the soul carrier

Chapter 1

     Opening her dreary green eyes Vulpe got up to continue her work. Stretching her stiff legs, she sniffed the air for any sign of strangers in the forest. As usual there was no one around. She moved her head left and right searching for the next tree to collect the souls from.
     "Man this job can get lonely" she thought as moved ahead on the dirt path in front of her.
     It's been years since she has been able to see another living creature. Even her own mother is running in the sky, never to stop. She simply travels the earth collecting the souls of dead animals. Many have come to refer to hear as, death. On her way to escort the dead back to Utopia.
     "If only I had a brother or someone to live with me." She sighed,"At least something other than dead people." She would never be allowed to find love, she was going to live forever as far as she knew. Everybody she came into contact with would eventually end up as another dead soul for her to mourn and carry.
     She gazed at the barren trees around her. Void of life. She padded on slowly, the only sounds were of her breath and the dry leaves crackling underfoot. The forest seemed to go on forever, only tress and brush, no end in sight.
     All animals were gone. Most flee in her presence, afraid she might end their life prematurely. Although this has never been the case. She is simply the carrier. The souls which she places in a worn leather pouch strapped to her back.
     She walked forward for days. Taking and placing souls in her bag, as she does every fall until she makes the journey up to Utopia. As she walked she began to notice a small light in the distance. She froze. She knew the humans harnessed the power of fire. She knew the damage they wanted to do to her mother. But even with these fears curiosity took over. Slowly she creeped forward, careful not to make noise. There, up in the distance, a large square building. She continued forward. Twenty yards between her and the building."this is a bad idea" she thought with shame. Ten yards, "I need to turn back." Five yards, " they're going to kill me." Then she was there at the edge of the forest. The forbidden lands.
     "There's nobody around here. Aren't humans supposed to be like a virus or something? I was always told that they never stopped moving." She spoke quietly to herself. "I guess it couldn't hurt to take a look around right?" She thought as she crossed the threshold into a different world. A world that would change her life.