Chapter 3: The Journey Begins
"NO!!!" Imperial gasped clutching her neck, as she bolted upright from the bed she lay upon. A furry hand pushed her back down.
"Hey! Calm down everything's fine." a warm voice began.
"Where's Lakaiko? KAIKO!" She screamed in distress. Trying to get up, Imperial pushed away the hand that held her down. She had to see if she could save the little boy, maybe it wasn't to late to cast a healing spell. Just as she put her hand down to push herself up a sharp twinge of pain raced up her shoulder. She yelped grabbing the aching joint.
"Hey, I told you to calm down. The little boy asleep in the other room." After hearing that Kaiko was all right, she weakly flopped back onto the pillows.
Finally pausing to survey her surroundings, Imperial was somewhat comforted to see that she was in a simple room with a warm fire sparking in the fireplace. Various sorts of maps and books covered the intricate wooden furniture that sat in the space. The bed she lay upon seemed to be carved by hand. Imperial figured that she was in the presence of an artisan. Ultimately, she noticed the person who was sitting near her.
He was definitely Woren, probably in his late twenties. His bright peach fur was mixed with gray and black stripes, which went across his face down his chest until his shirt hid the rest. His strong feline features meant that he was probably a full-blooded one. His muscular build and nice smile made him a good-looking one at that. The only thing that ruined his handsome persona was a big pair of ill-fitting glasses that sat on his nose. They were so big in fact that every time he lowered his head, they would slide down his face.
Taking off his glasses and slowly rubbing his eyes, he exhaled a deep breath "For a moment there I didn't think that you would ever come around." He smiled broadly at her.
He held out a hand to her "Where are my manners? I should introduce myself. My name is Orion Basteal, nice to meet you, my lady'."
Imperial took his furry hand and shook it firmly "I'm Imperial and that's..." He smiled warmly at her again. "Let me guess, Lakaiko, right?" Imperial sheepishly nodded yes.
As she was shaking his hand, Imperial noticed that she wasn't wearing the same clothes she left Avolon in. As a matter of fact, she wasn't wearing any clothing other than her birthday suit! She quickly pulled the bed sheets up to her chin, turning her head not to show her reddening cheeks.
"When I found you, your dress was covered in blood and ripped in the back. I figured that I'd clean you up before I placed you in the bed. I wasn't trying to see you...uh...naked. I was trying to clean you up, that all. Uh...I should have covered you up better, I guess. I apologize, I embarrassed you." Orion gave a small nervous laugh as Imperial's butterfly wings began to change bright red. *
She reached back to feel for a laceration or a gash of some sort. The only thing she found was a large soft spot that was tender to the touch. Puzzled, she wondered what happened when the woren found her.
"Excuse me Mr. Basteal..." She started.
"Orion" he corrected her.
"Uh...Orion, can you tell me how Kaiko and I ended up here?" She asked. Standing up, the woren stretched out like a fat cat waking up from a long nap.
"It's funny" He began walking over to a low dresser. "When I came into Avolon, everything was in pandemonium, people were screaming about fires in the town square, others were running from some "beast". In the commotion there was a group of terrified people standing around you and the child."
He continued with the story as he rummaged through his drawers. "Breaking through the confused mass, I saw you lying out on the ground in a small pool of blood. I ran over to you thinking you were seriously hurt and needed some assistance. The townspeople seemed as if they were afraid to touch you two, especially the boy. The illogical thing about the whole situation was when I finally observed your condition, you didn't have any wounds just that bruise on your back."
"Ahh! Here we go." He announced as he lifted some brown leaves up for Imperial to see. "Let me rub some of these healing herbs on your back. It will alleviate some of the pain."
Imperial rapped the bedcover under her arms exposing the purple welt in the middle of her wings. In a twisted way, she thought she was lucky the Ox's dagger went directly into her back rather than into her wings. Even small cuts on fairy wings are excruciatingly painful because they are so delicate. With gentle hands Orion cut open and rubbed the leaves over her abrasion. Imperial felt the intense pain throbbing in her spine slowly ease away.
