Alone Chapter One: The Foreign Girl

A giant bird scanned the horizon carefully, double-checking his position in the air. Finally spotting his destination, the dark crow made a beeline for a brick building in the middle of a medium-sized village. The window was left conveniently open for him, and he shrunk to a normal size in order to peak through at an older man attacking a mountain of paperwork in frustration.

"Good afternoon, Mayor Johnson. You sent a message to my master?"

The man looked up surprised, and relaxed at seeing the bird.

"Yes, Toto. I was hoping to talk personally with you or the Cat Lord."

The bird hopped in and made himself at home on the back of the man's chair.

"What did you need to talk about?"

The man shifted uncomfortably.

"About the Full Moon Act."

The bird twitched.

"Did you find a girl of age that hasn't gone through it yet?"

The man nodded slowly.

"That's partially the problem. Does the Act include foreigners?"

The crow cocked his head.

"The Act is taken to mean any girl residing in the Cat Lord's domain; I'm sure that nationality is not an issue."

The man relaxed a little.

"Wonderful. Now I just need to find a way to tell her what needs to happen so she doesn't panic."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean the girl can barely speak three words of our language. I don't know her exact age, but if she can travel alone from a country so distant that we can't understand her native tongue, then she is at least mentally old enough."

Toto nodded.

"What is her name, and where does she live?"

The man laughed uncomfortably.

"Her name's Haru, but we don't have a clue where she lives."

The crow cocked his head again.

"I know how that sounds, but every time someone tries to follow her home, she disappears without a trace. We think she might actually be a fairy, since anyone that owns her embroidery is blessed with good luck. She only started coming to our village to trade three months ago, but I thought it might be something you would want to look into."

The crow bowed low, grateful for the information.

"The Cat Lord will be pleased by your assumption. Is she around?"

"Oh no, she usually drops by the village after the full moon nights, about two days after. But I could point you in the direction she usually disappears in."

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Toto headed due eastward, toward the Emerald Forest. Few have ever successfully settled in the Forest, since it had long been viewed as haunted by dead soldiers from forgotten battles in the distant past. The crow reasoned that if the girl couldn't understand the local language, then she would have no reason to fear the forest. He had to shrink to the size of a hummingbird in order to fly beneath the thick branches that cast the forest into a near perpetual darkness.

He knew he only had two days maximum in order to find this foreign girl if he wanted to make the deadline for this month, and that he would have to wait for the following full moon if he didn't find her soon. A few hours later, his sensitive nostrils picked up the scent of soap and smoke. He made a beeline for the source, and came to a small clearing. A small tent and fire pit had been erected in the side of the lighted portion, the majority being taken by a small but neat garden. In one of the rows was a young woman pulling up some stubborn weeds. Toto grew to a normal crow's size and circled the makeshift house to see the girl's face.

She was wearing a large straw hat to protect her skin from the sun, and had on long leather gloves to protect her from the pricks of the weeds. Her large brown eyes had a look of intense concentration, so entirely focused that she didn't even noticing the bird watching her. She was dressed completely in brown, with her dress obviously having seen a few years of wear and tear. Tiny black stitches held her dress and coat together, her shoes being knee-high brown boots that clearly came from the village she had been trading with. A large brown bag hung from one shoulder to cross her body and rest on her other hip. Her hair looked almost black under the straw hat, but Toto could tell it was somewhere between medium and dark brown.

He coughed politely to get her attention, but she just leaned back, taking a small break from her labors. He coughed louder, and she got to her feet and headed towards the small tent. Toto lost his patience.

"Haru!"

The woman jumped a foot in the air, looking around frantically for the intruder.

"Up here!" He started waving one wing around in order to gain her attention. She looked up, a quirk in the eyebrow saying she didn't think he was the one who had spoken to her. He gestured with the same wing for her to come closer, but she wouldn't, obviously mistrustful by nature. Sighing, Toto flew on top of the tent, where he was nearly eye-level with the human girl.

"I need you to come with me, Haru."

She took a few steps back, clearly not understanding what was happening. The crow hopped off the hut and landed next to her. He began to grow.

"Please get on my back."

The girl jumped even farther away, her confusion melting into horror as he became twice her height. She shook her head violently, and started saying something unintelligible. She turned to run, but Toto was ready for her reaction. Jumping at her from behind, he grabbed her by the upper arms with his talons, being as gentle as he could.

He generally preferred for passengers to ride on his back, but he doubted that the girl would be that willing to cooperate. He flew out of the clearing and into the open sky, the girl still in his talons and struggling fiercely. He made a beeline for the distant castle, where his master and friend was waiting for them. Good thing he had a few hours to work with. The girl started to beat at his legs as her straw hat became lost to the wind.

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In a large stone castle, in one of the higher towers, a tall figure thoughtfully traced the edge of his empty teacup. His slanted green eyes, which should have been focused on the papers in front of him, were studying the skies outside the large window. The late afternoon sun highlighted the golden tones in his orange fur, and made his gray suit appear to be white. He rested one gloved hand beneath his chin and sighed.

The Cat Lord had come by his nick-name honestly, his head and tail being difficult to disguise. He never minded his strange appearance, and was never bothered about the strange magic that bound him to this unique shape, since no amount of worrying could change one hair of him. His appearance never interfered with affairs of state, since his people loved him enough to always obey the first time. In the years of his rule, the land had prospered, and the people were happy and whole.

Except for him. He tried never to dwell long over it, but in the years since the prophecy was given, the Cat Lord had always been vigilant with the Full Moon Act. No one understood the reasons behind the strange proclamation, but obeyed it out of love for him. However, it had been several months since the last girl of age had been tried without success, and the careful records he kept of his people said that the next one wouldn't be ready for another few months. He watched the passing shadows with disgust. It wasn't like he was getting any younger…

A loud shout pricked his large pointed ears, and he shot out of his chair to look outside his window. Toto had returned from the call the mayor of Jalin had given, and he had a person between his claws, the source of the noise. Baron noted in passing that the person was wearing a skirt, and the crow holding her was heading for the special stone-wall enclosed garden in the back of the castle. The Cat Lord's heart leapt. Where had Toto found another one? He ran down the spiraling staircase, hope beginning to flare once more.