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"Dear Salma, it pains me to have to say goodbye to you this way... I hope to be able to explain to you exactly why I have left some day but I can't right now. Please, don't blame your father for this is my decision... He and I love you so very much. You are the light of my soul. I will carry you with me in my heart forever. Knock em dead, lil springer! We will see each other soon. I love you."

Salma's heart stopped. Her mind froze. It was like time became completely still and an overwhelming pain formed in the middle of her chest. She couldn't understand why she would just leave her like this. Or how she could just leave her father. She was her mother! She read the letter again, looked on the back, went back to the front; nothing. Nothing that said where she was going or why! She became increasingly angry. She felt a heat pulse through her veins. Her head was on fire. She got up from her bed, pulled the curtain aside to reveal the living area to be devoid of any life. There was cold coffee on the little table where her father, her mother and her would eat breakfast and dinner. They would make jokes, play cards and poke fun at Salma for having a crush on the little boy who cleans after the elephants. She runs past the couch where they used to lounge on quiet evenings and read books of fantastical adventures. She checked her mother and father's room to see that the bed wasn't made and empty. Salma was afraid she lost them both. She ran outside just to catch the sun rising over the horizon. Her father was sitting on a bench around a dead bonfire from the night before. He was staring at the sun as it was slowly rising. Salma stopped in her tracks, and tears started to well up in her eyes. He didn't move. He seemed entranced by the movement and the colors of the glowing star. She wiped the tears from her eyes and folded her mother's letter into a square and then hid it deep in the pocket of her shirt. She slowly walked up to her father and sat beside him. After a minute of forever silence she mustered up the courage to look up at her father. Dry tear streaks traveled from his eyes to the stubble of his chin. She could still see watermarks on the sleeve of his shirt. Salma had never seen her father in this state. He was like a handsome wilting flower slowly being crushed by the weight of despair. Salma did the only thing that quickly came to her mind... she grabbed his hand. It was like the warmth of her hand brought him back from the crevices of his mind. He looked down at her and she smiled. He gave his best smile back and they embraced in a warm hug. With his arm around Salma's shoulders she leaned against him and he rested his head on hers. They watched the sun appear just to embrace them both in his own warm rays. Salma's father whispered, "Everything is going to be okay..."

Three years pass... with no word from Salma's mother, Salma had completely cut her out from her heart. Or so she kept telling herself that. Salma was forced to fill in her mother's place for many of the circus acts. All Salma really wanted to do was the aerial scarf which she excelled at. She loved to fly through the air. And as her 18th birthday approached day by day, she kept thinking about how she wanted to go on her own. Her father had "secretly" been seeing the traveling veterinarian and Salma was happy for him. But she was ready to go on her own and to search for the answers to the questions that have long been on her mind since her mother had left. She wanted to learn more about her Elven side. She had read that High Elves harness mystical powers and now Salma wanted to know if she could tap into such power herself. She knew where to start: she had to find her mother. Salma decided to tell her father on her birthday. She was nervous and worried that her father wouldn't allow her but Salma had to at least try and make him see why she needed to do this. She traveled all over South Africa and even southern parts of Europe with the circus but never farther than that. She wanted to explore, find out more about herself and more about the world. The morning of her birthday, she walked up to her father who was brushing the coat of the beautiful bengal tiger, Asari. She sat beside him and brushed Asari's head. Asari closed her eyes with content. Even though she was constantly surrounded by the performance animals and loved them ever so dearly; she never found a personal connection of her own with a special creature. But her father surprised Salma on her 18th birthday...

