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And maybe there is natural wildlife here that they will allow to do whatever they want. After all, even though this is other kin territory, maybe they still have a lot of bears or whatnot that might think nothing of snacking on a stupid human traipsing into its den. I just need to get to the dock. If I can find my way to the lake, which seems pretty obvious, I should be able to find the boat and then have the boat direct me back to the inn. Easier said than done.
I can hear Jonah now.Why did I think it was a good idea to head off on my up the trail?Well, maybe because I figured I can read signs and follow a simple trail back up the way I came. Of course, that was before I followed a few bunnies who led me to a few clearings along with a pretty waterfall, and now I ended up turned right around and do not know where the trail is, let alone where the lake is. I thought that following a river would help me do that, but that ended up making me more lost than anything else.
I didn’t really think anything of it until it started getting dark. I know that the last boat leaves at sunset, and there’s still a few hours for that, but I would feel more confident if I even knew where the boat was. Something else tells me that something is wrong because it got a lot darker, a lot quicker, and then I realize it wasn’t the fact that the sun was setting, but there was a blackness pluming up from the forest.
“Oh my goddess,” I say. The controlled burns. A few minutes later, I see woodland creatures darting out from the forest and pass me, and I decide to follow them. Their instinct is clearly better than mine.
Lucky Blaze
I hatethat I’m looking for her. Clenching my fist, I barely register the pain in my raw knuckles. They need to find hers too great.
Dammit.
The discordant tones that echo from my heart rings loudly in my head. I’m barely aware of my friend, River, who joins me on the outskirts of the festival. The forest guardians surveys the small crowd, as if they are about to disrupt the harmony of his forest. “The crowds will only be bigger as time progresses.”
“That’s the price we pay for coming out of the Mist. We need to take the good with the bad.”
The mayor has been a huge proponent in making sure that we are welcoming to all the visitors. It is one thing to make sure that our home is presentable. We have to clean up after others as if they are wayward children who cannot take care of themselves is what wrinkles my feathers. I look at River from the corner of my eyes. For all I complain, he and his brother and have dealt with far worse disruption. I keep my opinions to myself. Of all the people who aren’t annoyed with my surly temper, River’s patience with me seems endless. I don’t want to mess that up.
“You seem better and worse,” he says. “At least physical wounds can heal.”
I looked down at the huge gashes on my hands. One of my opponents in the ring ducked at the last moment, and I ended up hitting the razor wire instead of his face.
I can answer to my old friend. “I guess I have no time to be annoyed.“
“Could it be because of the presence of that one art director I’ve seen? Where is she, by the way?“
That’s the question that I had in the back of my mind. “She should be around. She is looking at all the art.” I raise a sardonic brow at my friend. “It turns out she likes my stuff.”
“As she should. It is meaningful. Evokes memories.”
River’s straightforward way of speaking is a relief when others’ vague words and empty praise rings false in my ears. “She likes my art. She does not like me.”
“I do not understand. Whether she likes your art or likes you? Why does it matter?”
Why indeed? That I’m even contemplating it annoys me.
“I must gather some of these newcomers away from the edges of the property and herd them closer towards the entrance. Three o’clock is coming soon.”
River reminds me why I’m worried. So many people, weak and vulnerable. And I can’t find the one that’s been occupying my thoughts.
“The fire line is coming down faster than expected. And it will be in our best interest if these folks are encouraged back into town, anyway.”
The residents of Avalon Vale have no need of money, but profitable gains will show to the investors from Obsidian City—and beyond the rift—that we can have a presence in this world with no need to take it by force.
And for some, the potential for finding their fated mates makes the effort more than worth it.
“I’ll let you do your thing, River.”
The Forest Guardian moves. He is large enough to allow his every footstep to quake the earth beneath him. That is one of his gifts.
However, he is as light as the shadows. His mere presence encourages people to go where he needs them to, as if he were a livestock guardian dog.
Speaking of which…
My dog Kenzan has been frolicking nearby, and I call him to me. He bounds toward me.
Of course, now he is responsive. I pat his head in greeting. “Where is our friend?” I ask him.
