Chapter 1: Chapter 1
Henrietta Stone woke up and looked around her small, cozy home that was located in the forest of Lithibania. She saw what she always woke up to; her small, three roomed home. The house was located in the base of a Authian tree, one of the thickest trees in the world. Inside of her home was her large room, which held her fireplace, table, and storage. The room just below her was her bathroom, which held a toilet and a bucket, for bathing. The last part of her tiny home, was her room, which wasn't really a room. Her room was simply a ledge the she could climb onto by going up the rough, uneven stairs that led up to it. Finally, on her ledge, was a small, cozy bed that just perfectly fit her size. Her house wasn't much, but it was home.
Henrietta Stone lived in a world where everything was placed in a circle; literally. The farthest away from the middle, was the mountains, which surrounded everything. The people of the mountains were a mystery though, as they were rarely seen. All that was really known about them was that they lived in caves. Next, inside of the ring of mountains, was forest. The Lithibanian forest in fact. The people of the forest were kind of a mystery too, as they all fought to survive the harsh conditions that they lived in. The people of the forest brought in the food for the city. They lived in trees, like Henrietta. Inside of the trees lay the water. A giant river snaked around the rings inside of it. The river people lived mainly underwater, though some lived in coves. The water people had adapted to being able to survive underwater and on land; they supplied the water. Further inside, was the ring of fields. It was open, and beautiful here, not a single tree in sight. That is where the crops grew. The people here lived in huts, usually larger, depending on where you lived in the ring. Finally, in the very center of the world, lay the city called, Mordornia. The grand city of Mordornia is where all of the wealthy people lived, the people who ate feasts for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The people who wore on the finest of clothes and slept in only the finest of beds. There in the city lived the king and queen of the world, Arthurius and Marlicia. Along with the rulers, were the three princes, Johnathan, Andonian, and Lithar, their sons. All together, these destinations made up what was called, the Ring of Life.
Henrietta got up and dressed into her usual day outfit, a work shirt, made of tight, black leather, and her tight, black leather pants as well. After that, she put her long, red hair, which needed to be hidden, into a tight bun and put her black cap over it. The cap covered all of her hair, and worked as a protector, which had a face mask attached to it. After, she put on her utility belt, which held some antidotes, knives, rope, and poisons, and her warm, black boots that were meant for stealth and precision. The last thing that grabbed, was her quiver, for her arrows, and her bow, that she had crafted herself. She smiled and began to cook her last bit of plant that was good enough to eat. She sat down, and ate her breakfast, savoring the food while it lasted. She would need to go hunting today.
After eating her breakfast, she slipped through the trapdoor in the floor of her home and followed the darkness until she found her uneven ladder that was cut into the ground. She trudged up it until she found her other trapdoor that was camouflaged expertly with leaves, vines, and roots. She weaved her was through the maze of roots with ease as she finally emerged into the forest.
Henrietta looked around at the many thick trees surrounding her. The forest was beautiful, but dangerous. Henrietta grasped a vine and climbed it until she had made it to the branches of the tree. She now had a walkway as she strolled along, searching for food. She picked up some edible plants while searching, and put them into her pouch, for eating. Henrietta continued to walk until she saw a rare sight. A doe, a beautiful doe was gracefully prancing through the wood. She would not miss this chance!
Henrietta followed the doe until it stopped to eat at some shrubs. She pulled out her quiver and aimed. The doe looked straight at her, but it was too late for it to run, Henrietta has already shot the arrow, and hit the deer, directly where it would die. She climbed down and looked at the doe. It was plump, but not pregnant, and it had so much to eat on it's bones! Henrietta wouldn't be hungry for weeks! She pulled the arrow from the deer and wiped it off on a nearby velvet bush. They were soft, and easily cleaned her supplies. She took the rope from her waist and tied it around the deer's limbs as she dragged it back to her house.
