07-10-2008, 12:09 AM
The men were trying to repair the ship and clean the debris-strewn deck of the boat, when a heart-wrenching wail arose from below deck. Xane tore down the steps to find out what had caused such a horrible reaction from Laia, and found her tightly clutching one of Aura’s light blue sandals, sobbing and moaning as she rocked back and forth on the floor in her grief. He quickly searched the room and found the broken porthole, a scrap of Aura’s favorite dress had snagged on a piece of the broken glass and after he carefully removed it, he went to Laia. He drew here into his arms and held her while she cried for her lost sister, child, and best friend.
When Laia’s sobbing had subsided, he gently picked her up and carried her to the deck. He sat on the cushioned seat, cradling her in his lap while he stroked her hair. He hugged her close to him, thankful they had made it, heartbroken for the loss of Aura. He quietly ordered the tillerman to return home, promising himself they would somehow find Aura.
The years passed and he searched and searched, never giving up hope that Aura was still alive. Laia remained with him but was no longer the vivacious, happy girl she had been. She became a shell of herself, a completely different person. No one who knew her before the accident recognized her anymore, and she spoke to none of her old friends and acquaintances. It was a long time before she would even leave the Villa, and then it was only to surround herself with animals. She had already lost so much her parents, her home, her entire homeland, and now her precious Aura, she just gave up.
Xane, however, never lost hope. He had vowed to himself to find Aura, and he would, if it took him the rest of his time on the earth.
What had begun as a glorious, fun-filled day for a happy family became a life-altering event for a woman grieving for the loss of a sister she had cared for as her own child. Laia became a bitter woman as the years passed, and Xane could no longer provide her comfort. She abandoned all she had known and took up residence in the murderous lands of Felucca, heaping her pain and misery upon others.
Xane searched for Aura for several years after her disappearance, despite having no trace, no leads, no clues at all. Laia continuous spiral into dark oblivion left Xane heartbroken and weary, for he had failed. He had not found Aura, the child he believed with all his whole being was still alive, nor had he been able to prevent Laias self-destructive ways or comfort her in their loss.
Xane withdrew from the circle of friends he had been such a part of, closing himself off from everything and everyone. He scarcely left the villa, leaving only to sail upon the waves or slip into Felucca to see with his own eyes that Laia was still alive. Though he truly thought Aura had somehow survived, he was fast becoming a tired, lonely man who had seen and lost too much in his lifetime.
Living alone on a quiet, uninhabited island in a faraway land, a young woman grew. She had no real memories of a time before waking in the shallow waves upon the shore of this unusual place, only a salvaged image of a happy family an older girl with a ready smile, funny eyes, and white hair, a smaller version of the young woman, and a man with kind eyes who looked strong and gentle. Faint ghostly images filtered through her mind in dreams, but the wispy figures vanished in the rays of morning sunlight.
The girl did not know her own name, yet she knew the names of all the animals on the island. She knew the dolphins that played with her in the gentle breakers off the coast. She knew the names of the occasional monsters that wandered too close to her palm frond hut and forced her to climb one of the nearby swaying trees for safety. Having no identity troubled her greatly, but even more troubling throughout the years she inhabited the island had always been stumbling upon the remains of another nameless soul such as herself. This always reinforced her dire chance of escaping the predicament in which she found herself. She would carefully cover the body and mark the shallow grave in some way, lest she forget them.
The passing years were good to her food was plentiful and she had adopted the skills for survival that were innate abilities of her ancestors. Though she did not know it, the quiet grace, humility, and resolve she had developed upon the island transcended her already beautiful features into a radiant peaceful countenance. As Aura had grown more lovely and gentle in her solitude upon the island, Laia became a dark and cruelly magnificent presence from the pain and bitterness residing within.
Aura had been on the island for so long, she was accustomed to being alone and with animal companions her only comfort, yet she yearned to be among others like herself. More frequently the images of the happy people in the picture haunted her, and she wanted to find out if they still existed.
One evening as she walked along the shore, loneliness overwhelmed her and she began to cry. The dolphins, following her in the nearby waves, became saddened to see their beloved human so melancholy and lost in her tears. They knew they could no longer keep her here with them. Aura would never know that as the great Kraken drug her below the surface of the waves that fateful day, it released her when she no longer struggled to free herself. The dolphins, who always watched over her hen she was on the sea, quickly came to her aid and carried her far away to the lost island in Ilshenar so they might watch over their friend always.
The dolphins quickly foraged along the ocean bed and found a large mass of seaweed. They frolicked about the weary girl until she sat upon the proffered bed. It sufficed well as a makeshift float for her to rest upon during the long journey back to the oceans of Trammel. The dolphins carefully towed the raft behind them and deposited Aura safely on the shores of Moonglow where they knew other humans would find her and care for her. They quickly retreated into the receding waves and returned home.
After being alone for so long with no civilization whatsoever, Aura was bewildered and a bit frightened by the dwellings and establishments she could see across the expanse of land before her. Seeing a person emerge from one of the peculiar buildings heightened her fear yet also piqued her curiosity, and she crept slowly towards the buildings and into town.
She stood in the shadows, a silent, hidden observer as she listened to the soothingly familiar sounds uttered by the strangers. Some words she recognized and she tried to remember their meanings and absorb all she could of this land she felt she must surely have once been a part of.
