Chapter 10 - Surprise—Whitelighter!

Chapter 10: Surprise—Whitelighter!

He had been out in the middle of the wilderness for quite some time—the middle of nowhere. Robin was a greatly educated with survival tactics; it had never been an issue where he was concerned. He could go for days without civilization to rely on completely if he had to.

His goal was to find Starfire anyways, and he wasn’t just about to give in and give up.

The terrain was treacherous; he was getting sick of overgrowth and weeds blocking his way. Even though he knew he had been fairly close to where the supernatural activity was concentrated, he hadn’t seen any sign of any of it in the days he’d been out there in search of the Starfire. The only signs of life he’d seen were the ones of natural wildlife usually found the depths of the woods—deer, bears, rabbits, etc.

He stopped by a spring to rest, as well as get a drink. He was close to dehydration, and the water ran clear enough for him.

There was a large rock near the babbling brook that he came to rest on for a time; he was out of place in the middle of the natural world around him, he’d come to realize—a sore thumb in a world totally the opposite of what he was used to.

He had been resting for a time when there was a disturbance. Not one of sound, for he heard not a thing—no rustling, no footsteps. The disturbance was visual—a bright shroud of light orbs that had no place of origin or sense of real purpose at first.

He found it odd for an illumination of bright orbs of light to exist that close to the forest floor; the canopy made of tree leaves and branches filtered the light coming through too much for it to even be natural. He realized it couldn’t have been natural a few moments after it first occurred.

A being formed in the light shroud—a form of a woman.

She was dark haired—brown nearing almost black, with some length past the shoulders, grey blue eyes, skin toned a shade that spoke enough to say she wasn’t fair skinned— taking a bit away from the theory that she was a specter. She was garbed in fairly ordinary wear—a spaghetti strapped tank top in black, simple khaki Capri pants, and a simple chain with a pendant dangling from it.

She apparently was looking for someone, and apparently that someone was—him.

He didn’t recognize her; to him she was a total stranger. He could’ve seen a similar face in the crowd many times over the years, but not that exact one. Even with his lack of recognition in her, she somehow recognized him.

“Are you out looking for me?” he called out to her, just to be sure he was the one she was out looking for. She didn’t flinch, but rather replied calmly to his inquiry.

“Actually—yeah,” she replied as she approached. “I was told to come looking for you—and another.”

“What other?” he asked. “Who else are you looking for?”

“A girl,” she replied. “Who I’ve already found. I just needed to find you for her, and here you are.”

“A girl?” he asked. Suddenly he was anxious to press her for information. “Can you give me info on this girl? I’ve been looking for someone in particular, and if that someone is the same girl—“

“A brunette, tall, a bit odd—and eerily cheerful,” the woman replied. “Eerily like someone I’ve dealt with before—“

“Starfire,” he said, with some relief. “Where is she? Is she okay?”

“She’s out there,” the woman said. “I didn’t bother to relocate her until I found you first. She seems fairly insistent on you being found for her. She apparently needs you. I guess being out here for several days on end can make anyone desperate for some kind of people contact. I sure would be.”

“Can you take me to her?” he asked, getting up. “How far of a hike is it?”

“Don’t bother with hiking.” She replied. “I sure did a while ago when I got a more convenient mode to replace it.”

“What—“

“Let’s just say it’s a nice version of a little thing called teleportation,” she said, cutting him off. “The white shroud is part of the process. Marks how I come and go. It’s kind of neat.”

“I’ve had some experience with teleportation before,” he said. “How does your mode work?”

“Grab hands, think where you want to go, and—ta-da! You’re there,” she replied. “Its that simple.”

“Okay,” he said. “Just grab your hand?”

“Yup.”

“Hey, can I ask you something?” he said.

“Yeah,” she replied. “Shoot.”

“Who are you, and how is it that you knew where to find me, and why did you come for me in the first place?” he asked.

“I’m a whitelighter,” she responded. “I was informed to look for you and your friend for some reason—something with a prophecy, and the involvement of a few people I happen to know.” She paused for a moment, adding afterward, ”Oh, and you can just call me Prue.”

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Starfire was very weak—and fairly dehydrated. She’d calculated that she was into day five of her entrapment in the wilderness while being all alone and injured—and weakened. She didn’t dare waste what strength she had left on attempts to cry out for help when she didn’t have it to waste on the remotest inkling of an opportunity for a rescue that came along. She had to reserve it for the one she could validate as being pure and true.

The fall from the strike made on her in the air had left her with a sprained ankle, which she didn’t realize until late into day two. It kept her from moving about even more then weakness or possible fear she still held for whatever was out there.

She was losing hope that she’d ever be found, and it faded even more where it concerned the one she’d hoped would be her rescuer. She was starting to fear that maybe the illusion—or what she thought was an illusion—might not have been one at all. She was starting to really dread that being the reality.

The dread and worry for the one she loved kept earthbound—that, and the weakness and fatigue that plagued her.

The sun stood midway through its descent high in the sky, marking it at being somewhere around early noon. The day was warm—the boastings of a perfected summer day nonetheless. The combination of the summer day’s heat and the lack of hydration were starting to play with her mind, making the line between delirium and rationality a very thin and indistinct thread.

She saw in the near distance a shimmering array of light orbs—white and blue—disrupting the space that was not marred with it before—or maybe she was seeing things—maybe the lights weren’t even there, real—

The lights didn’t fade, nor did they portray themselves as being just a delusion. They existed for moments longer then she would’ve expected, eventually dissipating. In their place—instead of the nothingness she was expecting—stood the form of a woman. A woman she didn‘t recognize, but one she was relieved to see nonetheless.

