Forevermore - A time to be remembered and played.

[Roll]

The day was soon fully hatched, and the sparkling sunlight that passed through the gates soon began to fade away, as the lamps began to fire up (the city was indoors, after all). The entire merchant district was full of life, and the children were being put out of their beds and onto the busy schedules of play. Mothers were wisking up breakfast for their hard working families, and the husbands were grinning over tables seated with aquaintances and friends all alike; coincidentally, not many of the mothers seemed to fond of this. However, a small girl holding a sleeping fox walking down the main street seemed to be the only thing to notice to a few people. They watched the spectactle of the girl with the odd colored hair, and eyes of dangerous color, as she passed by holding a fox like a baby in her arms.

Akiko, however, did not notice the stares and looks. She was simply busy lulling the fox into a deeper sleep with her special song, and it was working very well too: the fox was fast asleep and was barely even moving, besides using his lungs to breathe and the occasional lick and twitch that came with a new dream image. While Akiko didn't understand this very much, she felt very.. different. She did not understand this brand new feeling which came to her. It was pulsing through her body, even as she sung and walked, and continued to make her feel somewhat bigger than she was. She felt very bloated for some reason, and that became accompanied by a bit of light-footedness. She felt as if she were walking on thin air, and that she could even dance well. Though, she dare not try it for the sake of keeping the fox asleep and safe.

When Akiko finally stopped singing, the fox began to snuggle up to the previously singing spectacle. Whether Akiko felt proud or empathetic, she could never know. Instead, she stopped walking altogether, and watched as a slightly furry figure, who was shadowed up ahead, was moving towards her. She smiled, and picked up her pace: perhaps it was Rawk, returned from his journey! While it seemed strange he would return so soon, Rawk was very fast, and could get here to there and back in no time at all! Or so Akiko reasoned; as it turned out, when the creature came closer, it was actually a green-furred beast with some black stripes here and there. Surprisingly enough, he stopped and looked her over; thus, Akiko stopped and let him look her over as a droplet of sweat ran down her face.
His eyes narrowed in suspicion, and then they changed to surprise and questionability, and soon she was confronted with a look of apathy mixed with wonder.
"So you're the girl who defended the fox from those men, huh?" the green beast said. Akiko nodded at the beast, who was apparantly male.
"Yes, I am... my name is Akiko, and this is the fox."
"Akiko, huh? Wierd name. Well, my name is Udes. Nice to meet a fellow nature lover and protecter. Keep it up."
Akiko: (Udes, huh? And you said my name was strange..) "Oh.. alright..."
The beast picked up his pace again, but before he could leave, he heard the girl call his name again. He turned around to listen to her.
Akiko: "...Udes, where are you going to go to?"
Udes: "That, young lady, isn't much of your business; but I'm just going to go to an inn. But you should go too. It's getting late."
Akiko: "Maybe so... Yes you are right. But I still cannot go."
Udes: "..why not?" He had a though in a split second and chuckled. "Scared of me too, huh?"
Akiko: "No, that's not true! I've someone like you, only with different fur color, and without the wings... and his nose is kinda big too.." She proceeded to place one hand a few inches away from her face. "..Like this."
Udes laughed a little bit, but soon stopped and went back into his serious manner.
"If that's not it, then why not go to the inn too? It is late.."
Akiko smiled and shook her head. "I'm going to go to the gates and wait for someone. I'm waiting for him to return again.. I'm waiting for him to come back."
Udes: "Is that so? Well, ok then. Good luck. I hope you see your friend again."
Akiko nodded in agreement, waved goodbye, and ran off. Udes couldn't help feel sad for the girl; the way she devoted herself to waiting like that. Oh well; He continued on in silence, and Akiko ran in the same way.

Moments after she reached the gate, she sat down and watched through the gate, hoping for a figure, any figure at all, to come in. Minutes passed... then one hour.... and soon many hours passed, and the sun began to fall. Then more hours went by, and the moon came into view. The sparkling of the stars was becoming remarkable, as another hour flew past, and there was still no sign of Rawk. She sat there, in front of the gate, and watched carefully for any sign of life that would appear at any time within the desert, other than the soft midnight breeze that blew gently through the air. Yet, nothing stirred; nothing at all. In fact, the only thing that Akiko could tell was awake was herself, and the only beings who she knew were alive for sure, were herself and the fox that was cradled in her arms. She sat there, in the glistening milk-white moonlight, and waited expectantly for her first and only friend to return to her...at least once more.



Edited By Roll on April 22 2004 at 01:53