Forestborn: Origins of Paili Ward

Friends(11)

The boy's eyes were a beautiful, fierce blue and his hair was a light blonde, almost white, color. He smiled suddenly and waved. There were only dark haired people in the city so he stuck out just as much as she did. Paili continued to stare back.

Why did Kain leave her outside alone? Wasn't he supposed to protect her? 

The boy started towards her when a cart sped by, almost hitting him. She flinched at the near collision but he remained unharmed. Paili had only just gotten comfortable with the bearman and Kain. How was she supposed to just start talking to another human all by herself?

Kain had taken her to the bearman but she was only with him for a few minutes before Kain told her to go play outside. Despite how well she got along with Quinn and Kain, Paili was still very much wary of humans. After Kain pushed her outside, she hadn't moved an inch from the doorway. She was standing there like a statue when the boy recognized her.

Paili watched the boy stumble to a stop then continue towards her, half out of breath when he got there. She sat back against the door away from him. He leaned forward on his knees and tried to catch his breath. Up close he was very thin, tall and just a shade above the white of Kain's sheets. 

He wore a thick, green cloak with animal fur, serving only to make him look smaller as he barely filled the space inside it. Plain black pants hugged his thin legs and fell down to his shoes that were surprisingly not boots. They covered his ankles and were kind of thick, but they had thin bottoms and zipped up to cover the ended of his pants.

"You," he finally came to say, "you're that one girl...from..." He sat down in the snow near her and she pulled away a little more. "I saw you get hit by the firewood. I wanted to help but... Well, I'm glad you're okay now. What happened?"

Paili couldn't draw up a single breath to speak. Was he talking about when she first got to the city? She couldn't remember any of the faces she saw. 

The boy smiled at her. "My name's Cylus. Cylus Tarbin if anyone asks. What's your name?"

"Paili," she answered quietly.

Cylus leaned in a little closer. "Are you new to the city Paili?" She nodded. "Would you like a tour? I know this place like the back of my hand so you needn't worry about getting lost." 

His tone was so confident Paili didn't dare refuse his offer. Cylus stood and offered his hand to help her up. This gesture was familiar- offering one's hand- and she had come to accept it. She stood as he pulled her up onto her feet. Paili followed close behind and he led the way.

The first place he took her was to the market. It was a collection of vendors from all over the city under one roof. The people outside were merchants who traveled from further inland or from overseas and would leave again. The market space was for resident merchants. 

The building was wide and made of aging grey stone. Paili touched the wall and a piece broke off. She gasped and Cylus laughed. He assured her it would not fall apart from that one piece breaking off.

They ventured inside where exotic smells filled Paili's's nostrils and danced around her head. Cylus went on about how everything was fresh and grown in designated areas just outside the city. Paili took in everything with large inquiring eyes: purple fruits with beautiful green leaves, little trees with yellow leaves, fruits that rivaled her hair's vibrant red. Even in the forest she had never seen so much food in one place. 

Cylus took her to every shop in town. The owner had not allowed them inside the clothing store but the shoe maker was kind enough to bring them in and show them how he made the shoes. He had recognized Paili from a few days ago when Kain brought her to get some shoes made. The shoe maker, Rob, was very friendly.

When they left, Cylus took her to the painters shop where they sold everything you'd ever need to paint. Paili was always stopping to ask questions about something and he was right there to answer them. The shop had a strong smell with all the paint stocked up so they couldn't stay long. Paili pulled him away after a few minutes.

By mid-day Paili had seen mostly everything Matchtal had to offer: clothes, hats, shoes, knick-knacks, painters, toys, blacksmiths. It was a city of wonderful and fascinating things. Paili also acknowledged that she had learned quite a bit more about humans and their strange ways. She had to admit Cylus' energy was very calming and familiar.

She was genuinely impressed that he remembered where everything in the city was. Paili was also surprised to have found another human drastically different from the ones she already knew. The one thing they shared was their willingness to accept a complete stranger. 

"Hey, how old are you?" Cylus asked as they came out of another toy store. When her face read confusion he scratched his head. "How many birthday's have you had?"

Paili tilted her head. Cylus stopped walking. "You don't know how old you are?" She shook her head. "No way. Do you know when you're birthday is?"

"Birthday?" Paili was honestly baffled by these words. How old was she? She wasn't old, she was very young.

Cylus took her hand and led her to a short bench placed between a lamp post and vegetable vendor. Paili sat down beside him. "Where are you from, if you don't mind me asking," Cylus started again.

"I...the..." Paili lowered her head. She couldn't tell him or he may figure it out that she was a Shiera. He was a smart human.

"I'm not trying to be mean Paili," he said softly enough to drag her eyes back to his face. "You're from somewhere far outside the city, huh?" She nodded. Cylus stretched his legs out in front. "I've been living here for about eight years now, but I'm not from this city either. I guess that's something we have in common."

"How old are you?" she asked.

"I'm ten. I'll be a man in eight more years." Cylus scrutinized Paili with a hard stare. " You're small but you aren't a baby. I'd say you're about six years old."

Paili's eyes widened. He could tell how old she was just by looking at her? This boy was full of interesting skills. More concerning to her was that she had already reached the same age as Red when he passed.

Cylus saw the alarm in her face and put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?" He looked around. Was it something she saw? A person? "Come on. Let's go back to the tavern."

Paili nodded and took his offered hand to follow him back to where they started.

"Well, here we are!" Cylus announced as they came up to the tavern. "Will you come out again tomorrow? I'll teach you about living in the city. Do you think your dad will be okay with that?"

Paili nodded, fairly sure any time she wasn't in his face Kain would appreciate.

"I'll see you tomorrow then!" He ran off to his own home leaving a trail of footprints in the snow.