"Dooda joogááł ałdóʼ nízah Aiyana!" ( "Don't wander off too far Aiyana!" ) Aiyana's father, the chief of their tribe, yells at his little girl who's running into the familiar woods. Aiyana steps with precision seeing as she has gone this way a thousand times over her 17 years of life. Aiyana pushes past all the pesky but very few low-hanging branches as she runs as fast as she can. She steps in the footprints she left the day before with ease.

The harsh sun beats down on her intensely. It's Aiyana's favorite feeling. She steps with her bare feet onto the soft green moss that accumulated on a fallen tree and looks up and lightly closes her dark brown eyes. She breathes in and out. 'Shí ayóóʼáyóʼní díí,' ( 'I love this' ) Aiyana thinks taking in the warm feeling of the sun. The warmth fills her heart; she smiles widely. She faces forward once again and looks down off the ledge she is standing on, intently. Aiyana jumps with a big smile. The ledge drops off only a few feet. Just enough for her to giggle a bit as her long black hair flies back in her wake. She lands gracefully on her feet and takes off again with no specific destination in mind. Just away from all her responsibilities back where her tribe resides. Her responsibilities as the only successor of her dad.

Suddenly, she finds herself on the ground. Aiyana ran into another person. 'Haʼátʼíísh ne-teh éí?' ( 'What was that?' ) She slowly opens her eyes to an outstretched hand. A hand covered in black. She's not sure what the black substance is.

"I'm so sorry. Do you need help?"She looks up and notice the hand belongs to another girl in a black cloak. Aiyana doesn't understand the sounds coming out of this stranger before her. The first thing Aiyana notices is how beautiful the girl is. Aiyana noticed the stranger has piercing blue eyes and dirty-blonde hair which is in two loose braids on either side of her head. "Are you hurt?" The stranger, that looks to be the same age as Aiyana, says frantically and flails her hand a bit. Suggesting, for Aiyana to grab onto it. Aiyana jumps up and gets in position to be ready to fight. She knows just by looking at the stranger she is one of the Europeans who invaded her father's lands. Forced them off their property and into these woods that use to be unfamiliar and dangerous. They killed a lot of us.

"Híshąʼ ánítʼį́" ( "Who are you?" ) Aiyana says fiercely through her clenched teeth.

'Oh... you speak Navajo,' the girl Aiyana doesn't know thinks. "Yinishyé Circe," ( "My name is Circe" ) Aiyana looks at Circe confused that she could speak Navajo. Aiyana shoots a bunch of questions to Circe and Circe answers all of them truthfully. Aiyana becomes more and more intrigued in Circe as she goes. They both sit down on the soft earth and talk until sunset. Aiyana remembers she needs to be home before dark or her dad will be upset.

"Dooleeł shí hoolʼáágóó yooʼį́ ni nááná," ( "Will I ever see you again?" ) Aiyana asks Circe out of curiosity. She wanted to know everything about Circe. Circe stirs up very unfamiliar feelings within Aiyana so she also wants to figure those out because it wasn't... bad. In fact, she thought they were good.

Circe lets out a small giggle before answering, "yiską́ągo?" ( "Tomorrow?" ) Aiyana's face lights up with a smile and nods her head.

"Hágoóneeʼ!" Aiyana says excitedly as she takes off towards where her tribe is located.

This goes on daily for awhile. The two girls became closer and closer.

"Aiyana..." Circe begins one day whilst holding Aiyana's hand in a meadow of white flowers. Aiyana bites her bottom lip in concentration.

"Haalá yit'é," ( "What seems to be the matter?" ) Aiyana asks while pushing some of Circe's hair behind her ear.

"Shí jo ha'át'ííshį́į́ yáłtiʼ ni," ( "I have something to tell you," ) Circe looks to Aiyana with sad eyes. "Nishłį adiłgąshii," ( "I am a witch," ) She looks at Aiyana like she is about to cry. Circe looks into Aiyana's dark eyes in worry that Aiyana will react badly. Everyone reacts badly. These days people will burn witches alive and drown some through trials.

The Salem Witch Trials.

