Sunshine

The Awakening

She was still running when her cottage came into view and did not slow down when the door was within reach, only wrenched it open and slammed it behind her. Lianna dropped her bags where she stood panting and sank to her knees. The ground beneath her was like ice, only embers still glowed in the hearth on the other side of the room. She felt as if the fire was inside her, roaring to get out, sweat poured from her skin and she shuddered. Her body heaved with each breath as she looked towards the barely glowing coals across the room.

It came from somewhere deep inside her as if awakening from a long sleep. Lianna could feel it stretching and sliding through her blood. The embers in the fireplace glowed brighter and a flame appeared. Lianna gasped in fear and shock, feeling the heat bubble out of her. Looking at the length of her arms, she half expected to see them covered in flames. They were not, but she could feel it. The flame in the hearth grew larger and the slow release of tension throughout her body was like a living entity crawling out of her and taking shape on the other side of the room.

“What are you?” She breathed not daring more than a whisper. As if in answer, the flame spiraled upward toward the chimney, even though any logs that had remained from this morning had long ago burned to ash. Then it reached for her. Lianna could not move; her feet were held in place by some invisible force. The flame slithered closer, she held her hands in front of her as if to ward off whatever demons came for her in those dancing plumes. They finally reached her hands and wrapped around her fingers as if in welcome. Lianna rose to her feet with a scream and raced back out into the cold not bothering to shut the door. She raced to the stream and felt her knees crunch as she tumbled into the water trying to put the flames out. The water seized her hands and flowed up her arms in supplication, trying to smother the flames that she vaguely realized did not burn her skin. Screaming again she beheld her arms still encased in flames, refusing to be banked, as she stumbled backward from the water’s edge. Somewhere, someone was screaming, but darkness closed in on her and she collapsed on the grass.

She was cold and wet. Her body shuttered awake with a gasp and she sat up. Cold lungsful of air-filled her up and she immediately looked to her hands. Nothing. No burns at all. Maybe it had been a bad dream. Maybe she was just exhausted from the long walk and the fright of everything she had learned had taken its toll on her.

The sun had begun to fade behind the mountains and dew was beginning to bead on the grass already. It would freeze again tonight. She jumped up and hurried to the cabin, her mind registering the soreness that permeated every muscle. Cautiously shutting the door behind her she glanced toward the now empty hearth. Not even one ember glowed and Lianna sighed in relief, laughing nervously at herself. The mountain lion must have scared her more than she could admit if she had hallucinated the whole thing. Walking to the rear entry, she held the door open and began moving logs from outside to inside the door. Once she had enough to last the night, she slowly walked to the hollowed-out stone pit and placed them in the center. Lianna grabbed the flint and rock from the mantle that would spark life into the logs. As she leaned over and struck it, she felt the warmth begin to pull through her chest and out into her arms as if it was a beast inside her. She gasped and stumbled back as flames flew from her fingertips and the logs began to burn.

Staring down at her hands Lianna watched in horror as the flames danced around her fingers. They did not burn but tickled her as if she ran her hand through feathers. The horror turned to awe as she wriggled her fingers and the flames sparked in recognition of the feelings pouring through her. An overwhelming sense of freedom and rightness tingled through her as she stared down at herself. Lianna took deep uneven breaths and did not fight the release of power that surged out from somewhere deep within her. It was almost as if this power had been locked away inside her for so long and now that it had been unleashed she felt whole, like a piece of her she had not known was missing had finally locked into place. It welcomed her, enfolding her in its warm embrace like a long-lost friend. Despite her fear and uncertainty, Lianna instinctively reveled in the sensation, returning its joyous welcome even if she didn’t understand or fully comprehend it.

A limb snapped outside, and she stopped cold. She stood quickly and hid her hands behind her back, however unnecessarily, as they extinguished as soon as the noise reached her senses. She ran to the window set beside the door and peeked out. Was someone watching her? Had they seen? Her heart racing, Lianna surveyed the view of the front yard. The setting sun cast shadows across the valley; she could see the path winding through the trees on a downward slope into the base of the canyon towards the South. The stream flowed on the Western side but cut back away from the trail and disappeared from view. There was no movement that she could detect as her eyes darted to the copse of trees, not fifty yards from where she hid behind the window watching. She barely saw the rustling leaves in the waning light but knew her eyes did not betray her as the small goat that had followed her back jumped from the brush.

