Author's Note: Meh. I haven't come up with anything cool to say yet.

Sunlight poured through Misavi's bedroom window, but with lesser force and vibrance than the morning before. She opened her tired brown eyes and sat up. Someone was talking in the kitchen. One voice, which she could barely hear, sounded old and shaky. She instantly recognized the other as her mother's. "But you can't!" she was saying. "She's just a child!" "Misavi can handle a spear far better than any male villager," said the other voice. "She's the world's only hope." The scooting of a chair marked the end of their conversation. Misavi peeked down the wooden staircase and caught a glimpse of a village elder hobbling out the door.

Hopping down the stairs, Misavi found her mother sobbing at the table. "What's wrong?" she asked, pulling up a chair. "You and Haruko have been chosen to travel to Gidrain and tell the mayor about our situation," explained her mom. This came as no surprise to Misavi; she had always been the best warrior in her age group. "What's so bad about that?" she asked. "There have been reports of monsters on the trail leading to the foot of the mountains." "I can take 'em." Misavi was skilled enough to defeat the Vull, small badger-like creatures that sometimes attacked young villagers. "Not Vull, if that's what you're thinking. These monsters are much stronger. I fear for your well-being." "I'll protect her," Haruko interrupted, handing Misavi a spear as well as a note, held together by the elders' seal. "What? We're leaving now!" Misavi stared blankly at the spear in her hand. "The sooner Gidrain is alerted, the better," her brother said solemnly.

The world seemed slightly darker as Misavi exited her cabin with Haruko close behind. Her tan clothing became dark brown because of the lack of light. But she paid it no mind, and dismissed it as extra clouds in the sky. But it was something much more dangerous.

The siblings' moccasins padded gently across the fresh snow. "How long of a hike is it?" Misavi asked. Her brother resided in Gidrain (though visited often), so she figured he would know. "From that rock up there," he said, gesturing towards a large boulder with an arrow etched into it, "I'd say anywhere between two and three hours, depending on the weather and how many monsters we run…" At that moment, two Vull sprang from a nearby bush, snapping their powerful jaws hungrily. "…into."

Misavi drew her spear and assumed a fighting stance. "Remember how to do this?" asked her brother, pulling his own spear out. "Of course," said Misavi. "It's only been four months since the last attack." The two monsters were too impatient for them to finish chatting. The larger of the two heaved its black and white body at Haruko, who deftly flipped it onto its back with the handle of his finely-crafted spear. Then he spun his weapon around and stabbed the beast with the arrowhead-shaped metal on the tip. It screamed in agony, and then fell limp. "Easy as a snowball fight against the elders," he said, wiping the blood from his lethal lance.

"I'll take this one, then," Misavi said, smirking at her brother. "Watch and learn." The second Vull, smaller and weaker than its partner, was easily flipped and killed. "Not bad," said Haruko, picking up the spoils. "Not bad."

Haruko's estimate was correct; the pair reached Gidrain in two hours and fifteen minutes. Misavi, who had never left Kyar in her entire life, had trouble breathing in this new, denser air. She soon discovered the trick was to breathe through only her nose until her lungs became accustomed to the new climate, which, Haruko said, would take a few hours. "Well," Haruko said cheerfully as they approached the main square, "so much for those monsters Mom told us about. We didn't run into a single…" A child crossed their path, chased by a snarling gray wolf. "…one." Misavi drew her spear again. "We don't have time!" her brother urged. "We have to give the mayor our message!" "Here," she mumbled, ripping the note from her weapon, "you take it." Before he could say a word, she pressed the message into his hand and took off after the wolf.

The red-haired little girl screamed and tried to hasten her gait, but was unable due to the length of her dress. Her pursuer was catching up, but so was Misavi. With inhuman speed, she tripped the wolf and knocked him against the wall of a nearby house. The child stared at her with wide blue eyes. "It's okay," said Misavi, "I'm not gonna hurt you." She was tempted to finish the wolf off, but didn't want to frighten the child even more. "Are you okay? Did that monster get you?" She shook her head. "Well that's good. Do your parents know you're out here alone?" The girl shook her head again. "What's your name?" Once again, she shook her head and said, "I can't talk to strangers," before running off.

Weird little kid, Misavi thought. If someone just saved my life, I'd thank them. "Misavi?" she heard her brother call from afar. "Yeah?" she yelled, hoping he would hear her. "There you are!" her brother exclaimed, standing on the opposite end of the street. "The mayor wants us to protect this town's Sun Symbol." "But if it's removed from its altar, wouldn't that have the same consequence as stealing it?" "Not if you wear a belt made of dragon hide," Haruko gestured towards the belt tied to his spear, "enchanted with some sort of magic spell that holds the symbol's power inside." Misavi wasn't sure what he meant, but she nodded and pretended to know what was going on. He handed her the belt. "Go get the Sun Symbol," Haruko instructed. "I'm gonna stock up on food."

The altar housing the Rockjewel, Sun Symbol of earth, was not as elaborate as the Emblem of Light's totem pole, but Misavi preferred the emblem to her own village's. It was the size and shape as the stolen symbol, but crafted of a finer metal, which resembled her necklace. The bottom of the Rockjewel appeared to have dream catcher beads, but upon closer inspection Misavi noticed they were made of crystal. The Sun Symbol had a rock carved into it, with an etching of a tree inside it. The brown glow emanating from the metal around the carving diminished as the girl gently lifted the Rockjewel from its position.

She felt a sudden rush of energy pour from the artifact into her arm. Quickly clipping it onto her new belt, the emblem began to glow again. Though it weighed at least a pound, she felt no stress on her hips. But she thought nothing of it.

"Where are we supposed to go, exactly?" she asked an hour later, exiting the town with her older brother. "Since it's wintertime, Gidrain's messengers refuse to leave town and spread the word. We have to go instead. And to think," he sighed, "they charged me full price for these sandwiches." Misavi laughed, but a glare from her brother silenced her.

Author's Note: Don't worry. It gets better.