Author's Note: Well, Rayen is gone, but he's not necessarily GONE. I mean,
we still don't know exactly what happened to him. Well, you don't, but I
do. All that actually happened is that the Dragon that resides in the Red-
Eye Spirit believes that Rayen is not coming back, so he moved on to Nieva.
Because of this, everyone else believes he's dead, but you never know...
Chapter 45
Dawn stood with her berdiche in hand, the sharp thrusting tip sunken into the soft earth. In her other hand, she held the golden casing that had once contained her Dragoon Spirit. She had kept it secret for seven years. She brushed blonde strands of hair from her face, then looked upwards to the starry sky, the twinkling heavens reflected in her emerald eyes. Her fingers caressed the smooth metal, and a flood of memories burst from their dam, rushing to the top of her consciousness.
************************************************************************
Dawn sat in the living room of her suburban home, which was unusually quiet that particular evening. Occasionally the silence was broken by a fit of hacking coughs, but otherwise the serenity of the home went undisturbed. The ten-year-old Dawn glanced apprehensively at the closed door in the hallway at regular intervals, but her worries appeared to be misplaced.
A few minutes later, a hoarse voice croaked out her name. Dawn got to her feet, then crept to the hallway. Opening the closed door a crack, she peeked inside the room. "Yes?"
Two figures were in the bed. One of them, her father, lay in the bed motionless, except for periodical spasms of coughing. Her mother, however, was sitting up; a book in her lap, examining her child with worried eyes. "Come here, Dawn."
The child slipped through the open doorway. As she walked towards the bed, she examined her father. His condition had gotten worse. His eyes were glazed, and there were several discolored blotches on his skin. Dawn looked to her mother. Her mother sighed. "Dawn, your father is very sick. He's... contagious. The only reason I haven't caught it yet is because I have this."
She withdrew a pendant from around her neck. Dawn gasped as the diamond sparkled in the lamplight. "Mom, where did you get that?"
"I found it many years ago. Your father set it in this pendant for me."
Dawn nodded. That would make sense, her father was a jeweler. "But how do you know it keeps you safe from Daddy's disease?"
"It does, Dawn. I don't know how or why, but I can tell that it protects me. I've never gotten sick while I've had this with me. But... I want you to have it now, Dawn. Your father and I do not want you to get sick too. The only reason you haven't come down with it already is because you're young and Daddy doesn't leave his bed much anymore."
Dawn looked perplexed. "But if you give it to me, won't you get sick like Daddy?"
Dawn's mother sighed. "Yes, I will. But you are young, and we want you to be healthy for the rest of your life. You're too young to get sick."
"But everyone gets sick..."
"Not like this. This is different. Besides, I want to be with your father when he... passes on."
Dawn took the pendant, and felt a strange surge of calmness rush through her. She put it on, tucking the stone beneath her clothes.
Her mother nodded gravely. "Good. Now, listen. Nobody knows about that besides your father and I. Do not show or tell anyone about it."
Dawn was once again confused, but she could see her mother was very serious, so she nodded to show she understood.
"Good. You may go now, Dawn. Your father and I need rest."
************************************************************************
They had died less than a year later. Dawn sighed and fingered the stone. She had moved in with a friend after their deaths, and although she was treated like a member of the family, it had never truly replaced her real parents. She had kept true to her word, nobody had known about the pendant. Dawn sometimes wondered if her mother had known what the diamond truly was. It didn't really matter, but she still couldn't help but think her mother may have discovered the gem's nature.
Kyra ran a whetstone meticulously across one of the claws, running it carefully around the wicked barb. During her childhood, the elder Winglies of the forest had considered her barbaric in her dissatisfaction with the quiet haven she had grown up in. She had always been eager to leave the forest. But when she left, she found the world not quiet as wonderful as she had hoped.
************************************************************************
The elders in the Wingly forest had always been able to put up with the youth of the village, putting down their destructive tendencies to curiosity and an outgoing nature, traits they admired but had lost during their years of quiet solitude. However, there was one particular child who took these traits to potentially dangerous levels. Fourteen-year-old Kyra was a delightful young Wingly, but she alone caused the elders more grief than all of the other children combined. In fact, when another child was involved in mischief, Kyra was usually in one way or another connected with the incident.