Her sigh of relief melted through her and she turned to put the kettle on the fire to heat more oats with shaky hands. Grabbing the sacks that she had abandoned on the floor earlier she slid them beneath the table. She unlaced the leather pouch at her waist and put the new arrowheads on the table to be strapped to the arrows after her meal and wash.

At the thought of a bath, Lianna groaned aloud. Her entire body was covered in a sheen of dried sweat and a layer of dust from the day’s adventures. Her hair under the cloth was stuck to her head in places that instantly began to itch when she consciously recognized the sensation. She pulled the rag from her hair, throwing the offensive thing near the small pile that needed washing; that she would put off until tomorrow. Her fingers tangled in the mass of riotous curls, relieving the itch briefly.

The day’s events had left her feeling somewhat lost for thoughts as if it were only a dream and she would wake up any minute to the sound of the fowl crowing of the Sun’s ascent. She pinched her arm. The pain assured her that this was indeed real. Now rubbing the spot to assuage the inflection, she untied the leather thong at the tip of her long braid, watching her hands warily for any sign of an impending eruption. Starting at the end of her braid she slowly unraveled the lengths. The locks were almost the same hue as the flame in this light, the reds and purples and darker shades in between seemed to dance in the fire’s glow just as her flames had done to her fingers before.

Still keeping an eye on fingers that suddenly felt foreign to her, she went to pull the oats off the spit above the fire. Lianna stopped herself from grabbing the cloth she normally used to protect her hands from the heat. Slowly she reached towards the handle, feeling the heat as she moved closer. She was able to touch the pot without even the tiniest hint of pain. Her breath caught as she lifted it from the spit and placed it onto the table without even flinching. Setting the pot on the table, she brought her hand up to look at the inside of her fingers and palm, studying them closely. Perfectly smooth. Even the blisters from wielding an ax every day and carrying heavy buckets were gone as If the flames had smoothed them away.

Lianna dropped into the chair beside the table still staring at her hand. She brought the other one up to inspect, and it was the same. Her long pale fingers kissed with a golden hue were utterly smooth and soft as a baby rabbit. Not quite sure what to think anymore she ladled a spoon of oats into her bowl, adding a dribble of honey from the wooden vase on the table. She could not quit staring at her hands when she brought the spoon toward her face, her heart thundering in her ears. As delicately as she could she closed her mouth around the spoon and quickly pulled it away, going cross-eyed as she did so. Lianna let out a relieved breath and cautiously continued her sparse meal.

Finally finished with no signs of flames, Lianna let out the breath she had not realized she held. Grabbing the small wooden bucket, she began filling the large bathing tub up one bucket at a time from the barrel she had filled this morning, though it seemed a lifetime ago after all that had transpired since.

When the tub was nearly half full she set the bucket aside and began to undress. Loosening the strings that held her bodice together, then letting her arms fall to her sides, she wriggled the soft doeskin dress down past her breasts so the long length could drop to the floor. Next, she bent to unstring her boots and pull off the furs to expose her pink toes to the cool night air. Then her pants quickly followed. The chill raised gooseflesh along her exposed skin, and she knew that stepping into the tub would be even colder. She stopped as an idea suddenly occurred to her. She leaned over and submerged her hands into the water.

Then, she couldn’t think of what she should do to warm the water. Her mind went completely blank as she tried to make the flames come forth. She did not want flames though, just warmth. As she thought about it she felt that tightening in her gut and suddenly she could feel it spreading from that point up towards her chest and arms. It was like a well of molten lava that felt unending as she concentrated on the sensation pooling in her core. Lianna took a shuddering breath and felt sweat trickle down her temple. Slowly. She wanted to do this slowly.

Trying to control it, Lianna gritted her teeth, slowly letting the warmth trickle down her arms, feeling the unfamiliar tingly sensation at her fingertips as sweat began to bead between her bare breasts. The water made a hissing noise and steam began to curl around the edges of the tub until it began rolling off the water in hazy waves, warming her skin all over.

