Scholastic Spotlight: Hailie Wilkie

Osana—A Valkyrie Tale

Honorable Mention

Author: Hailie Wilkie

8^th Grade

Educator: David St. Peter

Bismarck

Osana snapped back into reality. The thought of war and blood made her sick, but she had to keep her cool. Her knees were tucked to her chest, and her arms wrapped around them easily. She was only wearing a white robe that was a tiny bit see through on her slim, skinny figure. The only muscles she had were on her arms and legs, and her core was naturally flat. Her robe was made of weak silk, or threaded silk. This type of silk was soft to the touch but it had a high durability; and it could fly in the wind easier. It slid down on her shoulders as she breathed. She wore her armored boots that looked heavy and afflictive, but they were surprisingly light and fitting. The boots themselves appeared to be a regular, tailored style, but they were actually made of very tough black leather that could sustain most damage done in battle. Her pure brown hair that looked like a fall leaf on the ground rose and fell on her shoulder like waves on a ocean shore. There was one white streak that was always sitting on her head, on the top right area of her forehead. It was the first strand of hair in front of her face. Her skin was a natural tanned color, almost like caramel. Her eyes were almost a storm grey, just barely. They were medium sized, and she wore makeup made from blackberries and midnight flowers. She had a small nose and glossed lips that twinkled in the light with their strawberry natural color.

Osana was very pretty, and she was very tall, thanks to her dad and her mom.  Her dad used to be the ruler of Daksi, but there was one day when he went to travel to another clan and he never returned. Osana tucked her knees closer to her chest and rested her back on a large, tall tree that stood lonely on the big hill that overlooked Daksi. The air was still, but down below you could hear the shouts and music in the streets. The leaves were starting to fall off  the tree, indicating that fall was coming; with the winds help, the leaves blew away into the air and effortlessly around in the world. The bark was tough, but it was soft, with a mud-like color. The tree itself curved downwards a tiny bit, and this bothered Osana when the leaves would sometimes fall on her hair, but she found a more suitable spot to rest when she had the free time from working in the castle. Fact of the matter is, Rita was her distant aunt.

What was different about Osana from all the other Valkyrie’s in Norkus is that when her massive, black-feathered wings tucked in, they turned into a sword on her back.  Her wings were bigger than her, and there were some days when they would drag on the ground. Her wings also had two horned like bones on the top ends of them, and they were used for defense in training; sometimes, when her aunt forced her too. The sword itself was unique and odd in many ways. First off, it was attached to her back, but not to her skeleton. It was stuck to her skin, and her massive feathers made a breathtaking holster for the sword to be tucked tightly in. The metal was a mystery; no one could figure out how she could made metal from her wings. To make things even stranger, Osana was the only one that could use it. When she unsheathed the sword, she still had the ability to fly, which was even stranger. Because she was the only one able to use the sword, some people have learned the hard way that they couldn’t embrace the sword when held.

She sighed as the wind picked up a little bit. A cold, tingly feeling crawled up her spine as the wind caught up to her wings. She rolled her shoulders and let her wings unfold behind her. They were soft as they brushed her back, unfurling to their full height; almost taller than the tree. Her wings then stretched out; it was unbelievable how big they were. Her feathers were a little plumped up from being tucked into a sword, but they easily caught the wind’s breeze, and they loosened up so she could fly. Her feathers were pitch black; almost a midnight color. There were only hints of dark indigo and navy blue, but you could only tell in the sunlight. The two bone-like horns on the end-bents of her wings stood upwards at almost twenty inches in height and ten in width. Both were consumed by her wings and muscles, and they both had their points sticking out on the opposite sides as they curved in a little bit. Osana could feel the cold metal dissolving into her back, almost like a sudden tingle in her spine. She got used to this after a while, but it did bother her when she was younger. Coming to their full height, her wings gave maximum darkness to her surroundings. All around her tucked in body to the sides of the wide hill, it was completely dark. The only light was behind the tree that stood drooped above her, where the sun rose and brightened as it came up from the horizon throughout the day. Her wings gave a slow flap, which rattled the leaves from the tree, and hovered in the air for a bit.

The air seemed to still a bit, and Osana looked up in the sky, knees still tucked to her chest. It was white, like the snow in Reklin, because the sky wasn’t very blue here, and a storm had just passed by not long ago. She sighed, taking in the sharp, cold wind that was in the air and stood up, her legs feeling a little weird, like the wobbly substance she saw at the markets called Jell-O. She then stretched her arms above her head and yawned. Osana took only one step before there were loud horns bellowing through the air, making her right ear pop on contact. As Osana looked down towards the castle, guards took to the skies and flew straight up into the air and towards the area where the horns were called in the distance. Their figures were like large shadows in the sky as they flew. People scurried about from the streets and some stopped to watch what was happening. The horns mean only one thing in Daksi.

