DANDELiON_02

"The Winter's Star Pt. II"

The funny thing was -- Daisy was right.

Since they'd been able to walk and speak fluently, Taeyeon, in one way or another, would find a thousand ways to injure herself. Whether she'd accidentally run into a cactus, or somehow found herself at the receiving end of a cattle's anger, the little farmer spent her time in Daisy's house more than she did her own.

She'd remember the first thing Daisy said to her. It was after her sixth, or seventh visit to the medicine woman. The girl, just a few seasons older, was huddled behind her mother, quietly looking and learning. Her mother went outside for a quick moment, trying to find more medicine, and that's when Daisy spoke.

"You're always in pain, aren't you?"

Taeyeon looks up, rubbing her thumbs nervously. "Mmhm."

"Why?"

"I do..dumb stuff."

"Why do you do dumb things knowing you'll get hurt?"

The little farmer shrugs, trying to rear away from the girl's gaze. She steps closer, her hands behind her back. Feeling awkward, she pulled her head down, focusing on the girl's bearskin boots. Suddenly, a small flower appears in her vision. White rays with a little sun in the middle. It was a daisy.

The girl rubbed and twirled the flower around and whispered. "Every time I get sad or feel pain, I like to look at flowers. They make me feel better. So here you go."

Taeyeon mumbled a quick thanks before taking it into her own palms. How would the girl react if she'd mention her bad habit of destroying flowers for fun? Daisy kneels down, putting the girl in an unavoidable situation. There was no where for the farmer to look now but into those calm, welcoming eyes.

"But I think you're strong." She says, putting a friendly hand over Taeyeon's thigh. "Every time you get hurt, you just get up. Even if it means getting hurt again. You keep going. Don't ever stop doing that."

Taeyeon smiled and nodded.

"Okay?"

"Okay." She echoes.

...

...

Okay.

She was okay.

Taeyeon woke up vomiting water to where she'd found consciousness. Her focus is hazy, memories blurring and colliding into one another. It takes her a few moments to remember how to function. There's an endless searing pain spreading from her chest to her arms, but her legs are completely numb. The only thing reminding her of reality was the colossally, hot bundle of fire that spread and wrapped around her.

She wipes her eyes, only successful in smearing more blood across her face. Unfazed by the amount of red liquid around her, she attempts to take her first steps forward, grunting and gasping at the shear magnitude of how much her body hurt.

Daisy's words echoed through her mind, muting everything around her. She had to keep going. She couldn't give into her fatigue ; she had too many regrets to stop.

Driving herself forward, by the time she'd reach where their tent use to be, she was faced with another impossible question.

"What..." She said in between breaths. "...is..that?"

The star, now that she'd gotten much closer, was nothing like the myths had written them out to be.

Huge chunks of unexplainable, unworldly, material were obliterated and scattered across the field. The fire had melted some of the material, but others seemed to be encasing a different aptitude. She'd never seen anything like that.

Light flickered on and off in some longer parts of the star that survived the crash. Different colors of liquid dripping from edge.

The warrior kept a defensive distance from the entire thing, unsure of what to do. Dismissing her curiosity, she tried to look for her parents, calling their names weakly. The only thing confirming their deaths were broken scraps of their belongings. Sad, dirtied fruit they'd farmed seasons prior. Her mother's fruit basket. Her father's cape, disappearing from the flame that was slowly eating it. Scanning the area, she was thankful she recognized the familiar white glint of her sabre-tooth dagger. She kneeled over, collapsing lamely before finding relief holding it in her palm.

Alone, afraid, and near death, the only thing Taeyeon thought about doing was going home. The fire continued, but no longer concerned her. With half of her body barely functioning, her eyes threatening to close forever, and the sad, cruel reality that her parents were dead, the warrior flirted with the idea of simply leaning back and dying right then and there.

But she couldn't do it. She needed to see Daisy one last time.

Against all odds, Taeyeon slowly began to crawl back home. It was an astronomically small chance she'd survive, but if whatever spiritual entity..whatever commanded the world to have let this event happen had the slightest amount of pity for her, she'd pray they'd at least allow her final wish to be fulfilled.

Day and night, she crawled, limped, and swam to her destination. Occasionally, she'd pass out on the side of the road, waking up desperately fighting against massive aliments that plagued her. Headaches, starvation, physical pain, and even infections. Her only reassurance was the river partnering her journey home.

