Tales of Raiverin: Mayflower

Chapter 1

He opened his eyes slowly, taking a few moments to adjust to the afternoon light. As he breathed in the air, it felt clean, a break from the dirty and ash-filled air that had occupied his lungs before the arrival. He looked around a large field with tall grass of which he stood in the center. The ground beneath him was soft and damp, nearly muddy. A change from the hard stone he'd become accustomed to walking on. The plants around him were tall, something he had never seen, unless he were to count the saplings that broke through the cement previously. A gentle breeze blew through the long grasses, and their movements synchronized as if they were dancing. Paris let his eyes water a bit, the beauty of the unfamiliar world nearly too much to handle, his body felt cold, something he wasn't entirely used to. However, it didn't matter to him, new life was more than enough to mask the feeling. He slowly walked forward, feeling the grass shift under his paws and hearing the shuffling of foliage behind him. Paris blinked slowly, letting his body slow down to take in nature more. No matter what he did or how he moved, it all felt so beautiful.

After he had stopped moving, he still heard things behind him, as he turned, he saw a cat approaching him.

"Leon? Is that you?" Paris asked softly, his voice quiet and shaky.

"Yeah, it's me," Leon responded, stopping just behind Paris.

The two stared at each other, Paris rushing in and hugging Leon, laughing excitedly. "We did it, we did it! We fixed everything!" He cheered. Paris' tail swished gently, almost like it danced in the breeze. For some reason, he thought about his family, wondering what they would think of him now that he'd been able to save the planet. Leon was significantly more calm, only smiling and holding onto his half-uncle. While the two were hardly related, they felt as though, at this moment, their connection was stronger than any family. "I'm glad you're safe, I was worried about you," Leon whispered into Paris' ear.

"Although, there's something that needs addressing here." Paris looked up at him, his eyes widened, and he smiled even wider.

"What is it?"
"Where do we go now? Raiverin's plan worked, right?
"Yup."
"What's next then?"

"Well," Paris paused before continuing. "I guess we'll have to go back home. I don't know where else we can go."

Leon looked up at Paris with a serious expression. "Do you want to return home?" He asked. Paris sighed deeply. "No, not really. It's going to be hard being back there after all this time."

"You're probably going to have to start over again, aren't you?"

"Yes..." Paris said quietly, staring off into space. His thoughts wandered away as he remembered his old life, how he was once happy, living with his mother, and brother. They were good people, and they loved him very much. Now, the memories he had may be gone, and he had to learn to blend in with the world.

"But it's not your fault, Paris. You've done nothing wrong. We did the right thing, it was all we could do."

Paris nodded silently, his face turning red from the emotions bubbling up inside of him.

"You need to stay strong, Paris. Remember who you are."
"I'm trying..."
"And you will get through this. You're going to make it, and you will find happiness again. Just keep believing in yourself."

Paris nodded. "Thanks." The two remained silent for a while longer, Paris watching the sun above them. It shone brightly, illuminating their surroundings and making it seem like they were standing in the middle of an open field filled with flowers. He witnessed the sunlight reflecting off the leaves of the trees around him, and he couldn't help but smile. He closed his eyes and listened to the wind blowing, it rustled the grasses around them, and he thought about the smell of fresh air. Leon glanced over, looking past Paris at the world. It was the same as he had grown up with, natural. It was boring, the only different thing was Paris' behavior.