The Winged

4- The Burrow

I didn't appreciate that laugh when I told her my age.
"Ah, you're just a bairn." She made it sound almost babying, "Don't you go worrying that pretty head about no humans, we're here now." There was no other comment on how she had unnerved me.
I stood up straight and gave my wings a flitter. I hadn't even entered the Burrow yet and I was already hearing of the human encounters. It made me tense. We were lucky- or rather, unlucky- to even hear of a human near the Hollow. I could have never imagined such an encounter as she had just described... yet it seemed normal here.
Again, that spark of fear prickled.

Firm, guarded, hidden. Then I could go home.

The woman led me through the bushes and through a tunnel of leaves. Her blue hair was soft in colour and incredibly thick in the plait running down her back. I noticed for the first time how much taller she was than me, not to mention how much stronger she looked. Her arms were tensed constantly, the skin tanned, maybe a little sunburnt. She had double my strength and just over a third more height than me.
Just a bairn, her voice lingered. Like I was ignorant of dangers she could clearly see. And I once more found myself wondering whether it was safe to be here.
She didn't seem overly afraid of humans... more like she was aggravated by them than afraid. In that way, she reminded me of Rosin. But that made me sad so I tried not to think about it.

The pair of us padded into a clearing sheltered by leaves overhead. The ground here dipped between two gigantic boulders, and in the middle of the rocks lay the Burrow. There were branches and sticks laid out across the top of the stones, creating a makeshift roof that had been coated with leaves and shrubs. The Burrow was completely concealed by this roof, which cast a dim shadow over everything. It was a rather clever design, almost like an artificial ceiling. I looked upon the many houses crafted from cans, buckets, boxes and anything you could imagine. It was certainly a contrast to the beautifully woven flower houses that made up the Nook. Yet there was something pleasant about the disarray and clashing of colours and shapes. A complexity. This tribe by the lake was pretty, though notoriously dangerous.

Flo led me down into the tribe in quite a business-like way. No more stories, no more talking, just walking.
There were people dressed in blue milling around under the eaves and between houses, moving crates and whatnot. A few of them stopped what they were doing upon seeing me stood in the entrance.
I felt more than a little embarrassed all of a sudden, my cheeks flushing red to match my hair and uniform. Don't stare, I wanted to say to them. The eyes were so flustering. At least I had forgotten my nervousness about humans now.
Flo smiled when she saw my face. A firm hand went onto my back, making me jump. "Don't mind them, they're just curious."
With that, she began to stroll down the dirt path towards the centre of the village, practically shoving me along with her. I almost tripped over my feet when I tried to slow down. The hand on my back was reassuring, but also firm. If I was reluctant to enter the tribe, it didn't matter to the woman. She gave me a subtle push when I testingly tried to draw back.

There seemed to be a building similar to Blossom that was back in my own village. A huge, blue bucket was standing tall in the centre of everything, the outside shiny and clean. The soft orange and yellow shadows of leaves were cast over its shell, swaying in the breeze like waves on the lake. I smiled, seeing the Hollow's insignia painted over the entrance alongside the Burrow's own and the Nook's. A touch of home in this strange place.
"Are we going there?" I asked the woman, gesturing anxiously at the structure.
She nodded, "You are. I'm sure the Elder will have jobs for you. I've got things to do."
Jobs? You mean a single job. But I said nothing.

As we drew near to the blue cylinder, I became acutely away of the many pair of eyes still gawking at my wings. They began to flutter a little on my back, ruffling my red uniform with their anxious ticking. I forced a slow breath, trying to calm my nerves. They cooled down after that, dropping into their resting position. Was I nervous to meet the Elder? Yes, but it wasn't just that. This entire tribe was putting me on edge. I preferred the Nook. I preferred the Nook a lot. People didn't stare as much and nobody had ever mentioned humans.
Flo led me firmly into the bucket through a carved doorway. Hanging vines brushed our shoulders as we crossed through them.