The air was crisp, fresh from the morning dew. It seemed crazy to go out like this, but something was drawing Arwyn in. It kept gnawing at her brain, she needed to find out what it was. Her boots were very comfortable, well suited for a good hike. She was quite glad that she even had boots.
The trees were dense and full of life. Birds singing, chirping, flitting from one tree to another. The breeze causing the elegant pine branches to sway to a silent melody. It was hauntingly beautiful. For this country to be so established, why on earth do they stay away from these mountains? There were no accounts of the mountains mentioned in the library besides that of the first emperors accounts.
Lush grass brushed against her pale green dress. The walk was waring on her, she had walked for a good two hours already. The trees trunks were large in width, and taller than 30 feet, its bark, gray and old, weathered from many years. "These trees are probably older than how long I lived to be on earth." She said aloud to no one, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
Patting the waist of her dress she felt her stash of tools. Arwyn hadn't come completely unprepared. She had brought a dagger, her father's pocket watch, a compass, refreshments and a map of her father's whole province, Baruda. Most of her stuff was stored away in her makeshift pockets she stitched in a few days prior. Dresses should always have pockets. Her refreshments were in her knapsack that hung over her shoulder.
Arwyn didn't quite know where she was going at the moment. Really, she was just following her gut. Every few miles she would stop and mark a spot on the map, making sure she could get back home. It was half past one when she decided to stop and actually take a break. Luckily, they had pocket watches in this world, mechanical, almost primitive, it didn't even need an energy stone, you just wound it once a day and it worked great. She found a fallen log at the edge of a clearing with a giant rock behind it. It was the perfect spot to keep her eyes out and to be alert while she ate and relaxed. For some reason, Arwyn wasn't afraid that she would run into some ferocious animals. In the back of her mind, that was the last of her worries. She placed a handkerchief down before taking a seat on the dead tree.
Ripping into her bread, she looked around. It was a pretty meadow with pretty yellow and white flowers blowing and swaying in the light breeze. Big patches of green grass grew all across the meadow, it was lovely. Pine smelled so sweet and crisp. It made her relax even more so. Lulling and enticing, she wanted to rest even longer. 'What a perfect place to stay.' Once she thought that, she straightened her back up. That was unusual. She ate a small portion of the bread and took a swig of her water before putting her things away and standing up. It was nice, and she felt almost compelled to stay where she was at longer, but that was not what she came here for. She marked her map, double checked her compass, and began walking upward, as the mountain started to slope up even higher, the trees growing denser as she climbed higher into the mountains.
Arwyn took her steps slower. It was more difficult of a walk. She could turn around and forget her whole adventure. Deep down she knew that she couldn't. Every night she would look at Sytra, and the moon would be sitting right at the tip of this nameless mountain every time. It was calling to her. That's what it felt like. Arwyn knew she wouldn't be able to touch Sytra, but something was there that she needed and Sytra was telling her to come. But why and what awaits at the top?
The sun was out, it was warm, yet the light breeze made it perfect weather for a long walk. After a while her gut started to was quiver. Her heart was beating faster than it should for a walk. The air began to feel heavier, almost like gravity was pushing down onto her shoulders. The farther up she walked, the harder it was for her to breath and it took more strength to keep moving. Why am I compelled to keep going when it is so hard to keep going? It was as if the whole mountain was trying to push her away and to keep her from going any further. Arwyn kept moving forward. She sensed that there was power deep within the mountain, almost as if was alive, sort of. If it kept like this it would take her longer to reach the top, and she couldn't miss dinner, it would freak her mother out.
Arwyn thought of her mother then. She really did care for the woman. She was a smart honest person who loved her family and the people of her land whole heartedly. Being out this long would worry her to pieces. Arwyn stopped walking, she had no intentions to turn around. She needed to calm her body. Her body was reacting to the power, to the warnings the land was giving her. Regardless, she needed to move forward.
She sat her sack down and rested her arms and hands at her side, closed her eyes, and breathed in. Arwyn was trying to meditate. It was taking her a great deal of effort to calm the fears of her mind. Each breath she took in deeply, holding the air in for about thirty seconds, before exhaling, letting go of her thoughts. She had to diligently push her thoughts away and empty her mind. Clearing it for a good amount of time so that her body could better feel and react. Her body starting to calm down, her heart, her gut, the pit of her stomach, her muscles stopped twitching with excitement. It took her a good 20 minutes.
Her eyes opened; the pressure was still present. It was still immense. "I am here to seek answers," Arwyn declared to the mountain, "Sytra was calling me." Her calmness evoking a strong presence, it felt like she was in a meeting with the board of directors again. Imploring, "Please let me through in one piece." She closed her eyes again and waited. Her back was straight and her head tall. She cannot faulter. Please!
The wind died down and was truly silent. The birds even stopped chirping. Arwyn refused to let her mind turn to fear. I am not afraid! The air in an instant grew heavier. Arwyn almost fell to her knees. She balanced herself and did a sort of squat to take the pressure. She could not fail here. "Bring it on!" she yelled intensely. The wind came back full force from behind her, as if the wind was trying to push her over. She brought her right leg to the front. She was not going to be that easy. Really if the wind wanted to take her down, Arwyn would not win, she knew that, but she had a feeling it was just trying to scare her.
Sweat dripped down the side of her face. The pressure was so intense and heavy. Arwyn's body was quite frail, she was surprised how well it was holding up, even against the wind. "I am begging you, please let me through." She bit her lip. She didn't know what else she could do. If she was back on earth, she wouldn't have to work so hard for answers. Here she wasn't so lucky. She didn't want to use people one sided, nor did she want to get her answers so easily. She devoured books and took notes to try and absorb everything she could from here. Some things she had to learn from the source, like now.
Something impulsively happened, it almost didn't feel like she was the one doing it. As if it wasn't her at all in control; an out of body experience. Without processing what she was doing, Arwyn grabbed her knife and cut the tip of her thumb. Blood oozed out slowly. Her body knelt down and pressed her thumb into the soil. Her head bowed low. It felt like a jolt of electricity shot through her body from her thumb pressed into the ground. The pressure died down and the wind ceased immediately. Arwyn could breathe again. She didn't get up. She wasn't sure what just happened.
The birds commenced to sing again as if nothing had every happened. The breeze returned, gently grazing Arwyn's hair and brushing against her cheek. "Come." The wind whispered into her ear. Its voice genderless and wispy gave Arwyn chills. She slowly stood up, unsure of what just happened, but continued her journey anyways.
It didn't take her long to get to the top of the mountain. It was flat all across, with a giant white tree in the middle of the clearing. She walked up to it, slowly, cautiously, unsure of what she would run into. The wind was no more here. It was quiet. A pink mist passed through the clearing, and in a flash, a dragon that almost looked like a coyote stood before her at the base of the tree. It had a small narrow snout and big ears, its body was almost snake like, but with fur and its tail big and fluffy. The dragon had no wings, but Arwyn knew for some odd reason, that this was a dragon. It was almost transparent.
They stood still; moments passed just taking one another in.
"You have finally come." The dragons voice hummed, gentle and feminine.