The Girl of Ossetia

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

 Arrana had not thought of her family in some time since her departure. She realized this as she had creakily knelt to the ground, running her long fingers over the soft fur pelt, remembering the large rug in the living quarters of her home. She let out a long sigh, closing her eyes momentarily before laying down, pulling off her boots and leaning her head back. She watched the shadows dance across the pitched cieling of the tent, gazing up out of the fire hole, the distant constelations of Hectalor and Evanthony twinkling high above.

Hectalor and Evanthony had been two lovers in the time before the Kingdoms, when all of Corrigun lived in harmony. Arrana remembered the story of the star-crossed lovers well, how her Father would lean up against the stone fireplace, his face lightened by the fire and his immense story telling abilities, how he would brush Arrana's cheek, then tousle Imogen's hair.

Arrana winced. 

Imogen, her poor sister. She was blind but might as well have been mute. She was a silent, brooding girl, numbed by the fact her sister was the priorty. In ways, Imogen had scared Arrana, the way she sat in the bay window in the loft, staring out at the tree's blankly, her lips twitching before she would rake her fingers down the glass, causing hectic squealing that stood the hairs up on the back of her neck. 

She closed her eyes, listening to the distant chatter below, before it drained away, and instead of Nuae swaying and drifting about, she found herself in a memory she had long forgotten - or more had smothered out. 

She had been leading her sister through a grove of trees, holding her hand tightly and chattering happily, looking up through the branches at the newly brooding skies - which earlier had been cloudless and crisp blue. It was Autumn in Ossetia, and the warm colors of the leaves was now level with both the trees and the ground. As Arrana trudged along, her sister stumbling to keep up with her, she noticed something moving swiftly between the trees.

She quickly stopped and her young sister did as well. Arrana's eyes narrowed as she focused hard on it before it moved into the light. Her eyes widened and she grinned. 

"Oh, Imogen!" She breathed softly, she squeezed her sisters hand, looking back at her twisted face as the curiosty was obviously overwhelming her quickly roving eyes. Arrana winced slightly, looking back at the creature. "It's a Geldoner. Oh he's beautiful, Imogen." She simpered, stepping slightly closer to the animal. 

"What?" The sister squeaked, her voice cracking. Arrana looked back again at her, surprised, because her sister hardly ever spoke. A Geldoner was one of the rarest creatures in Ossetia, though there were tales of herds of them that migrated from the enchanted forest just outside of Ossetia. The creature was deer like, only shimmering black. It absorbed the light like an opal, shimmering with all kind of purple hues. Upon it's head were twists and turns of ebony antlers, which had been stripped in areas to show the silver bone beneath the velevety skin. 

Arrana stepped closer to the rare creature, who turned it's large head to her, it's metallic eyes glinting in the winks of sunlight slicing through the clouds and branches. Imogen whimpered, obviously tortured by the fact she couldn't see it. The Geldoner snorted, pawing one of it's dark cloven hooves, forcing the girls to stop. Arrana held her breath, staring at it, before smiling gently and holding out her palm. The creature stared at her for a very long time, so long she could feel her arm growing weary, but she did not waver. And very slowly, it began walking towards her. Excitement filled her bones and she clenched her teeth to keep from shouting as it pressed it's soft violet glinting muzzle into her palm. She exhaled very slowly, running her fingers down it's face. She noticed that suddenly there was a zip of electricity through the air paired with the sound of something tearing and snapping, followed by an explosive blast of thunder that frightened the girls they were knocked to their feet.