Chapter One

~ The Storm That Bore Me~

Rain lashed my cheeks and wind buffeted my arms as I staggered on through the howling storm. It was freezing. My eyes were half-closed against the fierce weather and I could barely see where I was going, only that the ground in front of me was green and seemed to be some sort of a path over the mountain. I thought I left my horse behind when the thunder first started to rumble for Skylark always reared at thunder, but I couldn't be certain. I wasn't even sure if Skylark had been with me at all.

I wasn't sure where I was, or where I was going. All I knew was that deep within me lay a stubborn determination to keep going. It was hard to move forward, as the wind was so strong that it was like walking through treacle. It almost seemed as if the wind didn't want me to keep going. But some hidden instinct forced my legs to keep moving and prevented me from just giving up.

Eventually however I could go no further. Exhaustion caught my limbs in a vice-like grip and I was just so tired. So very, very tired…

xXxXxXxXxXx

I regained consciousness to the sound of voices somewhere far above my head.

"What do you think you're doing, Rutger?" a sharp, feminine voice pierced the air. I winced at the loudness of it and opened my eyes to see a tall, thin woman wearing striking red silk robes glaring at a much older man in slightly more tattered, traditional farming clothes with a walking cane in his hand prodding the ground next to me.

"I am testing the softness of the ground, of course – not that you would know anything about that, Ina," he replied in a harsh voice which belied the kindliness that the lines on his weathered face suggested was his usual disposition.

"I, not know anything about the ground? Rutger, you fool, the whole of Konohana's farming style revolves around the ground. I know more about it than you could ever dream to know, and because of this I know that the softness of the ground has no impact on anything other than telling us whether it rained recently. And we both know there was a typhoon last night, so we don't need to poke the ground to uncover that piece of information!" The voice of the lady in the kimono was so full of anger that I almost found myself recoiling away from her. I wondered why an act as simple as poking the ground would draw that kind of reaction from her, but I was afraid to ask. Besides, my head had begun to ache and I realised I was both hungry and starving. I remembered passing out in the storm last night, and supposed these two people must have found me.

Deciding to speak up before their argument could get even further out of hand, I slowly sat up and coughed to get their attention. "Excuse me, but who are you?"

The older man spoke first, telling me that he was Rutger, the mayor of Bluebell Village on the left side of the mountain. Then the woman interrupted to say that her name was Ina and she was also a mayor, but of Konohana Village on the right side of the mountain. They both added extra details about their villages – something about Bluebell being a village for farming animals and Konohana being the best place to grow crops – but I didn't pay too much attention to that. I was too confused as to why it mattered, and I was also beginning to wonder what I was doing on the mountain in the first place for I couldn't for the life of me remember.

"And you must be the new farmer, come to live in one of our villages," Rutger said at last, ending his rambling about animal farming. "You were fortunate that there was a lack of communication as to whether you would be joining Bluebell or Konohana, for otherwise myself and Ina would not have ventured up to the mountain peak to receive you – and then we would not have found you here, a victim of the latest typhoon."

I nodded. That made sense, I remembered now – I was traveling to a new place to start afresh. "Thank you, I'm glad you did find me," I said, meaning every word. I didn't want to think about what might have happened to me if a wild bear or something else had happened upon me while I was unconscious.

"As are we," Ina responded, sounding gentler now she was not engaged in a battle of words with Rutger. "Now, what is your name? And which village is it your desire to join? That is the most important question, although you look like a sensible young lady and I am sure you were heading towards the best village – Konohana."

Rutger immediately protested, proclaiming the brilliance of his own village, but I was too busy frowning to listen. What was my name? It was on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn't quite recall… Is it Lydia? Lizzie? Lily? Lily… Lily. That's right. Lily.

"My name is Lily," I interrupted before both Rutger and Ina began gnashing at each other's throats.

"A lovely name for a lovely lady," Rutger said, smiling down at me. I couldn't help but return his smile.

"But which village do you want to join?" Ina asked impatiently. Her dark eyes were stern and I got the impression that she felt a little inconvenienced by this whole matter. I couldn't help but feel a little scared of her business-like attitude. Although even if her stern disposition hadn't put me off I felt innately drawn to Rutger and his village of Bluebell, and I didn't hesitate in making the choice.

