Hidden Marks

(Hmm, okay. Well, don't expect it to be awesome since i'm making it up as I go, but I hope you like it!)1

"You'll never catch me, Nasu!"2

"Hinari, come back! Mom said not to go that close to the cliff!"3

"Nyaa, nyaa, can't catch me!"4

"Hinari! Be careful!"5

Hinari, a small, black-haired girl, darted along the edge of the cliff, dangling her toes over the edge. Her light brown-haired brother by the name of Nasu stood a few yards away, hovering nervously between the urge to retrieve his younger sister before she needed real rescuing and the need of staying safe. Little did the two siblings know that on the high cliff some several hundred yards above them, someone was watching them. 6

The figure reached up and fixed her hair into a ponytail, her long, dark jacket pushed to the side by the fierce winds. She heard a bird cry behind her and held out her arm without looking back. A beautiful red and golden bird flew onto her outstretched arm. 7

"Hello, Flica," the girl said softly to the phoenix. Flica cawed and reached her beautiful beak up to the sky, testing the wind.8

"They'll be here soon," the girl said, still staring at the children. Hinari was running abck and forth along the edge, peering into the inky depths of the gorge. "We had better leave before they do." The girl turned on her heels and marched away, when suddenly the ground started to shake. "Drat, they're here already. Come one, Flica, we've got to stop them from reaching the Shrine." 9

The girl headed back to the edge of the cliff and hopped off. Flica grabbed her behind the shoulders and the girl dropped all the way to the bottom. At the last second, Flica opened up her auburn wings and landed them gently on the ground. Nasu stunbled backward as the girl straightened up.10

"Wh-who are you?" he asked, fear in his eyes.11

"Nasu, who's this lady?" asked Hinari, who had seen the girl first and had rushed over.12

"Hinari, s-stand back!" Nasu picked up his young sister and held her to his chest protectively. 13

"Nasu, put me down!" she said irirtibly. 14

The girl laughed. Nasu and Hinari froze, watching her.15

"There's no reason to be so scared. Besides," she added, starting to walk past them. "I'm just here to save the Shrine."16

Fear rippled across Nasu's face. "Y-you don't mean-"17

"Yes. The Enari are coming." Nasu gaped at the girl, frozen with fear. Hinari took her opportunity and wiggled out of his grasp. 18

"I wanna help fight the Enari!" she squeaked, looking up at the girl admirably.19

"That's very brave of you, but i'm afraid-" she broke off as the rumbling started again. "Quick, run!" she cried, stadnding in front of the siblings. 20

"Hey, Nasu!" Hinari cried in protest as her brother grabbed her and sprinted away.21

"G-good luck!" he called over his shoulder.22

The girl stared at the horizon before her, glaring. She reached up as if to pet Flica, but felt under her slender neck and pulled out a green feather that seemed to have been hidden since before then. The girl held the feather in front of her and whispered, "Ma Ru."23

She flicked the feather into the sky and at the same moment it transformed into a golden staff, flipping through the air. The girl caught it as it fell and held it before her. On the horizon, large shapes started to appear. They charged straight for her and she stood, resolute, Flica on her shoulder. As the shapes came into sight, she could see that they looked like giant blueish-gray hippos with large tusks and gleaming, wild eyes. 24

As one approached, charging straight at her, the girl leapt into the air and swung the staff at the hippo's back. As the top of the staff touched it, the staff suddenly burst into light, glowing bright green. The creature fell to the ground and the staff stopped glowing. The gilr leapt at another of the beasts, the staff glowing green yet again as it came into contact with the creature. She continued to attack, more of the beasts falling around her. She swung at one's legs and it collapsed, another tripping over it.25

The girl swung viciously, her eyes alight with anger. Finally, all the creatures had fallen. The girl walked among them, careful not to touch any. She heard Flica's call and looked up. The phoenix had flown off into the crowd of creatures as the battle had begun. Now, the girl spotted Flica crouched near a hippo-creature that had a chipped tusk. The girl crouched down and looked closely at it's neck and discovered a mark. It looked like two wings entwined aroung a staff.26

The girl smiled. "Well, Flica, looks like we've finally found our mark. Now Asu won't be dangling his in front of my face all the time." The girl extended her hand over the mark and it started to glow bright green. The mark seemed to reached up off the creature and wrap itself around her fingers. It stopped glowing and the girl looked at her hand. There was now a chain wrapped around it. A charm that looked exactly like the mark on the creature was dangling off it. The girl smiled and looked down at the creature. The mark was no longer on it. 27

The girl whirled around and set off in the direction the Enari had come. "Come one, Flica, let's go tell the others what we've just accomplished."28

Flica cawed and flew over to the girl's shoulder, her golden plummage swaying in the wind.29