Strangers (Part 1)

The night was dark and dreadfully cold, but the flakes of snow seemed to dance as they gleefully fell to the ground. Cold air whipped Shun's face as he quickly sprinted past trees. Several armed men chased after him. Despite the heavy footsteps of the men following him, he heard bow strings being drawn. In a flash, several arrows, aimed towards him, zipped through the air. He dodged each with dexterity. He was not a professional thief for nothing.

How wonderful it would be if he could fight his pursuers man to man. He knew he was exceptionally good with the dagger, but aside from their number, the men chasing him were well-built, trained hoodlums. He knew he didn't have a chance in face-to-face combat, so he did what he does best- escape. Ever since he was young, he had been a fast runner. He could quickly escape and disappear. He always felt that somehow, the wind has always been in his favor, as if it aids him to be faster. Of course he knew that the wind was not alive, so how can it favor him? But Shun loved to hold on to the thought.

His pursuers drew their bows for a second attack. He quickly scanned his surroundings. The trees were growing thicker on one side of the forest. He felt the wind blow towards the direction. He knew he'd lose the brutes once he entered the thicker part of the forest. He hastened his pace and noticed the fading glow of his pursuers' torches. He knew they were lagging behind. His lips twitched into a smug smile as he tightened his grip on the shabby pouch he had just stolen.

Assured of his victory, Shun ran carefree. Suddenly, out of the dark came a faint glow of light, it was round and it glowed warmly. Shun quickly recognized it as a lamp. There was a person holding it, but before he could stop or avoid it... BUMP! He heard a brief shriek before he stumbled on the freezing pristine white ground. He immediately pulled himself up and brushed the snow off his coat. The lamp continued to give a faint glow as it lay on the snow. He saw that he bumped into a young woman- no, a girl. Probably just sixteen or seventeen years old. She had lost consciousness, most likely from the impact when they bumped into each other.

What is a girl doing alone in the forest at this time of the night? He wondered.

He meant to help her but upon seeing that the men chasing him were getting near; he ran towards the opposite direction. More arrows followed him as he tried to escape. There were very few trees to cover him in this part of the forest, but the least he could do was lead the hoodlums away from the unconscious stranger, for the gods only know what would become of her when the brutes find her, unconscious and defenseless.

A faint wind blew, rustling the leaves of some nearby bushes. Unlike most of the trees that had shed its leaves for the winter, some bushes in the forest provide a stunning contrast by thriving despite the harsh temperature. Its leaves swayed to the direction of the blowing wind and by some fortunate luck, Shun spotted a barely noticeable hole beneath the roots of one of the large trees, almost concealed by the snow. He headed towards the direction, but as he ran, an arrow struck his back, piercing through his left chest.

Raye awoke to the piercing cold. Her entire body felt numb from lying on the cold, deep snow. She forced herself up and as she moved, an excruciating pain seared through her arm. She remembered the forceful impact that left her unconscious the night before. She checked the injured area. It was already swelling. Her arm had obviously been sprained. This kind of injury would take time to naturally heal. She looked at the leafless tree next to her. It may seem dead in winter, but she knew it was alive. She could feel the prana surging within its enormous trunk.

I'll take just a little, enough to heal my arm. She thought.

She clenched her teeth, enduring the pain, as she slowly walked to the tree. She closed her eyes and held out her hand to touch it. A golden light glowed from her palms as the tree's prana entered her body.

Just a little. Raye repeated to herself.

Instantly, her injury was healed. When she opened her eyes, she gasped in horror as she saw that the tree's once fleshy brown trunk had turned black. The tree slowly crumbled to the ground. She had taken all the prana again. Her grandmother always reminded her to control her ability and take only what she needs; but she did it again. She took all the tree's prana, and now it's dead. She hated herself for it.

KRAA! KRAA! KRAA!

A group of crows perched on the empty branches cawed, as if taunting her for the crime of nature she had committed. Annoyed, Raye formed some snowballs and threw them at the birds.

"Leave me alone! I don't want you here!" She yelled as the birds flew, dodging the cold snow balls.

She doesn't know why, but whenever she absorbs the prana of other living things, the crows always appear, as if she was unconsciously summoning them. Not that the impertinent birds had contributed anything for her benefit. They just ominously watched, and she hated it.

She clasped her hands together and asked the tree for forgiveness and said a prayer offering its spirit to the goddess Aithre. As if in answer to her prayer, the mild rays of the sun woke and tinted the sky with a timid rosy hue. Dawn was breaking.

She carefully gathered the lunar herbs that had been scattered on the snow when she fell and put it inside her basket. These herbs had high medicinal value. Interestingly, it is a potent antidote to any animal poison and can heal many uncommon ailments. She had spent long hours looking for it last night. The herbs were rare, growing only on the barks of the trees at the heart of the forest during the first full moon of winter.

As she picked up the lunar herbs, she noticed a shabby brown pouch on the ground. She opened the pouch and found an irregularly geometric, smooth, dark, crystalline rock attached to a fine gold chain. As soon as her fingers touched the gem, it emitted a bluish white light and a pricking pain ran from her fingers to her arm and to a portion of her back, like a knife carving something into her skin. She dropped the rock reflexively. Wondering what just happened, she pulled her sleeve up to check if her arm was wounded, but nothing was there.

KRAA! KRAA! KRAA!

Raye's attention was diverted to the crows as she heard more cawing. This time, more of them were perched on the tree's branches and even more were circling on the sky above her. Fearing the ominous birds, she quickly put the stone back to the pouch and ran.