Leaves crackled beneath the young doe’s hooves as they pounded against the ground, a look of terror on her face as her eyes darted about looking for someplace to escape. The scalding heat and smoke made it harder to breath, harder to see. There was a throbbing in her head and with each breath the rancid air burned her nose and lungs. Suddenly an opening appeared between the flames, safety, sweet safety. She could see the river just ahead. Suddenly there was a loud cracking sound as a tree started falling and…
Irena’s eyes snapped open, having yet another nightmare of what happened to be her first memory and last of her homeland. The cause of her sleep deprivation was these vivid dreams. The rolling waves of heat from the fire, the scent of smoke, she could feel these all, it was all so real. “It should be, after all it was real,” she thought with a sigh, taking a deep breath just realizing that she had been holding her breath. “Just… just a dream,” she murmured rising from her previous position to stretch out.
Not only was she bothered by these nightmares but the fact that no other memories remained of her home made her heart ache. She had a longing to find out who she had been and what her homeland was like, but she knew she could never return. “Never,” that was such a depressing thought and it was made all the more so by the fact that she didn’t know what she was missing. She knew well enough she should consider that fact a blessing, but there was a sort of aching to find out. The reason for her travelling was to find out who she was, though walking also gave her something to do since she couldn’t sleep.
She resumed her travelling, shaking off the dust and dirt before walking amongst the trees, searching for her past.
