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The day had settled into night. My feet hurt from walking so much. I was used to doing more manual labor than the other shifters, but the ground was harder in this world. I had left the meadow long ago and followed a thin trail that led into the nearby mountains. I wanted to get a better view of what was around me.
Breathing deeply, I took the final steps to the top of a mountain peak that was high above the treeline. Was it even safe for me to be this high? Plants were still growing up here, but they weren’t in the best condition. I sat on a boulder and gripped my knees as I caught my breath. Around me, the mountains reached into the sky and past them, I could see the rolling hills. Way off in the distance was a tiny speck of blue—the sea? It might be a lake. I scanned my surroundings, taking note of where the sun was setting. I think the others did say that the sea lay toward the West, which was where the water elements lived.
According to the shifters who were allowed to leave the garden, there was an entire world that lived under the waves. Humans had been fused with fish, and they could survive in the water and on dry land. One old shifter talked about fish that grew a hundred times the size of the goldfish in the ponds. My head fell onto my shoulder.
Water was the best thing for a plant. I wouldn’t mind meeting those kinds of shifters.
I licked my lips and peered off at the setting sun. I wanted to touch the sea—to feel for myself what the earth of the water was like, and tomorrow I would set out for it. I had come this far and I wasn’t going to give up my chance to experience everything before I was forced to return to the garden.
***
I STUMBLED DOWN THE steep incline and jammed my toe into a rock. Cursing, I sat down to examine it. It wasn’t bleeding, but it was throbbing bad enough it didn’t need to. My stomach started to growl. I was hungry, but what was okay to eat out here? I should have prepared more before leaving the garden.
Rising to my feet, I dusted off my pants and continued to follow the creek down the mountain. Something had to be growing near it that I could eat. And if not, it would dump into a river and from there, I hope I could find something on the banks.
The rush of water sounded up ahead. I jogged toward it and stopped at the edge. At least, I was getting somewhere. The water would continue on to the sea. At least, that was what I was planning on, but the fear of getting lost was at the forefront of my mind.
It was a bit harder to follow the river and I found myself wandering in and out of the forest to get around the cliffs. I stepped onto damp ground and felt my foot sink. At least the soil had plenty of moisture here, though it made walking difficult.
I trudged through the swamp, splashing mud onto my legs. The other complained about the pit while this place smelled horrible. Everything was stagnant and the bugs were swarming. I swatted at them and hurried to get through. I did find some flowers on the other side that felt safe to eat. When I touched them, they didn’t give off any signs of danger. I picked a few and munched on them as I veered back to the river bank.
Walking into the water, I washed off my legs. I heard a splash and jumped. Two long-legged creatures were not too far off drinking from the river. But what scared me most were the two men with them. I didn’t like being on the same side of the river as them. Danger alarms were going off in my head as one was using a knife to cut up what looked to be a fish.
I shuffled forward, trying to not make any noise. The current was strong and the smooth rocks were not helping. One of the men started looking around. I dropped into the freezing water and continued on, hunched over. The water came about to my shoulder in the deepest section before it started to recede. The mortals didn’t seem to have noticed me as I crept out of the water.
My feet were numb. The water was frigid compared to the creeks in the garden. I staggered up the rocks to the trees.
“Hey, what’s that?”
I lost my footing and fell. My head snapped to the side, and I saw a mortal pointing at me. Clambering up the bank, I ran straight into the forest. I’d use the sun to guide me because I was not sticking around the river anymore. I had seen a mortal and that was good enough. I hope to never come in contact with one again but I’d mark see one off my list of experiences.
c i c
The endless view of blue was a welcome sight. My legs were sore and my feet ached, but after two days of hiking, I had made it. I skidded down the embankment and stumbled into the sand. At least, it was actually the sea and not a lake. It would have made the trip a bit disappointing.
Dropping onto my knees, I ran my hand through the dirt. It was so different from the sandy soil we had in the garden. It was dry, scorched. Nothing would ever grow in this. It has a softness about it that I liked, though.
