It was a gloomy morning when Iris woke up, stretching her arms and then sighing as she looked out her window. “Still raining.” She said, climbing out of her bed of flower petals. She walked outside her hut and stood in the pouring rain. Somehow, the cold wetness felt good on her skin. Like a flower, she seemed to gain strength from it.

Every morning, when Iris awoke, she would come outside to absorb either rain or sunshine. Every morning, however, she did not see a huge flash of golden light flooding the village. She looked around, no one was coming out of their huts. She supposed that everyone was still asleep. She gathered her courage and began walking toward the place where the light came from.

Her mind was racing. There were so many different things it could be. A new visitor. An Intruder. A returning friend. Or maybe… it was him. She shook her head. “No,” she whispered to herself. “That’s impossible.”

She walked onward, becoming more uneasy with every step. For some reason, her nerves were on-end today. It was as if she could sense that something terrible was going to happen, something that would completely alter her way of life. She shivered. The rain didn’t feel so good anymore.

There were plenty of trees between her and her destination. They blocked some of the rain, but cold drops hit her shoulders occasionally, making her flinch. She was getting too nervous. She told herself to calm down, for all the good that would do her.

When she finally reached the clearing, she squinted, trying to see the gate before she actually came to it. The closer she got, the more worried she became. Just ahead, she could see something lying in front of the gate. But what was it? A few more steps and she was there, and she looked upon the object with horror in her eyes.

Laying before her, on the muddy ground was a pair of shredded, black wings and a large amount of blood seaping into the ground.