Saving The Old Land

My New Old Home

Z's P.O.V.

When someone falls, they expect to hit the ground or water almost immediately. This was not my case here and now, I was falling through clouds and at fast speeds. I looked down to see either dead grass or a desert and, man, would I have preferred water underneath me. I continued to fall and I was now truly scared for my life and I didn't know whether to be happy or sad about it. Something deep down told me that I wanted to survive this if I could.

"Someone help me please!" I screamed, praying to any God that heard. I closed my eyes, not knowing if anyone could hear me or would make it to save me. I kept my eyes closed but something felt off. I hadn't landed yet. I opened my eyes to see the ground coming closer but more slowly. That is when I felt the pair of arms around me adjust themselves.

"Hold on. It is going to get hot for a minute." I felt as if my feet touched the ground but I was immediately forced into a crouched position. Then a pair of wings wrapped themselves around me. Not even a moment later, a loud booming sound and a force of heat hit. This heat felt like I was sitting in front of a heater on a cold day, but it didn't burn. After what felt like forever, the wings opened up and I was able to stand up.

"Who are you and where on Earth am I?" I spoke fast, looking around, now seeing the grass green and vibrant. I finally looked at my savior and took in his appearance. This was no ordinary person. His eyes were a gold color that matched his pure white hair, that fit his perfect facial structure. He was the definition of a perfect looking man.

"Oh, you're from Earth. This is going to be a long day for you then. But to start, I am Aziel." He grabbed my shoulders and led me to a rock and me sat down on it. "Better. You're now in a different world that is called Valent. The area you are specifically in is called The Old Land. A place where the original Ulunneth and Changeling live. I'll explain that more later because it will take time to process."

"This is already a lot to process." I spoke, looking at him confused.

"I know, now how about you tell me your name." He spoke, kneeling in front of me. I had to take a moment to process what he said, because I hate my Earth name so I will go with something simple.

"Call me Z, before you ask. I hate the name I was given," I answered. I watch as he nods and stands and holds out a hand.

"Come on. I'll help figure out what you can do here until we can get you back, if you want." I took his hand and nodded. "Hopefully the Changelings didn't notice you falling. If they did, this would cause an incident no one needs." He muttered. "One moment." I raised a brow and watched as he stepped away and I watched as his body started to change. Something that looked and sounded painful seemed not to be for him. What stood before me now was a large white buck with a long tail with spikes on the end and large folded feathered wings.

"What is that?" Was all I could muster.

"I am what we call an Ulunneth. Hop on, it will be faster for me to run in this form, to the Ulunneth kingdom." He still spoke, he gestured for me to climb on. I walked over but took a minute to think that I wouldn't be able to climb onto his back. This form made him the size of a f*****g moose!

"A little help please." I spoke, poking at his side. He swiftly kneeled down for me to be able to climb on his back.

"Hold on tight." He sang before running off into the forest that stood near the edge of the field we stood in. The branches of the trees didn't seem to hang lower than what his antlers stood. My best guess was because of how fast they ran and how often. Or they cleared them so they didn't get caught in the branches.

To anyone else, I would seem crazy to trust a strange man who could turn into a creature that should not exist. But to me it seemed normal deep down and what else was I supposed to do? I was not where I belonged and I knew no one or knew anything about where I am currently. I was taught by my adoptive mother that you shouldn't trust those who don't want to give answers or those who claim they aren't crazy.

"We're here." I was pulled out of my thoughts when he spoke suddenly. I looked up at the large castle-like building in front of me. Whether houses were attached or not, but clearly a beautiful place compared to anything on Earth. Aziel kneeled down for me to hop off and I did so quickly. I was too distracted by the place to have noticed that he had shifted back to his human form again. "This way." He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and led me inside the castle. Many people we passed nodded their heads or spoke something in an unknown language. He finally led me into a large office room and pointed to a couch. I went and sat down and looked around. It seemed like they had the same technology as Earth but kept the land around them clear of anything constructional or mechanical.

"Layal thank you for getting here so fast." I was pulled back to Aziel speaking. I looked over at a woman who had walked in with a small duffel.

"Of course. Especially when I hear someone falls and needs your help, it is important." She walked over to me and looked at me with soft eyes. "I'm Layal, I am the head of the medical staff here. I think you have questions, but for now let me take a look at you, is that okay?" She asked me clearly, not reaching for me without consent.

"Yeah, I don't mind." I nodded to her. She finally reached for my hand and closed her eyes.

"What she is doing is using her magic to see if there is anything medically wrong. From a fracture to a silly cold." Aziel spoke, looking at me while leaning on the desk. "This magic can tell many things about a person, from the past to the current moment." I could feel a lump in my throat, if that is true in the way I was thinking, then she would know what I was doing before I ended up here.

"Well, nothing physically wrong with her." She did know from the look she gave me, it was that of a mother knowing something was wrong with their child. She turned to Aziel and I sure hope she didn't say anything to him about it. "But there is something else I should mention."

"That is?" Aziel asked, gesturing for her to continue. "You can't leave me hanging like this."

