You're Not the Only One With Secrets - "YNTOOWS" - Lucia Roberts (comprehension books .TXT) 📗

catch her scent. I couldn't help but wish I could turn off my Melody so that she cannot hear it. I scowled. This means I have to keep a distance from her. I followed he scent for a while, but then it disappeared. She must be flying. Blast. I took off running as fast as I could. I knew where she was going. I ran; I ran as fast I could breathe. I skidded to a stop outside the clearing where Her 'He' always did target practice. He made me nervous but I couldn't tell Her. She wouldn't listen. I scowled and ran the perimeter. I didn't see Her, nor did I see 'Him'. She has that spell... This could be bad; horrid. What in the blazes does she plan to do with it? It doesn't mask her voice. I have no idea atall. What would be the damned point of following him invisibly? Think!

It doesn’t mask her voice or scent or sounds she makes. She follows Him at a distance anyways… Oh. Distance. If I had palms, I swear, I would have given myself a concussion just now. She wants to follow closely. For reasons un-beknownst to me, this thought made a boiling sensation start all the way from my gut. 

I wanted to just roar and let it all out. But I promised myself I wouldn't unless it was to protect Her. I know I'm powerful. I just can't bear to remind myself of what I am. I feel as if I am chained within my soul. I can't speak anymore, and there is nothing I can do outside of the limitations of this form. Plus, Amaranth is...... she wouldn't... would she? I checked the sky again, to see if I could spot her. I couldn't; and I could not feel her ither. I started running again.

Dodge the limb, brushed against the bush, river to the left, cross ahead. Steady across the log, not too fast. These thoughts distracted me momentarily. Amaranth, please, don't do anything stupid Ma Cheri... I sent this prayer to the Goddess as I ran and dodged and skidded and was battered by Nature. She was dressed in leather, beautiful, and alone. She had power; that I won’t deny. But I, quite frankly, don't care.

I could feel the anger well inside me, and my white fur glowed a light red. A growl rumbled through me, and I kicked up dirt as I turned to the East, sharply, I glared daggers at the image that she had by now burned in my head. I could feel her now. She was heading toward the village of Seeress; to find 'Him'.

Damn it.

Why couldn’t she just go mess with some young Faerielets or some of the shopkeepers like a good little mischievous Fae?

Chapter 6 : Hunter Becomes Hunted

 I started around the perimeter of the village of Seeress. It was a beautiful one. They were the tinkerers of sorts. They made all the beautiful things and all of the useful things. All the jewelry and wind chimes made of stained glass and shiny things; all of the pots and farming things and wagons. I think them to be one of the most skilled villages I know of. I've been here only a few times. Our kind is segregated rather to their own villages/skill-sets. No rules, that's just how it is.

I suppose it is so that their children will learn the skill well and in turn that will make it so that there will always be enough Fae for each skill and all things necessary will always be. But why would an archer, a soldier, be here? I always wondered. Does He have a girl whose family lives here? Why does He live here still? Do they know that He dreams of being a hunter; best of the best? Do they see his fiery spirit being locked within the glass his family lives off of?

I do not know why I was assigned to him, but Oh! There He is! I take a moment to don the invisible Magick and then I follow Him to the clearing where He always goes. I am careful not to follow too close, but Gods, I want to talk to him, walk beside him, have him know I exist, understand him! Fae aren't usually assigned to other Fae so it's even more confusing. I nearly walked into a branch as I let my thoughts take over. We arrived at the clearing and I watch from behind a pine his normal routine of scouting to make sure no-one is around before he takes out his bow and arrows from their hiding place in a dead log just within the clearing’s bounds.

I creep slowly towards him as he readies his bow and pulls it up into his powerful stance. I get close enough to where I could touch him at arms length if I wished. He pauses, shakes His head, and shoots. He misses.

