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Drip. Drip. A steady trickle of water makes its presence known as the rain leaks through a crack in the roof. A damp, musky odor radiates from the wet boxes and spoiled trash covering the floor. Tiny bugs crawl over the rubbish and scatter throughout the area. Dim light barely illuminates the room to give it a dark, dreary atmosphere.

Where am I? Drip. I look around the disgusting room and hear the light patter of the rain against the roof. Carefully avoiding the garbage that litters the ground, I walk toward the dim light and a doorway appears in front of me. Drip. I see a woman with large blue eyes and a round face covered in layers of thick cosmetics. Shoulder-length, wavy, blonde hair is forcefully brushed to the side. Her slender figure, modest bust, and long limbs are accentuated by her worn, ragged, red dress.

“Mom?” I murmur, “I thought-” I turn my back on her and peer at the trash ridden floor. Drip. Right, she left me. She didn’t want me. She-

Suddenly, I feel cold hands creep over my shoulders and down my arms, the nails lightly digging into my skin. Drip. Her chin rests on my shoulder as I hear her whisper, “What’s wrong sweetie? You promised you’d do this for me.”

Drip. My heart starts to pound and goosebumps race across my body. “P-promise?” I stutter, “What promise?” Drip.

“You don’t remember? You’re going to hurt my feelings,” Mom purrs into my ear. She leans in close, until her mouth is less than an inch away, and hisses, “But you wouldn’t do that. You love your mom after all.”

Drip. I turn to her, the entirety of her eyes are a deep black, as if swallowed by the endless abyss. The hammering in my chest grows more intense as a cold sweat starts to form on my skin and my breathing becomes haggard. Drip. “I do- did but…” I hesitate. Drip.

“Come now sweetie,” Mom continues as she tugs on my arms, “An old friend is waiting for you in the next room.” Drip. A friend? Wait. I scan the room once more, taking in the details of the house. This is… was our house. I look up at Mom’s unnaturally-wide, unnerving smile as she pulls me toward another, new, door. Drip.

“Mom. Wait,” I state. I try to free my arms from her grasp. Wait, why can’t I move? “No, I don’t want to see Mister Lente.”

Mom freezes. A sharp, eerie aura descends upon the room. Then, she turns around, her smile now stretched into a terrifying grin that disfigures her face. Her squinted, void-stained eyes pierce my soul as she tightens her grip on my wrist. “You don’t want to help your mom?” Her voice is now distorted into a shrill, ominous shriek, “I thought you loved your mom?”

My rough breathing rapidly increases as I feel myself gasping for air. My heart slams itself against my chest as if it is trying to break free from my body. “Mom, let me g-” Mom’s hands flash from my wrist to my throat before I can finish, “ -Ach…” Why? Why can’t I move? She lifts me up and carries my limp form through the doorway to a pitch black room.

As I weakly gasp for air, a light flicks on, revealing a heavy metal chair in the middle of the room. It has dark, unhooked clasps where the arms, legs, and head rest. Adjacent to the chair is a small table with various tools, and a few jars, atop it. Standing between the chair and table is an old, worn, and battered man. He has a slim body and thin face, with skin that is sucked in, exposing his boney features. He has a balding head with knife-like ears. His narrowed eyes are completely devoid of color and hidden behind round glasses. He is dressed in a white gown, has gloves on his hands, and is wearing a white mask over the lower half of his face. His gaze immediately snaps to me.

“Ah, welcome,” Mister Lente’s hoarse voice croaks monotonously, “You’re such a good brat for helping your mom like this.” No… I don’t want this. I want to leave.

Mom sets me down and puts her hands on my shoulders again. What’s going on!? Why can’t I move? Why can’t I speak?

“Sit him there,” Mister Lente directs, “I’m almost ready.” No. Mom please. Tears begin to fill my eyes.

