There was something about the forest that called to Nova. The sweet taste of the fresh air, untouched by the pollution of the cities leaking out into the outer villages. The sign of life around every corner, greenery surrounded her at every step, the noise of animals, whether it be the snapping of twigs or the constant tweeting of birds and the running water of a nearby stream. It enveloped one in the pleasantries of life, the beauty of it seemed to be never-ending when she was there. Forgetting the outside world, the reality, she, and everyone else, lived in was possible when Nova stood there, breathing in the delicious air with her eyes closed, bathing in the sunlight peeking through the leaves of the trees. It was like a dream.
Bark!
But it was just that, a dream and nothing more. Because the truth was, the forest did have an end, and Nova was nearing it. And that end, the border would cross over to her hometown, the Weeping Hollow village. If you could call it that, it resided not too far outside of the luxurious city of Alvirie. However, the two places could never be more different. Weeping Hollow Village had been given that name for a reason. The pollution from the city, the lack of greenery, the worn out people and the constant suffering and need to survive.
The barking immediately brought Nova back down to earth. Her dark eyes snapped open and fell upon the source of the noise, a golden Shiba Inu, standing ahead of her, looking at her with curious eyes. At the sight of him, a smile quirked at her lips. There weren't very many reasons to smile in Nova's life, but the dog, Hami, was reason enough for her. And in the covers of the forest, she felt no reason to hold back.
"Alright, alright, I'm coming," Nova called out to help, her small smile growing into that of a grin as she trekked up to him. It was impossible for to understand dog language, but she could guess what he was probably saying. Now was no time to be lazing around, it was time for them to head home and finish their trade. They had more work at home to do and wasting their time outside was not an option.
They had spent hours, collecting herbs and scavenging just about anything that may have been of value. Not many others in the village dared to venture outside of their civilization. The forest carried too many things to be afraid of for them to even imagine taking a trip there. It was like sacred grounds, untouched by the war that tore the world they lived in apart. The dangers of wild animals, beasts, and other unknown things. Despite that, there were more reasons to go out into it, all the resources that could be found, the herbs, items of the old times, buried under moss. Nova was one of the few who had the courage to go out on under the employment of others, finding things for sale.
Though, she also went out because she wanted to. Outside the village, she was free to say and do as she pleased without any fear. There were eyes and ears everywhere in the village. And she sure as hell couldn't practice her magic there. The only safe place was the forest.
Hami and Nova walked until the finally reached the clearing. Unlike the rest of the woods, it not only appeared different but felt different. The air around them was always ominous when they crossed over the land. She was certain something big had happened there, a fight during the war, but Nova didn't know too much about the history of the war, it was only the here and now that mattered. "Let's take a small break here," Nova said to Hami who seemed happy to do so, but he looked anxious to take a break at the clearing, whining slightly. "Oh, shush." She patted his head to comfort him and it worked.
The two walked together until Hami ran off after a squirrel. Nova knew he would return as soon as he called out to her, so she sat on her butt and fixed the black cap over her head as she took a moment to breathe. Finally, alone, she took the moment to test her magic, something she rarely got to do. The only thing she ever did with it was hiding it as best as she could.
Holding her hand above the ground, she inhaled slowly, willing her strength, her power to pull a crystal from the ground. No clock was around, but she could hear the ticking of seconds go by in her head as she waited. And then, suddenly, she could see the glimmering tip of quartz weed of the dirt until a full, small stick of quartz stuck out, beautiful and proud. It wasn't her best work, but it was still something. Her face broke out into a grin, though, it died down when she came to realized she had no one to show it to.
The moment had been soured by that one fact. She was alone. And it would always be that way as long as she lived.
Nova stood back onto her feet and moved to walk away, but her steps halted by the sight of ashes. Did someone start a fire? Nova didn't walk the grounds of the particular clearing often or stick around. She was too apprehensive to stick around the place for long or even bother to take a look about. But they weren't old, no, they looked new, buried underneath, she could see the faint glow of embers.
Still, Nova crouched down and investigated. Reaching out a bare hand, she brushed away the ashed, they were warm, almost hot even. Yet, she halted at the sight of ... a closed eye? She examined closely, unsure if she was correct in what she was seeing before pressing her hand against the hot and soft skin. For a moment, she was unable to breathe before she decided to get down to the bottom of it. With another breath, she used both hands to unbury the face of the person underneath. He was breathing ...
It was enough for her to fall back and onto her butt, a panicked squeak escaping her mouth.