Again thinking it was still just a figment, she gave it time to confirm its reality before reacting. Moments—long moments—passed, and the form of a woman still remained.

She was dark haired, medium skin toned, and a relief to see for the extremely fatigued Starfire. She didn’t question just how the woman came to be—she was just grateful she was there.

“Hello, friend!!” Starfire cried out with the last reserve of strength she could muster for it. “Please! I am in need of assistance!”

“Hey—are you the one whose been stranded out here by chance?” the woman called back. “The girl who was shot down from the sky about five days back, and has been MIA since then?”

“Yes,” Starfire replied. “I was shot down just about that many days ago.”

“I’ve been looking for you,” the woman replied. “I was told to put you on my case load to go in search of. I’m glad I found you without too much trouble.”

“Who—may I ask—would you be?” Starfire asked. “I am not familiar too much with beings that form in an aura of bright blue-white lights, and it would be satisfactory to imply a name to my rescuer as well.”

“I’m Prue—a whitelighter,” the woman responded. “The whole blue-white aura is a whitelighter thing.”

“The beings also referred to as guardian angels?” Starfire asked. This obviously caught the one there—Prue—by surprise.

“You’ve heard of them?” Prue exclaimed. “For someone who had to inquire about what it was, you sure know what it represents.”

“A friend of mine has been associated with one—a whitelighter, and my knowledge is mainly from that,” Starfire spoke. “I am weak. Could you be of some assistance?”

“Probably,” Prue replied. “I didn’t come out here to find you—and just leave you.”

“I am afraid I cannot move, as my ankle is throbbing with much pain—too much to withstand walking upon,” Starfire said. “I cannot truly move.”

“Got ya covered there,” Prue replied. “The ankle—I can fix that, no prob.”

“Really?” Starfire’s eyes brightened. “How—“

“Whitelighters are gifted with the ability to heal,” Prue told her. “Most things anyways. A sprained ankle is as easy as pie for me when it comes to healing.”

Starfire was grateful at the concept, hoping that the one named Prue was really capable of what she stated she was able to do. Prue approached her, only making slight crunching noises as she walked upon dried pine needles and peat moss. As she got close, she knelt down on her knees beside her, palms hovering just inches from the ankle left in pain for the past five days. At first Starfire watched incredulously at the effort, still in question of the possibility of it being real, but as the pain started to subside and the swelling lessened to nothing, she started to let the disbelief slide away completely. She was left in awe and complete wonder as an after result.

To test that it was a reality, she got up on her feet to test the ankle that had left her in pain for five days straight. She felt none of the pain she thought she would, and she beamed at that fact.

“Thank you!” the grateful Starfire hugged her savior, maybe a bit too tightly for that matter. Prue was apparently left gasping for air because of the constricting grip the Starfire unintentionally had on her. Realizing her error, after she acknowledged the gasping sounds the woman was making, she hastily loosed her grip, hoping terribly that she hadn’t harmed the guardian angel.

“I am sorry,” Starfire responded as Prue regained regular breathing patterns. “I am just grateful, and I got a bit—carried away.”

“Yeah, okay,” Prue responded.

“Have you—by chance—come upon any others out here on the reaches of this wilderness?” Starfire asked her.

“I was actually sent to search for two people—you being one of them,” Prue said. “You have a friend involved in a prophecy that also seems to involve some people I’m close to, and the connection I guess meant that I was especially sent to find you because of it, among other things. She’s been wondering your locations, and I guess with this prophecy you two were in need of being recovered. I’ve found you—now all I’ve gotta do is locate the guy.”

“Who is this friend of which you speak of with this involvement of the prophecy?” Starfire inquired.

“Another whitelighter’s charge named Raven, I believe that’s it,” Prue responded, getting back up on her feet and standing straight. She dusted herself off afterwards.

“You’re in search of another—“ Starfire got caught up in thought for a moment. She came to realize whom Prue was referring to. Her eyes grew wide and desperate. “You must find him! I have been strong in fear he has met up with the worst of fates, and the fear has been eating at me these past few days. It would bring me much relief if you could recover him in full health. I cannot accept what the fear has instilled in me until I have full proof of a grim prospect.” Her eyes became pleading. “Please—you must. You must find him.”

“I will,” Prue assured her. “I don’t give up until it’s the only possibility. It’s not my philosophy to.”

Starfire let out a sigh of relief.

“How do you intend to?” Starfire inquire curiously.

“I can track him,” The woman—Prue responded. “Get his signature, pinpoint his location, and then go find him. A bit of help from you—and I’ll be set.” Prue asked Starfire a few questions, received some answers, and then put the answers to use. “Do you want to go with—to get him, that is?”

“As much as I anticipate it—“Starfire paused momentarily. “It would be of much greater joy if you could bring him back here for me rather then have me go to him. It would be more pleasing to see the relief on his face as he comes to me.”

“You’re going to stay put then?” Prue asked her. “You want to stay right here—and wait?”

“Yes,” Starfire confirmed.

“Okay,” Prue said. “I’ll be back shortly then. And whatever you do, don’t get lost again. Wait right here.” She disappeared much like she had come, the orbs of white and blue announcing her departure much like they had her arrival.

Prue was gone, and Starfire was left. She was left to wait—and anticipate.

—The reunion she was so much anticipating that she didn’t realize she wanted it so much.

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