Erin's p.o.v:
The next day, I ask if I can take another walk on my own. This time, they're all pretty hesitant. "You came back pretty early yesterday," Andre says, "and you didn't tell us what was wrong." I look at Arthur and Martin. They're both wearing that quiet look of concern, the same look that Andre chooses to voice instead. I take a deep breath.
"I came home early yesterday," I say, "because I ran into a. . .a human. From the outside town."They're wearing shocked looks. Usually humans aren't found inside the forest Boundry, it's usually when one of the forestic people break the Boundry Rule and walk into the nearby town. "I didn't cross the Boundry," I say quickly, "but I was near it. I was walking along the waterfalls shore, when a boy suddenly just lept from a tree. Now I thought that he was Of The Forest, but when I told him that I lived here, he said that only insane people lived here."
"Oh great," Martin says, ''not only is he from the Outside, but it's a male in general. What if makes her. . .Feelings kick in?" I feel myself getting confused. What are Feelings?
"Feelings?," I ask, voicing my confusion. Andre sighs, then instructs me to take a seat. I do, and the three of them sit in front of me.
"When your Feelings kick in," Martin explains, gripping his knee, "it means that you usually start to develope. . .crushes. Falling for people. You're in trouble though," he adds. "If you fall for that boy from the Outside, chances are you're going to want to go back there with him, and your Transformation is only a moon away."
Of course, I think, my transformation! When your Transformed, you receive an animal that Mother Nature thinks would suit you best. Martin had always loved the sky and always had his head in the clouds, so he received the animal, the crow. Andre, who had always been agressive and loved to fight for fun, received the wolf. Arthur, who had always preferred rocky mountains and was a fast runner, received panther. Then, for one entire year, you go and live with a pack, flock, ect. of your animal, learning how it lives and behaves throughout all the seasons. You learn its moves of defense and hunting.
For years, I've been looking forward to my Transformation Day, wondering what animal I would become. No way am I letting some Outsider ruin that for me! "I won't fall for him," I say. "I promise. Now can I please go out?" They finally agree, deciding that this time I won't need a weapon, and I walk out. Now to go find the one thing that I've been longing to search for all day.
They call him Duncan.
YOU ARE READING
Natures Daughter
FantasyErin has been an orphan since she was born. It's now fourteen years later, and she's living a perfectly happy life with her new mother. The thing is, her new mother is the forest beside her old home.
