Shadow of the Wilds

Chapter 1

A playful breeze wound its way through the blades of grass of the hilltop meadow. It was bustling with life from its long journey across the sea. It had been inhaled by pirates, whales, merchants and a gull who had gotten lost and flown out too far. It had been cooled by the ice bergs from the north and warmed by the swells from the south. It had traveled, lived, and learned. 

Now it told the grass of the things it had seen and been told. Secrets of desperate men in storms, and of sailors longing for home. The grass was happy to have news from the world. It could grow stronger and provide more nutrients to the behemoth Granesh that now slowly grazed. Sure some blades would end matted beneath their giant lumbering feet, but they would re-grow in turn, and they would remember.

The conversation between the wind and grass, however, was rudely interrupted. A girl of age no more than 14 was running through the meadow and stopping the breeze with her legs, face and clothes. She would trap the breeze in her lungs and she ran between the towering beasts, teasing them as a mouse would to an elephant. The Granesh didn't mind however. This was their yearly migration from the North to the southern continent, and they had spent the past 6 years getting to know her. They enjoyed the familiar face on their otherwise long and tireless journey. Every year when they passed by the tiny hillside village of Trannemore they looked forward to the tiny feet and the sound of her laughter. 

Syla loved quickly dodging the the massive pillars of feet and jumping to touch the bellies of the creatures. She had done it ever since her father and brought her out here to see the herd for the first time. She felt somehow close to him. Re-tracing the activities of her earlier childhood. This was easily her favourite time of year.

When she was finished, she would write to him and detail the sound they would grumble and how somehow they seems to almost be smiling. 

Something caught Syla's eye and she immediately turned towards it. It would appear that the Granesh had been too noisy, and below ground, a startled rabbit had decided it would be best to vacate its burrow to find quieter quarters. An unfortunate decision for the rabbit, but fortunate discovery for Syla. She loved rabbit stew and would be too early for her mother to have started cooking. Maybe she could surprise her when she got home from her work with the village elderly.

Syla gave chase and ran as fast as she could after the rabbit. Her long brown hair danced behind her as weaved and sprinted, trying to catch up to the animal. Her sharp emerald eyes were focused on the rabbit trying to determine what direction it would dart next. 

In a moment of poor judgment, the rabbit turned too much to the left, opening the perfect opportunity for Syla to lunge and catch it by its hind legs. Covered in freshly minted grass stains, Syla stood with her prize hoping that her mother would proud of her catch and ignore the long green smears across the front of her shirt. She made a quick movement with her hands, and in an instant, the rabbit stopped moving.

Syla breathed deeply, catching her breath. The air tasted sweet and heavy. As she exhaled, she could feel it returning to the breeze that now whipped her hair across her face as she stood still. She looked longingly at the grass that swayed back and fourth. She stood, quietly, listening to the rustling of the blades against one another. In a moment, she would turn about and make the long walk home. But for now, she stood and listened.