WARNING: This is the chapter where Kira finds out a lot of her past, and even i find it confusing at parts. If you are from The Clan, and have any questions, just PM me, Agwang. :)
Chapter 4
Kira awoke the next morning at sunrise, and ate some bread. Then she turned to the bow, stroking it lovingly. She carefully hid it under her sleeping bag and left her shelter. The birds were singing at this early hour, and Kira wondered why she had awoken so early. She yawned and stretched, but was unable to get the strange emotion out of her stomach. She felt like something was happening, something exciting and thrilling. But she had no idea what. She shook her head trying to clear away the emotion. It scared her. Kira tried to do something else, to get rid of the feeling. She sneezed.
“That’s not it!” she laughed. Then she turned away from her camp and went to explore.
The figure slept till Kira snapped a twig. Then he was wide-awake, watching her. Yawning, he got up and crept slowly after her. What did she have planned today? He thought. Yesterday’s performance, from pick pocketing to stealing a bow, had proven that the girl had talents that he could use. But he must be very careful…
Kira sighed and walked out of the forest. She sat down in the dirt and listened to the music. Music? Kira opened her eyes and looked around. The music was coming from around the corner. Picking herself off the ground, Kira went to see who or what was making the music. She turned the corner and stumbled back in shock. A small tepee, fit for one person, was positioned at the edge of the Forest. The music was coming from the inside. Cautiously Kira poked her head through the gap and cried,
“Hello?” It came out as a hoarse whisper.
“Hello, Kira. I have been waiting for you.” Came the reply. Kira gave a yell and pulled her head out of the tepee, walking backwards, tripped over a rock and fell on her back. Raising her head, Kira saw an old woman appear at the mouth of the tepee. She was wearing an old American-Indian dress. Kira guessed she was an Indian gypsy. The old woman had sharp grey eyes, and her features reminded Kira of a hawk, from a long nose to talon like nails. “Do not be frightened dear. Come inside and have a drink,” the lady said, shuffling back to the tepee. Weary, Kira got up off the ground and followed her inside. The inside of the tepee was scented, but she couldn’t tell what of, and gave the look of mist. The music had stopped abruptly. Kira could hardly see two steps in front of her, but that was also because her eyes were watering, as there were so many fumes. Finally she found the old woman sitting at a small table, drinking. At the other end of the table, there was another glass of something brown, that Kira presumed was for her.
“Who are you?” Kira asked.
“Please dear, sit down and have a drink before we begin,” was the answer. Doing as she was told, Kira sat down on the empty chair and took up the glass of brown liquid. It smelt of honey, and Kira took a sip only to find a warm sensation creep down her throat and into her entire body. She drank more.
The figure saw Kira go into the tepee, but she hadn’t come out yet. How long would she take? He didn’t know. Quietly he moved outside the closed entrance and put his ear to the flap.
Kira licked her lips. She had finished the drink and was staring at the old woman.
“Who are you?” She asked again.
“The real question is, who are you, Kira,” The reply was confusing so Kira clamped her mouth shut, puzzling over it. The woman sighed and said
“My name is Madam Meldina.” She looked at Kira, and knew this was going to take a long time.
“I always knew you were special, right from the beginning.” At this, Kira looked up, frowning.
“Me? How am I special?” she asked. Madam Meldina looked at Kira with a steady gaze. “You, my dear, are a Menphur,” she said. Kira’s frown darkened.
“A what? What’s a Menphur? How am I…” her voice trailed away.
“How can I explain this?” Madam Meldina stood up, strode to a bookshelf and took a dusty book off it. Walking back over to the table, she put it down and opened it. Once she had found what she was looking for, Madam Meldina twirled the book around so it was facing Kira.
“Read,” she said. Kira looked down at the book:
‘Early legend tells us of a creature like no other. The name is Menphur. This creature has the ability to switch its soul with that of another. A Menphur that has only just learnt it has powers will only switch souls when the circumstance is life threatening, but one that has known its powers and knows how to use them can switch when they please. To understand this creature will take many years, as it prefers to be alone. Many people are frightened of Menphurs, we do not know if it is because the people think the Menphur will take their soul, or because they are afraid of difference. Menphurs are not an evil creature although they, if in form of a human being, can be quite mischievous, as the soul inside the body may be of an animal. We do not yet know the full of a Menphur’s power, but it is believed they have more powers than just to switch souls.’
Kira gasped.
“Y-you think I’m? A-a WHAT?” Frightened, she gripped the chair. Madam Meldina sighed. Longer than I expected, she thought.
“Kira, why are you so frightened of your past?” She asked.
