Sunshine

The morning was crisp and clear, frigid, and translucent with frost. The ice hung in small frozen cycles, dangling from shimmering trees. Lianna did not let that bother her as she traveled North. She had decided to go on alone, knowing no one wanted the burden of her presence anyway. She had made up her mind not to feel sorry for herself. She planned to get as far North as she could before winter set in too hard.

Not knowing where she was headed would be a problem. Lianna had never seen a map of this kingdom, or any kingdom really, and only knew that if she kept walking North she would eventually come to an ocean. She was sure she could find a village along the way and barter for whatever she needed and ask for directions to the King’s castle.

Pulling her furry cloak tighter around her, she trudged on, keeping the sun to her right until it was at its zenith, then to her left. The terrain had become somewhat steeper. The rolling hills of the valley had turned into flat red rocks separated by deep canyons, as she left the hidden valley that harbored the great ash forest. The river flowed along merrily beside her, laughing and gurgling with delight as it traveled. The birds chirped from the branches of skeletal trees. Their colorful leaves barely clinging to the dark branches they had sprouted from. A chill wind rose, making the few that remained quake precariously.

Lianna decided that she was in no hurry to get wherever she was going and paced herself accordingly. As she walked she practiced conjuring her flames; first one hand, then the other. Back and forth she went one step in front of the other until she was able to juggle the flames at a brisk pace. Lianna found that the farther away she got, the better she felt about the path before her. The more she used her power to do simple tricks, the less it felt like it would consume her. The sun had just begun to fade into the Western horizon when she decided to find some food and shelter, so she climbed the nearest tree and waited.

The trees had become sparse again and only peppered the rocky outcroppings in random places. The tree she had found was wide at the base, its branches reaching low and far. Lianna climbed up and sprawled out on a low branch, closing her eyes as she listened to the sounds around her. The bird songs were beginning to quiet as they settled into their nests for the night, crickets and frogs serenaded the twilight. The sinking sun was no longer visible on the other side of the mountains, but the long fingers of light painted the sky in glorious pinks and blues. Draped over the branch like a cat, she tucked her hand beneath her chin and proceeded to nod off.

When her eyes opened once more, the sun was just beginning to brighten the horizon to the East. Lianna sat up, surprised to find she had slept through the night. Grunting snorts registered in her sleep-fogged mind, and she rubbed her eyes with cold fists as the sounds came closer.

Her eyes focused on the ground fifteen feet below her and a fat pink pig with black spots that was rooting around the trunk of her tree. She pulled her bow from her shoulder, knocking the arrow within seconds. She released the arrow with her breath, spearing the poor creature’s head to the ground. The other swine ran off squealing into the brush, leaving their dead companion to its fate.

With her stomach rumbling loudly in her ears, she climbed down, the sound of the swine fleeing in fear faded quickly. The piglet had stopped moving except for a random twitch now and again. Lianna squatted on her haunches and sliced the creature from the base of its neck, to its groin. A rotten stench filled her nostrils and she gagged. The blood gushing from the exposed undercarriage was thick and clotted. Dismay was like a wave washing through her. This must be the disease that had so many fae predators hunting the other side of the mountains. The death she had given the poor creature was surely quicker and more humane than the one it would have suffered had she not felled it.

The sickness had not gotten this bad in the human realm yet or so she assumed. It must have originated here in the Fae realm. What could cause a creature’s flesh to rot from the inside out? Some kind of poison had to be the culprit. Her belly gave a loud protest as she realized she could not eat this catch.

Lianna reached down within herself and found her fire waiting patiently for her direction. She held her hands face down over the rancid creature and let her flame gobble it up. Even the smell of the cooking flesh was sour to her nose, causing the appendage to wrinkle in distaste. When it was no more than a crispy shell, crumbling in the morning breeze, Lianna stood and tried to get her bearings. She let her senses feel the area, gasping in surprise as she felt her aura plunge outward as if it too was searching for signs of life. The sound of pig’s hasty retreat met her ears, and they twitched toward the south.

