Chapter One1
The sun was low in the West; a giant, gold orb gently drifting down the horizon. It's rays laid down a warm golden blanket over tree top and forest floor alike, setting everything aglow. The leaves of the trees swayed serenely in the gentle breeze as far as the eye could see, much like a green ocean caressed by an invisible hand. The forest itself seemed to be moving slowly and rhythmically to an ancient song as deep and as old as time itself.
There was a clearing placed strategically in the middle of the forest. In the exact middle of the clearing stood what could have been an oak tree, had it been of regular size and splendour. However, this tree stood over two hundred and fifty stories high and it's canopy sent down a shadow that enveloped much of the smaller trees as well as the clearing in which it stood. This particular tree was not of the slow kind either; it had it's own spirit and could think and act for itself. Which it did well and often. The tree stood for many things in the world it inhabited; not only did it provide shelter within it's bark for the thousands of young adults that ran about it's roots, but it also acted as an energy source for the planet itself. Sunlight filtered through it's huge array of leaves, was turned into a strange sort of energy the world needed by the tree itself, and was transferred through the roots to the very core of the planet. The tree gained it's own energy from the energy of the young adults, and the young adults gained their energy from the planet. Thus, there was an always renewable cycle.
There were only a hundred or so of the trees left, scattered about the planet and inhabited by the young. For every tree there were around five hundred teenagers ranging from five to nineteen, each with their own ability the gods granted upon them. Not a single person over the age of nineteen existed among them. Many of these young adults had dark pasts they hid away upon entering into a tree's Tribe, others simply strove to obtain the sweet embrace of amnesia. The gods allowed them to forget if they so desired. If they wished to remember, the gods helped dull the pain of their past situations to allow a full transition into a Tribe. These strange, beautiful youngsters called themselves Leena. They called their planet Haven.
There was only one ocean on Haven and it neither penetrated nor divided any of the land to create a sea. The ocean, Astoria, was nestled quietly and comfortably on the equator of Haven. It spread in a perfect oval from the north pole to the south pole and was widest where it caressed the equators imaginary line. Millions of creatures lived in Astoria, both friendly and beautiful, and each one had the mental capabilities of the Leena. Some were seen quite often and others kept mainly to themselves, never bothering another creature throughout their entire lifetimes.
The rest of the planet was nothing but forest, thick and wondrous. Various strands of fresh water rivers ran throughout these vast lands, but none of them were wider than a thousand feet. Their length, however, was their strength. They ran from one end of Astoria to the other and held their own vast assortment of creatures. Some built small ponds and even smaller lakes that eddied into a mountain's hollowed side, but none of these were much larger than the rivers were wide; they simply had more diameter than length. The only other difference was their depth; some of the lakes burrowed some twenty miles down and opened into under water caves that spread for miles.
Nestled in the densest part of Haven's largest forest, Soul-Scape, was a rather well known tree and it's well known Tribe. It also had a well known and well liked Leader. The tree was called Eon by it's Leena, the Tribe was called Triggaussaus after a very well known fire dragon, and the Leader was called Asana. They were known because of their guardian Triggaussaus who had befriended Asana, which was unheard of for dragons. Asana was known and well liked because of her generosity, her kindness, her bravery, and because she was the vessel that held the soul of the entire planet. She was the only Leena who could die; she bore no Marks that gave her the same immortality as the rest of the Leena. Asana would forever stay eighteen years old, but she could be killed. If she died, Haven would cease to exist; the Marks would be removed and the Leena would simply disappear.
This same Asana was sitting on the highest branch of Eon. She stared passively into the sky, relishing the warmth of the fading sunlight and the cool breeze emanating from the darkening night. Both caressed her lightly tanned skin and ruffled playfully at her knee length auburn hair. At the moment, her hair was braided loosely with the rebellious, less lengthy strands framing her slender neck and face. Her cheek bones were set high and her jaw line was prominent; the shape was slightly heart-like in comparison. The emerald-silver color of her eyes couldn't be bested even by the gems themselves, and many a boy had been lost within their unusual depths. She wore a simple white summer dress that danced in the light breeze and a tilted smile as she faced the twin moons Danifer and Sagitarius. Her feet were bare. Slung around her hips was a thick leather belt which carried a long, slender, slightly curved sword. It was beautifully crafted, and it's handle was made to fit her slender hands while still looking just like the dragon her Tribe was named after. The blade glowed a serene light blue through tiny holes in the leather sheath.
A small ball of light spun lazily around her head in first one direction, then the next. The little Pyre spazed once, seemed to dance about agitatedly, then settled back into it's simple orbit.
"Asana," A voice called. "Asana! ASANA!"
Asana jerked out of her reverie and leaned back, placing her hands on the branch behind her while allowing her head to drop back. A wide smile caressed her lips. "Ah...you scared me, Leyla!"
