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It was an early morning in summer, when the sun was just beginning to rise, but it was already light. The pleasant coolness refreshed people who were rushing to work barely getting up from their beds. The wind carried around the city a pleasant aroma of fresh pastries, which bakers put on their shelves. Life in Mondstadt was waking up with a new day.
A woman was walking across the bridge, leading two yawning twins by the arms. Despite the early hour, she looked cheerful and wished good morning to passersby with a smile on her face. The twins did not look particularly pleased with this walk. They were having sweet and pleasant dreams when the door to their room opened and their mother lifted them out of bed with a big smile.
They had barely sat down at the table when Bertha put breakfast plates in front of them and handed a hot mug of coffee to her husband. The girls glowered at the scrambled eggs, which seemed to look at them mockingly in response.
— Hurry up and eat your breakfast and come with me. — the woman finally sat down at the table herself — Today is a wonderful weather for a walk.
— But Mom, it's still morning, we want to sleep. — Lumine was poking her fork with displeasure — Even Dad hasn't left for work yet.
— Don't grumble, honey, wrinkles will appear ahead of time. — Berta calmly sipped her tea, patting the head of Aether, who almost fell face first into the plate — Your dad will be leaving soon too. Right, dear?
— That's right, dear. — Mikael looked up from the newspaper, not wanting to anger his wife.
— Dad, tell Mom we want to sleep. — Lumine jumped at the last chance to stay at home and watch her dreams, she glanced at her sister, but immediately rolled her eyes irritably when she yawned and rubbed her eyes. There is absolutely no help in this house! After all, she is trying for them.
— I think the early morning air will do you good. — the man rinsed the mug in the sink, trying not to pay attention to the glances of his wife and daughter behind his back — Bertha, thank you for breakfast. Everything was divine as always. Children, don't upset Mother.
— Be careful, honey.
— Come home soon, Dad
Mikael briefly kissed his wife on the lips and patted the children's hair, quickly leaving into the corridor, where his clothes and bag were waiting for him. For a couple of minutes, the rustling of clothes and the sound of lightning sounded from the corridor.
— See you tonight, girls. Have a nice walk. — the door slammed behind him.
Silence reigned in the kitchen, during which everyone calmly finished their food. After washing the dirty dishes, the woman put her hands on her hips.
— Have you eaten? Great. Then let's go. — Bertha paid absolutely no attention to the unhappy moans of her daughters.
Stepping over every pebble on the bridge, Aether wondered where their mother was leading them. Of course, she was also unhappy with the early rise, but she was still curious where they were going and why. And they had never walked in the morning. All day until evening, he and Lumine ran through the streets of the city with other children, sometimes playing hide-and-seek. And when my father had a day off, the four of them walked around the market, when Mikael tried to keep Bertha and Lumine from buying everything that catches their eye, while simultaneously watching Aether, who looked at everything around with interest and quickly got lost in the crowd.
— Mom, where are we going?
— We are going to the forest to listen to the birds singing. In the morning silence it is especially beautiful. — the woman turned her gaze to the Whispering Woods, which was getting closer with every step they took — But when we enter the forest, do not go far from me, be close. It's easy to get lost there if you leave the path.
— Okay, Mom.
The rest of the way passed in cozy silence, during which Iter tried to get rid of drowsiness to the end. She shifted her gaze to her sister, who looked less pouty, but still unhappy. As soon as they entered the forest, the wind ruffled the leaves of the trees and a "whisper" rang around.
Bertha looked around, noticing the stone to which she led her children. Removing the shawl from her shoulders, the woman spread it on the surface, carefully sitting down. The twins sat down on either side of their mother, who was watching something.
— Now listen. — The woman closed her eyes as the breeze fluttered her golden hair. The sisters followed her example, listening to the sounds surrounding them.
Aether's ears were immediately filled with the trills of birds that greeted a new day among the branches. Every note of their singing was imbued with joy and freedom. Once upon a time, Barbatos gave them the ability to fly, and now they can safely dissect the air with their wings, soaring higher into the sky. The girl was afraid of heights, but she always envied them a little, dreaming of being in the sky for at least five minutes and flying over her hometown. But unfortunately mere mortals are not given wings, it remains to enjoy a short flight on a glider. Although with her fear, she is deprived of this.
