Storm

Chapter 1

“Storm!” The childish voice echoed, and the young woman looked over her shoulder. She was standing on one foot, on her tip-toes, on the spire of the pavilion. The sudden motion of turning her head changed her center of balance, and she toppled backwards off the narrow metal rod, tumbling head over heels right down the roof!

She landed with an audible oof!, and Nam-kha ran up to her. To all appearances, Nam-kha was a baby wolf-bat, except that she was twice the size of a regular wolf-bat, and her wings were pure white feathers in stead of brown skin. Storm clamored to her feet, brushing off her long white gown, and sighed. “Yes, Nam-kha?”

            “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you fall.” The young spirit looked like she was about to cry, and Storm was quick to reassure her. “You didn’t! I was practicing my falling.” She nodded like this made perfect sense, and Nam-kha brightened.

            “Oh, okay! I was coming to tell you that Wan is waiting for you! He says you’re supposed to have tea together today.”

            “Oh, right, I forgot about that!” Storm took off at a run, reaching the grassy plain in no time. A small white table was set up with a tea set on it, but the man she was looking for wasn’t sitting at it.

            No, her old friend was laying in the grass, staring at the sky. His shaggy brown hair and neatly trimmed beard rustled in the breeze that blew across the plain, and she grinned. Walking quietly, Storm moved until she was just outside his sightline, then yelled as loud as she could!

            “WAAAAAAAAN!” He jumped a foot in the air and shouted in surprise. When he gathered his wits enough to look around, he discovered Storm doubled over with her hands on her knees, laughing.

            “That was a little over the top.” He frowned at her, but she just shook her head. “That was payback, my friend.”

            Wan shook his head, sighing. “Payback? For a little old t--”

            “Nima.” The word floated on the breeze, echoing around them. Storm looked up. “Oh, I have to go. Mother’s calling. We’ll have tea later, okay?” Waving energetically, the young woman ran off, her long black hair blowing behind her, stark against her white dress.

            Wan shook his head, and resumed staring at the sky.

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            When Storm reached the cavern she shared with her Mother, the tall, elegant spirit was waiting. As always, even after nearly one hundred years, the sight of the Mother of Faces took Storm’s breath away.

            The spirit seemed to be made of water and vines, but the vines looked almost like tree bark. Though only the bottom half of her Mother’s five faces were visible, all were obviously beautiful. As always, blue shadow-faces floated around her Mother, lending to her aura. In all her time in the Spirit World, Storm had never seen another spirit as old or as beautiful as the Mother of Faces.

            But then, of course she hadn’t. Her Mother was one of the first spirits--she had existed since the beginning of Time itself.

            Sometimes Storm was a little in awe of that fact, even though the Mother of Faces was also HER Mother.

            “You called for me, Mother?”

            “Yes, my Nima. In a short time, we will enter the Physical World again. It is time to travel through Forgetful Valley.”

            Storm smiled softly at her Mother, knowing how sad it made the Mother of Faces when humans rejected her beautiful work. But something else was weighing on her mind, something that had been there fore quite awhile.

            “Mother, may I ask you something?”

            “Of course, my Nima.” Her Mother sat in a half-bowl shaped rock and gestured for Storm to sit in front of her, which Storm promptly did. Mother began combing her long, knarled fingers through Storm’s unruly hair. “What is it?”

            “Well, Mother… it’s just that… the only time I ever go to the Physical World is when we enter the Forgetful Valley. I’ve NEVER been outside it. I… I want to leave. I want to see more of the world, the HUMAN world.”

            The Mother of Faces’ fingers stilled. “You wish to leave the Spirit Realm? To mingle with the ungrateful throes of humanity? Why?”

            Storm sighed. “Because I AM human. I’m not a spirit like everyone else here, and as much as I love it here… I want to know more about the place I come from.”

            “Then visit Wan Shi Tong’s library.”

            “Not from books, Mother!” Storm turned to look at her Mother earnestly. “I want to SEE it, to experience it for myself.”

            “You do not belong there, my Nima. The human world is dangerous; humans are despicable creatures.”

            “Then why do you love them so much?”

            The Mother of Faces stood, making a gesture of negation. “No. We are finished. You are not leaving.”

            With that her Mother left the cavern, off to do who knew what. Storm sat on the ground, completely shocked. She had known Mother wouldn’t like it, but to forbid it? Storm may have been human, but while in the Spirit World she was immortal. She was over one hundred years old, and her Mother was still telling her what to do?

            True… her Mother was an ancient, super powerful spirit…

            But still.

            It was almost anathema to Storm to consider disobeying her Mother… but she’d never had to before. She’d always had as much freedom as she wanted.

            Now, it was all being taken away?

            Storm stood, clenching her fists.

            No. This was COMPLETELY unfair! She had to make Mother understand. She HAD to.

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Sooo. This is my first main character OC... tell me what you think! I love Storm and her story, I just hope you guys will, too!

:)