"Bluebell, if that's okay with you?" I asked, glancing at Rutger.

"Why of course! I'm only too happy that you would choose to join the better of these two villages, my dear. Come, come, I'll take you to your new farm now – some of the villagers were helping to do the old place up a little yesterday in preparation for your arrival." The friendliness in his voice assured me I had made the right choice, and I accepted his hand to help me get to my feet.

Ina stood back and watched us walk down the left mountain path without saying a word. When I looked back over my shoulder I saw that her lips were pressed together in a thin line and her eyes were narrowed in displeasure, and my body gave an involuntary shiver. However as I followed Rutger and listened to him telling me all about Bluebell and the animals and the villagers in great detail, and I looked upwards and saw the sun was shining in a blue, cloudless sky with no trace of the destruction wrought by the previous storm along the mountain path, I soon forgot all about Ina and any unpleasantness. Instead, a smile bloomed on my face and positive energy began to flow through my tired limbs at the prospect of starting a new, happy life in little Bluebell village.

xXxXxXxXxXx

It was as Rutger and I were walking up the little cobblestone and dirt path leading up to Bluebell that I first began to feel uncomfortable. The hairs on the back of my neck were rising almost as if someone was watching me, but all I could hear was the sound of the vibrant forests full of spring life, and all I could see when I looked around as the green leaves of trees and little wild flowers springing up by the path.

"Here we are my dear; these walls mark the entrance to Bluebell Village," Rutger announced as we approached two walls, with a gap in the middle where the path lead though, which disappeared into the trees after a short length on both sides. I smiled, for on the ends of both stone brick walls was a large statue of a cheerful-looking songbird, carved out of stone. I wasn't sure what kind of bird it was - maybe a bluebird or a super-sized robin? – but it was absolutely charming.

"They're beautiful," I murmured, convinced I had made the right choice in village after all.

"Our ancestors carved them when they first built this little village," Rutger said proudly. "Come, come, your farm is just through here." He began to walk through the entrance, and I started to follow only to stop when I saw the pink blossoms of the cherry trees on the other sides of the walls. They looked awfully familiar, and when I looked back at the walls I realised that I'd seen them somewhere before too. But I couldn't place where I had seen them before, and as Rutger was still walking on I had to hurry and catch him up with a small frown on my face.

We'd not gone far when the path split into three. The path to the right led up some steps to a beautiful church with stained glass windows, flowers spilling out of window boxes, and a fountain in the yard. The middle path seemed to lead into the main village, past what Rutger called the 'shipping bin'. I was expecting him to lead me up that path but instead he took the path to the left, which was small and thin and where the cobblestones faded away into the ground so the path became just dirt and mud.

"This way, my dear. Your house is just outside the main cluster of houses and shops but it's an enchanting little place, and one that anyone would be fortunate to call their home." Rutger beckoned me to follow him and I did, but as I took that first step towards my new house a pang suddenly stuck my stomach and I gasped in surprise. I thought I might be about to throw up but I didn't feel sick, and the feeling of being watched came over me stronger than ever. Whirling around after the pain lessened I found myself looking at a grassy area just off the path, next to the church but not on raised ground, that was directly opposite the path to my new house. And there seemed to be the entrance to a tunnel leading into the mountain, under the ground attached to the church, which was supported by wooden mining beams. It had obviously been built for a reason but it seemed abandoned now, and I wondered what had happened.

But there was no-one there, and Rutger was getting further away from me, so I shook off the disturbing feeling and hurried after him, not wanting to be left all by myself.

The path wove through a little grove of three or four trees on either side, and upon emerging into the open again I gasped in delight. Just as Rutger had said, it was an enchanting place.

To my right there was a chicken coop with a large outside area for the chickens to run about outside, enclosed by a low fence, and to my left there was a much larger barn for bigger livestock, also with its own outside pen. There was a water well next to the chicken pen with an old fashioned handle which I supposed I would have to pump myself for water, and thickly growing trees neatly surrounded the whole area, growing close behind the house. And as for the house itself, well, I couldn't have been more charmed by its appearance, It was small, but it didn't look too small, with a second floor and quaint windows. The tiled roof and wooden door were both a pleasant shade of yellow which I was sure would brighten my day every time I came home even at the darkest of times, and the walls of the house had been recently pained with a fresh coat of white. Pretty flowers overflowed from window boxes to finish off the image of country charm, and it was all I could do to stare at it all, transfixed.