The time for thoughts was flying fast when another melody was heard through the singing of birds. She was quieter, but more cheerful with small breaks. It was like someone was strumming the strings. The melody was beautiful and awakened a warm feeling inside. The girl opened her eyes, glancing at her mother and sister. They were still sitting silently with their eyes closed with the same concentration on their faces. Aether quietly got up from her seat, hiding in the bushes, following the sound.
The girl followed the melody, making her way through the thickets and branches, which were getting a little thicker by the minute. However, the melody did not approach her, but seemed to be moving away. Soon, anxiety scratched in her chest when she realized that she had been walking in the other direction all the time and got lost in the forest. She darted between the trees, trying to find the direction from where she came, but everything seemed strange and unfamiliar.
— Mom! Lumine! Where are you? — Aether listened, trying to hear the voice of her mother or sister, maybe someone else, but there was silence around. Even that wonderful melody wasn't playing anymore, but how long had it been since she noticed. Then despair overwhelmed her and the baby fell to the ground without strength. She pressed herself against the hard bark of the tree, pressing her knees to her chest. Eyes stung disgustingly and a quiet sob cut through the silence, which turned into a loud sob — Mom! Dad! Sister!
The wind continued to flutter the leaves and shake the trees, which indifferently bent their branches over the little girl. Somewhere a small stream or spring was murmuring. From the thicket occasionally came the crunch of broken branches, which did not make the baby calmer at all. Each time she looked around warily in the direction of the sounds, wondering if she had attracted the attention of the hilichurls or predators with her cries. The girl prayed to Barbatos that her mother would find her as soon as possible and take her away from here.
There was a strange sound in the bushes, as if something was rapidly hitting up and down. Aether peered in that direction, groping around with her hand. The rough branch, like the hilt of a sword, fit comfortably into her small palm, which she squeezed tightly, holding onto the piece of wood as a saving straw. The buzzing did not stop, it seemed to sense the mood of the girl, ready to defend herself. Slowly, something white appeared from the leaves, as if checking the situation in a small clearing. When everything turned out to be relatively calm, apart from Ither with a rotten stick, something floated out of the bushes. The little girl froze in surprise when she got a better look at the creature. It turned out to be small, slightly larger than her palm, dressed in a white cloak with a hood covering its black head. The creature and the girl looked at each other in silence for a few seconds, as if studying, and blinked at the same time.
— Oh Archons, you scared me, baby. — Aether lowered the stick down, watching the fluttering of small wings that moved almost imperceptibly behind the creature's back, supporting it in the air. That's what made that sound. The thing blinked its beady white eyes again, staying at a distance. The girl turned her gaze to her "weapon", immediately throwing it aside. If her sister were with her now, she would scold her for her thoughtlessness and carelessness. Maybe this is so, and she threw her only defense in vain, but the creature did not look dangerous, so the baby took a step forward, but immediately stopped, raising her hands up when it jerked to the side — Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you. Come on.
It fluttered in place for a few moments, as if weighing its decision to trust her or not. It was quite unusual for such a creature, which is far from being like some kind of creature with a mind. Rather, it is somewhat similar to fairies who lead adventurers to treasures. The creature slowly moved towards her when the girl held out her hand to him. It carefully and hesitantly lowered its small feet onto her palm, which caused her to giggle softly. Iter brought her hand closer to her face when the creature made a sound similar to the ringing of bells.
— Who are you? Where did you come from? — when there was another ringing, the girl frowned, not understanding. The creature tried again, but Iter smiled shyly, rubbing the back of her head with her free hand — I'm sorry, but I don't understand.
The creature froze, and the girl could have sworn that if it had been human, she frowned. It fluttered up again and shook its whole body, while emitting a continuous ringing. The little girl thought about it, carefully watching his actions.
— Are you cold?
The creature shook its head negatively, resuming its actions.
— Are you scared?
Not again.
— Uh... Are you crying? — The creature immediately nodded its head vigorously, bouncing up and down. His happiness was also transmitted to her when she clapped her hands, exclaiming joyfully — You're crying!
Something flew closer to her face and poked her cheek under her eye, resuming the trembling and ringing. The girl thought for a second before something clicked in her head.
— Am I crying?
He made an affirmative ring and tilted his head to one side, as if asking a dumb question. Again, if it was a human, then surely his eyebrows would be raised.