“I’m not, it’s just- it’s just…I can’t be a-a Menphur! Can I?” Kira stumbled on her words, deep in thought.
“Tell me,” she said finally.
“Tell you what?” asked Madam Meldina, cheekily.
“You said before, ‘I always knew you were special, right from the beginning’, that means you know, that means, you knew my…parents,” Kira felt her heart torn open as she said the word ‘parents’, she had no memory of them.
“You mean, I know your parents,” Madam Meldina replied.
“What?” asked Kira, suddenly alert.
“I will explain later, after I tell your story,” Madam Meldina sat in her chair again and began,
“It was long ago. About thirteen years, and you had just had your eighth month of life. You could crawl and stand by yourself by then. It was nearing mid spring when, one night, there was an attack on your parents and the village. Only few survived. Your parents among them. But you had gone missing. What had happened, that only I realized, was that you have crawled off and switched souls with an animal. I found a den later, it was a wolf’s.”
Madam Meldina stopped, allowing Kira to think.
“So I went into a wolf den, switched souls with a wolf and?”
“Not a wolf, a wolf pup. The pup was dying, and you were a healthy infant, so you switched souls with the wolf, her soul going into you, your soul going into her.” A life threatening circumstance, Kira thought.
“May I continue?” Madam Meldina asked.
“Yes,” Kira said, hungry for more.
“While your parents and the other village survivors looked for you, you were found by the mother wolf, which thought you were her daughter, and you then joined the wolf pack. Your soul was wolf, so you had wolf instincts and heard, smelt, had the reflexes, ran, felt and saw the way a wolf does. Then, when you were about four years of age, a group of farmers came after the wolf pack you were in and saw you. Now you have to agree, seeing a young human child with a pack of wolves comes as a shock!” Madam Meldina laughed and carried on, “They took you away, of course. Like a wolf you howled and bit, but they managed to take you up to the orphanage. The other children saw you and were frightened; they did not know you were wolf on the inside. You learned to talk, and do what other humans do but you still couldn’t get it right. The other children teased and taunted you, but on the inside were frightened of you. You looked human enough, but had very sharp teeth and amber eyes, wolf eyes, you scared the dogs and did bad things, but now I look at you, I can see no trace of the wolf you used to be.”
Kira looked up, and saw tears forming in Madam Meldina’s eyes. She blinked, and felt, on her own cheeks, tears. Wiping them away quickly, Kira asked,
“Why did the wolf mother think I was her daughter?” Madam Meldina frowned and said, “Souls are funny things Kira. The mother wolf thought you were her daughter because, you were - you are. You body may not have been, but your instincts and senses were - are - wolf. Your soul is the most important part in you. It controls your personality, your emotions and so on.”
“So I’m a wolf?” Kira spat.
“Yes.” Madam Meldina looked up, and saw Kira glaring at her.
“What’s wrong Kira?” She asked.
“I don’t believe you!” Kira hissed.
“How should you know anyway? I don’t believe I’m this creature who can change souls! Wouldn’t that mean I was in a wolf body? I wouldn’t be here listening to you would I?” Madam Meldina stood up. Kira sat down.
“Listen Kira. I don’t know the full extent of what happened. No one does! All I know, is you went in there with a human soul and came out with a wolf's.”
“I still don’t understand,” Kira muttered.
Madam Meldina sighed and said,
“The wolf pup died. You had a human soul, and your human soul went into the pup, but then the pup died, so your human soul left. You have a human brain, so you think your parents are human and have died, because that is what the orphanage taught you to believe. Your real parents, who are wolves, have died. They died a while ago but you did not know. Your wolf parents knew you were a wolf, but your brain, since it is a human brain, thinks it has human parents, and it thinks you are a human. Your body is human, your brain is right there, but your soul is not, and that’s where your brain is wrong. Soul and brain are opposite. Do you understand now?” Madam Meldina was tired, so she sat down in her chair and took a drink of the criligino that she had made herself.
“The wolf put in you is a Menphur; your human soul was not,” Kira understood that,
“So my Wolf soul switched with my human one?”
“Yes,” was the answer.
Kira re-thought.
“How do you know so much about Menphurs?” Madam Meldina knew the conversation was coming to an end.
“I am one,” Kira was not surprised.
“What animal soul have you got?” Kira asked.
“Ahhh! That is where Menphurs get tricky! I have the soul of a human. An Indian mage, of long ago!” Kira, confused, replied,
“So the mage - you - were dying, but you switched souls with another and let their soul die?” Madam Meldina smiled.