"She isn't human like you all think," Layal answered. I could feel the tension in the room finally. "You, my dear, are a Changeling who has never shifted." Layal spoke, looking back at me with a calm look.

"Wait! A Changeling? Are you sure?" Aziel asked. Gods I hope he doesn't hate me just because of this one thing.

"Positive, to make matters worse, I think I know who she is related to and this may make things way more difficult for everyone." Layal added. I wish she would just stop and leave things out. "I would not say these things, but it is imperative that we have a meeting with the Changeling Queen. I believe we could get a peace treaty because of you." Layal continued. "With this treaty we could stop a potential war that could destroy more than there needs to be." She kneeled in front of me holding my hands. "Aziel, please?" She looked back at him with a pleading look.

"Fine," Aziel sighed after giving it a long, hard thought. He didn't want to contact them and I couldn't figure out why from his facial expression. "Give me a minute. I hate this part." He closed his eyes and we all stood in silence for several minutes before he opened them again. "She will meet us on the field as soon as we can. We'll meet Ralph outside and you will be joining Layal." Layal nodded and stood up from her kneeling position.

"I'll meet you both there." She spoke before leaving the room swiftly.

"I don't want to do this but I must." Aziel walked over to me and kneeled in front of me. "Please, I know it is asking a lot of you, but I don't want this war. If you can prevent it, I would be forever in your debt."

"No you wouldn't." I spoke in a harsh manner. He flinched and looked at me stunned. "You saved my life. So, if stopping this war is what you want, then I will. No matter what it takes." His eyes softened and he smiled for the first time since we met.

"We should go now." He stood up and took my hand to lead me out of the castle. I left here as soon as I got here, which was getting annoying as f**k. But the reason I didn't want to leave was because of Aziel. We walked outside past all the houses and shops before meeting up with two already shifted Ulunneths. But what was interesting was they were the size of a deer, not a f*****g moose. I looked at Aziel who shifted when I wasn't looking, making me feel creditably uncomfortable. He kneeled down for me to hop on his back and off we went.

They ran at a slower pace than when he took me to the castle. Was it because they wanted to take their time or the other two were slower than him? We reached the edge of the field and I could see a group of three people standing next to an archway I had never noticed before. They slowed their pace to a walk as they got closer and came to a full stop a good twenty feet away.

"What is the meaning of this meeting, Aziel? You never ask for one." The woman in the middle hissed, placing a hand on her hip. Her long black hair swayed with the small breeze, her bright red eyes stared at Aziel before meeting mine. Aziel kneeled down again and I hopped off, quickly feeling the woman's eyes watching my movements. "A human?" She questioned, but her voice was much softer.

"No, Changeling," Aziel answered with a very serious but nice tone. "Layal, will you please explain finally?"

"First, Rylie meet half way." Layal spoke calmly, grabbing my hand and leading me over towards them. We met a different woman halfway across. Layal nudged my hand and instantly I held it out to the woman, who took it hesitantly. "While Rylie does her evaluation to confirm my beliefs. I believe Z is a Changeling, but not just any. She is your daughter, Lady Claudia." The lady in the middle went stiff and I watched as her eyes widened.

"Rylie?!" Lady Claudia spoke with a curious tone. Rylie took another moment before removing her hand and looking at the woman.

"She is correct. She has all your markers." Rylie fessed up, she gave me a knowing look at my past as well. For the love of the Gods, I really hope these two can keep their mouths shut.

"My Lady, she looks barely anything like you." The man behind her spoke up.

"Rin! You may not know but my daughter, when she was born, was a gift from the Red Changeling. When she was born, she had special features that made her different from the rest." Claudia spoke feeling maybe offended by his statement. She walked over to me and put a hand on my face, at the side of my eye I could see Layal rush back behind Aziel. Aziel was tense watching Claudia up near me or something else. "Well, I must thank you for bringing her to me. Where was she?"

"Earth." I answered before anyone could. Claudia looked at me stunned. "I was raised on Earth before I fell here. And I mean literally fell and I have Aziel to thank for saving me." Claudia nodded and led me over towards her group.

"We'll be on our way then. I would like time with my daughter," Claudia said. I watched as the others nodded and turned on their heels to walk off. But Aziel doing that made me feel betrayed, like I was never going to see him again. I turned around to see the new group had shifted into a completely different creature than the Ulunneths. They looked like a mix of a cat and a dog with pitch black fur, they had feathered wings and they had two tails that looked fluffy and soft. Their size I couldn't even describe. Their tails, at a distance, could have been mistaken as spiked. I climbed onto Claudia's back and we were taking off in the opposite direction.

I don't know how to feel now. I am basically told that I was born here and that I was meant to be raised basically as a princess. I don't know if I like this idea or if I just miss being in the presence of Aziel. But I knew for sure he knew this was going to put a strain on any chances of a friendship between us. I don't know if I can handle this new change or even the thought of never going home. Who am I kidding? I didn't want to be there on Earth anyway. Let me just make a new life here.