It is said that shadows are the gateway to another world, and it is only a matter of knowing how to access that world. For Jaelynn Kethron, the shadows had become the only things she could rely on. Shadows did not die; shadows did not judge you for the abilities you had been born with and make you the outcast of your family. The only way to kill a shadow, Jaelynn knew, was to cast complete sunlight over it. The Shadow Walker, as she called herself, only a girl of a mere twenty years old, wandered through the Draconi Forest, trying to keep as much out of the sun as possible. Luckily the tree tops were close enough together that they casted most of the sunlight out. A long black cloak covered her features, save for two hazel eyes that could pierce a heart with one look and the tops of two brown boots. Everything else was covered in the darkness of her cloak, and that was how Jaelynn liked it; that was how Jaelynn needed it, in order to survive.
Jaelynn was no ordinary human who had just happened to be wandering in the forest. She could manipulate shadows as she pleased, and in return, they offered her comfort and protection from light. She was not completely sensitive to light- she could withstand being fairly close to something small, like a fire place, as long as the light did not touch her face too much. Right now, for example, the hood to her cloak was pulled over her head just enough so that her face was only partially cast in the light that came in through the tree tops.
Over her shoulders were a leather quiver that held some arrows and a bow with a black handle. While she was not an expert swordswoman, she did have knowledge of basic fighting skills, and she thanked her oldest brother for that. No, Jaelynn thought firmly. Do not think of them. Do not think of him... With a few blinks of those hazel eyes, the thoughts of her family that had begun to drift in to her mind were firmly pushed away, and within a moment disappeared from all thoughts. It would do no good to dwell on the past, as much as she wished for vengeance against the raiders who had murdered her family. If vengeance was to be had, it would come in time. It was nothing she could rush, and certainly nothing she could go in to at this point without it being suicidal since she had little training. "Vengeance will come in time," she whispered to no one in particular, though there didn't seem to be anyone else around save for a few birds and other animals. She would simply have to be patient.
She soon came to an open clearing in the forest and sighed softly in relief. There was a large tree that casted a large shadow along most of the clearing, giving her a good amount of shadow to stand in. She felt safe in the shadows, away from the sunlight. Pulling the quiver and bow off of her shoulders, she lazily lay the weapons on the ground and sat down against the trunk of the tree, leaning her head back. She was glad to finally rest, having been traveling for a few days now almost non-stop. Her eyes began drifting shut, but she was very much aware of her surroundings. The shadows were her eyes when she could not see, after all.
