The Girl in the Cloak

Familiar Surroundings, New Faces

"Ouch what is all this snapping? How did I get here I was just in this city l. Then, oh right he caught me, but still how did I get here? Am I falling? Please just be safe."

Quickly she whipped her hand out and grabbed a branch. Somehow she was back in the forest she was in just a few days ago. There she hung looking around. She was still too high to just let go. But her hand burned. Her eyes caught an unwanted sight. Blood trickled down her wrist and forearm. Both were scratched to bits. Her fingers started to go numb. Panicking, she went to move her other arm. Nothing happened. She snapped her gaze to her arm. Fingers fine. Hand fine. Wrist nothing wrong. Elbow perfect. Then the culprit came I to view. Sticking through her upper arm was a large mangled branch. The pain hit the moment she noticed it's presence. It swelled through her body. As she went to scream in agony her fingers slipped and her trip restarted.

Snaps and crackles filled the forest as the body fell. The body caught every branch it could but nothing slowed it down. The fifth or so branch caught the girl squarely on the back of the head and her body went limp. The remaining hundred feet took its toll on the limp body. Hundreds of cuts, scrapes, and bruises riddled her flesh before she even reached the forest floor. And when she did a deep thud echoed through the forest.

Days passed and the girl in the cloak didn't move. The only motion from her was that of the light breaths her lungs could manage. On the fourth day, the god of luck smiled on her. Her old friend stumbled upon her while hunting.

"Little kitten wake up are you alive! Little kitten please!" The raspy voice called to her, but where her mind was she couldn't hear a thing. Her eyes opened just long enough for her to see the cat runoff and then darkness. Flashes of things she didn't recognize plagued her. Quickly the flashes only gaining in speed as the seconds passed. Suddenly one face stood out. She had never seen it before. She was sure of that. Its beauty was something she would never forget. Its lips parted in a smile and started to form words. As the sounds started to reach her all went black. A blast of light hit her eyes, blinding her for only a few moments. When it calmed down a room from her distant past surrounded her. She was all but convinced it was a memory when...

"Hello, little kitten."

That voice, that raspy voice. It must be, but how.

"I know what your thinking I happened on you just a few days ago. Three to be precise if it at all matters to you. I got some help from an old friend of mine."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a tallish figure. It was a woman. Her green eyes pierced through whatever they came in contact with. She wore black clothes. Nice ones by the look of it. Ones that the girl in the cloak would have to steal if she ever wanted to wear cloth that fine. Her long sleeves were rolled up and her hands and arms were covered in blood. But she stood leaning against the wall with her arms crossed like she didn't care one bit of those beautiful clothes were ruined. The girl's eyes caught something. Barely visible beneath the blood were markings. Blue markings, and strange ones at that. From what she could see they told a story. Before the girl could get a better look, the woman came off the wall and walked to the old cat.

"I can introduce myself you silly old cat." Her hand reached out and shuffled the cat's fur. The girl gasped then coughed hard. She would never dream of doing that.

"Be careful now. If my guess is right you have bruised your lungs. The amount of damage you have, if I didn't know any better I'd say you fell through the trees. Did you pick up a few climbing skills from Torikk over here?" Her head motioned towards the master. She knew his name. Who is she? "I am Fa-Lees, but you can just call me Fa if you want. Torikk and I go way back to the adventuring days, but we will talk about that another time. For now, it's time to rest. We will bring you food soon. Water is right next to you in the cup. I will answer your questions while we eat. Torikk let's go I need your cutting skills." With that, they both left the room, and the girl in the cloak drifted back to her dreams.