— Why am I crying? Well, that's because... — Aether lowered her eyes, remembering her problem. Tears welled up in eyes again, and a sob broke from lips — My mother and sister and I were listening to the birds singing when I heard someone's beautiful melody and followed its sound. But then I realized that I was lost and didn't know where I was. I called them and tried to find a way out, but I went even deeper into the forest. What should I do now?
The little girl lowered her gaze, remembering the warm eyes of her mother, the kind smile of her father and the warmth of Lumine at her side. Suddenly something warm poked her nose. She looked in surprise at the creature that was swimming right in front of her face. Noticing her reaction, it again gently buried its muzzle in her nose, ringing. Iter giggled, feeling a faint breeze from the fluttering of small wings. The girl stretched out her hands again, so that the creature, pleased with herself, settled into them, squinting her eyes.
— Thank you. — the baby smiled warmly at the creature, which stamped its feet on the palms. It took off and flew to the trees, hiding in them, but immediately came back when she realized that she was not following him. The creature gently pulled her little pigtail, as if she wanted her to follow him — Okay, okay, I'm coming.
The creature led her forward, avoiding rocks and trees that blocked their path. It rang about something all the way, sometimes stopping to look back at her and slightly pull her braid to hurry her up. Soon the trees became rarer, the grass became less tall and it became lighter. Somewhere in the distance, the sounds of the Mondstadt could be heard. Iter opened her eyes excitedly, realizing that they were almost there, and soon she would see her mother and sister again. Something suddenly stopped.
— What happened? Why did you stop? — The little girl looked at her new friend, frowning slightly.
The creature tinkled something and pointed its head in the direction where there was even more light.
— Ah, I get it. You want me to go on alone, right?
An affirmative nod.
— Then thank you very much for bringing me out of the woods. I'd be lost without you. — She gently picked him up and gently rubbed her nose against his charming muzzle. The wings fluttered as if with pleasure — Will we meet again?
She paused thoughtfully, as if considering solutions. The girl pursed her lips in excitement, hoping for a positive answer. When the creature nodded its head, she suppressed a happy squeal, but jumped on the spot, which caused the creature to squeak indignantly. The little girl immediately calmed down her ardor, but a wide smile still adorned her face.
— Then see you later, wait for me at the edge of the forest tomorrow afternoon! — Aether waved her hand to her friend, running away in the indicated direction. A trill sounded after her until she climbed over a familiar bush. Someone immediately pounced on her, sweeping her off her feet.
— Fool, where have you been? We've been looking for you everywhere! — Iter faced the furious gaze of Lumine, who grabbed her by the collar of her dress — Mom already wanted to raise the whole city on her ears!
— Lumine? Where's Mom?
— Lumine, you... Aether? Oh, Aether! Barbatos has heard my prayers. — the woman in an instant was on her knees on the ground next to her daughters, wrapping them two in a strong embrace — Archons, I was so scared. Where have you been, Iter? I told you not to leave the path!
— Mom, Mom, I'm sorry. I just heard a beautiful melody and went to it, but got lost. But don't worry, my f ... — the girl immediately cut herself off, remembering the secrecy of her friend, and decided to keep silent about him — My instinct led me out of the forest.
— Please, Aether, don't ever do that again. I can't take it all again. — Bertha hugged her daughter's shoulders, carefully looking into her eyes — Promise?
— I promise. — Aether closed her eyes, unable to look into her mother's eyes anymore, feeling ashamed. The brown color of mom's eyes darkened, ceasing to look like the shade of roasted chestnuts — Forgive me, Mom, I'm sorry.
— It's okay. Everything is already fine. The main thing is that you're fine and you won't do it again. — the woman gently patted her daughter on the head, shaking off her dress — I guess now we need to go home.
— Yes, Mom, let's go. — Lumine glanced at her sister, who glanced deep into the forest, as if looking for something or someone. She sighed with displeasure and grabbed her sister by the hand, pulling on herself — Let's go already. Now you will always walk with me on your arm, because I'm tired of you getting lost everywhere so often.
Aether sighed humbly, not wanting to argue with her sister, who was terrible in anger, like their mother. So she adopted her father's retreat tactics, which he often uses, and took one last look at the forest, promising to meet that creature tomorrow and get to know him better.