Post by nakia on Jul 25, 2006 15:47:33 GMT -5
Chapter 11: A New Friend
Kia coughed again, still surprised. Standing in front of her was a young girl, about 9 or 10 years old.
She had long, brown-black hair that went down past her shoulders. She wore a white coat, with brown markings on the collar, and on the fur that hung from the sleeves. Her pants were also brown, and she wore grey moccasins on her feet.
The girl stared at Kia with the most dazzling, innocent pair of blue eyes that Kia had ever seen.
"Are you alright?" she asked, watching Kia choking.
When Kia's coughing fit finally came to an end, she turned to the girl. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. you just..surprised me, that's all."
The girl giggled. "Sorry. My name's Aika."
Kia smiled at Aika. "It's nice to meet you, Aika. I am Kia, and this -she pointed at the boy who was so busy eating that he hadn't noticed their guest- is my friend, Kenai."
Aika laughed. When she stopped, she looked somewhat shyly at Kia. "Umm..Kia? Can I eat over here with you and Kenai?" she asked. Her voice sounded timid.
Kia was about to answer when she suddenly saw the look on Aika's face. Her expression was downcast, and unsure, as if Aika were expecting her to say no.
Kia smiled. "Of course you can, right Kenai?"
Kenai looked up quickly. "What? Who?" he asked, surprised.
Kia motioned to the girl who stood in front of them. "Aika. It's okay if she sits with us, isn't it?"
Kenai shrugged his shoulders carelessly. "I don't mind." he said.
Kia turned her attention back to Aika. "Sure, we'd love to have you." she said.
Aika glanced up, her blue eyes filled with shock. "Really?! Ok-! Thank you, Kia and Kenai!"
The girl had a seat next to Kia, and plucked a few berries into her mouth hungrily.
Kia looked at Aika, feeling concerned. The girl was eating as if she hadn't had food for days! She was about to ask Aika about it, when suddenly the girl looked up at her.
Seeing the question in Kia's eyes, she said, "My Mom only feeds me once every three days." Kia gasped.
"What she doesn't know," Aika continued, "Is that everyday I sneak into the forest, and eat as many berries as I can find."
Kenai and Kia exchanged worried glances. "Your Mom only feeds you every three days?!" Kenai cried. "....Why?"
Aika sighed. "She hates me.." she said simply. "My Mom makes my life miserable, because she says that I ruined her life by being born..She never wanted me." She explained.
Aika stared down at the ground as she twisted a strand of her long hair around a finger. "Nobody here wants me." she muttered.
Kia placed her hand on the little girl's arm. "Kenai and I do!" she said.
Kenai nodded his head in agreement. "We sure do!"
Aika glanced up quickly, a bewildered look on her face. "But- we just met! How do you know you aren't going to change your minds once you know me better?!"
Kenai and Kia smiled warmly at the girl. "Because, we're not like the others here..."
"It's too bad.." Kenai said under his breath.
Aika frowned. "What's too bad?" she asked.
Kia glanced at Kenai and he nodded. "Kenai and aren't really humans.." she said, her gaze shifting to the ground.
"We're bears..We only became humans for a short time.."
"To give us that message from the Spirits?" Aika asked, and Kenai nodded solemnly.
Aika grabbed onto both Kenai and Kia's hands. "So you're leaving soon?!"
The bears-turned-humans nodded silently. Aika hung her head and said nothing for a few moments.
"...I want to go with you!" she said suddenly, raising her head and looking at the two humans. "Please let me come with you!"
Kia sighed. 'But...what about your friends?" she replied. "I know you said you don't have any, but Tanana and Denahi care about you."
Aika faked a laugh. "They might, but they don't play with me, and I need friends my own age to actually play with. So, since nobody here except for them cares about me, it won't matter if I go with you guys."
Aika plucked another handful of berries into her mouth.
Glancing down, Kia realized that berries were the only thing she had on her plate.
"Aren't you allowed to eat salmon?" she asked curiously.
Aika nodded. "Oh, yeah! ...But, I don't like fish...Or any kind of sea food, really..." she said.
Kia chuckled. "Oh, I see.."
After dinner, the three of them went down to the river and washed their plates.
On their way back to the village, they were approached by Tanana.
"There you two are!" she said, glancing at Kenai and Kia.
Kenai nodded. "Yeah...Was there something you needed to tell us?"
Tanana gave a slight nod in reply. "I have spoken with the Great Spirits. They have made it so that you can understand one wolf from the pack, and he can also understand you."
Kia grinned. "Great! How do we find this wolf?" she asked.
Tanana looked seriously at her. "You must go deep into the forest, and call out the name 'Warner'." she answered.
Kenai glanced at Kia. "Do you want to go start searching for him?" he asked.
Kia nodded. "Yes, let's!" she said enthusiastically.
Tanana took their plates, and stared back toward the village. "I'll take these for you...Good luck."
Aika tugged at Kia's coat. Kia did a quick double take. She had almost forgotten that the girl was there with them!
"Kia, I want to go too." Aika said.
Kia looked nervously at Kenai. "W...What do you think, Kenai..?"
Kenai thought it over for a few minutes, then nodded.
"Okay Aika, you can come..but you have to stick close. This could be dangerous."
