cuind

I have hidden myself from the villager's watch. I do not wish to startle them with my presence, which may distract them from their daily tasks. It is not the first time I emerged from the forest, but I have never stayed in proximity of the ocean for as long as I am doing now. This is the influence of my friend from the Far West, and all the stories he told me about his clan's love of water. I do not like it very much.

I looked upon the stranger as if he came out of a vision, a dream, an omen. In the quiet of the forest, where all the noises are familiar to me, there was one I could not recognize. I hid behind a tree, alert and afraid and I waited. I kept my gaze on a patch of darkness in front of me, my eyes used to see through the faint light of rānā and the stars. I held my breath as the darkness slowly receded and a halo made its way towards me.