Shira sat reclined on a branch high in an ancient tree, her back against the massive trunk, watching the sunrise. She had gone on a hunt in the woods with her brother, Kamen, the day before. Both camped for the night, but when Kamen headed back for home an hour earlier, Shira decided to stay behind and watch the daybreak. It was truly a beautiful morning. The sunlight glistened through the dewdrops clinging to every newly blossomed leaf, birds were singing from every direction and Shira felt totally content, releasing a long sigh and smiling at the beauty surrounding her.
The day before had been an eventful one, staking out wild rabbits in the damp woods known as Reynik Forest. Shira and Kamen had an ongoing competition as far as the hunting went. Shira, being quite the tomboy, was always able to keep up with her older brother, who was happy to teach her all he knew with the his four years extra experience. On this most recent venture it was Shira that landed the prey. It had taken till the evening to make the kills, but the girl managed to sack three rabbits. She always possessed a natural talent with a bow and arrow, which was fine tuned with vigilant practice. The 15 year-old’s prize was to sit back and relax as Kamen skinned and cleaned the animals by the campfire that night, packed most of the meat to take home to the rest of their family, and cooked the remaining for their supper. Brother and sister ate until their bellies were full, Shira playfully teasing Kamen about her win as they dined, and finally drifted off to sleep under the velvety night sky, warmed by the glowing embers.
Shira loved spending time with her caring, protective brother, but she enjoyed time alone every now and then as well. As soon as the sun reached above the distant horizon, the girl descended from the top of the great tree. Kamen took the camping supplies and meat when he left, so all Shira had to carry back was her bow and quiver, which had become more like appendages since the day the ornate set was gifted to her five years before. She began her journey home at a leisurely pace, deciding to take her own, more interesting route over the shorter, direct route her brother preferred. She wanted to do a little exploring, for there was always something new to discover in Reynik Forest, and relish every second of the solo trip back to her village.
In her usual boyish attire, a tan linen shirt with elbow length sleeves, a crimson form-fitting vest, well worn buckskin pants, hand-me-down leather shoes, and her long raven hair tied back, Shira easily maneuvered through the thick growth of trees. She merrily splashed through clear, shallow streams as she came upon them, all the while soaking in the sun, thoroughly enjoying the cool spring breeze. She loved to smell the freshness of nature around her and didn’t mind getting a little dirty. Eventually Shira picked up the sounds of a very familiar waterfall, which told her she was nearly home. She stopped to admire the crystalline cascade when she came to it. The broad wall of water was always a mesmerizing site for the girl and she often visited it in her free time. At nearly noon, Shira resigned herself to the fact that she needed to return to reality. The teenager left the dense trees behind and entered her home village of Torrenda.
Torrenda was a very small, peaceful community like most in the far western section of Xandresh. The only truly distinguishing characteristic of the town was the constant white noise that resonated from that nearby waterfall. The sound could be easily heard throughout most of the settlement. Torrenda itself had one main dirt road, along which sat a few mentionable businesses like a trade store, a blacksmith, a butcher and a tavern. The rest of the village consisted of thatch-roofed cottages, barns and other structures, each lovingly built by its owner, and acres of lush farmland. Torrenda was a thriving little town and Shira and her brother considered it their only home. It was, after all, the only one either could recall, but they were not natives. The two had been adopted by the village doctor and his wife who found the children deep in Reynik Forest on their journey back from a distant village. Infant Shira and four year-old Kamen were hidden in the hollow trunk of a dead tree near what must have been their campsite. It had obviously been attacked, and their parents lay murdered nearby. The couple took the siblings in as their own, raising them with all the love of natural parents.
As Shira strolled down the main road, Torrenda appeared as a bustle as a town of that size could be. Horses and people walked the slightly saturated street, villagers tending to daily business, the usual chatter taking place. Shira knew the name of each and every citizen in her sights, and each of them knew her. She adored this little village and the people in it, but she always felt like an outsider. Unlike Kamen, Shira was never able to quite fit in with the community norm.
This young lady was just not interested in such things as marriage like all the other young women her age and, in that way, no one was interested in her. Not that the teenager was unattractive. In fact she was quite beautiful. Even her masculine clothing flattered her feminine figure. Her wavy black hair was long and vibrant, and her unusually large and pale blue eyes demanded attention. But it was Shira’s natural abilities that really separated her from the rest. For instance, her talent in archery was unmatched my most of the grown male villagers. But it was her gift of perception and even precognition that was especially remarkable. Shira was capable of sensing whether or not someone was lying and could feel strong emotions in others, as well as more subtle ones in those that were close to her. The girl’s prognostications were the most traumatic for her and ever since the first incident, when she was very young, Shira taught herself to be extremely careful about who she was open about her rare skills with.