Henrietta was just about home, and she opened yet another trapdoor in the ground, just before the roots started. She wrapped the deer soundly so that it wouldn't be harmed with a giant leaf, and dropped it into the darkness. She would take a tunnel to her meat spot, and drag it into her house from there. It saved the hassle of dragging it and possibly ruining the meat by bringing it through the branches. After, Henrietta went back through the roots, and jumped silently into her door. She made it home alive.
Henrietta confidently walked into her home, and went down a tunnel to get her meat. She easily dragged the deer up and into her main room where she began to skin the deer. She made sure to save the hide, for later use, and then, peeled the meat off of the bones. She packed the meat in the large leaves that, miraculously, kept the meat cold and concealed until needed. Henrietta put the meat in a spot in the wall, and put the bones in a different spot. After, she got to work on the hide.
Muscles aching, and hide finished, Henrietta took out a small piece of the deer and heated it up in her fireplace. The meat cooked nicely, and Henrietta topped it off with some herbs from the forest floor. She sat down, and took a bite. The meat tasted so delicious! It made Henrietta's taste buds come to life again as she savored the deer meat that was gracing her mouth so kindly. She couldn't believe her luck! She ate and ate, the meat being more than she had eaten in a while, and finally, set it down with some of her juice.
It wasn't really juice, but really, just lots of easily found plants and berries that were crushed, and the juices saved and mixed together. It was the closest thing to water out here because water didn't often come. She put washed the tin plate that her mother had saved for her before she passed. Her mother had died due to a Tiger attack. Henrietta hated Tigers now, with a burning passion. And Panthers, for a Panther had killed her father. And for her sister, she had killed her sister.
Henrietta didn't truly want to kill her sister, but she had went wild, wild due to the poisonous toxins inside of a Blushberry. Her sister, Mollie, had eaten a handful of them and tried to kill Henrietta. So, Henrietta did what she had to do, and stabbed her own sister, because of the horrors that the forest brought. She hated that, but was fine with living alone. As a fifteen year old, living alone was alright. After all, she had been on her own with her sister since her mother died when she was ten. Her father died when she was ten as well, months later, and finally, her little sister had died when Henrietta was twelve, leaving her completely alone in the scary forest that she lived in.
There were some nights where Henrietta lay down and thought with sadness about her deceased family, but those nights were few and far between. After all, it was perfectly normal to die at such a young age in the forest, so her parents were remembered as successful and brave until all of her other neighbors died out too. Now, Henrietta's closest neighbor was about three miles away, and on the other side, five. She was on civil terms with them, as they were around your age. The family five miles away was the Jasons. The Jasons consisted of a mother, father, and three children, Lina, Ana, and Termithy. On her other side, was a girl, completely alone who didn't have a name. She had been alone for a very long time, and neither remembered her parents, nor her name, so she was simply called, Girl.
Henrietta mulled over the thought of what she would do tomorrow, because she didn't have much else to do, so, deciding to take in one of the true beauties of the forest, she opened a hatch in her ceiling, and followed the narrow tunnel to a hole in the tree. She slipped out of the hole and climbed the tree, all the way to the very top. It took a while, as the trees were extremely tall, but she made it. Henrietta sat on the tree top, as it was so thick that she could jump on the leaves without falling, all but in the spot she entered. She looked up at the beautiful stars, shining so beautifully across the sky, making shapes and people. Henrietta cherished this time up here, as she didn't often come to see that stars. She looked straight across the trees and saw the dip where the forest ended, and just far enough, she could just barely see the sparkling lights of the city.
Henrietta felt something behind her, and as she turned around, she was met by Girl, who, at the age of twelve, sat comfortably in her lap and looked at the stars with her. "How's it going Girl?" Henrietta asked softly. Girl smiled. "It's going great! I am doing perfectly right now!" she replied enthusiastically. Henrietta smiled at Girl as she fell asleep, stroking her hair in the process. Henrietta fell asleep that night, dreaming of the city, and the stars that shined above her head, while resting on the soft, warm treetop leaves, in peace.
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