Mister Lente turns his body to the table and begins to adjust his tools. His gaze follows me perfectly and never once leaves me as Mom pushes me toward the chair. Please. My quiet desperation only heightens my ragged, fearful breathing. Mom pushes me into the chair and holds me down as Mister Lente begins to latch my arms, legs, and forehead. Once done, they both take a step away from me. My panicked eyes dart between them as they turn to face each other. Mom looks at him with her wide, toothy grin and Mister Lente, with his cold, dead eyes, silently peers back at her. Then, eerily, they snap their heads toward me.

“Thank you sweetie,” Mom coos. Let me out. “I knew you loved your mom.” No. I struggle pointlessly within my cold prison as Mom slowly walks backward and nearly disappears into darkness. LET ME OUT! Tears stream down my face.

“You know,” Mister Lente comments, drawing my attention to him, his body turned toward the table, his head unnaturally toward me. “Ever since I got a hold of your ear,” he chuckles as he grabs the jar of liquid from the table. Wait, is that? It can’t be. As his body turns back toward me, I notice the contents of the jar. It is. “I’ve been interested in adding more of you to my collection.” He then holds out a second, empty jar. I tightly clench my eyes. NO! I begin to violently shake within my constraints. I open my mouth to scream, but there is only silence. I have to get out of here!

“I could quiet that loud mouth of yours,” Mister Lente sneers. I open my eyes and watch as he grabs a cloth, “maybe take the tongue?” He runs some water over the dry cloth as he shakes his head, his gaze perpetually locked onto me. “No,” he laments, “Sadly, I was promised only an eye today.” Get away from me! The shadow of Mom shifts slightly in the darkness. As Mister Lente wipes the cloth on my arm, he reassures, “I’ll be even more careful than last time. After all,” he glances at my tear-filled eyes before continuing, “An eye is much easier to ruin.” No! No! No!

Mister Lente grabs a tool filled with liquid and stabs it into my arm. I watch in horror as the clear liquid empties from the tube. This isn’t real.

“Just need to wait a bit and you’ll start to relax,” Mister Lente coughs, “Ah, I almost forgot.” He grabs a small bottle, removes the cap, and leans his gaunt face over me. Even through his mask I can smell his putrid breath. Please let me out! This isn’t real. I’m not really here. I’m-

Mister Lente places a hand over my left eye and spreads my eyelids. No! Please. Revus… I look over to Mom’s shadowed figure. Mom… Please. Mister Lente squeezes the small bottle and several drops rain down on my teary, left eye. Gradually, I feel my body start to relax, my heart rate slow, and my breathing calm. No… This… Isn’t… Real…

“Well, it might be old fashioned,” Mister Lente states as he grabs another tool and holds it in front of me, “but I’ve always preferred these spoons for these procedures.” The sinister man leans over me and stares down at my left eye. “Are you ready?” No! He meticulously moves the spoon toward my eye. No… Please! As he holds my eyelids, I can feel the cold metal spoon touch my eye. No! “Try not to move too much,” Mister Lente breathes, “You’ll feel a slight pop and then it’ll be over.” He starts to move the spoon into my eye socket. I feel the cold metal slide between my eye and its socket. Slowly, I begin to feel pressure in my head. Pop.

“No!” I scream as I shoot upright in a cold sweat. My breathing is heavy and ragged, and my eyes frantically dart around the room. I quickly place my left hand over my left eye. Its… Its there. I look at the palm of my left hand. They’re both there. I slide my sweaty hand down my face and sigh as I plop back down onto my pillow, trying to calm down. Just a dream… I stare up at the ringed, wooden ceiling and place the back of my hand over my face. Just… a nightmare.

I feel a hand grab my arm and I pull away forcefully. I prop myself up with my arms and see Revus in a chair with a plate of cut-up fruit. “Are you okay?” He asks worriedly.

“Yeah,” I murmur as I concentrate on my breathing, “I’m okay… Just had a bad dream.”

“Zlith,” Revus mumbles, “The word for a bad dream.”

I glance at him without moving my head and chuckle, “Heh. Same as ever.” Slith… I sit back up and sigh, “You didn’t have to do that.”

“I thought it might help,” Revus replies as his eyes dance to me, then away, and back to me again.

