Long before A'vela and I became close, she lived a rather simple life. Her people came from a tiny island chain, and her family, from an even smaller village. The land was packed with trees the color of emeralds and vibrant blooms in just about every other shade. This particular island, which name is difficult for anyone to pronounce, was without the violent volcanic activity of some of the other, larger islands, and thus was a fantastic place to grow up. Ever since A'vela was small, she would go out into the forests and flower fields to play with her two older brothers. Although her home wasn't much more than an assortment of woven grasses and twigs precariously put around a tree, A'vela was happy.
It wasn't until one day, when she was only about five years old (which seems to be nearly adult for her kind), that her life went for a tumble. Together with her brothers, A'vela traveled farther into the forest than they'd ever gone. So much of a distance, it seems, that they were met with the booming and crashing of a sizable group of men, hacking away at the trees. The girl and her brothers scurried around the men and reached the gates of a somewhat haphazard settlement. Nearby they could hear the swirling of waves. The little ones knew who these must've been. t Humans, the ones from the stories. They were so stunned by the various sights that they pressed forwards. Men, women, and children all gave pompous snorts in the direction of the trio, giving them no more than a glance before shooing them off. There was one group though, that stopped them in the crowd. They all smiled in the sweetest, almost sickening way, and were all disgusting by any human standard. To A'vela and her siblings though, they were friendly and fascinating. Especially interesting, was their pumpkin pie. A'vela's kind was absurdly obsessed with pumpkins. You could eat them, they looked funny and were bright orange. So of course, being offered such a sweet smelling confection was the easiest way to convince the three to follow the men.
Off they traveled to a nearby boat by a set of docks, skipping playfully towards their brunch. The men led them to their own personal room. It was cold and metal, but the pie was placed inside, so the siblings didn't mind. As soon as they padded forwards, the little room's door was slammed shut, only to be followed by the boisterous laughter of the ship's crew. A'vela and her two brothers paid no mind to this, digging into the pie in front of them. It didn't taste as it was supposed to, more bitter and it made the little ones very sleepy. They passed out in their cold cage just as the ship pressed away from the port.
The three awoke to an unsettling group of horn blows, signaling they had reached their destination. Groggy and confused, they were violently ushered out of the cage and led to a tall stand. This platform was as tall as a human and was wide enough for more than just the siblings to stand on. The trio marveled at the sights of the new town. Houses and shops towered all around them, a square, bustling with people of all shapes and sizes. A'vela gave little attention to the human who was barking at the crowd. Soon a large number of them came to stare at the three tiny cat-eared people. They started yelling back to the barking man, some holding up shiny pieces of metal, other's gesturing to their produce or cows. Soon, with an affirmative nod from the barking man, A'vela's eldest sibling and herself were carted away after their new owner. They both began to weep as their brother, the middle one, stretched out his hand to them, but they were quickly washed away in the crowd.
When the now two reached the home of the man with shiny coins, they were taken aback by its size. Towering snow-white walls wrapped around a large, bountiful courtyard, filled with exotic trees and other flora. Though it was a beautiful sight, it did nothing to heal the hearts of the pair. They walked begrudgingly through the courtyard and up into the main house. A'vela's hand was ripped away from her brother's as she was ushered forwards. She screamed, but to no avail. Up and up the steps they went, the trek seeming never to end. The man and A'vela left her brother on the first floor long behind.
After the long and slow climb, A'vela reached a room which she didn't know she would be staying for quite some time. It was somehow more frivolous than the rest of the mansion. Everything was covered in lace and colored a sickly pink. Inside was a girl with olive skin and green eyes. Her skin contrasted so heavily with the rest of the room that A'vela thought she was going to lose her pumpkin pie. The cat-eared girl was set in front of her new owner in the pink dress. Our little friend was grabbed and jiggled and jumbled all about the room, becoming a mere plaything in the hands of the olive-skinned girl.
This continued for only but a month, the girl becoming very bored with her after that. Although this was the case, A'vela was still not to leave. She was kept and fed very little. Her life was miserable and lonely, her only friends, the stuffed animals that had also been forgotten.
Fear not though, for this is only the first chapter of A'vela's long and arduous life. It gets worse and soon better. It twists and turns. Know that she is happy now, although a bit scratched up. She carries on with a sense of wild adventure and will never seem to stop. Here and now, her past can ebb away ever so slowly. Be happy in that then, that although I cannot give you her full story, that she is no longer a prisoner and no longer miserable, but instead, my little daughter.
