Wow…I told you if you didn't remind me, I'd forget. And look…I forgot. Well…here's the next chapter. I'm getting into some difficult material as far as my direction goes. This has always been the part of the story that goes differently in my head each time. The next five or six chapter will be hard to get out cause I can't decide how I want to go about it. Bare with me.

The Secret Magic: 3: Whisperings

By: Karigan Marie

Chapter 9: Out of the Woods

She'd been walking most of the morning at a fairly brisk pace. Quickly stepping over logs and ducking under some lower branches, she anticipated coming upon the village by late morning. She wasn't quite sure, though. She was making an educated guess. Though how educated was anyone's guess considering the educated portions stemmed from her memories more so than actual knowledge. It had been 3 years since she'd left the village called Solandia. And that in and of itself was a matter she'd been curious about. The village was called Solandia. But was it part of something bigger? A country, perhaps? She had a sneaking suspicion she shouldn't ask.

Jade heard her before she saw her. She signed and gave an inward shrug. It was just as well. She wasn't going to be able to hide the fact she was heading into actual 'human' presence from anyone. She knew they'd smell it on her the instant she returned. Justice walked up next to her from behind a tree, hands crossed in perturbation. The scowl that marred her ivory face was priceless. Jade contained the smirk with carefully studied restraint, barely.

"I don't suppose I could talk you out of this?" It was more of a resigned statement than a question.

Jade's eyes quirked. "I'm hemorrhaging for Gods' sake, Justice. What would you like me to do?"

Justice rolled her eyes and threw back her hands in exasperation. "You're not hemorrhaging. How many times do I have to say that?" She hopped in front of Jade with ease. "I thought you said your mother had explained this stuff to you?"

"She did," was the simple response. Jade felt herself heat up on the inside. She would not have this conversation with a creature who laid eggs.

"So what's the problem?" Justice looked exasperated, which was just hilariously ironic. Wasn't she the one who'd squawked around for two days when she'd experienced her first molting a year ago? She'd spent two weeks carrying on about the unbearable itch. She'd ended up cheating, shifting into human form to avoid the bother. She'd been unpleasantly surprised when she'd shifted back and noticed the molting had just waited for her to turn back.

"The problem is…" and she really wasn't going to have this conversation with Justice, she repeated to herself. "…I'd rather see someone a little more versed in the functioning's of my body than you."

Justice rolled her eyes. "You've been having monthlies for a while now, Jade. What more do you need to know."

Jade's temper started to simmer. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from spitting out something nasty. The amazingly painful back aches from the last two days had sheared her patience down to potentially dangerous levels, given the right push. Nights were spent in curled up agony with cramps and days in disgusting tiredness. And with the limited supplies of clothing Justice provided her with, cleanliness was becoming an issue. Jade hadn't spent the last 3 years with meticulously clean birds to go around feeling this filthy all the time. She'd had the last straw. She'd have to seek more learned folk, specifically, women, about this issue. Besides, it was about time she was allowed to see another human face.

When they walked into the clearing, it was all Jade could do not to run back into the forest. She felt her heart rate pick up to an alarming rate. Her hands began to shake slightly and her breathing became erratic. She hadn't been in contact with humans since she left here 3 years before. She hadn't had to worry about what they'd think of her for so long, the thought of having to face the looks of disgust and fear made bile rise up in her throat. She was disgusted with herself. All the carefully practiced restraint seemed to go out the window when faced with something as simple as this.

When a passing mother and child smiled at her and continued on their way as if nothing was different, Jade had to remember that she wasn't in Tortall. She was in Solandia. No one here knew about what she was capable of. It wasn't Kilbao. No one here had heard rumors of the strange child who could create such havoc.

It struck her as odd, that they didn't stare. They walked through some of the walkways slowly. She didn't look much like them. Most of the people here were black eyed. And while they had hair as black as hers, if not blacker, it was straight and fine to her curly and thick. She watched some girls, who she thought might actually be around her own age talk amongst themselves in a language completely foreign to Jade.

