Author Games: A Knight's Valor

Flash Challenge Entries

Alian Female: Keiko Kenemoto

The dark, ancient forest reeked of its obvious age. Its woody incense came from centuries worth branches rotting silently on the muddy floor. The composting, organic smell rose up in waves like a miasma. Every sprawling tree that Keiko passed under reminded her of a watchful guardian, a silent sentinel of the groves. She smiled in content as she walked deeper into the woods, nearly tripping multiple times over several gigantic roots that sprung up every now and again from the ground, like the backs of sea dinosaurs.

Speaking of dinosaurs...Keiko's eyes sparkled with light as the foliage around her became thick and lush, forming an arch of fairytale-green above her head. Arthritic boughs, gnarled with age, dripped their bounty of nuts onto the path which Keiko carelessly stomped on in her haste to reach her secret little clearing. Briars, brambles and berry trees flanked the trail, making it impenetrable on either side and served as a perfect hiding place. Nearly there.

She arrived at a wide glade, where the trees fell away, revealing the bespeckled sky. The last of the morning's stars were glinting like silver pin pricks, luminous and bright. An ore gold moon hung quietly in the distance, casting a honeyed sheen over the trees. However, it was not the breathtaking scenery that Keiko focused on. Instead, it was a scraggly, hand-crafted nest made out of twigs and leaves patted down with dried mud that Keiko hurried to. Her feet moved quickly towards the nest, and as the girl drew near, her pair of dark brown irises made out the shape of a large oval egg sitting daintily in the middle.

Without making the slightest noise, like a mother would do around a sleeping infant, Keiko gingerly sat down against a lightning blasted tree trunk and watched the aqua-green dinosaur egg in front of her with interest. Of course, she had no idea if it was actually a realdinosaur egg, but what else could it be? She had never heard any mention of an egg that shared the same characteristics as the one before her. The egg had to belong to a dinosaur. There was no other explanation.

A few minutes passed in silence as Keiko pondered over several questions that had been nagging at the back of her mind for several weeks now. First and most importantly, where were the parents of the egg? She may have a brain the size of a walnut, but she knew well enough that to make a baby, there had to be a mommy and a daddy. Obviously. It seemed odd to her that they would abandon their child, and she felt a pang of sadness in her heart for the baby to grow up without its biological parents. Secondly and lastly, she had often fretted over what to do when the egg finally hatched. Ever since discovering it two weeks ago, Keiko had set her mind to the task of making sure that it would hatch without any trouble.

Slowly, Keiko brought one hand forward and gingerly let the tips of her fingers brush against the leathery surface of the egg, and sighed. It had taken all of her willpower not to blurt out her secret to her parents or friends. She knew that it would cause an uproar if she did so, and even though Keiko did love a little drama every now and again, she was wise enough to know that her beloved dinosaur egg could be in serious danger from hunters and thieves if she opened her big mouth. Alian was a nice place to live, but it wasn't perfect. Crime still existed, even in small quantities.

Withdrawing her hand from the egg, Keiko placed her chin on her palm as she sat crossed-legged, rocking slowly from side to side. Before she knew it, the girl found herself humming the notes of "K for Key" underneath her breath to the rhythm of her rocking. On cue, an avian aria erupted from the knot of trees. The solitary songbird was soon joined by his beaked companions, creating a symphony of song. The sap sweet fragrance of the forest washed over her and seduced her with its comforting goodness. It warmed her heart to know that when her dinosaur egg did hatch, it would grow up in such a beautiful environment.