One day, a storehouse had a small explosion. Being an isolated community, imported goods were extremely important. Eventually, Kyra was linked to the incident and taken before the Council of Elders. The Chief Elder was not pleased. "Kyra, I'm afraid I do not understand. What on the green world of Endiness possessed you to destroy that warehouse?"
The teenage Wingly stomped her foot indignantly. "I didn't do it on purpose! We were just goofing around, and then..."
"Why were you 'goofing around' in a storeroom? You know how important those are."
"If we weren't so solitary we wouldn't need those warehouses," Kyra grumbled.
"You have expressed several times that you wish to leave the forest."
"Yeah! Outside would be much more interesting than this place. It's the same old thing, over and over again!"
"Very well, then. Go."
Kyra looked at the elder suspiciously. "Just like that?"
The Chief Elder turned to the Council, which unanimously nodded. "Apparently so. The shield will be taken down momentarily so that you may leave. You may go gather whatever you wish to take, but hurry."
Kyra nodded in excitement and was off in a flash.
One of the councilmen spoke up. "Are you sure this is wise? She is only fourteen."
"Kyra is fully capable of defending herself, something you should be well aware of by now. She should have no trouble."
A few moments later, Kyra walked out of the forest, the magical shield closing behind her. She couldn't believe it. She was finally out of that forest! She'd have to come back occasionally to visit her parents, but she was finally free to do as she pleased. She started out on the road to Bale. She was sure she could find something there.
As she walked along, Kyra heard a slurred voice. "Hey, it's a little girl!"
Kyra turned her head to regard a human male, stumbling towards her. He mumbled something incoherent that Kyra couldn't decipher. An unpleasant scent of alcohol wafted through the air, and she drew back in disgust. There was wine in the forest, of course, but she had never seen a drunk before.
The intoxicated man shuffled forward, and muttered something again. This time, Kyra heard him, and she punched him in the jaw. He fell like a sack of bricks, unconscious. She leaned against a tree, thinking. Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea. Looking back towards the forest, she knew that there was nothing she could do. The elders would not take down the shield, and even if they did, Kyra did not want to give them that satisfaction. She strapped on her claws, then picked up her belongings.
The elders wanted to see what she would make of the world. Fine. She would show them.
Author's Note: OK, another chapter over. Next up is Oraeus, taking a look back on what it was like growing up different from everyone else. Sure, we all feel different at some point, but at least we're all the same species. Don't forget to review!
Chapter 45
Dawn stood with her berdiche in hand, the sharp thrusting tip sunken into the soft earth. In her other hand, she held the golden casing that had once contained her Dragoon Spirit. She had kept it secret for seven years. She brushed blonde strands of hair from her face, then looked upwards to the starry sky, the twinkling heavens reflected in her emerald eyes. Her fingers caressed the smooth metal, and a flood of memories burst from their dam, rushing to the top of her consciousness.
************************************************************************
Dawn sat in the living room of her suburban home, which was unusually quiet that particular evening. Occasionally the silence was broken by a fit of hacking coughs, but otherwise the serenity of the home went undisturbed. The ten-year-old Dawn glanced apprehensively at the closed door in the hallway at regular intervals, but her worries appeared to be misplaced.
A few minutes later, a hoarse voice croaked out her name. Dawn got to her feet, then crept to the hallway. Opening the closed door a crack, she peeked inside the room. "Yes?"
Two figures were in the bed. One of them, her father, lay in the bed motionless, except for periodical spasms of coughing. Her mother, however, was sitting up; a book in her lap, examining her child with worried eyes. "Come here, Dawn."
The child slipped through the open doorway. As she walked towards the bed, she examined her father. His condition had gotten worse. His eyes were glazed, and there were several discolored blotches on his skin. Dawn looked to her mother. Her mother sighed. "Dawn, your father is very sick. He's... contagious. The only reason I haven't caught it yet is because I have this."
She withdrew a pendant from around her neck. Dawn gasped as the diamond sparkled in the lamplight. "Mom, where did you get that?"
"I found it many years ago. Your father set it in this pendant for me."
Dawn nodded. That would make sense, her father was a jeweler. "But how do you know it keeps you safe from Daddy's disease?"
"It does, Dawn. I don't know how or why, but I can tell that it protects me. I've never gotten sick while I've had this with me. But... I want you to have it now, Dawn. Your father and I do not want you to get sick too. The only reason you haven't come down with it already is because you're young and Daddy doesn't leave his bed much anymore."
