Solaris rose in the East, bathing the land in its light. The preyed upon stirred for a new day, the predators rested, waiting for a new night. The coyote had disappeared, and Atalanta awoke once more. She knew that if night befell again before she was in the haven of the Others, her chances of seeing the sun rise again would be very slim.

But where to go? she thought, There is no path, no signal, no guide.

A light breeze blew behind her back, from the peaks of mountains came a chat: Alliyama kakulita charinaya ichigori. And so, Atalanta walked, guided by the wind.

The sun shone straight down upon Atalanta, for it was noon. In the horizon, a thunderstorm brewed. Atalanta did not wish to go near, but the wind told her she had no choice.

Afternoon came. The originally flat horizon had disappeared, unveiling a towering mountain before her. As a child, she had heard tales of many a brave knight and magician who had entered, never to return. Atalanta cringed at the thought of walking into the forbidden mountain, but still the wind blew.

Solaris set in the West; its warm rays of light flickered away. The shadows of darkness awoke, dancing in anticipation. And Atalanta had reached the base of the mountain. The wind blew, insistently, and Atalanta pulled her cloak closely about her. There was no light, for the moon had disappeared.

She did not wish to cross, but the wind blew, the Gods had spoken, Gods whose breaths guided her into the mouth of darkness. Illumos she cried, concentrating all her energy on the command, but no light came forth.

The coyote followed closely, and the darkness became almost tangible.

Atalanta deeply regretted not getting up earlier.

As she took a long look at the bright, shining moon, she tried to remember the last part of the incantation. If she could only remember. It would drastically improve her chances of finding the Others. Before it was too late. Before They hurt her again. She sat down on a cool and familiar rock to rest. She settled down, her fatigue finally catching up with her. I’m so tired. Has it only been a day? It feels as thought it’s been weeks. Giving into her weariness, Atalanta settled down on the cool ground to regain her strength.

As she closed her eyes, she remembered the kind and soothing voice of her grandmother. “Atalanta… If only things could be different. I’m so sorry. You are the ‘mighty bearer.’ Things will have to be different from now on… If I could only prepare you for what is to come…” That was the last time she ever saw her grandmother. Why did she have to call me Atalanta? Why does my name have to be the “mighty bearer?” She knew of course that such thoughts of anger were hopeless. It had been the oracle that had told her dear grandmother that it was absolutely necessary to give her that name. Her grandmother had no way of knowing. Besides, it was better this way. They would have found her anyway, and having another name would hinder only the Others, and not Them. She needed to stop thinking. It would be daylight in a few hours. She needed to sleep.

Drifting away into the land of dreams, Atalanta let out a small cry. It was a cry of sadness and pain.

The sky was bright, blue and clear. The sun was shining and birds were calling out in the distance. She saw a small boy with bright, shining green eyes. He was smiling at her. As he ran to her, he held a brightly wrapped gift in his small hands. “Happy Ninth Birthday Atalanta!” he called. He came toward her, but suddenly a dark shadow surrounded him. As the darkness cleared, she saw his face. The bright, beaming face of her brother was replaced with an empty look of horror. He never spoke again. During the course of the next few days he ate less and less, until he stopped eating all together. Exactly one week later, he passed away.

Jumping up with a start, and drenched in sweat, Atalanta breathed heavily. She had had that dream again. It had been an accident; or so she had thought. She knew better now. It all made sense after yesterday. She now understood the “accidents” that had taken away every person she loved; every person she cared for. They had to be stopped. And with the help of the Others, she could do it. She had to. She was the “mighty bearer."

The moon flickered, its alluring light drowned by the darkness of an ominous cloud. A cloud darker than the night itself. Rain fell from that cloud, its droplets soaking her cloth, drenching her. With each droplet her strength sapped, as if her soul was sucked away. Nearby, the coyote watched her, watched her drop to her knees, then drop to the ground, writhing in agony and despair. She is weak, it thought, she poses no danger to us. The dry leaves had turned wet, and emitted no sound as the coyote's padded feet struck them. It disappeared into the night.

Once more, the rays of the moon struck the forest ground, revealing a figure lying on the forest floor, cloaked in black. It seemed, for a second, the shadows tried to approach her, but the light of the moon enveloped her, and they dared not advance. She awoke bathed in a white light. The Others have come for me..., she thought. She felt a new strength from within.

"...Alliyama kakulita charinaya ichigori,
Nakuliam chariruya elixialum,
Elikur sumbuli kalino..."

As the clouds gently moved across the full moon, she listened to the faint chanting as it moved across the now dark, rolling hills. A young girl, in a black cloak was briskly walking down a path. Thankful for the darkness surrounding her, she knew they could not see her. They had been watching her constantly. Ever since the incident. Although it had been years since she had last seen Them, the effects were everlasting. Biting her lip to hold back her anger, she repressed those memories. This was not the time to bring them back. So much had happened since then.

She took in a deep breath and looked around. Everything seemed to be the same, but something was different. Perhaps it was due to the fact that she had never been there at night, but she doubted that. There was something else, something more. As she walked further down the path, towards her favorite waterfall, she could hear its friendly greeting: the same, gentle bubbling. It was glowing in the faint light of the moon; more beautiful than it had ever seemed. Looking again at the path, she smiled. She knew it well. Every rock, tree and bush was an old friend. As she scanned her eyes over the night sky she heard the mocking bird sing its song, far off in the distance. She had so many memories. Long summer days spent with laughter and picnics, the carefully constructed tree house her father had worked so hard to build her when she was five, and finally her favorite memory. She smiled as she remembered that day. It seemed so long ago.

Suddenly she heard a faint rustling a few feet ahead of her. Two bright eyes shone through the darkness. It couldn’t be them. They never confronted her. They only watched and followed. Stepping cautiously toward the eyes, she realized it was only a coyote. Breathing a deep sigh of relief she knew that things would be different from now on. The past twenty-four hours had changed her life more drastically than she could have ever imagined. Her new friends would help her. That is, if all went well tonight.

She needed to hurry. The Others were not to be kept waiting.

here i go....i hope you all like it!!!

A story. First, Amaris writes a paragraph, and then Mike, and then Emerald writes a paragraph, and then Amaris, and Mike, and then Emerald, etc. We are not allowed to communicate about the story. Needless to say, it will be interesting.