You’ve just arrived in a swampy, dim town. As you look around, your gaze is met with shacks and cabins. It smells of rotted wood and wet moss. You duck and step into a tattered tent, illuminated by a series of candles suspended in the air. At the back of the tent, an old hag raises her head, “What brings you to this dingy town? she begins, then pauses to study your face—” Ah, it’s you. I’ve been expecting you. Sit,” she gestures at a cushion, “Tell me your story.”
(I write in the third person if that's alright--)
She halts, her foot freezing mid-step, "Expecting me?" Lau'Ett asks. Her shoulders tightened with apprehension, her head already ducked as she unfroze and entered the squatty tent. Lau'Ett's gaze then danced across the cluttered interior of the hut, utterly packed to the brim with old knick-knacks, spoiled foods, and wet cloth. 'No wonder this place smells of decay,' she thought. As they shared glances in silence, Lau'Ett expected a retort from the old hag. Nothing.
Eyeing the cushion, Lau'Ett heeded the crone's words, sitting down. The stuffing of the pillow squished under her weight, wringing out some water. "My story..." she begins, her words trailing off as her tongue toys with truth or lies.
"Well," she began, heaving a breath as her fondest memories flooded her thoughts, "I grew up a sort of... nomad. My tribe, full of the orphaned and exiled, had to." Lau'Ett no longer sat in the tent, and instead, stood solemnly in the hollow cave of her childhood. "My father took swell care of me. Nary did I go hungry," she paused to giggle, her father's face appearing clear in the stagnant cavern air, "I owe my love of nature to him-- many times did he smuggle me aboveground to stargaze."
Lau'Ett snapped back to reality, her tongue betraying her recollection. "I left. I'm here now," she breathed, her jaw shutting tight.
tl;dr:
grew up underground with her tribe, guided by her father alone
- no 'family' besides adoptive father, this tribe consists of orphans, loners, and rogues found along their travels
as a fledgling, she developed a love for nature, having been starved of life while in the empty caverns of the underground
once she was of age, she left the tribe on what they call "the finding" -- essentially when you find your way in the world... or go back and remain in the tribe
- nothing really exciting happens, I don't write emo trauma
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