"Good morning, Salma, Happy Birthday! Asari, it's Salma's birthday today, did you know?!" He smiled at Asari expecting the tigress to say out loud, "Happy Birthday Salma!" Surprisingly, Asari chuffles as her nose gently touched Salma's knee. "See Salma! Asari knew!" Salma laughs, "Dad, I think Asari just wants me to keep stroking her head." Salma scratches Asari behind her ear. Asari leans closer to Salma so she can really hit the spot. Her father chuckles and sighs, "Salma, these animals understand. When you treat them with love, take care of them and respect their space; there's an understanding that forms. It's an unmistakable bond. They are all like my children. Asari is my favorite child!" He gives a wink to Salma and she laughs, rolls her eyes and says, "Asari is the best and only sister I have." Her father gets up and puts away the brush. He leads Asari back into her cage, sets in a bowl of fresh water and locks the gate. "Salma, I have something I'd like to give you." Salma objects, "Oh, you really didn't have to get me anything. I think I'm little too old for dolls now, dad." Her father scoffs, "Pfft, nonsense. Didn't you like the princess doll I gave you last year!?" Salma grows white, "Oh no! I did, I liked it very much!" "Uh huh. Anyway, this is different. Follow me to the greenhouse."

Salma follows her father next door to another large tent made of clear plastic. Salma loves the greenhouse. This is where they grow fresh food for the animals and even for the performers. There are also multiple beautiful flowers. Her father stops at a peculiar little tree plant that's inside a glass aquarium. Inside she sees a glowing cocoon hanging from a small leaf. The cocoon is glowing a radiant purple and it seems to be pulsating. Her father shrieks in gladness, "AHA! I knew it! I knew he would be coming out today!" Salma is all question marks, "He? What is gonna come out of that?" "Oh well, I think you should wait here and see. Salma, this is truly a remarkable experience. Especially for this special guy right here. He is a gift, my gift to you. When he finally appears, I think he's gonna make it quite apparent to you just how special he really is! I've gotta go, I have a lot more things I have to get done but I'll be back around noon. He should come out by then." "Dad, that's in two and a half hours! You want me to just sit here and wait?! Don't you need my help?" Salma protested. "Yes! I want you to wait and no, I'll be fine. This is important, Salma. You need to be here when he gets out. Just wait and have patience. He's going to need you. BYE!" Salma's father runs out before she can say anymore. She sighs and pulls up a chair. Salma rests her chin on the table and looks up at the cocoon. Honestly, she is quite amazed at just how bright the cocoon is glowing. She's never heard of cocoons glowing before. It's really quite beautiful the way it shimmers under the sunlight. But so she waits...

And waits.... 30 minutes pass, a yawn here, a sigh there. Another 30 minutes pass and she notices a slight crack appeared at the bottom of the cocoon but nothing else is happening. So she continues to wait... and wait... and wait... 40 minutes pass and Salma accidently has fallen asleep. She awakes slowly when she thinks she heard a muffled thump. She looks up and sees the tree has fallen over and the cocoon has grown three times its size! The crack on the bottom has now reached both ends and she sees purple fuzzy fur peaking through the crack. Silver sparkling powder is spilling out from the inside of the cocoon too and whatever is inside seems to be having trouble. Salma, worried that the little guy is suffocating, takes the top of the glass aquarium off. She timidly sticks her hand inside and the cocoon all of a sudden shakes. She screams out of surprise and quickly covers her mouth. The cocoon jumps again and again. She hears a peculiar mewing sound coming from inside the cocoon! She sticks her hand back inside and gently grasps the cocoon. It's vibrating in the inside of her palms. She opens up her hands and accidently almost drops it when it jumps up suddenly. She gains a firmer grasp with one hand and with the other she pulls open the crack even wider. The silver sparkling powder puffs out in a cloud into the air and makes Salma sneeze.

