And the plot thickens! (Not much yet, actually, I'm still going through
the basic character development). Please read and review!
Winged Heart and Soul
Cat reached down and adjusted her boots. She glimpsed Adrian watching her out of the corner of her eye. She stood back up.
"Where are we going?" she asked. She didn't know where to start, but maybe Adrian had an idea.
"We're going to the Forest of the Elves," he replied. "You have elven ears, so I'm sure you have some non-human ancestry. I just thought that would be a good place to start," he said, shrugging.
Cat nodded, acknowledging the fact that she wasn't completely human. She sighed. How she longed for the ability to fly. If she could fly, she would explore the skies, and maybe find a kingdom of clouds. That was her fantasy, the one thing that she had wished for as long as she could remember. She twirled a lock of purple hair around one finger. Well, maybe she was an elf, for elves were the only folk who had eccentric hair colors. She cast a sideways glance at Adrian. His wings were so beautiful. She didn't understand how Breanna could've thought that Adrian looked freakish.
"We're almost there," Adrian said shortly. It was so quiet. The only sound that could be heard was the gentle pumping of Adrian's wings and the shuffle of her boots on the grassy ground.
Cat looked beyond the trees of the Forest of the Elves into the distance, seeing the mountains with their peaks so high that they were hidden in the fog of the clouds up above. Sigh. This was going to be a long trip, if Adrian was going to be this quiet the whole time.
They approached the village in the Forest of the Elves, and once they reached the main square Cat saw petite people with pointy ears like hers bustling about everywhere. What she had heard about the elven folk was true, for their hair was a variety of colors that weren't normally on people's heads. There were shades of pink, purple, blue, red, orange, and green, of every single hue imaginable.
It was amazing. Cat felt overwhelmed, for she had never seen people who looked so similar to her before.
Adrian started into the village, but Cat held him back.
"Wait," she said. "I don't know if I'm ready. This is all so different from my known world. I don't know if I'm ready to face all the hidden secrets of my past. I'm . . . I'm . . . afraid."
Adrian rolled his eyes tactlessly. "Am I doing you a favor, or am I doing you a favor?" he emphasized.
She glared at him. "Just try to understand people once in a while, Adrian," she said, for the first time not having the strength to continue arguing with him. She started walking in the village, and Adrian followed her.
She didn't know where to go, but she was so irked at Adrian that she just kept on walking down the road aimlessly.
"And where do you plan on going, Miss?" Adrian asked satirically. He walked after her, sighing. He was currently in his normal state, in fear that his flying state would scare all the elves away.
Cat remained silent, and kept walking. "I think it would be smart to ask people who the elders of this village are," called out Adrian. Cat stopped abruptly and turned around to face him.
"That's a rather good idea," she admitted. She turned to the nearest elf that was walking by her.
"Excuse me, sir, may I ask you something?"
The elf man stopped and looked at Cat. "Hello," he greeted her. "Are you an elf girl? I've never seen you around before. You're a pretty one," he said admiringly.
Cat blushed and smiled. "Thank you," she said quietly. "I don't know if I'm an elf or not, but there is a pretty big chance that I am. I came here to find out who my parents are," she explained, "and I was just wondering if you happened to know any elders who would know about elf children who had been born but sent away and been adopted by humans."
The elf man tilted his head in thought. "Well, yes in fact, there is someone whom I know that might be able to help you. His name is Bink, and he lives in tree number 10/230, which is not far from here. Just continue going down this path and in about ten minutes you'll see it."
Cat smiled sweetly and thanked the man. She then grabbed Adrian and dragged him down the road. They walked in silence for a few minutes, until the utter hush was about to drive Cat insane.
"Adrian, if you didn't want to come then why did you come with me?" she finally burst out.
Adrian looked up. "Who said I didn't want to come with you? I came along as your friend, and because I know my way around these areas. I've been here before, you know. The Forest of the Elves is a place that is said to have magic dust in the air, and that is one of the reasons that the elders here are so magically wise."
Cat kept silent, walking deep in thought.
"Adrian, what's your home like?" she asked suddenly. Adrian looked up at her, and looked at the sky, as if searching for his answer.
How could he tell her that he had lied to them all? He didn't have a true home village . . . he was unique of his species, and his name wasn't really Adrian. When he was an infant, he had been found in the middle of an abandoned village of his kind. Nobody knew where the rest of the creatures like Adrian who had lived there had gone, even though they did know that they were a species that had been warriors during the Mage war. He had been all alone until the goblins came across him while exploring the forlorn village, and then he had grown up among the goblins. They had raised him well, for although goblin men weren't the most pleasant of folk, goblin women were fair of face and pure of heart. When he had grown up, he felt like he didn't fit in anywhere. He needed to go out on his own. His adoptive mother, Gloha, had not wanted him to go, but he felt like he needed to go out and do something that would make a difference in the world. After all, he was the only one left of his species. But, how could he tell Cat all that? He had never planned to tell anyone, so he certainly wouldn't let his secret slip now.
He tore his gaze away from the sky and forced himself to face Cat.
"I don't feel like talking about my home right now," he said slowly. "I didn't have such a good experience at home, so that's why I left."
Cat nodded, understanding but still curious. When would he ever talk about himself? He seemed so mysterious. Well, it didn't matter right now, because they had reached Bink Elf's home.
Bink's Elf's house was basically a tree house, and you had to climb up the tree to reach the entrance. Cat looked down at her boots. They weren't exactly ideal footwear for climbing, but they would have to do. She reluctantly placed her foot on the base of the tree.
Adrian followed her gaze to her boots and realized that Cat wouldn't be able to climb up the tree wearing those boots. He would have to carry her up then, he decided. He morphed into his winged form, grabbed Cat by the waist and pumped his wings, and they flew up.
"What are you doing, Adrian?" Cat shrieked, squirming in his arms.
"Stop moving around!" Adrian demanded, flying around the tree, looking for the entrance. Finally he found a structure that resembled a door and knocked on it, still carrying Cat and pumping his wings, trying to stay in the air. It was toilsome labor, because he had never carried anyone while staying aloft before. He started breathing laboriously and looking at the door in anguish, for Cat wasn't exactly light as a feather even though she was petite, even for an elf.
Finally, at long last, the door opened, and a small elf girl stuck her head out. She saw Adrian in his vampire mode and screamed, immediately slamming the door shut in Adrian and Cat's faces. Adrian sighed in exasperation and continued to struggle to stay aloft.
