I was happy to be free again, to soar across the sky even if the night was settling in. Sister had removed the two strangers from the cave, happy that they had healed, even happier that the plant had grown and expanded.

Sister thought it was the corruption that the plants absorbed from the strangers that had made the plants grow so much. I wasn't so sure; I thought it might have been the rain, but I didn't want to admit to Sister that I had caused so much water to flood the cave when I called the storm.

By the time Sister came to get the strangers, the water had dried. Either the plants had absorbed it, or it had seeped between the cracks in the cave floor. With the water gone, and Sister happy about how much the plants had expanded, I thought it was alright, not to mention what I had done.

Sister had said sometimes it was better to be quiet. I think Sister was right. All the best hunters knew that silence and patience was important. Sister had said that was even more true for words. Words once said could not be taken back. Sister had explained that there were people who would and could use what you said to hurt you and others.

Sister tried to explain lies, but maybe it was because Sister and I couldn't lie to each other, our bond wouldn't allow it, that I didn't understand how dangerous lies and deceit might be. I knew Sister would never hurt me, so I never had to worry.

But Sister also explained that sometimes a person needed a secret even from people they trusted completely. That it was OK to remain silent and not share everything. Sister promised me that silence was not the same as a lie, so as long as she didn't ask me if I had made it storm and I lied, Sister wouldn't be angry at me for staying silent.

I thought about telling her, anyway, wondering why I was afraid or worried. I knew Sister wouldn't be mad. It might disappoint her if calling the storm was something bad, but she would just explain why what I had done was wrong. But if I told her, I would have to admit how the water started flooding the cave, and I didn't want Sister to think I was not smart.

I was smart! Sister had said so, and I had learned what happened when you called the storm near the cave now. I wouldn't be so foolish again. Learning was part of getting smarter, Sister had said so.

I had felt Sister's anger and disgust during the day as I guarded the two women. I wasn't sure why she was so upset, but when she finally entered the Aerie to get the strangers, she was calmer. I tested her emotions through our bond, unhappy to see that Sister was still worried about something, but I decided her worry was better than anger or fear.

Sister asked if I wanted to help her or stay in the World a bit longer to rest. It was a silly question. I always wanted to help Sister, so once the strangers were taken care of, Sister flew outside the town that smelled and tasted bad.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

I had told Sister there was something wrong with the town. That the smells permeated the area creating a layered 'taste' that was affecting the world's energy and the potency that was being released. The town was diseased, maybe poisoned. I wasn't sure, but what I was sure of was that the land was dying in this area.

Sister was sad when I told her that, but not surprised. She explained that some bad people had done bad things to the land here and that she and I would have to work hard to fix it. It was our duty to heal the land.

I had never had a duty before. I knew Sister and I were born to protect each other, but that wasn't a duty that was our role as sisters. Sister explained that a duty was something we owed to something or someone. Sister was tied to the land now. I had felt it when the world accepted her Qi signature, and that connection came with duty. Sister said it was our job to find a way to repair the damage done to this town and to find out why the land was dying.

I thought about her words for a time as I began my sweep of the area. Sister had asked that I keep mapping, flying in a strange pattern she demonstrated. The town that she was worried about was the starting point and the center of each sweep. I would fly out in one direction, updating the map by using that funny way of thinking and fly back.

Sister taught me how to track how far I was flying by splitting that funny way of thinking into multiple functions. I was able to map the land, and now I could track the beats of my heart to keep track of my distance. Sister had taught me my numbers, so it was easy for me to count each beat. When I counted five hundred beats, Sister said I should turn around and come back to town.

She said I could repeat this as many times as I wanted, picking a different direction each time so that I could fill in the map for her. It had been hard at first, counting to five hundred, using the funny way of thinking to update the map, keeping track of where the town was, and riding the wind. There were so many things to keep track of that I lost track at times. But it got easier and easier the more I did it.

Sister said that was how all things were learned. That hard work and not giving up was the key to success. The more you did something, the easier it would get until it was easy instead of hard. She said when things got easy, the best thing to do was to find something to add to what you were doing to make it hard again. Only by making the hard stuff easy would we grow to be powerful and safe.

I had been mapping most of the day, and I was beginning to get bored. I thought I might find Sister and sleep for the night when the land's Spirits woke and prodded me. There were three of them. A Spirit of the River. A spirit of the Ocean. And a Spirit of the Wind.

They shimmered in ghostly light, that was sickly in color. They didn't look healthy, and I thought it may be the reason why the land was dying. Something had hurt them. Something that kept them from protecting the land where the town was. I couldn't quite see the chains that bound the Spirits, even with the funny way of thinking Sister had taught me, but I knew the Spirits were bound to the land, bound to protect it.

They ignored me as I flew past, the wind Spirit the only one noticing me. She had been playful even though she was sick and had sent a gust of wind for me to coast on. Being nice when you were sick was something only someone good would do, so I ignored the map and my decision to sleep, rushing to the town, following the bond between Sister and me to get her help.

Sister would know what to do to heal the Spirits and restore balance to the town. I was sure of it.