She noticed their clothing and grimaced at her own. They were similar cuts and styles. But Jade's were dirty, had tears and were wrinkled. She reached up and tried to sort out her hair, sure it was sticking out all around her. She shuffled her bare feet self-consciously. She hadn't worn shoes in almost 3 years. 'I must look like a street beggar.'

Justice pursed her lips out in thought. A quick once over and an odd look prompted Jade to stop and ask an unspoken question. Justice quirked her lips before she responded. "You're certainly thin enough to be one."

Jade's mouth dropped open in astonishment. Looking down at herself, a frown marred her eyebrows. She was small, compared to Justice's human form. But she was almost a foot taller than any of the Pips. Of course, that really wasn't something to go on. She'd always just compared herself to the only person she could; Justice. She was a good 5 or six inches shorter than Justice, and wasn't as 'filled out' as her. Though they were close in age, Justice certainly looked older. Her human form had filled out curves Jade has blushed to consider having one day. She thought maybe she was a 'late bloomer'. She was 13 and had only just started getting monthlies this last season. She couldn't be dependent on them, erratic as they were. Her body had barely started to develop.

Amena had been almost 13 when Jade had last seen her. Jade could distinctly remember more curves than she herself was presently sporting. Her base of comparison wasn't all that adequate, she had to admit, but she'd just assumed she was as 'blossomed' as any other girl her own age. It figured if she was deficient in this too. Truly fitting.

As far as skin and bones…she thought she'd actually put on weight. She certainly ate enough. Fruit and meat were the two constants in her diet. One provided from the forest, the other from the firebirds who hunted for her. Learning how to make and bank her own fire to cook the meat had been an adventure in and of itself. She wouldn't even think about how ashamed her mother would be at the idea that Jade couldn't hunt for herself.

She couldn't be that thin. At least, not as thin as when she first left Solandia for the woods. She could count her ribs then, which she couldn't do now.

"Are you coming?" Jade snapped out of her thoughts with a soft shake of her head. Justice had come up to a grouping of houses and turned to face her.

Jade trotted up to her and glowered. "I think you enjoy making me nervous." It was an old accusation. Justice merely grinned. Jade glared.

They continued walking by old familiar sights. The occasional white tiger with its swishing tail standing guard or resting in the shadows was not the comfort to Jade they were to the villagers. She'd never been partial to animals. A trait she would have liked to pick up from her mother, it was just another reason Jade felt distant from her parents.

She didn't like thinking about them. She mad a concerted effort not too. The feelings that took over her when they crossed her mind were down right frightening. The predominant feelings that came from memories of her father were uncertainty and separation. She didn't think she could ever face him again. If she ever went back to Tortall or Carthak, she'd have no choice but to face him. And face what, exactly? She couldn't put her finger on what it was she was so uncertain about. Face that she'd abandoned him? Like her mother? She'd adored him as a small girl. He'd been the sun to her; knowledgeable in all things; except her magic. Maybe she was terrified of seeing what he'd become; what her abandonment had done to him.

She felt her stomach turn at the idea he might have actually 'broken' from the experience. He'd nearly done so when her mother had left. And with that thought, Jade's mind shifted to the ever present feeling of discontentment. She didn't want to think about her. Didn't want to acknowledge her existence. She'd gone and died on him and her. She'd left and that was the end of it. Jade took a deep breath and pushed down the sudden surge of what she could only classify as resentment. She was being unfair. Being murdered didn't exactly constitute as leaving of your own free will. She chided herself, tried to accept things as they were. In the end, it always just sat there, in the pit of her stomach, eating away at what ever was left of her inside.

Again, her thoughts were interrupted. This time though, her attention was wrenched away from inner turmoil by the horrible sound of a horse's scream. Both girls turned in surprise to the direction of the sound. It repeated itself a number of times, each growing more terrified. Justice seemed to be concentrating hard in the direction, working out in her mind, as most Firebirds did, the situation before actually getting involved. Jade couldn't see anything. He heart, however, raced with apprehension. She knew those sounds.

