Paz

Chapter 4

  I don't remember too much after that. I must've passed out. When I woke up I was in some sort of dark tent in a kind of bed, and with further inspection it looked like a hammock or basket pattern woven onto what looked like a bed frame. I sat up slowly and looked around. Other than me, the tent was unoccupied. A small oil lamp rested on a crate with the wick unlit. Although it was dark, I could make out a slice of sunlight peeking weakly through the tent flap, letting me know it was around noontime.

  I made a move to stand quickly but became dizzy and slumped back down on the hammock-bed, clutching my forehead. I needed to know what was going on, so I tried getting up again, only slower and managed to make my way to the entrance.

  I opened the tent flap, squinting at the light, and saw Celeste. She holding some kind of clipboard and talking to someone with the ears and tail of a lemur, talking about something I could only guess was important. Once I was noticed, she shooed the lemur-kid away with the clipboard in his hands and turned to face me.

  "How you feelin', Bug?" She asked while walking towards me.

  "Pretty weird to be honest..." I replied hoarsely, then cleared my throat, "Why didn't you let me choose?"

  Celeste shrugged and disregarded the question. "You took quite a hit back there. I'm surprised nothin's wrong with you!"

  I returned a look of frustration.

  "Hey, you're fine, not dead. So you got a name, or do I have to keep usin' the nickname I made, hm?"

  I stared at her for a moment, looking at her catlike ears and tail, both perked up waiting for a reply, her delicate features pulling up into a light smile. I realized she didn't look half bad. The idea was forced to the back of my mind as soon as I felt my cheeks heat up.

  "P- Paz." I stuttered sheepishly.

  "Paz, eh?" Celeste repeatedly said my name over and over in various tones and ways to make herself remember. "Well, Paz. Welcome to the club." She motioned all around her at the large amount of tents set up in neat rows across a flat patch of land surrounded by a large unkempt forest. Where were we?

  I glanced around, "Where's everyone else?"

  "At the clearing probably. It's where people go to train." She started walking in the direction opposite to me with a beckoning hand to signal that I should follow. "You coming, Bug?"

  My wings twitched in reminder that were still there. I hesitated, then spoke:

  "If I do, will you tell me what's going on?"

  Celeste gave a respective smile, but kept moving. "Alright, Einstein, ask away."

  "Start from the beginning." I walked faster to catch up. "And don't leave anything out."

  "I'll say what we know so far, deal?"

  "Works for me."

  We had reached the end of the campsite and were starting up a dirt path at the beginning of the forest. The light peeked through the solemn oak trees shyly, as if not yet wanting to announce their presence as Celeste continued:

  "I can gather that you've seen the wings you recently acquired, no?"

  I nodded. Unfortunately. The scaly things trembled behind me, like they had a mind of their own, and every waking moment of their presence made me hate them more.

  "I would assume so. So you most likely had 'the dream,' the one with the falling, burning, etcetera?"

  "Yeah?" To an extent, I suppose.