"Excuse me, we need to see Bink!" he yelled. "It's very urgent! We are not evil creatures! We will not harm you! Just let us see Bink!"
A few moments later, the door opened again, and this time a friendly looking elf woman peered out.
"Oh dear, please come in! You must be so exhausted, flying and waiting all this time!" she said, and cleared the way to let Cat and Adrian enter.
Adrian put Cat down, transformed into his human form and turned around to face the woman.
"Thank you so much, ma'am," he said politely. The elderly elf woman smiled. "You may call me Terra," she said warmly. "I take care of Bink. You have business with him? Oh dear, oh dear, I forgot to ask you your names! What are your names?"
Cat stepped forward. "This is Adrian Wingheart, and he's a vampire/human/harpy crossbreed. I'm Cat Chere, and my origin is unknown. I came here to find out whether I have some elf background."
As soon as Cat had said the name "Chere" the lady elf's eyes widened. "Oh dear, oh dear," she said worriedly. "You must go see Bink right away. Come right this way. Oh dear, oh dear."
Terra led the way to a large room and inside was a three-dimensional observatory, showing the night sky, all the constellations, and a mapping of the charted universe. An elderly elf man who was wearing a long, azure robe was standing in the middle of it all and studying a section of the three-dimensional model. He heard Cat and Adrian entering the room but did not turn around to face them.
"How I would love to go to places in the universe that have not yet been charted," he remarked, and then spun around to face Cat and Adrian.
"Who are you, and why do you disturb my studies?" he inquired, stroking his beard. His pointy ears jutted out to the side, showing that he was an elven scholar.
"Um, I'm Cat Chere," Cat stuttered. The expression on the old elf's face changed a little, but Cat didn't notice. The old elf turned to Adrian.
"And you are?"
"Adrian Wingheart," he replied. The old elf accepted that and then wrinkled his brow, stepped off his stand and amazingly, started floating towards Cat and Adrian.
"And why would two youngsters like you two be looking for old Bink?" he croaked. He stepped towards Cat. "Miss Chere, why did you come here? Is it that you want to know about yourself? Or did you just feel like visiting old Bink?" Bink nodded to himself and floated away.
"I want to know who I am," Cat blurted. "Please, let me know."
Bink turned back to face Cat. "Do you want to know? Maybe it is better not to know. In many cases, ignorance and naivete is bliss. But not in this case, so I will tell you. You are an elf-harpy girl. Is that what you came to find out? If so, then please leave."
Cat's face was flushed. "But," she stuttered, "is that all? Please tell me more, Mr. Bink."
Bink tilted his head. "Child, knowing that facts will do nothing for you except make you change your name."
Cat just gave him a pleading look. "Please, sir," she said quietly.
Bink glanced in Adrian's way. "Mr. Wingheart," he began, "let's make a double or nothing deal, shall we not? I tell Miss Chere the truth about her background, and you tell her the truth about your background. After all, why don't we all just be honest with each other? Don't be afraid, Adrian. So, young man, do we have a deal?"
The elderly elf had Adrian trapped in his penetrating gaze. Bink's eyes were a dark, dark blue, and they had flecks of silver in them. They reminded Adrian of the deep blue starry sky, going on and on forever, knowing all truths. Adrian felt hypnotized, and finally he accepted.
"Yes," he told Bink softly. Cat's head snapped in his direction.
"You haven't been telling me the truth, Adrian?" she said in surprise. Adrian slowly shook his head.
"I'm sorry, Cat, but I'm not who I said I was. Yes, my given name is Adrian, but my last name is just a last name that is common among my kind. I am the only one left of my species, and I was found as a baby in an abandoned village. A goblin maiden named Gloha came upon me, and wondered how an infant had morphing abilities, yet instead of being afraid of me she took me in, sacrificing her maidenhood in order to take care of me. She never married, never had any children of her own. She had to give everything up just to take care of me. I loved her like a son would love a mother, for she was the only mother I had known, but I felt like I didn't fit in the goblin community. When I turned fifteen, I left Goblin Forest, and came out into the world to find my calling. I was wandering aimlessly until I came upon Najida, and there I found the Arrow headquarters. Vincent invited me to join, so I did, and here I am now. I'm sorry I lied to you, Cat, and if you can't forgive me, I don't blame you. I was trying to be someone special, someone I'm not," he explained dolefully.
Cat stared at him, feeling his pain of not having anyone like him around him. How awful he must feel to be the only one of his species.
"It's all right, Adrian," she said. "I understand how you feel, and why you told us that. I really think that you should tell the others when we see them, and please, don't lie to me again. You are a wonderful person, and that's all that counts."
Adrian looked at her with astonishment. He had expected her to be furious at him, but it appeared that she wasn't. Cat wasn't just a sprightly, energetic, impetuous person. She understood people.
"Well, Miss Chere, it seems like Adrian had fulfilled his part of the deal, so I will fulfill mine," interjected Bink. "I will tell you your story through a scene from the past, for the planet saves every scene of what happens in a star, as every thing that happens creates another star. I can take the memory of that star and show it to you, so you will see the entire scene around you, but you will not be part of it. Adrian, I will show it to you, too."
And with that, Bink seemed to reach up into his observatory and plucked a tiny star from the sky. He brought it down and a light started shining out from it, enveloping the whole room in a shining golden light. It blinded them all, and when they opened their eyes, a hazy scene unfolded before them.
A ravishing winged elf maiden walked by the riverbank in the early dawn, so early that no one else in the village had awoken. A salty tear dropped down her cheek into the glittering blue river.
She remembered what her father had told her yesterday.
"You have no choice, Electra! You must wed Edward! You have no say in this situation! He is the only elf of proper stock in this village. No, I don't care if you want to see the world, I don't care if you do love that accursed harpy prince, but you will marry who I say!"
Electra would never wed anyone but her beloved, Hector. Yes, he was a harpy prince, but he understood her better than anyone in the world, elf or animal.
She heard a whirring of wings and looked up above to see Hector flying above. She spread her gossamer fairy-like wings and flew up to meet Hector.
"Hector, you came!" she exclaimed with joy. "Let's go now, let's go to a place where no one will ever find us and live together happily ever after!"
Hector took her hand. "Electra, I want to marry you. I want to protect you forever. Please marry me."
Electra looked up at him, her eyes shining. "Yes, yes! Let's go have Bink perform the ceremony," she said happily.
They flew to Bink's tree and knocked on the door. Terra, radiant in her youth, opened the door and took them to Bink's observatory.