"Someone must have healed you before I came." The Woran carried on. "The child was lying on your back watching the townspeople. When I came over, he startled up, grabbed onto my legs and pointed towards you. Seeing that you were in some sort of trouble, I carried you here amid the confusion. To be honest, I think some of the people were relieved to see you leave." He stopped rubbing her back and returned the unused portion of leaves to his drawer.
"Then what happened in Avolon wasn't a dream, was it?" She questioned herself sadly, massaging her tensing neck. "Then Joy is really gone."
Orion eyed her in puzzlement. "Excuse me?"
"Oh...Never mind." Imperial sorrowfully added. She reasoned if she told Orion the events of the five year old boy sleeping in his house turning into a huge dragon and burning an ox and some houses to a crispy pile of smoldering ash, he might not be as hospitable as he is now.
"Where are we?" Imperial inquired.
"In the Grand Forest, near Avolon." Orion grinned at her. "I guess I should be happy to say that you'll be safe here. No one ever comes to see a recluse scholar."
Imperial eyes landed on the sight of her clothes sitting on a wooden chair, washed and mended. Orion turned his head to see what caught Imperial's attention. Realizing what it was, he shielded his eyes and turned his head towards the wall. "I guess you want to get dressed? Uh, I'll be waiting outside the door if you need me." He added chuckling nervously once again.
Once Orion left the room, Imperial dressed as quickly as she could to avoid anymore embarrassing moments between the woren and herself. When she tied her dress around her body, she stretched her wings to make sure that they unharmed.
When she was presentable, Orion gave her the "twenty zenny tour" around the welcoming cottage house. He explained that he was a scholar of life studies and an artist in his down time. As he pointed to various artifacts and items that lined his hallway, he briefly told her stories of his personal journeys around the continent of Sparoa and how he studied under some of the elite masters during his travels. The tour ended in the same room in where the boy slumbered. Only two items lay within the sparse space. One was the simple bed the child slept upon and an ornate watercolor painting of a female woren looking off into the distant horizon.
"That's my twin sister." Orion's remarked strangely without emotion. "I painted that picture four years ago." His words came stiffly, almost harsh. Although it was only a profile of the female Woran Imperial took note of the strong resemblance between the two.
"It's a beautiful painting. What's your sister's name?" Imperial inquired as she continued to admire the work of art.
"I rather not discuss her." The underlying tone in the Woran's voice quickly ended the conversation before it even started
"I'm sorry." Imperial replied softly. "I didn't mean to be nosy."
They stood for moment in an uncomfortable silence before Imperial noticed the child stirring upon the bed. "When he wakes up he'll be hungry..."
Jumping upon the non-subtle hint in her statement, the Woran turned towards the open doorway. "I have some stew on the fire, I don't mind setting up dinner for us all. If you excuse me I'll tend to the meal." On that note, Orion disappeared down the hall.
Imperial softly sat on the bed that held the sleeping child, trying not to disturb his rest. However her weight triggered the bed to sag, causing Lakaiko's still sleeping body to lean into her lap. She began to swipe a few stray strands of hair from his sleeping face when a fleeting glimmer upon his forehead caught her attention.
Moving closer to the boy's face she examined the shimmering minuscule crescent moon... "Dinner is served, my lady." Orion interrupted abruptly as he stood in the doorway with a curious look upon his face.
Glancing his way and placing a polite smile upon her lips, Imperial gave a slight nod of acknowledgement to the cat. Satisfied with the displayed reply, the Woran turned back to the kitchen, while Imperial's attention refocused to the child's head.
The sparkling crescent moon had disappeared. Imperial wondered if she had imagined the whole thing. It had been a very long day to say the least and she still felt a bit fatigued, she reasoned with herself. Tenderly picking the slumbering child up into her arms, she gently awoke him.
