World of Hiroku

7. help from the stars

Willow jolted awake to the bright sunlight. It commanded her to open her eyes and she obeyed. The raw sunlight felt warm on her skin. There was another warmth within Willow because, for the first time, in a long time, she was away from the castle.

She was curled into a ball at the top of a tree. The little nook held her perfectly and there was a deep comfort in residing there. She sat up so her feet dangled off the side and down onto the floor. Her legs ached and made no effort to follow with Willow's strict orders of movement. She sighed and decided to use her position in a tree to view where she was.

She looked ahead at the rolling waves of blue that casted far beyond. It's lowering tide revealed pockets of cream sand, dotted with grey rocks, covered in green and other vibrant colored seaweed. It's white surf foamed and emitted salt filled fog that casted out on to the beach. Birds scattered on the shore and dipped into the cold waters and emerged with full beaks.

She looked down to her left to a small port, the trading center with a daily market just beyond. People walked quickly, attending to their business and unsuspecting of the news that a prized jewel had left the castle. She noticed that only a small portion of these people weren't native to the port. Mostly all of them the same color and dressed in light clothing fitted for the snowy weather- pale gray, light skin, and frosted eyes. People become more uniform as she looked at the market.

The port was empty compared to the bustling nature Willow had witnessed upon her arrival to this tainted land. A few people walked from ship back to land unloading crates of food, fabrics, wine, whale oil, and things Willow couldn't fathom. Willow traced their actions as she searched for the fishing boats but they had already left the port to catch the afternoon's ocean market. She looked for a crowd she could possibly blend in with; someone who like her, had black curly hair or dark skin. Upon her scan through the crowd again she caught a familiar face.

Celeste.

Willow couldn't be for sure she caught her yellow eyes and tanned skin. It wasn't hard to find her again once she cut through a covered walkway to confirm. Everyone stopped and stared as she passed by. She wore a sand colored cloak half covering the top of her head. Her leather boots left deep footprints in the street covered in dirty snow as she made her way further to the port.

Willow- distracted from Celeste's presence- looked out into the blue waters waving as far as the eye could see. She saw a little small island close to shore, inhabited by creatures who breathed both air and water. From the ocean, close to the small island, were larger ships. A top of the them she saw a large flag with a flaming horse, surrounded in purple, silver woven into it. These ships were much larger, longer and wide compared to thin, grey toned cruisers that filled the small port city. The ships cherry colored wood glittered and shone, matching the sails on them adorned with a symbol and color.

The people of that ship must be royalty Willow presumed. But of what? Willow was not educated much in anything outside of her jungle. She only knew of small villages which stretched beyond into the muck waters of the wetlands and ocean banks. The only thing she did know of western royalty was from what she observed at the castle, the lords and ladies who clapped excitingly at the newest arrivals of human trafficking.

Tati what do I do next? I cannot hide.

A warm rush of breeze shifted behind Willow pushing her hair in the direction toward Celeste. The warm air is familiar and smelt like damp leaves laced with dirt. Home.

Willow understood the message and made her way down the tree, feet into the sleet. She was far enough away from the forest that the warm sun melted the snow close to the oceans waters.

With steady pace Willow turned down, hiding behind the bare bushes. They were thick with branches but the lack of leaves made them practically transparent. Willow's red velvet, scratchy heavy, and rough from moisture, made her stick out like a sore thumb. The breeze that moved behind her rose bumps all over.