Artemis

Chapter 1: Luminous

I could hear it every night. A soft voice on the wind, like a gentle whisper telling me that I was different. That I didn't belong there. It spoke to me in poems and ways that would mystify me, leaving me to wonder if it was right or if the voice was just inside my head.

Tonight though, the voice was silent. It left me alone with my thoughts as I stared up at the glorious night sky. We lived in the heart of what I called the Luminous forest and it stretched as far as the eye could see in every direction. A billion stars illuminated the forest tonight, almost making it feel like it was day. My mother told me that I had come from there; the stars. She told me that when I was just a baby she had seen me fall from the heavens, like a feather caught in the night's breeze. The thought of leaving me helpless and alone was one she could not stand, so she took me and raised me as her own.

I knew from an early age that I wasn't like everyone else. They were all larger than me and had bodies covered in hair, while my skin was pale like snow and my hair, the color of lavender. For many years they had seen me as an outsider, unwelcome and unwanted but Eros, my mother had softened their hearts. Most of them accepted me but there were a few who refused to part with their hardened state of mind. I did my best to treat them kindly too but it was difficult when all they ever did was despise my existence.

I lay atop a massive tree, where I could see a large portion of the forest and the outline of mountains in the distance. It was my favorite tree because the top was dense and flat, creating my perfect escape for when the world felt like too much to handle. My mother always worried about me when I would wander off at night but she soon learned that no amount of discipline would keep me confined to the small clearing that we called home.

Something amazing happened to me not long after she found me; wings began to form on my back. They were white like those of a dove. At first they were small like me but as I grew so did they. My mother called it a blessing, just as the gods had blessed her with me. For years they had been there as a part of me but I had never attempted to fly. The notion terrified me beyond belief. I could hover for a few seconds if I jumped off the ground but going any higher only filled me with fear. I didn't want to fall and leave my mother alone so I stayed on the ground.

Suddenly, I caught a glimpse of flashing light in the distance. Several seconds later it was followed by a loud cracking noise that almost seemed to shake the forest around me. The occurrence disrupted my state of euphoria, causing me to jump to my feet in panic. Staring at the source, I observed that dark clouds had accumulated on the horizon. They stirred and waved like an ocean of ceaseless turmoil; something I had never before witnessed. I had to warn the others before the clouds reached us.

I quickly began my descent of the tree, swinging and leaping my way to the forest floor. Reaching the ground, I began to sprint in the direction of our clearing. The trees on either side of me appeared only as a blur as I ran past them. I knew this part of the forest like the back of my hand; the trees, the undergrowth, the slopes of the land. Learning every little detail had been like learning how to walk, at first it's hard but once you know you can't forget. Fortunately, my retreat was not far from our home.

I arrived at the clearing. It wasn't large at all but it was the perfect size for us. The moonlight cast it's beautiful glow through the opening in the ceiling of trees. There weren't very many areas in the forest that were open to the sky so I always thought it was special. Normally I would enter silently so I wouldn't wake anyone but tonight I came in shouting as loud as I could, "Everyone wake up now!" My words came out somewhat odd sounding due to my soft voice; I didn't yell much.

Almost instantly my best friend rolled out of his small shelter beneath a nearby tree, "W-what's going on, Artemis?" He asked without even bothering to stand up. Tilar was smaller than most of the other forest dwellers which caused him to be looked down upon by many. Even I stood a couple feet taller than him but I found that despite how some of the others felt about him, he was the most loyal and trustworthy of them all.