"Bink! I have a favor to ask of you," Electra cried. "Please perform the marriage ceremony for Hector and I, please," she begged.
Bink looked from her to Hector, for he knew that Electra's father had wanted Electra to marry Edward Elf, but then he saw that Electra would have it no other way.
"All right, all right," he said. He then performed the marriage ceremony, not the traditional one of the elves, but the one that even the stars would decree was meant to be. Hector and Electra's souls were now bound together by the stars.
They thanked Bink, and then planned their escape. Little did they know that Bink had sent a star to track down their actions and location, in fear that something might happen to them.
Alas, something happened. Electra was with a child, yet they were still traveling around the world. Bink was worried about the child's welfare, yet he did not interfere.
Then the baby was born. Electra and Hector named the child Diana, for she was a beautiful infant, and when she was grown her loveliness would probably surpass even the Chaste Maiden of the Silver Moon. Yet one day, disaster befell Electra and Hector. They went to find some comestibles for the infant, and left Diana in the care of the faithful forest fairies. But then, a winged Zolom Zombie, the kind that had spawned from a Toki government experiment attacked them and they were devoured.
The forest fairies found out what happened, and they knew that they couldn't take care of the infant forever, so they sought help. Bink had been watching all this time, and had felt deep sorrow when he learned of Electra and Hector's death, but he knew that he had to find a home for Diana. He then sent a star to retrieve little Diana and bring her to him. The fairies let the star take the infant, for they knew that no truly evil forces could control stars.
The stars brought Diana back to Bink's home, and Bink looked into the eyes of the beautiful infant. She had wisps of violet hair and her eyes looked so dark and mysterious, yet she was a happy child, always gurgling and giggling her baby giggle. Bink wanted to keep her, to care for the child, but he knew that if he did so, then the baby would never fulfill her destiny. He had to give her away. But who was he to give her to? He needed to find a couple that would be able to give her a happy life, so she could live her childhood years like a normal little girl. Yet, she was a winged elf/harpy child, so she would not look completely human, so he needed to find a couple whom no matter what would conceal her heritage from her. For she would need to find it on her own, for she was the only of her species. Her mother Electra had been an elf/fairy crossbreed, so had gauzy fairy wings, but Diana had feathery wings as did her father. Those wings would never be known until she found out who she really was.
Bink consulted the stars, and they led him to a couple that lived in the sheltered town of Lenore. Their names were Landon and Lea Chere, and they couldn't have children for some reason. Bink approached them holding Diana in his arms, and told them that this was an infant harpy/elf princess who needed parents, for hers had died. He said her name was to be Cat, and told them of Cat's destiny, and how it was vital that she not know of her true heritage until the proper time when she would discover it on her own. They accepted and took the child in, and then Bink went back to the Forest of the Elves to wait for the day of Diana's return.
The scene blacked out, and they were back in Bink's observatory. "And here you are, Diana," Bink told Cat. Cat was confused. So her name wasn't really Cat. Her name was Diana. Her parents had been royalty that had escaped their homes. Her parents were dead . . . she was half elf, half harpy? What was her surname? She couldn't think, and tears were streaming down her cheeks.
"What is my surname?" she asked Bink. Bink thought for a moment, trying to remember Hector Harpy's surname.
"I don't remember your father's surname, but I remember your mother's maiden name," Bink offered. Cat nodded.
"Anything will do," she said.
Bink nodded and said, "Wingheart. You have the same surname as Adrian. I know it's strange, but it's nothing but the truth."
Cat froze in disbelief, and so did Adrian. They shared the same last name, yet they weren't even of the same species. How could that be?
"Don't waste time being muddled," said Bink. "Try out your wings. Just concentrate on the wings sprouting out of your back."
Cat gave Bink a dubious look, but then shut her eyes and concentrated on feathers sprouting out of her back, and then when she opened her eyes, she had a large set of feathery wings. She tried flapping them, and caused a gust of wind.
"Don't try them out here, you'll blow all my texts over!" fussed Bink, waving his hands at her. Cat turned his way. He seemed to know so much.
"Thank you so much, Grandfather Bink!" she cried. "I'm going to change my name to Cat Diana Wingheart!"
There was a flash of happiness in Bink's eyes. "Well, you are the Princess Diana," he said gruffly, turning away. "Go see your friends now. And when you come back, bring all of them with you. I want to speak with that Zaria girl." And with that, he stepped back up and shut his eyes, conversing with the stars internally.
Cat and Adrian quietly exited the observatory. They had found out so many things about each other. They started down the hallway, and were startled to hear Bink's door being thrown open.
"And when you bring your friends," Bink called, "bring them up on the elevator! Don't be foolish and attempt to fly up again! The button's somewhere in that bark on the ground!"
The door promptly slammed shut. Cat and Adrian walked into the room that Terra was in to thank her.
"Hello, dears!" she exclaimed, her face crinkling into a smile. "Oh dear, has Bink told you your true identity? You know who you really are now, right dear? Oh dear, oh dear, are you okay now, child? Here, come here and have some tea, dear. Would you like to stay the night, dear? It's a long way from here to anywhere, dear. Oh wait! You have your wings now, right, dear?"
Cat smiled and nodded. "Thank you for everything, Terra, but I'll be fine, really! I have to go and see my friends now, but I promise I'll come visit you sometime real soon!"
Terra opened her mouth to protest, but then decided not to and smiled softly at Cat.
"Go, Princess Diana," she said. "Do what Bink told you, dear." Her soft, worn, smiling face startled Cat as she thought of how she had seen how Terra when she was young, how beautiful and soft-spoken she was.
"Bye, Terra," she said, smiling, and then left the tree house with Adrian. They stepped out of the threshold and Cat spread her wings and pumped them gloriously.
"I can't believe I can fly," she breathed. She pumped her wings some more, producing small drafts of wind. "I can really fly!" she shrieked with joy. Adrian smiled, and startled her by flying over to her side and taking her hand. He looked up into her dark eyes, so mysterious, yet so full of life.
"Let's go see the others," he said softly, and led Cat back to Najida.
* * *
Fuuko fastened on her retractable claws, and checked the magic wind orb in it. "I'm set," she said.
