Deliberate

Even with a new body, even with countless possibilities ahead of her, Anara wouldn't be Anara if she didn't think things out and plan. She had to know all the risks, she had to know how to mitigate them and she had to be in full control over the situation. Yes she was distracted by all those new shiny things, but deep inside she knew she wouldn't reach a decision without at least have an outline or a schematic sketch of her future plans.

Anara felt quite proud of the interconnected web of her possible futures, a mind map she manifested into reality in front of her using her little microscopic minions and a touch of magic. Who needed paper an ink when you have this vibrant and colourful display at your disposal.

"What are those drawings Mistress?" Asked a fascinated Hila, looking with awe at all the different bubbles, lines and symbols. Anara had noted that while Hila's tribesmen didn't use writing, that art lost to them through the generations in the wild lands, they did use simple markings to signify certain things. Those markings resembled the old Trivialis script, from when the first humans were brought to this world, only in a more deteriorated form, like hieroglyphs or scribbles a clerk would use as a shorthand for something.

So while they can draw a map of the best hunting areas on an elk's hide and signify what is the best game in each place or what places to avoid with a simple symbol, even after many tries to explain what writing is to Hila, Anara just couldn't confer that each small drawing is a letter that builds a word and then a sentence with meaning. Hila found phonetic symbols to be strange and alien, even though she was a woman who now lived in an enchanted forest and could fly using her new found wings. Anara found it frustratingly adorable.

"These are our possibilities" Anara answered the white haired angel, "These are possible goals, how to achieve them and with what" she circled the floating lines and bubbles with a wave of her hand, the luminated lines danced in a dome around them. Hila looked hypnotized at the dancing lights around them, Anara embraced the bedazzled girl as she got lost in all the display, "Now we just need to decide on what to do and evolve our plan further".

As they stood embraced, a strangle feeling overtook Anara, as though something was wrong. A moment later she felt roughly the same feeling echoing from another source, it felt like something had happened, and not good, almost like feeling a small nausea when smelling a mildly rotted meal. Then another feeling overtook her, completely different to the other two, like she was pricked by a needle in a tender place, but not only pricked as in scratched and blooded. "Mistress?" Hila looked worried as Anara jolted in place, sensing something was wrong.

Anara searched, it was distant, like there was pain but it wasn't her own, it was very distant and accompanied by other emotions like fear, confusion and terror. There wasn't a direction, but she did sense it somewhere in the world, as she tapped her senses she could point where roughly it was. Anara collapsed the illustrated plans, beckoning the tiny invisible critters to remember their place, spread her wings and took off to the darkening evening sky, immediately followed by Hila.

Not answering Hila's worried and urgent questions, Anara searched, it was so close to where they were, they were almost there.

Then another emotion hit her, one of feint hope, feint reprieve, it was such a weak feeling, she knew she was close. "There, Mistress!" Hila shouted from nearby, pointing at a small clearing in the woods.

As they touched down, they saw the figure of a man, curled on the ground with his hands on his bloodied throat, eyes looking straight at Anara, hoping she could do something. Hila ran to him, crying out as she did so, he was one of the men from the original hunting party that stumbled upon Anara with Hila. The man, his name was Fast Bear, was Hila's cousin, and at the moment was bleeding profusely from a deep cut to his neck.

Anara could swear she was feeling his emotions and pain, not directly affecting her, but she was aware of it. Though another strangeness had occurred to her, the feelings of pain and coldness she felt from him subsided the more Hila tried to stop the bleeding with her hands, it was happening visually too with the blood flow lessening and the wound not looking as bad as it did a moment ago. Hila was actively healing the man, but Anara didn't notice Hila being able to use life **** manipulation previously.

Yes, she could see that too, she could sense Hila pushing Arcane Energy into the man, healing him steadily. It was clear she was doing it by instinct and not consciously, since Hila was still weeping and acting erratic, holding the bleeding man in her lap as she tried frantically to help him.

Anara knelt next to them, calming Hila and saying everything will be fine, then pushed energy into the man. Unlike Hila's healing, Anara's mend worked almost instantly, closing the wound and bringing the colour back to Fast Bear's face. He immediately chugged air in as all of a sudden the struggle ended and evaporated in an instant.

"Thank you Mistress" he croaked with a hoarse voice, spitting a bit of blood as he cleared his throat, "Elves, they jumped on us, took Bright Ember and Red Leaf" he struggled to say, Hila's eyes widened as she heard her sisters' names. "I'm sorry, I am so sorry, they jumped on us from the shadows" he apologized to Hila who now looked at Anara with a look of terror.

"I'll find them" Anara put her hand to Hila's face, "I will get them back", Hila put her hand, wet with blood on top of Anara's, tears gathering in her eyes. "Get Fast Bear home, alert everyone, make sure no one else is missing, I will find them" Anara leaned in for a kiss, trying to comfort the beautiful companion.

Hila voiced a thank you with a broken voice as Anara stood up and shot for the sky once more.