Tears had welled up in his somber eyes as soon as he awoke to see Imperial. Confusion glistened deep within the bright blue pools as the hot trails ran down his cherub face. She embraced him tighter in her arms, soothing him the best way she knew how. It wasn't until a few minutes later when he reached up to touch her cheek did she realize that she too was crying.
"Let's go and have some dinner." She offered with a feigned cheerfulness she most definitely did not feel. "And maybe we'll be able to explain to Orion what happened in Avolon."
(^_^)% After dinner: %(^_^)
"...So what you're telling me is this little boy is a dragon and you're having dreams telling you that you have to make a choice to save the world?" A small smile played at the edge of his lips. "Wow, what a story!' would be a mild understatement, my dear."
Imperial stared deeply into the woren's eyes "Well, to be honest I've been having are not dreams. They're horrible nightmares where there are a whole lot of monsters waiting to get me. I wake up when they just reach my neck but when you were carrying me here the dream changed. I saw some old guy. He touched me and I felt his hands..."
The Woran leaned back in his chair, raising a hairy eyebrow "Really?" he questioned, sarcasm lacing his voice.
"Yes!" She continued on mistaking his light skepticism for eagerness "also some girl appeared and..." her voice died down. Reliving the frightening scene in her mind, she couldn't bring herself to talk about the macabre memory." She sighed heavily, waving the recollection away with her hand.
"I know what I'm saying doesn't make much sense..."
"It doesn't!" Orion reply rumbled with laughter. "It's sounds like some big fairy tale."
Imperial took a deep breath. Maybe if she tried reaching his scholar side he could grasp what she was saying.
"Okay, fine. Let's say it was nothing but some silly dream that I had. That doesn't rule out what happened when you found Lakaiko and me." she reasoned with him.
Continuing on, Imperial stood touching her shoulder to further prove her point "Everyone was running and screaming, yet no one move to touch Kaiko or me. I was lying in a pool of blood with a gash in my dress but none of the townspeople came to help me? Doesn't that seem to be a little illogical? I'm not crazy, Orion, but what happened in Avolon was real. I swear it!'
Orion placed his hands on top of his head, exhaling noisily in growing annoyance. Imperial proceeded on.
"In my dream I heard this voice tell me I had to make a choice but when that girl showed up, it started to cry. After that I didn't hear it anymore..." Orion raised his hand, stopping her words and interjecting his own.
"Nightmares are nothing more than our mind sorting out its wants, needs, fears and desires unconsciously. I believe something triggered the mass hysteria in Avolon today. Now, I've read somewhere that a certain rotten grain can cause hallucinations. Maybe some of this grain found it's way into town..."
Imperial angrily shook her head. "Orion, I know what I dreamt and saw was real! Geez, I even have the scar to prove it! You saw the damage with your own eyes! Whether you choose to believe it or not, it happened!" She stared at his face, hoping for a response.
Orion turned away from Imperial, his brown eyes fixed on Lakaiko sitting quietly reading one of the Woran's many books. He felt the cat's cool gaze upon him and lifted his face to meet Orion's glassy stare. "You expect me to believe a mute child turned into a fabled monster and destroy a town?" he exclaimed slowly, nodding his head. "You may rest here for tonight but I think tomorrow it would be best if you and him left." A minute later, Orion stood and left from the table without saying another word.
Defeated, Imperial walked over to a wooden writing desk in the small den where they sat and found a quill pen with some paper. Writing Orion a note of sincere thanks for all of his help, she thought to herself. "At least he'll know that we're thankful that he saved us."
Grabbing her chrysm staff and other provisions she though they would need, she took the child's hand into her own, making her way outside. As she walked, she took a last glance at the small house. With no one else to turn to she was unsure where she should go.
Avolon was most definitely out of the question. If she returned there the townspeople would probably have a swift bonfire party her and Kaiko. Without warning, memories of Joy and the inn flooded her mind. All the happiness and love she found there and Joy, the only mother she and Kaiko ever truly knew...
"It's just you and Kaiko." She sadly thought to herself as her eyes began to moisten. With that she began to walk deeper into the forest.