The songbird’s voices rose in shrill harmonies all around her, the cacophony enough to bring her hands to cover her ears. Another sharp intake of breath when she felt the delicate curve of her ear had elongated and now were two little points reaching skyward through her hair on either side of her head.

Feeling for any other changes that may have occurred, she ran her finger lightly over her facial features. Relief swept through her when she found them to be her own. It seemed the longer she stayed here in this magical kingdom, the more fae-like she became. A soft sound grabbed her attention. The gentle murmuring became a glorious melody as she honed her focus in its direction. Her feet began to move of their own accord and the closer she got the clearer the melody became. Her pulse jumped as she recognized the water’s song. There was a stream nearby!

Faster and faster her long legs carried her toward the sweet sound; it’s bountiful promise calling her name. There. Barely fifty yards ahead, the rocks sloped downward, brown grass growing tall near the water’s edge. Lianna jumped over a fallen log and rolled back up to her feet inches from the edge of the swiftly flowing water. She fell to her knees on the bank, cupping her hands in the frigid liquid and slurping down as much as she could. She had not realized how thirsty she was until that moment. She grabbed her goat bladder from her belt and filled it as well. This was not a mere stream, but a river, nearly fifty yards wide where she stood. It flowed north, where it cut through the red rocks and escaped the mountains. It was an awe-inspiring scene spread out before her, the beast inside her purred it’s contentment as well and for a moment she was at peace, forgetting her troubles and just taking in the grandeur of this place. There were no more trees between her and the jagged walls of the mountain range, only open fields. The grass was dark and tan where the grass had been bitten by the frost and was slowly dying off. She could only imagine what it would look like in the spring and summer when it was green and full of the purple flowers that grew rampant in her valley.

A sparkle in the water caught her eye. Fish! She watched the thing as it seemed to slither through the current along the smooth bottom. Lianna began casting about her mind as she thought of ways she might catch it. Weaving a trap from the grass was probably her best chance, but the creature would most likely not stick around long enough for her to catch it. The water was still singing to her as another idea struck her. She leaned forward over the water’s edge and cast her mind towards the fish. And what happened next occurred so quickly that Lianna did not have time to react.

Her vision grew cloudy and ice pierced her lungs. Roaring filled her ears, reminding her of the wind howling through the mountain pass. She tried to focus her breathing and let out a startled scream as a giant shadow blotted out the shimmering sunlight before her.

Lianna fell back on the riverbank, every cold breath tearing through her until she thought her lungs would bleed. The shadow had disappeared, her vision was clearer than it had been mere seconds before. She gazed at the water, the fish was still there, now closer to her than the first glimpse she had gotten of it. It was staring right back at her. Finally, clarity broke through her.

She had been inside the fish’s mind! She was the giant shadow! Excitement and a little bit of fear coursed through her as she leaned forward and cast herself into the fish again. The ice in her lungs and roaring in her ears was the water rushing past her. The shimmering shadow that was her body staring down at the fish reached hands outward. With a shift of her tail, she sprang forward, leaping from the water and onto the bank.

Gasping for the air that filled her lungs but gave no support, had her panicking. She watched the girl that was herself watching her as she flailed around on the rocky bank. Her eyes unfocused and glazed, hands still outstretched towards the fish she had become. She felt her body become weaker and her flopping became deep heaves as her lungs tried to suck in much-needed oxygen.

Suddenly the world warped, and she was once again back in her own body, watching the fish slowly die in front of her. Acting quickly, she grabbed her knife from its sheath at her waist and cut its head off.

Staring at the fish now bleeding out into the stream, she wondered about the morality of what she had just done. She had led the fish to its death from inside its head. Had the fish known that it was being controlled when it leaped from the water into her waiting arms? She remembered the agony of trying to breathe in the body that was not her own after it had beached itself. There had been no real thought process, only need, and instinct.

The hunger pains in her belly rapidly convinced her that what she had done was a necessary evil. Waving her hand over the fish, she watched in fascinated horror as her flames delicately licked across the large scaly thing. Slippery skin melted away, and the exposed pink meat turned white before her eyes, sizzling in the heat of her fire. Closing her hand into a fist, the flames disappeared, and the aroma of cooked fish filled her nostrils.

