Chapter 01: It all started with a dream

The morning sun light shone brightly through the branches of the trees within the forest. All seemed well. Until suddenly the sounds of feet running through the grass could be heard. Then a young girl dressed in a white gown appeared, sweat dripping down her face as she gasped for air; her pale hair waving around her.

 Behind her an older man, wearing glasses and a black hat, walked calmly, a crooked grin upon his blurry face as he stalked the girl. He knew there was no reason to rush, the girl, though young, would tire eventually; or perhaps stumble and trip over.

 The young girl continued to run, fearing for her own life. Despite her best efforts, the man was drawing closer. It was only a matter of time before he caught her, and when he did, that was game over. Just as the thought left her mind, she tripped, letting out a gasp of shock. *No!* She thought to herself. *Not now! Not yet!* She tried to push herself upright, but she’d twisted her wrist in the fall, causing her to wince in pain. As she looked over her shoulder, a shudder ran down her spine: the man was now standing over her. She let out another gasp.

 The man’s wrinkled hand reached out towards the girl, grabbing her hair. He let out a deep and mocking laugh, finally, he had caught her. As he laughed, his body began to smoke, when he realised this, he looked at his free hand with an exclamation of surprise. He then looked up in awe: before him, hovering above a lake, was a large crystal, the largest he had ever seen. He released his grasp on the girl, standing back to study the site before him while his body continued to smoke.

 The girl, still on the ground, looked at him; somewhat confused. Then she turned to the crystal before them both; a look of wonder upon her face: her somehow familiar face.

 Shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head, the elder man began to laugh once more. Despite the immense pain he was feeling, he continued to bellow with laughter while the smoke rose ever higher.

 The crystal then began to glow, covering the world in white; the sound of laughter beginning to fade. And, just like that, she woke up.

 The morning sun poured through the window upon her face, as it covered the rest of the cottage with a warm hazy light. The scent of last night’s supper and ash from the long dead fire of the fireplace filled the air. She mumbled to herself, not yet ready to get up and face the day ahead. She tried to pull her blanket over her, only to realise that she had kicked it off during the night. She rolled over mumbling more complaints.

 A few more minutes passed before the small child-like creature was able to sit up. It was that dream again. She’d been having the same one again and again for a while now, but she couldn’t figure out why. Shaking her head to rid herself of her thoughts, she figured it was finally time to get up and face the day ahead. Stretching her tiny body, she looked around lazily.

 A whiff of something sweet caught her attention. There, sitting on the wooden, hexagon table, was a warm bowl of porridge with a note beside it. She pushed herself out of bed and waddled over. Picking up the spoon and eating her breakfast without paying much attention. At one point she splashed some of the goopy liquid in her eyes. She winced in pain, rubbed her face and glared at the bowl. Only to sigh to herself and continue eating, now much more awake.

 When the young girl was finished, she decided to glance over at the note. In big inked letters, it read '*Happy Birthday! I'll be waiting for you in the forest! - Sherlotta.*'

 "Wha?!" She squawked, jumping up from the table. "It's my birthday?! Today?! It can't be!" She rushed around the room, trying to get dressed as quickly as possible. "May hasn't even-" she began, only to cut herself off. (That's right!) She thought to herself. (At long last, today is the day!) She wandered over to the draws, which sat at the end of her bed, and pulled open the top draw. Inside lay an old green book, which had been gathering dust for quite some time. Lying next to the book, was a pen she had been waiting to use.

 The young girl had been looking forward to this day for a long time, as she could finally begin to write down her own story. She opened the book, and on the first blank page, scribbled the worlds ‘The Chronicles of Meeth’ in huge black ink. She then flicked the page over to the next one and wrote ‘Today is my sixteenth birthday and it’s time for my coming-of-age ceremony.’ She flicked back and forth between the two pages, studying them till she felt satisfied. She then closed the book, and put it in her back pocket, before making her way towards the door. Upon leaving the small cottage, she was greeted by the warm sun shining down upon her once more. It caused her to feel a little sleepy again, so she stretched her tiny body once again.

