful and sad, but set with determination.
'And now I must depart; for I have lost the thing that all people value above all. I must go and find my memories.'
With those words, Kiirara turned her back on the family and headed into the unknown, never looking back and not regretting anything she had done while with them.
As the day went on and the sun rose steadily higher, Kiirara had a harsh dose of reality as she learned that she really was on her own- she could do anything she wanted, without needing to ask for permission from Mara. In a way, this freedom and power scared her, yet she realised that this freedom must come with limitations- she had to work from her food and rights.
'But first I much Bree' she began to plan out loud to herself. She travelled on through the day without taking time to eat, running into nothing human in the thin woods. The year seemed to be progressing, so no fire was needed in the night. Something seemed to be stirred in her memories with the sounds of the night and the wind blowing through the trees; this could have also been the sounds she had heard from Mara's house; she did not know.
The second day she travelled, people became more frequent- they passed Kiirara without a word, yet their eyes lingered on her for a bit longer than she was comfortable. With the increase of people, Kiirara deducted, she must be nearing Bree; Mara had said that it was a two to three day journey.
By the end of the second day, she had encountered many people but spoken to none- the stares had suddenly depleted the self-confidence that she once had.
Kiirara started the new day with doubts, trying to rid the ominous clouds of depression from herself, for she knew that she was to reach Bree that day, and not sure of how to act- even what to do there.
She paused and shook her head free of these thoughts. Why was she even contemplating things like this? And why should she even think of what people thought of her? After clearing her head of these dark thoughts, Kiirara continued on, planning what she was to do next.
As the sun arced past noon, Kiirara reached the crest of a hill and gasped. Before her was a city enclosed by a wall- it was indeed Bree. Such a place thriving with so many people was a stark contrast to Mara's mountain home. People rarely came and went at the house, while people freely did their business on both sides of the wall surrounding Bree. As Kiirara stared atop the hill, several people had passed her, almost all could not refrain from staring; she ignored them. She must get used to the stares.
Kiirara shielded her eyes from the sun and headed down the hill, her heavy boots making a satisfactory crunch as they crushed the dry grass.
The wall that once seemed so far a way loomed over Kiirara; most people seemed accustomed to this town and passed through the open gates without looking twice. In the back of her mind, Kiirara felt a twinge of familiarity but wasn't quite sure where to place this feeling.
Shaking it off, she passed through the bustling streets of Bree. The aura of the city seemed to buzz with the business- vendors took up the space that the shops did not. For a moment, Kiirara was lost not only where to go, but in her mind. Surly she must have been here before.
It was in these 18 hours that she was prone to short outbursts of anger and frustration. So much to do in so little time- she had been such a fool to decide to leave so soon. But something had made her feel uneasy at staying with Mara's family any longer.
While going so fast, time finally seemed to freeze as the cold dawn light reached the house. The entire family had gathered outside of the dwelling, tearfully awaiting her departure. Kiirara just stood there, not knowing quite what to say- all she could do was mournfully stare back, blinking away tears.
Mara broke the long silence by coming forward and hugging Kiirara- this seemed to come from the depths of her should and everything was poured into that single action.
'I thank you for everything' Kiirara said after time had resumed its normal pace. 'I have owed you my life and more; I shall try to come back here... some day...' She broke off as emotions finally overcame her.
Kiirara broke away from Mara's side and smiled at the rest of the family, tears shining down her face in the cold morning light. 'And words cannot express how much you have encouraged and changed my life.' Kiirara then hugged all of them, hoisted on her pack; her face was no longer remorseful and sad, but set with determination.
'And now I must depart; for I have lost the thing that all people value above all. I must go and find my memories.'
With those words, Kiirara turned her back on the family and headed into the unknown, never looking back and not regretting anything she had done while with them.
As the day went on and the sun rose steadily higher, Kiirara had a harsh dose of reality as she learned that she really was on her own- she could do anything she wanted, without needing to ask for permission from Mara. In a way, this freedom and power scared her, yet she realised that this freedom must come with limitations- she had to work from her food and rights.
'But first I much Bree' she began to plan out loud to herself. She travelled on through the day without taking time to eat, running into nothing human in the thin woods. The year seemed to be progressing, so no fire was needed in the night. Something seemed to be stirred in her memories with the sounds of the night and the wind blowing through the trees; this could have also been the sounds she had heard from Mara's house; she did not know.
The second day she travelled, people became more frequent- they passed Kiirara without a word, yet their eyes lingered on her for a bit longer than she was comfortable. With the increase of people, Kiirara deducted, she must be nearing Bree; Mara had said that it was a two to three day journey.
By the end of the second day, she had encountered many people but spoken to none- the stares had suddenly depleted the self-confidence that she once had.
Kiirara started the new day with doubts, trying to rid the ominous clouds of depression from herself, for she knew that she was to reach Bree that day, and not sure of how to act- even what to do there.
She paused and shook her head free of these thoughts. Why was she even contemplating things like this? And why should she even think of what people thought of her? After clearing her head of these dark thoughts, Kiirara continued on, planning what she was to do next.
As the sun arced past noon, Kiirara reached the crest of a hill and gasped. Before her was a city enclosed by a wall- it was indeed Bree. Such a place thriving with so many people was a stark contrast to Mara's mountain home. People rarely came and went at the house, while people freely did their business on both sides of the wall surrounding Bree. As Kiirara stared atop the hill, several people had passed her, almost all could not refrain from staring; she ignored them. She must get used to the stares.
Kiirara shielded her eyes from the sun and headed down the hill, her heavy boots making a satisfactory crunch as they crushed the dry grass.
The wall that once seemed so far a way loomed over Kiirara; most people seemed accustomed to this town and passed through the open gates without looking twice. In the back of her mind, Kiirara felt a twinge of familiarity but wasn't quite sure where to place this feeling.
Shaking it off, she passed through the bustling streets of Bree. The aura of the city seemed to buzz with the business- vendors took up the space that the shops did not. For a moment, Kiirara was lost not only where to go, but in her mind. Surly she must have been here before.