Trouble.

In an instant, Osana was leaping from her spot on the hill and her wings caught her weight as she flew downward towards Daksi. Her hair whipped behind her and her wings took no effort in letting her glide through the air, dodging trees as she made a cut upwards abruptly to avoid the guards flying her way. Time passed by unexpectedly as she plummeted down towards the earth. Her wings suddenly jerked upwards, indicating that she was near ground. Though she was distracted by the many guards that launched up into the air like slingshots, she landed on the ground, nearly tripping as her wings caught up with her and she started into a jog towards the castle. As Osana approached the main front of the castle, guards were everywhere. They were lined up on a cobblestone pathway, ready for battle on the ground in front of the castle. A water fountain made of bedrock stood in the middle of the main front, and water twinkled in the light as it poured down into a large circled cauldron. She looked harder into the crowd and saw her aunt, Rita. Rita was dressed in glistening metal armor that seemed to sculpt her muscled body more. Her deep red hair was tied into a ponytail, and it drooped downwards towards her back. She held her sword in her left hand, and her massive sandy brown-to-white ombre wings were tucked behind the armor. Guards moved away as Osana pushed through the crowd to her aunt. Rita looked down at Osana, alertness in her fresh grass green eyes. The sight of Rita made the world tilt a little bit. Osana’s mom was very, very beautiful. She had burgundy-purple hair and had massive white wings, almost like an angel. She too was very, very tall, almost as tall as her dad, who was nearly six foot-six. She was doing her job now; as a scout to scan the perimeter for any threats.

“My niece.” Her calm voice cut through the noisiness of guards. Rita and Osana never talked much after she turned ten, but today in particular Rita seemed willing to start up a conversation, so Osana gave in.

“Rita.” Osana said, with a hint of vexation. She turned to the sky, watching as guards took off. Osana turned to the massive towers that overlooked everything and everyone. She could tell by the glint of light from above that archers had prepared and notched their arrows.

“If you were wondering,” Rita resumed, breaking the silence between them- “The horns went off because something in the East was spotted. Valkyrie’s, maybe, heading this way.”

“Do you know if they are Withers?” Osana forenamed, turning back to face her aunt. Withers, Valkyries born with only a skeletal structure, were cursed by the mighty Queen Irma to destroy all the clans and put them under her rule. Daksi has always believed this, along with some other small clans. Elkin believed the theory to, same with Alta, another major clan in Norkus, but over the years Alta has disapproved of the theory and has accepted Withers. Because of that, Daksi and Elkin were always at war with Alta. The worst war began before Osana was even born; she remembered it clearly when her mom told her how the blood rained from the sky and the loud explosions that came from within the city streets. Everybody was evacuated; her mom explained when she was little, but people were still killed when they had arrived at the evacuation site because of how they kept protesting to stay with their loved ones.

“That’s what the guards are for.” Rita calmly replied back, shaking her head.

“But why so many?” Osana pressured, hoping for an answer. This wasn’t as normal, because it was only a few horns that went off. Surely, all were loud, but why so many guards?

Rita didn’t answer as she turned back to the sky. Something in her body tensed as she got into a defensive stance before Osana, head still to the sky. Looking around, the other guards did the same. Osana twisted her head to the sky and saw three Valkyrie’s in the air, each clearly warriors, holding the third in the middle of them. The third seemed almost passed out. Guards were still tense as they approached the ground and landed, but as the light came upon them Osana knew the third one immediately.

“Mom?” Osana whispered. The guards pushed through Osana and approached the one on the ground who was breathing heavily. Rita only glanced at Osana before she too went towards the one on the ground, Osana following close behind.

The Valkyrie on the ground was surely her mom. Her burgundy-purple hair was still straight as it always was and her white wings were still the perplexing beauty that they were. Her tall and muscular build showed through her armor, and she wore gauntlets that reached towards her forearms and left holes for her fingers to poke through. She wore a metaled top that had horns curving in towards her shoulders, and she wore long light grey-chained pants. She also wore a mixed purple robe, which was torn at the ends and top.  Her helmet exposed all of her face and made an M towards her forehead. It too was lined with gold. As Osana got closer, she realized that her mom was clutching her side, black blood oozing from the wound beneath her chained armor.

