Chapter One: Morning's First Light

The crisp morning air stung her lungs as she clutched her knees to her chest in an attempt to stay warm. The little nar-esken was not use to being outside in the freezing temperatures.
"The fire went out during the night," Jockulara thought bitterly, feeling hate toward the fire. As if it could control whether it stayed alive without her aid. She sat up from the ground and rubbed her arms for warmth and looked around at her surroundings. It had been dark when Jockulara stopped for the night and she was confused on where she was. She had never been out alone with out the guidance from her father.

The forest looked much different in the fading light then it did now. Trees stood all around her, some only spacing a few inches and others were no more then a foot apart. She thought to herself, "how did I manage to run between them?" Many of the smaller plants clung to the trees as if strangling them or trying to climb higher for more light. The ground was think shrubs and tall grasses, well tall for her. In some places the grass would grab at her knees and some would only tickle at her ankles.

Jockulara stood and dusted some leaves off her pants. She stretched and yawned, trying to wake herself. As she was reaching for her pack, she heard the most horrible of noises. Frozen in place, she stood half bent over, listening for the noise again. There it was. To her horror, it rang again. The loud cry of an angry conara. The worst creature, she thought, to come face to face with.

Lightning quick, she snatched her pack and in the same moment dashed off into the forest, deeper into the trees. She wasn't sure how many were left from the fight but she knew that if she didn't escape, death would be the concluding consequence. The thought of being captured was worse then death,causing her to panic and push herself harder.
Her family was dead now and she had left everything behind to save herself. The sudden attack on her village was not the first and would not be the last. was there no one to save them?

She ran for what felt like days until she came up over a hill and stopped. Horrified by the sight she lost her breath and sat for the moment. The neighboring village was in the same state as hers. Dark clouds of smoke rose from the small houses and she could see the red flicker of some remaining fires. The was no life from what she could tell. There was no where to go. No safe place away from these power-hungry beasts.

A single tear ran down her cheek, mixing with the dirt and sweat. She caught her breathe and held it, closing her eyes to stop the crying. She had to be strong now. There was no one for her here. No life and she was forced to start anew.


(Enjoi -PR Princess)