Oboe Winning Entry

She stood balanced carefully on the edge of one of the tallest buildings in Mistica, gazing out upon the small village. Her dull red gloves outlined her clenched fists, and a cape with the same colors flowed out behind her in the breeze, resembling a gently rippling stream. Yellow eyes stared calmly out from behind a slightly faded mask, in stark contrast with the rest of her body – all of her muscles were tensed, as though she was poised to spring.

Being up at this height offered great advantages to her already advanced sight, but the weather did alter the effectiveness of her appearance. Although outwardly composed and ready to jump at the slightest provocation, her teeth were clenched due to the wind. The playful air kept blowing her feathery tail around her body, causing it to catch under her cape and up into her face and mouth. She kept having to spit out lengths of long fur, and she feared that it would tarnish her image.

Not that she was up here for the townsfolk to gaze upon her. She had been blessed with enhanced abilities for as long as she could remember, and almost from the day she could walk and speak she had sworn to use her powers for good. Her mother, a good-natured but worrisome sort, had told her she had been blessed by the great goddess Rae when she was but a tiny baby, crying in her cradle. The goddess had seen great potential in the small child before her, and granted the mother’s request to ensure her baby would live a fulfilling life. In doing so, she had laid a great prophecy upon the little one – she would be destined to be a great hero, saving Mistica one unselfish act at a time.

Being blessed by Rae also gave her much higher abilities than the average person. Her eyes, a bright blue when she was born, had gradually shifted to a deep amber. One was slightly darker – rather like the Anya goddess herself – and helped her see a little ways into the future, in addition to granting her Anya-like perceptions for sight. She felt like she could see for miles. Her ears were sharp, and could pick up sound from a far distance away; this way, she could hear almost anyone in trouble, and could move quickly to save them. In addition to her far-seeing eyes and powerful ears, the ever-bothersome tail allowed her to balance gracefully on the edges of buildings no one else would dare set foot on, and assisted her in great leaps from powerful hindlegs. There, she could quietly observe, making sure all those that lived in her land were safe from harm – but still ready to act at a moment’s notice.

She concentrated, and a small glimpse of the future burst into her mind at will. Recently she had been having terrible headaches and nightmares that tingled all the way down to her fingertips, setting every nerve afire. As the image painted itself into her mind, she grew afraid. The visions had been warning her of a new threat, exactly as she feared. A dreadful beast, known only to the few survivors as Thab, had been spreading his evil across the land. The hero’s own little village was at risk, and she was the only one that could prevent his evil claws from claiming more victims of his awful magic.

Her fear dissipated like the morning dew. She had to be strong for her friends, for her family. They were relying on her, or at least the hero they knew her as, to save them from this dreadful evil. Her humble beginnings, as a small child given great gifts by a powerful goddess, only strengthened her resolve. This was the moment she had been waiting for her entire life: this could be the ultimate showdown between good and evil, and would certainly decide the fate of the town.

The Hero leapt down from the building in a single mighty bound, and raced towards the location where she had seen the villain in her mind…

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“Clem! Stop playing in your pillow fort! You really need to come have your bath.” A voice called out, interrupting the daydreams of one certain young Anya. She giggled, only burrowing deeper into the tallest tower in all of Mistica, at least in her imagination. Even great heroes needed to hide away from their dreaded enemies on some occasions!