Chapter 1 Evening and golden light of sunsets
gI fell to the ground with my hood still up, I couldn’t let them see my face and we all specially tied a little ropes around our collars to secure it from falling, even put scarf around our mouths. All I could hear were loud bangs around me. I looked back to myself where I saw the other women rushing away, getting away from the bombs, away from the fire shootings. And I kept running. I couldn’t fade away like this.
Behind me where our once bellowed land of prosperity, safety and happiness lied. We were completely sheltered from outside, living in our little natures cave as one family of Nymphs of evening and golden light of sunsets. In total sixty nymphs lived here, not one got lost, not one got hurt. And we did no bad to soul. We were serving the nature just like any other nymphs. We grew up here. From the time women is discovered to be nymph in her early childhood she was grew up here. Here was the place where these nymphs learned to be nymphs, the pride it takes to be one. The secrecy of being golden light nymph, because other nymphs didn’t need to hide their powers but we did. Because according to them we were doing devils work, we were considered dark magic bearers of our time.
Now I saw only few of us running for our lives. My blood mother was still on the run and few other nymphs. But we were waiting for exile any minute and promised each other that in time like this we will first think about our own safety. We weren’t the last breed of evening nymphs but we were the last of golden light of sunsets. None other held the powers like we did. We would run until we were safe, just make sure at least one is left to carry on this gift.
So I ran, hearing even more bombs and screams and screeches in agony from my sisters. But we knew the burden our powers held. We were always prepared for sacrifice. Even running now. I wasn’t scared of death I was determined to make it through, to get safe only to not let our kind die. To teach others what wonderful things we can do.
Not once I looked back I got as far from the noise as I could, so far that even my mind couldn’t imagine the sounds of that war zone anymore.
The only place I stopped was in the river, I walked in there so only my head was up but behind a boulder. And I stayed there. And the water turned still and I scanned my surroundings. Every little crunch made me turn in stiff motion to not bubble the water. I heard someone passing. And after that I stayed quiet for hours. My fingers pruned up like raising, and my lips blue from cold but I didn’t dare to click my teeth together, the cold didn’t bother me now.
And when the evening came I was ready. I walked out not cold anymore. With evening breeze in my veins I filled up with energy feeling as if I floated above the water and stopped only at the depths of under the forest ceiling. I found the darkest and deepest woods around me, under a pile of twigs and branches. And I waited, waited till somebody would come but not the same ones who would destroy my land but my sisters, maybe my mother. Could she make it through all that? She was behind me but I was in the front, maybe she got struck and took the dagger in her back to let the rest of us live and not end our power cycle.
I slept on the ground waiting and wondering, when will they come. Hoped that they would come. In this time I started to worry if I was the only one left, I didn’t want to be alone. And not because I couldn’t help us not be forgotten because I knew I left alone I would need to do anything in power to make them proud and create another safe nest for us, I would end myself if I couldn’t carry our legacy I was worried I would fail their souls of not succeeding. Because that’s what we did. We protected each other and our powers no matter what it took.
Only when full moon shone above me I heard someone coming near me. It wasn’t just one person, multiple foot pairs crunching the leaves under their weight. I stayed down. Not making a single move and my breath still only making noise in my mind. I was trained too much to be caught in an act so simple.
‘’Elodie’’ I heard my name being called by my mother but still I didn’t move even with my heart jumping in excitement and tears that she was still alive. I knew too well how those monsters manipulated everyone to make us surrender. ‘’and when the sun rises we rise with it’’ my mother told what she used to say to me every night so I learned that even if I fail one day, I will always remember. Even sun goes down before it comes back up.
I jumped out of my hiding spot and saw my mother and five of my nymph sisters. I couldn’t keep myself steady and ran to my mother’s warm embrace and everyone joined in. They were all dirty and with ripped dresses and capes.
‘’we made it’’ Elsie said proudly. Yes we made it but so many weren’t here with us. We were a family of sixty but now only seven.
‘’you didn’t see anyone else?’’ I questioned them. And they all frowned the same. They didn’t know. And we would never know unless someone wouldn’t just show up. I saw that many were dead while I ran out of there and it would be miracle if anybody else showed up. But we couldn’t go back there to make sure we coulnd’t be seen anywhere near that old place. That garden was now dead to us.
Mother took me by my shoulders ’’we are here, and we will do everything to get us safe. She smiled at me that same worn out smile. She smiled but she was now the one with most experience, she was our leader now. And her smile showed so much more than just relief we were alive. She also knew that getting back up wouldn’t be so easy.
We found some berries around the forest and made a fire place. We sat around looking at each other through flying sparks. ‘’we will need to lay low for a while, until they are done raiding the forests. And I wouldn’t be surprised if they knew how many of us there are but we can’t stay here’’ Mother said ‘’we need to find a place where we won’t draw to much attention.’’
Briella got caught in the conversation ‘’many nymph families are migrating to wolf packs due to that pact about species harmony. But I doubt we won’t draw attention just casually coming to the pack when ours were attacked. Those hunters will look everywhere to capture us’’ she said.
‘’they can’t prove we are the ones they are looking for, that’s why at first we will only do what evening nymphs would do.’’ Mother said ‘’we know how to pretend and how to act when interrogated, they can’t break us and right now nymphs all around are going to wolf packs on their own free will, and it will be great way for us to see the nature from their eyes and help their pack to improve. I have no doubt that wolfs know how to take care of their packs but they are no nature spirits, we can teach them how to take care of nature while were at it. Because that’s what we do. Understood?’’ she said loud and clear. We all nodded our heads ‘’and I know that we don’t usually make friends with others but desperate times ask to do things we don’t normally do but we can adapt to anything, because we have a goal ahead of us. And we will do anything for it right?’’ and again we all nodded.
We will build back us our garden of gold, and they will never take away what is ours, what our kind so desperately fought for. This is our time to show Mother Nature that we are worthy to hold her gifts.
Now we just needed to find a pack who would take us in with no questioning…