The deep blue reminded her of Daisy's eyes, giving her a small bit of faith to hold onto, ultimately driving her forward. She'd taken a few food supplies from the crash and rationed them throughout her journey.

She'd taken a knapsack from the site, braided enough vines to make a makeshift rope, which she then used to tie everything to her leg as she dragged herself forward.

Taking a short break to hydrate herself, there was a vague reflection of herself staring back. The rushing water blurred the sharper image. Her dark hair were tangled with the elements, her cheekbones were more defined due to her lack of proper meals. Her normally darker eyes carried no sparkle of life, grimly staring back at an unfamiliar reflection of her.

Disgusted, she closed her eyes and dunked her head in, hoping the icy water would wash the pain and thoughts away.

After washing and taking a short break, she found herself low on food. Some of the food had begun to spoil without the proper storage to maintain them, and her stomach had been begging for food. She'd slowly begun to feel better, her eyes focused on the familiar peaks of the same mountains she looked up to the day she left.

It wasn't too far from home now.

X X X

The stars no longer gave her any comfort. The night that once filled her with blissful, long peace now froze all her senses.

Taeyeon had spent countless nights dwelling the event that happened. She simply couldn't explain it. A star falling from the sky?

She squeezed her eyes shut, but the darkness only fueled the constant replay of memories. Thinking of how to distract herself, she tried to remember a distant song Daisy use to sing to her.

All by herself, the lonely warrior hummed in a slow, sad hymn. As the night continued, the warmth began to leave her body. The fire dwindled down into a weak, ashy, site.

Unable to sleep, she decided to venture off her makeshift campsite. Squinting into the dark forest, she picked off dry leaves, crumpling them in her hand to use them as fuel. In addition to finding enough sticks, she was lucky to find a few berries wildly growing to the side.

Feeling content for once, she began making her way back to her camp when she heard howling.

Howls were not uncommon, but they felt extremely close. The cries echoing and gently gliding down her back like a cold breath of air. An odd, bubbling pit of fear began to boil in her stomach as she rushed to get home. It drove her forward, dashing into the endless forest. 

She didn't feel alone.

She felt hunted.

Shadows moved beside her, rustling the bushes and trees. Taeyeon's footsteps were no longer hers.

Taeyeon slowed down into a halt, sighing in relief that her fire hadn't completely burned out yet. She dropped the sticks and took a small moment to catch her breath. It was a fairly peaceful moment, one that the warrior rarely had, until of course, she found herself pinned against the ground, the incredibly lean monster practically preparing itself to dive into it's dinner.

Too tired to fight back, Taeyeon figured she'd gone on long enough. Empty tears fell down her face, her chin pushed up as the wolf began to dig into her neck.

She'd look up at the sky, the same scenery that had given her strength before merely laughed at her tiny, useless existence.

Suddenly, she heard the animal screech out in sharp pain, shivering and stiffening before it lay on her side, an arrow deep in it's neck.

".......eh?" She tried to whisper, but her neck began to sting with pain. The ground around her begins to shuffle when a group of men came marching over. Despite her weakened eyesight, she managed to recognize the lot of them. "..V-Vin?"

The warrior equipped with a bow pointed at her instinctively, before realizing the situation. "...Taeyeon..? Is that you?" 

Another weak whisper escapes her lips before she falls unconscious once again. Vin was one of the few children that Taeyeon trusted in deeply. Though he might have not been Daisy, the lonesome child was happy to have seen a familiar face before going back into the dark.

X X X

Taeyeon awoke a few days later in a milder state of confusion. No longer was she greeted by the river, or the smell of her campfire burning out, but rather a recognizable, welcoming scent of herbs.

She was quite certain that she was awake, but something covered her eyes. Moving her head around, she tried to make a sound.

"Does it smell nice?" A calm voice said. "I've put lavender and cedarwood into the pillow, the combination is suppose to help you sleep. I guess it worked too well because you've been asleep for three days now."

The warrior pauses, trying to focus.

"You've always been such a sleepyhead." The girl leans forward, gently ruffling Taeyeon's hair. "I'm going to remove the bandages off your eyes."

The thin pieces of fabric loosened and fell from her head, she blinks a couple times, her vision livening up again. 

She found herself back at her favorite house -- Daisy's. Except the girl was not there. The woman taking care of her was a different friend, Mina, whom she remembered was Daisy's cousin. "How are you feeling?"

