Or this...😉
Here we go!
Celeste-
Celeste stood alone, face turned skyward. Her silver-blue eyes took in the bright stars, numerous and bright. She named the constellations to herself, reciting them as she always did. Vea. Crux. Draco. It was a mind-numbing exercise, to block out the past. Fluer. Axernon. Giu. Celeste did it every night, stopping her memories. Erar. Tress. Yuli. Blocking the past. Blocking the future.
She sunk down to her knees, burying her hands in the long grass of the meadow. One reached to her throat and the sky blue gem that hung there. Her fingers hesitated, just as they always did. Celeste knew it was time. She felt the storm coming from a mile away. Her head started to throb as she reached for the gem. One last chance to turn back, she thought. One last chance to stop.
But she couldn’t. Celeste took a shaky breath, closed her hand around the gem, and sunk into darkness.
Thea-
Thea sat all alone, the wind catching her ebony hair and begging her to join in its freedom. She wished she could. Her burnt hand fiddled with the grass below her, even the slightest movement hurting.
Two weeks. That was how long he told her he'd be. And now, two months later, Thea still sat on the fertile hill, waiting for her lover to return. She should have known better, he was never coming back, not after he learned what she was. Yet, her ignorance pushed away all the doubtful shadows. He had told her he loved her, promised to marry her on the same silver hill where she waited, and she had agreed. She'd swore up and down to never doubt his return, she kissed his scarred cheek and asked him to hurry, and she stood watching him leave, the wind flying through her hair.
Now, a starry night's sky bathed both the girl and her tears in silver starlight. Her mind flew out attempting to grasp at some hopeless dream that didn't exist.
The tears came faster then. A river made its way down to the rich earth, a tide of agony that wasn't quick to forget. Soon her sorrow turned into an empty void. Her heart ached, so unprepared for the break, and the winds that had buffeted the lands so violently died away.
Jasper-
All the lights were out in Jasper's home. No one else was supposed to be there., yet walking through the entrance, he felt a strange presence. It chilled him deeply, and made his joints crack ominously.
After a brief moment, he summoned a small flame. The light was sucked up by the darkness, and only a faint outline of his scattered belongings became visible. He let out a small sigh, realizing no one was in sight.
Soon Jasper had little all the lanterns in his shack of a home, and the space began to feel more welcoming. He dropped off his hunting tools at the door, and picked up a small leather book.
He was safe, at least he thought so. The shack remained quiet and peaceful for quite a while. Then came a loud knock protruding the serenity. The boy made his way to the door, still unsuspecting.
Opening it gingerly, the tall boy was greeted with a muscular fist crashing into his face. He had the distinct memory of falling on his pretty face, but after that his vision went black.
Nerida-
"FREAK!!!"
"ABOMINATION!!"
Nerida fell back from the angry crowd, hands raised in the air. "I don't know what you're talking about!" she cried, shielding her face from the hail of insults.
"I SAW YOU!!" a woman cried out, encompassing her child in her arms. "YOU TRIED TO KILL MY SON!"
"No! I would never hurt anyone!"
"But you don't deny it!" the man in the booth boomed. As his voice rang over the town square, the crowds grew silent. "You do not deny the manipulation of water."
"I..." Nerida sobbed, falling to her knees. "I would never hurt a child!"
"That is not what you are here for!" he hissed. "You are here for your... 'gift'." He practically spit out the word. "And if you do not deny it, I cannot find a single reason to save your life."
The crowd roared to life again, surrounding the young girl in the blue dress. They shouted curses, insults, encouragement. The first few began lifting rocks from the ground. All of these people Nerida once knew. Now, they all were strangers. Except two.
"Father! Mother!"she cried, latching on to the last line of hope she had. "Help me!"
The first of the stones came, pelting down on Nerida's legs and arms like rain. Blood ran down from a cut on her cheek to mingle with the tears now falling freely from her eyes. The last thing she remembered seeing was her father reaching down to the ground. Then, all went black.
Dawn-
Dawn shared her name with the morning sky. Her mother said that when she was born the sun had peeked over the horizon, and covered the room is amber light. Two months later little Dawn was presented to the town. She had been loved, she had been welcomed. Now, everything had changed.
Three years earlier her mother had caught the blood plague, and died in agony. Dawn, after tending to her mother for so long, came down with the deadly disease. She had sat in her own sick, blood coming out of the sores that came with the illness. Two months she'd lived like that, then miraculously she'd recovered.
The town had presumed her dead along with her mother, and seeing a pale Dawn emerging from the house had made them all uneasy. Little did she know, but it was then that they had sent a watchful eye on her.
It had taken them almost three years to find her. She'd kept her magic safely hidden away, but that chilly November morning had made her do differently. She had gone out in the forest to hunt, when a strange bird caught her eye. Slowly she followed it, careful not to startled it with any strange sounds. Then, all of a sudden, a snapping sound sent it into the air. Whipping around Dawn had found herself face to face with a white wolf. "Shoot," she'd cursed as she pulled out her hunting knife. The creature curled it's snout and unleashed a violent growl. Without a second thought, Dawn had summoned the light and blinded the creature giving her time to run away.
Little did she know, that she'd been seen, and when she returned they had been ready for her, coming with ropes and binding. Now, she sat bound in a cart, ready to be set on fire and driven off a cliff.
They do love their pretty shows.....
Mxi-
Mxi lay in the shadows of a large boulder, breath catching. The plains were silent around him. Not even the insects were chirping in the dead of night. His green eyes closed, blocking out the unchanging landscape in front of him. Please, he thought. Please let them be gone.
