Chapter 1 - Discovery
In the remote, winter-stuck forest near the village of Zhirenkov, Russia, I had lived as a young pup. But before I can tell you my story, however, you have to know who I am. My name is Audio, and I am a Siberian Husky. I hunt for hobby, and for money. I live on the edge of the forest, right outside the village. While I lived as an orphan, I got into a fair amount of trouble being on my own. In one instance, the village chieftains daughter had been on her way into the forest for a walk, when I just happened to be in my home in the small hollow in the hill, camouflaged by trees. OK maybe I was watching her, but ever since I lost my knives trying to fight the Oxi Werewolf, I've had nothing to do but sleep, think, and run into town at night, hoping to find either more knives or food.
I must have sat there for a solid, unflinching minute while she layed there, tending to what appeared to be bruise marks. Seeing this brought up two thoughts: So she IS a healer, and were those marks left by her father? She was so beautiful! It was uncanny how such a perfect tiger could come from such a controversial chieftain. I've heard half the village call him a revolutionary, showing the public the dangers of the other villages, and the rest say he's a back-flipping maniac. Apparently I was a little to visible because she looked up and shouted, "Hey, you!" I stumbled back and accidentally caught my tail on fire. She came a little closer and saw what happened.
"Woah, watch out!" She worriedly shouted.
I thought she was talking about my having been surreptitiously stalking her, so my response was, "I didn't mean to stare," through clenched teeth.
"Be still!" The daughter shouted.
I stood in place while she pulled a silver leaf out of her vest. She touched it to the flame, and it caught fire. I watched the leaf burn away, and I was amazed to see the fire on my tail subside, and the fur growing back before my eyes.
"Hmm..."
"What?" I said nervously. I was amazed at what had happened, but it didn't sound like she was thinking anything good.
"Well this leaf wasn't supposed to shrivel. It should have been imprinted with your name left in its silvery state, but seeing as it isn't, and now I'm missing this, you must not live in Zhirenkov. I don't know what will happen, so be careful. By the way, my name is Alexandra."
I had just realised that I had never known her name. This was odd for me, but the only reason I understand that people have names is because when I was only five, I had found another village not to far away, Ruinsmith.
Ruinsmith was not a nice place, but I was nice to everyone there. This helped me to find the butcher, Crouton. Crouton was a very interesting bear. He seemed to think that having meat around made the place more welcoming. I didn't understand the reasoning for this, as meat is something that, as far as I understand, the villagers like cooked. The shop was definitely uncomfortable. But I grew to appreciate Crouton, as he wanted me to find my way. He always bought my kill shares, and often helped me with work. I never was happy with a job, so I just continued to hunt and sell.
Crouton said that Audio was the kind of name for someone as unique as myself, and that it meant someone kind by nature. Other people who entered the shop tended to call me that, and now I am known as Audio
"And may I ask what your name is?"
I had just come back to my senses when Alexandra had asked me that.
"My name is Audio. I'm sorry for -"
"No, don't apologise, I was in your area, you had the right to look," She said with the air of someone tired of social standards.
"You're the chieftains daughter, right?"
"Yes. So you are aware of the town so close to here."
"All to well," I replied.
She laughed as I nonchalantly ate some scraps I found in town. I'm sure if I went to visit Crouton he would have something for me, but I don't want to take advantage of his kindness.
Unexpectedly, Alexandra gave me some rabbit meat, something I still haven't had much of.
"You need it more than I do," she said. I could tell that she, like me, would like to see everyone happy. As she sits on a bench made stacked stones, she asks, "What do you do with your time? I go on to explain how I hunt, but I don't have knives. She says that she likes to paint, and sometimes play a video game on her Switch. This was the first time I had heard of a Switch. She explained that it was a device worn around your wrist, but it could easily unfold for use with both hands, and resized for different uses. I had heard of video games before. In the one time I had gone into town as a child, looking for food, I had seen a child playing one on what I now know as a smart phone. Upon asking what it was, I was told what I now know as the name of a video game. I realise there is a lot that I used to be unaware of, but bear with me. Soon the residents figured that I must not be part of the village, so they made sure that I had something written up, and I was promptly removed. A Switch was something new, however, so I was interested in this.
I felt so much for Alexandra, even though we just met. The rest of the night was spent on making jokes, and eating rabbit.
I wasn't sure, but this felt like love. I knew about love. But I had never know the level of infatuation I had for her. And I still feel it today.
Topic: The Search For What Was Never Lost (Read 892 times)