Chapter Thirty-One

For many years, the natives haven't ventured any further than the western mountain. They didn't even go to the western mountain often because of the strange creatures they were afraid of. For them, it was like a horror story waiting to happen. They believed in the legends that were created about the creatures themselves, and it was like the least visited area of the mountain. Atohmma however wasn't scared or shy to visit the elven village. She knew she had been to the western mountain before and having to go again, was yet another adventure except for the fact that she could have had a straight flight from her village to get there, without the need for going all the way to Nucamma's village. She thought to herself that if she didn't come here, she wouldn't have seen the fishing pond until some other time when Nucamma would have decided to take her to it. At least she had spent some time with him to let him know everything.

Atohmma imagined the area and thought about the elemental shield being nearby that elven village. It became obvious and the mystery around it started to make some sense to her. There would be no need for her to hide there, as it would be obvious to the elves, the legends, and her transformations. She traced back in her mind, the intruder and the way he was dressed the day he entered their village to give her the message. From there, she imagined how all the elves may dress and how they will behave. Now that she had an idea in her mind about what to expect, she went back inside.

She noticed that Nucamma wasn't on his bed. He was having a shower and she went to make him some tea. Atohmma decided to leave this night. She wouldn't want to be there when Nucamma had to work. "I would fly across to that village tonight. My wings are supportive and my bag isn't all that heavy. It will be dark and not many of my village natives would be flying around nor will they recognize me. Yes! I'll leave tonight." She settled this plan in her mind. "Good morning beautiful seems like you've been busy. I saw you talking to an elf when I woke up, what are you up to?" said Nucamma. "Well I am making you some tea and I was thinking that I should fly over to the elven village tonight," she said. "So you found out where it is then, that's great. I guess you were in luck this morning huh!" he said. "I guess I was!" replied Atohmma as she handed him his cup of piping hot tea. "Thanks! So what are we doing for the rest of the day?" asked Nucamma. " I don't know, don't you have to get going for work?" "Yup, but what about you, what will you do while I'm gone. I won't be late, I will return before nightfall so I can help you and spend some time," suggested Nucamma. "Sure that will be wonderful and I will take a walk through the village and the market. I'm sure I won't get bored," said Atohmma. "You won't," replied Nucamma as he took his final sip and turned to get himself dressed for work.

As Nucamma was heading out, Atohmma walked a little way with him and they both decided to meet back here at his cave. She knew she would not have spent the entire day out in the village anyway, so she agreed and they waved to each other. A feeling arose in Atohmma at that moment. One that she never felt before. She felt as though she was pleased and contented with knowing that Nucamma was her friend. She didn't quite understand the feeling. She just felt a fondness that she didn't recognize. It wasn't as though she didn't have other friends. She just knew she looked forward to seeing him later on and at that moment she felt a bit sad that he had to go but not sad as hurting. Whatever it was she just brushed it off and switched to deciding what she was going to do next. So she took a shower, dressed casually, no hat this time, and she took her pouch that had her gold coins to purchase whatever interested her in the market. She closed the door behind her and strolled through the village with a smile on her face.

There were many shoemakers and dressmakers in this village. It's probably where they make them and then distribute them to the markets of the surrounding markets, she assumed. She stopped to have a chat with one of them, who seemed to be making sandals. She liked the style and colors that caught her eye, so she sat nearby and introduced herself. The shoemaker seemed pleased to meet her and to have her unusual company. They chatted and laughed. the shoemaker seemed to welcome her warmth and friendliness. Atohmma bought the pair that caught her eye, she thought it might look well to be worn in the elven village. It was comfortable and cute. It had extra strings to tie up almost to her knees. She admired the way the front of it covered her toes and curled up in the front. She watched as he did others. It looked so easy. She looked on, noticing the way he blended the colors, interlaced the wool, and stitched leather. She didn't think it took so much focus and precision to cut and measure while choosing the most appropriate place to attach the most suitable material. It was all so amazing for her to see what she almost took for granted. All that she knew, was she wore shoes. There was no extra thought or consideration for the details of how it came to be and the careful attention, time, and effort that went into it. Eventually, she had enough of the chat and decided to go on to the next thing to catch her eye. She told the shoemaker she appreciated his time and that it was nice meeting him. They exchanged waves and she continued looking around from stall to stall until she saw a dressmaker. This stall was different and there were more unique styles. Some of the dresses were more fairy-like than the ones sold in her village. She saw really nice ones, some that had one strap on the shoulder, others with frills and jagged like hems. Some were long and some short with leaf-patterned necklines. They were strange, so she looked around for what may seem like an elf dress. She looked through some that were piled up and the one that attracted her was long. She looked for a few more of those. Atohmma thought they would suit her wings and also her transformation. She knew they looked elegant enough for leadership and humble enough to fit in as an elf. She bought a pink one, a cream, a blue, a green, a rainbow-colored one and also a purplish pinkish one. She even added two capes to the purchase, which would fit well for the cold weather, and for the role she had to play.

"I don't want to purchase too many things to add weight to the luggage. Injury to my wings wouldn't be a good thing." she thought. So she went along and headed back home to Nucamma's.