That night, after being handed off Maybelle's journal, Karra sat on her bed in silence.
Her usual, uptight demeanor had faded, and that very journal barely rested—hovering just over her lap in her grasp. Karra's eyes lingered on the book, hesitant to open it once again.
This was a time before the modern day, long before Alena, before Rammorias—before leaving home...
Karra had spent the whole day under performing since receiving this gift. Her class day went by with her feeling off—distracted. Now, from the moment the course was dismissed, she locked herself away in her private isolation—and had remained, staring at the book. Even now, she could barely believe her eyes—and now, she didn't know how to feel in this delicate moment.
When her digits began to brush along the cover, she soon grasped the lower corner, and hesitated another moment before opening it. There they were again, those words she had read hours before.
"To My Dear Sister, From Maybelle With Love"
Karra traced her digits over the writing, recognizing the writing she felt as though she had long since forgotten. It was without a doubt—hers...
"May..." Karra murmured faintly.
Her eyes began to moisten, and suddenly a familiar heavy feeling began to weigh itself in—it was the feeling of a heavy heart.
As her digit tips faintly paused on the writing, careful not to claw the page, Karra's facial form was soft with hesitance and loss of self. After a passing moment, it was now that finally turned the page...
In Maybelle's voice...
"Karra, my baby sister. It seems our time apart may go on longer than I had initially promised, but I want you to know that I will never give up on coming back to you. As of now, more than a week has passed since I set out in this journey, and I hope that once I return you'll forgive me for that fact."
"The expanse of our forest is great. I've traveled countless miles for days on end, seeing wonder near and far, and still have yet to locate any civilizations in need of our help. All our lives, we've been told of a species of people who came from an outside world—a world without the threats which our own world bears—people who need us. If they are here, how far must one go to find them?
I hope to come across that answer soon."
—
"I've finally found them—the people who our own refer to as 'human', and 'mankind'.
This civilization is massive. I've always dreamed of finally meeting the human kind that have been talked about all these years, but never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined there would be so many. You wouldn't believe it. This land I've found goes far beyond anything I've ever seen. The people living here have a number of homes that seem countless. There's even a building here so breathtakingly large that it touches the very sky."
—
"The people here seem to be living well at peace, though I've heard whispers of something going on in the large structure from before. The people refer to it as 'the castle of the royal family'. I believe this may just be the opportunity that I need. Hold strong dear sister. I'll check back again soon."
—
"This is it! I have found my calling. The royal family has been carrying a heavy burden, and I'm sorry to say this, but it may be long before I can finally return home. These humans, they truly do need our help. They have a daughter who has fallen ill, said to have been plagued by a terrible man. If I can do this, and return home to you, I am certain that you will feel most proud of the big sister that I have become."
"Speaking of which, there's something I've been wanting to say...
No, it's better that I wait. After all, though I may be long, I have you in my heart, and I hope you still trust that I'll be home soon. Believe in me, and I will continue to do the same.
I love you baby sister. Talk soon."
—
"The family here has been most kind to me. Their townspeople were a little frightened of me at first, but they quickly grew to accept me since I offered the royal family my hand."
"I have had the pleasure of meeting their daughter. She's a sweet child, though sickly as she may be. She kind of reminds me of you."
"During my short time here, I found out there's more to their burden than the need for a cure. The King and Queen's daughter has been unable to speak to anyone since the moment she was born. I wonder, is this a task I'm capable of helping them with? I plan to speak more with the people here. Perhaps where they've failed, there could be some kind of clue hidden away somewhere.
Wish me luck Karra. I'm almost certain I'm going to need it."
—
"It's unbelievable, but somehow it makes perfect sense. Those on the other side must have an answer. If humans had found a way over to our world somewhere, why wouldn't there be another way back again? I'm going to look for a way into the human realm. I may not even be able to come back, but if I don't do this, what will happen to those our people swore to protect? Who will be able to guide them, to keep them safe?"
"Perhaps this is far beyond my capabilities, but I have to try. If not for the people, then I must do it for the little girl. Every time I think about her, I think about you as well. What if you were in her position? Would I be able to do nothing? I couldn't, not even for a second."
—
There was a moment of silence, as here in the journal, a short line of text had been scribbled out.