“What?” I ask, “Is something wrong?” He breathes in, opens his mouth, but does not say anything. What’s gotten into him now? “So…” I say to break the awkward silence, “What’d you bring?”

“I cut a mione,” Revus answers sullenly.

I sigh, “I said I’m fine.” I forcefully smile. Why’d I have to dream about that though…

Revus stands up and places the plate of cut up mione down on my lap, “Here, eat. I’ll make food in a bit. Leave the plate on the floor when you’re done.” I nod. He then walks over to the kitchen and begins grabbing various ingredients from cabinets and shelves.

I look down at the plate of pale-yellow, sliced fruit, each with a red layer of skin on its exterior. I glance to the window and see the faint light of daybreak. The sun’s barely up. I look back at Revus. I know we were up late last night, and he’s already awake. I start to eat the sliced mione, its fleshy texture releasing sweet juice. When does he sleep? I glance to my right at his bed and see it perfectly made, as if it was never used. Does he not sleep at all? There’s no way, but then how much is he getting?

I eat another slice of mione then ask, “Revus, do you get enough sleep?”

He peers back at me and chuckles, “Yeah. Why do you ask?”

“Just curious,” I reply as I continue to eat. There’s no way he’s getting enough sleep if he’s already up. “Hey, make sure you’re getting enough sleep.”

“Ha!” Revus laughs, and then says, “I get plenty of sleep. I think you sleep too much though.”

I furrow my eyebrows as I look at him. Do I sleep that much? I sleep like usual, but maybe it is a lot… I scratch my head and eat the remaining mione. I lean over the edge of the bed to place the empty plate on the floor. It slips just above the floor and clatters loudly. I look at Revus as he stops what he was doing briefly, and then resumes. I look from him to my left hand and notice its trembling violently. Dang it. I clasp my right hand over my left, trying to calm my nerves. Why that dream of all things… I thought I was over this. I lay back down, resting my head against the soft pillow, and yawn. I’m still tired too but… I roll onto my side, grab my petal, and pull it close to my chest. …there’s no way I’m going back to sleep now. I groan. Guess I’ll get up…

As I climb out of bed, Revus looks back and asks, “Not going back to sleep?”

“Not tired,” I declare as I make my way toward the washroom.

I enter, walk over to the cabinets and, like usual, there are two objects resting on it. The first is a bowl filled with water and the second is a dry cloth. Even these are already here. I glance back at the door. When does he have time for this? I cup my hands together to fill them with water but stop as I feel a lump form in my throat. I used to not be able to do this. I stare at my hands as tears start to form. I gave up so much… fooling myself for all those years… I sigh. Idiot.

I softly cry as I slowly wash and dry my face. Why that nightmare again? I allow myself to calm down and take a deep breath before walking over to the toilet with its bowl-like seat and hole at the bottom. Guess getting everything back caused it to resurface. After going pee, I rinse and dry my hands off and head toward the door. Geez. One nightmare and I’m a mess. As I reach for the door handle, I freeze. “Mister Lente is waiting for you in the next room.” My breathing becomes quick and irregular as my heart rate increases. No… Staring at the door, I begin to feel dizzy as the room starts to spin. My outstretched arm shakes as I try to grab the door handle. That was just a dream… I pull my arm back and place it over my left eye. That’s all in the past… I’m-

Knock knock. “Eeee!” I jump as the sudden sound pulls me from my thoughts.

After a brief moment, “Uh, Evetta? You sure you’re okay? You’ve been in there a while.” Revus. I exhale slowly then take a deep breath. He continues anxiously, “Did you fall asleep in there?”

I pull the door open and bark, “No, I didn’t fall asleep!” I humph as I walk past him and head over to the table. Jerk. Revus follows behind me and, together, we sit down to begin eating. Breakfast includes strips of meat, fluffy eggs, and a portion of a purple, juicy oliot.

I glance up at him and see him staring intensely at me. Upon locking eyes with him, I look away.

“You sure you’re okay?” Revus asks.

“I’m fine.”

“Then did you forget to brush your hair on purpose?”

