Chapter One
I opened my eyes and felt the cryopod beginning to unfreeze. I prepared to leap out the second the door opened. I waited and counted down in my head. 3...2...1. The door opened and I grabbed the edge of the pod and flung myself around and out of sight. I moved to sit behind the pod and wrapped my wings, yes wings, around my body. I brushed my fire-red hair out of my face and looked around hoping to find some kind of date.
"What was that?" I heard a voice.
"I don't know. But whatever it is we must show it we mean no harm." Another voice said.
"What are you?" I yelled. My voice was weak from the time spent in the pod.
"We've come to help you." A third voice said.
"That doesn't answer my question." I said.
"We are known as San'Shyuum." The second voice said. The name was familiar. I looked around the corner and saw three odd creatures. They looked familiar. Of course, the Forerunners had met with them once.
Let me take a moment to tell you something. I am the gaurdian of the Forerunners. I am tall and slender with strong muscles. I have wings, a tail, cat ears, and claws instead of nails. I am the last of my kind, I am highly trained in hand to hand combat. And I'm only six years old.
I stepped out from behind the cryopod and stood. "I know your kind. The Forerunners trust you. Where are they?" I looked around hoping to see them.
"They are long dead." The third prophet said.
"No. I swore upon my life to gaurd them. And I failed." I looked to my feet and let my ears fall back against my head.
"It was not your fault. They placed you in cryosleep to save you from something." My head snapped up and I growled at the thought of the infection they had safeguarded me from.
"Is the infection gone?" I balled my hands into fists and growled.
"What infection?" The second voice said. I had figured out by now that he was their leader.
"What year is this?" I growled, ignoring the question.
"2546. You have been in cryosleep for almost..." I held up a hand.
"Yeah I know. For almost a hundred thousand years." I sighed and lowered my hand. I reached into the cryopod and pulled out the weapon I had.
"I need a new weapon." I dropped it on the floor and looked up to them. They looked to the doorway and I watched another creature walk in. I recognized this one. They never had a name. All I knew was they were nobal warriors. "Does your kind yet have a name?"
He looked at me and smiled. At least I think it was a smile. "We call ourselves Sangheili."
"An interesting name if I may say so." I said and turned back to the San'Shyuum.
"How do you know so much about them?" The third voice said. I looked at each of them in turn.
"I am...was the gaurdian of the Forerunners. I went everywhere they did. it was my duty to learn all the species, where they come from and how to get to their homes from this planet."
The three prophets looked to each other and nodded. The leader looked to me. "Then you know all of the creatures of the Covenant?"
"I know the Sangheili and you prophets. What else is there?" I looked at them. I moved my wings a bit and winced slightly. They still hurt from the time I had been attacked by the infection. They told me the pain would go away after I was awakened. They lied to me. How could they do that? The pain had receaded a bit but was still there.
"Unggoy, Jiralhane, Mgaleko, Yanme'e, Kig-yar and Huragok." The names were all fimiliar. As he named them the images filled my head and I nodded.
"Yes I know of them all." I sighed and moved my wings away from me. I wore a black shirt with black jeans. I had black knee high boots and a necklace that was as red as blood. Across my face was a mask. It was a simple mask. No special designs exept for and image of a feather under each of the eyes.
"What are you?" The Sangheli asked.
"My kind had no name. The rest died in the battle with the infection." I winced remembering it and the fact that it had learned to use the wings. "I lived because I had been wounded in battle. They placed my in cryosleep because I wanted to back out there and fight. If I had gone back out I would have become infected and died."
"What is your name?" The leader said.
"Darkchild is all I was known as. I was the only one with black wings." I flared out my wings. Here it meant nothing. When the Forerunners were still alive it meant feeling safe or accepting one as your leader. I held my wings close to my back and walked to the doorway. It led out onto a ledge outside. The Forerunners legacy was still here. I looked to the center spire and saw that the building they had built for us was still there.
"You know that building?" The Sangheli asked. I nodded. "Then how do you get in?"