“Stop”! She nearly shouted, yanking her hands back, splashing water, and falling on her butt in the process. Then she wondered who she was shouting at. The feeling in her fingers instantly vanished. She straightened back up and cautiously stuck a big toe in the water. It was very warm but not too hot. She let out a sigh and stepped into the tub, melting into the water like a candle left to burn all night. She slid beneath the surface and held her breath, bringing her hands up to rub her face and tangled in her hair. She sat up slowly letting the water drip uninhibited down her face. Lianna let her head fall back against the edge of the tub, closing her eyes as she breathed in the steam. It filled her senses like a welcoming embrace, relaxing her as nothing else could.

How convenient it was! Instead of heating pot after pot of boiling water, spending over an hour working for her bath, it had taken her just a moment to heat it to the perfect temperature. She allowed herself a smile and the trepidation seemed to melt away as she began to scrub her body clean of sweat and dust. She felt the pull in her gut, but this time it was not trying to get out. It seemed to be rubbing itself along her veins purring like a cat full of cream. As if to say hello to a long-lost friend.

A cat. She wondered what had driven the mountain cat so far down into the canyons today. Lianna had seen them farther up the mountain when she had explored as far North as she dared but had never seen one come down from their rocky kingdom so high above. She heard them scream at night sometimes, but the sounds had always come from a distance and never from the direction of the village.

After her bath, she sat before the fire brushing her long red hair until it crackled with each stroke just as the fire crackled licking at the logs. She stared into the flames absently brushing her hair, clad in her rawhide pants and a short rabbit skin top that only covered her front. It tied behind her neck and then strings under her arms wrapped around her back leaving it exposed. The cold did not seem to bother her so much anymore and it was this thought that had her wondering what was happening to her, to the world outside her valley?

A feeling of doubt began to creep up her back and slither across her neck, causing the flesh to raise for the third time this day. It felt as though someone was watching her again. Her mossy eyes scanned the room, stopping at the window beyond, which she could not see through in the darkness. She moved to her sleeping place piled high with pine straw and moss, covered in several layers of animal furs. The soft pelts were comforting as they cocooned her against the night and the revelations that had been laid out before her today. If she could do this, could other people?

Was she Fae? Is that why her mother left her there in the middle of the woods alone? She reached up to trace the outline of her ear. The delicate curve was the same as always. Lianna remembered to breathe. Why had she never felt this sleeping .. thing.. inside her? She fell asleep to the questions still buzzing around her head, each one unique and unanswerable; all coming forward to claim her attention at once. Her exhausted mind finally let go and she drifted off into an exhausted slumber.

Lianna came awake with a start.

Her eyes and ears were instantly alert scanning the darkness for any sign of what had disturbed her sleep. She lay tense and unmoving in the warmth of her pelts. Maybe she had imagined it. The chickens let out a loud squawk on the other side of the wall and she could hear the frantic movements of their panic. Something was out there with them.

Adrenalin shot through her like lightning and she jumped out of bed, hastily grabbing the iron poker leaning against the hearth, and bounded towards the door. Not allowing herself to think twice on the foolishness of such action, she raced through the icy grass to the enclosure. Her eyes adjusted to the shadows as she scanned the distance to the outer wall. The chickens had escaped to the roof and the goats were bleating nervously near the trees towards the stream. Lianna halted mid-stride, the poker raised high above her head ready to strike when she felt its presence before she saw it.

The Mountain lion loped out of the pen, its head swinging around as it caught her scent. She trembled, locking eyes with it. The cat sniffed once, a huff of air escaped its mouth as it curled its lips, scenting the air. It stood there for a moment gazing at her like it had thoughts it might want to voice. Making an instant decision to claim this as her territory, she braced herself. The power awakening within her pushed toward the surface and steeling her nerves Lianna let out a loud angry hiss, shocking herself as much as it shocked the cat standing mere feet from her, still staring at her in what looked to be confusion.