Zack nodded, and took his Apocalypse orb and stuck it in the spear. He turned to Breanna. She rolled her eyes. "You guys are acting like this is some sort of Mission Impossible thing!" she exclaimed. "Don't be so serious!" Fuuko put her claw of wind down. "I'm sorry," she said. "I just feel so stressed out . . . but I shouldn't care about my family anymore . . . it's not like they care about me . . . my real mother died anyway. The woman my father is married to now is not my real mother, and you saw how little my father cared about me. My siblings . . . they're selfish and spoiled too, except for Faye." Breanna's expression softened. "I'm sorry, Fuuko . . . but we'll go see Faye right after the mission! Right, Zack?" She turned to Zack.
Zack nodded dynamically. "Yeah!"
"And about your family," Breanna continued, "I didn't exactly have a great family life when I was young either. My parents didn't care about me much. They never cared about me, what I did, where I was, how I was. I could've run away and no one would notice. In fact, I did once. I came back, and my parents didn't know anything. They had been gone the whole time. Sometimes, when I was in my early teens, I would go out partying or doing stuff until three in the morning, yet they wouldn't care. I admit that they provided well for my material needs, but they never gave me any love, never gave me warmth or comfort, you know what I mean?"
She stopped talking and sighed, shaking her head. "Life wasn't that great for me, as you can see. Look at me now."
Zack was looking at Breanna in a new light. In all his life, he had never seen Breanna Cole talk about herself this way before.
Fuuko smiled at Breanna sympathetically. She knew exactly how Breanna felt, except instead of being disregarded, she had been emotionally mistreated. She shook her memories out of her head and got up off the bed in the hotel room they were in. She then turned around to face Breanna and Zack.
"Well," she began, "let's go and do what we came here to do, shall we?"
* * *
Zack stood, holding his spear in front of him. He concentrated on nothing but Apocalypse. Apocalypse. Apocalypse. A wave of energy burst out from his aura, making explosions in the sky. There were fireworks of every shade imaginable.
All who were left in the building scattered out, coming to see the commotion. Zack turned and nodded to Breanna. Breanna turned and concentrated on the orb embedded in her glove, and yelled, "Quake!"
Energy shot out from the orb and engulfed the building, breaking the earth beneath it, toppling the building over. Many people screamed and fled the site. No one dared approach Fuuko, Zack, or Breanna.
Fuuko jumped in the air, riding on one of her wind vortexes. "Claw of Wind!" she shouted, and three long claws made of compressed wind formed on her Claw of Wind and stretched out very far. It took all of Fuuko's strength to lift the Claw of Wind and whip it around, creating a large tornado-like creation. The parts of the building were sucked up into it, and then were whirling around in the air. Zack then used his Apocalypse to blast it into nothingness, and then fell down, on his knees, very tired, for he had used up much of his energy.
Breanna reached into her knapsack and took out a small potion consisting of water that Zaria had charged with curative magic. Zaria had left them with a large supply of the substance, for it was like healing elixir, except much cheaper.
Breanna passed the potion to Zack, who gulped it down quickly. He could feel the healing magic coursing throughout his body, restoring him. He gratefully thanked Breanna. "Let's get out of here now," he said forcefully, for some people had started coming towards the three with angry looks on their faces. Fuuko created three wind vortexes and the three jumped on them and air-surfed out of Nakano. Fuuko looked back, and a tear fell from her eye.
"Off to Mydele!" Breanna said cheerfully. They rode the vortexes into the distance, heading towards Mydele, where Fuuko could finally see her beloved Faye.
* * *
Zaria drew back from Zeth's embrace. "Zeth, it's really you," she declared with tears in her eyes. He remembered. She had truly been reunited with Zeth. She had waited for sixty years for this day, to see the one she loved again. Zeth had the same smile as he had sixty years ago, the same smile he had been wearing on the day that they had been parted.
Zeth looked blithe and cheerful, but he also seemed very languid. Recovering all those memories must have been exhausting. Zaria took a bottle of healing elixir that she had made out of her bag and handed it to Zeth.
"Here, drink this." Zeth took the bottle and sipped some of it, cherishing any concoction that Zaria had made. This was so like the old times, when he would get injured and she would take care of him, and vice versa. Those times were the times that had made him care for Zaria even more, for it showed that no matter how ditzy, klutzy, or silly she sometimes seemed, she cared for others.
But what were they to do now? That was the one question on both of their minds. They had been reunited, but what next? Neither of them knew what to do. Neither of them knew what to say, now that they had found each other.
"Zeth, I missed you so much," Zaria began, her eyes watering again. "You don't know how long sixty years of waiting is unless you actually wait that long.you don't know how many times I've gone to the place we promised and waited for you, wondering if you would be there."
"I'm sorry, Zaria," Zeth said, giving her his handkerchief, "but at least now, we're together again, and I will never leave and will always be your bodyguard.all in exchange for a date," he concluded impishly, his aqua eyes sparkling.
A radiant smile appeared on Zaria's face, making her even more resplendent. "All right. Then let's go to The Platinum Belt!" she exclaimed happily. The Platinum Belt was an amusement park that was all built in is a belt-like structure. It was the most renowned place in the whole continent of Nova.
Zeth enthusiastically agreed and started to pack up his and Zaria's belongings.
"Wait, not yet," exclaimed Zaria. "Let's wait to go to the Platinum Belt when we have all our friends with us! For now, let's go to Mydele and see how everyone back home is doing, and maybe get a more proficient mode of transportation than walking, and then we'll go to Najida and meet the others. Then, we can all go to Mage together! I mean, even though we've finally found each other, and it's really nice to spend time alone, I want to tell everyone about us! I'm sure Vincent will understand. Anyway, going to Mage will be an experience that everyone should experience. It's a very spiritual place, and once the eight warriors are gathered there, it is said that many signs will appear. So first we should go and find all eight warriors! So let's go to Mydele now!"
"All right, all right," Zeth said in a rankled tone, putting all the stuff he was carrying down again.
"No! Don't!" said Zaria thrusting her hand out in a "no" gesture.
"What now?" complained Zeth, dropping the rest of what he had been holding and giving Zaria an annoyed look.
"Hee hee," Zaria said, a little smile pasted on her face. "We're going to Mydele now, so pack everything up!" she said gleefully and started prancing ahead, laughing.
Zeth, being very much annoyed, grabbed all their belongings and started following Zaria. That girl could exasperate him so much!
Yet . . . the way that she exasperated him . . . it was the same way that she had done during the war every single day. It was one of her endearing faults that although irked him, made him love Zaria even more. She could always bring a smile to his face, no matter how disheartening the situation they were in. He ran to catch up to Zaria, and they headed towards Mydele.
All seems happy, doesn't it? The tone of the story is still light, just keep reading and you'll get to the heavy parts. Thanks! Please review especially if you want updates!