"This… This is all mine?" I asked faintly, in disbelief.

Rutger smiled, watching me with a twinkle in his eye. "Indeed it is. I take it you like it?"

"I do, it's just so… so…"

"So enchanting?" Rutger suggested, and I nodded enthusiastically.

I was so captivated by the magical appearance of the whole place that I didn't notice the woman standing to the side of the house with a cow and a chicken waiting patiently by her sides until she stepped forwards and welcomed me warmly. "You must be Lily! I'm Jessica, from the livestock shop, and it's a pleasure to meet you," she enthused. She was a plump, middle-aged woman with rosy cheeks and twinkling blue eyes, and it was impossible not to like her.

"Good morning Jessica," Rutger greeted her with a smile. "I shall leave Lily in your capable hands for the time being." I looked up at him as he turned to me. "If you need me you can always find me in the town hall, or wandering around the town. Feel free to come and talk to me whenever you like; and don't be shy to introduce yourself to the other villagers – they're all dying to meet you, it's been a while since we last had a new resident!"

"Thank you Rutger, I will," I assured him. "I really appreciate everything you've done for me!"

After Rutger left, Jessica introduced me to the two animals she had with her. She told me all about how to care for them – what to feed them, how to brush them, how to collect their produce, how to keep them happy etc. – and then she informed me that these two were free for me to keep and look after.

"Oh, but I can't just take them from you like that," I protested weakly. The thought of having my own animals to look after excited me, and after looking into the cow's deep brown eyes and gazing at the chicken's shiny plumage, I had already fallen in love with both of them.

"Nonsense! Think of them as a housewarming present," Jessica insisted. She was a woman not to be argued with, and so I grinned and thanked her. "Now, what would you like to name them?"

I hesitated. The cow was a beautiful creature, and I didn't want to give her a generic, somewhat boring name. And the chicken too was a fine specimen, not to be named in haste. They were both standing there so patiently it was almost unreal – I had never seen two animals so well behaved before. "How about Belle for the cow?" I suggested after some thought. Okay, so maybe it wasn't the most original of names, but it implied beauty and grace – which, I'll be the first to admit aren't usually the first values which come to mind when I think of cows – and strangely, this cow seemed to possess both these qualities. "And Snowdust for the chicken?" The chicken seemed to perk up when I gave her that name, and she looked at me with shining, beady eyes.

Jessica nodded approvingly. "Those are good names. Oh, and before I forget – I thought you might be hungry when you got here, so I went ahead and left some food inside the house for you. Here's the house key. I'm afraid I really need to be getting back to my shop, but if you ever need me 'Jessica's Animals' is the first shop on the left when you enter the village. Feel free to come and find me there anytime. Now, I'll leave you to settle in." She gave me a friendly smile before beginning to bustle away down the path, but a sudden thought occurring to me bade me call after her.

"Hey Jessica?"

"Yes, dear?" she asked, half-turning back towards me. There was a knowing smile on her face as if she already knew what I was going to ask.

"These animals seem… different to all the animals I've seen before," I ventured questioningly.

"Well now, Bluebell is a different place to all the places you've seen before," she replied. Then she winked at me before turning back around and hurrying off before I could think of another question – for there were many in my mind – and I began to wonder for the first time just what sort of a place I had come to.

xXxXxXxXxXx

After leading Belle and Snowdust into their respective homes, which they settled into quite happily, I took a look inside my new house. I was expecting it to be just as charming inside as it was out, and I wasn't disappointed. The first room I walked into seemed to be a three-in-one with a little kitchenette for cooking food, a bed for sleeping on, and a table with a couple of chairs for eating on in the middle of the room. There was also an old, slightly moth-eaten but very comfortable looking sofa on the opposite side of the room to the bed. It was actually quite spacious, and the windows let in enough sunlight to fill the entire room with a warm glow. There was a low table at the end of the bed with a calendar and a clock on and a storage box in-between the bed and the table. There was also a potted plant by the door, and behind the head of the bed there was a bookcase right next to the kitchenette. There was only one other room on the ground floor, which turned out to be a bathroom with a toilet, a shower, and a sink.