She began to feel safe in this strange place and wandered about. She studied how others were dressed and their mannerisms. She paid special attention to their speech and she caught on to this rather quickly. She emerged from the shadows and began walking among the throng of people bustling about, many an eye paying a second glance, some even a third, to the beautiful girl scantily dressed in beggars rags.
When Laia’s sobbing had subsided, he gently picked her up and carried her to the deck. He sat on the cushioned seat, cradling her in his lap while he stroked her hair. He hugged her close to him, thankful they had made it, heartbroken for the loss of Aura. He quietly ordered the tillerman to return home, promising himself they would somehow find Aura.
The years passed and he searched and searched, never giving up hope that Aura was still alive. Laia remained with him but was no longer the vivacious, happy girl she had been. She became a shell of herself, a completely different person. No one who knew her before the accident recognized her anymore, and she spoke to none of her old friends and acquaintances. It was a long time before she would even leave the Villa, and then it was only to surround herself with animals. She had already lost so much her parents, her home, her entire homeland, and now her precious Aura, she just gave up.
Xane, however, never lost hope. He had vowed to himself to find Aura, and he would, if it took him the rest of his time on the earth.
What had begun as a glorious, fun-filled day for a happy family became a life-altering event for a woman grieving for the loss of a sister she had cared for as her own child. Laia became a bitter woman as the years passed, and Xane could no longer provide her comfort. She abandoned all she had known and took up residence in the murderous lands of Felucca, heaping her pain and misery upon others.
Xane searched for Aura for several years after her disappearance, despite having no trace, no leads, no clues at all. Laia continuous spiral into dark oblivion left Xane heartbroken and weary, for he had failed. He had not found Aura, the child he believed with all his whole being was still alive, nor had he been able to prevent Laias self-destructive ways or comfort her in their loss.
Xane withdrew from the circle of friends he had been such a part of, closing himself off from everything and everyone. He scarcely left the villa, leaving only to sail upon the waves or slip into Felucca to see with his own eyes that Laia was still alive. Though he truly thought Aura had somehow survived, he was fast becoming a tired, lonely man who had seen and lost too much in his lifetime.
Living alone on a quiet, uninhabited island in a faraway land, a young woman grew. She had no real memories of a time before waking in the shallow waves upon the shore of this unusual place, only a salvaged image of a happy family an older girl with a ready smile, funny eyes, and white hair, a smaller version of the young woman, and a man with kind eyes who looked strong and gentle. Faint ghostly images filtered through her mind in dreams, but the wispy figures vanished in the rays of morning sunlight.
The girl did not know her own name, yet she knew the names of all the animals on the island. She knew the dolphins that played with her in the gentle breakers off the coast. She knew the names of the occasional monsters that wandered too close to her palm frond hut and forced her to climb one of the nearby swaying trees for safety. Having no identity troubled her greatly, but even more troubling throughout the years she inhabited the island had always been stumbling upon the remains of another nameless soul such as herself. This always reinforced her dire chance of escaping the predicament in which she found herself. She would carefully cover the body and mark the shallow grave in some way, lest she forget them.
The passing years were good to her food was plentiful and she had adopted the skills for survival that were innate abilities of her ancestors. Though she did not know it, the quiet grace, humility, and resolve she had developed upon the island transcended her already beautiful features into a radiant peaceful countenance. As Aura had grown more lovely and gentle in her solitude upon the island, Laia became a dark and cruelly magnificent presence from the pain and bitterness residing within.
Aura had been on the island for so long, she was accustomed to being alone and with animal companions her only comfort, yet she yearned to be among others like herself. More frequently the images of the happy people in the picture haunted her, and she wanted to find out if they still existed.
One evening as she walked along the shore, loneliness overwhelmed her and she began to cry. The dolphins, following her in the nearby waves, became saddened to see their beloved human so melancholy and lost in her tears. They knew they could no longer keep her here with them. Aura would never know that as the great Kraken drug her below the surface of the waves that fateful day, it released her when she no longer struggled to free herself. The dolphins, who always watched over her hen she was on the sea, quickly came to her aid and carried her far away to the lost island in Ilshenar so they might watch over their friend always.
The dolphins quickly foraged along the ocean bed and found a large mass of seaweed. They frolicked about the weary girl until she sat upon the proffered bed. It sufficed well as a makeshift float for her to rest upon during the long journey back to the oceans of Trammel. The dolphins carefully towed the raft behind them and deposited Aura safely on the shores of Moonglow where they knew other humans would find her and care for her. They quickly retreated into the receding waves and returned home.
After being alone for so long with no civilization whatsoever, Aura was bewildered and a bit frightened by the dwellings and establishments she could see across the expanse of land before her. Seeing a person emerge from one of the peculiar buildings heightened her fear yet also piqued her curiosity, and she crept slowly towards the buildings and into town.
She stood in the shadows, a silent, hidden observer as she listened to the soothingly familiar sounds uttered by the strangers. Some words she recognized and she tried to remember their meanings and absorb all she could of this land she felt she must surely have once been a part of.
She began to feel safe in this strange place and wandered about. She studied how others were dressed and their mannerisms. She paid special attention to their speech and she caught on to this rather quickly. She emerged from the shadows and began walking among the throng of people bustling about, many an eye paying a second glance, some even a third, to the beautiful girl scantily dressed in beggars rags.