Following a small dirt path, Imperial walked on until she came upon a clearing in the forested area. It was a good thing she found it, it would be dusk soon and predators would be roaming about. Letting go of Kaiko's his miniature hand she and Kaiko set about finding some sticks. After finding a good bundle, she proceeded to use a burn spell to light a fire. Fatigued, she placed Kaiko near her and settled down to dreamless sleep.
A few hours later she startled awake to see that the fire had died down into glowing embers. Getting up to restart it, a soft growl drifted considerably close. With her ears now alert, she slowly grabbed her staff.
As soon as she lifted the precious wand, the noise stopped. Believing what she heard was the wayward call of a rummaging forest animal; she set down her staff, setting her sights on the task at hand.
"Burn." she whispers to the sticks. As commanded, the twigs immediately began to light and crackle, illuminating the still darkness. Another soft growl broke the silence of the night causing her to whip around to watch in horror two goblins wandering into the clearing sniffing the air for food.
Things couldn't have gotten worse...
One goblin was considered REAL bad luck but two was almost certain death! Albeit some ignorant travelers would think these dwarfed animals were 'cute'. Yet under their rows finely honed teeth, heightened sense of smell, speed, and non particular choice of pray, one could understand why anyone who survived one of their attacks call them "Walking piranhas."
Imperial knew her magic wasn't strong enough to take both of them on at the same time. She realized it would be safe to leave whatever it is they wanted and let them go about their way. She cursed herself for not buying a tent two weeks ago from the merchant in Avolon when she had the chance.
Cautiously, she tried to pick the still snoozing Kaiko into her lap. The bright pink goblin closest to where she sat snapped at her hand, causing her to jump. Again, she slowly moved towards the child while both goblins snarled at her. It was then she noticed what the goblins had set their sites on, the sleeping child. Reaching over she was able to pick up her discarded staff, trying not to make any sudden moves.
"Leave him alone you ugly bastards!" She growled, trying to draw attention to herself.
Swinging the chrysm staff wildly at the two hunters, she stood quickly leaning back into the rough bark. Although the thick wood covered her back, it cut her delicate wings in the process. Cry out in pain she gave one more wild swing before she turned and ran for dear life.
The pink goblin to her snapped his powerful jaws nearly taking a huge bite out of her thigh. In order to stop wind resistance, she awkwardly lowered and folded her wings, gaining more speed to get away from her pursuers. Turning her head back to see the goblins giving chase, small branches cut into her skin as she desperately tried to get away. Using the moonlight a guide, she avoided most of the brush and rocks that would slow her down. If only she could make it back to Orion's cottage...!
Beginning to tire from carrying the boy Imperial slowed her pace. Kaiko held on tightly to Imperial's neck, staring at the goblins that were now catching up to them. After a few more minutes of running, she stopped altogether exhausted.
Imperial set the boy down desperate to remember any spell that would give them some more time to escape. With staff in her hand, she began to recite a simple wind spell at their aggressors. The gust of wind hit the purple goblin onto a rock, fazing him but did nothing to the pink one still running toward them.
As the charging goblin opened his mouth to bite Imperial, Kaiko threw a rock into its mouth causing the beast to choke. Seeing this as a chance to gain an upper hand, Imperial used her staff as a lance and skewered the beast through.
With all of the commotion, Imperial lost sight of the fazed purple monster. Pulling her staff from the first goblin's dead carcass she wondered if her wind attack was enough to scare it off. Suddenly, the beast jumped from some neighboring bushes ramming her and Kaiko to the hardened earth, knocking their only protection from her hand. Ready to pounce on his cornered prey, the disgusting creature ran up to them with thick white saliva dripping from its gaping maw.
Frantic, Imperial looked for any type of defense. Seeing a long thick branch next to her feet, she picked it up just as the beast move in to clamp down on her. By the blessings of the gods she was able to place the branch inside its frothing mouth, keeping it from shutting its huge jaws without losing any of her fingers in the process.
