Fledging

Chapter 22

Heyyy there everyone! *nervous laugh* sorry about taking so darn long, school's been taking up a lot of my time lately but I should've gotten this done sooner.  I'm at a precarious moment now and I really have to be thinking about what happens now because I feel like it can go a few ways... but I'm working on it and here's another chapter!  Tell me what you think!! :D

Chapter 22

                I whirled around, slamming the book shut in the process, creating an echoed sound in the small room.  I saw a figure standing in the doorway and recognized the elderly Vroulk that had welcomed us.

                “Oh, uhhh it was… interesting,” I said as my mind was still whirling from the information it had just taken in.

                “I’m guessing from your expression that you did not know much about this, if anything, beforehand?”

                “No, we were taught that we were born from the first Wind to blow across the earth.”

                “Ahh yes, many Pavox societies prefer that story to the true legend.  After all, we Vroulk are your opposites in most ways considered, and as we all started out Human, or Human-like, I can see where they would want to change things.  However it does have a level of truth to it as many off branching stories do.”

I stared at the man with narrowed eyes, not liking the way he talked about the Pavox changing things for their pride.

                “I don’t mean to offend you, but as I’m sure you know; the Pavox are a proud race and are protective of their culture.  In a way, the orb of the North that was mentioned in the book was the wind.  Or at least was the objectified version of the wind.  And it was from that orb that you gained the characteristics that define you physically to this day, so in that way you were born from the Wind, the first wisp of the Air element to be released from the orb.”

                I shifted to my other claw and looked around the room again, unsure of how to respond.  Despite his casual tone and say of not wanting to offend me, I still was.

                “Araceli?  Oh there you are.”  Kenneth walked into the room and looked around, scanning the books around the room.

                “Find anything good? You’ve been in here for a while.”

                “There was one book,” I said without elaboration.  I then walked towards the door where he was, turning to slide past him back into the other room.  I glanced back to see Kenneth give the elder a quizzical look only to receive a shrug on the other’s part.

“Araceli, there you are.”  Another voice off to my right called once I had entered the main part of the library.  I turned around, wondering who else was looking for me, to see Raven standing in the doorway, her brow bunched together in the center of her face, twisting her scar even more.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, starting towards her anxiously.

“We have just received news from Veiliegstad regarding some important news.”

“Does it have something to do with me?” I asked nervously.

“Yes, it seems they have already caught wind of your resurgence.  Some of the nobles are skeptical of course, everyone thought you had long since died so the thought of you coming back is obviously being met with some doubt.”

“They… thought I was dead?  Then why was Kenneth still looking for me if I was supposedly dead?”

“Those at Veiliegstad thought you were gone, but a few here in the Kundi-Amani still believed that you were out there somewhere.  Come, I will explain on the way.”