"You never miss" I whisper under my breath. I cover my mouth quickly begging the Goddess that he didn't hear me. He didn't... I think. He pulls another arrow from the canister on his back and aims again. I take a step closer as the arrow flies. It hits this time, but it is a bit off. He is normally spot on. I'm always here; why does my closeness bother him so? I take a step closer and duck as He swings His arm back for another arrow. He puts the arrow in position and raises the bow, arrow tight and ready to shoot. He pauses. I back up a few steps.

Suddenly, He points the arrow right at me; as if He knows that I stand here now. I hold my breath from shock and fear and hope that he doesn't know. He holds His breath and turns to run. I follow. We jump over every creek, dodge every tree, and for a second I thought I saw Vishnu, but, no it couldn’t be him. He promised to stay at home. I tripped over a rock and nearly hit Him when I thought I saw Vishnu. My foot pounded now but finally He stops. We are at the water fall Serendine. I was here once before, only to learn water Magick. Never have I come back; it was lost in the back of my mind for so long that I stand in awe now. I nearly forget that He is the reason I am here.

I stand not far behind Him listening to His heavy breaths and wonder why He came here. No-one is around and it is still early morning, so, I suppose it’s as safe as you can get. The sun has barely risen so the mist reflects a wavering rainbow of neon color. "I know you're here" He said. My mouth falls open.

He turns around, slowly, as if not to frighten me off. He starts to hold his hand out, as if to try to touch me, but I suppose He thought better of it, and the hand dropped to His side again. "I can feel you. Why do you follow me? I am capable of defending myself.” He looks around with a hurt and angry glare in his eyes. “You don't know me."

For some reason, those words hurt more than anything; more than Vishnu's stare when he's disappointed in me, more than the tears from my parents' death knowing that I must have failed again. He knows I'm here... but, how? I stifled a sob. What have I done? "Show yourself" he paused "so that I may at least know who it is that follows me."

The thorn on the rose has been discovered; I thought. A tear fell on the rock I stood on. He looked down. I covered it with my foot, quickly. Blast! He now knew exactly where I stood. Why in the blazes did I do that?! "Ah" He said. "Do not wish to speak or cannot?"

He was prying for something, anything. I couldn't do it. I can't blow everything; and yet, isn't this what I wanted? Isn't this all I've eve- "You're not the only one with secrets" He whispered. He sounded almost sympathetic. There was a sadness to his voice which made me believe that there was something important; something important to the way he was that I didn’t, but should, know.

I looked at him now. He looked in the direction he thought I was and waved his hand through the air as you would when you looked for something in water you can't see through. "Sometimes I think I dreamt you up, but I hear you sometimes, walking past or I think I see someone. God, I'm crazy!" He laughed and put his head in his hands. I resisted the urge to touch him.

"What secrets?" I whispered.

"Wouldn't you like to know, oh Dream Guardian of mine?" he laughed sarcastically. I was so torn, and angry at him for being so harsh. I tiptoed around him and started walking through the forest back the way we'd come.

He got up and started walking too. I don't think He knew it, but he was right beside me for a while. He started humming a tune in an low alto voice... a tune... like Vishnu's. Just then, I saw Vishnu emerge from behind a tree, barely. His eyes got wide and then he growled. Growled at ME. If I had fur that could turn red to show my anger, my fur would have been a burning red. I wish Vishnu coud have seen me glowering at him. It was then that He looked at Vishnu. His eyebrows raised in something that appears to be shock. "A Faerie?" he whispers.

Shit.

Chapter 7 : Betrayal

I wasn't sure if I should run or explain or show myself, or just stay and do nothing to convince him that I'm not real. But He knows. Why Vishnu? Why? I told Vishnu to stay at home... He puts his hand out again to try to find the invisible being standing before him. I back up a step; just out of his reach. "Why are you assigned to me?" He growls, aggravated. "They have no idea. They can't do this to me!" I was torn between getting in his face and yelling 'because you need help obviously!' and just sitting on the ground and waiting out his frustration; pretending he wasn't angry with me. He turns back to look at Vishnu, who was now crouched down, looking like the