Wiping my forehead with the back of my arm, I stood and went to the water’s edge. This was what I had walked all those miles to see, and it was beautiful. This was so worth leaving the garden!
I stopped a few inches before the water touched me. Picking at the dirt under my nails, I just watched it. The way the waves moved was far grander than the largest stream in the garden. It was almost like it was alive.
Being here was worth breaking the goddess’s primary rule: do not go outside the wall. Every pained and haggard step down rocky cliffs and crunchy dead grass has led me to this moment. I slid my foot forward. The water washed over my toes and took the heat from my skin. I shuffled forward until I was standing in the sea. I could sense the amount of salt in it. Freshwater was better, but this wasn’t too bad. Some plants preferred the salt.
I waded over to a smooth rock and sat down. With a sigh, I gazed out at the water as the wind rustled my clothes. Herminia should have built her garden to include a piece of the sea.
The ground began to shake. Sitting up straight, I pulled my knees to my chest and waited for it to stop. Rocks tumbled down from the surrounding cliffs and larger waves crashed against the beach. Soon after, all was quiet once again.
Small aftershocks had followed me all the way here, but nothing bad had happened. I dropped my feet into the water and laid across the stone with my arm over my eyes. The human world wasn’t as horrible as it was made out to be. Besides the mortals, I had even seen a couple of new creatures. I had no idea what they were, but they looked friendly enough.
A wave slammed down on top of me. I sat up, sputtering as salt got into my mouth and eyes. That was unexpected.
Bigger waves were coming, so I quickly retreated to a high location. Something had twisted around my ankle. I unwrapped the seaweed and rubbed it between my fingers. It was so slimy. While watching the waves, I picked up another green thing floating in the water and smelled it. Jerking back, I tossed the plant into the sea. I had smelled fish before, but never anything that potent.
After watching the waves splash onto the rock and examining anything that grew nearby, I wandered up the coast. This place was far more interesting than anything back home.
I jumped from one boulder to the next. It felt better on my feet than the burning sand. I leaped onto a rock and felt a sharp pain shoot up my leg. Gasping, I toppled to the side and landed on my ass in the sand. After checking my foot and seeing no injury, I stared at the porous boulder. It hadn’t hurt me physically, but something wasn’t right with it. I shifted onto my knees and pressed my hand against it. The same pain shot up my arm. I jerked back, grimacing.
This rock came from a place where all life was dead. The thought alone caused a pit to form in my stomach. Who would hurt the earth this badly to make it unsuitable for any life?
Standing, I looked around and saw more rocks similar to this one. I followed them down the beach until I arrived at a large divot cut into the earth. A small trickle of water ran through the center. I carefully touched a couple of the other stones nearby, making sure to avoid anything too porous. They had a dull ache, but nothing like I hadn’t felt before. Something was very sick at the end of the ravine.
Climbing on top of the tallest boulder, I tried to see if the end was in view, but the canyon seemed to go on forever. Picking the dirt out of my nails, I thought about where I’d go next. I had seen the sea and the different plants that grew near it—most of which were weeds. I glanced down the ravine.
Herminia would be returning to the garden soon. She’d find out I was missing, and my adventure would end. But maybe, if I could heal the sick land and restore life to it, she’d realize I could be of use outside the garden as well. I could do more than maintain the fertilizer pits. I couldn’t help a land vacant of all life. That was the main purpose of an earth shifter—to heal the land. Sucking in my lips, I scrunched up my toes. The soil didn’t feel too bad. The acidity needed to be adjusted and some good fertilizer sprinkled around, but I could fix it. I could bring life back to a place that, if left alone, would never prosper again.
Taking a deep breath, I entered the ravine. With every step, the walls grew higher and the blue of the sea began to shrink behind me. I was starting to doubt myself but I kept going. Wherever this trail took me, I just hoped it had nothing to do with fire.