 The girl belonged to a race known as lilty. She had blue eyes, a common eye colour for lilties. Her porcelain face was childlike, while her hair, which looked much like an onion, started out orange at the beginning, fading into a blonde, then faded into green on the sides. She also had a rose bud, along with two long sprouts, which also started out blonde, fading into green. For her clothes, she wore a white double buttoned shirt, which had a frilly collar. She also had a dark pink, long sleeved waistcoat to go over it, still allowing the collar to stick out. She then had a strange ponytail like thing, which was probably tied under the collar or something; while her trousers were purple with white stripes on the bottom. She also had a pair of little golden shoes. Despite being a small childish creature, it was clear that this girl was not your everyday person: for she also wore both a steel chest plate and bone shattering gauntlets.

 A voice called over to her, causing the girl to turn and face another girl. She was far taller, and slightly older. She had sea green eyes, and her skin was the typical clavat cream paleness. Her hair was tied back in a hot pink ponytail, which had yellow flower hair clips either side. The clothes she wore were also pink, a light and dark pink top, with pale pink puffy shorts, hot pink shoes and black tights. The girl grinned at her. “Good morning, Meeth. Did you have that dream again?” she inquired.

 Meeth sighed, “Yeah…” she said lamely, it was really starting to bother her.

 The other girl beamed at her again, “Aw, come on, cheer up.” She said, “Today’s the day for your coming-of-age ceremony!” She chimed. “Sherlotta is waiting for you in the forest. Good luck!” She giggled, pointing the way towards the forest.

 Meeth nodded in thanks. She walked over to the girl, feeling a little better.

 The girl giggled more “So… Awake at last, are we? Well, happy birthday Meeth. It’s the big one-six, huh?” she laughed again. “We’re throwing a party when you get back from you coming-of-age ceremony.” Grinning wider she added “I’m making your favourite treats, so make sure you pass!”

 At this, Meeth couldn’t help but smile, nodding she said “Thanks Ilina, you’re the best!”

 Ilina smiled back, she then continued talking. “But isn’t it funny you having the SAME dream, like every night?” she said, while thinking hard. She then perked up “Hey, I know. It’s because you miss Sherlotta, isn’t it? Aw, that’s so CUTE!” She laughed for a bit.

 Meeth blushed with embarrassment, “Sh-shut up!” She stuttered.

 Ilina’s grin only widened, “ANY-hoo, you better get to the forest for that ceremony, pronto!” She declared, pointing to the forest once more.

 Meeth nodded in agreement, then she waved goodbye to Ilina and headed towards the farm instead. She wanted to catch a few other people before going into the woods.

 A small child, who was only just shorter in height to herself, grinned at her. Like the other clavat, her eyes were green, her skin cream, while her ginger hair was tied in pigtails. She also wore an orange short sleeved top, with a long puffy white sleeved top and a yellow pinafore dress. She was rocking back and forth on the heels of her little yellow shoes while she spoke, “Good morning, Meeth! Looks like you overslept, huh?”

 Meeth blushed scarlet, hanging her head in shame.

 The young child giggled, before adding “I can’t talk though. I only just woke up myself.” She sighed, “I DID go to bed nice and early. Seems like I’m always sleeping these days.” Her shoulders dropped in personal disappointment. A thought sprung to mind, cheering up, her legs shaking with existent as she added “Mum always said that kids need sleep to grow up healthy and strong. At this rate, I’ll be the strongest girl in the village in no time!” she declared.

 Meeth laughed, shaking her head. “If you say so.” She teased.

 The girl continued talking to Meeth, “You sleep in EVERY morning. Is that why you grew up so fast?”

 Meeth stared at her blankly, “Doesn’t that-” she began, only to cut herself off. It didn’t really matter anyway. She decided to walk over to the boy working hard on the farm.

 His eyes, skin tone and hair was like his younger sister’s, but he wore his own hair in a high ponytail with a white and yellow striped bandana wrapped around his head. His top was yellow, the longer one a more greyish white, while his apron was green, with grey puffy trousers tucked into a pair of brown boots. “Ta-de-dum. This year’s going to be another bumper crop, I just know it!” he hummed to himself with glee. “Yeap. I’m goin’ to put Jennifer here, and Amanda over there.” He said, talking to himself, clearly not noticing anyone around him. Still focused on his plants, he continued to work away. “Stephanie, you’ll be behind Christina, near the back. You’re all going to be so beautiful!” he declared.

