Hey, everyone, I'm sorry it's been taking me a while to get this moving, I've had a lot of other things going on, but I'm doing my best to post new stuff as often as possible. J Anyway, here's chapter 3, enjoy!
Chapter 3: Thin Line
It had been two years since Auron's spectacular display at the Festival of Warriors, and he was now seven years old. His birthday was in three days, and he was excited to be one year closer to becoming an apprentice. These next two years would be important for his training, or playing, down in the Field if he wanted to learn under a good master, although lately he and Braska had been avoiding the Field and going into the forest to explore. They both had an aptitude for exploration and adventure, and while on one of their trips they found the best place to play, Kyrie Falls. Sometimes they would disappear for hours at a time, without anyone knowing where they were, and they would escape chores and various other things that their parents wanted them to do by hiding there.
It was indeed the perfect place to hide, and one of the most spectacular. The waterfall itself was in a small clearing, and the leafy overhang kept the sun from burning the young boys while they played and practiced on the gigantic old tree trunk that had fallen across the base of the waterfall. The pool of water that the waterfall fed was peaceful and clear, the only ripples being made by the two nearly naked boys swimming and splashing each other. It was the best summer of their lives.
Auron was on his way back home from one of these very ventures. "It's starting to get dark, Braska…" He gestured up towards the pink and golden sky beyond the treetops. "My mom is probably getting worried."
"Aw, come on, Auron!" Braska waved his newly made stick-sword. "One more round! I'll win this time." Auron shook his head.
"You haven't won all summer…What makes you think you'll start now?" He taunted.
"I just know, okay!" He dropped back into ready position. "I dare you…Or are you too scared?" He stuck out his tongue in such a way that it reminded Auron of Sonja on the day he had broken her arm. He shook himself, and looked at Braska, who by this time was dancing circles around Auron.
"I don't want to, Braska." He crossed his arms over his small chest. "I'm going home." He turned on his heel in a huff and walked quickly away, pretending not to hear Braska calling him 'chicken' behind him. He made his way through the undergrowth, and in a few minutes he was back out on the Field. The grass was longer than usual, except where it had been tramped down by the children playing games. No one was in the Field, and the wind whipped through the grass, making eerie noises that sent chills down Auron's spine. The collection of huts beyond the grass line was quiet, and smoke was trailing out of the chimneys and being swept away by the wind, carrying the smells and scents of the various houses over the field and to Auron's nose. He couldn't wait to get home and eat his mom's food. He ran across the field, and in between the huts to the front door of his house. His mother had said to be home before sunset, and stars were starting to twinkle in the sky. He started to push open the door, but he heard unfamiliar voices and stopped before he even started.
"Drogan, I just don't understand." His mother's voice was muffled by the slightly closed door. Auron pushed it open just a little bit more so he could hear better.
"I don't either, Lyla, but it was what Dolan said before he died..." Came a man's gruff reply. Auron supposed that it was Drogan.
"Dolan…" His mother sounded distant. "Are you sure…That it's still alive?" She asked hesitantly.
"Yeah, we saw it with our own eyes," another voice, higher pitched than Drogan's, piped up. "It was most certainly Grogar's pet Fie…"
"Stephan!" Drogan said suddenly. "Be quiet, you're only upsetting her!" His voice was low and threatening, and Auron could hear his mother quietly sobbing. Auron had had enough. He pushed open the door and ran in front of his mother, his arms folded defiantly across his chest. He puffed himself up to look as big and intimidating as possible. He glared at them, his russet eyes flickering.
"Get out!" He said to them in his childish voice. "Leave my mom alone!" The two men looked at each other from their seats at the table, and the bigger of the two began to laugh.
"I…Whoa…" The man's voice was Drogan's, and the thinner, taller man doubled over with laughter. "You…look like…your old man…kid…" He said between his guffaws. He slapped his knee and put a hand on his aching side.
"I thought that it WAS him!" Stepan choked. Auron was indignant, and refused to let them ridicule him.
"I said leave!" He pointed to the door. The two men slowly brought their laughing to a halt.
"Auron, honey, it's okay…" Lyla seemed to have recovered from her shock at seeing her son burst in the door. "These men are friends."
"More than friends, my boy, family!" Drogan pounded a fist into his enormous chest. "Your dad and I were brothers. I'm the uncle no one likes to talk about." His wolfish grin seemed as fierce as it was friendly.
"Yes, and besides, you can't kick us out," Stephan said matter-of-factly. "We have nowhere else to go, and your mom has offered us food and shelter for as long as we need it."
"Not to mention that we're only here for your well-being, young Auron." Drogan winked at the boy. Auron had not moved from his position between the two men and his mother. Seeing this, Drogan knew that Auron was just like his father. Stubborn. "Well, uh…How 'bout some of that delicious smelling food you got cookin' in the kitchen?" Lyla nodded and left the room. Auron reluctantly took a seat at the table, (only because his mother told him that if he didn't, he wouldn't be able to practice for a week), and stared vehemently at the men. "You're so much like your pop, I can tell. But it looks like you got your mom's good looks and your daddy's eyes." Auron was relieved when his mother brought the food to the table, setting down a pot of stew in the middle of the table and passing out the bowls. She dished out the spicy-smelling soup with a gigantic wooden ladle, and then sat down after everyone had some in their bowls. Drogan and Stephan started eating like there was no tomorrow, but Auron ate his slowly, mimicking his mother's good habits. Not much was said between them, mostly because the men had food in their mouths at all times, and when they finished, Auron was sent to bed so they could talk. Lyla apologized but promised to explain it all later, and patted his behind as he sulked off to bed.
