Willow's Story

Willow's Story

Chapter 4

"I wake up in the morning

Put on my face

The one that's gonna get me

Through another day

Doesn't really matter

How I feel inside

This life is like a game sometimes."

-'Naked' by Avril Lavigne.

Willow was in the sky; her powerful wings beat the air. She was slowing down. Willow slowly descended in tight spirals to the forest floor. She alighted lightly on last year's dead leaves. Her wings were folded, close to her body. They ached. Willow swung the cloak over herself. Her ears sensed someone or something coming towards her. Willow spun around, her eyes searching for the sound's origin. She saw a flash of beige in the corner of her eye. She saw a huge creature coming towards her. It was one of the strangest things she had ever seen: it had the body and legs of a horse and the torso of a human. It bowed its noble head.

"Welcome to our Forest, Creirwy. You greatly resemble your source, both in appearance and in aura. Come, follow me."

"What is a source? Who are you?"

"I'm a centaur and my name is Hadrian. Your source is...Well, it's about the same thing as a Human Mother, if you see what I mean."

Willow nodded.

"Come Creirwy, come."

Willow followed him. They weaved their way between the trees. Hadrian seemed to know what he was doing, Willow knew that she could never known how to find her path in the titanic-sized trees.

Hadrian and Willow reached a clearing. Standing in the center was another centaur. He turned around.

"Welcome Creirwy. Welcome Little Watcher. Welcome. I can see that you have a mission. It's written in the stars. I don't know what it is exactly. I don't need to know either. I just want to wish you good luck in whatever your mission is."

His face was wise and covered with wrinkles; he walked towards Willow.

"I am old, otherwise I would have come with you willingly. However Hadrian will accompany you to where you need to go in order to accomplish your mission. Go well Creirwy."

He turned around and walked off at a stately pace. Willow looked after him curiously until he was completely out of sight. She decided that centaurs were some of the most curious things she had ever met. She shook her head in amazement. She turned to Hadrian who lifted her onto his back.

"Where to now, Creirwy?"

"Hogwarts, please."

Hadrian galloped off. Willow could feel his muscles ripple underneath her. His hooves made a dull thumping noise on the forest floor. The trees formed a cathedral-like atmosphere, Willow felt almost in awe of it. Willow's black hair was whipping behind her and her eyes were watering because of the wind that was whistling around them. Hadrian was slowing down.

"I can't go any further without going onto the Hogwarts grounds. I'll leave you here. I wish you all of the Luck in this World. Farewell Creirwy."

Willow jumped off Hadrian's back. She heard him galloping back into the forest. She walked resolutely towards the light up ahead. She was almost at her destination; she could not give up now.

Willow was aching all over; her concealed wings were what were paining her the most. She walked towards the light that filtering into the trees. She finally got to the last tree. Willow was surprised to see what she saw. There in front of her was the castle on the hill and there in front of it was a lake. Willow was happy. She had managed. Her face cracked into a grin for what seemed the first time in years. But then a shadow crossed her face. She knew that the hardest part of her mission still lay ahead.

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