 The girl growled, “You know, Lian. I REALLY wish you’d stop naming your vegetables.” She snapped.

 Lian looked over to face his sister: “Eryll, are you kidding?! That’s the most important bit.” He exclaimed. “Hm…?” He said, now turning to face the lilty standing before him. “Oh, hey Meeth. Man, you like your beauty sleep, huh?” He smiled, “But as of today, you’re a real grown-up. You have to start acting like one.” He said.

 Eryll tilted her head to the side, “Why? What’s so special about today?” She asked. She thought for a moment, when it hit her. “Wait…” She said, suddenly hopping up and down on the spot. “It isn’t Meeth’s birthday, is it!?” she yelled in shock. Shoulders slumping once more as she mumbled “I-I didn’t plan any surprises or anything!”

 Lian looked over at his sister with a sympathetic look, “Hey, it’s cool. Ilina said she was going to set something up. Why don’t you go and help her?” he asked.

 Eryll cheered up again “Okay, I’ll do that. Later!” she chimed, before running off over to Ilina.

 Lian turned back to Meeth, “Meeth, you be nice to Eryll, okay? You know she’s my favourite little sister.” He warned before getting back to his work.

 Meeth rolled her eyes. (She’s your only sister.) She thought.

 Lian looked up from the field and quickly added, “Er, anyway, happy birthday, okay?”

 Meeth found that to be a little rude, but she knew he was only acting like that because he wanted to get back to his work. She then ran back over to Eryll and Ilina, to find out if they had anything else to say.

 Eryll looked down again. “Why didn’t anybody tell me? Sorry Meeth. Really.” Her eyes were becoming somewhat teary.

 Meeth smiled, “It’s alright.” She said warmly. “Just don’t expect me to remember your next birthday.” She teased, before heading over the bridge towards the forest. She stopped in her tracks again when she passed an elderly man.

 He was yet another green eyed clavat, though his skin was the colour of sand. The fine looking elder was dressed in a purple coat covering a white shirt. His puffy blue trousers with black shoes. His shiny bald head, save for a small, stubborn yet thick curl at the peak of his neck, a stout beard at the front and a full moustache complimenting his magnificent white locks. The man turned to face the lilty child, “Young Meeth, is it? Did you sleep well?” He asked. But before she could answer, he quickly added, “Today is your sixteenth birthday. A very important day!” he declared. Clearing his throat, he went into lecture mode. “Whenever the young people of this village turn sixteen, they must go into the forest. There, they are recognised as adults in a coming-of-age ceremony.” He then turned, “Do you see how crystal-clear this water is? In the same way, the ceremony will cleanse your soul and body…” He said, getting deeper into his lecture.

 Just as Meeth thought she was trapped, Ilina came to the rescue. Calling from across the bridge, she yelled “Hey, Meeth! You don’t have time to stand around listening to Gramps yap all day. You’ve got to get to the forest!”

 The man, referred to as Gramps waved his arms about, clearly offended. “Ilina, where are your manners?” He scolded, “I am the headman of this village. The headman! And I expected to be treated as such.” He yelled. “We’ve been looking forward to this day for sixteen years. I’m sure Meeth wants to hear my thoughts on this occasion.”

 Meeth grinned, scratching at her cheek. She didn’t have the heart nor courage to disagree with the headman. After all, he was the leader of the village.

 He then turned back to face Meeth, continuing with his speech, “Today is also your birthday of course. Yes, yes…” he then turned back to Ilina, flapping about once more “I have as much right as anyone to enjoy this occasion! I’m the village headman, after all.” He was clearly feeling offended that he wasn’t being treated with respect.

 Ilina sighed, “Oh just ignore Gramps, Meeth. It’s the same old speech he ALWAYS gives.” She said, shaking her head in disapproval.

 The elder growled in frustration.

 Meeth put her hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him somewhat.

 He bowed his head in shame, “I’ll have you know I stayed up all night preparing my speech!” He continued to look down at the floor, too upset to look up.

 Not wanting to make matters any worse, Meeth decided to bid the elder farewell and continue her trip towards the forest. She passed two young children, and once more was stopped in her tracks.