Lianna lunged forward bringing the iron poker down in the general direction of the cat. It turned with a blood-curdling shriek and ran off towards the stream, leaping across it easily before fading into the surrounding darkness. She felt her knees go weak. The baby goat came trotting back and went right into the stall to curl up in the straw. The other two followed more cautiously and she watched until the birds came down one by one to gather in their nests once again.

It was that moment when she felt the numbness seeping into her toes and realized she had left the door open. She sprinted for the door and shut it quickly. Climbing back in bed and into the meager warmth left from… just moments ago.. she supposed. She leaned back against the cool wall, wondering what was happening in the world to cause such chaos in her small valley. A lone wolf howled in the distance. She jumped at the sound. Then another one sounded. Much closer.

She sat up with a sigh of exasperation, with herself and the nervousness she could not escape. Giving up on any thought of sleep she got up to go prod the fire. Her thoughts went back to the giant cat. It had not seemed to be hunting but investigating. It had not looked at her with hunger. She would have sworn that there had been only feline curiosity in its eyes as it stared her down. It had turned and ran from her when it could have just as easily overpowered her.

The sound that came from her was something between a laugh and a groan.

“I scared a mountain lion.” Then she did laugh, almost hysterically. She caught a glimpse of herself in the large oval looking glass that her mother had brought home long ago. It hung on the Eastern wall above the table stacked with extra clothes, dried herbs, and other assorted goods.

Her hair was wild around her face and arms, trailing down her back in thick red waves to where her bottom sat on the seat of the chair. The color danced with the flames and shadows, shimmering around her like a dark mist. Lianna’s moss green eyes were large and upturned at the corners. Her nose was small and rounded upward at the tip, and always reminded her of a hog’s snout. Her lips were full, and the slight quirk of the corner hinted at mischief. She could see the dark freckles across her face and shoulders. The rabbit pelt that covered her front from neck to waist left the shoulders and back bare and the buckskin pants she wore hugged her hips where they met her belly and folded into the chair. The women of the village would be scandalized to see her so. She had to admit that even to her own eyes she looked more like one of the wild forest creatures than human. She watched her reflection in the mirror and smiled at herself.

She had scared a mountain lion. Another bubble of laughter escaped her.

Okay, maybe she had just startled it into action since it hadn’t seemed to be very interested in eating her. But what would have it crawling this far down the mountains, if not its search for a meal? The room began to lighten, and she knew dawn was approaching.

As if reading her mind, the rooster hailed the dawn’s presence as a trumpeter would the kings. She sighed and padded across to the table beneath the mirror that had captured her attention so thoroughly before. She grabbed the chunk of rabbit meat that hung from the iron nail there, salted and dried. She used her skinning knife to carve a piece off and threw it in the pan to cook over the fire. After the last few hours, she needed more than soggy oats to make it through this new day.

Wiping the knife on her leggings she almost set it down but thought better of it. Who knew if the giant cat would return, or the wolves she had heard so close last night. She grabbed the sheath and slid it onto the leather belt she would strap around her dress and cloak before she left the safety of the house.

After she finished her meal of fried rabbit and soggy oats with honey, she slipped her dress over her head. Lianna pulled it down into place and around her rabbit skin then pulled the string taut and tied it over her bosom. She pulled the rear of her skirt out of her boot and grabbed the cloak for extra warmth. Then came the belt with the sharp blade she would not leave the cabin without again.

Putting an extra handful of seeds into her pouch, along with some almost rotten grapes for her new furry friend. Walking out the door was like slamming into a wall of cold. Small ice cycles hung from the thatch and began to drip as the sun peeked over the mountains in the East. She scanned the small open area and the trees beyond towards the path and then the stream. No sign of either predator that had stalked so closely last night. As she approached the side of the house, her eyes dropped to the ground looking for proof of the encounter.

There. As big as her hand, the cat’s paw print was only slightly smeared where it had turned and leaped away from her iron poker. She knelt and ran her fingers lightly over the indention. Her breath caught at the size of it. It had not seemed to be so large in the night, but the print was the size of her face! It could have killed her with one swipe. Lianna nervously scanned the area again. A twig snapped and she stood quickly, her hand going to the knife sheathed at her hip. The damn goat stepped out of the pen and she released her breath, relaxing.