There was a staircase leading up to the first floor, but it was blocked off by some wooded boards and when I peered through the gaps I could see why – the stairs had many holes in and from what I could see of the upstairs it was falling down. Rutger did say that the villagers had been doing my house up, but I guess they hadn't had time to do the upstairs. But no matter, I had everything I needed down here and I couldn't imagine needing the upstairs anyway.

After eating the food Jessica had left for me – a delicious omelette – I decided to go and explore the village a little, and maybe introduce myself to some of my new neighbours as Rutger had suggested.

I was walking through the little grove of trees that marked the path to my house when I thought I heard a voice. I frowned. I couldn't see anyone about… Maybe I was imagining it?

"Smokey… Smokey…" the voice was called again. Nope, I definitely wasn't imagining it.

Standing still, I tried to work out where it was coming from. It sounded like it was to the right of me, but I wasn't sure. All I could see on my right side were trees. Although… a little further ahead I could see a couple of flowerbeds enclosed by low brick walls to keep them safe and neat, where there weren't any other trees.

"Smokey?" I heard the voice again. It was low and quiet, and I thought it sounded male but I couldn't be sure. I hurried forwards towards the flowerbeds and, sure enough, I saw a little open space with a few benches arranged around the edges of the circular glade. On one side, opposite me, was the wall I'd seen earlier when I first entered Bluebell, and also the cherry tree was there next to it. Other green trees surrounded the glade, and it was next to one of the benches that I saw the owner of the voice I had heard.

He – for I was now certain that he was a he – was on his hands and knees, searching for something underneath the bench. "Smokey," he called again, still in a quiet voice.

"Excuse me," I said to announce my presence. "What are you looking for?"

The boy jumped, letting out a squeak of surprise, and hastily got to his feet and turned to face me. I stifled a little giggle at his appearance. His face was flushed red as if he had been caught doing something he shouldn't, he had grass stains on his blue trousers, his light purple shirt under a slightly smarter, darker purple waistcoat had several rips and tears in it, there was an untied yellow tie hanging around his neck, and his shaggy brown hair was dishevelled underneath his purple-chequered cap. His green eyes were wide as he stared at me, and I noted that he was actually pretty good-looking, although his clothes were a mess.

He coughed to clear his throat (and probably to try and reclaim some of his endangered dignity). "Who are you? I've not seen you around here before."

"I'm Lily, I just moved into the little farmhouse down that path. I'm sorry if I startled you," I apologised, surprised by his defensive tone. "I just heard you calling something… did you lose a chicken? Or a pet, maybe? I can help you look, if you'd like."

He frowned. "I'm not looking for anything. I don't have a pet, and I don't own any chickens." The red colour was fading from his face now, and his eyes bore a guarded look. He was definitely hiding something, but it was clear he wasn't going to tell a complete stranger what that was.

I bit my lip. This meeting-the-neighbours thing was harder that I first thought it would be. "Okay… So do you live in Bluebell?" I was cursing the question before it was fully out of my mouth. Of course he lived in Bluebell, where else would he live? Rutger had told me that Konohana and Bluebell residents never visited each other, apart from a postman who brought mail, and both villages were situated in the middle of nowhere so he was unlikely to just be a visitor.

He simply nodded once. "I'm the florist. If you'll excuse me, I should get back to my shop," he said coldly. He moved past me, shooting me a look from narrowed eyes, and I took an involuntary step away from him.

As I watched him walk back up the path towards Bluebell, I wondered what he had been looking for. His cold personality didn't seem to be of anger, but more because of defensiveness. He was protecting something, but I would probably be the last person he'd tell.

I sighed. "Maybe the other villagers will be a little friendlier," I murmured to myself.

It was just as I was about to also head up into the village (after the other guy had disappeared from sight – I didn't want him to think I was following him) when I heard a tentative meow coming from above my head. Looking up, I saw a small grey cat with large green eyes clinging to a tree branch with its tail fluffed out in fright.

"Smokey?" I wondered, glancing after the boy who had already disappeared from sight. The cat looked to be stuck in the tree, and if this was what he had been looking for it would be best if he came to rescue it. But what if it wasn't? If I bothered him again he might become angry, especially since he had already said that he didn't have a pet.