I open my mouth and raise my index finger but remain silent. Revus sighs, gets up, walks into the washroom, and returns with a hairbrush. He approaches and once next to me, brushes my hair. Ow. He finishes after a short stint, sets the brush down, and returns to his chair.

“I’m going to ask one more time,” Revus sighs, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine,” I mutter, “Just…” How would I even explain that dream? I sigh, and then force a smile, “You don’t have to worry. I’m fine.”

“Tch. You don’t get it,” he states, raising his voice before trailing off, “I’m supposed to…” Supposed to… I look up at him as he looks away.

“What?” I ask.

“Nevermind. Just eat,” Revus grumbles as he begins to devour his food. Breakfast continues awkwardly as neither of us says anything. When we both finish, Revus takes our plates to the sink and begins washing the dishes.

I look up at Revus and ask, “So… What am I learning today?” A moment of silence follows. Are you still mad about that? I groan. “Sorry. If I made you mad earlier… I’m just,” I hesitate as I bite my lip, “Just trying to get over my past.”

“Is that all?” Revus inquires, without looking up from the dishes.

“Yeah…” I murmur.

“Alright.” Revus replies as he dries his hands. He then turns around and walks over to the front door. Where? “Come on. Let’s go outside today.”

“But what about-”

“Evetta, I may not have known you long,” Revus remarks, raising an eyebrow, “but I know you aren’t going to stay focused when you’re like that.”

“So-”

“We’re going to skip Zoic lessons and be more productive with our time,” he continues, “So, since winter’s over, let’s resume your flight practice.”

I widen my eyes, blink a few times, and ask, my voice riddled with disbelief “We’re skipping?”

“Would you rather we-”

“No…” I interrupt, “No, skipping is fine.” I get up from my seat and head toward my dresser. I quickly pull it open, grab the first thing from within, and race into the washroom to change. Removing my nightgown, I slip into the dress and return to the main room. Should’ve looked at what I was grabbing, but oh well. I toss the nightgown on my bed and rush out the front door, as Revus is already outside.

I take a deep breath, taking in the fresh, spring air. “Ah, so glad winter’s over.” Revus smirks.

“What’s that look for?” I ask.

“Nothing,” he shrugs.

“Alright, today’s the day,” I state encouragingly. I turn my head and watch as wings sprout from my back. I smile, and then tilt my head. Are they.. Bigger?

“Your wings are developing nicely,” Revus remarks while scratching his chin. Ew… I turn and look at him staring at my wings. Wait. Why does him looking at my wings like that bother me?

“Can you…” I hesitate, “not look at my wings like that?”

Revus immediately looks away, putting his hands up. “Ah, sorry about that. Didn’t mean anything by it,” he states, “but it looks like you shouldn’t have any problems flying now.”

“Right…” I murmur as I try to sort out my uncertain feelings from a moment ago, “So… my wings are bigger?”

“Yeah,” Revus answers as he turns to look at me, while scratching the back of his head, “With how your wings are now, you should be able to fly.”

“Really?” I ask as I look back at my slightly larger wings. Sure, they look a bit bigger, but will that make a difference. I flutter my wings and smile at their instant response. They even respond better now.

“If you need me, I’ll be here,” Revus states as he sits on the ground, crossing his legs and closing his eyes.

“Sure,” I smile. I’ll give him some space so I don’t bother him. I walk a few steps away from the meditating fairy into a more open area. Okay, here I go. I close my eyes and quickly flap my wings as I try to lift my body into the air. A few moments later, I feel my feet not touching the ground. I open my eyes and smile. Yes, getting into the air is easier. Now… I continue to flap my wings, rising higher into the air. My smile grows into a massive grin. I’m doing it! I begin to tilt my body forward and slowly I start heading back toward Revus.

“Revus!” I exclaim once I am in front of him. “I’m flying,” I continue as I begin to slowly orbit around him.

Revus laughs, “Yeah.” He pauses for a moment then grins deviously. Uh-oh. I know that look. I quickly turn away from him. No, don’t say it. “Evetta,” Revus hums. That’s the look when you want to teach me something difficult. “Do you want to fly with me?”

