Return....
3: The Awakening I must have slipped off in to dreams somehow, because I opened my eyes sleepily to find Juniper jostling me fiercely. Her blue eyes gleamed with an ancient ferocity, and with spoken language she led me from the tent. Outside, the air was fair, with a tint of some lost season's chill. The ground was thick with soil and scattered leaves, and the trees were twisted and gnarled. Though it was still now, I could sense that somewhere a creature stirred; that a demon planned its vengeance. However, Juniper wouldn't let me observe the mysterious new surroundings. She twitched her tail quickly, guiding me from the tent, through a thick cluster of demented trees. Up ahead, I could see a clearing, and though the brambles and twigs scratched at my skin and stuck in my hair, I felt untouched. This place felt familiar to me, somehow, as though part of my heart beat deep within the soil there. "Okay," Juniper announced. "We're going to begin your training. Now sit down; no, not like that. There, perfect. Just stay there." I was intimidated by her presence as she instructed me to sit still on the black grass. She sat facing me, closing my eyes. She murmured something in the Celestial language, but I couldn't make it out. It was then that I felt a warm glow rise in my breast, like some hidden, golden sunlight that had been locked away for the span of time itself. "There," she said, obviously pleased. I slowly opened my eyes, the twisted forest appearing in a whole new light. "Now," Juniper ordered, "Point to that tree." "But...why?" I asked, bewildered. "Just make it blow up," she said, "I'm testing your magical powers. Let's both hope that you're the right one." "Okay," I said, still unsure. I focused on the black, mutated oak, and sure enough- through some strange power -as if I knew exactly what to do- it exploded. The flames reached up, bight and angry in contrast to the dark surroundings. I stared in awe at the smoldering pile of ash, then down at my own two hands. They glowed faintly with the golden power, which I had felt within my breast. Juniper, however, acted as if it was a very average thing, and turned from me in haste. "Very well," she announced over her shoulder, "It's now certain that you have powers. Not too impressive, but they'll do. Can't be too picky, you know." I watched her swagger away for a moment, but I couldn't just let her abandon me there. I sprinted up and caught her shoulder. She slowly regarded me, rolling her eyes. "You don't catch on very quickly, do you?" I frowned, wishing that she would stop being so sarcastic. "Look, I just want to know why you're dumping me out here in the middle of nowhere, and why you think I can survive on my own!" I cried. She chuckled, walking on ahead more briskly than I could keep up with. "Here's the deal: you've got three days to find the way out of here. If you do, then you'll be a full-fledged Earth Guardian, and you'll also be alive. Good luck, little girl." Before I could protest, she vanished; to where, I had no idea. I cried out in despair, smashing at the leaves upon the dark soil. Eventually, in the eerie coolness of the indirect daylight, I let heave with an exasperated sigh. I was a lost, alone, shaken, and becoming hungry. Was there no way to relocate Juniper, or make her see reason? No. I knew it well that she wasn't going to return. With defeat, despair, and a thousand questions, I spun slowly round, selectively observing the thickly wooded surroundings for a path. When I had found none, I simply headed out as my common sense- or what was left of it- told me. The sun was now at its peak, and at my guess, it would soon fall beneath the horizon. I gazed around, having hiked through the clustered trees for a great distance. I could see knotted stumps and thick bushes, but no path. In confusion and what I presumed to be delirium, I sank to the cluttered floor, a weak, dry sob escaping my lips. The tears rolled down, wetting my bangs, and the silence grew unnaturally thick. Not a single creature stirred, until... I gasped as a rustling noise in a nearby bush startled me. With an old twinge of fear, I remembered how Juniper had spoken of how I would be lucky if I lived through escaping. Reluctantly, I strained my neck to see what appeared to be an approaching stranger, swaggering amidst the trees, rustling bushes as he entered. Surely it wasn't Juniper. "Hey, Babe!" He called, shocking me. His voice was husky and boyish, thickly accented with a British dialect. "Lost, are you?" I ran, out of a silly instinct, sensing a primitive fear of him. I leapt in to a nearby bush, stupidly enough. As I sat there, I knew with a sick dread that I had lost my only chance at escaping; and at my own will and hand. Why was I so stupid? "Don't run, Chick, I won't bite...Hard," he said, poking his head in to the bush. He smiled an innocent, playful smile. I began to feel more at ease, though still unsure. My heart leapt, though I didn't know whether it was from fear or otherwise, when I met his eyes. They were a dazzling pale green, innocent and deep. As we caught each other's gaze, his eyes faintly glowed yellow, the pupils thinning to a cat-like crescent, but in that instant, the animosity was gone.