“Kira, souls do not die! They get sent to the heavens, were they are reborn with a new body, or stay as an angel, as a friend of god,” she continued, “it is getting late dear, and you must go.” Kira stood up and walked to the door. She was about to push the fabric when she turned and asked,
“Madam Meldina, will I ever see you again?” The old woman stayed seated in her chair but said,
“Maybe, Kira. Maybe one day, when you need help.” With those last puzzling words, Kira slid out of the tepee, and walked into the night.
So he was right. The girl, whose name was Kira, was special. He had heard of these creatures Menphurs, everyone had, but they had been pure fantasy. Now, as Kira disappeared silently into the Forest, he wasn’t so sure. Deep in thought, he tripped, and fell forward. Scrambling up, he ran after Kira. He must be very careful now, because, once oblivious to the fact, Kira now knew that she had the senses of a wolf, and would be able to feel his presence. The figure was a master of disguise, ruler of the shadows, but now had a dangerous enemy - Kira…
Kira was tired, lost and confused. The scenery around her kept changing; she was in the middle of a field, in the middle of a war, standing on a cloud, on a bridge, standing on a rock surrounded by lava, in the middle of the Forest. Eyes gleamed in the shadows behind the trees, she could see them out of the corner of her eye, but when she turned, they were gone. The wind blew, making the trees whisper,
“Hass ell minessa, coorrssa thyy nekkkdall,” somehow, Kira thought the language sounded familiar. To her right, there was a wolf howl, followed by another, and another. There was one very close to her, and Kira thought she had done it.
“Kira, Kiiirraa! Bbee ccarefull, tthheyy arre watchhingg” A blood-curling scream from behind her made Kira run for her life. Wake up! She told herself, wake up! Not noticing the trees becoming shorter and shorter, Kira only managed to stop before the cliff. She turned in time to see a dark, screeching, shape soar out of the sky, lightly brushing her on the back, before she was tumbling down in darkness…
Friday, April 4, 2008
Monday, March 31, 2008
Chapter 3
Some of this chapter's a bit confusing at the moment, and muddled up. Sorry if you don't get it, just PM me (if you're from the Clan) and i'll answer all your questions :)
Please remember it's a first draft...
Chapter 3
Kira thought fast. Should she tell Lisa? Or make up someone?
“New girl. I only started today.” Kira lied. Lisa smirked and said,
“Really? You seem to know a lot for a new girl.” Kira panicked. Lisa was getting suspicious. Slowly Kira backed up, but Lisa kept closing in. When she realized that there was nowhere for the hooded girl to go, Lisa pushed her. Taken by surprise, Kira stumbled, tripped over and landed on the ground. Her hood came away. Kira got off the ground as Lisa took a step back from her.
“Y-You!” she cried. Then, before Kira’s very eyes, the shock turned to anger.
“You!!” Lisa screamed. The group of girls had come back around the corner, hearing Lisa’s screams. They now looked at Kira with equal shock.
“Well don’t just stand there, grab her!” Lisa hissed. Hearing this, the girls ran at Kira and she bolted away. Kira knew exactly where she was going. The Forest. Kira ran as fast as she could, her heart pumping, her muscles acing, but the girls hot on her heels. Kira made a sudden turn, which confused the girls. They started to run after Kira again, this time a little bit behind. As Kira entered the Forest, her followers stopped. They were not going in there. Slowly, one by one, the girls turned and headed back to school. Kira slowed to a jog, breathing heavily, and collapsed onto the Forest floor. Only then did she realise that she was shaking. With loud rasping breaths, Kira crawled over to a rock and sat on it.
The figure lurked in the trees, always watching the girl. He wondered why those others had been chasing her. He strode towards her, hidden from view. He was behind her, about to grab her when he stopped. It was not time yet. Give her another day’s freedom. So he crept away, always keeping her in sight. All he had to do was wait for her and watch.
“…Nine…Ten…Fourteen!” Kira finished counting the money and stood up. A burst of pain in her stomach was gone as quickly as it had come. She needed to buy some food, fast. Putting her hood back up, she left the Forest and was striding down a street when she took a look around. Spotting the Inn she had seen earlier, Kira swung open the door and stepped inside. There was laughter and muttering, men and women talking to each other, the scrape of knives, forks and chairs, which brought happiness to Kira. She had never been anywhere so cheerful. She made her way to the bar.
“What’ll it be love?” the woman behind the bar asked.
“Could I get a… lamb brew and jug of water?” Kira answered. The woman wrote Kira’s order down in a small notebook and gave it to the chef.
“That’ll be three silvers please,” the woman said, turning to Kira with an outstretched hand. Kira dug in her pocket and pulled out them out.
