Phoenix woke to a loud banging on the door. She groaned and sleepily forced herself to make some hot water. She forgot for a moment whose home she was in, and was reminded when she tripped over Aerrow. It was quite a commotion for two tired people, sprawled over the floor with hot water splashed everywhere, and a persistent banging on the door.
Aerrow blinked his eyes open and ignored Phoenix’s mess. He stumbled over and opened the door.
A cloaked figure stood in the light grey light that almost blinded him. The figure handed him a map and a cloak identical to the one he was wearing.
“You must take these, Aerrow. Take Phoenix too. You must live, and to do that you must run. Run far away. You must live, run dammit!” the figure whispered angrily.
Aerrow sat up in his bed, hastily looking around. Phoenix was still asleep, and he watched her as his dream registered. His eyes opened widely. The last time he had experienced such a vivid nightmare was the day before his mother was removed.
He jumped out of bed, everything in a rush. He remembered his father telling him that it was just a silly dream. He shook away the mugginess in his head and shook Phoenix awake.
“Phoenix, you have to get up! Phoenix, it’s important! We have to get out of here!”
Just as he said that, he heard a far off screeching. It was an eerie, dead noise. He pulled on a coat, grabbed a map, a flask, blankets, and Phoenix’s hand. He pulled her out of the back door and picked her up as they ran through the graveyard. The screeching grew closer.
“Don’t look back Aerrow. Whatever you do, don’t look back.” Phoenix insisted, a lump in her throat rising. She watched as his home, his life burned and was torn down by Black Takers.
He put her down and they ran for the forest, Black Takers swarming behind them. One touched Phoenixs arm. She screamed and stumbled, but broke through the edge of the white forest.
The forest stretched on for months, all they could see was white. The trees lay on an underground pigment reservoir that turned the trees white, a forest of no colour. An absence of anything. They were in the wide open, especially with Phoenix’s hair, but the Black Takers dared not venture near the trees. They turned anything white, and all the animals in the forest have long since adapted to this, but the Takers have not. It was like a very slow poison (even to humans), but what other choice did Aerrow and Phoenix have?
“Quickly, rub up against a tree.” Aerrow instructed. Having lived next to the forest most of his life, he was used to the queasiness and headaches the pigment brought on, but Phoenix felt their effects immediately.
“I’m sorry, Phoenix, it’s the only way.”
She nodded.
“Gracious, Aerrow. But how did you know that they were coming?” Phoenix inquired as they began marching towards the Reickne River and its people.
Aerrow thought about how best to answer as he watched a white honeysucker creep up on a white flower, and then watched a white battle until the honeysucker reached out with its arms and pulled out the heart of the flower and ate it.
He looked back to see thousands of Black Takers swarming around the edge of the forest, a reckless few even ventured near. White is so much more poisoness to black then it is to grey, and they just bounced back, their black hearts shrivelled and dying.
Aerrow picked up the pace.
“I had a vision. Umh, I think it was a vision. It’s happened before, and if I’d known what it meant last time, then I maybe would still have my mother.”
Phoenix took his hand.
“Where are we going?” She asked, changing the topic to something slightly more pressing.
“We can’t keep running, and what about The One? He will find us. And you are to be joined to my wretch of a sister. What are we even doing running? Is there any point?”
Aerrow almost agreed, but he knew that there was a way around the fate she described.
“We are headed to the Resistance, Phoenix.”
