Fire. That was my first memory. That heat blasting at my skin, the smoke filling my small lungs, the pain that seared through my body, and the color; It was orange and red. It barreled towards us, my mother and I. She clung to me tightly and I wanted so badly to cling back, but my limbs were weakened, my body curling against her in complete agony; I needed to at least see her. I tilt my head up, trying to catch a glimpse through the haze of heat that surrounded us. That fire, being stopped by another fire. It came from my mother's skin, protecting her, protecting us. But it was still that heat. It was agonizing; painful enough to leave me helpless.
In a moment, one of silence. The heat was disappearing, but my skin still burned. That moment, everything went still; I was flying. At least I think I was flying, my body was soaring through the air, and I was thrust into the arms of another. Who was this person? I was so uncertain. I just wanted my mother, her arms, her warmth, but as I turn my head to cry for her, all I see is a faceless woman, a faceless woman being enveloped in that blasted fire. It devoured her. I wanted to cry out, but my lungs, so thick with smoke, could only manage a strangled gasp. Tears roll down my heated cheeks, and that feeling hurt more than the fire. "M-ma." My voice hoarsely croaks out.
Soon, that fire is nothing but a distant spark as I was carried away by this person I didn't know, into a place I'd never been to. I wanted to struggle, to cry out and run back to my mother, but I couldn't. I was just too weak, unable to fight, unable to even keep my eyes open. So, as the soft thuds of this person's footsteps fade in my ears, my eyes drift to a close, and everything goes pitifully black. But at least it was no longer red.
With a jolt, I fly out from my sleep and tumble helplessly onto the ground. "What's going on over there, Keith?" I hear my older brother Shiro yell from the other room of our small house. I groan and get to my feet. "Nothing, just fell." "Your bed is literally a foot off the ground, how do you manage to do this every morning?" I could practically see the eye roll from the tone in his voice. I grumble under my breath and rub the back of my pounding head. "That dream again…" I sigh to myself. For years, I've had a reoccurring dream; It haunted me in my sleep, and I more often than not, was left seeing red once my eyes were to finally jolt open. 'A dream? Or a memory.' I rub my knuckles against my temples, "Definitely a dream, definitely a dream!" I grab my shirt and pull them over my dark, baggy pants. With a yawn, I head out into the open area of the house, where Shiro was standing, wearing his odd black outfit. Usually Fire benders wore red clothing, but Shiro was a special case.
Tugging sheepishly at my red collar, and look at my big brother. He looks me up and down, before pointing to his cheek. "You got another bruise." He comments and my hands fly up to my right cheek. "Goddammit." I grumble. "Language." Shiro barks out irritably. I roll my eyes, and trudge over to the little area, we called a kitchen. That was literally just a glorified name for the cramped room, that held our stored food. I grab the sliced bread, which Shiro had obviously already taken his share from. I stuff a small piece into my mouth, chewing on the tough bread. I choke it down, swallowing it begrudgingly. I couldn't complain though, it wasn't too often that we got any good loafs of bread. However, it seemed that we had gotten a lot more bread as of recently; It made me curious. We barely got bread every month, and now we get it every week. I smirk lightly to myself.
Grabbing the rest of my portion of bread, I head out the door. The crisp air surrounding the small house was refreshing against my skin, and in my lungs. Peaceful. Quiet. Crisp. Cool. Beautiful. It was amazing to me, how all of this was outside our wore down house. With its cracked windows, chipped wood, small rooms, and broken door frames. It was funny to me, it looked so broken and alone, as if hidden away and abandoned by the world. A tear in a beautiful tapestry. A harsh streak of paint against an enticing painting. It was odd to me, yet somehow alluring. No one wandered here, disrupted the scene, it was like a long-forgotten painting. "Uh…gross." I roll my eyes at the cheesy thoughts running through my mind. It wasn't like me, but who knows, maybe I have a romantic heart.
As if opposed to my thoughts, chaos breaks out. Shiro barrels into me, knocking me down and forces us both down behind the thick brush. I could hear heavy footsteps stepping just ahead of us, a faint smell of smoke radiating off of them. From what I could hear, there were at least 5 of them. "Shiro wha-." He covers my mouth, and shuffles us backward, pulling us further out of sight. The people were obviously men, from the shape of their shadow, and the sound of their huffing. "They said there was a sighting of the damned avatar out here, but all I see is an uninhabitable house, and trees." A deep voice growls out, kicking at a tree which shakes from the force. Another calmer voice responds to this violence by sighing, "Whether he was truly out here or not, they would have had to send us. You should be glad you get to search at all." 'Avatar? But why are they… Out here?' My confusion shone in my eyes, and Shiro looks at me sadly.
"Keith…" He whispers, hesitance in his eyes. "I need you to run, as fast as you can… Go to the little bakery in the village and find the man named Coran. He'll help you get out of here?" I gave him an odd look, "Why?" I question softly. Shiro bites his lip, "I'll explain it all to you later, just take this…" He shoves a pouch in my hands, "And run. Run like your life depends on it." Not giving me any time to argue, he stands us up, pushing me behind him. "Run NOW!" And so, I did; There was no way that the guards didn't see us, which meant, I realized, that Shiro planned to fight them. That realization made me worry, I wanted to turn back, but I knew I couldn't. So, I kept running. I run until I make it to the village, but I don't stop. I don't stop until I make it to the bakery, but even then, I run inside.
My body shakes, my air comes out in short breaths, and I feel weak. 'What happened, why? What's going to happen to Shiro? I just couldn't bring the worry to a halt, it just builds and builds and builds. My knees shaking, I stand inside the bakery, looking around. "Coran." I remember. Coran was who I ran here to meet, yet I had no idea who he is. Luckily, I didn't need to. "Keith? I presume." A voice calls from beside my shaky form. I turn towards that voice and see a man. He has orange hair in a shade I had never seen before, and a long moustache of the same color. His eyes are a purple-grey color, which seemed to oddly fit against his tan complexion. He seemed maybe an inch or so taller than me, but obviously older. "uhm…who's asking?" I question, suspiciously. The man laughs, a surprisingly comfortable sound. "Coran's the name, I'm sure Shiro filled you in."
"Uhm. Not real-"
"Great! Let's get going." Coran cuts in, smiling.
"Get going where?" I question.
"Well to the North Pole of course. I thought Shiro filled you in, on all of this."
"He didn't get the-"
"Nevertheless, we must get going, come on Keith."
Without even a chance to figure out what was going on, Coran dragged me out of the bakery. Completely confused and lost, I let myself be dragged out. Suddenly we stop and I look over in confusion. In front of us was a mammoth of a creature. Its fur was a seemingly white color with giant arrows down its side and head. My eyes widen at the creature, but Coran seemed unaffected. He just waves at it, or not it, I realize, but a brown-haired girl sitting atop the giant creature. She waves back, a smile on her face as she decides to hop down. "So, this is the newbie, huh?" She questions, observing me critically. Coran laughs, "Yes, from today onward this is your new partner, Keith. Keith, this is Pidge. Together you two are the first to form our new team." I look at him with confusion in my eyes. 'Team? I was never told about this.' I groan inwardly. This was just like Shiro. He always put me into situations without even telling me before doing so. "Damn him." I mutter under my breath, then turn to face Pidge. "Nice to meet you." I say awkwardly. She gives me a small grin, "Welcome to the beginning of Team Voltron, Red."