Memoir of Xayah - The lost sparrow and the lonley fox

[24]

She was angry, or it was better if she said she was irritated. She had started to keep an eye on the Temple of Whispers, perched on one of the last trees of the forest. She had borne chills for days, caused by the negative energy of that place. Her guts had tangled, and her instinct had always told her to run away from that cursed place. But she had lost some days even to find that temple, leaving tracks inside the forest, careful that humans would have never seen them.
She would have never asked Ahri for indications. She had noticed her glance when she had named that place. She would have stopped her from going near, as any sane Vastaya.
She had spent days researching, waiting, flavoured by a monotonous watch, wasted because she had obtained nothing. Not a single person had appeared inside the courtyard, and not a single priest had shown themselves. But she was sure she had seen them, they and their empty eyes, and stiffed as moving rocks.
In a normal situation, she would have given up. She had understood that the temple was a strange place. And if something was too strange, it was also dangerous.
People did not come near; they feared its reputation. Not even the invaders had been able to conquer it, and they had destroyed entire cities. The only insane persons had been the humans that had brought her inside the temple. Humans that she had never seen again inside the forest. Probably they had been swallowed by that doomed place.
But she would have entered there again and would have spoken with that damned witch. She knew where her tribe was. She knew what happened to them. It was a high price; she would have had a lead finally. But still, it seemed to easy to reach.
She almost ripped a feather when she tried to polish it. She was too nervous and was expressing her frustration in the wrong way. She tried to calm down and go on with her meticulous cleaning. She had started it to relax, but it had the opposite effect. She had to empty her mind, or she would have plucked herself.
She looked at the basket on her side, full of red and orange juicy fruits. She had already collected her alibi. She had just to go back to the cave and hope that Ahri was there. Her empty talks were perfect for her mood, those tedious descriptions on how nature could bring different benefits. She had tried too many times to give her oils and sticky creams she had made, but she had always refused; having a perfect skin would have been useless during an engagement.
They were moments when she remembered the girls at her village. They were careful to take care of their appearance so that they could gain the attention of the boys. She had never followed their talks and their gossips, and now, ironically, they were her salvation from boredom and her delusions.
She stopped to polish her feathers and decided to reach the cave, but some voices gained her attention. She jumped on a higher branch, more covered by the green leaves, and waited for the wanderers. She had learnt that it was better to avoid them if they were humans. Especially alone and with her weak arm, she was at risk. They were not so careful at their surroundings and rarely laid their eyes on the top of the trees. They fell safe, holding tight their weapons. They were sure that those iron sticks and bows could help them not to lose their lives.
And they did not know how much they were wrong; a single feather thrown from her hiding place would have been enough to kill them.
One of the wanderers was a little girl. She was surprised by that, but not as when she saw Ahri with her. The Vastaya guided her inside the forest. It was obvious that the girl had got lost and the woman was naively bringing her to her village.
The frustration became a rage. Ahri was acting mindlessly with a human and was not capable of considering the risks again. She knew the area perfectly when she wanted to create her beauty swills, but she had no idea that a human settlement could be very dangerous.
She sighed, desperate, and decided to follow her. She was ready to help Ahri if she would have ended in trouble. A surprise attack could give them some advantage, even if they were less than their enemies.
She waited for Ahri and the little girl to move away a bit and then grabbed her basket. She followed their trail, jumping from a tree to another. She stopped just before she would have reached them, and then she did the same. But this time the little girl seemed to hear her and grabbed Ahri's robe.
The Vastaya looked around suspicious and raised her sight to the top of the trees. She laid her yellow eyes exactly on her hideout, so she could directly look at them.
She held her breathe, fearing Ahri had seen her. She hardened her muscles and tried not to move even a single leaf, begging the Vastaya to move on.
The little girl moaned, and Ahri caressed her to calm her. When she heard the words " it is nothing" she felt her heart more light. But she had to change opinion. After the Vastaya asked the human to start walking, she turned on her direction again and moved her lips.
« Do not move,» she said soundlessly.
Her cold gaze brought her back to their encounter with the hunters. Like that time, she shivered and did not dare to disobey. Ahri had her in check for the second time and even without using brutal force.
She feared her powers indeed. She had felt how strong they were and still did not know what her tribe was. And that did not help her to understand her true skills. Ahri did not seem someone easy to upset if she did not count the outbursts against herself. But if she looked at her in that way, she had to be careful. It could be a warning.
Ahri and the little human girl walked away, and she stayed still, as requested. She did not know how much she waited, but the useless watches came up to her mind. She had to eat two fruits to calm the rage that filled her stomach.
Finally, a movement on the undergrowth made her ears straightened. She looked down, and Ahri reached the tree where she was, alone.
« You can come down. »
She did not let her repeat it twice. With the basket in her hand, she jumped down near the Vastaya. She looked at her quickly. She felt relieved and confused, noticing Ahri was calm. She did not upset her, but she could not understand that strict order.
« How did you know it was me? » she asked.
She decided to start the conversation from another point for testing the water.
« I have recognized the smell of the cream you use for your arm. It is quite intense, and I do not think that another Vastaya uses it. »
Ahri had a sense of smell more fine than hers. She had finally discovered one of her skills. Maybe she could have guessed it from her foxy aspect, but she was more interested in her magical powers. Those seemed different, if not unique.
« And why were you following me? »
« You were guiding a human, and it could be dangerous. »
Ahri sighed, making her even more confused. She had said nothing strange. It was a logical argument. She could not be so naive.
« She was a child Xayah, what could she do to me? »
She heard that as scolding and felt offended. She had more experience with humans than her and could surely know how much they were dangerous. She was not so stupid to get enchanted by a baby.
« Maybe she was not dangerous, but her village yes. She could call her parents, or she can tell them to have seen you. And they could come looking for you with their hunters. Or... »
« Are you telling me that I should have left her inside the forest alone? » Ahri asked, interrupting her.
The words were stuck in her throat. She could not give her an affirmative answer. She knew what meant to be alone, helpless and without the dear one ready to protect her. She knew what meant to wander aimlessly, looking for help. She knew what that little girl had felt and hated to admit she understood her feelings.
« Not all humans are bad. They could also be grateful. »
She could not suppress an angry gaze toward Ahri. She still felt the wounds that humans had left on her, their happiness on making the others suffer, their action aimed only at a profit.
« One I have tried to speak to humans and to thank me, they have tried to kidnap me for selling my feathers, » she replied crabby, throwing at her the incident that started her misfortune.
Ahri did not open her mouth. She was surprised for that confession. She lowered her face and took off a bracelet made with little blue wooden balls.
« Maybe you have met the wrong humans, » she whispered.
« And how can you say that? »
Ahri took her hand gently and put inside the bracelet, smiling a bit.
« The little girl has given this to me, to say thank you for bringing her home. »
The Vastaya did not add anything else and started to walk.
She could just look at her, accompanied by the slow movement of her white tales.