Sanae al Larana

On a mountain lay a girl. Her hair was black and her face was as white as the snow she was covered in. She was icey cold and in the first night of Franil she awoke. Gentally like a goddess she rose from the snow, her slender figure looked like it would break in the gale force wind. She cried out to the moon,
"Sanae al Larana! Sanae al Larana!" Her voice was strong and in it rang the ghosts of her mind.

"Papa!" Turo cried into the blizzard,"Where are you?" He was chilled to the bone and his toes felt numb.He clung on to the cliff face and peered down into the blackness of the ravine,"Papa! Are you Ok? Where are you?"
His father had never just disappeared before. Everyday of his life had been spent climbing the ravine's of Golgarn as had Turo's but something had happened down there and he could not understand what. His father had been right behind him. Then suddenly he had gone. Turo had been trying to escape the nagging feeling that his father and only relative could have been eaten or taken by the cave dwellers. After all, every child, girl or boy, was taught that the Cave dwellers ate any Nyan that they caught.
Sadly but still hoping Turo made his way to the safe-hole and there he curled up and waited for either his dad to appear or the storm to subside.

Ella sat on the hill with her arms strung up to a branch on a tree. Her wrists hurt but it was her fault. She was the one that had crossed into hill-dweller lands. She sighed and closed her eyes at least she would have a swift death tomorrow. Death by decapitation was not exactly what she had planned but... Snap. On of her arms was free from rope! She looked up. A boy, alittle younger than herself hung from the tree and was cutting her bonds. His skin was dark. He was a hill-dweller. She was confused. Why was he helpng her? Why was he here? He dropped from the tree.
"Go." he pointed to the valley, "We must go."
"Huh?" Ella looked at the small boy.
"We must go now to valley-peoples. My peoples come soon." His language was basic but he was helping her and by the look in his eyes he needed her help too.
"Please we go now." he begged.
"Yes. I think we shall go." she smiled at him.
"Follow Turo. I show you way out. We must go hush hush. Big men kill other wise." he scurried down a hill and into a cave. Cautiously she followed after him.

Turo led the girl into the Hidden Caves of Mal Sururan. It was dark in the caves but since his father had been taken by cave-dwellers he had practised night vision even more than he had when a tutor was teaching him. He was the outcast of the tribe but he knew his father was still alive and that was why he had to save the girl. If he saved her then maybe she would help him find the miracle plant in the valley. He made his way down the narrow tunnel as easily as any cave-dweller. Hand up then foot left, cling to the rock then swing down to the ridge then after that drop to the river bed.
"Where are we going?" the girl whispered.
"Secret way to valley-peoples lands. No one knows its." he answered.

Ella was relieved when they reached the end of the tunnel. She had never liked the dark. It was an illogical fear of hers. The dark spooked her. She sat down on a rock and watched as the small boy looked around. He sniffed the air like a dog then as suddenly as he had appeared to her he curled up on the ground and fell asleep.

The air carried a storm apon it. Turo realised. He knew that if they slept now then they could still reach the Valley Roche in time before the tempest was on them. He curled up on the ground and made himself sleep. It was an art he had leant when he had wanted to escape from the bullies in his village.
Dreams filled his head and after a while he forgot about the storm.

Snow swirled about them but the boy slept on. Ella began to wonder if he lived. She was tempted to go back inside the cave but the darkness scared her. Slowly she felt herself slip into the cold unconsious.
"No valley-dweller. You bad. We must reach the Valley Roche before real storm come." the boy's voice was warm and brought Ella back from ice. She rose once again. The boy took the lead and they travelled through the snow.

The girl was drugged by the cold by the time they reached Valley Roche. Turo opened the narrow doorway and she literally fell through it. In a matter seconds she was asleep and a fire was a blaze. Before long both of the children were asleep although one was farther gone than the other.
Turo woke the next morning to see the girl cooking something over the fire. She looked very pale, like the snow itself.
"Who are you hill-dweller?"
"I Turo. You are Ella, no?"
"How d'you know my name?"
"I know many things but this is knowing from your dreams."
"My dreams? How? Why?"
"I a Nyan. You a Larana. You call us Sanae or Strangers. I know some of Valley-Dwellers bad. I know i check to see if you bad person and if you hate us bad."
"That explains why but not how."
"I am trained seer but tribe reject me when papa die in ravine. So i need to get miracle plant from valleys to save papa. I see things that can happen." He was not precise but she understood.
"You must get rested proper. You will not make journey to town if not."
In a matter of seconds she was asleep and he was on watch once more.

Turo found he could not wake her even after sending her a shot mind volt. He had known this would happen. She had not been well at his tribe. He lifted her and started out into the snow covered land.
It was not a long journey to her town. She woke a mile or so away from it. She gazed at it from the hill top.
"They may hurt you Turo." she warned.
"You tell them i help you escape and they leave me be." He looked so hopeful that she could not find the heart to tell him that they might kill him on sight.
"Turo i just want to say thank you. My tribe may not let me see you again so..."
"They will. I see it. I see you in future and i see great battle. I have two pathes and your tribe is key to which way i go. You help me in many ways Ella. I think you nice for valley person."
"I think you're nice for a Hill-Dweller Turo. I think you're different. I shall not let my people harm you."
"You ill. You let me carry you there, agree?"
"If i must."
So Turo carried her down the hill and through the last mile of their journey.

"A Hill-Dweller has Ella!" the cries Ella had dreaded went up. Turo set her down and smiled at her.
"It be OK."
She hoped he was right. Her people tied Turo's hands together and the two of them were taken to the leader's tent.
"Ella!" the leader cried.
"Andros!" she ran into her grandfather's arms.
"Who is this?" Andros pointed at Turo.
"He saved me from his tribe Grandfather. They were going to kill me and he saved me." she sneezed.
"You are ill child!" he put his wrinkled hand to her forehead, "You have a fever" He clicked his fingers and two medics appeared, "Take my foundling to be checked over. Leave the boy."
"Don't hurt him Andros" Ella begged.
Andros smiled, "I would never hurt one who saved my dearest grandchild."
She left with the medics but her thoughts were with Turo.

"Come here boy." The Valley-Dwellers leader beconed Turo over and as he felt no threat towards him he obeyed.
"I Turo." the boy whispered with a small bow.
"Let me see your mind Turo. I need to see the truth."
"You welcome to see what you want sir." Turo opened his mind willingly. He had nothing to hide. He started from when he had first cut Ella's bonds and then let the leader do the rest.

"Ella!" a boy bounded into the room. It was Turo, "I can stay here for while. Andros get me miracle plant. I can get papa back." he was excited and his excitement excited her. She was happy for him. She had lost her brother when she was ten she knew what it was like however he had not wanted to be brought back to life.

Turo felt safe with the people of the valley. On the eigth day of the week he had a vision of his village. They were coming to attack the Valley-Dwellers.He ran to the leader as soon as he woke from his nightmarish vision. He told the leader or at least he tried to but it was to late the warning horns of the town rang through the streets.
"Here is your miracle plant." Andros tossed him a grey/silvery plant with blue petals like falling rain. Then Turo's tribe burst through the gates of the town and the battle began.