Yet, the branch wasn't strong enough to keep the goblin at bay for long.
Applying slight pressure, the goblin easily splintered the branch. The beast opened it mouth wide again, preparing to feast on the trembling teen. Turing her head from the inevitable, Imperial closed her eyes and said a silent prayer as she shielded Kaiko's body with her own.
A swift silhouette dived down onto the goblin from an above perch. With a mighty yell, four long metal claws reflected in the moonlight before they disappeared into the fiend's thick skull. The silhouette slashed unceasingly, slicing until the goblin fell to the dirt in lifeless bloody chunks. Breathing harshly, the ominous figure strolled over to Imperial.
"I figured something like this would happen." Orion stated heatedly. "And it's my fault that is did. I regretted my earlier behavior and came looking for you."
Relief flooded her causing her fairy wings to change to a happy bright pink. She threw herself on Orion giving him a fierce hug, "Thanks." She whispered. "For a minute there I thought that we weren't going to make it."
He awkwardly patted her back. "Well, I figured I would like to observe you and Lakaiko some more. So if you don't mind I would like to I'll travel with you." Orion smirked sheepishly as he continued on "Anyway, you still owe me for saving you the first time." Imperial glanced up at the cat and gently smiled.
Sensing another presence, Lakaiko wandered a few feet away from the two. Peeping into some underbrush, he watched a deer nuzzle her sickly fawn. The fawn was struggling for breath, it's eye big and listless as death hovered near. Taking little notice of Orion and Imperial now curiously studying him, Lakaiko placed his hands over the small animal and shut his eyes. A blue blaze surrounded him for a moment then dispersed into the fawn.
The light then scattered into the night sky. Blinking with new strength, the young fawn began to breathe easier falling into a peaceful nap near its mother.
"How is he able to do that? I never saw anything so wonderous..." Orion's speech trailed off in quiet astonishment.
Imperial face scrunched up lightheartedly at the Woran "You should see him when he's angry."
In another part of the land, a lone figure travels to a little known hut on the outskirts of the town of Nanai. Focusing at the sky for the moment, he witnessed a flash of blue light twinkle then die out. Unfazed by the unknown light display, he pushes on.
"Sooner or later, father. It'll be just me and you." He whispers to himself.
*(In this world Fairy wings reflect the feelings of the fairy by changing color for a few moments. If a fairy was sad, her wings would turn light blue; angry, they would turn deep red, pink was to show happiness, embarrassment was light red and so on. If a fairy hid her emotions on her face, her wings would easily give her away. Because of this built in mood detector, fairies had no problem expressing their emotions, even when they didn't want to. - Symphony Areia ^_^)
"NO!!!" Imperial gasped clutching her neck, as she bolted upright from the bed she lay upon. A furry hand pushed her back down.
"Hey! Calm down everything's fine." a warm voice began.
"Where's Lakaiko? KAIKO!" She screamed in distress. Trying to get up, Imperial pushed away the hand that held her down. She had to see if she could save the little boy, maybe it wasn't to late to cast a healing spell. Just as she put her hand down to push herself up a sharp twinge of pain raced up her shoulder. She yelped grabbing the aching joint.
"Hey, I told you to calm down. The little boy asleep in the other room." After hearing that Kaiko was all right, she weakly flopped back onto the pillows.
Finally pausing to survey her surroundings, Imperial was somewhat comforted to see that she was in a simple room with a warm fire sparking in the fireplace. Various sorts of maps and books covered the intricate wooden furniture that sat in the space. The bed she lay upon seemed to be carved by hand. Imperial figured that she was in the presence of an artisan. Ultimately, she noticed the person who was sitting near her.
He was definitely Woren, probably in his late twenties. His bright peach fur was mixed with gray and black stripes, which went across his face down his chest until his shirt hid the rest. His strong feline features meant that he was probably a full-blooded one. His muscular build and nice smile made him a good-looking one at that. The only thing that ruined his handsome persona was a big pair of ill-fitting glasses that sat on his nose. They were so big in fact that every time he lowered his head, they would slide down his face.
