Chapter 5

Sintara pov*

A knocking echoed through the woods. I smiled. Just underneath me was the mother woodpecker collecting grubs for her babies. They made a racket in their nest two branches away. The scales creeping up my cheek itched. It didn’t mean much to me anymore.

I loved watching the woodpecker family. If they couldn't get enough food I'd help them out. Worms are easy to get with a friend who can dig them out at the blink of an eye. The brightly coloured feathers reminded me of the tunnel we came back to Earth in. It was invisible but when inside we could see the vintages of the magic that we now know courses through our veins.

                               ***

Althea rolled her eyes at Kelsanda.

"Finished flirting?" Kelsanda pulled a face.

"Don’t complain. It means we can stay here. Besides, that farm boy is cute. I might actually fli-"

"Don't even go there. Where's Sintara?" Althea interrupted.

"Back there 'meditating' I don't know why she does"

"It makes her happy. Now leave off." besides her defence, Althea was getting worried about Sintara. All she wanted to do was fly with the birds she loved but couldn't because of their residence on Earth. She had chosen to come back for the first year but was itching to test out her powers. The other day she created a mini twister. It was not very funny for Althea because it ruined her meal and she had to cook it all over again. Sintara watched Kelsanda and Althea talking and listened to their whispers on the breath of wind rustling through the trees.

She turned away, sad. They didn't think that finding out who she was had helped her. Rather it made her depressed to know that even among the mightiest beings of the universe she was an outcast. Someone who was too different to stay and had to earn a place. Not that anyone even knew. She had some human books on the 'Greek gods' and none of them even mentioned her mother - Aries - or her father having any children at all.

"Sintara" Althea called "Dinner. Its pie" Sintara didn't respond. Althea sighed. She had spent a fair while making the pastry out of flour she harvested from the corn she grew. All she had was one plant but she could use her powers to make it grow anytime she pleased. Even in snow. It made Sintara sad to think of those times before she knew what she was and all was peaceful. It made her think about her choice. She was glad to understand but ignorance was peaceful.

Sighing, Sintara slowly backed away from the woodpecker nest and spread her wings. Althea couldn't see her from where she was standing. Sintara smiled. Her knees bent and then she was twirling through the air; wings propelling her flip; and the wind whipped her in the face. She landed behind Althea without her even seeing her.

"Boo" Althea jumped a foot in the air.

"Silly" Sintara cocked her head at her friend as she made the food land on a tray of dirt in midair.

"I'm not silly." she said. "You almost spoiled your dinner. Again."

"Lighten up. You need to relax."

"You need to think. And to go hunting. This was our last stock of meat." Sintara rolled her eyes but she sat down and ate her meal.

That night she went out. In the middle of flipping her hunting knife at the fox trying to steal her felled rabbit - purposely missing, trying just to scare it - she realised. She was wild. No matter if she was remembered. Both of the two worlds she had lived in she loved and belonged to. She had thought as Althea had asked. She had made a choice as to who she was.

Her choice was friendship and nature.

The End.