Dark purple wings poke out from the cocoon and start to flutter. Salma gently pulls apart the rest of the cocoon and gasping for air is a bright eyed, fuzzy violet moth. It's little antennas shake off the excess silvery powder and looks up at Salma. Salma is so surprised and overwhelmed by the absolute cuteness that she exclaims, "Awww!" The moth blinks and somehow says, "Hey, just because I have big doe eyes doesn't mean I'm cute." Salma eyes widen and her mouth drops, "How are- what- you- speak?!" "Clearly and apparently I can string words into sentences far better than you can!" The moth chuckles and Salma continues gawking. The moth says, "Are you really so surprised?" Salma nods her head. "Huh, well, I guess I might as well keep the show rolling and bust out all my moves. Let's see..." The moth flutters his wings and stretches his legs. He lifts off and flaps his wings, flying over head, getting the feel of his wings. He's extremely fast for a moth. Salma says out loud, "So this is what dad meant by "special"." The moth comes back and floats a few feet from Salma, "Oh yeah, check this out!" All of a sudden the moth grows larger in size, way larger! He's now 6 feet with stronger arms and legs and his wingspan is at least 11 feet. He accidently knocks down a plant and the pot shatters. "Oops, I'm so sorry!" He tries to pick up the plant but accidentally knocks over another one. "Oh so sorry again!" Salma busts out laughing. "It's okay, it's okay! My name is Salma, it's uh nice to meet you. What's your name?" The moths wiggles his antennas and shrinks back to his normal state. "My name is Shu." Salma questions, "Like the god of wind and air?" "No, not like that guy. Although I do eventually gotta show you some more neat tricks that I have stored under my wings" He laughs and Salma laughs too. Salma's father enters the greenhouse. "So how did he do?" "What do you mean how did I do?! HEY MO!" "SHU!" Shu flies straight to Salma's father and lands on his shoulder. "How are you, Mo?!" Mo replies, "Oh, I've been just fine and you? How was the process?" "I actually didn't expect it to be that difficult. Kind of overwhelming." Shu confesses. "But thanks to your daughter, she made it a lot easier for me!" Mo smiles at Salma, "See, I told you he'd be worth the wait." Salma is astonished. "Dad, you have a lot of explaining to do."

Salma, her father and Shu are all gathered in the living area of their tent. Salma's father explains, "Shu was bred from a special class of moth. He was born here but his entire class actually comes from where your mother was born, Isle of Aldotan. Over in Aldotan there are many moths just like Shu that harness extreme speed, agility, and power of the wind. He not just a pet, he is your companion. He will serve under you and protect you because that is what they are bred for. All High Elves (even halflings) are given a protector moth on their 18th birthday. Now... I know we haven't really spoken about your mother and I know I haven't given you a clear answer on why she left." Salma interrupts, "I don't care to know." Her father sternly states, "Well, you need to know because this is extremely important. More than you realize... your mother left back to Aldotan... She went back to take care of your half sister." Her father allows that to sink before he continues. "...I have a half sister?" Salma asks in confusion. Her father gets up and starts to pace the room. Shu flies off from his shoulder and lands on Salma's lap to comfort her. Salma's father sighs, "Your mother was born in a very wealthy and powerful family in Aldotan. In some ways, she was considered a princess. She hated the lifestyle. When I was twenty, I went on an expedition by ship. I traveled all over the vast oceans and somehow came upon Isle of Aldotan. I met your mother a day before she was to be wed to another elf, Leoan. We fell in love. I told her to just leave with me but she couldn't. She was already pregnant with his baby. She had to go through with the marriage and have his baby because just leaving would go against everything she stood for. She wanted to leave. She wanted to explore the world with me. She did not want to be trapped in that place for the rest of her life but she had to do this.. So I waited, I waited 9 months. As soon as she had the baby, we left. Nobody even knew. I brought her back to Egypt where she found her passion in circus performance. Than a year later, you came along, and everything was beyond perfect. Until 3 years ago, when she heard the news that Leoan passed away from a battle between neighboring villages. Your half sister became gravely ill. Only your grandmother was watching over her but even in her state... things became hard. Your mother and I fought constantly about how she said she needed to go back to take care of her daughter. How she owed it to her. I argued back, that her family right here, right now; that's what was important. She wouldn't hear it so she just left..." Salma's father sat down and stared into Salma's eyes, "Your mother didn't leave because she didn't love us. She loves you so much. But because you had me and Ahna, your half-sister, didn't have anybody; she had to go... you understand right?" Salma wanted to understand... She kind of did but it still made her furious. Especially for the fact that they kept this from her all this time.