“Huh?” I mutter in response as I look back at him. That’s it? “You want to fly?”

“Of course,” Revus happily states, “You’ll be able to learn to fly properly.”

I stare deadpan at him, and then look down and sigh. I knew it wasn’t as simple as just flying around… I glance back up at his brazen grin and reply, “Sure.”

“Good. Then let’s go,” Revus remarks. As he stands up, black wings emerge from his back and he rises into the air next to me. “Try to follow me.”

“You’re joking, right?” I ask.

“I won’t go too far away,” Revus states. “That’s my…” his cheerful attitude fades as he bitterly smiles, “job.”

“You okay?” I ask worriedly.

“Yeah,” Revus mutters, “You don’t need to worry about it.” Does he not like being my guard? “I’ll explain things later, but for now,” he continues as he starts to fly backward away from me, “keep up.”

Revus flies higher into the air, slowly increasing the distance between us. Right, here goes. I take a deep breath and fly after him, leaning my body slightly to alter my direction. As we fly higher into the air, Revus approaches a tree branch, and then lands on it. I follow after him and, once I am above the branch, gradually descend and land next to him.

“Not bad,” Revus states as he sits down on the wooden surface, “but you need more practice.”

“Yeah,” I wheeze. I drop onto my butt, place my hands on the ground behind me, and look up. “That’s not… as easy… as it looks.”

“Did I say flying was easy?” Revus inquires.

“No,” I pant, “but you… make it look easy.”

“With a bit of practice,” Revus explains, “you should be able to fly like this too.”

“Yeah, well… for now,” I huff, “I’m just glad… that I can fly.”

“Alright, break time is over.”

“Can’t I rest… a bit longer,” I ask as I drop my gaze onto Revus.

“Nope, better to keep going while you remember the feeling,” Revus elaborates, “Now, I’ll give you tasks.”

“Fine,” I groan as I stand back up, “What’s first?”

“Start by flying under this branch and returning back up here.”

I exhale, “Okay.” I flutter my wings and rise into the air. As I slowly move away from the branch, I look down and see the ground a great deal below me. If I fall… I gulp. …I’d rather not think about it.

Revus holds out his right hand with his index finger, and moves his hand in a circle. “Okay, now loop around the branch.”

I nod and slowly descend down under the branch. As I drop below it, I rotate my body to turn around. Once below the branch, I lean forward and fly out from under it. Slowly, I ascend back up and spin around once more. Moving around is pretty difficult… I stare at Revus as I land back on the branch.

“Not bad,” Revus remarks while scratching his chin, “but not great either.”

“What did you… expect,” I bark, “This is my… first time flying.”

“I know. I was just hoping for…” Revus hesitates then continues, “Well, just know a lot of the basics need improving.”

“I know I know,” I grumble. Can’t you at least be happy for me though.

“It’s not the worst, but it’s pretty bad,” Revus explains. Really? I would’ve never guessed. “When you flap your wings, try to open them as much as possible, otherwise you’ll be wasting energy.” I look back at my wings and flutter them once. I pout as I notice that they do not open completely. “Also, when you turn,” Revus continues, “you aren’t leaning enough, so you’re slow to turn.” I feel my blood start to boil. “Finally, you need to relax,” Revus chuckles, “Your face looks like you’re trying to poop. So-”

“Shut up!” I roar as I turn away from the infuriating fairy. I rise back into the air and fly away from him as quickly as I can, trying to heed his criticism.

“Where are you going?” Revus hollers from behind me.

“Don’t… follow me!” I shout while panting.

“Are you mad that I was-”

“No!” I bellow, “This is me… happily yelling at you!” Jerk.

“If you’re mad-”

“I said… I’m not mad!” I roar, “Now… leave me alone!”

“Fine.”

I glance back and see Revus hovering in place, no longer following me. Jerk. Is it too much to just congratulate me on flying for the first time? I sigh and turn back around. As I continue on, I realize that I am passing by the tree that hides our house. I haven’t gone this way yet. I glance back once more, scanning the area. I’ve only explored around the river and in front of the house.