* * * * * *
It happened exactly one week before little Shira’s sixth birthday. The air was frigid on that late November morning, and the girl accompanied her brother and their adoptive father, Jove, to the butcher. The plan was to purchase some fresh beef to stockpile before Torrenda’s first expected snow, soon to come. The three stepped inside the familiar shop, joining a couple other customers which were waiting for the owner, a gruff-looking man named Gray, to return from the back with their meat. After a minute or so, Gray came to the front counter with those orders, wearing his usual warm smile. Gray was a courteous man and his kind personality more than made up for his unpolished looks. Shira would later come to consider him a valued friend.
Jove, Shira, and Kamen stepped up to the counter, now the only customers in the store. Gray happily took Jove’s order and engaged in a little small talk about the pending weather. The large man then looked down at the two children and asked, “So, are you two ready for the snow?” and that’s when it hit Shira. She couldn’t have explained it then, but if asked today she would have described it as shock, drenched in an undeniable wave of perceived pain. The little girl went such a ghostly white that Jove was immediately concerned. He picked up Shira and asked her what was wrong as Gray warily headed through the doors that lead to the back. Shira could not say a word. It was as though the breath were stolen from her lungs. She knew something, but was incapable of communicating what it was.
It was only a couple of seconds before Shira hastily squirmed out of her father’s arms and pushed her way through the doors to Gray. At the exact moment the girl entered the room, it happened. Just like she knew it would. Gray swung down his cleaver to divide a slab of meat, but hit his fingers instead. There was a horrific scream of pain from Gray, and one of terror from Shira. Blood instantly and heavily spurted from where two of Gray’s left-hand digits once were. Jove frantically shoved through the door, shouting for his daughter, with Kamen not far behind. Once he was aware of what had happened, the father ordered his son to take Shira and go find their mother for help.
Jove tightly wrapped a cloth around Gray’s injury and assured him he would be alright, but all the butcher could say in response was, “She knew…Shira knew.” Somehow, as happens in all close communes, everyone in Torrenda heard the story, which required no exaggeration. The result was a stigma that would hang over Shira from then on.
* * * * * *
Shira finally approached the cottage where she and her family dwelled. She halted for a moment just before the entrance and took a deep breath, assuming there would be consequences for her half-day’s self indulgence. Then she cautiously opened the creaking front door, in hopes of going unnoticed. There was of course, no such luck.
“Shira!” called her mother, a lean, blonde-haired woman named Hendra, from the small kitchen in the corner of their cottage.
Shira stopped mid-tiptoe with a half serious defeated look on her face. “Good morning, mother,” she replied.
“Good
afternoon, Shira. You are getting too old for such disregard for your chores, young lady.”
“Yes, I know. I’m sorry, it won’t happen again,” answered Shira, now slightly shamed. It’s just that, I can actually begin to feel who I truly am in those woods.”
I know, my darling girl,” said Hendra as she placed a caring hand on her adopted daughter’s cheek. Love was a constant feeling Shira could sense from her mother, but the physical caress amplified it even more. “Eat something quickly and go help your brother. He has been doing your duties in addition to his own today.”
Relieved that she was not scolded further, Shira did as her mother told her. She even took over the rest of the day’s work for her brother, mending fences, cleaning the chicken coup and such, so he could ride his beloved horse, Rain. Horseback riding was the one talent of Kamen’s that Shira knew she could never match.
As the dusk finally arrived that day, painting the horizon a deep crimson, Shira and her family sat down to dinner. They ate contentedly and partook in the usual conversation surrounding the day’s events. Jove spoke of the patients he saw that day and announced the pregnancy of a newly wed villager. Hendra shared some town gossip from her trip to the trade store, and Kamen and Shira told their parents about their hunt the day before. Soon everyone was satiated and relaxed.
Shira was the first to traipse off to bed, thoroughly exhausted, yet completely satisfied from her full day. She made her way across the worn-in, wide planked floor and entered her cozy little bedroom. She crawled on to her straw stuffed mattress and quickly fell asleep, lulled by the distant roar of Torrenda’s waterfall.
