2 A Heartfelt Memory

     Yoka shivered under the night air, her eye catching the shine of an arrow. She lept aside, dodging swiftly as a crash of wood and stone greeted her ears.  Her eyes quickly glanced behind her and she saw the bridge fall to the water below.

     There was a chuckle.  "Oh, wow, I actually missed", a man said, "but I expected none less from you, my dear."

     "Quit the soft talk, we both know it isn't real."

     "Such bravado, too bad it won't help you here."

     "You've never beat me before, and you won't now."  A burst of air ruffled Yoka's clothes as she sprinted towards him, dagger in hand.

   He grinned.  "But I will, ignite."

     Yoka saw his mouth move before she cried out, her stomach burning as she tumbled to the ground, clutching herself.  Her mind began to spin, her limbs heavy and limp.  Through the grogginess, Yoka tried to get up but grimaced.  Then the sound of footsteps resonated through the air.

     Heavy breathing approached her as her heart pounded.  A hand reached down to grip her hair, and her head was jolted painfully.  Yoka faintly struggled as the man dragged her to the broken bridge.

     There was a sigh.  "Hopefully this is the last time we face each other like this", he gently spoke.

     Her face softened for a brief moment before a scowl returned. The man held her over the edge and all she could do was stare emptily at him. His short blonde hair, his brown eyes, and that scar on his right cheek.  Her heart thumped with pain and sorrow.

     "Till next time, sweetie" his humored voice whispered, then she was weightless.  The whistling of air roared in her ears.  Then she plunged into the water with a scream.  Yoka desperately tried to break the surface, but it was a lost cause.

     All she could do was weep as she was slammed into boulders, stinging shooting through her body. Her body was weak, her vision growing dimmer each second.  Until eventually she passed out, carried by the current.  A chaotic night of pain and sorrow finally ended.

     The sound of birds chirping disturbed a restful sleep.  Yoka stifled a yawn as she sat up.  Her eyes winced from the overwhelming light above her.

     "Ow, what happened, why does everything hurt?"

     Yoka tried to recall what happened to her, but she stopped when the throbbing got worse.  "It's not like I remember anything anyhow", she thought.  Her eyes glimmered with tears, but she didn't know why.  It seemed like some of her memory was blank.  Suddenly her stomach lurched and she gagged, heaving while the nausea subsided.  Then, finally, she inspected herself, trying to get a feel of her injuries.

     Her clothes were torn, but luckily it still covered her private areas, though the fabric strained from her ample bosom.  Her black hair was fairly tattered, same with her tail.  Her ears seemed fine, thankfully.  Scrapes and gashes covered her arms and legs, some dripping a considerable amount of blood.

     She began patting her body, taking note of anything major.  Her hand came up bloody behind one of her ears.  She cried out in pain when she pressed her chest, same with her leg.  "A broken rib, a broken leg, and a head concussion. That's not good", she thought.  Then she noticed the mark on her stomach.  A large purple circle was on the side of her stomach, with unrecognizable symbols etched on it.

     It felt like a burn, and she had a faint thought that maybe she'd been burnt before.  She cast the thought aside as she stumbled to her knees with a gasp and grimace.

     "Dang it", she mumbled.

     She looked around, eyes darting for anything helpful.  "So there's a river and a little clearing surrounded by trees.  I should probably clean myself up first."  She painstakingly dragged herself towards the river, where she wiped her body of blood.  Then she reached the trees and searched around to find a good branch she could use for support.

     As soon as she found one she began her trek through the woods, trying to find anything that could hint at civilization.  Everything seemed peaceful as she stepped around trees, she might've even enjoyed herself if it wasn't for her injuries.  She drifted off into thought.  "What happened to me?  I am injured in a forest, I have a strange mark, and I don't remember anything from before I woke."  Suddenly her ears picked up a crack behind her.  Yoka spun around, tensed.

     The air breezed as she waited for something to happen.  She was about to turn around but she caught movement near her left. She turned her head and witnessed a flurry of feathers fleeing from her, its flapping growing distant.  "Wierd, but there's nothing I can do about it", she thought.

     She continued her slow walk, wincing whenever her body twisted, until she reached a massive clearing.  A dirt road was to her right, stretching until it reached a large stone wall in the distance.  She hesitantly approached the road, taking notice of the multiple horses, carriages, and wagons traversing it, and started heading towards the wall.  She passed by many people, receiving a small number of looks of sympathy, some of hate, but a large amount was fearful.

     Yoka noticed that nobody assisted her, and neither did they get in her way.  "Wow, such an awful welcome.  What do they have against me," she thought.  Though she continued onward until finally she reached the wall, and she could now see the doorway into a city.

     It seemed like a station was set up outside it, where soldiers in armor checked each passing party.

   "Here we go", she said as she grew closer to the station, preparing for the worst.

     "Halt", a voice commanded, "why are you here, spirit?"

     A soldier in armor approached her, weapon drawn.

     "Spirit?"  Yoka thought.  She raised a hand peacefully.  "I am sorry, but I don't know.  This city's the only place I could find that may help me," she replied.

     "She's with me," a voice sounded.  Yoka turned around to see a smiling boy approaching them, a raven perched on his shoulder.  He was maybe 4ft, with short light brown hair, green eyes, and a medium frame.

     "Hrafen, you know spirits aren't welcome here, right?"

     "I know she isn't, so I wanna bring her with me.  By the way, how are you, Charon?  It's been a while."

     "I'm doing fine, things are tense as usual, but hopefully it'll all get better.  Well, as long as she stays outside the walls", Charen said, motioning to Yoka, "keep her out of trouble."

     "Don't want any of her kind doing anything else", he murmured.

     Yoka spoke up.  "Wait, who are you two?  As if I'd go anywhere with someone I just met.  And what do you mean my kind?"

     "Don't worry about that, let's just go", Hrafen said, gesturing to a nearby wagon.  "See you later Charen."

     "You too", came the reply.

     Yoka frowned, but followed Hrafen to the wagon, leaving the walled city behind.