I faintly smile as I examine the unexplored area in front of me. Much like the rest of the forest, behind our house has massive trees and shrubs exploding with rampant vegetation. Okay, break time. I survey the ground and find a sprout with a single large leaf resting in a field of grass that is exposed to plenty of sunlight. Looks like a good spot. I descend down and, as I land atop the leaf, drop to my knees, panting heavily. Okay, flying is exhausting. I roll over and lay on my back. As I look around, I absorb the sunlight and the fresh spring air.

“Ah… I missed this,” I murmur between my huffs, “Winter’s… way too cold.” As I scan the canopy above me, I notice several broken branches hanging from a tree. That’s strange. I wonder what caused that? I sit up and, as I scan the tree, my eyes dance from one tree to another. I notice more trees that have broken branches, all of which are adjacent to the initial tree I spotted. I bite my lip as I furrow my brow. Okay, something definitely happened there. Maybe a storm? I glance around at other trees not near the damaged ones. I don’t see anymore with broken branches. I look back to the initial tree. Then what caused that?

I look back at where I last saw Revus and see him flying toward me. Can’t he leave me alone. I stand up, fly off the sprout, land on the ground, and begin walking toward the damaged trees.

“Where are you going?” Revus inquires.

“Go away,” I bark.

“Still mad?”

I take a deep breath, exhale, turn around, and smile, “Absolutely!” I then blankly glare at Revus, “Now. Go. Away.”

Revus smirks, chuckles lightly, and then looks up at the broken branches, asking, “You curious?”

I take another deep breath, tilt my head back, and mutter, “You know… You can be…” I lower my head and sigh, “You make me mad.”

“I think the word you are wanting to use is-”

“I don’t care!” I roar. “Now either explain that!” I shout as I point up at the branches, “Or buzz off.”

“You know,” Revus laughs, “you can be pretty moody when you don’t get enough sleep.”

I clench my fists, my muscles tightening as I feel like I am about to explode. I close my eyes, bite my tongue, inhale from my nose, and exhale. I look away from Revus, scratch my upper lip, glance back at him, and nod.

“Okay,” I put my hands up, “Good job. If you were trying to make me mad, you’ve succeeded, now please. LEAVE. ME. ALONE.” I hiss as I turn around and continue walking toward the damaged trees.

“Good, so you can get mad,” Revus mutters. Ignore him. “I’ve been curious about it since you don’t usually get upset.” Ignore him. My blood boils as I continue walking by the large blades of grass. “So what was it that made you mad specifically? Your poor flying?” Shut up. “Was it me not leaving you alone?” Shut up. I clench my fists and dig my nails into my skin. “Is it my continued pestering?”

“SHUT UP!” I scream as I turn around, tears now blurring my vision. “JUST LEAVE ME ALONE,” I yell as I quickly turn around and race into the air. As my feet leave the ground I feel a hand grab my wrist. Flap as I might, with my arm trapped, I am stuck in the air, unable to leave. I turn back and see Revus with a troubled expression on his face, his hand tightly holding my wrist. “Let go!” I bellow as I try to free my arm, tears rolling down my face, “Let me go!” Revus pulls me back down to the ground and wraps his arms around me. “What’re you-”

“I’m sorry,” Revus mumbles apologetically.

I stop struggling and look up at him. “You’re sorry?” I murmur, “You think apologizing is going to make everything better?”

“I apologize. I went too far,” Revus continues, “I wasn’t trying to make your cry. I was just…” He hesitates.

“Just what?” I question, “Just wanted to make me mad? Get a laugh by making fun of me?”

He puts me at arm’s length, holding my trembling shoulders, and then replies, raising his voice, “No, of course not.”

“Then what?” I bellow, tears still streaming down my face, “Do you not like being my guard? Do you not like me?”

“Absolutely not!” Revus shouts, “Now let me make one thing clear. I do not hate you nor the idea of being your guard.”

