Just how far

The quiet growl of waves leaping onto the sandy shore and then slipping back into the sea was the second thing I noticed upon waking. The grit caking every inch of my aching form was third on the list.
The first was a familiar companion that I never seemed able to escape: fatigue.
Shifting, I managed to sit up and look out at the ocean. Memories flashed through my mind; falling into the waves, losing sight of the cliffs, and finally being caught up in some great storm.
Yet somehow, I had been brought back to the shore. Completely aching and without anything but my coyote tooth necklace, but at least I was alive.
Turning away from the ocean, I shakily stood. At the edge of the beach, strange trees loomed. Tall and narrow, the smooth bark was a greenish-brown. Drawing closer, it became obvious that this strange tree was common to this area, and a quiver that had nothing to do with hunger rumbled in my stomach.
Moving through the trees, I searched for fresh water. The strength of my thirst seemed made me wonder just how long I'd been caught in that storm.
Without my tools, I would have to rely on my wits and the magics I'd been born with. Finding a suitable patch of ground, I knelt and pressed my hand to the dirt.
Fresh water. Picturing streams, clear pools, and serene lakes, my magic trickled through the earth in all directions, seeking guidance from the foliage in finding a source of the precious liquid.
Outsider. The response caused my magic to recoil as the strange trees surrounding me shuddered as one, and some dead limbs thudded to the ground near me. Unnatural magic. Begone.
The dirt beneath my hand burned, and I jerked free of it with a gasp.
I'd been rejected!
Certainly some places had taken longer to respond to my pleas, but my magic had never been so violently rejected before. This magic was common everywhere I'd been, so why would it be rejected?
Getting to my feet, I studied one of the fallen limbs. Placing my hand over it, my voice was a dry rasp as I coaxed staff from the wood.
Although a staff did emerge from the larger piece of wood, strange veins of amber and blue ran through the entirety of the staff. But it fit my hand well, and gave me something to lean on.
Even with the staff, I was ready to collapse by the time I found a stream. Pebbles bit into my aching legs as I knelt and greedily drank, scarcely noticing the unusual taste beneath the refreshing chill of the liquid.
A twittering call from the other side of the stream caught my attention, and I looked up and stiffened.
A blue skinned creature floated above the ground on wings like a damselfly. Though it had a form like that of a women, it could not be human.
The creature's lips moved, releasing a sound like that of a bird. Then it frowned, and the sound changed to something more like speech, yet oddly crisp.
I shook my head. This creature was like nothing I had ever heard of, and matched none of the magical creatures that I had heard of or seen. "I don't know what you are."
The creature recoiled, black eyes narrowing as she studied me. Speaking this time in a tone that dripped like sap, she motioned at me.
Again I shook my head. "I don't understand you."
Tilting her head, the creature clucked her tongue and floated closer.
My hand shifted toward my staff. I wasn't sure if this creature was dangerous. "I don't want any trouble."
The creatures eyes flickered to my staff, and the creature seemed to freeze for a moment. Then she broke in to such a rapid chattering of birdlike sounds that I held up my hand to show her they were empty.
"Now, now, I'm not going to pick up my staff, okay?"
The creature pursed her lips, then pointed at herself and gave a low chirp. I frown, and she repeated the gesture and sound.
"Is that your... name?" I asked as she gave the chirp a third time. Concentrating, I attempted to repeat the sound and motioned toward her.
The creature clapped her hands and warbled some more birdcalls. "I'll take that as a yes." I said as she quieted. Motioning again at herself, she gave the chirp again, then motioned to me. "Me?" Taking a deep breath, I pointed at myself. "Ezhno."
The creature floated a little closer, frowning slightly. I pointed again. "Ezhno."
"Ezhno." She spoke soft and slow, as if my name was a food she had never before tasted.
And at last, I realized that might be true.
I'd been carried out into the ocean, and caught up by a storm. Having finally been washed ashore, it was possible that it might not have been in my own land.
As the blue skinned creature twittered in her bird language, I wondered just how far from home I was.