Snippet #2438241

"CICADAS!"
A scream wakes me up, and jolts me into thinking. Its been 17 years. Damn!
"TWO DAYS AWAY! RUN!"
The cicadas are the most destructive species on the planet. They... but I won't think about that.
"Sina!" I bark. "Pack up! We are leaving. Now." she comes running out, but i shake my head. "not now" i say. "Go." she nods, and frantically starts packing.

Two Hours Later

i swear, that girl must have a touch of goddess in her. She had the tent down and packed in an hour and a half. I spent that time trying to buy enough food for a days ride. When i got back, she was done.
"So, where are we going, anyway? This is rather... urgent."
"Cicadas." I say shortly. "We are going to stay with some of my... friends."

A Day Later

I finally see what i'm looking for: A plume of smoke from the trees. I tell Sina to stay put, dismount, mutter a short prayer to Vix that they don't kill me on sight, and walk into the woods.
The first one to see me was Kiri. She gasps (unsurprisingly, as the last time I saw her was when I was 13). "You... you came back?" i nod, and she says "stay here. then she runs deeper into the forest. "SHE'S BACK!!! SHE'S REALLY BACK!!!"

Half the village comes... not precisely running, more of a I-really-want-to-see-this-but-I-need-to-look-dignified-so-I-won't-run-but-I-really-want-to-run-and-see-this kind of running walk, led by Kiri, who doesn't care about looking dignified and is actually running, and then squishing all the air out of me.