“Then why!?” I retort.

Revus looks up and sighs. He then looks down at me, his worriedness visible in his golden eyes. “I…” he whispers too quietly for me to hear.

“You what?”

“I was…,” he takes another deep breath, “I was trying to get you to forget your bad dream.”

My mouth opens as I tilt my head and stare up at Revus in confusion. “That’s it?” He nods. I blink several times before continuing, “So, you… you made me mad. All so that I’d forget my bad dream?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you stupid or are you an idiot?” I ask in Sveltish. Revus jabs my forehead with his finger.

“No Svelt-”

“I know,” I answer in Zoic, “I just don’t know the words yet.”

“Fine,” Revus sighs, “But I am sorry. I wasn’t trying to make you mad to the point the that you cried, just-”

“But why mad?”

“I figured if you were focused on me, you wouldn’t think about your dream.”

“But why does my dream matter to you?”

“You seemed scared, and worried.”

“Sure, IT was a slith,” I try to pronounce the word.

“Zlith,” Revus corrects.

I shake my head, “Yeah that, but that still doesn’t explain-”

“Evetta,” Revus says as he kneels down in front of me and puts his hands on my shoulders, “My job is to keep you safe. Simple as it may be, I don’t know what to keep you safe from.” He continues, looking toward the ground “Strosk, enōōfen, other…” he pauses briefly and looks me directly in the eyes before continuing, “Just know that if something is bothering you, I will do what I can to help. Do you understand?”

I nod and, while I wipe away my tears, say, “But there are some words that you said that I don’t know.”

Revus lets go of my shoulders and looks away, “I’ll explain those later.” He looks back at me, stands up, and asks, “So. Do you want to know more about those broken branches.”

I glance at where Revus is pointing and reply, “Yeah. It doesn’t look natural, so what happened?”

“I’d rather not tell you, but…”

“So you won’t tell me,” I state harshly, “even though you brought it up.”

“I’m only telling you as an apology,” Revus explains, “After all, the enōōfen are dangerous.” There’s that word again. “Can you fly?”

“Of course. I learned today,” I proudly exclaim.

Revus chuckles, “Then follow me.” He begins flying up to one of the trees with damaged branches. I follow behind him, flapping my wings while watching how Revus moves his wings and leans his body. So… It’s more like that? As I follow, we fly up above one of the broken branches and land on a secure limb that overlooks the damaged ones.

“You should be able to see it from up here,” Revus states. See what? I begin to look around and notice a large damaged section of ground that lies between all of the damaged trees. The area has exposed soil and looks like something heavy was dragged over the ground.

“What happened here?” I mutter.

“It was a tree,” Revus states somberly.

“A tree?”

“A few weeks ago, while I was out you heard a loud boom,” Revus recounts, “When I heard it, I rushed back and found you laying on the floor, and the house was a mess.”

“Ye-” I quickly glance at Revus, “Wait so that loud sou-”

“It was a tree that fell.”

“Then what about the other noises I was hearing?”

“Come,” Revus says as he starts flying, “It’s better to show you.”

“Okay…” I murmur. He’s acting kind of strange. I fly after Revus and, together, we descend down toward the ground. We fly over the devastated soil until we arrive at a massive tree stump. It has wood that is much darker in color and is several times wider than the surrounding trees. Half of the stump’s surface is smooth while the other half is rough, with random, sharp edges.

“Where’s the rest of it?” I ask as I look over at Revus.

“The enōōfen took it.”

“The what?”

“Enōōfen,” Revus repeats, “We met some when we explored the river. The giant people.” Oh, the elves. Well, I guess I can’t be certain that they were elves. “The enōōfen have come around a couple of times and they always take the same trees.”

“Why?”

“No idea, but remember, the enōōfen are dangerous,” Revus declares harshly, “I didn’t want to help those enōōfen before because they always come looking for us after.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, “Do they want our help?”

“Again, I don’t know,” Revus angrily answers, “But they’ve tried to capture me several times in the past.” He looks in the direction of the river, “And I imagine that they’ll come looking for us again now that they know we’re in this area.”

