As the fiery orb rose in the East, I dried my legs and dress on the riverbanks. My enchanted companion stands dutifully with her head held in the air. She is a beautiful creature, I thought to myself. It is a shame humans feel the need to hunt deer for food. Whether the animal is a celestial beast or not, they will see meat.
I have talked to her for the duration of the night, planning my next steps after reaching the village on the other side of the river. I have been waiting for scrolls from the heavens and they have not arrived after a night. It is still too early for mortals to be awake yet I do not feel comfortable staying in one spot. If a human sees scrolls drop from the sky, what would they see and think?
Also, I cannot risk having a celestial scroll drop onto an unsuspecting mortal's head. Scrolls from Heaven look no different to mortal scrolls but the scrolls are many times heavier. As immortals, heavy items and mortal items feel the same unless the object is an anomaly.
"There's a raft over here, but it looks very unstable!" The deer nods towards a makeshift raft bobbing on the river. She knew my thoughts and shook her head. "Down here you cannot fly over large bodies of water as you wish. You have the ability, but humans will immediately recognize flying immortals."
I roll my eyes as I lumbered over to the abandoned raft. It was a group of logs tied together by fraying ropes and the rotting wood did not entice me. If I could use my ability of flight, I would be more than happy to cross the river. I pointed at the decayed boat, "I need to cross in that?"
"The river is shallow enough for you to wade through, but I will warn you that humans defecate right in the water. I should have told you when you were wading around last night." The doe cackled, surely not apologetic.
I looked down at my feet that had touched multiple lumps I assumed were rocks. I shuddered, waving my hands above my head to clear those gross thoughts. I have heard humans do unimaginable things to the earth, but they also relieve themselves in rivers? Homes to fish, algae and seaweed?
"They do, why are you surprised? Humans are disgusting creatures but it's their nature. Just like how the gods are naturally arrogant." My guide pushed me onto the broken raft with her head. Before I can react, she kicked the edge with her back hooves to send me sailing across the water.
I yelp, caught off guard by the sudden movement. I thought the logs would crumble beneath my feet but luckily, the raft stayed intact. My heart stopped when the deer ran into the water which caused my barge to rock. I scream at the creature, "I want to get off!"
"What is that over there?" A voice bellowed from Dragon Valley's edge. A man carrying nets and bamboo rods stands with an outstretched arm pointing in my direction. His face reddens, "That is my raft! She is stealing my raft!"
"I thought the raft was abandoned," I hiss at the doe swimming beside the raft. "Why is that man jumping in the water?"
"The raft must belong to him, how should I know what belongs to who? I'll push you to the other side and if he comes closer, I will fight him. Breaking his nose should be enough to send him back to his village!" She smiles sheepishly, giving me that as a warning. She huffed once as she pushed with all her might.
"The deer is helping her!" The mortal fisherman hollers to a group of scrawny men watching cluelessly from the riverbank. They must be his friends. "Someone, help me catch this thief! I can't fish without a raft!"
"She is doing you a favour!" A scruffy man shouts to his friend. "You've had that raft for too long, we should make a sturdier one and let her sink with the one breaking down. Get back here before you start dripping from the nose! You've only just recovered from a fever."
I gasp when the raft suddenly stops moving and I struggle to keep my balance. I look around to see I have already crossed the river when the fishermen reeled their friend back to the other side. When I step off the raft, the ropes snapped. I hold a hand to my mouth, watching the logs drift to the bottom of the river.
I did not see the river's water at night, but now I could clearly see murky waters. As rivers in the Heavens are always crystal clear, I do not know if water resembling mud is clean. If humans defecate in this river, it is definitely not clean. My stomach coiled and threatened to send its contents back through my mouth.
"Well, that was fun, wasn't it?" The enchanted deer attempted to make me smile before shaking water from her coat. She does not notice me standing behind her with an expressionless face while water flicked into my face.
"It was not 'fun'. Now, where do I go from here? Crossing the disgusting river on a rotten piece of wood almost made me forgot my purpose on Earth. To think I was recently a High Goddess!" I turn around angrily to face a small village. I muttered under my breath, "I am an idiot."
A young boy who should not be awake stared at me with eyes the size of the moon. He screams and I follow suit. "Chief, Chief, a witch is here!"
I touch my hair that is no longer smooth and long but tangled in tough knots. I look down at my muddied shoes and torn dress, thinking it was reasonable for the mortal boy to mistake me for a witch. I cautiously hold out a hand, slowly approaching him. "I am not a witch, but a beggar. There's no need to be afraid."
"There's a deer by your side, no one can have that deer stand beside them!" The puzzling boy sprinted towards his village, taking no chances with the crazy stranger that is me. "Chief! Where are you?"
"Oh my, why are you so loud during the day and at night? Whose child is he to be so rowdy?" A male voice called out from the closest straw hut. He did not sound too annoyed, but He was bothered enough to pause his work to poke his head out a window.
His head swivelled to where I stand and his eyes widen quickly. Beneath a bush of hair, his lips form a smile. The man continued to shout. "It's a woman! It's been so long since a woman willingly came to our village."
Almost immediately, every door swings open and a crowd of men and boys filtered out to gather at the front of the village. The front is also where I am standing. These mortals looked curious, also hungry.
I step away from the village and my companion guards my front by raking her hooves on dry soil. The men advance towards me, slowly like hunters would approach the deer. "Do you think they are aiming for me or you?"
"Who is she talking to?" One bearded man leaned over to whisper in another man's ear. They both shrugged as the group pause all at once. "Is she crazy?"
"Whatever she is, she is a woman! Did she get lost to land here?" A man dressed in silk with faded colours rubbed elbows with two others to get their attention. A flash of disappointment streaked across his face.
"What is all this commotion? Only a woman would make you men react like this!" The sea of males parts to make way for one man in particular. At the end of the aisle is a brawny man who walks in trousers. Nothing else, no top.
I glare at the man who I assume to be the chief of this village. I did not want to see him face to face, but I cannot move a limb as the tattooed man progresses towards me. I put a hand on the deer's back to remind myself that I'm not alone. As a mortal woman, I had to act weak despite the urge to keep the men at bay with magic.
"Ah, do you have a pet deer? Your appearance does not fit your body so come, we will take you in after your long journey." The suspicious man holds out a calloused hand, glancing down at his hand. His hard face and sweating body is not inviting. His tone would be frightening to mortal women.
"I am sorry, I think I lost my way. I'm not supposed to be at a village full of men. I am looking for the Emperor, do you know where he lives?" I have not received my tasks as Messenger of Love, but I did recall hearing about a mortal Emperor looking for his Fated One.
The brawny man erupted into boisterous laughter. He leaned over, slapping his knees. Once he collects himself he stands straight. His teeth glared as he grinned. "I am known around here as Emperor of Tiger Bandits. Are you here to find me?"
I slowly understand the situation at hand.
I was doomed from the start.