For the next two days, Auron only saw his uncle and Stephan three times, all at the table while they ate. Finally, Auron stopped going to meals and broke curfew both nights to show his depreciation of the whole affair. He ran from his house into the woods to meet Braska. Today they were going to swim and hunt for small animals. Braska had made some traps that he wanted to try, and Auron wanted to practice his stealth skills.
A pair of emerald eyes watched Auron run through the Field past the other children who were starting to show up for the morning's rounds. Sonja was perched on her favorite rock away from all the commotion of the newest fight, and gripped her small sword in hand. It was a real sword, more like a large knife, that her father had made especially for her the year before. She glanced over at the crowd of kids to see if they had noticed Auron disappearing into the trees, and realizing none of them had noticed, she decided to follow. She jumped down and ran swiftly after Auron, following the sounds he was trying not to make as he went down the almost invisible trail. She almost fell over when she stopped too suddenly to stay behind the bushes. She peered out and saw Auron and Braska taking their clothing off, leaving only their breeches, and then proceeding to jump into the clear water from the moss-covered log over the waterfall's base. She stood up and walked out into the clearing, making her presence known by throwing pebbles at the boys, hitting one and narrowly missing the other.
"OW!" Braska cried out as he rubbed his shoulder. A bruise was already forming. He looked up and saw Sonja. "Auron…" He pointed. Auron turned himself around.
"What're YOU doing here?" He demanded. "This is our secret place. Girls aren't allowed."
"Well," she began haughtily. "Unless you want the whole village to know about this place, I think you should make an exception." She laughed a little to herself. "You weren't even careful about being followed. If I had been Erik, you guys would've been told on for sure."
"What do you mean I wasn't careful?" Auron said indignantly.
"You didn't even check to see if anyone was following you, and a two-year-old could've tracked you what with all the noise you were making."
"Just go away." Auron turned his back to her and started to swim away.
"Fine! I guess you won't mind it if I bring a bunch of my friends here, huh?" She turned around on her heel and made for the edge of the clearing.
"Wait!" Braska finally spoke up. "You can stay…" Braska faltered at Auron's warning glance. "…If you can beat Auron! Deal?" She stopped and turned around slowly.
"Deal, but only if we use sticks, not swords." She walked confidently towards the bank of the pool, and stood there waiting. "Well, are we gonna fight or not?"
"All right…All right…" Auron climbed out of the pool, opposite the bank where Sonja was standing, glaring at Braska the entire time. He grabbed Braska's wooden sword and walked up to the log. "Are you coming?" Sonja walked briskly up to the opposite end of the log. "The rules are: if you get knocked off, you lose, if your sword is knocked away, you lose, and all the other rules apply that're used out in the Field. Got it?"
"Yup." Sonja dropped into ready position, and drew her wooden sword, having place her real one back down on a rock on the bank. Auron also brought himself into a fighting stance, and he thrust his sword in front of him. "Hey, Braska!" Sonja yelled as the boy was climbing onto a rock to watch the fight. "Tell us when to start, k?" Auron stared at her endlessly, and she stared right back. They never took their eyes off of each other.
"Begin!" Braska yelled. They rushed at each other, but Sonja slipped on the wet moss and lost her footing. Auron saw this and rushed her, attempting to knock her off for an easy victory. She moved out of the way just in time and swung her sword around to hit him, but he nimbly dodged the blow as he rolled on the ground and quickly stood up. They looked at each other for an instant, and then they locked their swords together, each attempting to shove the other off of the trunk.
"Come on, you can do better than that, Auron." Sonja taunted. He growled in response and threw all of his weight into her. She let him push her down and used his momentum to flip him, kicking his stomach and pushing him off, sending him hurtling towards the water's surface below. He belly-flopped, and his huge splash caused tidal waves on the banks of the spring. Sonja stood up and went over to the edge, looking down to see if he was all right. Sure enough, the boy came to the surface and slowly paddled his way over to the bank. "I win, Auron!" She shouted down to him triumphantly. "Looks like I'll being staying for a while!" Auron growled and walked over to Braska.
"This is your fault." He sputtered angrily. "It was your idea."
"You just don't like to be beat, Auron." Braska said simply. "Get over it!" The girl laughed and dove in from the log, clothes and all. "At least she won't tell anyone about this place."
"Yeah, okay…" Auron conceded.
Somewhere in the depths of the forest, a man and a giant Fiend had set up camp. "Don't worry, Grogar, soon we will have our revenge." The man's deep voice said comfortingly to the beast that slept by the fire. "Very soon…Your son is walking on that thin line, Dolan…"
Author's note: Well, you know the drill…R+R please! J I hope you liked it, and it's keeping you entertained. I know Sonja sounds a little like Rikku, but trust me, that comes into play later in the story. J I'll post the next chapter ASAP!