"And one day I am gonna grow wings"

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The warmer climate was something Elysia would have to get used to. However, the cave brought the wind inside. The pressure of said winds must’ve made it ten to fifteen degrees colder. It was enough for the shifter to reasonably fall asleep. The full moon shone through the shrub and moss to cast lighting and shadows thereafter. An owl nearby cooing to alert others of their territory. All in all, it was something so delicate. Serene. Something she hadn’t received in the five days she’s been moving without a full stop.

The young woman couldn’t get her mind off of freedom, the sweet smell of it. It was personified, as if when she reached the gates, they would enrapture her in its arms. When she has her mind on a goal, there’s no stopping it. Obstacles cannot be too big or turbulent for her to reconsider– not even for a second. It was one of the admirable traits she has yet to realize, only a quirk that she notes. Elysia was never the self-awareness type. No one around her was. It’s strange, how they all minded their business. They tended to themselves when it came to personal business and only that. Back home, yes, they considered themselves a clan, but it wasn’t family. Elysia could hardly get a word in without being interrupted. Something Elysia also heard in fairytales. A place to belong, people to smile at.

Tossing and turning. Over and over. A pair of blue eyes would flutter now and then, trying to shake off the nightmare repeatedly. A nightmare, as she calls it. Though it is only memories of the past. Only a few weeks prior.

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“Did you see what we just caught?!” The young boy, also with stark white hair, exclaimed. He held a lemming in his palms. The rodents were small, but Arctic foxes were small, too. They didn’t need much to get through a week.

“‘Atta son! See? It wasn’t too bad.” His father exclaimed. The young man had a group with him, who all held their fair share of what they’d eat that night for dinner. 

The Vanora clan was small, just those who were part of the family. Two parents with their three children. Two cousins with their parents. Tight-knit, but oddly distant with one another. They seemed happy– for now. Though the small woman, sitting inside and watching out the window, wondered how long it’d last until they went silent again. She kept her knees close to her with a warm embrace. Contemplative and waiting. Waiting. Again, day after day.

Deciding to use their human forms, they sat at the small dinner table really meant to fit four, but the family of nine made it work. They were foxes, not handy enough to build a larger one. It was pure silence, only clinking of knives and forks. The Vanora woman couldn’t handle it. It was never loud enough. No laughs or exchange of words. This time Elysia had something nestled deep in her head. It couldn’t get out, no matter how much alone time she had to let it pass. Thinking back, it may have been the final stone to set her goal in place. 

Elysia sat her fork down, not able to keep it inside, “I-I’m, uh,” Her eyes fell on the cloth that lined the table. “I’m thinking of exploring. Beyond the tundra.” She quickly, almost frantically, added, “I’ll come back– of course.”

A bang on the table thereafter happened, ringing around the home. It came from the fist of none other than The Head of the Clan, Tirian Vanore. His neutral expression turned into a scowl. He spoke out quickly, “Elysia Alaida Vanore!”

Said woman shifted her ears back, fearful of the reaction from her angry father. “It’d only be for a few months! I just want to–”

He wasn’t having it. He shook his head, standing up, “This family has done more than enough sacrifices for the only daughter to wish to leave. No, you are not permitted.”

“But father, I–”

“The answer is no, Elysia.”

After a few moments of her father catching his breath, he sat back down. However, something bubbled inside of Elysia. For the first time, Elysia felt hatred. Full of it, actually, it was overflowing her cup. Her pupils dilated as she peered through her father. As if she weren’t there. Only being a bystander to her own actions. A bystander to her life. She couldn’t do it for any longer.

That’s when Elysia stood up. “What is everyone protecting me from?!”

Her mother interjected, “Honey, please–”

“No, mom!” She shook her head, stomping her foot on the ground. “I am an adult! I hunt for my own food, I provide for the clan just as everyone else does!” Elysia’s breath quickened, a thousand thoughts passing by. She started, and now she cannot stop. “I cannot be held back like this. The fairytales must be true!-- And they are true. I can feel it.”

Thereafter, Elysia turned on her heel to storm away to her room. Only stopping when Tirian spoke up. His voice colder, more stern: “The world beyond isn’t for you. Stay here with your people. Your place is with us, where you belong.”

Only for a moment did she pause for this. She only continued off. 

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Ellie woke up for the final time. The sun was peeking through and it was getting warmer by the hour. Her hair, a disheveled mess, almost stood straight up. Nonetheless, Elysia gave a small yawn. A smile graced her lips. The dream had shaken her up, of course, but this was the only way she could move on. Her journey only had a few days more until she reached her sanctuary. Stories to be told and people to be met were waiting on her. She wasn’t going to back down. Even from the obstacle that was her psyche.

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