Through a Masked Maiden's Eyes

Chapter 2: Late Beginnings

 

I rolled over as I felt something soft tickle my leg underneath the old quilt and feather stuffed blanket covering me. Again something soft tickled my legs. I groaned softly rolling again until I fell off the bed onto the cold wooden floor, landing with an “oomph”. I rubbed my eyes pulling the blankets closer to myself and glared at the bed from on the floor.

“That wasn’t nice Awa.” I said as I squinted at her with annoyance.

Awa was my companion. They call her kind the Ella and they were a part of the FEWA group. FEWAs were animals that could relate to all four elements: fire, earth, water and air. They could live anywhere and rarely communicated with anyone except their own kind. But Awa, well she accepted me as if I were one of her kind.

Awa had a shell like turtle and a furry underside, head, and paws like a large feline and is very fast. She could also change sizes at will, like the fairies could. You didn’t want to make her angry. She had retractable fangs that are very sharp and laced with acid, which would literally set your flesh on fire. I’d seen her do it, the poor squirrel died instantly and Awa ate it after the fire had sizzled out.

Oh and did I mention that she had a tail and could fly? Her tail was light that of a bird but she could retract it into her shell. Her brown wings folded onto her sell giving it a brown zebra strip pattern. They look fragile but they are harder than diamonds, yet bendable. She is a marvelous creature and is my best friend and the only one who knows me completely.

She found me when I was wandering in the forest about a week after the fire. Awa opened me back up to my surroundings calming my inner rage to a controllable level. I had been so angry and so depressed. I was just barely functioning, living off of what I knew of the forest and occasionally stealing from neighboring villages. I had left unable to bear that they all thought I was dead and had been wandering, unsure of how I would ever find out who had killed my parents. She saved me from eating from a poisonous plant, shocking me with her presence. In my surprise I told her my entire story. We had been close ever since. She even helped me find this place.

Awa yawns and says with her melodious voice, “Oh, please I didn’t even do anything,” She gives me a sharp toothy smile, her golden eyes playful.

“I beg to differ, but is there a reason that you woke me or was it solely to annoy me?” I asked as my body slowly adapted to the morning chill. It wasn’t as sore as yesterday but there was still the lingering stiffness in my hands.

Awa tilted her head, “Idoya Zea London, as much as I would love to be able to say it was just to annoy you, I cannot believe you forgot about visiting the local orphanage today.”

I jumped up muttering oaths below my breath, “What time of day is it?”

Awa blinked at my sudden actions then let out a purring chuckle, “It is not yet ten. You will make it there with the food for their midday meal if you get your legs moving.” She motions with a paw for me to get to it, and sat down lifting said paw to clean it, with her large feline tongue.

I glared at her while I sprinted over to the dresser and took out my long leather dress that uses strings to shut up the front; it hugs my upper body and spilled down to my ankles from the top of my hips. I shucked my long sleep shirt and quickly put on fresh under clothing. I grabbed a cloth and rebadged my leg.  Then I slid on the dress. I attached a dagger to my inner thigh and slipped on my sleep drug ring forgetting that I had even taken it off. I grabbed my brown leather boots from a self on my wall. I unlocked the door and opened it. Then I hopped out the door into the hall with putting them on.