Taking off his glasses and slowly rubbing his eyes, he exhaled a deep breath "For a moment there I didn't think that you would ever come around." He smiled broadly at her.
He held out a hand to her "Where are my manners? I should introduce myself. My name is Orion Basteal, nice to meet you, my lady'."
Imperial took his furry hand and shook it firmly "I'm Imperial and that's..." He smiled warmly at her again. "Let me guess, Lakaiko, right?" Imperial sheepishly nodded yes.
As she was shaking his hand, Imperial noticed that she wasn't wearing the same clothes she left Avolon in. As a matter of fact, she wasn't wearing any clothing other than her birthday suit! She quickly pulled the bed sheets up to her chin, turning her head not to show her reddening cheeks.
"When I found you, your dress was covered in blood and ripped in the back. I figured that I'd clean you up before I placed you in the bed. I wasn't trying to see you...uh...naked. I was trying to clean you up, that all. Uh...I should have covered you up better, I guess. I apologize, I embarrassed you." Orion gave a small nervous laugh as Imperial's butterfly wings began to change bright red. *
She reached back to feel for a laceration or a gash of some sort. The only thing she found was a large soft spot that was tender to the touch. Puzzled, she wondered what happened when the woren found her.
"Excuse me Mr. Basteal..." She started.
"Orion" he corrected her.
"Uh...Orion, can you tell me how Kaiko and I ended up here?" She asked. Standing up, the woren stretched out like a fat cat waking up from a long nap.
"It's funny" He began walking over to a low dresser. "When I came into Avolon, everything was in pandemonium, people were screaming about fires in the town square, others were running from some "beast". In the commotion there was a group of terrified people standing around you and the child."
He continued with the story as he rummaged through his drawers. "Breaking through the confused mass, I saw you lying out on the ground in a small pool of blood. I ran over to you thinking you were seriously hurt and needed some assistance. The townspeople seemed as if they were afraid to touch you two, especially the boy. The illogical thing about the whole situation was when I finally observed your condition, you didn't have any wounds just that bruise on your back."
"Ahh! Here we go." He announced as he lifted some brown leaves up for Imperial to see. "Let me rub some of these healing herbs on your back. It will alleviate some of the pain."
Imperial rapped the bedcover under her arms exposing the purple welt in the middle of her wings. In a twisted way, she thought she was lucky the Ox's dagger went directly into her back rather than into her wings. Even small cuts on fairy wings are excruciatingly painful because they are so delicate. With gentle hands Orion cut open and rubbed the leaves over her abrasion. Imperial felt the intense pain throbbing in her spine slowly ease away.
"Someone must have healed you before I came." The Woran carried on. "The child was lying on your back watching the townspeople. When I came over, he startled up, grabbed onto my legs and pointed towards you. Seeing that you were in some sort of trouble, I carried you here amid the confusion. To be honest, I think some of the people were relieved to see you leave." He stopped rubbing her back and returned the unused portion of leaves to his drawer.
"Then what happened in Avolon wasn't a dream, was it?" She questioned herself sadly, massaging her tensing neck. "Then Joy is really gone."
Orion eyed her in puzzlement. "Excuse me?"
"Oh...Never mind." Imperial sorrowfully added. She reasoned if she told Orion the events of the five year old boy sleeping in his house turning into a huge dragon and burning an ox and some houses to a crispy pile of smoldering ash, he might not be as hospitable as he is now.
"Where are we?" Imperial inquired.
"In the Grand Forest, near Avolon." Orion grinned at her. "I guess I should be happy to say that you'll be safe here. No one ever comes to see a recluse scholar."
Imperial eyes landed on the sight of her clothes sitting on a wooden chair, washed and mended. Orion turned his head to see what caught Imperial's attention. Realizing what it was, he shielded his eyes and turned his head towards the wall. "I guess you want to get dressed? Uh, I'll be waiting outside the door if you need me." He added chuckling nervously once again.
