Long ago, back when Sem's body was that of a child's, he was roaming through the depths of an expansive forest in an unnamed land. Back then, the region of Nofara was in turmoil as a strange new presence seemed to plague the land. It was as though the whole of the world was falling apart.
As Sem ran through the forest, he made his way into a clearing where a stream of water could be seen. It ran across the clearing, leading back into the forest. Sem came to an abrupt stop as a small light had flickered in the corner of his eye. It was nightfall, causing curiousity to stir.
When he approached the body of water, he recognized a gemstone, that was emanating a bright glow, in the water. This gemstome, tied off to a necklace, belonged to his mother, but it was now calling to him. When he reached into the water to collect the jewel, the emanating light faded away in his grasp.
"What is this doing here?" he pondered.
Examining the gemstone closely, he could feel the bound connection resonating within, and without another thought, he slipped the necklace over his head. Immediately, the gemstone emitted another light which soon faded away.
"Out here?" he thought aloud.
Holding up the gemstone, he scanned the area around him, trying to spot whatever was causing the gemstone to react this way, but there was nothing to be seen. Sem soon returned to his path, only this time he was walking at a steady pace as he continued his search. It wasn't long before he stumbled across a floral handkerchief that had been dropped along his path. Picking it up, he sniffed the handkerchief to hopefully catch a scent that would help lead him to its owner.
Changing his trajectory, Sem found himself hiking along the creekside, following it back into the woodlands. There, standing at the water's edge, was a young woman with deep, ginger hair and a single tail. She appeared not much older than Sem's current state. Sem, who was much older than he currently appeared, only had a single split in his tail at the time, dividing it into two parts.
The girl appeared to be checking her reflection in the gentle stream's surface, as she held her hair parted to the side and was dipping her toes in the water. As Sem approached the young woman, her attention was pulled over to Sem, as she became aware of his presence, and the first thing that stood out to Sem were her vibrant green eyes.
"Hello," Sem greeted.
"Oh, hello," she replied.
Sem held out the handkerchief he had been keeping on hand, offering it over to her. "I believe this is yours," he added earnestly.
The girl's eyes lit up as she reached out to accept the handkerchief. "It is! Oh thank you! Where did you find it?" The girl was relieved.
"I picked it up along the creekside. It was down by the clearing," he explained, while passing it off to her.
"Thank you so much for finding it, I thought I had lost it," she exclaimed happily. When their hands touched in the exchange however, the gemstone around Sem's neck began to emit a radiant light. This had surprised the young woman, as she took a couple steps back. Sem however, was unbothered, as he knew exactly what it meant.
"So she's the one, huh?" he thought to himself.
The gemstone was a mystical artifact that had been in the family for generations. It was one that, when worn, guided the wearer to the person were destined to be with for the rest of their lives. However, Sem did not wish to alarm her with such a straightforward detail.
When the light of the gemstone faded, the young woman was cautiously coddling the handkerchief over her chest.
"What was that light?" she asked.
"You don't have to worry about that. It won't shine again," Sem explained.
Tilting her head at him, she looked at Sem with uncertainty. "Is it safe?" she asked.
"Far safer than it is in this forest," he pointed out. Stepping closer to her, Sem allowed her a closer look. "It's just a necklace now, you see?"
She touched the gemstone for a moment, taking in it's glistening beauty. Standing this close, Sem got a better view of the girl's eyes; they were captivating.
"My name is Sem," he boldy introduced.
As her eyes met with his, a moment of silence fall on them. When the girl let go of the gemstone, she took a step back and offered out her hand.
"I'm Tatalia," she openly announced.
As Sem took her hand to give a gentle shake, he immediately felt a warmth coming over him as he held her soft, delicate hand. It seemed a bit strange knowing ahead of time that she's the woman he was destined to be with for the rest of his life, but he was already prepared to do anything to keep her safe.
As the two of them became acquainted, Sem and Tatalia each came to discover they were both about the same age, regardless of appearances. Tatalia's tail just hadn't divided yet, indicating she was barely still at the early stages of her life.
As time passed, Tatalia became more comfortable with the boy's presence.
"So that handkerchief, it seems pretty important to you," he commented thoughtfully.
"Yes, it was my mother's," she started to explain hesitantly, "but, I haven't seen her in a while."
Suddenly, an unusual sound was heard coming from the distance. The sounds of bangs and the ripping tones of collapsing trees drawing nearer, following behind it.
Frightened, Tatalia took a step back from the noise and froze, while Sem became more alert. Without hesitation, he took Tatalia by the hand and prepared to flee. "Come on!" he shouted to her, snapping her back into focus. The two of them ran through the forest as quickly as they could, with Sem leading the path away from the sounds closing in.
As they were running, Tatalia eventually lost her footing and fell to the ground, "Ow!" she called out. Sem, acting instinctively, swiftly help her stand before scooping her off her feet. He carried her in his arms, as he couldn't afford to run the risk of her falling again at a time like this. She was of course, scared, yet surprised as they boy swept her off her feet and continued to run with all his might.
The eerie sounds of an unknown beast drew closer as tree after tree continued to collapse behind them. Tatalia huddled herself close in his arms as Sem ran, panting his way through the forest. "Please don't drop me!" Tatalia cried, as her face was buried in his chest. It wasn't long before a shadowed, humanoid being with oversized arms and legs could be seen crashing through the woods behind them, yet there was an even bigger issue lying ahead.
As they were closing in on a cliff, the other side of the fissure was too great a distance. Sem knew there was no way he could make the jump while carrying both their weight. A swift decision had to be made.
"Tatalia! I need you to jump the cliff with me!" he hurriedly instructed her.
"What? But I don't know if I can even leap that far!" she argued.
"You can! Trust me, I'm with you!" he insistently claimed, "I need you to jump now!"
Tatalia's face was one of shock, but as the shadowed beast was closing in and began screaming out behind them, Tatalia clenched herself in control. A shallow bond of trust was being exercised, but they had no other choice.
"Okay!" she cried. Leaping down from his arms, Tatalia gripped Sem's hand tight, and coming to the edge with the beast behind them, they leaped from the cliffside with every ounce of strength.
Soaring across the fissure, they collapsed onto the other side. When rolling over to look behind them, there stood the strange beast, growling with a blood curdling scream at the other side of the fissure. They had narrowly escaped.
The two of them laid there together terrified, catching their breaths as they held each other close, hand in hand. They remained there, watching the beast from afar.
"Looks like we made it," Tatalia said, neither of them realizing that it was now safe to let go.