“Here,” she said, giving the woman the money. As the lady walked off to get Kira her change, Kira looked about her and saw, in the corner of the room, a dark figure. She could just make out a pair of dark green eyes, staring at her. Kira blinked hard, and the figure was gone.
“There you go,” the bar woman had returned, holding a steaming bowl of lamb brew in one hand and the change in the other.
“Oh, thank you,” Kira took the bowl from the woman. Kira stuffed the money back into her pocket and said,
“Could I have my water please? And maybe a fork?” the woman went to get them and shortly returned.
“Thanks again,” said Kira as she went to sit down at a table.
*
Kira stepped out of the Inn half an hour later, greeted by a cold blast of air, and the sun starting to set. She used up most of her money buying groceries so she wouldn’t have to come back to town for a few days, and was heading back to the Forest when she came across two men, one of them holding something. Kira put the bags down and went to see what they were talking about. Her mouth dropped. In one of the man’s hands was a magnificent bow, made of polished oak wood. The man was bragging about it to the other man who was standing, looking at the bow in awe. But where were the arrows? Kira spotted them. Hanging over the man’s shoulder in a quiver were thirty or more beautiful arrows.
“Here! You boy” the man shouted, looking at Kira. Kira still had her hood on so the man could not see her face.
“Me?” Kira asked.
“Yes! You boy. Come here and hold my bow and quiver of arrows,” the man cried.
“What do you want me to do with them?” Kira asked, bewildered.
“I want you to come with me back to my house, and hold these. They are heavy, and I don’t want to hurt my shooting arm,” said the man. Kira jogged over to the man and took the bow from him, then put her head through the gap between the wood and string so that one arm was through the gap, and one end of the bow resting on Kira’s other shoulder. The man then passed Kira the quiver of arrows, which she hung over her free shoulder. She now had both hands free.
“Come on then,” the man said. He started to walk down the road, with the other man following. They were deep in conversation so neither looked back. It was now or never. Kira paused where she was, but the men just kept walking down the street. She ran to her groceries and picked them up, then with one last glace over her shoulder, Kira ran off into the Forest with the bow.
She’s good, very good. Thought the figure as he stood behind a tree watching Kira as she ran into the Forest with the man’s bow. She had only seen him once and had probably forgotten him. She ran past the tree he was hiding behind and kept running into the Forest. He followed at a jog.
Kira had to stop and double back for her bag. Once it had been retrieved, as it was already dark, Kira took out a lantern, and tried to set up a camp. It was a difficult job, and the cold was coming on, numbing Kira’s fingers. At last Kira had a suitable shelter and willingly she crawled in, took off her shoes and snuggled deep inside her sleeping bag. Forgetting the bow, her groceries, and her bag at the side of the shelter, Kira closed her eyes and entered the world of sleep.
The Wolf Pack howled longingly, waiting for their pack leader to return the call, but like last night, it never came. The pups and older wolves were tired, the pads of their feet throbbing painfully after a full day and night of running. They stopped at a stream and drank their fill, before flopping down onto the ground for well-earned rest. The other wolves went off in a small group to find food. Tomorrow at dawn, the search for their lost pack leader would continue.
Please remember it's a first draft...
Chapter 3
Kira thought fast. Should she tell Lisa? Or make up someone?
“New girl. I only started today.” Kira lied. Lisa smirked and said,
“Really? You seem to know a lot for a new girl.” Kira panicked. Lisa was getting suspicious. Slowly Kira backed up, but Lisa kept closing in. When she realized that there was nowhere for the hooded girl to go, Lisa pushed her. Taken by surprise, Kira stumbled, tripped over and landed on the ground. Her hood came away. Kira got off the ground as Lisa took a step back from her.
“Y-You!” she cried. Then, before Kira’s very eyes, the shock turned to anger.
“You!!” Lisa screamed. The group of girls had come back around the corner, hearing Lisa’s screams. They now looked at Kira with equal shock.
“Well don’t just stand there, grab her!” Lisa hissed. Hearing this, the girls ran at Kira and she bolted away. Kira knew exactly where she was going. The Forest. Kira ran as fast as she could, her heart pumping, her muscles acing, but the girls hot on her heels. Kira made a sudden turn, which confused the girls. They started to run after Kira again, this time a little bit behind. As Kira entered the Forest, her followers stopped. They were not going in there. Slowly, one by one, the girls turned and headed back to school. Kira slowed to a jog, breathing heavily, and collapsed onto the Forest floor. Only then did she realise that she was shaking. With loud rasping breaths, Kira crawled over to a rock and sat on it.