"Ahh.." Taeyeon made a gesture for water. Mina strayed across the room, fetching a hot cup of bark tea. She made small talk, explaining the situation as she prepared some medicine. "Vin and his hunting group found you just outside the skirts of the village's reach. They said you'd been attacked by a wolf, and that you lost consciousness afterwards." She mixed a spoon inside the cup, then handed it over. 

The warrior took a small sip, nodding along to the story.

"They brought you back immediately, you almost died but we catered to your wounds. It's nice to have you back, Taeyeon, but..." There's an unsure, hesitant pause. "What..what happened to you? Where are your parents?"

Her hands clenched the hot cup tightly, she gazed at her now fixed, yet sad appearance that swirled around the dark liquid's reflection. She knew what happened. She was wide awake and felt every sensation, every pain. But..

The sentence came out quiet and hoarse. "If I told you that a star fell down and killed my parents, would you believe me?"

Her brows furrow, the side of her lips hesitantly rising up. ".....I..think you need some more sleep Taeyeon." She tried to say calmly.

"We were heading South to trade, and at night, suddenly..I don't know, a star fell down and exploded."

Mina sighs, fetching her notebook. "I think I may have accidentally overprescribed some medicine."

The healer rose up, barely giving the sick patient any ounce of attention after what was said. She wanted to shout, but there was an abnormal sensation pressing against her chest, clawing at , and even holding her back.

X X X

Taeyeon had always had a particularly good relationship with the Chief and the tribe in general. They'd been all related to one another in one way or another, not necessarily by blood or family, but by tying knots and tradition that kept them all close.

The village had been functioning well. They may have not have been as rich and fortunate as their brother tribes, but they were adopting their own sense of life. Compared to stricter, religious traditions, Chief Kaiser had been more open to new laws and ideologies, something that differed the Winter Tribe from the rest.

Though there was a limit to their beliefs, naturally, as they still struggled to find their place in the vast, wild world.

And unsurprisingly, no one believed Taeyeon's story whatsoever.

Three moons later, the survivor had recovered well enough to walk around and talk. But there was a strangeness floating around in the air. Fear, hesitance, and maybe even hatred.

Within the time they left, the farm her family had owned slowly fell into shambles. They'd prepared it well enough to stand a week against nature, even going so far as to ask neighbors for help. Taeyeon hadn't realized how long she'd been gone to see her crops slowly going bad without the proper daily care she'd strictly grown up to do.

It still didn't fully occur to her that her parents were truly gone. All engulfed in some unexplainable story. Tonight was The Hearing, where Taeyeon would share her story.

She looked to the side, spying a tree's shadow and used it to indicate she'd have at least a few hours before sundown came. Her arm and legs still throbbed and she used a crutch the wood makers had crafted.

With a heavy heart, Taeyeon enters her home.

It was empty. They'd taken most of their belongings for the trip. What was once a lively, happy, warm home felt cold and lonely. She hobbled over to the end of the house, hoping to find something -- anything that she could keep in remembrance of her parents. The cape swallowed by the fire would forever be etched in her mind.

She didn't find much. Old layers of scrap fabric her mother had been saving. A straw doll she'd worn out back when she was a child. Walking short, small steps into the rearer end of their longhouse, she made her way into the final room.

The area they slept in was also left untouched, except for two things.

Daisies.

Two daisies resting on their straw mat.

She stood there, staring at the flowers for a few moments before detecting movement out of the corner of her eye. When Taeyeon turned her head, she finally noticed the girl standing short in the corner.

Her ocean eyes and sunflower hair. Without uttering a sound, Daisy lifted up the same flower in her hands. "I have one for you too."

Taeyeon smiled when she heard her talk, her lips quivering as she tried to shut away the tears.

Her friend merely shook her head and opened her arms. "Let them fall."

X X X

She'd spent the entire night catching up with her best friend, soaking in the moment that they were still alive. The Hearing started just as the sun's embrace disappeared, darkness befalling the world.

Taeyeon explained every minute, every detail, every single memory that melted into her head. She didn't expect them to believe her, but she'd at least expect them to trust that she wasn't lying.

Following the story, there were mixed opinions spreading across the village. Unsurprisingly, a large number of them thought she was crazy. That she'd 'accidentally ate some hallucinatory berries' on their journey. Voices varied from light theories that her story might have slightly been true, while others delved into darker ideas that the entire story was a cover up in order to hide that she killed her parents.

Such a statement fueled rage into the normally quiet, passive girl. But against the older, tougher adults that conquered her world, her words fell empty.