Winged Heart and Soul
Cat reached down and adjusted her boots. She glimpsed Adrian watching her out of the corner of her eye. She stood back up.
"Where are we going?" she asked. She didn't know where to start, but maybe Adrian had an idea.
"We're going to the Forest of the Elves," he replied. "You have elven ears, so I'm sure you have some non-human ancestry. I just thought that would be a good place to start," he said, shrugging.
Cat nodded, acknowledging the fact that she wasn't completely human. She sighed. How she longed for the ability to fly. If she could fly, she would explore the skies, and maybe find a kingdom of clouds. That was her fantasy, the one thing that she had wished for as long as she could remember. She twirled a lock of purple hair around one finger. Well, maybe she was an elf, for elves were the only folk who had eccentric hair colors. She cast a sideways glance at Adrian. His wings were so beautiful. She didn't understand how Breanna could've thought that Adrian looked freakish.
"We're almost there," Adrian said shortly. It was so quiet. The only sound that could be heard was the gentle pumping of Adrian's wings and the shuffle of her boots on the grassy ground.
Cat looked beyond the trees of the Forest of the Elves into the distance, seeing the mountains with their peaks so high that they were hidden in the fog of the clouds up above. Sigh. This was going to be a long trip, if Adrian was going to be this quiet the whole time.
They approached the village in the Forest of the Elves, and once they reached the main square Cat saw petite people with pointy ears like hers bustling about everywhere. What she had heard about the elven folk was true, for their hair was a variety of colors that weren't normally on people's heads. There were shades of pink, purple, blue, red, orange, and green, of every single hue imaginable.
It was amazing. Cat felt overwhelmed, for she had never seen people who looked so similar to her before.
Adrian started into the village, but Cat held him back.
"Wait," she said. "I don't know if I'm ready. This is all so different from my known world. I don't know if I'm ready to face all the hidden secrets of my past. I'm . . . I'm . . . afraid."
Adrian rolled his eyes tactlessly. "Am I doing you a favor, or am I doing you a favor?" he emphasized.
She glared at him. "Just try to understand people once in a while, Adrian," she said, for the first time not having the strength to continue arguing with him. She started walking in the village, and Adrian followed her.
She didn't know where to go, but she was so irked at Adrian that she just kept on walking down the road aimlessly.
"And where do you plan on going, Miss?" Adrian asked satirically. He walked after her, sighing. He was currently in his normal state, in fear that his flying state would scare all the elves away.
Cat remained silent, and kept walking. "I think it would be smart to ask people who the elders of this village are," called out Adrian. Cat stopped abruptly and turned around to face him.
"That's a rather good idea," she admitted. She turned to the nearest elf that was walking by her.
"Excuse me, sir, may I ask you something?"
The elf man stopped and looked at Cat. "Hello," he greeted her. "Are you an elf girl? I've never seen you around before. You're a pretty one," he said admiringly.
Cat blushed and smiled. "Thank you," she said quietly. "I don't know if I'm an elf or not, but there is a pretty big chance that I am. I came here to find out who my parents are," she explained, "and I was just wondering if you happened to know any elders who would know about elf children who had been born but sent away and been adopted by humans."
The elf man tilted his head in thought. "Well, yes in fact, there is someone whom I know that might be able to help you. His name is Bink, and he lives in tree number 10/230, which is not far from here. Just continue going down this path and in about ten minutes you'll see it."
Cat smiled sweetly and thanked the man. She then grabbed Adrian and dragged him down the road. They walked in silence for a few minutes, until the utter hush was about to drive Cat insane.
"Adrian, if you didn't want to come then why did you come with me?" she finally burst out.
Adrian looked up. "Who said I didn't want to come with you? I came along as your friend, and because I know my way around these areas. I've been here before, you know. The Forest of the Elves is a place that is said to have magic dust in the air, and that is one of the reasons that the elders here are so magically wise."
Cat kept silent, walking deep in thought.
"Adrian, what's your home like?" she asked suddenly. Adrian looked up at her, and looked at the sky, as if searching for his answer.
How could he tell her that he had lied to them all? He didn't have a true home village . . . he was unique of his species, and his name wasn't really Adrian. When he was an infant, he had been found in the middle of an abandoned village of his kind. Nobody knew where the rest of the creatures like Adrian who had lived there had gone, even though they did know that they were a species that had been warriors during the Mage war. He had been all alone until the goblins came across him while exploring the forlorn village, and then he had grown up among the goblins. They had raised him well, for although goblin men weren't the most pleasant of folk, goblin women were fair of face and pure of heart. When he had grown up, he felt like he didn't fit in anywhere. He needed to go out on his own. His adoptive mother, Gloha, had not wanted him to go, but he felt like he needed to go out and do something that would make a difference in the world. After all, he was the only one left of his species. But, how could he tell Cat all that? He had never planned to tell anyone, so he certainly wouldn't let his secret slip now.
He tore his gaze away from the sky and forced himself to face Cat.
"I don't feel like talking about my home right now," he said slowly. "I didn't have such a good experience at home, so that's why I left."
Cat nodded, understanding but still curious. When would he ever talk about himself? He seemed so mysterious. Well, it didn't matter right now, because they had reached Bink Elf's home.
Bink's Elf's house was basically a tree house, and you had to climb up the tree to reach the entrance. Cat looked down at her boots. They weren't exactly ideal footwear for climbing, but they would have to do. She reluctantly placed her foot on the base of the tree.
Adrian followed her gaze to her boots and realized that Cat wouldn't be able to climb up the tree wearing those boots. He would have to carry her up then, he decided. He morphed into his winged form, grabbed Cat by the waist and pumped his wings, and they flew up.
"What are you doing, Adrian?" Cat shrieked, squirming in his arms.
"Stop moving around!" Adrian demanded, flying around the tree, looking for the entrance. Finally he found a structure that resembled a door and knocked on it, still carrying Cat and pumping his wings, trying to stay in the air. It was toilsome labor, because he had never carried anyone while staying aloft before. He started breathing laboriously and looking at the door in anguish, for Cat wasn't exactly light as a feather even though she was petite, even for an elf.
Finally, at long last, the door opened, and a small elf girl stuck her head out. She saw Adrian in his vampire mode and screamed, immediately slamming the door shut in Adrian and Cat's faces. Adrian sighed in exasperation and continued to struggle to stay aloft.
"Excuse me, we need to see Bink!" he yelled. "It's very urgent! We are not evil creatures! We will not harm you! Just let us see Bink!"
