II: Awakening 

 She had long blonde hair and enchanting blue eyes. Aiden had never seen snow before. It was deep and pulled on his leg with each step. She awaited him at the top of the hill, only a few feet away. As he got closer, the winds began their dance around her, turning the air around them into a sea of white. An east wind knocked Aiden off of his feet, and the winds ceased. Aiden wiped the snow off of his face, and through a blurry set of eyes he saw a white owl. It’s large knowing eyes boring into his soul, into his fears. One flap of its wings blew the snow off of Aiden. He felt a warmth stir from within him. He felt himself sink deeper into the snow as it melted around him. The owl started to flap its wings in a rhythmic cadence. Aiden watched as the ground beneath him turned from white, to brown, to green... 

 He woke up to a stiff neck and the booming sound of a Nephite’s voice somewhere close. It was unmistakable, as most mornings his village was awakened to one of the Provider’s children shouting. The shout of a Nephite has been known to knock down trees and crush most man made structures in it’s path. This daily ritual instilled fear in most men, but it only seemed to aggravate Aiden. Night had fallen over the forest. By the time he had gathered himself and got his sack, it was too late to run. Aiden frantically looked around for a place to hide. There was a ditch a few feet away. He tossed the sack in, then followed. 

 There were three of them, all massive. They walked slowly, though their footsteps could be heard a hundred yards away. Their eyes scanning the forest, looking for their prey. “He’ll go to his village.”, Aiden heard one of them say, “Or what’s left of it.” Aiden felt his heart began to race. The village. Would they know which village he came from? How? Did some other village meet the wrath of The Ancient? He had to get back. He had to know that Tonius, Thomas, and Shiela were unharmed. His uncle, all children of the village, Julith, Elder Rhine’s oldest... had he doomed them all? But how would they know? They wouldn’t know. They couldn’t. Men the world over came to make the climb to Neldemense. Who did the Ancient think that he was? Why did he attack him? 

 Aiden waited until their footsteps faded in the distance. He climbed out of the ditch the best that he could with one arm. He had no idea where he was in relation to his village, and the night sky made it no easier for him. He wanted desperately to climb back into the ditch and stay. But he wanted to put as much distance between him and the Nephites as possible. He walked in the darkness. There was a slight breeze that made him remember his dream. The forceful wind, the blonde woman, her eyes, the owl. Aiden walked until his legs stiffened. And then he walked some more. He didn’t stop until he saw smoke ahead above the trees. The savory smell of meat awakened his hunger. He couldn’t remember the last time he had eaten. 

 As he got closer to the smoke, he saw that it was coming from an old ruined tower that had been run into the ground. Whatever had damaged the tower left it an open structure with floors sunk underneath the surface. Aiden stopped and sought cover behind a tree, abandoned structures such as this seemed to attract scavengers and raiders. Some of whom had a taste for men’s flesh. From where he was positioned, he couldn’t tell where exactly the smoke originated from within the ruin. He could see a faint light emitting from half a window a floor below. The other half of the window was buried in the ground. He moved closer to get a better look inside the window. He saw a body chained on the floor. Aiden knew this was not where he wanted to be. Right as he was about to go back the way he came, the body moved. It sat up. It’s a girl, Aiden thought. He could see she had dirty brown hair and torn rags for clothes.  

“What are you doing?”, he asked himself as he walked toward the window, careful to not make anyone aware of his presence. He saw two men on the surface level of the ruin, they were huddled over what looked like a spit and whatever meat Aiden had been smelling. He watched through the window as the girl wrapped her arms around her legs and tucked her knees under her chin. She had ebony skin. His own skin was bronze, but hers was darker still. He had to leave her, there was naught that he could do. He was making his way back the way he came when he heard it. There was a shout that shook the very ground beneath him. He could hear trees falling. In the darkness he saw two men running toward him. He could tell that they were scavengers by the look of them. He could not run anymore with his stiff legs and broken arm if he wanted to. The two men paid him no mind and ran right past him toward the ruin. The two men Aiden saw previously met them before they reached the ruin. “Nephite... cracked scuff’s head open,” He heard one of them say. Aiden heard another tree hit the forest floor, closer this time. He saw the four scavengers running away in the opposite direction. 

