Xilah

She opened her hand. Sitting in her palm, the newfound trinket glinted a soft yellow in the dappled morning light of the forest. It’s a sign, surely, she said to herself. I’m nearly there. She pressed her thumb, dirty and lined black with grime, onto the smooth metal, crafted in a strange shape she had never seen before. A symbol, she guessed. It must have a special meaning, to carry such treasure inside. She lifted the chain on which it hung and pulled it over her head, the artifact resting gently against her heart as she walked onward.

Her legs ached from walking so far, but she continued on her journey. Her bare feet pressed into the soft earth, spongy and cool with last night’s rain. It was hope which called to her, luring her onward like a distant song. I will no longer be alone. Though she traveled through the lands of her ancestors, it had been many years since she last passed this way, and never alone. No, the thought sent a pang through her heart, I have never been alone… Until now. She shook her head to clear away the memories. Look ahead, Xilah, she told herself. Not behind.

She kept to the river banks, traveling roughly northeast alongside the deep and ancient water as it carved its winding path deeper and deeper through the thick, emerald forest. When her stomach began to rumble at mid-day, she stepped into the cool current. Lifting her wooden trident, she hummed as she speared the curious fish that came to nip at her toes in the sand beneath the glistening surface, then ate their pink flesh hungrily. She continued on her way.

As evening began to fall, a strange scent wafted her way on the scant breeze beneath the forest canopy. A musky, warm smell; one she knew and feared. Xilah quieted her steps, keeping a watchful eye on the shadows beneath the foliage. It wasn’t until nightfall that she heard the snapping of a twig at her back.

Spinning on her heels, she turned just in time to raise her trident as the animal leapt at her, its mottled pelt merely a blur in the dim twilight. The wooden shaft of the trident caught the creature in the mouth, its jaws snapping down onto it in confusion. It tugged and shook violently at the trident. Forfeiting her beloved heirloom, Xilah shoved the animal forward, and ran off into the underbrush.

She could hear the thrashing of foliage as the forest cat pursued her, but she dared not look back. Mother, Xilah pleaded silently as she ran, heartbeat pounding in her ears. I do not know if you’ve joined the stars in the sky, or if you live still, but please… Tears sprang up in her eyes, blurring her surroundings. Branches lashed and scratched at her face and legs. If you can hear me, Please… See that I make it.

She wiped her eyes on the back of her hand, clearing her vision in time to see the forest opening up before her. The guttural huffing of the cat’s breath closed in at her back, but she kept her eyes ahead, at the blue sky that hung just beyond the trees. It’s a cliff, she realized, as the wind carried a tangy smell she recognized from long ago, in her nursery days. And below… The sea. I’ve made it. The briny air echoed a lullaby in her heart, and she felt no fear as she threw herself over the precipice. Thank you, Mother.

The icy waters crashed over her, calming her hot flesh as the refreshing coolness sank deep into her body, down to her very bones. Holding her breath, she swam along beneath the dark surface through the kelp, catching glimpses of sharks and little shining fish passing her by carelessly. The moonlight playing on the waves above her rippled in undulating beams of light, and a feeling of peace rose up within her.

She came to the surface, taking in a grateful breath of air as she trudged through the white surf, the water pulling back and forth at her legs. She made her way to the beach and plopped down onto the warm sand, lying back to catch her breath. Xilah closed her eyes.

The sound of voices roused her from her rest, and Xilah realized she had fallen asleep. Now, the light of dawn played along the horizon in the east as she glanced along the shore. The silhouettes of three figures approached her under the pink and golden sky. She stood, raising her arms in greeting as the sheer joy of being found at last overwhelmed her. Finally, she thought. My journey is over. I am safe.

She called out to them as she waved her arms, a shout of triumph the only sound she could summon after all she had been through. The figures came toward her, and she studied their odd forms, dressed in unusual clothes. She could hear them speaking among themselves in a language she had never heard before, a strange combination of whines and clicks. One of them, the largest, held a sort of staff in one hand.

“What is it, Michael?” one of the strangers asked, though it sounded like mere nonsense to Xilah’s ears. “An animal?”

“No,” Michael replied. “The last of its kind. Stay back, it may be dangerous.” He raised the long object level, turning the end out to point it in Xilah’s direction. “Stay back,” he warned her, but she didn’t understand. Xilah stepped forward, approaching the group with her arms wide in welcome. A deafening boom rattled the air, then her world went black.

Michael looked down on the creature, its green and black scales glistening in the light of morning. “Hideous,” he commented, crouching low over the animal. It had walked upright like a human, but it was all fangs and scales, spines and claws. “I thought they were all extinct.”

“It tried to attack us,” the woman beside him said. “Why would it do that?”

Michael shrugged. “Who knows? It’s only a dumb brute, after all.” Something caught his eye, shining on the creature's bare, scaly chest. He lifted it in his hand, rubbing the grime off it with his thumb. The heart-shaped trinket glinted gold in the sunlight. “Oh, Molly, look.” He yanked on the chain, snapping it free from the reptilian’s neck. Rising to his feet, he handed the necklace to his companion. “I’ve found your locket.”