The Storm's Thunder (#Wattys2016)

Chapter II

August fourteenth, 2018. A forest at night is usually a place of fear. The place where danger lurks at every corner, behind every tree; where the slightest dip in the ground could be hiding quicksand or a hidden cavern with a roof of barely packed earth that would collapse with a false step. In those forests, the dark held many secrets - a witch's hut, horrible abominations of nature, or deadly traps. In those forests, dangerous creatures roam, hunting for unsuspecting prey that would become their next meal.
    But Aerith Forest was a place of peace, of mystery.

     It had a sleepy feel in some parts; a growing feel. Where you can sit and just be;  where you can hear new leaves unfurl, every leaf or twig fall, every hungry cry of a baby bird. In these places, the creatures that were natural enemies - that would normally be at each other's throats - would live peacefully together, their only thoughts about caring for their young.

    In other places, the forest felt lively; rivers bubbled infinitely along their chosen paths, cool and happy, every water droplet seeming to dance as they flew up from the splash of a fish, curving back down with a plop into the river to continue forth through the forest. Waterfalls were common there, roaring with the power of a thousand lions and dousing and cooling everything nearby.
    And then there are peaceful, silent places. A freedom from hardship, a sanctuary. A place where leaves cradle birds nests and touch the clouds; where the air feels fresh and clean; where dreams await the night's arrival to go forth and work their magic. This is where anything is possible - where angels live, where dragons den, where rainbows touch the earth. Where imagination was born.

    There is such a place like that, and fits all those categories. Where the waterfall races during the day, and is tame and trickles down the cliff's side during the night. Where the trees sway in the breeze to music just for them that only they can hear. Where the air smells fresh, sharp, and clean; like the air on a snowy day. The earth bursts with life, with the oldest trees towering far above and the most ancient, rare, and beautiful flowers thriving at their feet. This is a different paradise, one that most people don't dream of. There are two kinds; bright, sunny, flashy places, where the water is as clear and blue as the sky; and these hidden sanctuaries that come to life in the night, with dark water that sparkles with starlight. This is the peaceful moon to compliment the cheerful sun.

    And in this place is a cavern in the cliff, just beside the waterfall. It glows with bioluminescent moss that surrounds crystals that absorb the light and shine like moons. The pale light reveals a violin case pushed as far back as possible into the cave, and the entrance lets the full moon shine in. The silver light cradles a young woman, fast asleep, surrounded by her long, long black hair. Suddenly her eyes flash open, flaring a golden splash against the grey stone.

_----===============================*=============================----_
     Storm woke with a start. Rouge, the raven she had befriended, was sitting comfortably beside her, poking her in the side with her beak and squawking at her. The girl carefully moved the bird away from her, stretched, and stood up.
     The sound of the waterfall echoed through the clearing as she looked out of the cave where she lived.
     The stars were bright and forest whispered its secrets as a soft breeze swept through the leaves. The bright moon, perfectly round, hung in the sky like a crystal ball. It was fractured like glass by a stray branch and cradled by the pine needles. It seemed like this clearing was all there was in the world - like if you stepped through the trees there would be a different world; a bright one, but a dangerous one; this was a peaceful refuge from reality. No crickets called; no wolves howled into the night to praise the moon and the stars; no birds broke the silence with a warning trill. Even the waterfall did not dare to roar, instead it sung the song of secrets; music that spoke of mystery and things hidden under stone and water. Water trickled down and dripped into a pool, making the lights shiver at the bottom of the pool. It was a serene world, feeling almost sacred. A place of healing and peace. A place where you can taste the night, cold like ice and stars, and you can sit and listen to the sound of growing things. That was why Storm chose this place - it felt like a sanctuary. A safe place, away from a world where a perfect little cabin, built on love and protected a family, burned down and killed two kind, loving parents who had done nothing to deserve it.
     The clearing was empty, except for a few large rocks that had been worn away in the middle like a cup. The stone water bowls caught the mist from the crashing water. She often climbed trees for fruit and dug up roots for food. She had learned a lot from Earth about plants - what was poisonous, what was edible, what parts to leave for the animals and what parts to bury to grow. She had a pretty good setup. After all, she had been living here at the Roaring Cave for nearly a year.
     But Storm still ventured into the forest every day to search. Well, she might as well get going again... Since she's awake. She shot a glance at Rouge and sighed. Why did she have to wake her up so early?
    What was the cause of the rush? Normally, she would have rolled over and gone back to sleep. She would camp out in her cave by the waterfall, with the light of glowing moss to write her stories by. She would wait until day to look for food and things to make that vine curtain that she was planning on weaving to cover the cave entrance.
     Oh, right. Now, there was a difference. She had to worry about more than herself and Rouge. She had to find Thunder!
    Just yesterday, she had a dream that her twin was here too, "here" being Aerith Forest, where Storm had fled when her parents were killed in the fire that took their wonderful home. She had never thought that Thunder would have still been alive, but her dreams, whenever they concerned her twin, always came true. And if she didn't find Thunder, she was afraid that she would lose him too. For real, this time. Just like she had lost her parents.