“Please aunty! Tell me the story!” cried the eight-year-old Evyeia
as she climbed onto her bed of branches and soft moss. Aunt Shavya sighed,
trying to fain reluctance but a smile spread over her fair, pale green features. “Well, if
you insist. But only if you go to sleep.” In response, the child closed her eyes and curled up all cozy in her small bed made of moss and fresh leaves. Shavya knelt beside the bed and began the story.
"Long ago, there was a teenage Gaea in a meadow outside the village walls. She was shifting and trying to mimic some of the features, sounds, and movements of small creatures she came across in the green grass. Eventually, she turned into a big, colorful butterfly, one that was larger than most as the Gaea was still learning how to shift sizes.
"Suddenly, there was movement off to the side and a brush of air hit the Gaea's antennae. Large, pale hands appeared and barely missed touching the butterfly's delicate wings. Using the push of air, she flapped her wings as fast as she could and tried to make for the tree line. She was too afraid to look back or shift into something faster. Unfortunately, she still had not mastered navigating the air currents and a huge tree was right in front of her. Just before she slammed into it, she shifted into a humanoid shape and crashed to the ground. A crash echoed her own fall behind her, followed by a moan. Curiosity overtook her fear, and she slowly lifted her head to look behind her. It was a human! She had read about them and seen pictures of them in her father's library but never in person. They lived in the Kingdom that boarded the eastern edge of the Gaea Forest, and were unable to shift into any other shape than the one they are born into.
He moaned again as he raised his head to look around. His own eyes widened, matching the surprise in her own, likely amazed at her pale green skin and black eyes. Both lay frozen and stared at each other for what seemed like hours. At last the human man spoke. 'Hello. My. Name. Is. Erin....Do. You. Have. A. Name?' he asked in a very clear, distinct tone. A moment passed and then the Gaea started to laugh. The human frowned. What was so funny? Through the tears of laughter, the Gaea spoke, 'Is that how all humans talk?' She fell back into a fit of laughter. The man stared in confusion and then started laughing himself. Both of them rolled around on the ground, laughing until tears ran down their faces.
A new friendship began that day that would last a lifetime. Erin stayed in the Gaea village for over a month, filling himself with as much knowledge as possible about the shifter race. The Gaea teenager spent every moment with him, not wanting to waste a second. Soon, the two fell in love. But the day finally came when the man said he had to return to the Kingdom. He was from the capital and he needed to pass through the Boarderholds before the rains arrived.
"'Come with me,' he pleaded with her, but the fear of leaving everything familiar was larger than her love for him. Disappointed, Erin headed east toward the Kingdom and back to his own people. The Gaea woman never saw him again."
Shavya sighed as she ended her story, her thoughts far away. Looking over to her niece, she saw the child was fast asleep. The mature Gaea rose quietly and left dark room as the child slept peacefully.
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