• She Travelled the Plains

    I Travel the Plains

    She watches the frost

    I wait for the frost

    She travels.

    I wait.

    ~~~*~~~

    The Hare Plains were listless and long. Each green hill looked like the next. Hare's grotto had been miles behind Salim, as she wrenched through the hot sun's terror upon her. She wiped her forehead with a loose cloth from the turban that Hare had given her to beat the sun. The grassy knolls seemed to be lifeless- not a tree or animal or human in sight. The only thing to keep Salim going, was knowing that she is close to Her.

    Before she left the grotto Hare had given her advice on how to survive in the Plains:
    "Make sure you have enough food. The days are scarce. I would advise to sleep in the day and never at night. And ALWAYS stay hydrated. Or they will get you."

    Hare had also given Salim new clothes, as hers old ones were wet and tattered. She now donned a turquoise-green strapless top that shimmered beautifully- probably belonging to a Gypsy once- and over top of that was a sheer see-through sari which blocked the sun a little more than it insulated. Green shorts made of spider-silk that stopped flirtatiously short added little weight to her pelvis with the leather knife-holster/belt adorning her hips heavily. Her legs were bare so that she could feel any breezes that passed by (which was almost never) and it stopped three inches above her ankle which started a pair of run-down leather boots- her own pair that she kept. On her back was a leather bag which carried medical supplies, extra food and water and a book. Hare was kind enough to send her off with enough supplies to last at least until she reaches the Sahara Le Maison. It was the next resting point in the Hare Plains, which covered almost all of the country of Kai. His generosity was not questioned but his answer was simple. He wanted to see the children of Terai, as they once were. United.
    Geographically, Kai was in the middle of 5 countries: Tin, Buu, Sol, D'jo and Orc. These six countries made the continent Cu'rith. Cu'rith was the eastern most continent on Terai and the most desolate, consisting mostly of plains and deserts.

    Night had fallen and the plains were almost invisible. Salim had walked through the day, rather than sleeping, because she was not tired. She thought that she could last through the night, but fatigue had begun to set in quickly. So she set up camp with a fire and blankets. To stay alert, in case she falls asleep, Salim put a bell in her hair, so that it would ring when she started to nod. The nights were a bit cooler, but not by much. The smell of skinned pork filled the air, which cooked on the fire. Stripping out of her shoes, sari and turban-but always keeping the holster on; Salim decided to take a look at the tome Hare had given her.

    Legends of Cu'rith.

    The index was filled with names of animals and legends Salim had never heard of. One that she noticed right away, was the Miller's Rail. A Black bird with blood red eyes and feet and had three beaks. It said that the beaks constantly fought with eachother, which is why they are extinct. They could not decide which way to go, so they stood still. But when they could decide together, they were vicious and fierce. It reminded her of when the countries of Cu'rith began to fight.
    Salim flipped through the book some more; the warm Chinook wind jostling her hair and ringing the bell vicariously. Even without the bell, Salim was wide awake, captivated by the book. She skipped most legends, knowing they were false until she landed on the 'Hare AtmA'.

    Hare AtmA are ghosts of souls that were taken by Her. They flee to the Hare Plains in hopes of finding weary travellers and devouring their souls. Legend says, in order to stop a AtmA from eating your soul, you must sacrifice a blood-relative in exchange.

    Underneath the description in ink, was the word 'True' underlined many times. It must have been written by Hare, she thought. "But this can't be true" Salim then thought out loud to no one. "Why would She create such monstrosities?" She thought about it but could not come up with an answer.

    The warm winds blew again, but this time Salim did not hear the bell. She felt the breeze through her hair, but could not see anything. It was unusually alarming, but she stayed calm. It was too dark as she looked around to see if she could spot anything. The fire must have gone out she thought. But the warmth was still there. Salim had fallen asleep while pondering; something Hare warned her against strongly.
    Rapidly; she opened her eyes and quickly stood up to viewed her surroundings. Everything was normal.
    "I must have only been sleeping for a minute or two." She thought aloud, again.
    The bell that was in her hair sat outside of the fire's light in the darkness. "I guess the wind blew it out of my hair. I'll have to be more careful" yawning a bit, as she went to go pick it back up.

    The wind stopped blowing.

    As she inched closer to the bell, the fire blew out. Startled, Salim drew her knife and held it low in a crouching position in her left hand, and swung her right hand behind her. The air became thick and a new wind blew. It was hotter than the sun's heat- scorching her arm. The hellish winds laughed loud as it ripped through the air. The fire lit itself as if the hot winds caused it and above it appeared a beautiful face.
    "My childs. Come forth with heed. I will not hurt you." the face said. An angelic voice tinkled in the air. Salim was drawn to it, moving slowly back toward her camp.
    "That rights. Do not afraid!" The face smiled even more beautifully than before. The mouth did not move with the words.
    "Who are you?" Salim asked in an unintentional innocent tone.
    "You do not recognize? Only this beauty could be person" The face's cheeks were rosy and grew more defined as Salim grew closer. She wore a blue Tagelmust with the mouth-cover down, to reveal a perfect smile. Her body appeared out of the darkness- arms held out with milky white skin. A long blue dress covered her body and draped off of her like a goddess. She was at least 16-feet tall, if not taller.
    "I am... She. I am the Matriarch!" The words stopped Salim in her tracks. She was certainly beautiful, but she could not be the Her. Could she?
    "I... don't know if I can believe you!" Salim said through bated words.
    "Salima- How have you forsaken this?" The woman spoke and the green grasses turned into trees which grew taller than even her. "Is this not my gifts I receive you?"
    "I... I want it to be Her... You... Is it really You?" Tears filled Salim's eyes. Had her journey been solved?
    "Do not tear my Childs. Or I will Tears too" Clouds casted overhead and it began to rain.

    The Matriarch had appeared.