Once Orion left the room, Imperial dressed as quickly as she could to avoid anymore embarrassing moments between the woren and herself. When she tied her dress around her body, she stretched her wings to make sure that they unharmed.
When she was presentable, Orion gave her the "twenty zenny tour" around the welcoming cottage house. He explained that he was a scholar of life studies and an artist in his down time. As he pointed to various artifacts and items that lined his hallway, he briefly told her stories of his personal journeys around the continent of Sparoa and how he studied under some of the elite masters during his travels. The tour ended in the same room in where the boy slumbered. Only two items lay within the sparse space. One was the simple bed the child slept upon and an ornate watercolor painting of a female woren looking off into the distant horizon.
"That's my twin sister." Orion's remarked strangely without emotion. "I painted that picture four years ago." His words came stiffly, almost harsh. Although it was only a profile of the female Woran Imperial took note of the strong resemblance between the two.
"It's a beautiful painting. What's your sister's name?" Imperial inquired as she continued to admire the work of art.
"I rather not discuss her." The underlying tone in the Woran's voice quickly ended the conversation before it even started
"I'm sorry." Imperial replied softly. "I didn't mean to be nosy."
They stood for moment in an uncomfortable silence before Imperial noticed the child stirring upon the bed. "When he wakes up he'll be hungry..."
Jumping upon the non-subtle hint in her statement, the Woran turned towards the open doorway. "I have some stew on the fire, I don't mind setting up dinner for us all. If you excuse me I'll tend to the meal." On that note, Orion disappeared down the hall.
Imperial softly sat on the bed that held the sleeping child, trying not to disturb his rest. However her weight triggered the bed to sag, causing Lakaiko's still sleeping body to lean into her lap. She began to swipe a few stray strands of hair from his sleeping face when a fleeting glimmer upon his forehead caught her attention.
Moving closer to the boy's face she examined the shimmering minuscule crescent moon... "Dinner is served, my lady." Orion interrupted abruptly as he stood in the doorway with a curious look upon his face.
Glancing his way and placing a polite smile upon her lips, Imperial gave a slight nod of acknowledgement to the cat. Satisfied with the displayed reply, the Woran turned back to the kitchen, while Imperial's attention refocused to the child's head.
The sparkling crescent moon had disappeared. Imperial wondered if she had imagined the whole thing. It had been a very long day to say the least and she still felt a bit fatigued, she reasoned with herself. Tenderly picking the slumbering child up into her arms, she gently awoke him.
Tears had welled up in his somber eyes as soon as he awoke to see Imperial. Confusion glistened deep within the bright blue pools as the hot trails ran down his cherub face. She embraced him tighter in her arms, soothing him the best way she knew how. It wasn't until a few minutes later when he reached up to touch her cheek did she realize that she too was crying.
"Let's go and have some dinner." She offered with a feigned cheerfulness she most definitely did not feel. "And maybe we'll be able to explain to Orion what happened in Avolon."
(^_^)% After dinner: %(^_^)
"...So what you're telling me is this little boy is a dragon and you're having dreams telling you that you have to make a choice to save the world?" A small smile played at the edge of his lips. "Wow, what a story!' would be a mild understatement, my dear."
Imperial stared deeply into the woren's eyes "Well, to be honest I've been having are not dreams. They're horrible nightmares where there are a whole lot of monsters waiting to get me. I wake up when they just reach my neck but when you were carrying me here the dream changed. I saw some old guy. He touched me and I felt his hands..."
The Woran leaned back in his chair, raising a hairy eyebrow "Really?" he questioned, sarcasm lacing his voice.
"Yes!" She continued on mistaking his light skepticism for eagerness "also some girl appeared and..." her voice died down. Reliving the frightening scene in her mind, she couldn't bring herself to talk about the macabre memory." She sighed heavily, waving the recollection away with her hand.
"I know what I'm saying doesn't make much sense..."
