As a wandering spirit, and the yearning of the open road takes hold of the heart, it is hard to resist. Often, the results of each new place were productive in structuring the child. Very rarely does it ever end badly for her, though sometimes, it can be traumatizing. Akira decided she had grown enough to revisit her home town of Vilpamolan. In the distance of the city's shore's edge, the child had noticed the distant lands, and wondered what was there.

Tales of the sailing folk, otherwise known as pirates, always overheard as none would give the child time of day, was that the islands were an illusion. None could land, none could swim or fly to this place, all would simply pass through. Nothing had changed while she was in the city. Kids still tried to pick on her, yet this time she had the confidence to stand up to them. Adults ignored her, even most shopkeepers. The ones who did talk to her tried to chase her off for being a thief in the past, even if it was only food.

Akira sat at the end of one of the piers, kicking her feet as she stared at the distant islands. "I wish I can get there." As she sat there, wondering aloud about the islands, a beautiful creature nearly startled her as it breached the surface of the ocean at her feet. It had golden blonde hair fanning out across the water behind it, blue skin, golden eyes like Akira, and fin-like ears. Lifting itself out of the water enough to cross its arms and hold itself upon the wood of the pier it smiled upon the child. A large fin rose from the water behind her, causing Akira to gasp. "A mermaid!"

"You want to go to the Forsaken Isle? I can help. But… You'd have to let darkness in your mind Allow shadows to guide you to that place. Can you do that?" Thinking long and hard, Akira nodded. With the child on her back,, the mermaid swam all the way to the Isles. After setting Akira on the creaky pier, the child watched as the air shimmered around the mermaid, shrinking until she was the size of a pixie. Hovering around Akira's head she giggled. "You know, Akira, I like you. Call me Neera."

Getting past the pier was easy enough, carefully creeping across, expecting each step to fall through the wood. The woodland, however, was another story. All the trees seem empty and sad, eerie the way they seemed bent out of shape, or straight up as if reaching for the sky. Akira followed the path, feeling a sense of dread weighing heavily upon her. Her heart beat loudly in her ears. Even with faint lights twinkling in the distance, there was the sound of sinister laughter echoing around the pair. "Are we lost, Neera?" Neera turned to show Akira a finger to her lips, indicating the need for silence. She led the child away from several sleeping huge creatures with dark fur.

However, a twig snapped as it was stepped on, causing the beasts to wake up. They were large, with dreadful claws and fangs, and started to chase the small child through the forest. Naturally she screamed as she ran, using her small, nimble nature to try and out maneuver them to safety.

A pleasant calm walk through the woods, that's all she wanted. Of course, if she wanted just that, then she was definitely in the wrong place. The forest that encircled the outer edge of Discordia Isle were not to be traveled through lightly, but she didn't feel like trekking all the way to the mainland to try and find some peace outside the palace she lived in. There was a stark difference in smells in a forest of the night versus a mountain city always alight with brimstone and forge fire. Baltil smelled of smoke, molten metal, and exotic spices. The Discordia forests were smelled of damp rot, pine, and ocean air. Both she loved, but for now she needed something different than the smells of her mountain workshop and the incense of the palace of the Night. 

If she had been just anyone this jaunt would have been ill-advised. But she wasn't. She was queen of this isle, though a stranger would not have known by looking at her. 

She heard the squeals as she was cutting some of the plants that grew in the dim to replenish her herb stores. Such cries weren't uncommon of the poor souls who ran afoul of the lycans and other denizens of the forest, but this one in particular made her pause. It denoted child-like youth. She froze for a second, eyes flicking back and forth to gauge distance before the stood and turned in the direction they came from. She walked calmly but quickly in the direction of the cries. 

She stopped only when a small body ran into her legs, too afraid of what had been behind to see what had been forward. 

