Artemis: The Trial

Ch. 6

The full moon was high in the sky, casting a silvery sheen over everything. The clearing was beautiful, a perfect circle in the middle of a forest that was filled with a mixture of Phlox and Night-scented stock flowers, making it look like a sea of silvery-purple.

I was barefoot, and on the edge of the forest, not sure what I was supposed to be doing here.

But I am supposed to be here, I could feel it. Something was pulling me towards the clearing.

Come my dear, a voice whispered in my head. I followed it willingly, trusting my instincts.

Come claim what is rightfully yours, the voice seemed to sing inside my head. It was a woman's voice, beautiful yet full of wisdom.

I was now in the middle of the clearing, and I looked around, expecting the owner of the voice to show herself. But I was completely alone.

Look up dear daughter, the voice spoke again, making me stiffen in surprise. Daughter?

That's right, I have claimed you as my daughter, though you may not have been born from my womb directly, you carry my blood in your veins and bear my mark, the voice continued. I couldn't stop my hands from shaking, and went to wipe the sweat off of them and realized what I was wearing.

The dress was simple, but elegant in a way. It was white, and fell to just above my knees. It was one shouldered and light and airy, easy to move in if needed. There was a grey sash wrapped around the waist to give it some shape.

It was then that I realized I had my bow and arrows strapped on my back, and I had a leather bracer on my left wrist and my half hand glove on my right hand. On the bracer a mark identical to my tattoo was stitched onto it.

Slowly, I lifted my head up to gaze at the moon that was now directly above me.

My daughter, you have been through so much, the voice said sounding somber. Just know that I have always been watching you, making sure your arrow flies straight and true... the voice was starting to fade away.

"Wait! What did you mean 'claim what is rightfully mine'?" I called out to the moon, but the whole dream was slipping out of focus as I could feel myself waking up.

"No!" I yelled in frustration as I sat up quickly, my heart aching and the back of my neck felt warm. I glanced over at the clock and fell back on my pillow with a groan. "It's only 3:20 a.m." I whisper out loud in frustration. 

This is what I get for falling asleep at 7 p.m., I think wearily. What could that dream have been about? 'You bear my mark,' could that be the tattoo on my neck? I wondered as I squinted up at the ceiling as if it would give me all the answers.

With a groan I threw off my big white comforter and changed into a pair of black leggings, a black hoodie, and my running shoes. I threw my hair up in a ponytail and then did the only thing I knew would help clear my thoughts, I went for a run. Ideally I would have gone and practiced shooting with my bow and arrows, but I hadn't found a safe spot to do it yet.

The cool autumn air was crisp when I walked out the back door, seeing as it was already mid-October, I wasn't surprised. I started in a slow jog, letting my muscles warm up and wake up a little before picking up my pace. 

I had decided to stay local and just run around town and keep to the lighted streets so I could get to know the area a little better.

Emmerson, South Dakota was a small town just on the outskirts of the Rosebud Reservation, and it didn't take me long to run through the whole place. I couldn't bring myself to go back to my loft quite yet, so I made my way back to the town's local park and jogged the path there.