The figure lurked in the trees, always watching the girl. He wondered why those others had been chasing her. He strode towards her, hidden from view. He was behind her, about to grab her when he stopped. It was not time yet. Give her another day’s freedom. So he crept away, always keeping her in sight. All he had to do was wait for her and watch.
“…Nine…Ten…Fourteen!” Kira finished counting the money and stood up. A burst of pain in her stomach was gone as quickly as it had come. She needed to buy some food, fast. Putting her hood back up, she left the Forest and was striding down a street when she took a look around. Spotting the Inn she had seen earlier, Kira swung open the door and stepped inside. There was laughter and muttering, men and women talking to each other, the scrape of knives, forks and chairs, which brought happiness to Kira. She had never been anywhere so cheerful. She made her way to the bar.
“What’ll it be love?” the woman behind the bar asked.
“Could I get a… lamb brew and jug of water?” Kira answered. The woman wrote Kira’s order down in a small notebook and gave it to the chef.
“That’ll be three silvers please,” the woman said, turning to Kira with an outstretched hand. Kira dug in her pocket and pulled out them out.
“Here,” she said, giving the woman the money. As the lady walked off to get Kira her change, Kira looked about her and saw, in the corner of the room, a dark figure. She could just make out a pair of dark green eyes, staring at her. Kira blinked hard, and the figure was gone.
“There you go,” the bar woman had returned, holding a steaming bowl of lamb brew in one hand and the change in the other.
“Oh, thank you,” Kira took the bowl from the woman. Kira stuffed the money back into her pocket and said,
“Could I have my water please? And maybe a fork?” the woman went to get them and shortly returned.
“Thanks again,” said Kira as she went to sit down at a table.
*
Kira stepped out of the Inn half an hour later, greeted by a cold blast of air, and the sun starting to set. She used up most of her money buying groceries so she wouldn’t have to come back to town for a few days, and was heading back to the Forest when she came across two men, one of them holding something. Kira put the bags down and went to see what they were talking about. Her mouth dropped. In one of the man’s hands was a magnificent bow, made of polished oak wood. The man was bragging about it to the other man who was standing, looking at the bow in awe. But where were the arrows? Kira spotted them. Hanging over the man’s shoulder in a quiver were thirty or more beautiful arrows.
“Here! You boy” the man shouted, looking at Kira. Kira still had her hood on so the man could not see her face.
“Me?” Kira asked.
“Yes! You boy. Come here and hold my bow and quiver of arrows,” the man cried.
“What do you want me to do with them?” Kira asked, bewildered.
“I want you to come with me back to my house, and hold these. They are heavy, and I don’t want to hurt my shooting arm,” said the man. Kira jogged over to the man and took the bow from him, then put her head through the gap between the wood and string so that one arm was through the gap, and one end of the bow resting on Kira’s other shoulder. The man then passed Kira the quiver of arrows, which she hung over her free shoulder. She now had both hands free.
“Come on then,” the man said. He started to walk down the road, with the other man following. They were deep in conversation so neither looked back. It was now or never. Kira paused where she was, but the men just kept walking down the street. She ran to her groceries and picked them up, then with one last glace over her shoulder, Kira ran off into the Forest with the bow.
She’s good, very good. Thought the figure as he stood behind a tree watching Kira as she ran into the Forest with the man’s bow. She had only seen him once and had probably forgotten him. She ran past the tree he was hiding behind and kept running into the Forest. He followed at a jog.
Kira had to stop and double back for her bag. Once it had been retrieved, as it was already dark, Kira took out a lantern, and tried to set up a camp. It was a difficult job, and the cold was coming on, numbing Kira’s fingers. At last Kira had a suitable shelter and willingly she crawled in, took off her shoes and snuggled deep inside her sleeping bag. Forgetting the bow, her groceries, and her bag at the side of the shelter, Kira closed her eyes and entered the world of sleep.
The Wolf Pack howled longingly, waiting for their pack leader to return the call, but like last night, it never came. The pups and older wolves were tired, the pads of their feet throbbing painfully after a full day and night of running. They stopped at a stream and drank their fill, before flopping down onto the ground for well-earned rest. The other wolves went off in a small group to find food. Tomorrow at dawn, the search for their lost pack leader would continue.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Chapter 2
Kira walked along the road to the edge of the Forest and began to hear the talking and laughing of people as they went out. Just before the turn Kira stopped and dropped her bag. After a minute or two, Kira’s hand emerged from the bag clutching a cloak, long and black with a large hood. Quickly, Kira put her arms in the holes and hid her bag in the Forest. Satisfied that her face was not shown, she continued on. The town was aloud with jabbering of women, shouts of men, the clip clopping of horse hooves, and loud baby wailing - ignored by the chatting mothers. As Kira made her way past Bakeries, Barbers, and an Inn, she smiled to herself. She looked up, and her smile faded. There, at the end of the town on a hill, was the tall grey house with a sign that read:
‘Ms. Ferdin’s house for children’
The Orphanage. Even though she knew no one could see her face, Kira started to worry, glancing in all directions in case someone was about to shout,
“Look! There she is! The runaway. Quick, someone grab her!” At the thought Kira bolted down the street and into an alley. Once covered by darkness Kira tried to calm herself.