It was true, she was not sure where she was heading, unaware of anything around her save for the hungry, chasing ugly beasts behind. Akira dared to glance behind, whimpering as she tried to renew her efforts of being faster. However, they were quickly gaining on her. "Akira!" Neera called out, failing to warn the child before she ran smack into a stranger.

Looking up, she was greeted by the sight of a fair skinned, purple eyed, curly red haired woman. For a moment, the child wondered if this new presence meant her harm. Pounding feet and snarling, though ferocious, seemed to lessen in the enchantment of gazing on her. Slowly, she blinked and turned to gaze upon that which threatened her. All of the beasts were ginormous so close, yet they had stopped charging. Neera had chosen to hide within Akira's hair at this point, not from fear. The Puca had a healthy respect for deities, their spouses, royalty, and for living in general.

Akira frowned. Her pursuers were circling, agitated, yet not pressing forward. They could easily take them on, yet they were hesitating. She hugged the woman's leg, pressing herself against her, trying to make herself as small as possible. "Please help me…" This was, perhaps, her first proper sentence without referring to herself in the third person she has ever spoken, not for lack of trying on her parent's lessons.

Scarlett looked down at the little one that had run into her. She immediately recognized she was Fox Demon, though perhaps not specifically a Kitsune like her fiancé. Though, knowing Xunatar this little one could have easily been his spawn from who knows how long ago. He had been plain that he had children that not even he knew about. 

The thoughts scattered as snarls and snaps started encircling them. Perhaps they couldn't tell who she was in the dim. The child looked up at her and pleaded for aid. Scarlett didn't hesitate. Children were precious. Her hair flared up and illuminated the grove as a powerful aura of fire flared out from her. The things that lurked at the edge of the circle flinched back and slowly retreated into the dark, knowing better than to mess with the Queen of the Isle, nor the child she clearly deemed her property. 

Once gone, Scarlett looked at the little fox-girl. "What are you doing here, little one?" she demanded. She wasn't one from the island, that was for sure, though she would fit in just fine. "Where are your parents? Where do you come from?"

After a moment of realizing she sounded very harsh, Scarlett sighed, produced from her pouch a handful of sweets which she offered to the child. "What's your name," she asked, much gentler this time.

The woman's hair turned into flame. It literally turned into flame! The child's jaw literally dropped as she gaped at the beautiful sight. Was it as hot as it was bright? All she wanted to do was run her hands through the bright hair as it curled and licked at the air around her. Every scary thing ran away into the darkness.

She flinched at the harshness of the tone. There was hesitation as she heard the same questions from the mysterious woman as everyone else demanded. What are you doing here? Why are you alone? Where are your parents? Is that all anyone cared about was why a child of barely six years would be out and about by herself without anyone looking after her? Suddenly, the woman's demeanor changed as there was offered sweets and a much gentler tone ask her name was requested. Still, there was hesitation from the child before she reached out to take a candy. Instead of plopping it in her mouth as most would have done, she held it in her hands, staring at it with her head hung low.

"Akira sorry. I just wanted to visit island. Everyone says island is 'mirrorage', no one can come." Her vocie was small and meek, as a chastised child, even as she tried to carefully pronounce the unfamiliar word. It was then that the pixie shaped puca decided to peek out from the white hair and gave the stranger a respectful bow. "I've watched the child in Vilpamolan City for years now. She's been picked on, bullied, and treated as trash. Unwanted, and detested. When she disappeared for a good long while, I feared for the worst. Suddenly, she returned, alive and well. In my happiness of her safety, I granted her request of coming here. She's really sweet, for all she's endured. I apologize if I chose poorly, however, I thought you would appreciate seeing a child who resembles your spouse-to-be as sweet and innocent as Akira here."

At this, Akira's mouth gaped open once more. Was she that noticed? "My mommies live in Sool… Sularia. They mercenaries, but let Akira travel as Akira likes. I've been alone my whole life… Not used to staying in one home so long." It was a simple explanation, and hopefully this would sate any curiosity the woman had. "Thank you… For saving me. Do you want Akira to go now?"