 The sandy selkie boy gave her a cheeky grin: his messy purple hair was tied up with a blue bandana, a gold necklace was around his neck, and he wore a green kilt. Still grinning, he spoke to her. “Hey, Meeth. Guess today you become a grown-up, huh?” He tilted his head to the side, revealing his brown eyes. “Last night Pa and some others went into the forest to prepare somethin'. They wouldn't tell me what, though. Nope. Didn't mention your name or nothin'.” He moaned.

 The porcelain lilty boy, shorter than Meeth, pouted. “Don’t you know ANYTHING? They’re holding a ceremony in the forest for Meeth.” He scolded. His eyes were a dark brown, almost black. While he wore a green one-piece, a red tie round his neck and light blue overalls that had no legs, it also had two large red buttons. His shoes and fingerless gloves were brown. His onion-like hair was orange fading into blonde, and the short sprouts had blue tips. It was common for male lilties to have shorter sprouts than females. The boy had also already reached his fully-grown-height, another common trait for lilties was to stop growing at the age of twelve.

 The selkie boy sulked, “O-kay. But if you’re so smart, why don’t you tell me what they DO at the ceremony?”

 The lilty boy was caught off guard. “W-well, er… It’s, you know.” He stumbled for words. “You tie a rope around your ankles and, er, jump off a cliff.” Sweat began to roll down his cheeks.

 The selkie boy frowned. “That… is… so…” he paused. “AWESOME!” He yelled, bouncing up and down on the spot. “Ain’t that cool, Meeth! I can’t wait for MY growing-up ceremony!”

 Meeth smiled at him sheepishly, she was pretty sure that wasn’t what happened. Though she knew about it as much as they did.

 The selkie boy yelled “You are SO lucky!” clearly existed.

 The lilty boy frowned, clearly disappointed about how gullible his friend was. Sighing, he added, “So, anyway. Good luck!”

 She then walked over to the sleeping man who was using a tree stump as a pillow. His skin was the colour of sand like his son, while his red hair was tied back in a ponytail, a blue band around his head. He wore a green open jacket, which had fur on either side. His trousers were also green, and he wore a brown belt that had a sash dangling down. On his feet he wore sandals. His mouth lay open as his moustache waved in the breeze.

 Meeth poked him. His response was some snoring and a few words. “Zerk… Piece of… old junk… still goin’…” which was only followed by more snoring, so Meeth jabbed him in the stomach. “Nmph” he groaned, before jumping up yelling “BWAAAH!!!” he’d clearly been shocked awake. He panted for a moment, only to fall back asleep.

 Shaking her head disapprovingly she decided to go talk to some of the other adults. So, she passed the children and headed downhill where she saw two women talking to one another.

 Standing proudly in front of her tent, was a tall and slim selkie woman. Her eyes were an onyx black, while her skin porcelain, which was unusually pale for a selkie. Her hair, a darker purple compared to that of her son's, was tied up in a bun-like ponytail, the part that was tied up was grey. On either side of her hair were diamond shaped orange clips. Along with an orange necklace around her neck. For clothes she had a black sleeveless crop top, a pale blue part which looked much like a bra, with golden edging slightly above to separate the two. She also wore a pale blue mini skirt that had black shorts underneath. Her arms had black arm warmers, with a golden folded bit at the top, and orange bracelets on her wrists. For her shoes she wore golden sandals. Upon looking at the older lilty she said “Toumli, you better have some coffee, girl.”

 The woman known as Toumli shook her head. “Oh, I’m althright.” Toumli was another lilty, her skin was the typical lilty porcelain paleness, eyes brown like her son’s. Her onion styled hair started out green before fading into a lighter blonde, while the sides were green again. On both sides were silver diamond clips. She also had a bud which faded into blue, cupped into a unique headdress. As for her clothes, she wore a dark pink one-piece, with a pink cardigan which had a pale pink collar and a silver button. Just under her armpits, she had a sliver bracelet on either side, with thinner ones just before the sleeves ended. She also had a white apron wrapped around her waist and a pair of brown boots with more silver. She was older then Meeth, but also painfully timid; which reflected in her smile. “Ah, gooth morning, Meeth. Congrathulations on your birthday!” she said as she turned to face her.

