The Shadows Of Lucidum

Ferouna

─━━━━━━⊱❍⊰━━━━━━─

We stood there for a while. Saying nothing at all. The silence was suffocating, but I couldn't push myself to say something. No matter what I would have said, it would have been terribly wrong and therefore would probably have made me even more suspicious than I already was.

"It seems it's up to me to decide then." Lupea finally put an end to the silence.

"Let's go back to the village. It's getting dark and we shouldn't be out here once it is. Plus, you probably are hungry since you didn't eat anything all day long...despite that single berry. Let's go." I actually wasn't hungry, but I guessed it really was a safer place than the middle of the forest. Well, if it wasn't for the other people living there. People that would definitely want to talk to me aswell...

When the sun began to set, we had barely gone half of the way to our destination. The trees transformed into one big terrifying mass. We couldn't see anything but our hands and bare feet. At least I couldn't. Lupea either perfectly knew the path we had to take by heart or she actually did see something.

The closer we got, the safer I felt. About one kilometre away from the village, I began to see some strange marks. They looked like veins transporting luminescent blood, the heart, the blood was meant for, being our home. They seemed to be equally spread into all directions. Some went north, east, south or west and some went up the gigantic trees or down into the ground, trying to reach worlds we wouldn't even dare dream of. It also got louder, every step we got closer. The others seemed to have a celebration or ceremony going on.

"There you are Koraki. I've been searching for you all day long. What were you and Lupea up to this time? Don't tell me you did something forbidden again. You'll have ruined your reputation before long if you keep making rash decisions like that all the time. You know, you're supposed to be a good example for the others, now don't you?", greeted me a young girl. Who was it? Blonde, almost white hair, dark brown eyes with a hint of red, a necklace with the pendant of a bear and scars all over her face. That definitely was Ferouna, my little sister.

"You're telling us we should watch our step a little more? The girl who gets in trouble all the time? Are you kidding me? We didn't even do anything this time. Just come with us once you're a little less of a pain and have fun for once, too. Trust me, I'd never dare to let your sister ruin her reputation. Who'd get me food for my pack of wolves once she can't get it anymore? I doubt you'd help me once you took your sister's place as chief."

"Ummmm... Thank you?", I answered, not knowing whether she was actually protecting me or simply admitting she was using me.

"As if I'd do that. Your pack can go hunt for itself. Wolves can live on their own, didn't you know? I don't have to send someone or go hunting myself for such unnecessary trivia. I still didn't get an answer though. What have the two of you been up to?", continued Ferouna.

"Collecting berries and eating them, ma'am. Well, at least I ate them. Then we went down to the river. Scaring some fish and stuff.", said Lupea jokingly.

"You were seriously scaring fish while I was drinking? Why didn't I notice?", I asked.

"How should I know? You might have been zoning out again."

"Okay. Enough of that nonsense. And why would you go and call me ma'am? Do I really seem that old? You know I'm younger than you, granny."

"Well... You were acting like a ma'am. All high and mighty. Oh and thanks for calling me granny. That means you're looking up to me, my dear." Lupea was definitely trying to drive Ferouna mad. I thought siblings should be the ones doing that to each other. Not their friends. At least it was a well appreciated opportunity for me to get away from here unnoticed, so off I went.

I could still hear their voices at the other end of our village, saying things like: "Your hair's already white like that of an old woman." and "Even my bear's too smart to scare fish without a reason." It kept going like that until there was a short break and then a simultaneous: "Seriously? Where is she off to?"

Seemed like they had finally noticed my absence. Now I only had to find a place they wouldn't expect me to be at.

─━━━━━━⊱❍⊰━━━━━━─