I'm awoken to screams. Looking up, my eyes still thick with sleep, I see my mother standing in the doorway to our cottage screaming as she brandishes my father's old hunting spear.
Scared and curious I slip on my boots and crawl over to the door. I gasp in horror at what's before my eyes. The village is burning as men on horseback race down the only street, slaying everyone in their path. Not ten feet away from me one of the men on horseback cuts down my father. He falls to the ground, headless.
I scream in pain and terror, after all, I'm only seven. My mother glances down and tells me to run. She says I need to run as fast and as far as I can. I find I can't move though. The image of my father being cut down keeps replaying in my mind. This doesn't stop my mother though. She steps forward, spear raised high, and stabs the man that killed my father. He falls off his horse, screaming, as his tartan billows around him.
As I watch the man fall my mother turns around again and screams at me to run. She points to the forest. My eyes follow her finger. The change of view finally brings me to myself and my legs begin to move. I don't remember running. I don't remember ducking under the axe of a tartan clad barbarian. I don't even remember hearing my mother scream in agony as she buys me time to get away.
I just run.
I run into the forest, my legs pumping so hard my lungs can't keep up. Eventually I ran so far that my legs gave out. I tumble to the ground as a tree root encounters my foot. I realize as I fall that my head is heading straight at a rock. Before my head encounters the rock I have another realization – I'm in the enchanted forest, where no human is supposed to go.
* * *
I awake to find that it is daytime now, the sun is shining down through the leaves, giving the forest a mystical feel. Sitting in one of the sunniest spots is the strangest creature.
The strange creature is a little shorter than me. He has big violet wings that look like they're made of pure light. That isn't the strangest thing though. The strangest thing is his features. His face looks part grey squirrel. When he sees that I'm awake he tilts his head to the side and chitters at me, just like a squirrel.
"I'm sorry," I say, "I don't know what you are or what you're saying."
He tilts his head the other direction and looks at me again before a funny smile appears on his squirrely face. He reaches a hand out that has five fingers like a human, but nails like a squirrel, and touches my hand. After a moment I realize I'm now glowing violet.
I'm confused now. What is this creature? What is he doing to me? I'm not afraid though. He isn't scary to me. I look into his face and watch his eyes widen in what I think is shock. Suddenly he pulls his hand off me and jumps up, chittering excitedly.
I pull myself into a sitting position, my head spinning. As the winged squirrel person continues chittering I remember what happened last night. Pain rushes through me and I feel hot tears burn my cheeks. My village is destroyed, my father is dead, my mother also.
The winged squirrel person sees my tears and abruptly stops chittering. Now he slowly comes to me and plops himself down in my lap. He cuddles up to my chest and comforts me, nuzzling his furry head against my neck. After a moment I realize that I'm glowing violet again. As the glow gets brighter I feel the pain leave me.
We sit like this for a long time. I don't know how long. I think I fall asleep. I'm not sure. All I know is that the forest was empty and then a moment later it's full of little winged squirrel people. Not all of them have wings of violet though. There are wings of every color.
As they move around the forest I feel as if I'm watching a living, breathing rainbow.
One of the winged squirrel people comes forwards. His wings are white and his fur is also tinged with white. He has a small rock of some sort in his hand. He holds it out for me to take it. When I take it I find that it's actually a clear sphere of some sort. The rock begins to glow yellow as I hold it.
All of the winged squirrel people chitter happily as the white one takes the rock from me. He then reaches out his hand and makes me glow again. This time I'm not violet though, this time I'm white, which looks really odd against my dark skin.
After the winged squirrel person pulls back his hand he stares at me for a moment. Then he opens his mouth. Instead of hearing chittering this time though I hear words.
"Young one, what is your name?" His voice is very high pitched, sort of like I think a squirrel's voice would sound.
"I'm Harry," I say.
"Welcome to our forest Harry. You are among the fairies now. I am Faithsquirrel, leader of the Squirrel Clan. Would you like to join the Squirrel Clan?" He asks me calmly.
I have nowhere else to go. I'm an orphan now and my village is destroyed. I can't survive on my own.
So I say yes and take the first step towards becoming the first Spiritmaster and one of the greatest men in history. Sweetsquirrel, the fairy that found me, stays with me until death finally separates us. He is my first and truest friend. Only he knows the pain I suffer because of that night.
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