 Aiden ran toward the ruin, he ran past the spit and saw an open door leading down a stairway. He made his way down two steps at a time. He opened the door to the room where the girl was being kept. She looked up, trembling, but her eyes were void of fear. She stared at him in silence as Aiden dug around in his sack. He ignored the broken vial of oil and pulled out the gold nugget. Without words, he struck the chains where they met the wall. After the third strike he lost his strength, having to use his left arm for everything left him exhausted. “Give it to me.”, The girl said. He handed her the nugget and in half a dozen strikes she was free. Before Aiden had time to think, She wrapped the chains around his neck and squeezed. “Wait, I’m not one of them.”, Aiden struggled to say. His left arm trying to loosen the chains. She relaxed her grip but did not let go. “Tell me who you are.”, she demanded. “I am Aiden Fieri. I was lost. I saw you from the window. The scavengers are gone, we need to leave as well. There are Nephites co—“ They heard the unmistakable sound of a Nephite’s footsteps on the floor above them. There was a deafening sound then the stoned roof above them began to fall like rain. The girl was yelling at him but he couldn’t hear a thing. She took his hand and led him towards the window, under the only part of the roof still intact. She broke the window with the gold nugget. She climbed up then lowered the chains down. One handed, Aiden wrapped them around his torso. Together they pulled him up through the window. The ruin trembled as the Nephite Jumped down onto the lower level. They fled as soon as Aiden found his footing. 

 Through the woods they went. Aiden struggled to keep up. His whole body was numb. He couldn’t feel himself running. It seemed as if they had been running for days before his left leg finally gave way and the ground below came up to greet him. This is as good a place as any to sleep, he thought. He blinked, and when he opened his eyes he was laying against a tree. His throat was dry and sore. He reached up at his neck and remembered the chains choking him. He reached down and saw his right arm wrapped in what used to be his sack. Beside him, wrapped up in some of his torn sack, were the meat and grains from his offering. Adjacent to where he was laying he saw the girl, with her smooth ebony skin. She was asleep, against a tree of her own. She looked peaceful. Aiden remembered how her bold brown eyes had shown no fear of him. 

 She had prepared the meat and grains and left him a portion to eat he realized when he unrapped them. He ate it all. His relationship with food had become strained, distant. It wasn’t much, but it seemed to abate his hunger for the moment. Aiden saw that the girl had freed her wrist from the shackles, the gold nugget beside her. He tried to stand and fell backward against the tree. He sat and looked around, wondering how he’d ended up here, when he realized he knew this part of the forest. He wasn’t far from his village. This time he stood up completely, almost stepping on the last vial of oil that he had brought to offer The Ancient. He pocketed the vial and started towards the familiar path. 

 His legs had never been this sore before. To be honest, his whole body ached. The smell of fire and smoke gave him a slight ease. He could always smell food from one of the villages when he was this close. His village was one of a collection of villages, all with their own responsibilities. The Counsel of Elders was comprised of an elder from each village. He could usually see them by now from where he was. He couldn’t be lost, no, he’d been through here too many times to count. He could still smell the smoke, but now there was also a stench of rot as well... 

 She found him in the midst of the ashes. They covered him up to his shoulders, looking as if to swallow him whole. There was only him, ash, and scorched earth as far as she could see. As she surveyed the area it became more horrifying... there were bones and other bits among the ashes. She looked back at him, covered in death. The ashes covering him seemed to come alive as he breathed. He was fixated on a particular spot of scorched earth she saw. She moved closer to him, following his eyes. She froze when she saw it. There was an adult sized set of burnt bones laying before him clutching another set of bones belonging to a child.

Next Chapter: III: The Birdfeeder