Where the Wild Wind Calls
Ahriin's story begins.
Choose Your Own Adventure
This is a choose your own adventure story. At some points during the adventure you may come across other text boxes like this one. Inside them you will find clickable options to progress the story. For now, read on!You could swear that only a moment ago you knew where you were but now the grass is tall and sharp and you are very, inarguably, lost. With each step the grass gets taller as if you are sinking into it, the knees, now the hips, if this keeps up you soon won't be able to see the sky. A large hollow thonk sound shakes the grass around you as your foot breaks something beneath it. You reach down to help your foot out of what appears to be a long wooden box. As you struggle to remove some of the splintered boards, the grass grows taller behind you, bending inwards and blocking out the light. You free your foot and see something gleaming inside the box under the last bit of light. You reach for it. It is large and smooth, a perfect sphere. The skeletal hand does not want to let it go but you manage to yank it free. As you lift up the glass sphere to the light, the grass gets shorter and shorter. Inside the sphere is a spindle that stretches from one side to the other suspended in some type of liquid. The spindle suddenly points upward and a moment later you fly up higher and higher. Halting in the air as quickly as you started rising, you see a grand view of the great plains below and the forest that borders it. You find your eyes attracted to the giant winding tree at the far edge of the forest. The tree's enchantment on you breaks only when it speaks your name through the wind, beckoning you to it. "Ahriin."
* * *
"Ahriin."
A voice calls you, pulling you back from your dream and into reality.
"Get up Ahriin, you need to prepare for your first flight." the voice comes from outside your tent.
"It's not my first flight. I tried last year." you remind her as you get out of your fur sleeping bag and put on your coat.
"Don't be so down, you have worked really hard since then, I am sure you can do it." says the woman outside as she sticks her face into your tent smiling from ear to ear.
"Thanks Rana. You're a great friend." you say as you hug your oldest friend.
The sound of a baby crying cuts through the chill spring air. You and Rana hold each other for another moment.
"Sorry Riin, I have to go, left Ewer alone with the baby."
"Don't let me keep you."
"I will definitely be there at your ceremony later. You can do it!" Rana assures and encourages you.
"Thanks."
You watch her as she turns, revealing the elaborate design on the back of her long embroidered coat, three dogs running on grass. Rana has always been really good at fine needlework. You're lucky if you can stitch a torn seam back together.
Rana is a little older than you and you looked up to her a lot when you were younger, followed her around like a little puppy too, when you weren't busy chasing the actual puppies around. When she started being more grown up and talking about her budding feelings for some of the boys you joined in but you never really got it.
You shake yourself from your memories and get to your tasks. It may be the cycle you prove yourself a full windspeaker but for now you still have tasks to attend to. Iyorii has more dogs than people and they need to eat. You spend a short time gathering food scraps from everyone's tents and walk to the place a short ways away from the village where the dogs sleep. A few of the dogs were up early snooping around the village and start following you as you walk around hungry for their meal.
You can see the wind in the grass as it pushes forward and swirls around. In the spring Haira - the winter wind - grows weaker and Yaliru - the wild wind - makes her way onto the Orthlands. You remember the tree from your dream - it isn't the first time you've had that dream - you know where this it is. If the stories are true, then Yaliru lives where the island gives way to sky at the furthest point of the Wildlands, well beyond Yaliru's Throat.
And you are going to go there. If you manage to get your kite into the air at the ceremony later.
What do you do?
Until the ceremony, you can spend your time however you see fit. Spend some time with the dogs to calm your nerves.
Head back to Iyorii and check your kite for a third time.
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