Stormy Arrival

-Stormy Arrival -
         Shida, Tanne, and Lilac climbed onto the roof of their house and watched the sun rise. Tanne was laid back, his feet dangling off the edge of the roof above the second floor balcony. Shida stood, perfectly balanced on the peak of the roof with her arms folded. Between the two of them sat Lilac who was carefully slicing and eating an apple.
         Tanne ran his hands through his slightly long black hair as he glanced towards the end of the village street. His dark eyes scanned the area where people would soon be travelling into and out of the village. His thoughts were on their friend who had left the village three days prior and had yet to return. He didn’t want to think the worst of the situation and therefore kept his hopes up that his friend would return, unharmed, in the village sometime soon.
         Shida, noticing that Tanne hadn’t once averted his gaze from the village border, guessed what was on his mind. She sighed heavily; Tanne was always worrying about the others because he was the oldest and figured that he was responsible for them. He was only twelve, however, and wasn’t really capable of much. As far as Shida was concerned she thought of Tanne as a big brother, but gave a great portion of credit to the villagers who had allowed the group of nomadic orphans to live in their village.
         Deciding to ease her friends mind, Shida slid down the roof to sit beside him. He glanced at her briefly before returning his gaze to the border. Shida gently nudged him to get his attention. Her sapphire eyes locked with his dark ones as he gave her a questioning look. She twirled a strand of bright orange hair around her finger as she thought of what to say.
         He saved her the trouble.
         “Mali’s been gone for three days.” Tanne told her. His eyes flicked to the border then back to Shida’s face. “If he was planning to stay out this long then he should have told us.”
         Shida grinned. Of course Tanne had every right to be worried, but the youngest of their group, the eight year old Mali, had in fact had the most experience on his own having been orphaned when he was three. On top of that Mali was a devious and cunning trickster, having made Tanne worry for a week before revealing that he had been staying with one of the villagers. Mali had his ways and had probably made a shelter somewhere just outside of the village border just for the laughs he would have when he told Tanne where he had been.
         “He’s fine.” Shida assured Tanne. He gave her a sideways glance before sighing and dropping to the balcony. “Trust me he’s okay!”
         Tanne grunted, dropped down to the balcony, and walked into the house, leaving the door slightly ajar. Lilac giggled as she finished her apple. Her short, blonde hair rippled in the breeze reminding Shida of the relaxing waves at Moon’s Tear Cove. Lilac closed one blue-gray eye and looked up at the clouds.
         “Puppy. Bunny. Kitty. Froggy…” Lilac listed the shapes of the clouds, getting quieter as she did so, until she was simply mouthing them. Lilac was a small blonde-haired, nine year old girl with the attention span of a mouse in a bakery. She and Shida shared a sisterly relationship that was much like the brotherly one between Tanne and Mali. They teased each other, talked about problems with each other, and spent most of the time with each other.
         “You know, we could just go looking for Mali.” Lilac suggested as she lifted a finger up. Shida smiled as a small butterfly landed on the outstretched finger. “Maybe that way Tan-Tan’s head won’t go boom.”
         Shida and Lilac both burst out in a fit of laughter. Lilac seemed to be the only one who didn’t let Mali’s pranks get to her at all. She was always the one who made everyone else laugh when something went wrong. Once they were done laughing Shida slid off the roof and onto the balcony. Lilac gently shook the butterfly off her finger and followed.
         “You’re right,” Shida told Lilac as she helped the younger girl get down.
         The two girls entered the house through the second floor hallway which the girls had decorated with fresh golden flowers and fragrant honeydew. The walls were adorned with paintings of the ocean, desert oases, and mountains. They had, after talking to a few villagers, received numerous rolls of carpet and had used a plush maroon one for the hallway and stairs.
         The girls could feel a breeze coming from Tanne’s room and decided to peek inside. His room was the least decorated with bare, wood walls and a watery blue carpet. His bed, a small mat made of soft cloth and grass sat in a corner. Near his bed lay an old arrow and his dull dagger, both reminders of the days before they had come to the village. Tanne sat, deep in thought, on his widow sill. He didn’t seem to notice the girls.
         They, quietly, headed down the stairs and for the kitchen. As they went through their Living Room Shida once again thanked the villagers. They had given the children various articles of furniture and had even been nice enough to set it up for them. It was through these means that they became the owners of a set of black velvet couches and matching wood tables.
         Lilac was eager to begin setting up for their plan once they entered the kitchen. Shida stepped back and let Lilac do her magic. Each of the kids had a skill that had helped them survive the years of loneliness; Mali used his tricks to get food and supplies, Tanne hunted, grew, made his own wherever he went, and even showcased his weapon’s skill learned during a brief stay with a King’s Guard, Shida did various jobs to make ends meet, and Lilac, she cooked. Everywhere she went she cooked for people to earn her meals. If and when, on many occasions, she was kicked out of a village for some reason or another she would join the nearest caravan as the cook until she reached a new place to call home. She never told the others why she could cook so well at such a young age, but it didn’t really matter to them because it seemed to make her happy.
         It didn’t take long for Lilac to throw a meal together and, before long Tanne’s curiosity dragged him to the kitchen. He gave the two girls a quizzical look before leaving the kitchen. Shida, thinking that he was going to go back up to his room, ran after him only to be sent face first into the couch as she tripped over him. She turned around to see him lacing up his boots.
         She smiled; he already knew the plan. They were going to find their friend.
         An hour later the three friends set out for the area where Mali had been headed. They travelled through the village gathering extra supplies as they headed for the border. They stopped at the general store and got a tent and some cheap weapons to fend off the creatures that roamed the areas between the villages. After their brief shopping excursion they left the village waving to the villagers until they could no longer see them.
         The kids traveled for a while before they stopped for a break on the shady side of a hill. Lilac was proud to show Tanne the meal she had put together for their trip. She really had out done herself, making their travel food as close to dinner like as she could. Together the kids sat down to eat, enjoying stewed chicken, rice, and sweet bread.
         Tanne glanced around him as he ate, taking in the surroundings. It seemed like a tranquil place to be; a nearby creek bubbled soothingly while the wind gently rustled the grass and leaves of the trees surrounding the creek. Suddenly he knew where Mali had gone and jumped to his feet. Shida almost choked on her chicken from the sudden move.
         “What is it?!” She coughed as she thumped her chest. Tanne grinned as he pointed beyond the trees to a river running from the creek. Shida and Lilac instantly understood.
         “Moon’s Tear Cove!” The three of them said in unison.