—
"I apologize for leaving you in the cold for so long, dear sister. These last few months have been a lot to handle. I've finally found what I've been looking for; I've found the cure. There's a woman, a human woman, one who is gifted in ways that go beyond anything we've ever seen; a healer. Thanks to her help, we may have just the thing we need to set the princess's health right."
"There's something else, something extraordinary. It's about the world beyond. I can hardly wait to get back to you. I'm going to tell you all about it. Just wait for me a little bit longer. I'll be home before you know it."
—
"I have completed my task, and thanks to they royal family, this very journal to you proves that fact.
I can't describe how touched I am to have made it just in time. The one responsible for the princess's sickness has been put on trial, and now everyone is well again. Thanks to our traditions, these people can now live happily, and at peace."
"The young girl, sweet Elora, is now at full strength. I've come to bond with the royal family a little in my short time watching over them, and wouldn't you believe it? That same little girl even gave me something I've long missed since leaving home. Just before leaving the castle, the princess blessed me with something precious. It was her embrace."
"When I get home, I'm going to give you exactly the same. I've even prepared for you a small gift, courtesy of the royal family. There's so much I'm looking forward to when I get back, now more than ever before. It's as they say, there's no time like the present."
"I'm so overwhelmingly happy. Words alone simply cannot fathom what I feel.
Wait for me my dear sister. I'm finally coming home."
Tears hit the pages like falling rain.
Karra trembled inside, her heart pressed like glacier stone.
The tension weighed like a thousand suns, as her digits vibrated on the page.
Karra's voice was low, quiet—trembling over every syllable.
"May... What happened...? How close were you to finally being home...?"
As the moments passed—bleeding old ink into the page—Karra soon closed the journal, and huddled it close, burying it into her chest. Her arms and knees blanketed it over, and for the first time in a long time, she finally allowed for every tear to slip away.
—
—
Years later...
It was only days after Karra had fled the village, hopeful that the one called Rammorias would guide her way, when she could be seen roaming the depths of the forest far from home...
Rammorias's determination had push Karra far beyond her own.
"What are you even looking for?" Karra asked.
"You've been looking all over the place since we got out here. I can barely even move anymore..." she complained, but Rammorias had no further interest in her words. "I think... I need to rest..."
It almost seemed as though Rammorias had acknowledged her words, but it also seemed as though Rammorias was still on edge.
"How much... further?" Karra asked, a fit of exhaustion weighing heavily in her voice, as she took a shattered breath.
Karra hadn't slept properly in days; not since everything had started, and since pushing herself beyond her limits back home.
At long last, Rammorias had picked up on something he had long been waiting for...
"It's HERE—!!" he internally cried.
Rammorias's grin peeled wide, and without notice—without a second thought, Rammorias charged off of Karra's back, leaving her as he fled into the treetops above.
At the sudden leap, Karra jolted in surprise, surprise which quickly turned into terror. Caught off guard by Rammorias fleeing out of side, Karra stumbled back. Barely catching her heavy footing, Karra tossed left and right, urgently searching the treetops for wherever Rammorias had gone.
"Rammorias—!! Where did you go?! Where are you going?!" Karra screamed into the tree. She continued tossing and turning in horror, desperately searching as she scanned everything in sight, but Rammorias was nowhere to be seen.
Shuffling could soon be heard in the distance, sounding as though it was coming from the trees themselves.
"Rammorias!! You promised you would help me!! Why are you hiding?!"
Karra's attention soon followed a fierce ruffling of leaves that tore across the trees, continuously shifting from one tree to the next, curving all around her in haste.
In a panic, Karra turned away, hoping to find that Rammorias was actually in a bush or somewhere close to the ground, as her whole body heavily shook on edge.
"RAMMORIAS—!" she screamed out, shaking her head down in a violent fright.
Suddenly a high pitched, blood curdling howl was heard from behind her, paired with fast moving heavy steps.
As Karra whipped around with fear in her eyes, they instantaneously shot open wide, constricting at the shortening sight closing on her—crying out to her with a demonic, bellowing howl.
...
"Aaaaaahhh—!!!!"
Karra's high pitched shriek tore through their surroundings, and all the birds in the vicinity fled in an urgent escape... bearing the sounds of crows...