Dawn looked perplexed. "But if you give it to me, won't you get sick like Daddy?"
Dawn's mother sighed. "Yes, I will. But you are young, and we want you to be healthy for the rest of your life. You're too young to get sick."
"But everyone gets sick..."
"Not like this. This is different. Besides, I want to be with your father when he... passes on."
Dawn took the pendant, and felt a strange surge of calmness rush through her. She put it on, tucking the stone beneath her clothes.
Her mother nodded gravely. "Good. Now, listen. Nobody knows about that besides your father and I. Do not show or tell anyone about it."
Dawn was once again confused, but she could see her mother was very serious, so she nodded to show she understood.
"Good. You may go now, Dawn. Your father and I need rest."
************************************************************************
They had died less than a year later. Dawn sighed and fingered the stone. She had moved in with a friend after their deaths, and although she was treated like a member of the family, it had never truly replaced her real parents. She had kept true to her word, nobody had known about the pendant. Dawn sometimes wondered if her mother had known what the diamond truly was. It didn't really matter, but she still couldn't help but think her mother may have discovered the gem's nature.
Kyra ran a whetstone meticulously across one of the claws, running it carefully around the wicked barb. During her childhood, the elder Winglies of the forest had considered her barbaric in her dissatisfaction with the quiet haven she had grown up in. She had always been eager to leave the forest. But when she left, she found the world not quiet as wonderful as she had hoped.
************************************************************************
The elders in the Wingly forest had always been able to put up with the youth of the village, putting down their destructive tendencies to curiosity and an outgoing nature, traits they admired but had lost during their years of quiet solitude. However, there was one particular child who took these traits to potentially dangerous levels. Fourteen-year-old Kyra was a delightful young Wingly, but she alone caused the elders more grief than all of the other children combined. In fact, when another child was involved in mischief, Kyra was usually in one way or another connected with the incident.
One day, a storehouse had a small explosion. Being an isolated community, imported goods were extremely important. Eventually, Kyra was linked to the incident and taken before the Council of Elders. The Chief Elder was not pleased. "Kyra, I'm afraid I do not understand. What on the green world of Endiness possessed you to destroy that warehouse?"
The teenage Wingly stomped her foot indignantly. "I didn't do it on purpose! We were just goofing around, and then..."
"Why were you 'goofing around' in a storeroom? You know how important those are."
"If we weren't so solitary we wouldn't need those warehouses," Kyra grumbled.
"You have expressed several times that you wish to leave the forest."
"Yeah! Outside would be much more interesting than this place. It's the same old thing, over and over again!"
"Very well, then. Go."
Kyra looked at the elder suspiciously. "Just like that?"
The Chief Elder turned to the Council, which unanimously nodded. "Apparently so. The shield will be taken down momentarily so that you may leave. You may go gather whatever you wish to take, but hurry."
Kyra nodded in excitement and was off in a flash.
One of the councilmen spoke up. "Are you sure this is wise? She is only fourteen."
"Kyra is fully capable of defending herself, something you should be well aware of by now. She should have no trouble."
A few moments later, Kyra walked out of the forest, the magical shield closing behind her. She couldn't believe it. She was finally out of that forest! She'd have to come back occasionally to visit her parents, but she was finally free to do as she pleased. She started out on the road to Bale. She was sure she could find something there.
As she walked along, Kyra heard a slurred voice. "Hey, it's a little girl!"
Kyra turned her head to regard a human male, stumbling towards her. He mumbled something incoherent that Kyra couldn't decipher. An unpleasant scent of alcohol wafted through the air, and she drew back in disgust. There was wine in the forest, of course, but she had never seen a drunk before.
The intoxicated man shuffled forward, and muttered something again. This time, Kyra heard him, and she punched him in the jaw. He fell like a sack of bricks, unconscious. She leaned against a tree, thinking. Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea. Looking back towards the forest, she knew that there was nothing she could do. The elders would not take down the shield, and even if they did, Kyra did not want to give them that satisfaction. She strapped on her claws, then picked up her belongings.
The elders wanted to see what she would make of the world. Fine. She would show them.
Author's Note: OK, another chapter over. Next up is Oraeus, taking a look back on what it was like growing up different from everyone else. Sure, we all feel different at some point, but at least we're all the same species. Don't forget to review!