Xana

Chapter 1 &2

Chapter 1: The Desert is no place for Royalty

Xana picked her teeth as she waited for Kilu. He was always late. A habit he had had since the first day she met him. It was a consistent thorn in her side. Thankfully she was under the shade of the Jahjah tree. 

As she waited she contemplated climbing up the branches to pick some of the delicious fruit. Her belly grumbled. She watched a snake strangle a bird. It only made her belly grumble more. When the bird finally stopped struggling she grabbed the first branch to start climbing. She climbed easily because she had been climbing almost every day since she was seven. 10 years later and it was as easy as breathing. 

As she picked a third fruit Kilu appeared over the horizon. He had an uncanny ability to materialize when food was present. She thought to herself that she should’ve picked the fruit 30 minutes earlier. She was sure that he would’ve been earlier then. Even now he strolled as if he had all the time in the world. If she wasn’t so happy to see him she would strangle him. 

She climbed higher, eating the fruit and letting the juice drip down her throat, her hands, and her chin as she watched the snake continue devouring the bird. She climbed high enough to hide and watch Kilu as he continued strolling. When he walked it looked the way water sounded. She enjoyed watching as his movements rippled the air and light around him. It was as pleasing as she guessed his lips would feel.

By the time she had finished the second fruit he was almost completely underneath the shade of the tree. Before he had even made it to the base he yelled “Xana, I know you’re up there!” 

She said nothing. 

“Xana, get down now!” 

“Shut up you fool,” she said as she threw the last fruit down towards his head. He caught it out of reflex and chuckled. 

“Why must you always be so loud?”

“Would you like me any other way Xa?”

She stared at him. He closed the distance between them and rested his arm around his shoulder.

“Calm down okay.”

“First of all, get your arm off of me. Second of all, I’m so calm even the snow in the Winter Forest is jealous of me .”

“Wow, well, I doubt that. Anyway, we have to get going or we’ll miss it.”

“No shit, you were the one who was strolling nice and slow.” She said as she took off at a comfortable pace.

Running in sync was as easy for them as cliff climbing was for Uwe of the of the Mountain Tribe. Their rhythm was one sharpened by years of practice. Although they were roughly the same height, what he had in leg strength she matched with her slenderness and endurance. It had been twenty minutes but neither had broken a sweat. They had in fact just settled into their pace; their breathing had taken on a steady evenness. It was roughly another 40 minutes of running before they reached the forest and lost the sunlight. She intended to enjoy every ounce of sun on her skin. It was times like this she was glad that she was Faë. She almost chuckled at the thought of how drenched with sweat and smelly non Faë became after just a few minutes of running.

To the untrained eye the desert stretched forever but she could smell the moist soil of the forest up ahead. She could, in fact, see greenery in the distance and if she focused and tuned out Kilu’s sounds she could hear the animals at the front of the forest working. She could hear the rabbit running through the bushes and she could certainly hear the monkey’s hooting. Although she preferred the heat of the sun she really enjoyed the closeness of the forest. Sometimes it felt like a living blanket. She couldn’t wait to be wrapped in it again.

Chapter 2: The Magic of Home 

It wasn’t long before they broke through the first trees of the forest.

The air was heavy with moisture and life. She already missed the desert sunlight but she definitely appreciated the feeling of liveliness the forest brought to her. She accepted it. They wove quickly through the trees of Sylo Forest. Their movements were eerily efficient. It was almost like the forest cleared space for them.

The trees blurred past and with it the snapshots of the lives of every creature past. It could be overwhelming if she did not focus on one thing. If she wasn’t careful she could easily be lost in the mind or thoughts of an ant. It took time to perfect the art but it was well worth the hours of practice. Sometimes, if she let her mind’s door open just a crack she could even sense the minds of people, especially those who were too weak to have their thoughts and feelings protected. It often felt invasive but feeling like someone else even just for a little while was intoxicating.