 “Oh, don’t mind me. I wash awake all nighth and my tongue gets thleepy when I’m tired.”

 The selkie woman sighed heavily. “Look, why don’t you just go to bed for a bit? No one can understand you anyway.”

 Then Toumli shook her head. “Oh no, oh no. I have to wash Meeth pash the ceremony.”

 The selkie woman rolled her eyes. “You’ll be asleep long before then, I bet…” sighing once more, then she continued. “Aw, whatever.” She seemed to cheer up suddenly, directing her attention to the younger lilty, she continued to speak. “Good morning, Meeth. Today’s finally the day, huh? Are you ready?” She inquired. “The coming-of-age ceremony’ll be a piece of cake. Just go in, get the job done and get out fast.” She advised.

 Then Toumli jumped up and down with excitement, much like a child. “Meeth! The weak pointh is the thof of the heth! The heth!” she chirped.

 The selkie woman just stared at her. (Seriously.) She continued to talk. “Anyway, like I said. Don’t mess around and you’ll be fine."

 Nodding, she then waved them goodbye. She passed the children and the sleeping guy again, and headed uphill towards the two yukes. Who were arguing, again…

 The young yuke, a golden sallet with a bright pink bow on the back, wearing a pink, blue and white dress, hopped on the spot, a pleading look upon her golden face. “Oh Teacher, can you teach ME magic? Please- please- please –PLEEEAAASE?” She begged.

 The taller and older yuke, dressed with a purple pointy hat and robes, folded his arms. “Grrr, No! How many times do I have to tell ya? Ye’re still too young.” He growled impatiently. As he noticed Meeth walking towards them, he turned to face her. “Oh, hello Meeth. Today’s the big day, eh?” He smiled at her, “As soon as the ceremony is over, ye’ll officially be an adult. If ye wish to pursue the magic arts, I’d be more than happy to take ye on as a student.” He beamed, continuing, he seemed to emit an aura filled with pride. “Under my guidance, ye could become one of the greatest spell casters. If ye want it enough, that is.”

 Meeth grinned, clearly liking the sound of that idea.

 The young girl turned to face her teacher again. “Aw, Teacher, it isn’t FAIR!” she complained. She then turned towards Meeth once more, “Listen, Meeth, if you DO decide to learn magic with Teacher, remember I was FIRST.” She warned, “That puts me in charge. Whatever I say goes. Agreed?” Leaning closer, “Around here, I’m the boss character!” She declared.

 Meeth nodded meekly, not wanting to ruin the young girl’s pride. She then turned to face Teacher, who seemed to have more to say.

 He chuckled, “To think ye’re all grown up already.” He grinned again. “Ye know, it’s up to ye now to choose yer future path. From here on out ye’re responsible for yer own decisions and behaviour.” He said while nodding his head. “Act with honour, and never have any regrets.” He chuckled some more. “Fancy speech, huh, kiddo?” he said proudly. “But remember- it doesn’t count until ye complete that coming-of-age ceremony…” He paused, “Because ye never know. Not everyone passes!”

 The yuke girl was shocked. “Teacher! You’re not implying that Meeth won’t-?” She broke off. She then straightened up, “Don’t listen to him, Meeth. I’m SURE you’ll be fine!” she encouraged.

 The teacher quickly added “Good luck to ye!”

 The yuke girl grabbed Meeth by the shoulder, “Oh gosh! I nearly forgot! Happy birthday, Meeth! You’re a real grown-up now. I’m so jealous. Good luck with the ceremony!”

 Meet smiled and nodded thanks, she then bid the pair farewell before heading towards the forest once more. This time she was stopped by a moogle, who was standing in her way. Really, was she ever going to be able to go straight to the forest?

 Its little red ball bounced as it spoke “There you are, kupo!” It smiled, “Sherlotta is waiting for you in the forest. If you think you’re ready, go on in, kupo!”

 She let out a sigh, she already knew where Sherlotta was, she’d been told several times today already. She just wanted to go straight into the forest without any more interruptions. Not wanting to be rude, despite her feelings, she smiled and muttered her thanks, before taking a step into the forest.

 Finally, no one could get in her way now.

                                                                                                                               Chapter 02: The forest >>>>>>>>