“You will most likely become supper on a cold night.” She told it. The young thing just cocked its head to the side and bleated, as if calling her bluff. Lianna smiled, a small chuckle of adoration belying her words escaped in a puff of steam from her mouth. The shaggy creature was a dark tan color with bright intelligent brown eyes. She loosened the knot to open the pouch of berries and oats and held out her hand in offering. The little thing trotted right up to her hand and nibbled at her offering.

“Well, aren’t you the shy one?” She laughed, spreading more on the ground before it. Now, to survey any damage to the enclosure. As she rounded the corner the fat birds were already up and moving around, probably to keep warm, except the one sitting on her eggs. She made sure the hen had a neat pile close enough to its nest to keep her seat. There was no damage as far as she could tell. So, the giant cat must have truly only been investigating the valley then. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion about the odd encounter. Diseased lands, animals acting out of character, men disappearing, fire sprouting from her fingertips, what would happen next?

Shrugging it off, Lianna grabbed the bucket and headed to the stream to refill her water barrel. Despite the excitement of the previous day and night, the same chores needed doing. More wood to be chopped and maybe a hunt to find a doe or rabbit to clean and salt. The bathing tub needed to be emptied and rags washed. The herb garden around the back needed to be weeded and then covered in straw to keep the frost from killing the roots. It was turning out to be a beautiful crisp Autumn morning, the sky such a clear blue with no clouds in sight. She spun around in a circle, her cloak billowing out to swirl around her as she tilted her face to the sky. The power inside her made her feel alive and almost giddy with excitement and joy. Lianna let it flow through her and felt the sparks snapping at her fingertips as she spun in circles, just to feel the uncontrolled dizziness that made her heart feel light and carefree. Spinning away the stress and chaos that had interrupted her simple life in the last day.

On her last trip from the stream, she spied the arrowheads she had acquired the day before and snatched them up, making an instant decision to put off the washing and go hunting instead. She walked to the wall and grabbed the bow and quiver of arrows that hung next to the looking glass and slung it over her shoulder. The ax was the last thing she grabbed as she headed out the door. Its long birch handle was a gift from Sir Hughe a few summers ago. She had broken the other ax handle that had started to rot near the metal head and had made the trek to the village to get a new one. Hughe had given her this one and refused to accept any payment, telling her someone needed to look after her. That was the first time he had seemed to notice the changes in her body since she had become a woman. She shuddered at the memory of the look he had given her; he had even licked his lips and grabbed her arm in a not so gentle manner. Lianna had been shocked and disgusted, yanking her arm back and telling him that she would not return to his shop and would tell Sir John if he ever touched her again. He had looked surprised at her quick set down but had not rescinded his offer and let her keep the new wooden handle anyway.

Lianna shook her head, releasing the ugly memory. She took a deep breath to dispel the nervousness eating at her thoughts of entering the dark woods after last night’s encounter. She had left her hair unbound this day and blew a stray tendril out of her vision as she once again scanned the approaching tree line. She would stay near the stream, doubting that anyone would be stupid enough to chase her into the freezing water if she needed an escape. She would not go far today, only as far as the hole in the rocks where the water bubbled up from somewhere far below.

Squaring her shoulders, she entered the wood line and kept close to the stream. Her feet were nearly silent on the soft moss littered with pine needles. She focused her hearing and could pick out the different bird calls as they sang to each other in the treetops. The mocking jay and it’s high pitched whistles, a twittering red bird, and the soft hoo-hooing of a dove. The stream sped by, lulling her into peace with its song of adventure. She headed north, as the sun’s rays began streaming down to make their way through the upper branches and spotlight random bits of the ground beneath her boots. The floor was carpeted in prickly needles and large cones that had fallen from the huge limbs above. The pines towered over her, their canopy stretching upward toward the sun as if in supplication of the heat it offered in the otherwise cold air. She lifted her face to the sky letting the beams of light and warmth seep through and into her.

She found the copse of ash trees she had been headed for and climbed up her favorite one. The limbs were ancient and hung close to the ground, inviting her up like an outstretched hand. She pulled her bow from her shoulder as she settled onto a branch, leaning back against the huge trunk. Laying one arrow on the limb in front of her at the ready, she grabbed a second from the quiver and began to untie the leather that held the dull head to the shaft. Glancing up now and then, she worked through the other six arrows quickly, putting the dull heads back in the quiver to be sharpened again later.

