City of Trees

COT: Chapter 1

There is mature content throughout the story and a sprinkle of curse words. You've been warned.

Kaiya sat perched atop a thin branch on the highest tree in their settlement. It was rooted next to the lake and a short distance away from a small waterfall. She enjoyed the soft, soothing noises of the water. It was where she escaped when she felt like she was being stretched too thin. That seemed to be happening a lot more frequently than she liked.

"Kaiya!" shouted a voice from below.

The tree vibrated ever so slightly. Her intruder was not only interrupting her solitude but, they had the audacity to invade her space.

"Kaiya!" Their pitch increased.

She smiled. The anxiety could be heard in each breath that this person took. If her intruder was going through the effort of climbing the tree then she was going to enjoy their suffering.

It didn't take as long as she expected for the branches below her to start quivering. With one final pull, she was face to face with her cousin.

"I can not believe you made me come all the way up here!"

Kaiya moved to another branch and folded her arms. "I can not believe you thought it was a good idea to bother me, Jed."

"Get over it. You know I'm terrified of heights."

"Then why are you up here?"

"Tammy made me." He gripped the branch in front of him so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. "She said the Commander would be here soon."

"Ah shit," she groaned. "I can't believe I forgot. My dad has been talking about it for at least three months."

Jed let out a whimper as the branch swayed beneath his weight.

Kaiya grinned. "You know, elves are supposed to be good at climbing."

"Not this one," he cried.

"Have fun getting down!" She offered him a small nod of her head before shooting through the tree branches. His shrieks were almost worth the assault her ears were going to be subjected to once he was able to climb down.

She wasn't even able to take a step when a strong hand was grabbing her. The person whipped her around with a determination that only one a few people were comfortable using on her.

"Tammy." Kaiya smiled sheepishly. "How much time do I have?"

The woman put her hands on her hips and scowled. "Not enough to look like a proper human."

"But I'm an elf."

"An elf who lost a fight with a tree. You have enough leaves on you to make a wreath."

Tammy silenced all retorts with a glare and began the task of making her look presentable. She plucked, pulled, and pinned; her hands often disappearing into the half a dozen large pockets inside her coat.

Kaiya hated this. The idea of getting cleaned up so that her elven features were visible, felt like she was being paraded as some kind of trophy. Or worse, a lie to entice allies. It didn't matter which it was because all of it infuriated her.

"Done," announced Tammy. She stepped back and admired her work with a grin.

Kaiya sighed. "Dad approved?"

"You went from a pile of leaves to a beautiful woman. I'd say it's dad approved."

Kaiya held up a finger. "An elf. I'm an elf."

"Hush." Tammy bit her lip as the lines between her forehead creased. "Ah ha! One last thing."

She dug back into her pocket and pulled out a silver sash. "To match your eyes," she said, tying it around her waist.