The onset of warm weather occurred a little later this year, but the snow melted quickly. Children in the settlement took fancy to the streams of thawed snow and, imagining that they were full-flowing rivers, began to launch home-made boats in them. Numerous trees growing on the streets and yards, began to grow with foliage. Now and then children's kites got entangled in the foliage.

The lazy winter calm turned into a spring abundance.

Spring in these lands is usually mild. Severe north winds don't reach these places due to the high mountains in the north. Odiern is situated at the northern end of the River Valley. Due to the proximity of the mountains, the ground here is slightly above the average water level. It means that there is more arable meadow. There are many small hills. Although they are not tall, if you'll climb the hill, turn towards the south and look all over the horizon, it seems that in a little bit you'll soar into the sky like a bird.

Naileeka stood on a summit of a southern hill. Stunning views of the Valley opened up, and she couldn't get enough of looking at the vast expanse of small rivers flowing into one big river. Spring reigned, but you could see some ice floating on the waters of rivers.

She liked looking at this majestic sight, but she raised her eyes to the sky. Nialeeka was sure that here is the best place to look at the clouds and to dream. She loved to come at this summit at noon lazily. The first spring rays of the sun seemed unusually warm when they touched her face. Grass in spring is not as dense as in summer, and not so soft, but it doesn't matter when you can admire the vast cumulus clouds, slowly floating far along the horizon.

Is it possible to see the passage of time through these clouds?

Inseparably looking at slowly changing majestic forms of clouds, Nialeeka huddled in coolness, not noticing it. She was fascinated by the bends of the clouds, a fancy play of shadows on them.

Once, when Zira's mother saw her daughter and Nialeeka lying and staring at the clouds. She sat down beside the girls and told them the things her grandmother had taught her.

"Through the clouds, heaven tells us tales," said Zira's mother.

"How can they even tell us anything?" Immediately asked Zira.

"They cannot," laughed Nialeeka, "but they can show!"

Nialeeka wanted this kind woman, who always treated her so warmly, to be her mother. She always listened with particular interest to her stories.

And now, the girl was looking at the sky carried away by her imagination far beyond Odiern, to where cumulus clouds are floating.

Nearby, she heard someone's footsteps. It made the girl return from the world of her dreams. She did not turn her head, perfectly knowing who it was.

Athorn didn't say a word and threw a thin blanket over her, wrapped her up and lightly hugged the girl to warm her. Nialeeka fidgeted a little, unaccustomed to the closeness and gentleness of an older boy.

"What did you see today?"

"A long-eared rabbit, together with a four-winged crane played a ball," the girl answered without blinking. She so far only saw cranes in the drawings in the books her father brought, and the brothers Zira often caught rabbits for lunch.

"Indeed?" Asked Athorn with a smile.

Nialeeka could not see this, but she knew there was a smirk on the boy's face. She didn't like it.

"Sit like that, I want to sleep a little," Nialeeka asked.

She laid her head on the boy's lap and began to look up at the clouds floating above them. Her face felt the warmth of the sun, but sometimes the clouds covered the sun, and for a moment, her face became cold. Gradually, she managed to doze off, and in her sleep, Nialeeka felt the boy's warm hands holding her hand or stroking her hair.

She did not know how much she slept, but when she opened her eyes, Athorn sitting with his back to a short tree. The bird's singing in the foliage above. The rustle of branches above. The rare voices of animals that came close to the settlement.

She raised her bright greyish-blue eyes to the sky again.

"Where are they going today?"

"From Outpost to our place and beyond the mountains."

Nialeeka knew about the city in the southeast, that serves as a gateway to the River Valley. Everyone who wants to get into the Valley, even few such people, must go through it.

"The wind carries them north today. I wonder what they will see there, just around the corner?"

"If you want, someday we will cross them. I will gather people, find a path..." Athorn began to think aloud.

"No, don't," Nialeeka interrupted him quickly. She knew that if she told what she wanted, Athorn would take up the realization of the idea. Her soul was warm from his kindness. She did not need such gifts. It was enough that he was there, just like now. It will be great to spend a lifetime like this...

"If you say so," Athorn smiled.

He shivered and straightened his back. Nialeeka became ashamed. She made him sit on a hilltop in the cold wind for so long, leaning his back against the cold trunk of a tree...

"In that case..." The wind carried the boy's voice over. "Since you do not want to chase the clouds of heaven... how about chasing clouds of the earth?"

Earth cloud? Fog? What did he say?

"What are you talking about?" Nialeeka jumped up.

"Will you believe me, if I say that they exist?"

Nialeeka turned in the blanket and found herself face to face with Athorn. She pulled herself closer to his face.

"You're lying!"

Athorn laughed.

"Look at the horizon."

He hugged Nialeeka, helped her up, and turned her toward a wide river. The girl looked around the river, found Odiern. The village looked so tiny from this afar. Then she turned her gaze further... There, on the turn of the river, something slowly emerged, but she couldn't make out what it is.

Athorn was right, this is a white cloud...

"What is it?..."

For a long time, she could not understand what she saw. For some time Nialeeka watched this "something" slowly and majestically float in their direction, towards Odiern. It came closer and closer until everything she could see became white. The whiteness drifting before her eyes became her skies, and she imagined herself to be high in the air.

Nialeeka forgot when she got up. Her clothes rustled in the wind and her hair was all over her face. She stood face to face with the clouds of earth, and when they floated past her to Odiern, she wanted to give a chase right away.

White clouds turned into sails.

Flocks of birds around appeared as a fleet of local boats. She saw them from the summit of the hill.

They sailed along the river, majestic and beautiful, surrounded by fragile little ships. White sails fluttered in the wind, pushing vessels forward. Their high sides towered above all the small boats of villagers.

People on the boats waved their hands with all their might, greeting the unprecedented colossal ship.

"These are your father's ships," Athorn said, smiling.

Nialeeka gave Athorn a beautiful smile, grabbed his hand, and they, laughing, ran to Odiern.