-Eden- the Venafera

5 of 539
-Eden-
100% Happy
Owner
jlya
Stolen
19 Nov 2017
Hatched
12 Oct 2018
Immortal
5 Dec 2017
22,523 +6
Views
4,677 +3
Clicks
4,478 +2
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From a Window


Swaying colors of amber and deep brown with a single ray of gold, touched with a soft red. Spotted with black and blue, but given a rosy peach that brings it all together. Held back at first, but a burst of free, glowing color overtakes the canvas in the sun.
I suppose you think I am talking about a painting, or perhaps a rainbow. But what I'm describing is not a landscape, nor how it looks as the sun brushes over a freshly-rained-on world, but something so beautiful that no person or language could even begin to describe as it deserves.
I speak of a woman.
Her name was Juliet. Juliet Matthews. She had beautiful Amber hair with one strip of gold in it, and coffee brown eyes that seemed to contain an endless abyss in themselves. Her soft red lips and her rosy cheeks seemed to make the world stop when she smiled. She was shy, quiet at first. But when she got happy and excited, her beautiful wild self was released, and her eyes sparkled. She was exciting - adventurous! But only around people she knew and trusted.
But the black and blue – that came from her bruises and scars. Everyone told her she was ugly, worthless, and that no one loved her. The worst part, though, was that she believed them. She trusted very few, only confiding in the ones who she knew would never tell another.
But that’s not how it was at first. Allow me to start at the beginning…

“Michael, I'm open!” shouted my friend Chris, waving his arms around as we dodged through the group of football players on the other team.
I glanced over at him, but kept running towards the goal. I don’t need to pass it, I thought to myself. I've got this. I don't need half of this team – heck, I don't need anyone! I'm the best football player there is, and everyone knows it. I'm going to get across that line, earning the 6 points that will win the game, and I’ll be a hero. I kept my eyes on that line and narrowly dodged 3 more players.
“Michael, what are you doing? Pass the ball, you'll never make it!”
I ignored him and kept running. The line was so close, now.
“Michael, watch out!”
Suddenly another player came out of nowhere, barreling into me and tackling me to the ground, and a loud crack was heard. “AAAGH!!” I shouted in excruciating pain. The player and field became a blur, and the ground seemed to sway.

“4 weeks?!” I exclaimed in disbelief. “No, no, no, I can't stay in this stupid room for 5 weeks! I have things to do – football to play! My team will never survive without me!”
“Michael, you have a broken leg. The doctor says you'll have to stay in bed and keep it elevated while it heals! I'm sorry, but there's always a risk when you play football so much. Once the four weeks are up, you'll be able to get out of bed and move around on your crutches,” my mom assured.
“And how long will I be on crutches?” I asked, turning to the doctor.
She smiled sympathetically. “4 more weeks.”
I groaned and let my head fall back onto my pillow.
“There’s one more thing you should be aware of, though.”
I turned my head to look at her.
“Once your leg is healed, you'll never be able to play football again.”
My jaw dropped in shock. I tried to speak, but the words caught in my throat. After a minute, I was finally able to force them out, but even then my voice cracked. “No! No, football is my life! I was going to become a famous football player! I was going to earn 3 million dollars a year! You can't take my entire future away from me!”
“I’m sorry, Michael, but there's nothing we can do.” Seeing my reaction to this last statement, the doctor motioned for her and my mom to leave the room to let me comprehend what I had just been told.
My head thumped against the pillow again. My whole world had just been shattered. How was I supposed to react to that? And I had to stay in bed for 4 straight weeks. What was I supposed to do during that time? I sighed and turned my head to look out the window of my room, which was on the second floor. I noticed a girl walking and focused on her. She had long, amber-colored hair and was wearing a flowery dress. She wasn't the most beautiful girl I had ever seen, but something about her kept me from turning away. She went up to a house across the street from ours and knocked on the door. An elderly man came after a moment, and he smiled when he saw who it was. They began to talk with each other, but my window was closed, so I couldn't hear what they said. I had to hear their conversation - I couldn't explain why, but I had to. But how was I supposed to walk to the window and open it with my broken leg leaving me bedridden? I looked around and saw a yard stick on my dresser. I grabbed it and pushed it against the window lock. Come on…
The lock snapped up.
Yes!
I moved the yardstick to the bottom of the window and tried to push it up. It didn't go at first, so I pushed harder. Just a little more… The window slid up a little.
“Michael, you doing okay?”
I quickly disposed of my yardstick by throwing it across the room, and the window made a 'shoonk' as it shut again.
My mother walked into the room, carrying a plate of nachos and a glass of water. “I brought you dinner, sweetheart.” She placed the dishes on my desk and sat on the edge of my bed. “Are you doing okay? I know the news about your leg must be hard to take in.”
The girl through the window had made me temporarily forget that I could never play football again. But reality sunk in as I was reminded by my mother. “Yeah, I'm okay, I guess. Thanks for bringing me dinner.”
She ran her hand over my hair and smiled. “Do you want me to do anything for you while I'm here?”
I shook my head. “No, I don't need anything.”
She stood and walked towards the door. She placed her hand on the door frame as she walked out, and then paused. She turned to me. “We’ll get through this together, okay?”
I nodded.
She started to walk out the door again.
“Wait!”
She stopped.
“There is something I'd like you to do. Could you open the window, please?”
She smiled. “Of course.” She walked to the window and lifted it up. It snapped into place.
“Oh, and could you grab that yardstick?”
She picked it up off the ground and laid it on my dresser. “Anything else?”
I smiled. “That’s all. Thanks, Mom.”
She nodded, smiling back, then went to the door. She paused again and looked back at the window, frowning. “I could have sworn that was locked…” She went out the door and shut it behind her.
I looked back out the window. The girl was still there, but she seemed to be done talking to the man. “See you tomorrow, Mr. Jenkins," she finished. She gave him a hug, then waved goodbye as she left his door. He waved back, and went into his house. The girl walked back across the street and out of my range of vision. Who was this girl? I'd never seen her before, but she intrigued me. I grabbed a nacho and lay back in my bed, sighing. But what was the point, anyway? I'd probably never see her again, and right now everything was uncertainty. The chip crunched as I bit into it, the flavor of perfectly melted cheese and salt overtaking my tongue. At least my mom could make the best nachos on the planet. I interlocked my fingers and put my palms behind my head, looking around the room. I would be seeing a lot of this room for the next four weeks.


Want to read story 1? Try Skyanna
Want to read story 3? Try -Lianna-
Note: The stories are not connected, they are all separate story lines. Stories 2 and 3 end on a sentence that does not sound like an ending, as I am not finished with them yet.

About Venafera Eggs

Venafera eggs are referred to as the "Red Orbs of Autumn." The surface of the egg has a shiny finish to it; when laid among red-leaved trees during autumn, its surface reflects a magical array of refracted orange and yellow light.

About the Venafera Creature

Venaferas are very close relatives of the Asteran, although they are somewhat different in color.

Venaferas, different than their other raccoon-like friends, do not dwell in Ark City or live off the garbage. Rather, Venaferas are tree dwellers in the forest. Much like squirrels, they gather supplies and food for the winters and then store them in nests high above the ground. Venaferas are careful not to roam the forest in the summertime, as they are very visible due to the contrast of colors. But when autumn descends upon the forests of Ark, they provide a perfect camouflage for Venaferas to run about safe from predators.