I looked back up at the cat. It was clearly terrified, and couldn't be very old. Really, it was still a kitten. I couldn't just leave it there. There was only one thing for it. "It's okay, I'm going to rescue you," I cooed soothingly, reaching up a hand towards it. I couldn't quite reach it from the ground, but the branch wasn't too high. But the tree had no low branches close to the ground that I could use to climb up to get to the cat, so I would have to improvise.

The tree was next to the wall, and there was a bench just in front of the wall, so I figured that if I could climb onto the bench and then pull myself onto the wall, I would then be able to reach the branch that the kitten was on. "Okay, let's do this! Don't worry Smokey, or whatever your name is, I'm coming to get you!" I promised cheerfully, excited to begin my rescue mission.

It was easy to jump onto the bench, but it was a little more nerve-wracking to put one foot on the top of the bench and then slowly lift my other foot up to join it. I leaned my hands on the wall behind it but the bench was about half a metre away from the wall, and it could easily tip over with my weight unbalancing it. I waited a moment with my eyes screwed tightly shut, but nothing happened so I opened them slowly to just make absolutely certain that nothing bad had happened.

"Phew! Okay, now for the hard part…" I put my hands on the top of the wall, which I could comfortably reach from the top of the bench. I had never been very sporty or athletic, and didn't really have any muscles to speak of (though I figured farm work would soon change that!), so I wasn't sure if I would be able to pull myself up onto the wall or not. But one glance at the mewling kitten above me made me determined to at least try. Breathing deeply, I inwardly built up the courage to attempt this daring feat. (It wasn't actually that daring, but I like to think it was anyway – and it did seem dangerous at the time, even though the worst that would probably happen is that I fall to the ground and maybe sprain an ankle.)

"A-one, a-two, a-one-two-threeeeeee!" I pushed off the bench with my feet, dragging myself up the wall with my arms. I managed to pull my stomach onto the top of the wall, and then I lay there a moment, panting. It wasn't the most comfortable of positions to be in, so once I had caught my breath I put my hands on the wall either side of me and pulled myself up further, until I could swing a leg over the top. Then I awkwardly shuffled around (and grunted a lot) until I was sitting comfortably on top of the wall.

"Well, I'm still alive at least," I panted. The kitten was watching me now with its large eyes framed by soft kitten-fur, and I felt my heart soften at the sight. "Don't worry, I'm almost there, and then I'll get you down safe. Now all I need to do is…" I paused. I couldn't quite reach the branch from where I was sitting, even when I strained forwards as much as I dared without risking falling off. "Okay…" I looked back at the trunk of the tree, which was much closer to the wall – as was the beginning of the branch! I did an awkward shuffle along the wall towards the tree and when I could comfortably put my hands around the tree trunk I moved one leg over to the branch and then the other, until I was somehow on the branch. The kitten was almost right at the end of the branch, so I began to crawl forward on my hands and knees, flinching every time the branch creaked as I suddenly realised that although the branch had looked fairly sturdy from the ground, it felt a lot less sturdy when I was actually on it. But I made it to the kitten before the branch broke, and I held out my hand slowly so as not to scare it.

"Hey there, I've come to rescue you," I said softly. It tentatively stretched out its nose to sniff my hand and I smiled. Now I was so close to it, it looked absolutely tiny. "That's it, everything's going to be okay…" I slowly extended a hand to stroke it, and though at first it recoiled it soon let me touch it and began to purr quietly, and I almost squealed in delight at how soft and fragile it was. Scooping it up into my arms, and letting it settle down before moving, I started to look for a way down… Only to realise there wasn't one. I couldn't shuffle back down the tree whilst holding the kitten in case I lost my balance since I was using both my hands to hold it, and even if I did manage it I had no idea how I was going to get back onto the wall and down to the ground with a kitten in my hands.

"Oh dear little one," I murmured, stroking the back of its head. "I may not have thought this plan through properly…"

We were stuck.

Author's Note: I have so much inspiration for this story that I couldn't resist posting this chapter so soon. It was a bit explain-y and included lots of background information but hopefully next chapter will be more interesting - after all, Lily meets more villagers next chapter and there's a bit of a conflict too which is exciting.

Thank you to my reviewer and for the follows, I really appreciate it!

Thanks for reading,

~ Jay