*** Mia's pov ***

My yells succeeded in waking the villagers as people started to come out of the houses armed with tools. Not long after beasts came out of the forest, many didn't even pay attention to the village and just bypassed it. Unfortunately, not all of them did, the wolves ran straight and didn't skirt us. I grabbed some stick that was lying around as a weapon, it wasn't the best protection but it was better than nothing.

The wolves leaped over the wall with ease, wolves weren't that dangerous alone, only a bit stronger than a villager but they were a real threat when they attacked in a pack. The first wolf jumped on the blacksmith who received him with a wide hammer blow, although the wolf fell heavily on the floor another wolf jumped just behind him and bit the blacksmith's arm. He managed to throw the other wolf but not without hurting himself in the process.

The rest of the pack quickly followed and pounced on the villagers. Beside me, the Elder's son, Jeff, was facing the bigger wolf, most likely the pack leader, with a rusted spear. He was strong, I know because he kicked me last week, but he still had great difficulty against the wolf who kept dodging the spear. I heard a bloody scream coming from my right, I think it was the innkeeper but I didn't have the time to confirm.

My thought was quickly cut short when one of the younger wolves choose me as its prey. I barely managed to react when it pounced on me and struck my stick on its head. It whimpered, then growled before ramming into me. I wasn't able to avoid him and fell to the ground. My back hurt but I had no time to care as it pounced on me. My stick was the only thing between my face and its maw and its drool was dropping on my face as it keeps growling.

I desperately used all my strength to keep its fangs as far as I could from me. I could feel its breath and I was running out of strength. Was I going to die like that? "I don't want to die! Mama! Someone!" I implored but nobody came. 

Using everything I had, felt a strange heat spread in my limbs. With the help of a strong wind blow and my newfound strength, I succeeded to repel the wolf, pushing him a whole meter back. It was looking at me warily, surprised by my sudden force. But I was completely drained, I couldn't muster any strength anymore. We were staring at each other for what looked like an eternity.

Then, when I was persuaded it was going to attack me again, I heard a howl. The juvenile wolf jerked and send me another look before backing away with the other wolves. I could see the wolf leader limped with its front left leg injured, its left eye was also hurt and I could see some burn marks on its fur. I was too exhausted to stand up and stayed on the floor and watched the wolves leave. But they didn't return to the forest, like the other beast they skirted the village and kept going.

Seeing the wolves retreat I was relieved thinking that the worst was finally over but I was too optimistic. I wasn't safe at all, there weren't any more beasts coming out of the forest but I had forgotten about the "beast" inside the village. Before I could react someone grabbed me by the neck and threw me in the middle of the crowd.

I fell on my left wrist and felt a sharp pain. I groaned and tried to stand up only to be greeted by the hateful glares of the villagers. I was afraid, I got used to the disgust inside their gazes and it wasn't the first time someone was angry at me. But it was the first time they were all looking at me like that. Their eyes were filled with hatred.

"What the hell happened? The wolves never left the forest before!" exclaimed the hunter Drake.

"Isn't it all this wretch's fault? She is the one who called us! And the beasts all came out of the forest, she must have attracted them!" Cursed the blacksmith whose right arm was a bloody mess.

"Larry, Josh, and Bruce are dead because of this fiend! We should kill her!" yelled Jeff. He raised his old spear ready to strike me.

"Feed her to the beast!"

"Burn her!"

"Kill her!"

They wanted to kill me! I was terrified, it was even worse than with the wolf, I could feel the malice in them. They didn't even care if I was the culprit or not. I was just an outlet for their anger. I prayed for someone to help me, and my call was answered.

"Wait!" Stopped the Elder.

I looked up, hope rising in my heart. The Elder didn't like me but he was old and wise. He should understand that I have nothing to do with what happened, he wouldn't let the villagers kill a child just to vent their anger, right?

"We can't kill her here. What if she put a curse on us with her death?" My hope was swiftly extinguished by his next words.

"We should throw her in the forest! Banish this cursed blood from the village! Let a wolf take care of this waif for us." he suggested.

I was too exhausted and despondent to resist, someone grabbed my platinum hair and dragged me to the edge of the forest as the crowd followed. After being thrown again to the floor, Jeff delivered me a powerful kick in my stomach, sending me flying against a tree. I was so much in pain I could barely breathe and was gasping for air.

"This is for Josh, you skunk! And that..." he declared before kicking me and breaking my left shoulder. "...is for Larry and Bruce."

I cried in pain with this new wave of pain but it didn't stir them. No, I could even see the delight in Jeff's eyes. He was going to keep hitting me but was interrupted by his father, not for me but because "If I got too injured, they'd have to drag me into the forest themselves" and they didn't want me to die too close to the village.

"Don't even think of coming back!" Jeff finished with a spit.

