Folk ~ Breeze

I lived in large white stone towers that blended right into the snow. Houses built right into the mountain ranges, but my home in the North Tower was in the flat expanse of frozen earth, covered in a layer of ice and snow. You could just make out the ocean from this high up. See the glaciers. There were some homemade their homes on the ice, but that tended to be dangerous. The ice was constantly shifting and changing. My home was entirely made up of Snowyowls, but one Hornedowlfolk. We all were nearly immune to the cold, but we new how to accommodate. So his tower always had a lite hearth. My lower had a fire place too, but it sat empty of wood. My bedroom was a the bottom. At the top was my study. A large space with birchwood floors, and large, dark, rectangular rugs. There was a sofa. A coffee table with mini sandwiches, and hot tea. The walls lined with books. That was thing about us Snowyowlfolk out here in the cold, there wasn’t much to do but read, research, and study. We were mostly scholars, librarians, and astronomers. We studied the tundra. The arctic animals. The stars. Many other things. I studied the folk stories of other Folk. (Though I didn’t publish anything without consulting them first.) I loved reading them more than anything. Books from the rainforests, the pine forests, the desserts, even the oceans. I loved each of them. Each a visit to other lands. I adored reading about Nim the Parrotfolk who single-handedly protected her village Kingdom from bandits by mimicking their voices. Tricking them into attacking each other, or Roman the Batfolk who single handedly took down a killer that had been troubling the Kingdoms for years. A Butterflyfolk who won a competition by knitting the finest scarf anyone had ever seen. A Flyingfishfolk who stopped a shark out for Folk blood. A Barnowlfolk who single wingedly saved his hatchlings from a tornado. Many others. I look out at the expanse of snow. I can see the ice palace from my window. We’re the Royal family lives. I have access to the royal library. But I like it here. It’s cozy. I’ve always wanted to see the world though. I’ll always return to my home, but I want to see these places for myself. I had waited two moons for the letter back. I’ve been invited to join a fellow writer on their project. It’s a fantasy book about a girl who travels the world trying to save it from a never ending storm by following clues left by the Gods themselves for her. The writer’s name was Halen, and we have been penpals for a long time. We had always planned on meeting up. Finding out we were fans of each other’s work. We had always planned on doing the project together. They were Parakeetfolk. They were from the rainforest, but moved to the large Kingdom south of here a few years ago. Many different Folk lived there, and they were just an ocean away. It was cold there, but there was only snow in the winter. They had many building, and were surrounded by valleys and woods. I wanted to see it for myself. There was the sound of wing beats. Though my window flys a snowy owl with a scroll tied to its leg. I take it.

“Thank you.” I say. It’s illegal to hunt anything with wings, well anywhere really. It flys off. (Of course, this included the creatures born without wings or lost wings.) “Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!” I laugh running down the stairs at full speed. I pack a few bags. I run out the door. It’s almost dawn. He’ll be here soon.

“Breeze! Did it come?” Yang asks.

“It came. I’m going to the Crystal Kingdom.” Then the world. I move on past the Church dedicated to the Gods. I look up. I could fly of course, but it’s a long way over the ocean. I see the little orange plain come in to land. It’s the hatchlings who run up first. Rojen (Ra-Jen) hands them little bags of candy. Then he pulls out boxes of food, supplies, and lots and lots of books. I wait patiently as I can bouncing on my toes.

“Look.” I say it when he’s finished unpacking. He leans down, as I am short, and he stole for his age. He tips his cowboy hat to block the light snow fall from getting in his eyes better. “Well would you look at that. I’m happy for you. Suppose you’ll need a ride.” I nod, and he takes my bags, and helps me in to his little orange plane. Birdie he named it. A rather cute one. I must have fallen asleep despite my excitement. The sun is low on the sky when Rojen shakes me awake. “You’ll want to see this.” The shore was made up of black sand, and black stone. Covered in a light dusting of ice from the ocean, but the land was a vast expanse of green. I can see a forest in the distance. Stalls selling fish by the coast, and rows of homes. Shops selling their wares. And the train that Halen, and I would take to our next destination.

“It’s even prettier than I’d imagined it would be.” I say. We land on the beach, and he helps me down.

“Thank Rojen.”

“You be sure to send me a copy now.”

“I will I promise.” I walk along streets. Seeing stores selling fresh bread, flowers, and syrup. I noticed there’s a lot of pine around here. There’s a lot of breakfast diners too. I go to our meeting place. The square. The suns low in the sky now. I can see a large building a little ways away. Its cream stone brick, with a flat roof, rectangular in shape with red shutters, and a dark brown shingled roof. Is that the castle here? I’ll have to ask my guide. The plan is to explore the Kingdom for a while, and then catch tomorrow’s train.

“Breeze!” I see him wave a hand. He’s taller than I’d thought he’d be. Cuter too. With dark hair, and eyes.

“Halen.”

“I’m glad you’re here.”

“Me too.”

“Let’s outline the planes over dinner- Oh I’m sorry breakfast.” He turns in a circle. Then points to one of the many breakfast diners.

“They have coffee. All you can eat pancakes, and a make your own waffles. You’ll love it. Come on.” When there’s stacks of pancakes between us we start taking.

“So I was thinking. Why write just one book you know. Let’s make it a series. Yeah?”

“Yes!”

“Alright. I was thinking why does the adventure have to end for our hero? Or for us? Ok so I was thinking for the next book-“ I can hear the clock tower chiming. I watch as the train rolls down the tracks. It stops in front of us at the station. Halen takes my bags going up the steps first.

“You coming?” He calls. I grab the railing, and take my first steps to the whole world.