Mxi slowly raised his lids, letting the sparse moonlight once more illuminate his vision. The grasses were all but abandoned, standing tall and stuff. Not even a stray breeze ruffled the stoic stalks. Mxi finally let his breath go, relief washing over him. He had made it.
Slowly, Mxi slunk down into the grass, hiding his body beneath the tall strands. He inched forward, trying to make as little disturbance as he could. He would have preferred to move under the cover of wind, but he was fairly certain-
Click.
"Turn around."
Mxi felt a sharp pressure against his back. Letting out a shaky breath, he turned towards the voice. The man stood tall and dark, his frame outlined by the moon. Even in the dark, Mxi could make out the unmistakable form of a crossbow gripped firmly in the man's hands.
"They pay double for dead ones," the man smiled. "Sorry, kid."
Mxi felt the weapon press against his chest, the man pulled the trigger, and then darkness.
Celeste-
Celeste opened her eyes with a sharp gasp. Her hand jerked away from the amulet and the visions of death. With a few rapid blinks, she surveyed her surroundings. Everything was exactly like she had left it. The trees, grass, path, rocks, stars…
Vea. Crux. Draco. Celeste tried to slow her breathing and clear her mind. Fluer. Axernon. Giu. She tried to shove away the images of the other mages in need. Erar. Tress. Yuli. But she couldn’t.
There must be something I can do.
There is. You know.
But it's dangerous.
But isn't saving lives worth it?
…
Well?
Celeste rested her hand around the amulet gem, feeling the familiar throb of life at her touch. She could go to them. She could save them. At the risk of losing her own life.
Be selfless.
But if I die, how can I save any of the others?
You can't. But you will have saved one.
That’s a tradeoff, not a sacrifice!
But you could save them all.
…
Well?
Celeste hesitated, fingers poised to grasp the jewel. The gem radiated heat, beckoning her closer. She took a deep breath.
I will save them.
She closed her hand around the amulet, and plunged back into the shadow.
Celeste flickered through the shadows, fragments of memories bombarding her with thoughts and emotions. They opened in a rainbow of colors- orange, gold, green, cyan. She looked through them, hoping to find the first girl's fragment. Nothing.
"Where are you..?" Celeste asked herself, furrowing her brow in concentration. She closed her eyes, trying to recall everything she could from the brief sliver of memory.
Black hair…
Burnt hand…
And a name.
"Thea," Celeste whispered, holding the hand that didn’t clutch the amulet in front of her. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw a dark blue fragment open in front of her. She heard wind, crying. Her heart split, breaking just like in the fragment. Celeste took a step forward, sinking into the inky blue.
A few seconds later, she fell gasping on the grass, her hand flying off the amulet. Her vision was blurry, and although she tried to calm her breathing, it insisted on coming in ragged gasps.
I have to see if it worked, she thought.
Celeste looked up, toward the figure standing over her. It was the girl. She sighed, temporary relief washing over her. "Thea," she gasped, gripping to the girl’s skirt hem. "I need your help."
Thea-
Thea stumbled backwards, shocked by the sudden vaporization of a second girl. She threw her hands up in a defensive position squeaking out a strangled "What do you want!!" As she ripped back her hem, the girl noticed a strange gem dangling off the girl’s neck. Somehow, it radiated mystery, and made Thea even less trusting of the stranger.
People who just appear either want two things, a terribly familiar voice said in her head, pulling her back into pleasant memories.
"Really? Would you care to tell a meer little peasant what you mean?"
Her voice. So happy, so sarcastic. So different from what it was now.
"Well, if the little girl could spare some time for a rambling fool," the second shot back.
"Of course!"
"Well, they either want one of two things. The first is to sell you something. Never trust those kinds of people, they'll just leech off your softness for the rest of their lives."
"And the second?"
“The second is the person looking for help, the person who isn't afraid to do anything to get it. These are the people worth helping because they need you. They need you to do whatever is right."
Fresh tears began to run down Thea's pale cheek. They need you..... she needs you....
Looking down at the frantic girl, Thea repeated her question, but this time she tried to bat away her lack of trust and filled it with genuine concern. "Who are you?"
"What do you need?"
Celeste-
"I-" Celeste keeled over as her nose suddenly started bleeding, bringing a sharp pain to her head. "We have to go!" she cried, grabbing Thea's hand. "I need to reach the others before it's too late!"
The rest is up to you, writer! Good luck!
“Wait!” Thea cried, pulling Celeste back. “You’re hurt!” She forced her to the ground, wiping the blood off her face with her sleeve. “I don’t know what you did, but if this is the side-effect, then you should do it as little as possible.”
Celeste struggled against her grasp. “There’s no time!” she insisted, trying to reach her amulet. “If we don’t go soon, Jasper will die!”
Thea stiffened at the name. “Jasper?” she asked, her eyes flashing with genuine concern. “What’s going on? What’s going to happen to him?!”
Celeste jerked her hand out of Thea’s hold, brushing against her amulet
Fire.
Smoke.
Screaming.
Cheering.
Warm.
So warm.
and flying onto the ground, trying to steady herself. The pain behind her eyes intensified, and her vision blurred. “They’re burning him,” she gasped, black spots forming in her eyesight.
“Where?” Thea insisted, shaking Celeste back into clarity. “Where is he?”
Celeste reluctantly fingered the blue gem
Stars.
Hills.
Town.
Fire.
Fire.
and tried to focus as the vision pounded itself into her senses. Shaking, she pointed. At the crest of a nearby hill, three lights suddenly blossomed into existence, flowers of flame dancing to the sky.
OR wolves I guess too