"You fly or climb. That was the only way that I ever knew of. It was designed for my people so that the infected ones could not attack us in our sleep." I shook my head. "That was until one of us became infected. She tried to rip her wings off so it could not use them but she failed. The infection figured out how to use the wings and attacked. I was injured and thrown off the spire. I flew to the Forerunners and told them what had happened." I looked back up to the top of the spire.
"What did they do about it?" The first prophet asked.
"They did all they could. But the location being so high in the air. They could only fight from the ground."
I closed my eyes and remember the frightful sight. I had just awoken to find the Flood attacking. I had tried to assist my family and friends. I was only able to save a handful of others including my best friend. He was injured and near death. According to the Forerunners he died that night.
I opened my eyes and looked to the ground. I growled and lept off the ledge. I ran to the building and dug my claws into the soft metal of the spire and began to climb. I reached the top and saw nothing but feathers. I picked up a handful and held them close. Amongst them I saw a red feather. Bloodheart, he was my friend. He was the only one with red wings. He was six years older than me. My parents had appointed him my guardian. Every Darkchild in history had a gaurdian with red wings. The one thing I didn't tell the prophets was the fact that the Darkchild was the one who would sacrifice her life one day to protect the others. The Forerunners never understood.
In the old legends the infection was always there. Only the blood of the Darkchild could sate its hunger. I shook my head and let the feathers fluter to the floor. I closed my eyes and heard the battles that raged on everynight on the ground. I opened my eyes and stood. I dug my claws into the side again and climbed down. I stopped about ten feet off the ground and jumped.
I landed on both feet and walked into the building and looked for the armor the Forerunners had created for me. I found the doors that led to the observitory. I looked at the door and saw that it was locked. I placed my hand on the panel and the door hissed open. I walked swiftly inside and threw open a set of hidden doors. I brushed my fingertips along the graceful armor inside.
"This armor shall protect you as soon as you are old enough to fufill your rightful place as the Forerunners gaurd. Do you swear upon your sword and shield that you will forever protect us against our enemies?" I heard the voices and turned around. I saw the ghosts of the past in front of me. I was five when they made this armor for me.
"I swear upon my sword, my shield and my honor that I will forever protect the Forerunners." The ghost of me knelt down and outstretched her wings.
"Then arise Darkchild. You're training has gone well. Now go play with your friends." The little child walked away and the Forerunners looked to each other. The images vanished and I turned back to the armor. It was simple. Just enough to protect my arms, legs, tail, torso and the bone of my wings. The only problem was it was to big for me.
"Who's armor is that?" I heard someone behind me. I stepped away and shut the doors.
"No ones. Not anymore. That child is long gone. She failed in her task so she doesn't deserve the safty the Forerunners once gave her." I turned around and saw a Sangheili.
"She didn't fail. The Forerunners placed her in cryo sleep. There was nothing she could do about it." He walked over and opened the doors. "This was your armor. The Forerunners really didn't want anything to happen to you."
"I wish my people would never had made that damned pact with the Forerunners. I may have gotten the chance to live a normal childhood. Obliviuos to war. But they made the pact and now." I shook my head.
"It's a good thing they did. The infection may have wiped out your entire kind including you."
"I was destined to die by the infection. The Darkchilds blood shall be the only thing that sates its hunger. That's why so many were able to live without fear from them." I growled and walked away from the armor.
"You were born, only to be sacrificed?" I nodded and kept walking.
"Tell no one else. It's not important. At least it won't be till it returns." I wrapped my wings around me and walked to the cryo chambers. No one else was in there. I walked to the pod I had been stuck in and looked next to it. The cryopod that should have been there was gone. The Forerunners daughter must have been sent somewhere else.
I reached down and grabbed my gun off the floor. I may as well use it where I'm going. I had to find my old homeworld. I left the building and looked around hoping to find one of the small transport ships.
As I walked I saw a large ship in the planets atmosphere. It was purple and shaped like a jellyfish. I shook my head and walked to where the ships were. The hangar was empty exept for a bag. I walked over and found it empty. I picked it up and walked back to the room with my armor. Again the room was deserted.
I quickly packed the armor into the bag and closed it. I'd have to find another way home. I held the gun in one hand and threw the bag over my shoulder. Now just to get my swords from the spire. They were sleek single edged swords with a black blade and a gold hilt.
