Branley And The Land Of Cors

Chapter 3

It was officially the last day of summer for the Adelram village, and that had everyone getting ready for the long winter to come. People were collecting and storing firewood and washing the winter rugs to place on the floors. Branley saw his dad pull up the furry piece of cloth they traditionally put on the walls to avoid humidity, as his mom chopped up some more wood and placed it near the hearth.It was now that his house felt a little more like home.

He strode down the village roads feeling care free for the first time since the summer heat and the scorching sun had made an appearance. He honestly felt relieved that winter was upon them because he preferred not only flying but also overall existing in cold weather.

He caught a glimpse of Kyne ,as he passed by the market stalls near the center of the village, his friend was probably attending to the needs of his father and everyone else as he had always done, running back and forth and rarely catching a break.But Branley knew he would be able to talk to him later at the time of the big feast.

That is what happened at the same day every year. With the closing of the summer season and as a welcome to the winter, Adelram celebrated with a big feast where many small fires were lit and everyone had the chance to relax and eat with their families and loved ones by the light of those fires. It was more of a ritual than anything else, a silly superstition that made everyone feel more connected with one another. That is why some said that if even for one year it did not take place, the winter ahead would be unbearable to live through, with no food and no wood and most importantly no snow. 

That might seem like a strange kind of fear, but for the people of this village, snow was a protecting shield, it was the reason they were not attacked by the palace. Snow was their element and all their magic was connected to it since very long ago when their ancestors enchanted this village to keep everyone safe. There were only two seasons simply because of their geographic location, winter and summer.But with the help of the ancient magics of the world summer only lasted for about two months, enough for their crops to be harvested and for them to store supplies for the winter, of course while using their magic to speed up the process as much as possible.

But you cannot really rush Mother Nature. Earth has its own ways of doing things and they did not want to intervene too much.

It was in winter that they were all more powerful ,and with the help of the mountain unwanted outsiders were kept away. The palace had tried to cut their food supply several times in the past but they had failed to break them.The newly throned emperor however did not dare to do anything more than that,  afraid of their powers that he could not even fathom. And so they managed to live their lives in peace.

In winter they would no longer need so many people patrolling the area, and the village chief could finally stop guarding the village with his shield of magic, as he had been doing all summer, and Branley knew that him and Kyne could finally have more chances to enjoy themselves,with everyone being more at ease.

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It was now time for the big event and Branley followed his father to the nearest fire while his mother was busy being social with her friends.

They sat down and both stared at the fire for a while. That is how it always was with his father, they never did need a lot of words to express how much they enjoyed each others company, ofcourse the same did not apply to situations where Branley had caused trouble, but still, just sitting together was enough sometimes.

His father was a quiet man by nature,but that did not mean that he did not voice his opinions.Colvyr was a descendant of the Circe family, their magic allowing each one of them to transform into a type of bird. Similar to Branley, Colvyr possessed the power of the hawk.

"Do not start thinking this is your chance to be more adventurous." his father suddenly said, still looking at the fire in front of him.

"What?"the boy asked.

"The winter, do not start thinking that you can stop being careful because of it. I know you well enough to know that is exactly what is going through your brain."he answered.

"I cannot believe you think so lowly of me father." he replied acting as offended as he could. "I'm an adult now am I not?"

"You use the word far too much while not actually knowing what it stands for, it is not your age that shows you are an adult, it is your actions son."Colvyr always knew that his son was not like he was, and accepted that, but still did not want him to bring himself to danger in the process."Just try to not do anything too out of bounds."

"I'll try."Branley replied, mastering all of his strength in order not to spew a complete lie.

Then his mother came and she sat down beside his father. They ate and chatted and laughed to their heart's content.

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Branley stretched his arms in the air and decided he was going to go find Kyne, so he got up and started walking down the line of the fires to find his friend.It did not take long for him to realize that Kyne was occupied. He was talking with the daughter of his father's subordinate and he looked like he was having enough fun. He was smiling widely. 

Branley looked down at his feet instinctively,feeling overwhelmed all of the sudden, overwhelmed by the people and noise. He decided he would head to the forest to find some quite corner there.

Kyne caught a raven haired figure with the corner of his eye, his peripheral vision had never failed him, he was a wild animal after all. He had wanted to see Branley all evening but he did not get even the slightest chance to leave his father's side, and then Raisa started talking to him.She was not at all boring and he found her company good enough, but still. Watching Branley walk away made him want to chase after him, but he did not.

Branley reached the first clearing of the forest and his eyes met the waterfall.He heard the clear water swirl beneath the rocks and he closed his eyes to take it all in. Instantly he felt relief.He strode just a little bit closer to the rocks surrounding the area and he sat down on one of them, the water fall now cascaded just above him,looking down on him from the top of the mountain. He stared at the edge with wonder, he felt free and then trapped one after the other.

He needed someone to talk to right about now. But that someone was not here.

Abruptly he sensed the water's current change direction and at the edge of that cliff he has been staring at for so long now, stood a figure,delicate and bathed in the moonlight. He looked around as if to understand if this was all some short of trance, but no. The figure was actually there.

He moved his hands slightly steadying himself in order to stand up on the rock beneath him.Just as he had managed to find his balance the figure, as unstable as it looked ,fell head first into the water, a loud splash following the fall.

He slowly raised his arm slightly above his chest and his eyes shone red. He talked to the waters, to the mountain, to the pebbles beneath his feet. He asked them to to let him pass, to pave a way for him ,so he could safely make his way to the fallen stranger in the river before they drowned. 

And in all its kindness nature obliged.

 A small narrow path opened for him to walk on, water unmoving on its sides ,leading to a small circle also free from water. 

There lied the body of a boy his age. His hair white as snow.

Branley picked the other boy up in his arms as best he could and managed to place him under the big tree a little further away.

He checked for a pulse and luckily there was one, even though it was faint. So he started compressing his chest with a steady rithm until the boy suddenly shot up coughing up water and gasping to find the oxygen he so much needed.

The white haired boy slowly turned around, his gaze meeting Branley's. It shown a deep blue-grey color resembling the winter sky. And Branley stared bewitched for a moment, before it hit him, he did not know who this person was, for all he knows he could be dangerous.

"Who are you?" Branley asked his voice almost sounding like a whisper.

"I'm Metis"