I gulp, “What happens when they-”

“Enough of that,” Revus interrupts, “I told you about the tree and I don’t want you to have needless worries.”

“Jerk,” I pout.

“Come on,” Revus says, “Let’s head back.”

“Alright,” I sigh. Together, we rise into the air and head back toward the house.

“Would you rather stay outside and continue flying or head in and rest for a bit?”

“Um…” I ponder for a moment, “I think I’d rather… rest outside in the sun… I’ve been inside… for over a week.”

“Okay,” Revus replies.

We make our way back near the house and I find a pleasant spot in the sun to sit down. Ah, this is nice. I yawn as I get comfortable on the ground.

“Tired?”

“A bit,” I mutter as I lay down. A nap… doesn’t sound so bad.

As I close my eyes I hear Revus chuckle, “Sleep well.”

I stretch my limbs and feel a cold breeze on my feet. A brisk chill runs up my spine. Quickly, I retract my legs so I no longer feel the cold. “Hm,” I mumble. Why’s it so cold in here? I pull my blanket over my head. Much better… Wait… I open my eyes and run my hand against the furry fabric covering me. When did I go inside? I pull the blanket down, exposing my head, and see the dark, night-dyed forest. Leaves blowing in the soft wind are the only respite from the still quiet that envelopes the land.

I bolt up and shout, “Revus!” Hearing my loud voice resound throughout the sleeping woodland, I cover my mouth. I remove my hands, look around, and call quieter, “Revus.”

“Finally awake?” he answers. I turn and see him walking out of the house.

“Why am I sleeping outside?” I ask angrily.

“You were sleeping soundly,” Revus explains, “and since you didn’t sleep well this morning, I figured I’d let you sleep.”

“Well you could’ve brought me inside at least,” I retort as I look down at the blanket that is covering me. “Seriously, you even brought me a blanket, just bring me inside, or better just wake me up next time.”

“Sure. Whatever you say,” Revus remarks.

“Why do I get the feeling that you don’t mean that?”

“Who knows,” he shrugs, “You hungry?”

“Yeah, but…” I look up at the fragmented night sky hidden behind the canopy.

“Ah, you want to see the moons first?”

“Yeah. Now that I can fly,” I mutter, “I want to go see them again.”

“Do you want me to carry the blanket?”

“Sure,” I answer. Revus walks over and I hand him the blanket. Brrrr, why’s it always so cold at night? I tightly wrap my arms over my elbows. Revus and I conjure our wings and rise into the air.

As we approach the night sky, Revus says, “You’re going to be in for a surprise tonight.”

“Why’s that?”

“You’ll see when we get there.” A surprise huh?

We continue ascending through the darkness, making our way past branches, through areas of thick foliage, and finally between the gaps in the canopy. We arrive at the endless expanse of dark, majestic beauty. The countless stars that dot the sky and the several colorful moons make it just as breathtaking as it was before. That’s strange? I furrow my eyebrows as I notice five moons in tonight’s sky. The colors are also different, consisting of red, grey, violet, yellow, and brown. The red moon glows brightly, giving the sky a new, unique atmosphere.

“Wow,” I murmur, “Hey Revus.” I turn and see him staring at me with a grin.

“You’re curious about why they’re different?” Revus states.

“Yeah,” I nod as I look away from him. Please don’t act like you can read my mind.

“Every month, a different moon will glow brighter than the others,” Revus explains. “Last month it was the white moon, Maiden. This month, the red moon Dract shines.”

“Do they always change?”

Revus nods, “From what I know they do. Each month follows a cycle and once all fourteen have had their turn, the cycle repeats. That’s not all either.” Revus grins as I look over at him, “Every night offers a different view.”

I turn back to the wondrous moons. Every night they’re different… “Hey, is it alright if we come up here every night?”

Revus smiles, “Sure. Oh, and Evetta.”

“Yeah?” I say as I look at him, his eyes locked on me.

“Congratulations on learning to fly.”

Was that so hard to say? I smile. Jerk.