I walked to the spire and began to climb again. I found the two swords under a pile of feathers and put them in the bag as well. The hilts stuck out a bit but that didn't matter. I climbed back down. I was still not sure about flying. The pain ebbed through my wings and through my shoulders. I looked back up to the ship and began walking towards the lakes.
I was about halfway to the lakes when a wierd ship flew down in front of me. It was purple and looked to wierd to describe. I held my wings close and ran for the lakes. If I could reach them then maybe I could get away from the ship. I turned back to look at it and saw a Sangheili walk up to it. I stopped running and turned back. I ducked behind a tall patch of grass and crouched low to the ground. The ship began to fly towards where I was. I looked at it and stood. It "landed" beside me. It stayed off the ground but stopped moving.
A Sangheili hopped out and looked at me. "It's alright. We're not going to hurt you."
"I know. Your kind is a peaceful one." I walked to the ship and looked at it. "What is this thing?"
"A phantom. It's what gets us from High Charity to the surface of the planets."
"What's a High Charity?"
He looked to the ship in the sky and I followed his gaze. "That is the High Charity. Covenant holy city."
I nodded and began to walk to the lakes again. I reached the edge and looked around and found a small boat. I jumped in it and shoved away from the land. I found the two ores and began to row to the other side of the lake. I looked towards the land across the small lake. I lifted my bag and placed it on my lap. The armor could not get wet.
I reached the small island but the spaceships that had once been there were long gone. I shook my head and hopped onto the island. I pulled the backpack out of the boat and threw it over my shoulder before walking farther inland. Another phantom landed in front of me.
"Can't you learn to leave me alone?" I hollored.
A Sangheli floated down the grav lift. "We only wish to help you."
"My kind were loners. But I guess I can make an exeption. Alright. I'll go." I walked to the phantom. Maybe they could get me home. I held my wings close to my back and floated up the lift. I ran quickly to the other end of the phantom and stood in a crouch facing the lift. I growled softly at it.
"What are you growling at?" I looked to my left and saw a creature known as an Uungoy.
"Unnatural form of flying. I prefer wings over such technology." I straightened out from a crouch and leaned with my back against the wall. One of the Huragok floated towards me and I bared my fangs.
"Relax. He won't hurt you." One of the Sangheili said.
I stepped away from the wall and held my hand out to the Huragok. "I know. I'm just a bit jumpy right now. To be honest. I'm a bit scared. I don't know anything about this era." The Huragok grabbed my hand and began to look it over. I smiled and allowed my wings out a bit. It floated over and looked at my wings. I stretched them out a bit more and sat on the ground. Since I was so little I had a small wingspan. When I grew to full hieght of 6 foot 3 at age sixteen they'd be over thirty feet tip to tip. Everyone elses wings were only twenty feet. Right now mine were only ten foot. I had learned to fly as soon as my wings were developed enough. Which was just after my third birthday.
"Nice wings." I heard another Unggoy say.
"These aren't even halfway grown. My wings will get up to thiry feet when I'm full grown." I smiled softly to myself. "The Darkchild always had wings that reached out farther than the others." I shook my head and looked up to the ceiling.
I pulled my wings against my back and looked back down to the others. I stood and wrapped my wings around me. "We're almost to High Charity." One of the Sangheili said.
My ears fell against the top of my head and I shifted the bag a bit on my shoulder. The metal armor shifted enough to make a soft clang. I pressed my hand against the bag and pulled it off my shoulder. I opened the bag and shifted the armor around to where it wouldn't hit again.
"So you grabbed your armor?" The Sangheili asked. I recognized him from the observitory.
"Yes. I couldn't just leave it there. Besides. If the infection ever come back I fully intend to fight it fang and claw." I growled and closed the bag. The Forerunneres had made the armor so it would fit me at age twelve. I'd be able wear it until I turned sixteen.
He nodded and I felt a shift in the gravity as it increased slightly. I floated down the gravlift and held my wings close. My first thought was: How did this thing move? It was huge. And I hadn't even begun to see inside.