         *                                                  *                                                  *

         Moon’s Tear Cove wasn’t too far from where the children had eaten dinner. In fact, by following the river, they arrived at the Cove after only two hours; well before sunset. The kids ran out onto the soft sand gleefully. Tanne’s eyes’ however scanned the white sands. They found nothing.
         “He’s not here.” He remarked, tiredly. Shida too glanced around and, although she too found no signs of their friend, she noticed something else. It was in the odd sweep of the sand near the sheer cliff walls, the half buried grass several feet from the actual beach, and a ring of gray clouds hovering above the beach.
                "The eye..." Shida gasped. Tanne shot her a quizzical look. "The eye of the storm. It's like a calm before-"
                Suddenly a gale ripped across the beach, kicking up sand and water as it threw the children back into the woods. The fierce deluge drenched the children from head to toe leaving them shivering amongst the thrashing branches of the trees. And yet, both Tanne and Lilac's eyes were fixated upon the cliff wall. The two of them rushed forward, pressing their bodies against the wind as they cut through the now floating beach. Shida, confused as to why they were trying to head into the storm, called out behind them.
                "What are you doing!" She screamed as she plodded through the sand cloud. Tanne turned to her, catching Lilac by her shirt as she was blown off her feet.
                "Don't you hear it?" He shouted over the wind. Shida strained her ears and could just barely make out the odd keening wail that had no doubt been the cause of her friends' resolution. She too pressed herself into the wind's attacks as she tried to reach the source of the wails. Despite her full effort Shida could see that neither of them was making much progress; it felt like they'd been traveling for hours before they reached a cave that had been half buried in the sand from the storm.
                Tanne was the first to collapse, coughing up mud and leaves as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. Next was the soaked and mud encased Lilac who tumbled head first into the cave. And finally, as Tanne was brushing mud out of Lilac's hair, Shida stumbled into the cave knocking both of the other kids off of their feet.