A Guardian, One Last Time

The Realities Of The Present

It has been many years. I was young, then. Sometimes, it seems so much like a fevered dream that I would not believe my story myself if I didn't have the proof. My body remains covered in marking, indecipherable to any shaman that passes through the village. They no longer glow the blue that they used to do, occasionally- I find myself wondering how much of my tale is fact, and how much is fiction, created by the mind of a child, frightened and confused. Did my markings ever truly glow? At that time I could not tell you for certain, but I believed they did.

I went for a walk, one morning, after yet another dream about the beast, about our adventure. Of course, I missed him–The strongest bonds are formed when two struggle together. I walked the edges of the village, aimlessly keeping an eye on the children. There was a group of four, crowded around what looked like a rock. I stepped closer, to get a better look, and I saw it. My mirror, the mirror that summoned forth lightning from the beasts tail, no matter what. Even when torn from the beast's body. The children didn't touch it, careful murmurs about something that they did not understand. They looked up when I walked over, falling silent. I was never able to tell how the village felt about me after my return, but the children never cared, not so long as one had something interesting to show them. I lifted my mirror out of the ground, brushing the dirt out of the grooves gently. They watched with rapt attention as I tilted the mirror to show them the unnatural green sheen that, though somewhat muted, still hung around the mirror. One of the children murmured softly, "It's brighter now!" and I smiled slightly. I held it aloft, over my head, showing them the way it reflected the light. Their excited words and questions were lost on me, and I found myself flying. A brief trip through the clouds and I was back in The Valley. Down I plunged, but I did not feel as if I was falling. My vision twisted and turned through tunnels and caves, until I had reached the cave where I had woken up, that fateful day after I had been taken. A pair of eyes stared at me from the darkness, though I could still feel the wind from my village across my skin. I smiled up at the eyes, a sigh of relief escaping my lips. My companion had survived, and the slight green glow of his eyes told me that he was happy. I blinked, and I was back before the children, who were staring at me with wide eyes. I lowered the mirror, and glanced down at my arms. My markings were fading from blue, back to their normal black. "I saw him." I told them with a smile, returning the mirror to it's spot on my back. "The beast. He survived, and he is well." I felt light and happy, knowing that my companion had escaped his untimely fate from his wounds. The children ran to play, and I made my way back to my home. Content, I allowed myself to relax.

That is, until the screams began.

One adventure had ended, giving way to a new beginning.