After displaying signs of illness again, Taeyeon excused herself from the debate, crouching over behind one of the walls that protected and indicated their borders. She opened to cry, but having dehydrated herself plenty enough, she merely slumped over, exhausted at what her world had shrunken into.

The warrior recognized the short, steady footsteps creaking behind her.

"Do you believe me?" Taeyeon asked. "Do you believe everything I said?"

Her friend awaited patiently for a signal to continue forward, hesitant in each step, ready to step back if Taeyeon asked her to.

"I want to believe you." she replied, then after a while added, "And I think a part of me already does."

"I wish more of them were like you." mumbled the girl. "If only they'd believe me."

Daisy fixed her skirt before lying down on the ground next to her.

"If only they'd believe me..if only.." The warrior's eyes slowly begin to widen. "If only..they see the star..."

Without missing a beat, Daisy grips her friend's arm tightly. The girl didn't have to spell it out for her. She knew her friend better than anyone else. "No! You can't go outside anymore. Not in this state anyway."

"It's the only way I can prove it.." croaked Taeyeon. "It's the only way they'll understand! I know where it is!"

Daisy began to sob. "I can't let you out there. Not again. Taeyeon, when you didn't come back the night you promised me, I honestly thought you were dead. You can't do that to me again."

"Then what am I suppose to do?!" She was shouting now. "Let them laugh at me? Let them call me a bad spirit? An orphan? I don't to be labeled based on things they didn't see. If I have to drag myself back there and show evidence that what happened was real, god damn it, Daisy, not even you can stop me."

"I won't stop you. I'm just asking that you think about this before charging out completely unprepared." In a fit of rage, Daisy stands up, pulling Taeyeon with her. She whacked her friend's crutch away and threw it across the lot. Taeyeon grunted and tried to reach out to her friend for support. She fell into the ground lamely, another shockwave of pain spreading familiarly.

"See?" Daisy cried. "You can't even walk without help. It'd take at least a couple full moons to fully heal yourself. And it might take more to get back to what you were. Don't you understand? If you go now, you'd simply be blown away by the wind." She leans down, extending a hand to Taeyeon. "I don't want that. I want you to fight back."

Taeyeon struggled to find the strength to reach for Daisy's hand. Seeing this, the healer went ahead to use her own strength to pull each other together.

"No matter how long it'll take." She whispers into her friend's ear. "I'll be there every step of the way."

X X X

By the time the shadows began to sharpen their shade into the river, the Winter villager had already traveled more than half of her journey. With the years passing by as their tribe grew, so did her strength.

Now in her prime age of twenty-two, the child had grown into a fine, independent warrior.

It had been years since the star fell and a lot had changed since then. She'd been shunned for a long time. Unable to live with the memory of her parent's farm, she offered the land to Chief Kaiser and lived outside the village. Many of the adults thought she was a walking curse and would often drive her away from their lodges.

Outside, alone in the wilderness, she matured rapidly; teaching herself how to hunt, craft, and even cook. After moons of building resources, she built a permanent home just South of the village, hidden in the dense forests that she grew accustomed to.

But she left it all a week ago.

Equipped with a few weapons, a knapsack, and a crudely drawn map, she headed further South and into the East, pinpointing and rummaging her memories to where her life began.

To where the star fell.

The warrior, after walking a distance, found confidence that she'd been close and decided to stop for the day. The wide selection of vegetation around her gave her a happy twinge of pleasure. Quickly scouting the area to ensure she was alone and safe, she gathered twigs and dry leaves to start a fire. Sliding her bag down from her back, she sighed in relief.

Enjoying her own weight, she stretched and began searching for berries home to the area. It felt strangely familiar, yet something clogged her memories. After filling a bag of fruits, she traced her steps back to her camp. Fighting against the dense bushes, she jumped out into the open area, surprising a fox that had dug itself into her bag.

"Hey!" She shouted, ready to dash forward. The animal jerked and jumped out of her bag, her sabre-tooth dagger clamped tightly in it's mouth. It sprinted into the sun, leaving behind light footsteps. "Give that back!" Taeyeon screamed again.

Quick to react, she dropped her bag and continued after the animal. She focused on the rapid sounds of the animal sprinting forward, keeping a sharp eye on the tiny footsteps on the dirt. The fox dashed in between trees, but alas, headed for a large open area.

