Journey Begins

Star stood outside the circus dome looking back at all that had come to see her off, the rain covering her tears as they fell onto her feet, she turned and wiped them away so the others couldn't see.

"Thank you, my family. I'll miss the funeral. I'll honor their will by finding who attacked them."

She looked up into the sky letting the rain hit her face. "I'll kill whoever stands in my way that tries and stops me." Mouthing the words silently.

She covered her face with the hood of her travelling coat. "Rain, you always help me relax." She smiled as she clenched her hand around Sil. Her heartbeat jumped and she looked at the bow. "It seems you have the same desire as me. Excellent."

Star watched as the elderly acrobat approached her underneath a colorful umbrella and gave her a tight hug, she whispered in Star's ear.

"Please, remember what we've talked about. You're looking for the truth, and maybe on the Stormy Mountain you'll either find it, or you'll find nothing. You're not looking for blood."

"Yes, I remember…" Star replied with tears in her eyes.

She took a step back from her and smiled sadly.

"Thank you, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be alive today, and my wounds would have killed me."

The elderly acrobat smiled at Star turned and walked back to where all the other circus members were standing. She turned and looked at Star.

"We'll look after the circus, and make sure Agnia and Red's name will never be forgotten.They deserve to be honored and so The Eternia Circus will now be named The Will of Family!"

Star watched as all her family cheered loudly. She looked up at the dome smiling as two large posters rolled down the circus dome revealing the faces of Red and Agnia standing proudly side by side. She smiled at the poster of Red with his famous hat and coat, while Agnia held her bow ready to release all the arrows in her quiver.

She raised Sil over her head. "Red, Agnia, I'll find out what happened, and I'll track down the ones that desired to hurt you both."

She put Sil back over her shoulder looked at the circus members all holding their colorful umbrellas and turned to walk away from the dome.

She whispered to herself as she stared ahead. "This baby bird is finally learning how to fly. I'll find the truth and hunt down those who hurt my family." Her eyes filled with determination and glints of anger as she crossed the first floating stone bridge.

She stopped in the middle of the floating stone bridge and looked back at the circus dome frowning slightly, turning again and started to quicken her pace.

"I can't run back now… I need to finish what has been started." She stepped off the bridge and entered the floating city which surrounded the circus dome.

Her pace slowed down as she looked at the stone buildings of the houses around her. "This city is really amazing." She bent down and picked a small flower that was blooming on the floating stone bridge and watched little ones jump into the water swimming while elders sitting on the edge were fishing and keeping an eye on the young ones.

She let out a sigh of relief as she walked past them smiling. "No one stopped me or recognized me." She kept walking through the stone city admiring the people's bright clothing, and all had giant smiles on their faces. "They really have no worries or troubles in their lives."

As she reached the outskirts of the city she stopped and stared up in amazement and wonder. "This is the first time for me seeing these statues… I can see why they cause people to stop and stare at the cities protectors."

She smiled at these gigantic towering statues and kept walking out of the city until she finally stepped onto the Supremes' paved road. She turned and looked back at the floating stone city with a serious face.

"I won't come back until I complete my task!"

She made her way to some large trees growing by the side of the Supremes' road and leaned against its giant trunk as the rain started to heavily fall. She looked at the sky and sighed. "I'll miss all this rain, it makes me feel safe, I wonder what it'll be like outside of these lands?"

She sat against the trunk of the tree and watched the rain fall around her. After a while a small group of travelers arrived and sort out the comfort of the large tree talking amongst themselves in small groups. She kept the hood over her face, and pulled out the map that Red gave her, and studied it.

"Stormy Mountain is a steep climb from this way with stories of dangerous animals and tribes around the mountains, but..." She traced the Supremes' road with her finger to the windy tunnel entrance."If I got off there at the trading city, I should be able to cut my way through the valley and only have to climb a small part of the Stormy Mountain range..."

She touched her side pouch which carried some coins, while another hidden pouch carried the rest of her coins. She looked up and noticed a traveler had pulled out a fire battery and was in the process of turning it on. She smiled as she felt the warmth of the battery and pulled out a piece of morning bread.

"RRRrruuummmmmmbbbbbbb"

She watched as all the travelers under the tree pick up their bags and looked down the paved road as a transport came into view. She stood up and dusted herself off and waited for the transport to stop.

A door opened on the transport and the small group climbed their way onto the transport, paying a coin to the attendant.She pressed the coin into the attendant's hand."Windy tunnel entrance". The attendant smiled and pointed to a seat. She took her and bow off she sat down on the cushioned seat watching the rain fall outside the transport.

"I better keep the hood on for the time being." She sat in silence as she felt the transport starting to move.

She stretched her arm outside feeling the rain fall on it and smiled. "The smell of rain especially the grass and trees smell amazing."

She glanced at the loose wrappings around her arm and sighed to herself while frowning. "I'll have to be careful and take it easy on the mountain and run from any animals as I can't use the bow yet." She pulled her arm back in the transport and tightened the wrappings in pained silence.

As the transport moved on the paved road the rain continued to fall heavily. Star listened to the rain hit the roof of the transport.

"This weather fits my mood perfectly."

The transport came to a stop outside a small settlement along the side of the paved road. Star looked up at the attendant. "Ladies and gentlemen, we'll stop here for half a mark and then continue our journey to windy tower, there is fire, food and drink inside!"

She followed the people on the transport make their way off and quickly ran through the rain and into the building which had a large sign out the front of it of an acrobat flying. She stopped and smiled at the sign before she made her way inside.

She walked into the tavern and the smell of cooked meat, the warmth of the fire and her eyes filled with music of people singing along to a small group of musicians. She made her way to the opposite corner and beckoned for food and drink.

The plate arrived piled with meat and roasted vegetables. She gave a coin to the attendant and quickly ate the meat and vegetables while listening to the music.

She stared in silence at the fire listening to the music. She looked up as the singer stepped forward and bowed before the crowd of travelers.

"Ladies and gentlemen, sad and dark times have come upon us, not because of rumors of unrest from the Firelands or the island chains but because we have lost two amazing and wonderful people." She looked at the crowd and watched them nod and even some raising their glasses.

"Tomorrow will be the funeral of Red, even the Supreme himself will be attending. So, while we won't be able to attend, lets honor their names and their memories."

The musicians started playing a somber Agnia as the singer returned to his position, the tavern fell in complete silence all their attention on the band and its singer.

"Oh, the rains of Eternia may you never forget,

The dark clouds hold the pain that will make us all lament.

Those who were taken from us will always be watching,

and on the clouds will their names be forever notched.

They were taken from us, the hurt is too painful to bare,

may the clouds forever carry us disperse our sorrow.

The mighty Red, the delicate Agnia, may you find your rest

In the eternal circus above our heads and in our hearts.

Oh, the mighty rains of Eternia will never forget"

There were tears falling from Stars eyes falling on the table. "Red, Agnia." She mouthed silently. She wiped the tears from her eyes and the stains from her cheeks. She quickly finished her meal, stood up and walked out of the tavern, before she could hear the next verse.

She stood in the rain for a moment letting it fall on her, then climbed back in the transport sitting and staring at the rain as it fell landing on the road with soft thuds. "I must find the killer and make them pay…"

She placed her hands around Sil, and the feeling of anger and vengeance came back to her, with her eyes once again showing their determination for revenge. She turned and looked towards the shadows of the mountains far in the distance, "we'll get answers soon Sil, we'll get our revenge."