A sharp snap had her head whipping up and eyes narrowing on the area below her. She was roughly twenty feet above the ground. Lianna silently twisted to peer around the trunk, squeezing her thighs around her branch so as not to topple over. The rough bark scraped against her skin reassuring her that her grip would hold.

A wolf. Not just any wolf, but the biggest one she had ever seen. Its pelt was white and gray, and he would have been near invisible in the snow. But against the still dark forest floor, he stuck out sharply. The fur around his face was a darker gray, almost black near his eyes. Lianna watched silently, not daring to move an inch for fear of scaring him away. He radiated an otherworldly quality that had her power sizzling to the surface of her skin as she watched him sniffing the ground, coming her way slowly. She was safe in the tree from this beautiful predator. He must smell her though because his long snout was scenting the ground all around the tree. She held her breath as he inevitably found her trail that clung to the side of the tree.

Lianna watched with wide green eyes as he slowly lifted his head, still sniffing the tree, up and up. Her breath caught as his crystal blue eyes met hers. He stared for a long moment before his tail began to wag and a small whine emerged from the beast. As if he greeted a member of his pack, he leaped around in a circle and yapped excitedly at her.

She watched in stunned silence as the wolf kept yapping and clawing at the tree, his claws gouging deep into the silver bark below her. There would be no hunting with him scaring away any prey within the grove. Even the birds had gone quiet and seemed to be watching in fascination. The wolf stopped its antics and stared up at her expectantly as if demanding her to come down.

“If you think I am coming down out of this tree with you waiting down there to eat me, then you are not as smart as you think you are beastie.” She called to him.

He sat and cocked his head to the side as if thinking about her reply. Just like the cat had done the night before. She felt a tug in her midsection that was familiar yet not. The fire raced along her veins and filled her near to bursting. Wiggling on the branch in response to the sensation, she watched the wolf warily as suspicion sank into her consciousness. The giant thing turned and walked a few feet away before it sat back down. She decided that she should heed her instincts.

“How am I supposed to catch my supper if you scare all the animals away?” Her voice only wavered slightly as she pointed at him.

“Go.” She commanded.

He did not budge. Only sat and stared at her up in the tree. She grabbed the arrow from the branch in front of her and notched it. Lianna saw his body tense. Pulling up, she aimed right for his chest. The wolf jumped up and let out a warning bark. Different from the excited yap, deeper and more focused. She pulled back on the string, stretching it taught, ready to let it fly. This was her valley, and she was the only predator allowed to hunt its game.

Moss clashed with ice in their silent battle of wills, before he finally looked away with a rumbling growl. He turned and stalked into the brush towards the stream. She heard a splash that sounded like he had tried to leap but had not quite cleared the swiftly flowing water.

Letting out a sigh of relief she felt the fire stretch through her trying to find a way out. She shoved it down, relaxing her bow arm, and leaned back just as a doe darted across the forest floor towards her tree. As if the wolf had scared it out of hiding. Acting quickly on instinct, she threw up her bow again and aimed, releasing the string as she breathed out. The arrow found its mark, piercing the startled doe right between her frightened brown eyes. She went down immediately.

Glancing around she scanned for the wolf who may come back if he smelled her catch. She climbed down to the branch below before nimbly leaping down the last few feet to the ground. She pulled her bow back up, notched and ready to fly. Lianna spun in a circle watching and listening for any movement. Finding the forest quiet and the birds resuming their noisy chatter, she slung her bow back over her shoulder and walked to where the poor deer had fallen.

She sent up a prayer of thanks and tried to ignore the feeling of remorse that always welled up inside her when she had to take a life. Lianna had to eat, and she held the utmost respect for the creatures that were sacrificed to such a worthy cause. So, pushing the feelings aside, she grabbed the rear legs and began dragging it back to the cabin. The walk was uneventful, but her fire would not let her believe she went unwatched through the trees. She could feel the eyes following her, even if they stayed silent and out of sight.