Kookiemaster18

Finally finished with summer classes, and now Fall classes coming up. I just write whatever pops up in my mind, so I was stuck on the second half of this chapter for the longest time. Thanks for reading:)

Destination arrived: mountain

It took Amy longer than she thought, over half a day. It’s a miracle she didn’t fall asleep on the way. She almost ran out of energy from the continuous usage, but she found a few clouds on her journey. 

Cloud cotton candy(ccc) truly isn’t that common. She only found three even while actively looking almost the entire way. There’s not a distinct physical feature that sets them apart from normal clouds. Her subconscious seems to know because if it looks delicious then it’s food.

Since she’s not that hungry, she took a break and enjoyed the sunrise. It’s hard to remember the last time she was up this early. Beautiful but it’s soon over.

The mountain was also disappointingly short. She envisioned majestic mountains that reached into the clouds although her sight warned her otherwise. With her hopes of snagging food off a tall mountain vanquished, she turned to exploring instead.

She guesses the temperature to be pretty agreeable right now from all the greenery that entered her vision. Maybe spring? Still mostly normal looking animals unfortunately. Her attention is once again drawn by a cute bunny cleaning its chubby cheeks. Awwww, so freaking adorable! I want one as a pet. Mental note to self: ask IV if I can kee-

Thwack!

…!!!! Amy is shooketh as she stares uncomprehendingly at the arrow going through the body of the now dead rabbit. Nooooo...not rabbit-chan. Wait, arrow? Does that mean there are people nearby?!

Even though her prospective pet just got murdered, Amy still couldn’t help getting excited about meeting people. Talking to yourself only does so much. Sure enough, soon a roughly 6 feet tall young man walked over to the rabbit and stored it with his other ones.

Looks like he’s having a good hunt. Fortunately, Amy isn’t ignorant enough to fault a person for hunting for food. Good thing I haven’t named it yet, that would have been depressing.

While Amy was convincing herself that the rabbit died for a good cause, the man was already walking with purpose towards his new location. One could guess that he’s either traveling to a favorite hunting spot or going back home. Usually Amy would be against stalking a stranger or following one home, but it should be fine for a cloud. Either way maybe she should at least tell somebody beforehand. Better safe than sorry.

Hey IV? You there?

{Is there a problem?}

No, not really. I wanted to let you know I’m following a stranger home. He doesn’t look creepy, but I just wanted to be safe.

{...even if we ignore the fact that you are a cloud, there’s not much I can do if you get murdered. Oh I know! I can just just possess your murderer and force him to sprinkle your remaining H2O into the ocean!}

No way, you never told me you can possess people!

{...I should of known better *sigh*...you should be fine there’s nothing a “non-ability” can do to you.}

Ok that makes sense.

While she was conversing with IV, she was slowly drifting along with the unknown muggle. A round of applause for the smooth double tasking. A change in the situation drew her attention back. He seemed to have stopped in a clearing and is squatting on the ground.

Wait is he…? No, that can’t be it...

Sneaking a quick peak with her zoom, she is relieved to find him completely clothed. Omg dirty brain, stob it!

What is he up to though? Taking a closer look from a different angle, a familiar glow enters her line of sight. Yes, the guy has stopped in front of a patch of glowing plants. Specifically a patch of mushrooms.

Yum. She started mentally drooling as she watched him harvest the magical produce. So this is what the people of this world eat. This revelation doubled her desire to find a way to communicate with them.

It’s important to find a reliable source of information in this strange world. Of course, the food is only secondary…

Omg! The guy suddenly looked up at her! Amy froze and hurriedly looked away.

I can’t see you, so you can’t see me!

***

Guy POV:

What a nice day it’s been. A successful hunt, and he was lucky enough to stumble across some Glowcaps.

Even the clouds seem to be on his side today, sheltering him from the sun.

After collecting the Glowcaps, he carefully placed them in his basket with his other harvests. Picking up his string of rabbits, he continued his way home. He had been on his way back to the village when he came across his newest harvest.

The gifting is about to start, and he was worrying about his family’s contribution. He doesn't agree with some of the town’s traditions, but there’s not much he can do. He can only try to look out for his loved ones as much as possible. Now, he can’t wait to arrive home to tell his sister the good news.

***

Guy’s sister POV:

The scene opens on a small dirt room with a well-used table, and a small bed. There is a 11 year old girl sitting on the bed with her eye closed. She looks to be meditating.

I’m scared.

“No, I can’t think that way,” she mumbled to herself, “it is an honor to take such a major role in the biggest tradition of Ruo.”

How many times has she told herself that? She’s lost count, but it’s the only thing she can do to prevent herself from losing her mind.

Maybe I’ve already lost my mind. Just like everybody else in this crazy village. Only small villages and towns still practice this tradition with actual villager participation. Still better than the last place, at least we’re not starving on the streets here.

She doesn't blame her parents. What can they do? They’re just trying to survive like everybody else. They’re good parents, she knows they will take care of her little brother and sister. The one person that worries her is her older brother, Guy. He’s not the sharpest nor is he a tool.

He’s too smart and too dumb for his own good. He’s aware enough to realize how wrong something is, but doesn’t realize there’s a time and place for sharing such things.

Goddess Irene, please keep my family safe and let Guy learn to-

“Sister! I’m back!” She is rudely interrupted by a loud voice. She opened her eyes and stared at her exited older brother. “Where’s mom and dad?”

“They’re on the fields. Did something happen? Did you have a good hunt?”

“Yes, there is a good harvest today. I have good news for the family.”

“Oh, are you going to bring a wife home soon?” She enjoyed teasing her brother since he was old enough to marry. He had his 15th birthday a few months back. Surprisingly, the image of her brother whining about her teasing him did not happen as expected.

“No, I found some Glowcaps on my way back from the hunt! You don’t have to participate in the ritual anymore.”

It took a second for her mind to register the news.

“I-I..no we have an offering?”

“Yes, isn’t that great? The gods must be watching out for us-“

Her mind sort of blanked. She had spent so many days preparing herself, mind and body, to accept her fate, but now she’s told that she doesn't have to? She’s instantly overwhelmed by a wave of relief, guess she wasn’t as prepared as she thought. However, there was a tiny echo of disappointment in a dusty corner of her mind.

I must be actually crazy to be disappointed with such good news.

She watched her brother’s animated display of his adventure as she smiled. It’s hard to tell he’s the oldest of her siblings sometimes. Ah yes, she needs to tell her family and friends of the good news.

Especially Yi, she will be reassured once she knows I won’t be the one facing her on the day of the Giving.

[Author: Looking for recommendations for the sister’s name.]