The Wild Among The Sky

Prologue

 I wake up to a scratching sound in the middle of the night. "Probably just a branch..." I mutter sleepily. I roll back over, facing away from the window. I just want to go to sleep. Does nature not understand what sleep is?

Just as I start to doze off again the scratching starts up again. I jerk up from my bed, glaring at the window. I throw back my cotton covers and quietly storm to the window. I peek through the mahogany curtains expecting to see some horrifying beast, but I find nothing but the night sky filled with stars. I take a deep breath and let out a relieved sigh.

I think I'm over-paranoid after the recent High Suns evacuation was all over the news. I need to go clear my head. I remember I have some cold brewed Chamomile tea in the fridge. As I walk downstairs to the kitchen I realize there's nothing but splinters left of my kitchen door. Little bits hanging on just by the hinges. As I run my hand over the broken, jagged wood, I pull my hand away feeling a sticky, yet slick liquid. What the heck? What is this stuff?

I clap but the lights don't turn on. Ugh. I feel around for the light switch. Please don't tell me the Vaihdemiehet forgot to install the light switches that protrude from the wall. Finally I find one and flick on the lights, the soft pearl glow calming my nerves. The liquid on my hands shimmers between hues of blues and purples. Beautiful yet unusual. I grab some paper towels and wipe the odd duo-chrome liquid from my thin hands.

As I open the fridge to grab the pitcher of Chamomile tea, I hear something scamper across the floor in my living room behind me. Turning quickly towards the room cloaked in shadow I hear scampering across the stone floor. Too light to be a being of the Sun. But what else would be in my hollow at this time of night? I grab my beloved dagger, Urhea, and creep towards the darkness investigate and almost slip, barely catching myself my bookshelf. From the light of the kitchen I realize it's more of the liquid that was on my hands earlier. Thunk. My head whips towards the guest room. Scampering...I creep towards the room, slowly opening the door with my foot. A low, high pitched growl, with a mix of a whimper comes from the closet. I creep closer.

It knows I'm in here, just as I realize because the growl is turning to a whimper. A fearful animal or creature, I sigh. Sheathing my dagger I kneel down, slightly open the closet door as two icy blue, glowing eyes stare at me.

"It's okay," I soften my voice and extend my open palm, "I won't hurt you." The creature slowly emerges from the closet, illuminated by the moonlight cascading in from the window. My eyes widen as I realize what and where the creature came from.