A few moments later, the door opened again, and this time a friendly looking elf woman peered out.
"Oh dear, please come in! You must be so exhausted, flying and waiting all this time!" she said, and cleared the way to let Cat and Adrian enter.
Adrian put Cat down, transformed into his human form and turned around to face the woman.
"Thank you so much, ma'am," he said politely. The elderly elf woman smiled. "You may call me Terra," she said warmly. "I take care of Bink. You have business with him? Oh dear, oh dear, I forgot to ask you your names! What are your names?"
Cat stepped forward. "This is Adrian Wingheart, and he's a vampire/human/harpy crossbreed. I'm Cat Chere, and my origin is unknown. I came here to find out whether I have some elf background."
As soon as Cat had said the name "Chere" the lady elf's eyes widened. "Oh dear, oh dear," she said worriedly. "You must go see Bink right away. Come right this way. Oh dear, oh dear."
Terra led the way to a large room and inside was a three-dimensional observatory, showing the night sky, all the constellations, and a mapping of the charted universe. An elderly elf man who was wearing a long, azure robe was standing in the middle of it all and studying a section of the three-dimensional model. He heard Cat and Adrian entering the room but did not turn around to face them.
"How I would love to go to places in the universe that have not yet been charted," he remarked, and then spun around to face Cat and Adrian.
"Who are you, and why do you disturb my studies?" he inquired, stroking his beard. His pointy ears jutted out to the side, showing that he was an elven scholar.
"Um, I'm Cat Chere," Cat stuttered. The expression on the old elf's face changed a little, but Cat didn't notice. The old elf turned to Adrian.
"And you are?"
"Adrian Wingheart," he replied. The old elf accepted that and then wrinkled his brow, stepped off his stand and amazingly, started floating towards Cat and Adrian.
"And why would two youngsters like you two be looking for old Bink?" he croaked. He stepped towards Cat. "Miss Chere, why did you come here? Is it that you want to know about yourself? Or did you just feel like visiting old Bink?" Bink nodded to himself and floated away.
"I want to know who I am," Cat blurted. "Please, let me know."
Bink turned back to face Cat. "Do you want to know? Maybe it is better not to know. In many cases, ignorance and naivete is bliss. But not in this case, so I will tell you. You are an elf-harpy girl. Is that what you came to find out? If so, then please leave."
Cat's face was flushed. "But," she stuttered, "is that all? Please tell me more, Mr. Bink."
Bink tilted his head. "Child, knowing that facts will do nothing for you except make you change your name."
Cat just gave him a pleading look. "Please, sir," she said quietly.
Bink glanced in Adrian's way. "Mr. Wingheart," he began, "let's make a double or nothing deal, shall we not? I tell Miss Chere the truth about her background, and you tell her the truth about your background. After all, why don't we all just be honest with each other? Don't be afraid, Adrian. So, young man, do we have a deal?"
The elderly elf had Adrian trapped in his penetrating gaze. Bink's eyes were a dark, dark blue, and they had flecks of silver in them. They reminded Adrian of the deep blue starry sky, going on and on forever, knowing all truths. Adrian felt hypnotized, and finally he accepted.
"Yes," he told Bink softly. Cat's head snapped in his direction.
"You haven't been telling me the truth, Adrian?" she said in surprise. Adrian slowly shook his head.
"I'm sorry, Cat, but I'm not who I said I was. Yes, my given name is Adrian, but my last name is just a last name that is common among my kind. I am the only one left of my species, and I was found as a baby in an abandoned village. A goblin maiden named Gloha came upon me, and wondered how an infant had morphing abilities, yet instead of being afraid of me she took me in, sacrificing her maidenhood in order to take care of me. She never married, never had any children of her own. She had to give everything up just to take care of me. I loved her like a son would love a mother, for she was the only mother I had known, but I felt like I didn't fit in the goblin community. When I turned fifteen, I left Goblin Forest, and came out into the world to find my calling. I was wandering aimlessly until I came upon Najida, and there I found the Arrow headquarters. Vincent invited me to join, so I did, and here I am now. I'm sorry I lied to you, Cat, and if you can't forgive me, I don't blame you. I was trying to be someone special, someone I'm not," he explained dolefully.
Cat stared at him, feeling his pain of not having anyone like him around him. How awful he must feel to be the only one of his species.
"It's all right, Adrian," she said. "I understand how you feel, and why you told us that. I really think that you should tell the others when we see them, and please, don't lie to me again. You are a wonderful person, and that's all that counts."
Adrian looked at her with astonishment. He had expected her to be furious at him, but it appeared that she wasn't. Cat wasn't just a sprightly, energetic, impetuous person. She understood people.
"Well, Miss Chere, it seems like Adrian had fulfilled his part of the deal, so I will fulfill mine," interjected Bink. "I will tell you your story through a scene from the past, for the planet saves every scene of what happens in a star, as every thing that happens creates another star. I can take the memory of that star and show it to you, so you will see the entire scene around you, but you will not be part of it. Adrian, I will show it to you, too."
And with that, Bink seemed to reach up into his observatory and plucked a tiny star from the sky. He brought it down and a light started shining out from it, enveloping the whole room in a shining golden light. It blinded them all, and when they opened their eyes, a hazy scene unfolded before them.
A ravishing winged elf maiden walked by the riverbank in the early dawn, so early that no one else in the village had awoken. A salty tear dropped down her cheek into the glittering blue river.
She remembered what her father had told her yesterday.
"You have no choice, Electra! You must wed Edward! You have no say in this situation! He is the only elf of proper stock in this village. No, I don't care if you want to see the world, I don't care if you do love that accursed harpy prince, but you will marry who I say!"
Electra would never wed anyone but her beloved, Hector. Yes, he was a harpy prince, but he understood her better than anyone in the world, elf or animal.
She heard a whirring of wings and looked up above to see Hector flying above. She spread her gossamer fairy-like wings and flew up to meet Hector.
"Hector, you came!" she exclaimed with joy. "Let's go now, let's go to a place where no one will ever find us and live together happily ever after!"
Hector took her hand. "Electra, I want to marry you. I want to protect you forever. Please marry me."
Electra looked up at him, her eyes shining. "Yes, yes! Let's go have Bink perform the ceremony," she said happily.
They flew to Bink's tree and knocked on the door. Terra, radiant in her youth, opened the door and took them to Bink's observatory.