“No one is coming to get you, just do what you have to do and get back to the Forest,” she murmured under her breath. Squinting as she emerged from the alley, new hope awakened in Kira. The Orphanage Kids would be at school. Kira made her way, weaving in and out of people as they passed. All though she hated doing it, Kira was very good at pick pocketing.
But she was not the only one who knew it. Hiding in the shadows a figure watched Kira as she did her weaving and picking, and he followed the hooded figure as they moved down the streets and up to the Forest. Once he could get them alone…
Kira decided to go and visit the school. What harm could it do? She looked at the Church clock. Half past twelve. Lunch time at school. She slowly made her way up the hill to where the school was. It was near the Forest so if need be, Kira could run into the trees. Still pick- pocketing as she went, Kira did not realise how close she was until the towering building of the school was before her. Kira started to walk round the back, where the kids had their lunch but she stopped to listen to a group of girls, who were standing by the wall.
As she made her way to the middle of the crowd, Kira’s heart gave a jolt. In the middle of the group, chatting loudly for all to hear was none other than Lisa. Kira felt a surge of anger and went to see what they were talking about.
“She ran away a few days ago,” Lisa was saying.
“She didn’t!” Cried a girl from the crowd.
“Oh yes she did! I don’t know how but I went to ring the bell for breakfast in the morning and she was gone!” Kira noticed Gemma standing next to Lisa, and the anger started to grow.
“How do you think she did it?” Another littler girl from the crowd asked. Wanting to be the centre of attention, as always, Lisa bragged,
“I know how she did it,” Lisa felt all of the eyes of the crowd, smiled and said; “she got up and simply left. Even she’s smart enough to see that no one likes her.” At this, there were a couple of sniggers from the girls and Kira gasped. They were talking about her. Keeping her face well hidden, Kira tried to make her voice sound different.
“Where did she go?” She said in a squeaky, high-pitched voice. The girl standing next to her looked at Kira and there was a murmur from the crowd.
“Ha! She ran off into the woods or something, but probably got kidnapped.” Lisa said, searching for the girl who had spoken.
“Serves her right too. She should have known from the start.” Gemma spat and crossed her arms. Kira sighed and turned to leave. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around. Lisa, brown hair swinging violently, was standing there; her hands now on her hips, with a glare of menace in her blue eyes.
“Who are you?” she growled.
“I’ll tell you once your ‘posy’ has disappeared” Kira replied coolly. All eyes were now on the mysterious figure, Kira, but no one could see her face.
“Fine. Go on, all of you.” Lisa turned to her crowd and they angrily scuttled away.
“Now, who are you?” She asked again.
Kira walked along the road to the edge of the Forest and began to hear the talking and laughing of people as they went out. Just before the turn Kira stopped and dropped her bag. After a minute or two, Kira’s hand emerged from the bag clutching a cloak, long and black with a large hood. Quickly, Kira put her arms in the holes and hid her bag in the Forest. Satisfied that her face was not shown, she continued on. The town was aloud with jabbering of women, shouts of men, the clip clopping of horse hooves, and loud baby wailing - ignored by the chatting mothers. As Kira made her way past Bakeries, Barbers, and an Inn, she smiled to herself. She looked up, and her smile faded. There, at the end of the town on a hill, was the tall grey house with a sign that read:
‘Ms. Ferdin’s house for children’
The Orphanage. Even though she knew no one could see her face, Kira started to worry, glancing in all directions in case someone was about to shout,
“Look! There she is! The runaway. Quick, someone grab her!” At the thought Kira bolted down the street and into an alley. Once covered by darkness Kira tried to calm herself.
“No one is coming to get you, just do what you have to do and get back to the Forest,” she murmured under her breath. Squinting as she emerged from the alley, new hope awakened in Kira. The Orphanage Kids would be at school. Kira made her way, weaving in and out of people as they passed. All though she hated doing it, Kira was very good at pick pocketing.
