An Island for a Cloud

3.3 How to get the girl

Thank you very much for reading this chapter. If you spot any spelling mistakes or awkward sentence structures, please be nice and let me know :)

Flizer Forest

The most important day of the year for every creature on the island had arrived. Yet whereas for others it was a day of joy and happiness, for Flizers it was the day they feared the most.

For the first time Patz was allowed to embark on the journey to the Shrine of Bauroo as he was old enough to get matched now. The Shrine of Bauroo was the place Flizers had to go for Soul Tying ceremony, as declared by the Aleutans centuries ago.

It was a journey full of danger for any girl and Patz feared for Ziya. This day every year Aluetans brought back old Flizers, those who had served them for thirty years and they no longer needed. And they took young girls, those unmatched. And there was nothing Flizers could do about it. Not going would mean destruction to their homes. Aleuta would take what they felt was due and Flizers were no match to them.

Patz barely slept that night, restless and worried; he listened to the loud snoring of his parents, the soft breathing of his siblings, occasional howling of an owl, and familiar chirping of birds in the distance. Yet, it did not bring him comfort. By the time he heard his parents move about their hut, he had long been awake and busy with final travel preparations.

It was still dark when the time came for them to break for the journey. Patz's two little sisters, identical to each other, rubbed their sleepy eyes and cried loudly. His brother, a few years younger and a smaller version of Patz, tried to look brave, but failed.

"Take care of the girls," whispered Patz in his ear when it was time to go. The boy nodded and hugged his brother affectionately.

"We will be back before you know it," Patz assured him.

Patz's father, Zeen Zumpletoe, walked solemnly beside him and his mother, Marza Zumpletoe, as they made their way out of the village. Mr. Zumpletoe was broad shouldered and slightly taller than Patz. His bright green hair was shot with dark brown strands and his face revealed his good-naturedness. He was a simple man who did not question the ways of their kind and took his son's peculiarity lightly, neither encouraging nor condemning him.

Marza Zumpletoe, slightly plump and short, was a woman that prided herself with being a normal Flizer. More normal than any other Flizer, she assured herself and anyone who listened. Determined to raise her children in her image, she could not begin guessing how she could have made the mistake of having a child on the Dark Night. And the neighbours, her main worry, never failed to remind her.

Once their son had a family of his own, her husband assured her whenever she fretted about it, he would stop dreaming of heroes and battles. And she prayed with all her heart that today would be the day where he would be matched to a nice suitable Flizer girl and would finally be settled.

Slowly the darkness receded and the break of a new day greeted the group of Flizers. Many of the young ones were leaving the safety of their home forest for the first time. Yet, their excitement was largely dampened by the all-prevailing uneasiness. The watchers flanked the procession, each carrying a large horn over their shoulder. Those were Flizers with the best sight, entrusted with ringing the alarm when the intruders from Aleuta were spotted.

And no one doubted that they would come.

Soon their group was joined by Flizers from neighbouring villages. Cheerful greetings were exchanged, questions were asked, answers were given. The humming of low voices was heard all around.