"Bink! I have a favor to ask of you," Electra cried. "Please perform the marriage ceremony for Hector and I, please," she begged.
Bink looked from her to Hector, for he knew that Electra's father had wanted Electra to marry Edward Elf, but then he saw that Electra would have it no other way.
"All right, all right," he said. He then performed the marriage ceremony, not the traditional one of the elves, but the one that even the stars would decree was meant to be. Hector and Electra's souls were now bound together by the stars.
They thanked Bink, and then planned their escape. Little did they know that Bink had sent a star to track down their actions and location, in fear that something might happen to them.
Alas, something happened. Electra was with a child, yet they were still traveling around the world. Bink was worried about the child's welfare, yet he did not interfere.
Then the baby was born. Electra and Hector named the child Diana, for she was a beautiful infant, and when she was grown her loveliness would probably surpass even the Chaste Maiden of the Silver Moon. Yet one day, disaster befell Electra and Hector. They went to find some comestibles for the infant, and left Diana in the care of the faithful forest fairies. But then, a winged Zolom Zombie, the kind that had spawned from a Toki government experiment attacked them and they were devoured.
The forest fairies found out what happened, and they knew that they couldn't take care of the infant forever, so they sought help. Bink had been watching all this time, and had felt deep sorrow when he learned of Electra and Hector's death, but he knew that he had to find a home for Diana. He then sent a star to retrieve little Diana and bring her to him. The fairies let the star take the infant, for they knew that no truly evil forces could control stars.
The stars brought Diana back to Bink's home, and Bink looked into the eyes of the beautiful infant. She had wisps of violet hair and her eyes looked so dark and mysterious, yet she was a happy child, always gurgling and giggling her baby giggle. Bink wanted to keep her, to care for the child, but he knew that if he did so, then the baby would never fulfill her destiny. He had to give her away. But who was he to give her to? He needed to find a couple that would be able to give her a happy life, so she could live her childhood years like a normal little girl. Yet, she was a winged elf/harpy child, so she would not look completely human, so he needed to find a couple whom no matter what would conceal her heritage from her. For she would need to find it on her own, for she was the only of her species. Her mother Electra had been an elf/fairy crossbreed, so had gauzy fairy wings, but Diana had feathery wings as did her father. Those wings would never be known until she found out who she really was.
Bink consulted the stars, and they led him to a couple that lived in the sheltered town of Lenore. Their names were Landon and Lea Chere, and they couldn't have children for some reason. Bink approached them holding Diana in his arms, and told them that this was an infant harpy/elf princess who needed parents, for hers had died. He said her name was to be Cat, and told them of Cat's destiny, and how it was vital that she not know of her true heritage until the proper time when she would discover it on her own. They accepted and took the child in, and then Bink went back to the Forest of the Elves to wait for the day of Diana's return.
The scene blacked out, and they were back in Bink's observatory. "And here you are, Diana," Bink told Cat. Cat was confused. So her name wasn't really Cat. Her name was Diana. Her parents had been royalty that had escaped their homes. Her parents were dead . . . she was half elf, half harpy? What was her surname? She couldn't think, and tears were streaming down her cheeks.
"What is my surname?" she asked Bink. Bink thought for a moment, trying to remember Hector Harpy's surname.
"I don't remember your father's surname, but I remember your mother's maiden name," Bink offered. Cat nodded.
"Anything will do," she said.
Bink nodded and said, "Wingheart. You have the same surname as Adrian. I know it's strange, but it's nothing but the truth."
Cat froze in disbelief, and so did Adrian. They shared the same last name, yet they weren't even of the same species. How could that be?
"Don't waste time being muddled," said Bink. "Try out your wings. Just concentrate on the wings sprouting out of your back."
Cat gave Bink a dubious look, but then shut her eyes and concentrated on feathers sprouting out of her back, and then when she opened her eyes, she had a large set of feathery wings. She tried flapping them, and caused a gust of wind.
"Don't try them out here, you'll blow all my texts over!" fussed Bink, waving his hands at her. Cat turned his way. He seemed to know so much.
"Thank you so much, Grandfather Bink!" she cried. "I'm going to change my name to Cat Diana Wingheart!"
There was a flash of happiness in Bink's eyes. "Well, you are the Princess Diana," he said gruffly, turning away. "Go see your friends now. And when you come back, bring all of them with you. I want to speak with that Zaria girl." And with that, he stepped back up and shut his eyes, conversing with the stars internally.
Cat and Adrian quietly exited the observatory. They had found out so many things about each other. They started down the hallway, and were startled to hear Bink's door being thrown open.
"And when you bring your friends," Bink called, "bring them up on the elevator! Don't be foolish and attempt to fly up again! The button's somewhere in that bark on the ground!"
The door promptly slammed shut. Cat and Adrian walked into the room that Terra was in to thank her.
"Hello, dears!" she exclaimed, her face crinkling into a smile. "Oh dear, has Bink told you your true identity? You know who you really are now, right dear? Oh dear, oh dear, are you okay now, child? Here, come here and have some tea, dear. Would you like to stay the night, dear? It's a long way from here to anywhere, dear. Oh wait! You have your wings now, right, dear?"
Cat smiled and nodded. "Thank you for everything, Terra, but I'll be fine, really! I have to go and see my friends now, but I promise I'll come visit you sometime real soon!"
Terra opened her mouth to protest, but then decided not to and smiled softly at Cat.
"Go, Princess Diana," she said. "Do what Bink told you, dear." Her soft, worn, smiling face startled Cat as she thought of how she had seen how Terra when she was young, how beautiful and soft-spoken she was.
"Bye, Terra," she said, smiling, and then left the tree house with Adrian. They stepped out of the threshold and Cat spread her wings and pumped them gloriously.
"I can't believe I can fly," she breathed. She pumped her wings some more, producing small drafts of wind. "I can really fly!" she shrieked with joy. Adrian smiled, and startled her by flying over to her side and taking her hand. He looked up into her dark eyes, so mysterious, yet so full of life.
"Let's go see the others," he said softly, and led Cat back to Najida.
* * *
Fuuko fastened on her retractable claws, and checked the magic wind orb in it. "I'm set," she said.
Zack nodded, and took his Apocalypse orb and stuck it in the spear. He turned to Breanna. She rolled her eyes. "You guys are acting like this is some sort of Mission Impossible thing!" she exclaimed. "Don't be so serious!" Fuuko put her claw of wind down. "I'm sorry," she said. "I just feel so stressed out . . . but I shouldn't care about my family anymore . . . it's not like they care about me . . . my real mother died anyway. The woman my father is married to now is not my real mother, and you saw how little my father cared about me. My siblings . . . they're selfish and spoiled too, except for Faye." Breanna's expression softened. "I'm sorry, Fuuko . . . but we'll go see Faye right after the mission! Right, Zack?" She turned to Zack.
