Flight Of the Butterfly

A little girl sat in an alley as six butterflies danced about her head. The little girl giggled as bright purple and blue butterflies danced around her little head. She reached out and caught one in her hands. It crawls up her hand, its little feelers tapping along her skin. She gently pets its head cooing at it. These little creatures do as she says. No one ever does that, not even her parents. She looked down at  the rest of the swarm crawling all over something. 

The little girl paid no mind to it after it will no longer bother her again. The silly boy from down the street had learned his lesson now, then who else will? The small child of three years skipped out from the alley with about a dozen butterflies dancing across her head. Behind her a swarm flew quietly on unheard wings. 

A smile spreads across her face as the first scream is heard when someone notices the deadly creatures that followed along after her. Even the smallest child was made to fear them. After all they poison and paralyze you the second they land on you. A swarm of ten will slowly pick your bones clean in days. You feel every little nibble as they eat you basically alive. Nothing but fire stops these vicious butterflies.

Everyone knows if you so much as squish one thousands more will flock to you. Villages from the forest have long since decided to stay inside even if one is spotted. Everyone knew that they swarmed and only fire kept them at bay. No one was willing to burn down their house to scare off them. It was better to hide and wait for it to fly by.

The little girl has hidden and fed them her food scraps for days. Of course at first she had feared them after all the stories  she had been scared when the first one touched her arm. When nothing happened she wondered if the stories were true. She had gently caught it and placed it on the nearest animal, a bird that had a broken wing. When she saw that it didn't  move even when she shouted and waved her hands she knew the butterfly was the reason.

After finding one she found others and fed them some of the food she was given to eat. After a time she learned that they followed her silent command. Unlike with the village she didn't  need to talk to them for them to listen to her. Everyone told her to "use her voice". Whatever that meant she wasn't sure at all.

All she knew was that her friends were hungry and her village... it needed to pay. She grinned even bigger as people screamed and ran for their doors only to find butterflies blocking the way. She shook her short reddish brown hair in disappointment none were going to escape. She found ways for her friends to get into houses. Everyknock, cranky and crack was a way for them to get in to feed. After she was sure they were in every household she picked up an abandoned  doll and sat on the road and played. 

It took awhile but the screams slowly faded away. Every once in a while one of the butterflies would land on her. It would be warm and wet and whatever it had on it would transfer to wherever it landed. Before she knew it the small child was covered in red  drying stains from the butterflies. They smelled funny but she couldn't  be bothered to place a name on it. They were happy she could feel it.

As the hours passed butterflies slowly  gathered around her flying in slow, wobbly, lazy patterns then they would be gone. As the sun slipped beyond the hills only six were left dancing about her head. They landed in her messy hair that had whatever the butterflies had on them all dried up in it. She looked around and not a soul was there. 

They must all be gone by now, her friends had gotten rid of every last one of these silly people. She no longer had to bother with them any more. With that she walked back to her home stepping over the now unmoving mounds of what once were people. She didn't spare a single look after all none moved.

Days passed after and hunger gnawed at her young belly. She knew not who to turn to for food. There was no one here. They didn't  feed her much anyway. She had long since ate all the apples and fruit in the stalls. She nibbled on bread but it made her sick if she ate too much. There wasn't  much else she could do. 

By the time set on the fifth day up the three year old was feeling something she never felt before. She didn't like this at all; her butterflies could only entertain  her so much before they went to feast bringing back more of the red liquid. She was sure they would get to have her for food too if it wasn't  for the sound of hooves.

Men and women on horses had come to the village. They looked around in horror and shock at what they saw. Bodies scattered  across the ground most down to the bone,  some still just barely alive. What shocked them the most is the blood covered child wandering among the streets.

"Look there, don't touch her. Can't  you see she is a charmer? She has six Iveshka and they never leave food." the woman leading them says pointing to the small child. Then turns to the little girl. "Come with us, we will teach you how to control your magic. What is your name?" The woman asks as she gets off her horse and crouches down in front of the butterfly child.

The girl looked back at her and gently picked up a butterfly and showed it to her."Iveshka?" She asked the child with a raised eyebrow.

"I-I-Ivka." She was finally able to say her first word, her name she felt proud of. The woman grinned at her and nodded.

"Well, Ivka, welcome to Aspos Mercenaries. I am Aspos." Aspos says "may I pick you up and take you with me?" She asked to reach for the blood covered Ivka. The child nodded with a tiny smile. She was now a part of something but she wasn't  sure what.