'The Land of Raiden', Chapter 11 from the Irish fiction novel: We Come Back: Vol. 1
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Starling could feel something was different
about me as I led him out of the stables and though he recognized me, he felt like part of me was missing. He let me climb on him, but not before nestling his nose in my neck, the only comforting he knew he could do for me. I felt a determination within me like no other, as I climbed on to Starling’s back. I would find him; I was not and never would be, a coward. Master Dyvin would know where to begin searching.
“The Distant Shores it must be, come on Starling,” I patted him and together, Starling and I stepped into the prism.
Upon arriving on the Distant Shores,
a star in the same constellation, I felt more assurance than ever before. As Starling flew me onward to eventually meet Master Dyvin, I smiled, loving the way it felt to be so free in the air the way it was when we flew. Everything felt different though whenever I traveled to the Distant Shores. Because there was literally no time in this realm, it was easy to spend exceptionally long, basking in the natural wonder of the area.
The first thing you notice upon arrival to the prism on the Distant Shores, was the border; rolling green hills, covered in every variation of flower. At least from an aerial viewpoint, they appeared to be flowers. They were actually very small homes, for very small beings, disguised as flowers. If one was to land just outside of the vastly colorful terrain, they would discover that it was a thriving community. Though it would appear that someone of my size would merely step on and crush these floral homes, there was a powerful enchantment upon these hills, and immediately when any creature steps foot on the ground, they are instantly shrunk to the size of the beings that inhabited the area. These hills were known as LarkGlen, and were some of the most beautiful in the universe.
Only upon special permission could any creature
from other lands be privy to this region. Just as I thought about this, two guards of the city flew up to meet me. The closer they got to me, the bigger they grew. They were both riding enormous butterflies that were only found here, as they preferred the beautiful blossoms that were the tops of their homes. Each butterfly wing expanded at least three feet out. They were stunning creatures, with glimmers of gold running through their wings, accentuating various bright colors.
The beings that rode these butterflies
were even more enticing. Their skins could change color, depending on the mood they were in. They didn’t have hair really, but rather grasses, and flowers, and in some cases mossy locks. These too, changed with their mood. They were the epitome of a species who’s main defense mechanism, relied upon camouflage. Their ears were sharp tipped, like the sharp broken end of a branch, and their eyes were bigger and wider than my kind, allowing them to see very well whether it was dark or light out. Their clothes were merely petals transformed into various items. They were a species that very much enjoyed living in a realm of color and tranquility, and even now, as the guards reached me they wore no armor, and carried no weapons. Though every creature was different, every realm considered Etherian a uniting language, though many creatures had others they spoke as well.
Each guard flew on opposite sides of me,
as we glided along. I had flown over there many times, and recognized both of the guards. The one on my right was LavenDar, willfully named for his most passionate choice of color, and extreme use of herbs in his hair designs. The one on my left was Whippen, commonly referred to as Whip. His hair made entirely of weeping willow branches was an unmistakable trademark of his. Most often he was a bright light green, but I had on occasion seen him as dark as the deepest part of the forest.
“Keeper Astraea! We haven’t seen you in so long, where have you been?” LavenDar called out to me.
“Yes, what have you been preoccupying your time with, blossom?” Whip had nicknamed me something he was most fond of.
He rather adored me,
and often wished he could woo me and sweep me off my feet.
“Painting… mostly… I have missed you both, are you on guard duty today?” they both knew me well enough to know I would not state such an obvious fact, if I was not avidly avoiding completing my answer.
“Yes, for now. Are you planning on stopping in?” Whip asked hopefully.
“No, I am afraid I am on a rather tight schedule. I am heading to Tertull. I have a serious request of Master Dyvin.”
I bit my lip, filling myself with further determination. Though Dyvin was a ship-master, and my Aubrey’s mate, his father, Kaiden, was a Keeper of the Brush, the same as mine. However, neither my father, nor his always saw eye to eye, which made my request problematic, because typically to get to Dyvin, one had to go through Kaiden.
“Perhaps, you can stop in on your way back?” Whip inwardly pleaded, interrupting my thoughts.
“You know I would love to,” I smiled at them both.
In many ways I envied them
and there way of life, their ability to sympathize, but before I could express some of my current dilemma to them, they both whipped around, and headed off towards another side of their lands.
“My apologies, Keeper Astraea, duty calls!” LavenDar yelled back to me, as they flew to meet another creature.
“See you on your way back!” Whip winked at me.
I smiled and waved at them, before allowing Starling to pick up the pace again. Starling loved both Whippen and LavenDar, and had allowed LavenDar to feed him snacks before they took off.
Now as we reached the outer borders of LarkGlen, I felt saddened, as it always seemed that in their lands, fear did not exist.
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Nice story i am liking what i am reading :)