Zack nodded dynamically. "Yeah!"
"And about your family," Breanna continued, "I didn't exactly have a great family life when I was young either. My parents didn't care about me much. They never cared about me, what I did, where I was, how I was. I could've run away and no one would notice. In fact, I did once. I came back, and my parents didn't know anything. They had been gone the whole time. Sometimes, when I was in my early teens, I would go out partying or doing stuff until three in the morning, yet they wouldn't care. I admit that they provided well for my material needs, but they never gave me any love, never gave me warmth or comfort, you know what I mean?"
She stopped talking and sighed, shaking her head. "Life wasn't that great for me, as you can see. Look at me now."
Zack was looking at Breanna in a new light. In all his life, he had never seen Breanna Cole talk about herself this way before.
Fuuko smiled at Breanna sympathetically. She knew exactly how Breanna felt, except instead of being disregarded, she had been emotionally mistreated. She shook her memories out of her head and got up off the bed in the hotel room they were in. She then turned around to face Breanna and Zack.
"Well," she began, "let's go and do what we came here to do, shall we?"
* * *
Zack stood, holding his spear in front of him. He concentrated on nothing but Apocalypse. Apocalypse. Apocalypse. A wave of energy burst out from his aura, making explosions in the sky. There were fireworks of every shade imaginable.
All who were left in the building scattered out, coming to see the commotion. Zack turned and nodded to Breanna. Breanna turned and concentrated on the orb embedded in her glove, and yelled, "Quake!"
Energy shot out from the orb and engulfed the building, breaking the earth beneath it, toppling the building over. Many people screamed and fled the site. No one dared approach Fuuko, Zack, or Breanna.
Fuuko jumped in the air, riding on one of her wind vortexes. "Claw of Wind!" she shouted, and three long claws made of compressed wind formed on her Claw of Wind and stretched out very far. It took all of Fuuko's strength to lift the Claw of Wind and whip it around, creating a large tornado-like creation. The parts of the building were sucked up into it, and then were whirling around in the air. Zack then used his Apocalypse to blast it into nothingness, and then fell down, on his knees, very tired, for he had used up much of his energy.
Breanna reached into her knapsack and took out a small potion consisting of water that Zaria had charged with curative magic. Zaria had left them with a large supply of the substance, for it was like healing elixir, except much cheaper.
Breanna passed the potion to Zack, who gulped it down quickly. He could feel the healing magic coursing throughout his body, restoring him. He gratefully thanked Breanna. "Let's get out of here now," he said forcefully, for some people had started coming towards the three with angry looks on their faces. Fuuko created three wind vortexes and the three jumped on them and air-surfed out of Nakano. Fuuko looked back, and a tear fell from her eye.
"Off to Mydele!" Breanna said cheerfully. They rode the vortexes into the distance, heading towards Mydele, where Fuuko could finally see her beloved Faye.
* * *
Zaria drew back from Zeth's embrace. "Zeth, it's really you," she declared with tears in her eyes. He remembered. She had truly been reunited with Zeth. She had waited for sixty years for this day, to see the one she loved again. Zeth had the same smile as he had sixty years ago, the same smile he had been wearing on the day that they had been parted.
Zeth looked blithe and cheerful, but he also seemed very languid. Recovering all those memories must have been exhausting. Zaria took a bottle of healing elixir that she had made out of her bag and handed it to Zeth.
"Here, drink this." Zeth took the bottle and sipped some of it, cherishing any concoction that Zaria had made. This was so like the old times, when he would get injured and she would take care of him, and vice versa. Those times were the times that had made him care for Zaria even more, for it showed that no matter how ditzy, klutzy, or silly she sometimes seemed, she cared for others.
But what were they to do now? That was the one question on both of their minds. They had been reunited, but what next? Neither of them knew what to do. Neither of them knew what to say, now that they had found each other.
"Zeth, I missed you so much," Zaria began, her eyes watering again. "You don't know how long sixty years of waiting is unless you actually wait that long.you don't know how many times I've gone to the place we promised and waited for you, wondering if you would be there."
"I'm sorry, Zaria," Zeth said, giving her his handkerchief, "but at least now, we're together again, and I will never leave and will always be your bodyguard.all in exchange for a date," he concluded impishly, his aqua eyes sparkling.
A radiant smile appeared on Zaria's face, making her even more resplendent. "All right. Then let's go to The Platinum Belt!" she exclaimed happily. The Platinum Belt was an amusement park that was all built in is a belt-like structure. It was the most renowned place in the whole continent of Nova.
Zeth enthusiastically agreed and started to pack up his and Zaria's belongings.
"Wait, not yet," exclaimed Zaria. "Let's wait to go to the Platinum Belt when we have all our friends with us! For now, let's go to Mydele and see how everyone back home is doing, and maybe get a more proficient mode of transportation than walking, and then we'll go to Najida and meet the others. Then, we can all go to Mage together! I mean, even though we've finally found each other, and it's really nice to spend time alone, I want to tell everyone about us! I'm sure Vincent will understand. Anyway, going to Mage will be an experience that everyone should experience. It's a very spiritual place, and once the eight warriors are gathered there, it is said that many signs will appear. So first we should go and find all eight warriors! So let's go to Mydele now!"
"All right, all right," Zeth said in a rankled tone, putting all the stuff he was carrying down again.
"No! Don't!" said Zaria thrusting her hand out in a "no" gesture.
"What now?" complained Zeth, dropping the rest of what he had been holding and giving Zaria an annoyed look.
"Hee hee," Zaria said, a little smile pasted on her face. "We're going to Mydele now, so pack everything up!" she said gleefully and started prancing ahead, laughing.
Zeth, being very much annoyed, grabbed all their belongings and started following Zaria. That girl could exasperate him so much!
Yet . . . the way that she exasperated him . . . it was the same way that she had done during the war every single day. It was one of her endearing faults that although irked him, made him love Zaria even more. She could always bring a smile to his face, no matter how disheartening the situation they were in. He ran to catch up to Zaria, and they headed towards Mydele.
All seems happy, doesn't it? The tone of the story is still light, just keep reading and you'll get to the heavy parts. Thanks! Please review especially if you want updates!