Sun streamed down through the forest above. The yellow and green leaves, coated in dew and rain, shimmered like gold and emeralds in the light. The grass was cool and wet beneath her feet as she wandered further into the woods.

  An urge to run surged within her, and she took off, sprinting as though she could run forever. She ran until her energy was spent, collapsing onto the grass below a towering tree. Its trunk was thick, its pale bark alive with soft green tendrils that coiled around it.

  This was her favorite tree in the whole world. She reached out and let her hand glide over the smooth bark. Then, gripping the nearest branch, she pulled herself up. Rainwater from the leaves splashed down on her, but it didn’t stop her climb. She kept going, higher and higher, until she reached the top.

  It was breathtaking. From here, she could see the smaller trees below, like treasures spilling out of a chest. The red, green, and yellow treetops were her riches.

  Yesterday had been dreadful, looking up at the near cloudless sky she couldn't believe that a landside had happened only hours ago. Luckily they weren't affected, but apparently some of her friends lost their crops to the storm.

  She reached up to her right plucking a golden leaf by its stem. Spinning it between her fore finger and thumb she let go of it and watched it float to the ground flipping over itself until the wind caught hold of it and blew it out of sight.

  Sighing she leaned back against the tree, why couldn’t everyday be as peaceful as this one?

  "ARSIA!!! ARSIA!!!" A loud voice yelled up to her from the forest floor below.

  "That was probably one of the reasons." Maybe if she was quiet...

  "I already know you're up there Arsi!"

  "Well there goes that."

  "Tara says you have to go with me to the lake!" She sighed deeply all she wanted to do was rest.

  "Alright, alright I'm coming Ero." She yelled as she began climbing down, after reaching a comfortable height she started hanging on one of the lower branches swinging herself back and forth.

  "Arsi, Tara said not to do that anymore."

  She ignored him swaying back and forth until it felt just right. Then she srung herself forward doing two flips before she landed on the ground. She stuck the landing perfectly. It was too bad though her record was three.

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  "What if you get hurt?" Ero looked annoyed he was holding two fishing rods, a net, and a basket.

  "I'm not weak." She glared at him grabbing one of the rods and the net.

  "Will there even be anything to catch today?" She hated fish they were slimy and smelled bad.

  "Obviously." Ero replied rolling his eyes. "Don't you know fish like to eat a lot after it rains."

  "Duh dummy. I'm not stupid like you." Actually she forgot about that, but Ero had enough of an ego as it was she didn't need to boost it anymore.

  "Sure you did." He said with a smirk starting to walk away. She groaned following after him reluctantly she didn't want to fish today.

  "Do we really have to go? Can't we just pretend we tried?" She asked stopping to look at a mushroom.

  "If you want to starve tonight, and do all my chores for the rest of the year. Then sure." Ero didn't wait for her he kept on walking away.

  "Forget it." She grumbled glaring at him, it was only mid-spring the deal wasn't worth it.

  "Do you think this is poisonous?" She pointed down at the blue-green mushroom.

  "I don't know. Why don't you eat it and find out?" He said with a grin as he stood on a fallen tree.

  "Ha." She scoffed, that was it. She stood up and ran right at him. Ero didn't wait he jumped down and started running away.

  "You can't catch me!" He yelled sticking his tongue out at her.

  "You better hope I don't!"

  "Gah h!"

  She soon got tired of chasing him.

  "Ero! Ero! How bout a truce?" She yelled breathlessly, holding out her hand towards him.

  He looked at her clearly suspicious. "You serious?" He asked sounding skeptical, but still walked over.

  "Of course. I'm tired so let's have a truce for now." She smiled as he shook her hand.

  "Fine. It's a truce then." He turned around continuing to the lake.

  "" She promised herself, but she'd keep the truce for now.

  "After we're done can we eat something?" Her stomach was grumbling as she walked, she'd skipped breakfast to try and hide from Tara.

  "Yeah, Tara said we can eat some of the fish we catch."

  She gagged pretending to throw up.

  "You want me to eat fish?" She asked in disbelief and horror,

  "No. I'll eat the fish and you can eat the bones." He muttered rolling his eyes.