Before she could spill a single tear Aiyana gathers her into a tight, consoling hug. "Haʼátʼíísh biniinaa you yínííł naʼadá?" ( "Why are you upset/worried?" ) Aiyana asks quietly. "Shí hoolʼáágóó gi át'éego ni," ( "I still like you" ) the embrace each other as Circe cries into Aiyana's shoulder. Aiyana let's her do so and once Circe pulls away Aiyana feels something she has never before towards another human being. A feeling that her father has always described he felt for her mother.

Aiyana slowly leans in to Circe. Circe freezes as Aiyana's lips lightly graze hers. "díí oʊˈkeɪ?" ( "Is this okay?" ) Aiyana asks. Circe nods rapidly and goes in for another kiss. They talk with big smiles on their faces. Circe kisses Aiyana again but this time she licks Aiyana's lips; wanting to go farther. Aiyana jerks her head back in surprise with a hand over her mouth.

"Ádzaaígíí bąąh shíniʼ," ( "I'm sorry," ) Circe's cheeks turn a bright red in embarrassment. Aiyana shakes her head and gets closer to Circe.

"Aooʼ oʊˈkeɪ," ( "It's okay," ) Aiyana pulls Circe into another kiss. Circe licks Aiayana's lips again and this time Aiyana opens her mouth slightly. Circe takes this chance and slips her tongue into Aiyana's mouth. They part and look at each other with big smiles and giggles. They talked some more that night and kissed until sunset. This continued on for many months.

"ayóó ánóshní," ("I love you,") Circe whispers so quietly Aiyana thought she heard her wrong. "ayóó ánóshní," Circe says a bit louder while looking at her hands and twiddling with her thumbs. Aiyana smiles and cups her hands around Circe's.

"ayóó ánóshní thla-na-nah," ("I love you more,") Aiyana gently rests her forehead on Circe's with her eyes closed and a happy smile.

*****************************************

"Circe!" Aiyana yells and runs to the usual meeting spot for her and Circe. "Circe?" Aiyana looks around as her panic starts to rise. "CIRCE?!?" She has never been late before. She has never done this; she said she'd never do this. A memory suddenly popped up in Aiyana's head and she bolts through the woods. She runs as fast as her powerful legs would take her. "t'áá shǫǫdi! Dooda nilį́ doo hináágóó!" ("Please! Don't be dead!") Aiyana whispers over and over again to herself. She almost forgot how to get to town but luckily she eventually found her way. All of the citizens gave her horrible looks but she didn't care. All she cared about was finding her beloved Circe. She finds her way to the town's square where lined up are a bunch of women young and old. Aiyana frantically searches the line up as she pushes through the forming crowd and she sees a flash of blonde hair. "CIRCE!" Aiyana yells and gets more rough pushing past people.

Circe looks up hoping she didn't hear what she thought she did. "Oh please let that not be Aiyana," she whispers under her breath. Her expression drops once she meets eyes with her love. "GO!" she yells forgetting Aiyana doesn't know English. Circe knows the people will try to kill her or force her to do things she wouldn't otherwise do. Aiyana finally breaks out of the crowd and runs up to Circe on the ground. She kneels and starts checking Circe for serious injuries. She gives a sigh of relief when she sees that there isn't. Aiyana helps Circe up but suddenly a bunch of guns are aimed at them. Aiyana stands in front of Circe baring her teeth and taking out her father's knife he had given her. Slowly the soldiers start to surround them but Circe doesn't let that happen. She takes Aiyana's open arm and pull her away from the forming circle. They run and run...and run.

*****************************************

Once they got to the familiar part of the forest Aiyana found them a hiding place. There's almost a hut-like-structure naturally made structure of roots and branches and vines of all kinds they can hide in. They run into that and hide in the shadows. They stay completely silent until they both are sure the bad guys are gone. "I think we lost them," Circe whispers as quietly as she could. Quickly she translates it to navajo for Aiyana. Aiyana smiles and grabs her hand and kisses it.

They slowly walk out hand on hand. With no other choice they walk to Aiyana's village. After arriving many men jumped up and pointed arrows and spears at the beloved Circe. After Aiyana telling them to stand down they were still suspicious. Aiyana doesn't blame them. Circe looks like the invaders that killed a lot of them. Upon bringing her to Aiyana's father he immediately brings her in. Unlike most people in our village my dad doesn't hold a big grudge against the invaders. He's too old and nice to do that.

Circe asks him to hold a tribe meeting. My father obliges and that night... changed everything...