Welcome to Gaia! ::

This is the intro to my four-part series of short stories, titled Rivers of Light. It may or may not turn into something... but that remains to be seen. All I want is some honest comments and critiquing if necessary.


In the world, there are many spirits. There are animal spirits, human spirits, forest spirits, and many others too numerous to name. But there are four spirits that are set apart from the others. The Spirits of Fire, Water, Earth, and Air are among the most powerful of beings existing on our world. But these beings, like all others, are only temporary. They must be renewed every one thousand years, and that time is coming again. Four human girls are about to discover their close link to these Spirits in a very deep and surprising way. This is their story, and I am here to tell it.

Aurora, brown-haired and brown-eyed, stood beneath the swaying branches of a willow tree. She was staring down at the smooth pond at the base of the tree's trunk, but saw, not the water, but the sky it reflected. The clouds drifted slowly across the smooth watery surface, free and floating high above the cares of the world.
"Oh, how I wish I could be like that..." Aurora spoke softly, her clear soprano voice falling upon the uncaring ears of the birds in the branches above. Suddenly, a gust of wind whipped through the leaves of the willow, pushing the air into a circle, surrounding Aurora where she stood. A shivering sensation raced across her back, and something amazing happened. With a terrific rip, two enormous feathery wings exploded from her shoulder-blades. They were speckled gold and brown, twitching, flexing, and... alive. The girl gasped as she looked down into the mirror-like surface of the pond, seeing the wings arch gracefully over her head to sweep back down the length of her body to brush the ground with golden-brown feather-tips. Reaching back, Aurora stroked the outline of one wing with a gentle finger. Unsurprisingly, it tickled. For some reason, she was not so much scared or confused as surprised and awed. With a grin, she spread her new wings, extending them to their full span; easily twice her own height. Lifting them up, the brunette drove them down hard, sending dust whirling away with the force of their downdraft and lifting her effortlessly two feet off the ground. She paused, looking skyward.
"What do you want me to do?" Aurora's voice was soft, but she needn't have asked. She already knew the answer. With a sudden yell, she threw herself upward, beating her wings fast and hard as she burst through the branches of the big weeping willow. The new muscles ached, blood pumping and her spirit soared. She rejoiced in the feeling of exhileration the sensation brought, of doing what she was made to do. She flew, higher and higher, the pull of gravity on her frame like a distant memory as her new wings carried her beyond what her imagination had ever provided. Aurora saw the winds swirling about her, sensed the movement of a distant storm, and felt the pressure of the air around her changing in preperation for the coming rain. She added her voice to the chorus of the wind around her as she glided from the shadow of one fluffy cloud to the next. She was free at last.

Yukiko sat in the shallows, looking out to sea. The ceaseless motion of the water seemed to enchant her, sending her into a state , almost of hypnosis. She was a short-ish girl, with long, bright blonde hair cascading about her shoulders. Her skin was a light tan, like she spent a lot of time outside, which, she did. Her large, liquid blue eyes gazed vaguely off into the distance as she listened to the rhythmic rushing of the waves. Suddenly, a particularly large wave swept up, swishing about her hips, soaking her shorts. A tingling, liquid sensation raced up and down her legs, not part of the water, but something else. Breaking away from her trance-like stare, Yukiko glanced downward, her hair falling into her face like a curtain. With a huff, she blew her hair out of her face, only to have it fall back a second later. But not before she saw her legs. Ocean-blue eyes widened in surprise and shock at what she saw. Scales shimmering in the late afternoon sun, a tail rest quietly where her legs had been before. Glistening shades of green and gold shone wetly through the thin film of water that was slipping quickly off of her new tail. Even more surprising to Yukiko than the appearance of the tail itself, was the utterly natural feeling that accompanied it. It didn't feel freaky or unnatural like she thought it would, but it felt... right. Glancing up and down the sand beach, the blonde slipped quietly into the water without a thought or a sound. The water had seemed beautiful before, but now it was alive. Yuki could feel the currents moving around her as she thrashed the water with her tail, sense the tide rushing into of the bay. Turquoise light filtered down through the surface, and the girl darted through the shafts of sunlight, rejoicing in her new-found freedom.

The intros for the Spirits of Fire (Cyndre) and Earth (Rose) are in the works. But in the meantime, tell me watcha think! And for the love of Pete, don't be afraid to correct me if I got something wrong. Hope you enjoy it!

Yeah, needn't is a word. It's short for "need not". The meaning is self-explanitory. Hmm... maybe I shouldn't use that... I'll change it if it's too terribly confusing.

Thanks. I have no clue where this is heading though... sweatdrop