But she was not the only one who knew it. Hiding in the shadows a figure watched Kira as she did her weaving and picking, and he followed the hooded figure as they moved down the streets and up to the Forest. Once he could get them alone…
Kira decided to go and visit the school. What harm could it do? She looked at the Church clock. Half past twelve. Lunch time at school. She slowly made her way up the hill to where the school was. It was near the Forest so if need be, Kira could run into the trees. Still pick- pocketing as she went, Kira did not realise how close she was until the towering building of the school was before her. Kira started to walk round the back, where the kids had their lunch but she stopped to listen to a group of girls, who were standing by the wall.
As she made her way to the middle of the crowd, Kira’s heart gave a jolt. In the middle of the group, chatting loudly for all to hear was none other than Lisa. Kira felt a surge of anger and went to see what they were talking about.
“She ran away a few days ago,” Lisa was saying.
“She didn’t!” Cried a girl from the crowd.
“Oh yes she did! I don’t know how but I went to ring the bell for breakfast in the morning and she was gone!” Kira noticed Gemma standing next to Lisa, and the anger started to grow.
“How do you think she did it?” Another littler girl from the crowd asked. Wanting to be the centre of attention, as always, Lisa bragged,
“I know how she did it,” Lisa felt all of the eyes of the crowd, smiled and said; “she got up and simply left. Even she’s smart enough to see that no one likes her.” At this, there were a couple of sniggers from the girls and Kira gasped. They were talking about her. Keeping her face well hidden, Kira tried to make her voice sound different.
“Where did she go?” She said in a squeaky, high-pitched voice. The girl standing next to her looked at Kira and there was a murmur from the crowd.
“Ha! She ran off into the woods or something, but probably got kidnapped.” Lisa said, searching for the girl who had spoken.
“Serves her right too. She should have known from the start.” Gemma spat and crossed her arms. Kira sighed and turned to leave. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around. Lisa, brown hair swinging violently, was standing there; her hands now on her hips, with a glare of menace in her blue eyes.
“Who are you?” she growled.
“I’ll tell you once your ‘posy’ has disappeared” Kira replied coolly. All eyes were now on the mysterious figure, Kira, but no one could see her face.
“Fine. Go on, all of you.” Lisa turned to her crowd and they angrily scuttled away.
“Now, who are you?” She asked again.
The Forest - my story in progress...
Chapter 1
The howl was long, sad and lonely. It shattered the tranquillity as the Forest echoed with it. The howl broke off, but the Forest remained quiet, listening and waiting for another howl to follow. It was the same with Kira. She huddled in her sleeping bag and waited. But it never came. Kira sat up and slid out of her sleeping bag. Thirsty, she crept out of her shelter and went to the river to drink. As she looked into the water Kira saw her reflection by moonlight. Her ginger-brown hair swayed in the icy wind, her beige lips going pale in the cold, her sandy-brown skin beginning to get goose bumps and her olive green eyes looking back up at her. In the reflected image in the water, Kira saw an old oak tree in the background.
After she had finished her drink, Kira scrambled to the tree and sat with her back against it. Her mind started to wonder, and after a while it rested in the past. Kira started to remember the orphanage she came from. The one she had been at all her life. The past few days had been bad, so Kira had run, ending up here in the Forest. She floated into memories… there was Lisa and her horrible gang of girls that would always pick on or bully Kira. What harm had she done to them? She vaguely remembered a time, not long ago, where one of the Lisa’s closest friends - Gemma - was walking past Kira. She had whispered,
“Did you know that there is actually a reason we pick on only you?” stunned, Kira asked “Not really. But what is the reason?” Gemma smirked,
“It’s because you’re different.” Kira frowned, puzzled.
“I don’t understand. How am I different?” Gemma sighed and started again,
“Let me put it in a way you would understand, if me and Lisa and all the rest of us were dogs, you would be a threat to us. You aren’t meant to be here.” Kira didn’t know if Gemma was lying or not so she asked one last question,
“Where do I belong?” Gemma rolled her eyes and replied,
“How am I supposed to know? All I know is it’s not here!” Kira felt a thump and opened her eyes. She was lying on her side. She had fallen asleep. She shivered and, exhausted, crawled into the tent and into her sleeping bag and drifted to sleep.
*
“BBuuzzz…BBuuzzzz” Kira slapped her cheek; the fly fell to the ground. She stretched and yawned. Picking herself up, Kira blinked and rubbed her eyes. Yawning, Kira took a step forward and tripped over her sleeping bag, falling into the dirt.