  "Hey! Take me seriously. This is a BIG problem!" She yelled hitting his shoulder in annoyance. Why did he keep acting smarter everyday? It was getting so frustrating.

  "Ow. Don't hit me it's not my fault you chose not to eat." He shooed her away.

  "Ooh there it is!" She pointed to the shimmering lake ahead that was finally in view.

  "Don't yell dummy are you trying to scare the fish away?"

  "They can't even hear us from here Ero so shut up."

  "No you shut up and pay attention we need to find a good spot. Most of the others are already taken." He looked at her accusingly. "If someone

  She rolled her eyes. "You're being dramatic fish move throughout the day we'll be fine. Plus, its still pretty early."

  He sighed loudly heading... somewhere. She followed behind him resisting the urge to drag her fishing pole on the ground. They began hiking up a mountain, fighting off hordes of Racki on the way. She slowly began losing strength was this the end?

  This never would've happened under her leadership. If only they never tried to go fishing she might have survived.

  "We're here you can stop complaining in your mind now." Ero said whacking her over the head with his fishing pole.

  "OW! That hurt... and I wasn't complaining." She grumbled rubbing her head. He had chosen a secluded and shaded spot far off from other people to start setting their gear down in. It was nice and cool, but she was thirsty.

  "Ero I'm thirsty." Her tongue felt dry and so did her throat.

  "Leave the net and your rod here and go fill this up." He threw a canteen at her she caught it and set her gear down.

  "Go fill this up." She mocked him under her breath walking away.

  There was a creek of water that was safe to drink from somewhere nearby she just needed to find it. She wandered around for a bit looking at a few flowers on her way as she made her way to the creek.

  She knelt by the water filling up the canteen she began to hum to herself. Suddenly a frog jumped on her hand she screamed letting go of the canteen as she stood up.

  "Oh shoot!" She yelled wiping her hands on her shirt as she chased after the canteen heading downstream. Luckily it got caught in between some rocks on the other side. She rolled up her pants stepping into the cool shallow water as she walked over and picked up the canteen.

  "Thank the Emir." She mumbled looking up and further downstream.

  "?" Something sparkly and blue was a little further down the creek it looked like ice?

  Curiosity got the better of her and she walked over to the strange looking thing. Yeah it was definitely ice, but it looked like a kind of basket?

  "ARSI! Arsi ARE YOU OKAY?

  "You heard that?" She asked, she hadn't screamed that loud.

  "The whole world probably heard it. Are you good?" He asked scanning her for a sign of any injury.

  "Yeah, sorry a frog suddenly jumped on my hand." She felt slightly embarrassed she hadn't meant to scream so loud.

  "You're kidding right?" He asked flatly.

  "Umm."

  "Just don't." He held up his hand covering her mouth.

  She removed his hand from her face glaring at him. "Whatever jerk, but look at this." She squatted down near the ice basket. It was stuck in the shallow water the current must've been to weak to continue pushing it.

  ""

  "What's that?" Ero asked squatting beside her.

  "Ice obviously dumb dumb." She responded rolling her eyes as she touched the top of it.

  "Well no kidding." He said shoving her so she fell back into the water getting wet.

  "Hey!" She yelled shoving him back. "I'm seeing what's inside."

  Ero splashed her with water. "What if it's frogs?"

  "Shut up!" She yelled splashing him back as she removed the lid. It was moving?

  "?" She backed up a little bit, but Ero moved closer.

  "Oh my gods." Ero said looking up at her wide-eyed.

  "What" She asked moving closer cautiously. Her jaw dropped. "Oh my gods."

  "A baby?" They both looked at each other in disbelief. What were they going to do.

  The kid began crying loudly. Ero looked at her and then down at the baby.

  "What do you want me

  "I don't know? Hold him maybe he must be freezing." She reached into the icy basket pulling him out gently.

  The moment she did the icy basket melted before them. They looked at each other in shock.

  "What are we going to do?" She asked Ero.

  "We should take him to Tara she'll know." Ero replied reaching out to touch the baby.

  Wait this was great they might not have to go fishing all day. Things were finally starting to look up today.