Aligned by Rashelle Workman

In The Beginning …
     
    I am someone.
    But, I have no idea who.
    There is a planet called Earth, with one sun and one moon. That isn’t where I live. How am I sure? Two suns and two moons rotate across my sky.
    The name of this planet is Kelari.
    My home is in a cave at the base of a mountain peak. From its entrance I can peer further down the mountain, over the tops of lush green trees, and dense foliage, all the way to the cerulean waters o f the sea. It’s always warm , and humid. Sometimes stiflingly so.
    On Earth, I know there are forests, deserts, high mountains and deep bodies of water. There are animals, insects, and birds. The name of every species, every creature, is somehow known to me, as is all of Earths’ history. Every color, every shade, every hue—from robin’s egg blue to periwinkle—can be pulled from my mind. How I know these things, where I was born, and who my parents are, remain unknown.
    I’ve never seen anyone on this planet similar to me, but I’d recognize a human if I saw one. My memories are chock-full of them. I think I am one. Or at least I used to be.
    When it comes to me, this is what I know for sure: I look like a human male. When I first arrived, I grew a lot. My face and body changed almost daily. So did my skin, which started out amber brown, like maple syrup. Currently, it’s closer to cinnamon, probably from the suns. My eyes are spring grass green. The color of my blood was a reddish-orange. Now, no matter how hard I try, the surface of my skin can’t be punctured. I don’t even know my name.
    My first day here I opened my eyes, and screamed like a girl (no offence to girls, it’s just I’m a guy). The reason is a gigantic black cat-looking thing had her face right in front of mine. She licked me with a large sand-papery tongue. I hate to admit to another girly-scream as I rose on my elbows and tried to back away. She roared, shaking her long mane. Then I cried. She roared again. I cried some more (this is embarrassingly sad, but give me a break; I was only seven or eight).
    Her voice entered my mind. Hush, child. Stop making all that racket. My head is going to burst.
    I cried louder. She snorted, turned away and lay down at the entrance of our cave.  Enormous black wings pounded the air as she settled in. Her giant body blocked the entrance, and my only escape. Whimpering, I huddled against a wall.
    Much later, my curiosity got the better of me, especially since she hadn’t made a move to eat me. At least not yet. I decided to try and reason with her.  “Hey! Hey, you.”
    She turned around and her voice spoke inside my head again. Can you understand my thoughts?
    I nodded. “I think so.”
    She shook her head. Use your thoughts so I can comprehend what you’re saying. Your verbal noises are incredibly grating.
    Concentrating, I asked, Are . . . you going to eat me? ”
    No, young one. My name is Mithrith . I am an irrihunter. And you are? 
    I thought and thought, realizing I must have been given a name, but I couldn’t remember. I don’t know. I stood and took tentative steps toward her. She was massive. All black with short fur, the same as a panthers. Face like a saber-toothed tiger. The ears, mane and tail of a horse. And then there were her wings. Not the same as a bird’s, but a bat. You sort of remind me of a dragon .
    She roared. Ever met a dragon? That is insulting. Take it back.
    Sorry. I stepped away , wary, but asked, You met a dragon?  
    Once. She looked nothing like me.
    Sorry, I repeated, disregarding my urge to bombard her with further dragon questions. So, um, where are we? How did I get here?
    This planet is called Kelari. You were dropped in front of my cave by a great bird. He spoke to me in my own language and asked me to watch over you. A good thing he said something, otherwise you’d be digesting in my stomach.
    I fled to my corner (a mighty warrior).
    She made a noise in the back of her throat that sounded like laughter. Come back.