Aika grinned. "Don't you worry! I'll stick close!" she said, as the three of them entered the forest...
Kia coughed again, still surprised. Standing in front of her was a young girl, about 9 or 10 years old.
She had long, brown-black hair that went down past her shoulders. She wore a white coat, with brown markings on the collar, and on the fur that hung from the sleeves. Her pants were also brown, and she wore grey moccasins on her feet.
The girl stared at Kia with the most dazzling, innocent pair of blue eyes that Kia had ever seen.
"Are you alright?" she asked, watching Kia choking.
When Kia's coughing fit finally came to an end, she turned to the girl. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. you just..surprised me, that's all."
The girl giggled. "Sorry. My name's Aika."
Kia smiled at Aika. "It's nice to meet you, Aika. I am Kia, and this -she pointed at the boy who was so busy eating that he hadn't noticed their guest- is my friend, Kenai."
Aika laughed. When she stopped, she looked somewhat shyly at Kia. "Umm..Kia? Can I eat over here with you and Kenai?" she asked. Her voice sounded timid.
Kia was about to answer when she suddenly saw the look on Aika's face. Her expression was downcast, and unsure, as if Aika were expecting her to say no.
Kia smiled. "Of course you can, right Kenai?"
Kenai looked up quickly. "What? Who?" he asked, surprised.
Kia motioned to the girl who stood in front of them. "Aika. It's okay if she sits with us, isn't it?"
Kenai shrugged his shoulders carelessly. "I don't mind." he said.
Kia turned her attention back to Aika. "Sure, we'd love to have you." she said.
Aika glanced up, her blue eyes filled with shock. "Really?! Ok-! Thank you, Kia and Kenai!"
The girl had a seat next to Kia, and plucked a few berries into her mouth hungrily.
Kia looked at Aika, feeling concerned. The girl was eating as if she hadn't had food for days! She was about to ask Aika about it, when suddenly the girl looked up at her.
Seeing the question in Kia's eyes, she said, "My Mom only feeds me once every three days." Kia gasped.
"What she doesn't know," Aika continued, "Is that everyday I sneak into the forest, and eat as many berries as I can find."
Kenai and Kia exchanged worried glances. "Your Mom only feeds you every three days?!" Kenai cried. "....Why?"
Aika sighed. "She hates me.." she said simply. "My Mom makes my life miserable, because she says that I ruined her life by being born..She never wanted me." She explained.
Aika stared down at the ground as she twisted a strand of her long hair around a finger. "Nobody here wants me." she muttered.
Kia placed her hand on the little girl's arm. "Kenai and I do!" she said.
Kenai nodded his head in agreement. "We sure do!"
Aika glanced up quickly, a bewildered look on her face. "But- we just met! How do you know you aren't going to change your minds once you know me better?!"
Kenai and Kia smiled warmly at the girl. "Because, we're not like the others here..."
"It's too bad.." Kenai said under his breath.
Aika frowned. "What's too bad?" she asked.
Kia glanced at Kenai and he nodded. "Kenai and aren't really humans.." she said, her gaze shifting to the ground.
"We're bears..We only became humans for a short time.."
"To give us that message from the Spirits?" Aika asked, and Kenai nodded solemnly.
Aika grabbed onto both Kenai and Kia's hands. "So you're leaving soon?!"
The bears-turned-humans nodded silently. Aika hung her head and said nothing for a few moments.
"...I want to go with you!" she said suddenly, raising her head and looking at the two humans. "Please let me come with you!"
Kia sighed. 'But...what about your friends?" she replied. "I know you said you don't have any, but Tanana and Denahi care about you."
Aika faked a laugh. "They might, but they don't play with me, and I need friends my own age to actually play with. So, since nobody here except for them cares about me, it won't matter if I go with you guys."
Aika plucked another handful of berries into her mouth.
Glancing down, Kia realized that berries were the only thing she had on her plate.
"Aren't you allowed to eat salmon?" she asked curiously.
Aika nodded. "Oh, yeah! ...But, I don't like fish...Or any kind of sea food, really..." she said.
Kia chuckled. "Oh, I see.."
After dinner, the three of them went down to the river and washed their plates.
On their way back to the village, they were approached by Tanana.
"There you two are!" she said, glancing at Kenai and Kia.
Kenai nodded. "Yeah...Was there something you needed to tell us?"
Tanana gave a slight nod in reply. "I have spoken with the Great Spirits. They have made it so that you can understand one wolf from the pack, and he can also understand you."
Kia grinned. "Great! How do we find this wolf?" she asked.
Tanana looked seriously at her. "You must go deep into the forest, and call out the name 'Warner'." she answered.
Kenai glanced at Kia. "Do you want to go start searching for him?" he asked.
Kia nodded. "Yes, let's!" she said enthusiastically.
Tanana took their plates, and stared back toward the village. "I'll take these for you...Good luck."
Aika tugged at Kia's coat. Kia did a quick double take. She had almost forgotten that the girl was there with them!
"Kia, I want to go too." Aika said.
Kia looked nervously at Kenai. "W...What do you think, Kenai..?"
Kenai thought it over for a few minutes, then nodded.
"Okay Aika, you can come..but you have to stick close. This could be dangerous."
Aika grinned. "Don't you worry! I'll stick close!" she said, as the three of them entered the forest...