All That Is Seen (original WIP)

1.1

Wind swept around her face and through her hair. Nothing could compare to this feeling, this freedom, this peace she felt in these mountains. It was almost enough for her to forget completely. The air was light and smelt of pines from the forest nearby. She could see them in the distance so she called for them but nothing came out of her. Shadows began marching from the forrest as alarm rose in her chest and she became desperate to make a noise, a sound, anything to warn them. Run, she had to run to them and tell them to follow, but the distance kept growing between them. Finally they turned, but there was nothing in those two faces she knew so well. It was nothing but shadows and darkness. Sobs of terror broke out from her mute body finally as they stared at her and begun approaching. Everything was darkness and a loud screech rose around her and she tried to shield her ears with her hands. The darkness only grew until suddenly, the sound of a horse braying interrupted her dark dream-state and sent her bolting upright. Her hand flew to her chest to attempt to calm the racing that came from her heart. "It was only a dream," she whispered to herself.

As she looked around at her dream-ridden companions, she remembered this was the present, the right here and now, and took a deep breath. She lifted a hand and felt fresh salt streams crossing her face and quickly tried to wipe away any trace of such emotion. In an attempt to not wake any of the rest of her traveling companions, she gently pulled herself up from her makeshift bed of some blankets and her pack and walked away from the nearly smothered fire. The night was bright as the moon glowed above. "How lovely and tragic it must be," she thought, "to burn so bright for everyone in their darkest hours, but who shines for you?" She looked to the star speckled sky as if an answer might actually fall to her from it. From behind a voice of sleep came mid yawn, "Perd, what are you doing up at this hour?" She looked back at the girl mostly only to note how tired of a state she could be in to believe anything that she was told. Her deep sapphire hair was a bit of a fluffy mess to one side from where she clearly was sleeping on it. "Everything's fine, Sera, just had a bit of a dream. I'll be back to the camp in a moment," she spoke softly. With a grumble of something incoherent, Serafina walked back toward the sleep site. 

Turning back toward the open sky, Perdita couldn't pull herself away from the sight before her. It all looked the same as she left it a year ago, but so entirely and utterly different in the same breath. The fields of viridian grass as it waved in the wind, shimmering under the moon's pale glow, what a sight it truly was. From this crest of the hill she could see beyond it, into the dark forest. Her eyes glassed over as her face darkened and she turned and drifted back toward the warmth of the camp.