The Red Dancer

Chapter 1: Afshar

                The
dense woods, green with vegetation and filled with the sounds of the many
species of animals calling to one another, the smells of fresh rain and the
many different tree saps assailed my senses as I flew over the treetops,
suspended by my latest invention, a pair of sturdy wings, fashioned into the
likeness of a bat’s. I have spent many months studying bat’s wings, yet have, just
yesterday, figured out how to make my contraption work.

                As I
glided over the jungle, my very being almost vibrating with the sheer bliss and
ecstasy of this sensation rushing through me, I nearly missed my *machia*, or my instinct pertaining to
sensing danger, warning me that something was amiss. It took but a second to
realize what has set off my mental alarm bells, the smell of smoke. My father
perishing in a forest fire didn’t help my opinion of the red dancer that
foreigners called fire. The fact that there was a fire on my mother and my
island sent a shudder through me, causing me to go into an accidental dive. I
quickly righted myself. “What am I going to do” I asked myself.

I halted, trying to pinpoint where
the scent was coming from, my robotic wings flapping. I sniffed the air. I
tested the direction of the wind, sensing that it was coming from behind me and
to the left. I turned against the wind and flew that direction. It didn’t take
long for me to come across a shallow cave, more of a crevice really. I landed a
few feet away, so as not to disturb the potentially hostile inhabitant. I
approached silently and cautiously towards the mouth of the crevice. When at
last I peered into the depths of the crevice, I noticed that it wasn’t a
crevice at all! It was an actual cave. It also was an ideal location for one
trying not to cause attention to itself.

I crept forward, my padded boots
not making a sound on the stone floor. I saw the dim flickering of a dying red
dancer, excuse me, fire, on the sparkling walls of the cave. As I continued
forward, my shadow trembling in the weak light behind me. I became very aware
of an animal-like sound emanating from the opposite side of the small camp. I
froze and surveyed the small room I had entered. The red… the *fire* made the wall dance and sparkle
dully, as if there was a lot of miniature, unpolished crystals stuck into the
walls.

The creature stirred, and I quietly
drew my *losmet*, a long dagger, or
short sword. The creature continued its odd sounds. I didn’t relax. I crept
forward, towards the sound, unsure of what I’ll find, unsure of what to expect.
With silence and surprise on my side, I seemed to slide past the fire pit, now
sputtering pitifully, drowning in it’s creations. It died and went completely
black. I smiled to myself, now I had darkness as my shield.

I continued… and froze. The
creature’s *machia* finally had kicked
in and it scrambled in the dark for a weapon. I frowned, no animal carried
weapons, even if they did, they should always be in reach and easy to grab and
use in a pinch. My eyes having adjusted to the darkness and with my quarry
still blind, I sprang forward, catching my prey by the wrist, *Wrist?* I thought, *Animals don’t have wrists…. It’s a* human*!* As I realized this, the human under me kicked my knee. My knee
gave out and I dragged it down with me. I twisted, forcing the other under me
so that I would land on it. I heard a crack and the human stopped moving. *Great,* I thought *I just killed the only other human other than my mother that I’ve ever*
met.

The human under me groaned and I
quickly got off it. It was still alive! My mother was an amazing medic and I
knew that she could help it. I picked it up and found that it was pretty light,
it mustn’t have been eating well. I exited the cave and the sunlight almost
blinded me. The human groaned and I looked down at it. If not for my immense
amount of self-control I would’ve dropped it. It was a *he!*

I had to get him to my mother as
soon as possible because his left leg was mangled, as if he had swum out in Wreaker’s
Rocks, just out of the bay. I flapped my powerful wings as hard as I could to
get off the ground. My wings were stronger then I thought because I shot off
the ground like a bullet, tearing my breath out of my mouth. As I flew to the
mountain in the middle of the mountain, I studied the man I was carrying. He
was about my age, dark, shaggy hair that almost covered his eyes. He was
muscular, but bony, like he hasn’t been eating well. That wasn’t a surprise to
me, he probably knew little about survival. He moaned and tossed his head as I shifted
my arms to get a better grip on him. I felt a few of his ribs give way and that
his spine was out of alignment. His right leg was broken, and his arms, chest,
and face were scarred. *What have you been*
doing *I thought to him.*

 We were at the top of the mountain, so I
swooped onto the top of it. As my feet touched the rock, the top of the
mountain shifted, showing a small crevice that radiated light. I rose into the
air again and dove into the hole. Under the surface of the mountain was this huge
open area, with walkways connecting small rooms, each with its own purpose. I
flew to the medical center. Landing, I carefully set him on the bed in the
small room and then walked over to a lever built into the wall. Pulling it, the
room suddenly went red, and a small alarm should’ve gone off on my mom’s belt.
I heard a zipping sound and turned to the zipline that came from our library. Landing
with a practiced roll, she sprang to her feet and was surprised to find me
standing. She was used to seeing me on the bed grimacing in pain from something
stupid I did, which is often. I gestured to the bed where the mystery man lay.
My mom walked over to the bed and scanned him. My mom was, and still is, an
amazing medic. She grabbed some herbs off the shelf and began to work her
magic.