She'd heard it years ago in Corrus when her mother would take her out into the city to handle some problems dealing with animals. She'd heard that sound before and knew it for what it was because of how it made her bones rattle with pity. Obviously, it was a horse. But the horse's scream spoke volumes. It was in pain and it was terrified. In a village full of people who didn't seem at all worried about anything and tigers who would be the first to react to danger, it seemed inevitably that if she were to walk in that direction, Jade would find a horse who'd broken something, likely a foot, and was being held down to be put down.

Her feet moved before she realized what she was doing. And before Justice's hand landed on her forearm, she'd turned the corner and felt her heart sink as her eyes confirmed what her ears had heard. There, in one of the corals surrounded by 6 or 7 men, all struggling and speaking in Solandia's unfamiliar language, was a glorious dark bay mare. It was of the Solandian Breed, bigger than any horse Jade had ever seen up close. Even as it struggled on the ground, rolling and kicking, screaming out in fright, she could tell it carried the tall but sleek build she'd seen from afar years ago. A blaze raced down it's forehead to just above the nostrils, more heavily pronounced on the horses left side. The rest of the body glimmered almost black except around the hoofs where its bay color became more prominent. One sock, on the left front hoof, was it's only other marking; and from the looks of it, that was precisely the leg that was giving the horse so much trouble. She tried jumping up a number of times but would collapse back down when she tried to put weight on it.

One man held a wickedly sharp knife, trying to position himself around the horse's neck. He spoke softly, almost kindly to the animal. He was trying to be merciful. And if Jade had been a selfless person, she would have closed her eyes and walked away. But the bay's wide terrified eyes seemed to focus on her and she screamed again, struggled and snorted. Jade took a step back in alarm. The mare's eyes were brown, but were cast over in a white haze. She felt her hands dampen with sweat and bit her lower lip. She looked back at the horse, watched it as it watched her. It seemed to be screaming out to her, as if it could talk to her, plead with her, if she would just listen.

But she couldn't understand. She didn't have the ability. Jade wanted to believe she held Wild Magic inside her, but she didn't. The fact was simple. She didn't have the ability to help this animal. Her mother could have. Maybe that's what the horse sensed; a distant relation. Jade sighed. There was nothing she could do.

The man with the knife positioned himself with the knife only to be butted three feet away and back when the horse reared its head back and slammed into him with enough force to knock the breath out him. The men struggled with her, the ropes they were using to hold her down being tightened. The horse had spirit; and that spoke volumes. She was young, too. Jade was no expert, but the horses looked as if she were still growing.

Without realizing it, her hand reached out to one of the men. His head jerked to her when he felt her pulling him back. He spoke words she couldn't understand. But she didn't have to. He was not pleased. She pushed passed him, grabbed another arm and hauled another man back. Justice grabbed her arm, yanked savagely and growled, "What are you doing?"

Jade wrenched her arm away before she took the 2 seconds to steep her magic. It leapt from her fingers and sparked on the ground. Two more men, noticing the odd magic, stepped back. She pushed forward past the last two men with ropes and the one with the knife and turned to face him. "You can't kill her."

They looked at her funny. Then they looked at each other. The man with the knife stepped forward, as if to continue with his unfinished chore. Jade put up her hands. She wouldn't be able to stop anyone if they wanted to just shove by her, but she figured her magic probably held some sway.

She let the movement of her hands carry the magic out. Let a small stream of green reach out and twine in her fingers. They itched for only a moment before she felt it ready to be released. Small drops of green magic seeped from her hand and fell to the ground like drops of water.

The men stood mesmerized, starring at her hands and then her face. She noticed one man talking to another, pointing to his eyes as he looked at her, the other nodded in dumbfounded confusion.

She stood for endless seconds, wondering what she was supposed to do. How was she supposed to communicate with people who shared no words with her?