Inherently Innocent

Will Bloom Again

The sky was no longer clear. The morning light left to leave a grey mist in its place. There was no fog, but the sky was close enough to collapse and leave low clouds behind. Juniper had to hurry.
Maybe the rain could cover their tracks. Thunder and lightning could give them more time to run away in secret, the hovering dew blurring the horizon enough for them to vanish.
Juniper raised a hand to a low hanging branch and let her body weight depend on it to slide through the hidden roots. Upon the touch of bark, she visualized a foggy image. That of a nymph with purple hair walking through the forest they were in. Why was she thinking of Liliac at the moment? She continued her way down.
Not even halfway through, she started to speak.
“Everybody, pack your things up, we have to leave,” She cleared the dust away from her eyes, shaking her head to try the same thing with her hair.
Yet Horizon Hill was quiet. Most people slept, or at least rested, in the quiet dark of the underground cave. Bags were already prepared. A single fire was taken care of by Aloe, with Peony and Liliac resting by their side.
“Aloe, we need to wake everyone up,” Juniper insisted, falling to her knees and taking the ishine’s hands. A quiet agreement where their plan would soon start.
“It’s a cold, stormy day. Let them get the rest they need.”
“The settlement may attack anytime!” Juniper stood and shouted, “The governor and Leilani met up yesterday. That can only mean bad news.”
Against Aloe’s wishes, Juno ran around the place, shaking every nymph awake.
Aloe followed Juniper’s movements for a moment before their body started reacting.
“Peony, pack up your old cookies, no matter how hard they are, ok? Golshan, get clothes. Xochitl and Thyme start to collapse the back of the cave,” The ishine ordered the others around, not with an air of superiority but with a breeze of tension and doubt.
Juniper saw Xochitl run to the back of the cave and wake up Thyme, who was sleeping by himself against the darkest part of the cave. The boy hurried to stand and join the others while the girl used her abilities.
Guidance, Aloe would say. The way that the ishine and nymphs could talk with nature and guide it to their will. You can’t force a tree to obey you, but you can whisper your wishes and hope it agrees.
The walls seemed to agree with Xochitl, as roots slithered down from the dirt, moving it between them and making the tightly knitted roof start to collapse on itself.
“Everyone out. Thyme, keep the roof still for a moment,” Aloe pushed everyone’s backs up as they escaped the cave.
“Where are we even going?” Liliac asked, her hair on her eye tighter than the day before.
“Further west, until our legs can’t move anymore,” Juniper moved the girl up the exit. Just a year younger but her weight seemed like that of a child.
Thyme was startled, confused by the sudden movement after hours of darkness and quiet, but he was a quick learner. He buried his hands in the dirt to the wall, and the ceiling stopped shaking.
There was a moment of quiet, where there was no fear. It lasted a few seconds, but it was enough to write poems about.
Xochitl got out, Thyme soon followed, parting his hand from the wall when he was out. The last remaining voids of Horizon Hill became unimaginable darkness under the fallen earth only moments after Aloe pulled Juniper’s hand up from the jacaranda’s roots.
Horizon Hill still lived, though. It persisted in each nymph that was ready to run, in each ishine ready to fight. Juniper knew the hill was more than the place. It was a home she had built for years. She couldn't leave the dream of her self made paradise behind, Juniper needed to keep it beside her heart to move on.
The human girl thought out the words to say but kept them nested for a few minutes for everyone to gather strength. She approached Thyme with the simple request, to lift the sunken ground where the caves had been so as to make their previous existence hidden. After a quick nod and agreement, she turned to Liliac.
Those two poor nymphs. They had only enjoyed a little time together, after who knows how much time alone. But maybe being part of a living group in the open was a better fate than sharing a den with hollow bodies.
Juniper checked on Golshan and Peony, both managing the food supplies and talking about the colour of the sky. She also walked past Aloe telling Xochitl to take a break, explaining she wasn't used to using her guidance so strongly. Aloe was the perfect teacher. Juniper smiled at the thought of them. She placed a hand on their shoulder, sinking into the ishine's mind.

The two were together by the ocean, walking with the sand at their feet. It was a moment, an eternity. Juniper knew it was not even a memory, it was just a shared dream they liked to live together. They held hands, a cold wave crashed against the warm surface of their feet. Then Juniper lifted her hand.

She patted Aloe's back and walked away.
“Liliac, we have to get going soon,” Juniper aproached, dragging her steps so as to not move the heavy bags on her shoulders too much.
The girl was carving something against the jacaranda, using another stick like a pen.
“West,” She mumbled, her free hand pointing in the direction.
Juniper looked up, trying to find the sun and orientate herself, but the grey sky didn’t give the slightest hint of direction. Ishine abilities, she assumed of Liliac’s sense of direction. Maybe the earth was the one guiding her finger to point away.
“Yeah, west,” Juno placed a hand on the nymph’s shoulder. She had changed from the feathery dress into grey shirts Peony’s mother had stolen for nymphs to use. It was several sizes too big, but definitely more comfortable than the ornamental dress. Still it saddened Juniper to see her father's work be discarded so easily.
Aloe started to call out for everyone to start walking. Keep each other in sight, maintain a steady pace, different orders to keep everyone safe. And one by one Horizon Hill started migrating.
Liliac left the jacaranda, now engraved with an arrow pointing west.
“What is that for?” Juniper asked, concerned the girl was leaving hints.
“It's for Ylva, Peony's mother. So she can know her child is safe,” Liliac Lee quickly answered, her tone monotone.
Juniper wanted to trust, but as soon as the purple haired nymph left, she scratched the word with her nail. The underside started to bleed. She raised her finger to her mouth and started walking.