Planetoid Volume 1: Forest

Chapter 4: A New Tattoo

Aya and the great elder struggled against the forces of nature. Rain, wind and hail buffeted them as they rode through the night sky. Quick intervals between the flashes of lightning and crashes of thunder indicated the storm was still close by. Aya held her staff at her side, her fear of losing her balance prevented her from sitting upright and blocking the rain. Aya pressed her face into the wolfhound's furry neck.

"Aquan, are you all right?" The elder asked.

"I've just..."—Aya tried to speak but the lump in her stomach prevented it for a moment—"I've never ridden a wolfhound before. And this storm is fearsome."

"I've never had a humanoid rider on my back before," the wolfhound grunted back, "I'm growing weaker by the moment. Are we close by? I'm feeling your weight more and more."

Aya was silent until the wolfhound raised her head and spoke again, "Aquan, can you see where the village is?"

Aya pulled the wolfhound's hair in order to prop herself up on her head. She panned the skies, squinting from the heavy rain drops splattering across her face until she saw the fire lights from the village cabins a short distance away. "It's not that far. just keep flying straight."

"Pull my mane down when you want me to descend," The wolfhound told Aya.

Aya stared towards the horizon with great intensity. She hoped this long tempestuous night would come to a gentle end. But in harsh irony, the sky lit up like an explosion and lightning struck the elder and Aya. The beast erupted in fire with a loud howl causing Aya to fall backwards alongside her animal companion. Aya began to lose consciousness as she fell. She could still see the rainbow palms below, darkened in the abyss of night. Soon, her vision was consumed with darkness and Aya could no longer tell if she was dead or alive. Her mind was adrift in the vastness of her subconscious.

The sound of overhead birds and something scraping the ground woke Aya with a start. She gazed at the atmosphere above her. The sky was bright blue and the great star warmed the ground along with Aya's dirt encrusted face. She found herself lying face up in slowly drying mud with an Atma tree's rainbow leaves scattered around her. Extending her hand, she picked up one of the colorful palm leaves. "Must've broke my fall," she muttered, holding the leaf above her to inspect, "Thank the creator." She heard more scraping sounds and rose to find their source. Several feet away, Aya could see the elder wolfhound's body crumpled in the mud, slowly inching her way across the floor of the forest. Aya crawled to her feet with grogginess and stood up, stumbling over to the elder. As she made her way, she glanced to the left and saw her staff lying adjacent from them. She quickly grasped it and moved to the elder's aid.

"Elder," Aya cried, "What has become of you?" Aya observed the state of the wolfhound. Her wings were completely broken, and her eyes were distant and empty. Half of the beast slouched, hanging limp and Aya could tell there were signs of a stroke. In spite of this, she kept on crawling. "I...need...to...reach... my child," the beast croaked from its hanging jaw.

Tears seeped from Aya's eyes and she held her hands in front of her face. "Please...there must be something I can do for you. Can I use my staff?"

"Save your energy," the wolfhound groaned, "And I am much too heavy to be lifted."

Aya frowned through her tears. "Please if there's any way to assist you. Any way at all, please let me."

The wolfhound barely moved or batted an eye. All her glorious vitality had abandoned her. Aya found herself growing very edgy and concerned. "Elder...elder please don't be dead. Elder?"

The beast's bloody eye slowly slid towards Aya and her maw slowly opened and closed. "I'm just...thinking."

"What are you thinking about?"