Taeyeon followed every move and escaped the tree's shadow. Her chest rose quickly, tired from the run. In the distance where the hill began to descend, a fox hid behind a padded rock. Catching the sense of movement, she quickly shuffled to the rock, placing her hand as leverage as she leaned down to catch the fox.

But her eyes immediately focused on something else.

Standing atop the tallest hill, Taeyeon recognized an unnatural lump of grass covering a gleam of white material.

And it looked familiar.

Forgetting about the fox, she took a curious, but cautious step forward. She recognized the structure covered in grass, trees, and dirt. Each step felt heavy, all her senses on fire.

Taeyeon stood by what seemed like the entrance. It felt like a cave, it's mouth opening up to swallow her. She nervously stepped in, her breath held and eyes wide open.

Sunlight seeped in parts of the long corridor, there was very little signs of any life. Still, she called out just in case.

"Is..anyone here?" Her words dance across the hallway only to be met with silence. The dimmest blue light awoken near the end, a robotic, monotone voice replied back, lightening up the hallway. Taeyeon took a step back, her fists positioned in the air. If only she had her weapons..

Director, is that you?

Taeyeon listened closely to the sounds, but was unable to interpret the different language. It didn't sound..human.

"Hello?" She called out in a calmer tone.

Voice activated. Rebooting.

Air escapes the air vents above, clearing out the dirt stuck inside. A dust cloud begins to form, covering and shielding her face, she tries to focus on the shining lights at the end of the hallway. Taking careful steps forward, she nervously walks down.

A huge chunk of the area had been underground. Taeyeon fought away from tiny creatures that nested deep inside. She was certain something random was going to pop out and murder her right then and there, but there was an undeniable human craving she had to satisfy. A question she needed to answer.

"What is this place?" She asked out loud.

Voice Command Invalid.

"..Who are you?" Taeyeon pressed her cheek against the wall, trying to determine where the sound was coming from. There was a low rattling sound on the other side of the door.

Voice Command Invalid. Press against the screen to open the door.

Confirming it wasn't a huge threat, she started waving her hand around, trying to gesture or at least cause some motion. At first she tried kicking the wall, but the toughness of it was more than she expected. She winced in pain when a familiar numbness of her old legs spread across again. So she decided to use her hands again, wailing her fists against every surface.

By a of luck, whatever she did, the unrecognizable voice beeped in response, opening the first obstacle she encountered. Due to some mechanical malfunction, Taeyeon had to squeeze her way through the half-open doors. The tight fit led her to lunge forward, practically pulling and clawing at the floor to get out. She looked at her left leg, still stuck between the doors.

With a sharp, heavy kick propelling her forward, she escaped the grip and rolled into the dark room.

"Ouch.." She sighed, looking for something to grab to. Finding an odd piece hanging near her, she gripped it tightly and used it to support herself.

At first, the lever didn't budge, but once she had fully leaned her weight into it, it dropped again, the entire room blinding her with artificial light. Taeyeon screamed in fear and crawled into a corner.

Lights , voices mingling together, strange unexplainable sounds, and the small rupture of a pod opening. Erupting from the ground was a long, glass pod full of strange green liquid. Taeyeon gasped out loud, watching the entire thing unfold.

The liquid began to drain to the bottom, the foggy glass clearing up as it began to reveal a figure.

A woman.

Captain Tiffany Hwang of the Dandelion Fleet, subject in reawakening process. Please stand by.

Taeyeon tried to mimic the language, finding it difficult to remember. She repeated the word 'Captain' in her head.

Finally, standing tall, the pod opens, a gust of hot steam coming out. The woman steps forward, taking her first breaths of a new world.

But she was . Taeyeon couldn't help but stare, feeling rather creepy huddled in the corner. The woman looked around, muttering something in the same language as the machines.

"...What happened to this place?" She looked around, first at herself, and then the room. Taeyeon bit her lip, wishing right then and there that the shadows would swallow her.

Unable to hide her shivering, Taeyeon let out a little cry, giving away her position.

"Who's there?!"

Their eyes met, two different timelines observing each other in strange, uncomfortable silence.

X X X

(A/N:) Sorry for the super late update! Life happened, lost my motivation to write, and although I know I could have written this chapter so much better, I didn't want to delay and lose my drive to write tonight. I hope you all enjoyed this and the ending song!

This and the previous chapter were originally going to be just one extremely long chapter / prologue, so I divided it into two. It could have been longer but I didn't want to drag on anymore! They've finally met and this is where the fun begins! :) Thank you for being patient. Please continue to support me!