Destiny Written

Chapter 14

"Don't do it," his voice rang in her head.

"Too late," she muttered. Her cloak was pulled close around her neck, hiding her face. Curse her long hair as it was caught in the tangles. She had been wanting to cut it; the long red mane impeded anything that she did, but if she did, she would be disgraced from the family.

Good. Not like I was a part of it anyways.

The dark brown bark of the trees stretched upwards to the canopies above. The branches melded together, nearly hiding the night sky from the woods below. Night was even darker with the canopies with the occasional moonbeam that decided to slip by.

She had thought of running away forever. Start over somewhere else. The only problem? Her flaming red hair and the flowers that grew out of them would let everyone know that she was a Florentian. Not to mention the marks that would start to show in a year or two.

Staying as silent as she could, the distant bleating of the Fauna were the only sounds in the midnight of the forest. She had been walking for an hour, keeping to the backroads of the cities and staying away from the main roads of the forest.

She had sight of the last guardian tree, she was at the edge of Florentian territory and she would be free. Her heart leaped at it.

Almost there, she thought excitedly. She had never been successful before, always found by her older cousin, Oak. This time, she found the perfect opportunity. He was at a Council function with his father and she stayed behind in Autumn's Peak.

The guardian tree, one of the tallest of the trees in their lands, were the markers for the end of the forest country. Past it was the trek towards the Elicien river, which was where she was planning on staying. A busy metropolis with cities filled with people would help her to remain hidden and anonymous. All she had to do was chop her hair off so that it would stop growing forever, and keep her Florentian marks hidden at all times. And her gift? That was the easiest to hide.

Finally passing the guardian tree, she stopped, taking the deepest breath that she could. Freedom.

A crunch startled her. When she turned around, reaching for the knife hidden in her belt, fury consumed her. Standing behind her was her cousin. He was lanky, but with toned muscles in his long limbs. His light chocolate skin was dark against the deep of the forest. His olive green hair was always tousled, as if he had just woken up. His amber eyes, which were always kind, didn't even seem angry that she was here at the edge of Florentia.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed at him. "Go back home!"

"Maris," he said in a loud whisper, "what are you doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing, Oak?" Her head tilted to the side, hands thrown wide in frustration. "A midnight walk? Go back."

Oak stepped up to her. For someone who was just sixteen, he was as tall as the trees. "No."

She tried to shove him, but Oak was strong, stronger than any other Florentian man she knew. He was as immovable as the trees. "Go back, you big oaf!"

Her attempts were futile as he lifted her off the ground, carrying her like a little girl in one arm, his strong hand around her legs as she sat in the crook of his arm.

"Oak! I'm not a child!" Though she was only two years younger than him, Oak was big enough to carry her like a three-year-old, and she was small enough for him to do it.

"I'm coming with you," he said as he took one long stride.

"What?" Maris looked down at her cousin who wore a cloak like hers. His axe was slung across his back, and a pack was around his shoulders. "Are you crazy?"