“Oww!” she cried meaninglessly. Kira was too tired to realise her hurt. Stretching again as she got up for the second time, Kira wiped herself of dirt and continued to the river. Sitting where she had last night, Kira washed her face. She watched the last few drops of waterfall into the river and looked into its crystal-clear depths. Kira saw waterweed, and rocks. Suddenly a fish swam by and Kira felt a pang of hunger. She hadn’t eaten for a long time. She needed to leave here and head for the town. Kira had come to her last option: Stealing. She knew it was wrong, and would be punished if caught but having no money and not wanting to beg, in case recognized by someone, Kira was forced to steal.
She went back to her shelter and started to undo it. Pulling four pegs out of the ground and untying the string on one side and doing the same with the other, Kira had a big tarpaulin draped over a branch. She unhooked the tarpaulin and folded it up, leaving it to one side. She then went to her sleeping bag, crumpled up and ready for shaking. Kira shook it hard and left it hanging over the branch. Now her bag. Reaching into a hollow of the oak Kira lifted her bag out of it and checked the contents. Once happy that everything was there, Kira grabbed her things, stuffed them in her bag and stared to walk back to town.
A few hundred miles to the West, the Wolf Pack were panting and jumping, not resting for a moment, as they loped through the trees of the Forest in search of their pack leader.
The howl was long, sad and lonely. It shattered the tranquillity as the Forest echoed with it. The howl broke off, but the Forest remained quiet, listening and waiting for another howl to follow. It was the same with Kira. She huddled in her sleeping bag and waited. But it never came. Kira sat up and slid out of her sleeping bag. Thirsty, she crept out of her shelter and went to the river to drink. As she looked into the water Kira saw her reflection by moonlight. Her ginger-brown hair swayed in the icy wind, her beige lips going pale in the cold, her sandy-brown skin beginning to get goose bumps and her olive green eyes looking back up at her. In the reflected image in the water, Kira saw an old oak tree in the background.
After she had finished her drink, Kira scrambled to the tree and sat with her back against it. Her mind started to wonder, and after a while it rested in the past. Kira started to remember the orphanage she came from. The one she had been at all her life. The past few days had been bad, so Kira had run, ending up here in the Forest. She floated into memories… there was Lisa and her horrible gang of girls that would always pick on or bully Kira. What harm had she done to them? She vaguely remembered a time, not long ago, where one of the Lisa’s closest friends - Gemma - was walking past Kira. She had whispered,
“Did you know that there is actually a reason we pick on only you?” stunned, Kira asked “Not really. But what is the reason?” Gemma smirked,
“It’s because you’re different.” Kira frowned, puzzled.
“I don’t understand. How am I different?” Gemma sighed and started again,
“Let me put it in a way you would understand, if me and Lisa and all the rest of us were dogs, you would be a threat to us. You aren’t meant to be here.” Kira didn’t know if Gemma was lying or not so she asked one last question,
“Where do I belong?” Gemma rolled her eyes and replied,
“How am I supposed to know? All I know is it’s not here!” Kira felt a thump and opened her eyes. She was lying on her side. She had fallen asleep. She shivered and, exhausted, crawled into the tent and into her sleeping bag and drifted to sleep.
*
“BBuuzzz…BBuuzzzz” Kira slapped her cheek; the fly fell to the ground. She stretched and yawned. Picking herself up, Kira blinked and rubbed her eyes. Yawning, Kira took a step forward and tripped over her sleeping bag, falling into the dirt.
“Oww!” she cried meaninglessly. Kira was too tired to realise her hurt. Stretching again as she got up for the second time, Kira wiped herself of dirt and continued to the river. Sitting where she had last night, Kira washed her face. She watched the last few drops of waterfall into the river and looked into its crystal-clear depths. Kira saw waterweed, and rocks. Suddenly a fish swam by and Kira felt a pang of hunger. She hadn’t eaten for a long time. She needed to leave here and head for the town. Kira had come to her last option: Stealing. She knew it was wrong, and would be punished if caught but having no money and not wanting to beg, in case recognized by someone, Kira was forced to steal.
She went back to her shelter and started to undo it. Pulling four pegs out of the ground and untying the string on one side and doing the same with the other, Kira had a big tarpaulin draped over a branch. She unhooked the tarpaulin and folded it up, leaving it to one side. She then went to her sleeping bag, crumpled up and ready for shaking. Kira shook it hard and left it hanging over the branch. Now her bag. Reaching into a hollow of the oak Kira lifted her bag out of it and checked the contents. Once happy that everything was there, Kira grabbed her things, stuffed them in her bag and stared to walk back to town.
A few hundred miles to the West, the Wolf Pack were panting and jumping, not resting for a moment, as they loped through the trees of the Forest in search of their pack leader.
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