The sun was peeking gently over the mountain top and was eagerly greeted by two wide onyx eyes. Her small five foot frame sat almost paralyzed on the dirt floor, her eyes fixated on the swirling mix of yellows and oranges in the base of dark blue outside the window; light spreading and chasing away the ever encroaching darkness. 217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoT8lr6EKI4
Throwing herself backwards with a sudden force, she lay with her arms and legs spread as if to make an angel on the floor. Dark luscious curls fanned around her head in every direction, spreading like wild fire against the ground. Her dark mocha skin was almost completely covered in loose dirt as she began to roll around, fueled by pure excitement.
"Taiga."
The girl sat up quickly, brushing knotted curls behind her ear as she peeked over her shoulder at the oldest elder in the village, her grandmother.
"Child, what meaning is there behind your behavior?" The woman of over a hundred years watched her with vacant eyes. Taiga stood quickly and covered the window with soft animal skin nailed to wooden logs to prevent the woman's pale white skin from meeting it's death in a battle against the rays of the sun.
"Today is the day, Lady Krea." Taiga turned around and exclaimed, far happier than she should be.
A sullen frown spread across a stern face. When Krea spoke again, what seemed to Taiga an eternity later, her voice was soft and frail.
"Taiga.... your blood moon.... has it arrived?"
The girl of fourteen years plopped Indian style on the ground and began braiding her curls into a more manageable mess. No answer was needed. Everything she had ever wanted had arrived. Now, as a woman, she could take her place as high priestess and marry him, her best friend, the Cheiftan's son.
".... Taiga. This isn't something to be happy about. It's too early. Something is wrong."
The girl, so lost in her thoughts that every word was passing unheard, had moved silently to the window and was peering behind the animal skin. The village was coming alive.
"We have to warn the village." The Elder continued. "Farlah.... Farlah! It's happening. The darkness...."
Taiga was staring at a second pair of dark onyx eyes, a smile spreading from ear to ear across her face.
"Can you come?" He whispered softly too her.
"It's coming. Farlah.... the child is in danger. The darkness is coming. FARLAH!" Taiga looked back at her grandmother, who was slowly making her way to her parents room, and nodded slowly.
"The Elder?" He asked, still whispering as he listened intently to the fading rambling of the old woman.
"Another episode," Taiga quickly answered, slipping through the window opening and greeting him with a hug. She felt him hesitate but thought nothing of it as his arms wrapped around her and held her tight against his chest. He took her hand in his and they disappeared into the woods.
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