Pulling a piece of fluffy white flakes from the needle-like bones, she savored the taste, chewing slowly. Her conscience began to clear as the life-sustaining protein reached her belly. She ate her fill and left the carcass there for whomever else may wander upon it. She washed her hands in the stream and dried them in her cloak.

She tried not to think about the beast purring its contentment inside her. She had done what needed to be done to survive another day. Lianna promised herself she would only use her power over other minds if she was in dire need. Pulling her hood low over her brow to keep out the chill wind that had started up, she once again began her journey Northward.

She kept to the riverbank, and made her way slowly, taking in the scenery around her. The tall grass had lost some of its green hues to the cold air, and it gossiped with the wind as it passed. There were no trees here in this small space between the forest and the giant mountains that guarded it. Lianna held her hands out from her sides, letting the tall grass tickle her palms as she strolled along. Her peace was short-lived, however, and she got a creeping feeling along her spine, as though someone or something was watching her. Lianna glanced around nervously trying to find the source of the unshakable feeling. A pair of large, ugly birds were perched on an upper branch of a gangly tree.

There were no leaves on the tree as if an angry wind had ripped them all away. The huge black things watched her silently, their crooked necks holding ugly bald heads. Beady black eyes followed her as she passed beneath them. The creepy fowl continued to follow her movements but she tried her best to ignore them.

Soon the rocks around her began to choke out all signs of life. The grassy meadow gave way to the towering mountains, and the river cut a jagged path through the rocks. The embankment became steep as the walls rose around her. She began to hum to herself, the beloved song of yearning hunger that had the beast inside her bubbling to the surface again. Needing an outlet for the energy that wanted to consume, she began to jog along the riverbank, the water seemed to join her in the quicker pace, and rapids lunged over the rocks.

Lianna let her own laughter bubble from within to join with the river’s mighty rumble, the wind yanked at her cloak, and her long red braid flew out behind her in wanton abandon. The cliffs fell away and suddenly she was running through a vast barren landscape. The fresh air filled her lungs and her beast thrilled as she almost flew across the land, moving faster than she should have been able to. She almost did not notice the sudden disappearance of the water and land before her. She skidded to a halt just in time, as the edge of the sharp drop suddenly appeared before her. She watched in horror as a few loose pebbles rolled towards the side and fell over. The water roared its excitement as it too flung itself over the ledge in wild abandon. Her arms flung out from her sides as she tried to keep her balance near the steep 200-foot drop. She stumbled backward and fell on her butt, gasping for breath. She lay there panting for breath trying to calm herself. Watching the wispy strands of clouds float across the deep blue sky. Her body slowly stopped its quaking and the eerie feeling of being watched crept over her again. She rolled over onto her belly and scanned the terrain.

Few trees dotted the rocky face, mostly just tall grass, and small bushes grew along the water’s edge until it was choked out by the hard red stone. The ugly birds were nowhere in sight, but still, the nagging suspicion would not lose its hold on her. She cast her power out, feeling for those unseen eyes that she knew, could feel in her bones, lay hidden somewhere in the vastness of the red landscape.

A piercing screech overhead. She rolled onto her back again, the sun blinding her momentarily. A falcon. Larger than any she had ever seen, the most beautiful she had ever seen, careened in the wind, swooping down low towards her. Its dark head came into view as it closed in. Transfixed as she was at its beauty she did not flinch as it flew close enough that she felt the wind from its wings caress her face. Its golden eyes met hers and she felt a tug in her gut that was her power rearing its head as if in recognition.

She knew this was no ordinary bird, but a fae in his animal form, watching her closely. It circled above her head twice before it disappeared over the edge of the cliff. She scrambled on her belly to the ledge, her head peeking over, but the bird had vanished. A steep trail caught her attention, a small outcrop of rocks, about four yards below her, eased out into what vaguely resembled a path down the cliff. The narrow trail disappeared in a sharp twist back towards the cascading water.

She was just about to turn around and try to drop to the trailhead when a calloused hand grabbed her from behind. A filthy cloth covered her nose and mouth. A sickly-sweet smell invaded her mind and darkness claimed her before she had a chance to understand what was happening.