I tried to stand up, but my left arm was extremely painful and I couldn't use it at all. I still managed to stand up and headed toward the forest depth. I limped forward, luckily my legs were fine, they were bruised but it didn't impede walking much. The rising sun illuminated the forest, going to the forest's outskirts during the day isn't too dangerous normally for twelve years old like me.

But I wasn't going to rest here, I was heading for the depth. And with my injured and exhausted body not only I wouldn't be able to run but I was also easy prey. I could hear the crowd returning to the village, I didn't look back as tears rolled on my cheeks. Without any destination, I was heading in the direction of where the star fell.

"Mama..." I whimpered, each step I took caused pain and numbed my mind.

*** Mia's pov end ***

"Gosh, that was violent! Alright, let's see the extent of the damage... No broken bones, although five of my ribs are cracked and my left shoulder is dislocated. Some of my organs have ruptured, but nothing major except my right eye is blind and there is blood accumulating in my right lung. My body should be able to function at 80% of my normal state and most damage should be healed within four hours. All in all, I can say that this landing wasn't so bad." I said taking off my seatbelt and getting up from my seat.

>> I must disagree with you, Captain, another grade 3 biological entity would have died in your place. You were lucky that none of your vital organs were damaged.

"Come on! That just proves that my driving is perfect!" I exclaimed while putting back my dislocated shoulder.

>> You crashing headfirst into a mountain isn't really what should be considered a 'perfect' landing.

"Well, I could have avoided it but behind those mountains is an ocean and while it certainly would have permitted a softer landing sparkle2 isn't really able to float at this moment. And while swimming is an activity I appreciate, I think you can understand my reluctance to be stuck in the middle of an ocean." I retorted.

Proof that my 'landing' could barely be qualified as such, my cockpit was a mess. There weren't many things on the floor since everything was normally stored securely to prevent any problem in flight. But the flashing monitors and the dim red light illuminating the room told me the current state of this ship. Something like, 'This ship still being in one piece is already a miracle, don't expect anything more.'

I verified that all my equipment was there and working. Then, after checking that the atmosphere was breathable, I opened the door and exited my spaceship. I had quickly monitored the proportions of the damage while I was in my seat but the major part of it was extern. Looking at it from the outside it was pretty bad, both wings were twisted, the hull was distorted in some places, and half of my ship was buried in stone. Luckily, there was no leak and the inside was mostly intact so I would be able to use it as a base.

"That's a big cave!" I commented as I looked at my surrounding.

>> You mean crater? This 'cave' didn't exist before you hit this cliff.

"Don't mind the small details, do you think it's stable?" I ask while patting the still-fuming stone wall.

>> The cave integrity is relatively stable for now, most of the unstable parts have already fallen but I advise the Captain to reinforce it.

"I'll do that," I responded.

Making my way through the remains of the fallen rocks, I reached the cave entrance. The night sky was softly illuminating the forest, from what I could see the cave was approximately thirty meters above the ground. The sight was slightly nostalgic, I always liked forests with trees like that, they remind me of my home planet.

"I think I will have a pleasant stay here." I declared with a bright smile.

>>... This planet is...

*** Mia's pov ***

"... doomed..." I blurted.

I've been walking for hours and my body was so exhausted I was only conscious because of the pain. The only reason I was still walking was that I was too afraid to stop. But it seems like fate didn't want to leave me alone, to a point I started to believe I was really cursed. I didn't encounter any beast since entering the forest, which was both lucky and terrifying.  

Unfortunately for me, not all the beasts had fled the forest. Like the one standing in front of me, the beast was more than ten times my height and covered in green scales. It was an earth dragon, the apex predator from the Greenteeth mountains, a beast so powerful it could decimate a company of knights. This was just overkill.

I wanted to flee but I couldn't, my body wasn't responding anymore. I could only look at it as it opened its jaws ready to eat me. I saw my life flash before my eyes, It wasn't long I was still a child after all. The four years following Mama's death were horrible, but I could still remember the warmth of her hugs. 

I wanted to move but my body couldn't, I wanted to call for help but my voice was stuck. I didn't want to die, I wanted to feel that warmth again. Yes, that was my wish, what I really wanted, was to feel that warmth again. 

I readied myself for the burst of pain that was coming but the jaws never reached me. An arm had swiftly come between me and the dragon while something grabbed my clothes and pulled me out of danger. I wasn't able to register what happened, one second I was going to get killed by the dragon and now I was in someone's embrace. 

This warmth... I looked up only to be even more confused. It was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, she had silver hair and deep purple eyes filled with pure concern for me. But most important she resembled Mama! 

"ÆδΤÆΓΓÆ!" her voice was beautiful too.

I felt safe and relaxed in her hug, my consciousness was drifting away from my exhaustion. Rocked in her warmth I fell asleep.

*** Mia's pov end ***