Prominence

Chpt. 1) Cloud Puzzles

    I'd never felt such focus and peace of heart in my life. Troubles seemed to be cleared from my   mind. Everywhere I looked, I could see everything, from ants crawling up a tree to swirling clouds above me. The world was brighter, happier. I felt a strange weight, and turned around to see an expansive set of feathery white wings, sprouted from my back. Can I fly? I wondered silently. My scarf also felt lighter. I looked down at it in wonder. It had changed from thick, worn cotton to shimmering gossamer, brand new. The pink paw print had transformed into a cotton-candy blue charm hanging by a tiny, silver ring. 

    The words written on the note rang in my ears. High on the hills? What hills? Where? I suddenly wished I had spent more time trying to figure out how riddles worked inside of always giving up eventually out of frustration. My mind wouldn't allow me to concentrate hard enough for enough time. I looked to the sky. Maybe it would hold an answer. I felt freer, but not quite smarter. 

    The golden glow of the sunset caught my eyes. It seemed so high-definition compared to previous experiences. I squinted into the pastel atmosphere for any hints, a sign. The clouds were ever shifting, rising and evaporating to reveal the colors beneath. Cool wind stirred my bangs and I lay down in the sun-gilded grass. Closing my eyes, I tried to focus and figure out what exactly was going on.

    A voice interrupted my thoughts and I looked up. I was not angry, just surprised. None of the ones I knew resided anywhere near this meadow. 

    "Excuse me, but does something trouble you?" asked the voice again. It was a bit high pitched and cute-sounding, not unsimilar to how one would imagine a kitten speaking.

    I found the source: a small, pastel cat with lime fur and darker green and pale orange spots and bright red dashes in pairs. An orange stripe ran from her head to the end of her tail. Her eyes were large and quite literally the color of a sunset, A golden bow adorned her tail, giant compared to her small body. 

    "Who are you?" I asked out of curiosity. I had never met this creature before in my life, but she seemed kind enough. Her eyes told of wisdom beyond my years. This cat knew things, and they had the potential to help me solve this riddle.

    I cleared my throat once. "Actually," I said, "I do need a bit of help. You see, one of my friends disappeared." My voice dropped at the end. I hadn't gotten used to the fact that Checker was gone quite yet.

    The cat gave me a look of sympathy. "Oh, dearest, that's absolutely horrible!" she exclaimed. "For reference's sake, my name is Cicilia, message-carrier of Aerol. You may call me Cici," she explained, brushing her face with a paw.

    My eyes widened. "Aerol?" I asked, thinking I'd misheard. "But she is a myth!"

   Aerol is the overseer of heaven (called the Afterworld by most) and one of the most powerful beings thought to exist. No one is certain because the only way to the Afterworld is to die a worthy person. They say it's a dream world, where the sky is blue and people live in gold houses on white clouds. The sun is warm and the moon is silver. Every star shines its brightest every midnight. Sadness and pain don't exist up in the Afterworld.

   Cici shook her head. "No, my dear, Aerol and the Afterworld are quite real. I am constantly traveling between there and here, the Overworld. Only the pure of soul can find me. Or rather, I seek them out. You are troubled. Do you have any hint as to where your friend may be?" she finally asked.

    "Well..." I was hesitant to tell her about the note, but Cici was essentially an angel mail carrier, and this deemed her trustworthy in my mind. "I received a note. The sender is unknown. It had some sort of riddle on it," I explained. I summoned my powers and lifted the paper from the folds of my scarf and smoothed the creases before levitating it to the ground in front of the pastel cat. The bright red, glassy aura faded as I released my mental focus from it.

    Cici's eyes widened as she skimmed the content of the note. "She warned me about this," she murmured in a low, worried tone.

    "Who warned you about what?" I asked. "Is something wrong?"

    She shook her head dismissively. "Nothing is wrong. Not yet, anyway," the cat responded simply. She avoided eye contact and studied the grass, mumbling incoherently to herself. I thought I heard the word 'prophecy' once or twice but I didn't ask because I wasn't certain.

    "Is something bad going to happen?" I questioned, suddenly hungry for an answer. A million thoughts clouded my head. I just wanted to know what was troubling the messenger.

    Cici spoke at last in an emotionless voice. "As I stated previously, nothing is wrong yet. It can be stopped." She looked back up at me. "Have you, perchance, heard of a rainbow bridge?"

    "Um, no, what's that?" I asked. Maybe I was getting closer to an answer.

    "You must go to the Afterworld to conference with Aerol. A rainbow bridge is the only way to cross dimensions," the lime feline stated.

    I realized I was about to sound silly, but I had to ask: "Is it a literal rainbow that you walk on? Or a rainbow-colored bridge?"

    Cici didn't even laugh, to my surprise. "It's made out of light. After rainstorms, mortals can sometimes see the bridge, but in the form of a rainbow because of how it bends light. Otherwise, it is invisible," she replied. "You have to have special permission from Aerol herself to use it, to or from. Entering and leaving the Afterworld is risky business."

    I pondered for a moment. I considered just flying, but that would be crazy. Birds never flew all the way up, neither could I. In fact, I wasn't even sure how to use these wings, and I was certain that they wouldn't last if, for some reason, I shifted form.

    "Do not be confused. Finding the bridge is easy, for they form upon one's will, right out of the light. The challenge will be crossing," Cici warned.