“Mom?” Osana said in angst, kneeling downwards to her mom. Her mom opened her eyes weakly, and Osana was met by the familiar lavender eyes she was always used to.

“My daughter..” Her mom groaned, giving a weak smile. Her slender long hand reached up to her daughters warm ones, clutching them close to her armored chest. Osana bit back the urge to start bawling, and she turned to the other two Valkyrie’s who were tending to medical care from other nurses. One had a gash on her forehead that was bleeding on one side, but scabbing on the other. The other Valkyrie’s arm was clearly on the verge of breaking, and the nurses hesitantly wrapped it in cloth and attached it to her shoulder to keep it up. Whatever had happened, they would know, and Osana needed an answer.

“What happened?” She breathed, making sure she kept her anger down. The one Valkyrie, Osana recognized, turned to face her. Her hair was in a ponytail, much like Rita’s, but her hair was platinum white and it had one black streak in it. Her tan skin was gleaming with sweat and her muscles bulged from her body. Her own brown wings were tucked behind her, her sword and shield on the ground. Her armored boots were spiked and they reached all the way to her knees. She also appeared to be as tall as Rita. The Valkyrie looked old, maybe in her forties, and her name was hard to pronounce.

“We were scoping the area far East,”- Her voice sounded raspy- “ and we encountered a flock of different Valkyries. They wanted money, weapons, you name it, from Daksi. We refused, and they attacked.”

“When they attacked, your mom took the first shot from one of the archers.” The other Valkyrie, Monica, said from where she sat. Her hair was a pure purple, much like the grapes growing in the fields. Her wings were a perplexing grey, like dust, and one looked like it had a previous fracture. Her arm was held up at an angle from a white cloth that was tied to her left shoulder. Her own boots were like the others, but her armor was different. Unlike a full suit of armor, she had a metal top and a metal-chained skirt, revealing her stomach. Her armor looked freshly made, as it glinted in the sunlight above.

Osana took a heavy breath in and turned back to look down at her mom, who’s beautiful white skin started to pale. Her grip was also starting to loosen. Scanning her body, she noticed the cut on her abdomen was soaking through the armor, and her mom looked like she would pass out. A shuffle of guards, and Rita was next to Osana.  She set her sword down and kneeled on the other side of her mom, placing the back of her hand to her mom’s sweaty forehead.

“She’s fading away.”  Rita muttered, letting her hand drop to her mom’s other arm. Indeed, it looked like her mom was starting to go. A rush of panic filled Osana’s lungs, and a tear fell as she rested her own head against the armored helmet of her mom’s. The cool metal startled Osana for a split second, but she quickly adjusted as she held her mom’s hand tighter, hoping for a response. It was clear, bright as day, clear as glass; her mom was dying.

“We will deal with this as soon as possible. We can’t lose another.” Rita breathed, picking up her sword and examining it. She stood and looked at her sword with more fierce intent than before. Osana looked up from where she rested her head, tears filling her eyes and falling from her face.

“What are you going to do?” Osana quietly said. Rita rolled her tongue in her mouth, thinking of an answer. Seconds passed, and Rita was still thinking.

“What. Are. You. Going. To. Do?” Osana pressured once again, more anger in her voice.

“The clan that was nearest will pay.” Rita growled. Rita turned on her heel and started to head towards the castle, using her free hand to usher guards on her side. Osana stopped crying for a second, instantly alert. She stood up and faced to where Rita was heading.

“No. This isn’t right. We don’t even know if they did it.” Osana retorted. Her wings were big enough to make a few guards stumble back a few steps.  Rita turned to face her niece.

“It’s my call. If you were Queen, would you make the same call, or would you let another fall?” The question lingered in the air for a minute before Rita started to walk again towards the castle. Osana couldn’t bare the pressure in her chest from the anger that rose from her body.

“I would make a call, but not what you’re about to do. I wouldn’t go straight to conclusions. I’d look for answers.” Osana said, folding her fists.

“Exactly. That’s the reason why you aren’t queen.” Rita called from where she was standing. Osana growled as Rita took off. Her snow-white wings swooped down, and she leapt up into the air with her sword by her side, her hair flying all over the place. One by one, the four guards took off with her. They disappeared beyond the castle walls, and all Osana was left with was the gathering crowd of nurses, maids, workers, and other warriors that were there. Almost all of them were surrounding her mom, coaxing her head and leaning down to hear a breath.