Journey Awaits

Val prepared for her new journey. She was given new clothes and supplies from the temple's inhabitants. Among what was given was a map with a crystal. It was special, in that the map would show the way to one's destination when the crystal's light illuminated on it. All one needed to do was to think about the destination with focus.

Val took her time, since she still felt a little weak. Also, she was starting to feel a little reluctant to part from Celeste. Even though she promised her mother not to bring her along, the thought would cross her mind.

Settling her nerves, she took her leave. She couldn't delay it any longer, and she didn't want to overstay her welcome. Those in the temple sent her off. She felt touched. No one has ever cared for her like these people. Despite the uncertainty surrounding her, at least she has a wonderful start.

The map displayed her current position, and her destination clearly. She had already planned out the start of her route, but still wanted to have one last look. Taking a deep breath, she turned around. Celeste had followed her to the temple gates. Val hugged her tightly.

"I'll miss you!" Val said as she let go.

"You must stay safe." Celeste held Val's hands, swinging then slightly. "That way you can come back to visit."

"Of course." Val replied with a slight smile. "I will rush back as soon as I can."

They stayed quiet for a moment. Val brushed a lock of hair behind Celeste's ear. When Val felt that she needed to set off, she took a step back.

"I'm really going now. When I come back, I expect you to show me a new trick." Val winked at Celeste.

"I promise!" Celeste exclaimed.

Celeste waved Val goodbye until she could no longer be seen. Val didn't know how to feel. Now that she was away from the lovely people and the feeling of security, fear of the unknown was starting to take over. But she pushed herself forward. For the first time in her life, she has someone waiting for her.

The first two days of the journey came and went without mich hassle. The sun was setting on the third. She prepared her food, and her place to sleep. It was a very simple campsite, but it worked for her.

Before she could lay her head down, she felt that something was around. She looked all around, but she could see neither beast nor man. She took out a dagger, and held it close. She walked around the perimeter of her campsite. Perhaps she needed to look out a little further to find whatever has been watching her.

She had a crystal lit, but at a lower intensity. She didn't want to alert anyone before she could get a glimpse of whatever or whoever it was. But the low light didn't really help to see much, to considering it was a heavily dense forest area. She also made sure to be as silent as possible.

Despite her precautions to not be found out, her search still led to nothing. Every time a sound was made, it would either be a small creature or would be gone by the time she turned to see it. She searched for a long while, before she decided to give up on it.

She rested for the night, but never went into a deep sleep. Nothing came out of the shadows. The night was rather uneventful.

She packed up her stuff the next day, and she moved on. She no longer felt anything following her, but she remained in edge. It remained rather quiet, so when midday came, she made a stop for a rest and to eat a small meal. She decided to stop at a river bank.

As she was refilling he to canteen, she saw a pair of eyes reflecting in the water. She whipped around in a flash. Again, she found nothing when she turned around.

"Who is there?" Val shouted with a tinge of nervousness.

Some birds were disturbed by the noise, so they flew from their perch. Val looked up as they moved across the sky. When her vision returned to the ground, she found a hooded figure on the opposite side of the river. The figure stayed motionless before a wolf joined.

Val could only focus on her own breathing to calm down. So many thoughts raced through her mind. Is this one of the people trying to collect her debt? Could this be someone else after her? Was this someone she could defend against?

When she snapped back to reality, the figure seemed to be doing something. Val couldn't really make out what was happening, but there were hand movements and some words said. The longer she looked, she noticed that a light, green glow from the hands. Val was mesmerized by it. It started low, but it grew into a good sized ball before it was shot forward.

Val, thinking it was an attack, ran for cover. She tripped along the way, and missed the next part. Suddenly, Val heard a bark. It sounded very close. She turned her head only to see that the beast getting closer. She flipped onto her back. The sight before her left her in awe.

The water was parted, being held by a barrier of green light. The hooded figure slowly walked across. The wolf sat next to Val, when it saw that she wasn't trying to flee.

When the hooded figure can't close, and was on land, the barrier was disbursed. The water went back to it's natural current, as though nothing magical had just happened. Val looked at the figure in amazement. The figure merely squatted beside her and took off the hood. Before her was a woman with long, copper hair. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of green. Freckles dotted her face, but couldn't hide her beauty.

"You must be Val. You can call me Sparrow. I have been sent to guide you." The woman introduced herself.