Leyla, Asana's trusted friend, placed her slender hands on her hips and pouted. Her sky-blue eyes glared fake anger at her all time friend. Her white, ankle length hair seemed to float serenely around her body with every step she took. Her small, pale foot tapped lightly on the branch. Her white dress was longer and tickled the tops of her feet lightly. Draped loosely around her thin waist hung her sword, which glowed a light green and was just as slender as it's owner. A little ball of blue light danced around her body happily
Bending at the waist, Leyla tapped her friend playfully on the nose, her beautiful face lighting up in sudden delight. "I think you daydream more than anyone in Triggausus," She sat lightly down on the huge branch behind her, leaning back until her head gently touched Asana's. "What was in your daydream this time? Agama?"
Asana didn't take the bait. She simply stared up at the bruised sky and smiled. "Nope. There has been some worry with the rest of the universe."
Leyla shrugged. "The gods are always worried about something. 'Oh no! It's going to rain again! The poor Leena will get wet!'." She giggled happily, bringing her hand up to her lips. "I swear, you'll go nuts hearing their worries all the time."
"I haven't gone nuts yet," She gently bumped her head against Leyla's. "And besides, this time they are talking about the our sister world."
Leyla sucked in a hissing breath and her eyes widened in fear. "Why would they speak of-"
A muffled thump met the girl's ears. Automatically, they both peeked over the edge of the branch, leaning dangerously around the curve to better see the clearing. Branches obscured their vision. With a little smile, Asana pressed her hand a little harder into the wood. Light blue spirals and shapes danced faintly on her skin, seemed to sink into the tree, and disappeared. A moment later, Eon's branches slid out of her view to settle against other branches.
When Asana focused her falcon like eyes on a branch a few hundred feet below, she fell into a fit of giggles. Leyla, when her own eyes focused, leaned back and tried to stifle the laughter with her hand. Sitting with his hand on his head was their other very close friend, though much closer to Leyla than to Asana. Christian was rubbing vigorously at his dirty blond, shaggy hair.
He looked up with a strained look on his face and flashed them a winning smile. Known for his speed and easy nature, Christian was the Triggausus' Speaker. He was also well known for his clumsiness. Leaping atop the branch he had slammed headlong into, he quickly made his way to the top and settled his lithe body beside Leyla. His own green Pyre and Leyla's twirled together for a moment before returning to their respective owners. His smile turned into an all out grin when he saw the amusement on their faces and his forest green eyes twinkled.
"Thought slamming my head into a branch was funny, eh?" He said, his voice soft. He looked up at the sky absently and stroked his chin with one hand. "Well, I guess it was pretty funny. Hurt bad for a few seconds though. I wonder if I cracked my skull?" He pretended to wince as he pressed down on the top of his head.
Leyla bumped his head with her fist. "Yeah, because we can get that seriously hurt," She muttered sarcastically. "You have more Marks than any Leena on Haven-well, except for Asana and Agama."
"Oh yeah? Well you've got a big head!" He gently pushed her should, the smile on his face turning mischievous.
As Leyla pounced on Christian, Asana smiled and turned to look back at the stars. She was used to the fighting, teasing duo. She also knew they cared very deeply for each other and also knew never to take anything they said about each other seriously.
"Quit it," A deeper voice said suddenly.
Asana jumped up at the sound. Without having to see the person, she spun around and threw her arms around him. Awkwardly, Agama hugged her back. He was much taller than the other three and a little more built than Christian. His skin tone was darkly tanned, as if he spent every day out in the sun. His dark emerald green eyes shone beneath a mess of dark brown hair. He wore a pair of brown stained simple cotton pants, a plain cotton shirt and a leather vest. Around his waist hung his own sword which was neither slender nor beautiful, but rugged and well taken care of. It glowed a serene orange as Asana held him, then returned to its normal dull red as she stepped back. His Pyre was a deep red as it twirled around and around Asana's own.
"I've missed you, my friend!" Asana said excitedly, staring at him in awe. "The Thirteen haven't treated you unkindly, have they? I know Onyx can be very...unsettling."
Christian and Leyla stood, straightening themselves from their rough housing, while Agama ran a hand through his hair. "Not unkindly, no." For a split second, his eyes flashed. "The Thirteen are very concerned about certain...things."
With a serene smile, Asana gently touched his cheek. "Yes, I know exactly why they are concerned. Perhaps I should go and speak with the Thirteen about it all..." She paused and seemed to search Agama's eyes, assessing something within their depths. "..or maybe I shouldn't."
Agama stared at her. Leyla neared Asana and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. With a worried look in her eye, she leaned forward and pressed her forehead against Asana's. The worried expression deepened as Leyla stared.
"What is going on?" She asked quietly.
Asana smiled and stepped back, taking in her three friends with calm eyes. "Something. Something that will define our world," She sat back down on the branch and turned away from their searching eyes. "I don't know all the details, but it does have to do with our sister world."
The three friends glanced at each other before sitting down beside her. Agama stiffened at the absurd calm in Asana's face, his face set in hard lines. There was no reason Asana should be calm. He thought back to his meeting with the Thirteen. They were certainly worried.
In a list
What do you think so far?
Comments
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Interesting start
I think I would break up the paragraphs a little more, since there are quite a few characters. This might make it a easier to follow. I thought you left off at a good place.
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