"It doesn't!" Orion reply rumbled with laughter. "It's sounds like some big fairy tale."
Imperial took a deep breath. Maybe if she tried reaching his scholar side he could grasp what she was saying.
"Okay, fine. Let's say it was nothing but some silly dream that I had. That doesn't rule out what happened when you found Lakaiko and me." she reasoned with him.
Continuing on, Imperial stood touching her shoulder to further prove her point "Everyone was running and screaming, yet no one move to touch Kaiko or me. I was lying in a pool of blood with a gash in my dress but none of the townspeople came to help me? Doesn't that seem to be a little illogical? I'm not crazy, Orion, but what happened in Avolon was real. I swear it!'
Orion placed his hands on top of his head, exhaling noisily in growing annoyance. Imperial proceeded on.
"In my dream I heard this voice tell me I had to make a choice but when that girl showed up, it started to cry. After that I didn't hear it anymore..." Orion raised his hand, stopping her words and interjecting his own.
"Nightmares are nothing more than our mind sorting out its wants, needs, fears and desires unconsciously. I believe something triggered the mass hysteria in Avolon today. Now, I've read somewhere that a certain rotten grain can cause hallucinations. Maybe some of this grain found it's way into town..."
Imperial angrily shook her head. "Orion, I know what I dreamt and saw was real! Geez, I even have the scar to prove it! You saw the damage with your own eyes! Whether you choose to believe it or not, it happened!" She stared at his face, hoping for a response.
Orion turned away from Imperial, his brown eyes fixed on Lakaiko sitting quietly reading one of the Woran's many books. He felt the cat's cool gaze upon him and lifted his face to meet Orion's glassy stare. "You expect me to believe a mute child turned into a fabled monster and destroy a town?" he exclaimed slowly, nodding his head. "You may rest here for tonight but I think tomorrow it would be best if you and him left." A minute later, Orion stood and left from the table without saying another word.
Defeated, Imperial walked over to a wooden writing desk in the small den where they sat and found a quill pen with some paper. Writing Orion a note of sincere thanks for all of his help, she thought to herself. "At least he'll know that we're thankful that he saved us."
Grabbing her chrysm staff and other provisions she though they would need, she took the child's hand into her own, making her way outside. As she walked, she took a last glance at the small house. With no one else to turn to she was unsure where she should go.
Avolon was most definitely out of the question. If she returned there the townspeople would probably have a swift bonfire party her and Kaiko. Without warning, memories of Joy and the inn flooded her mind. All the happiness and love she found there and Joy, the only mother she and Kaiko ever truly knew...
"It's just you and Kaiko." She sadly thought to herself as her eyes began to moisten. With that she began to walk deeper into the forest.
Following a small dirt path, Imperial walked on until she came upon a clearing in the forested area. It was a good thing she found it, it would be dusk soon and predators would be roaming about. Letting go of Kaiko's his miniature hand she and Kaiko set about finding some sticks. After finding a good bundle, she proceeded to use a burn spell to light a fire. Fatigued, she placed Kaiko near her and settled down to dreamless sleep.
A few hours later she startled awake to see that the fire had died down into glowing embers. Getting up to restart it, a soft growl drifted considerably close. With her ears now alert, she slowly grabbed her staff.
As soon as she lifted the precious wand, the noise stopped. Believing what she heard was the wayward call of a rummaging forest animal; she set down her staff, setting her sights on the task at hand.
"Burn." she whispers to the sticks. As commanded, the twigs immediately began to light and crackle, illuminating the still darkness. Another soft growl broke the silence of the night causing her to whip around to watch in horror two goblins wandering into the clearing sniffing the air for food.
Things couldn't have gotten worse...
One goblin was considered REAL bad luck but two was almost certain death! Albeit some ignorant travelers would think these dwarfed animals were 'cute'. Yet under their rows finely honed teeth, heightened sense of smell, speed, and non particular choice of pray, one could understand why anyone who survived one of their attacks call them "Walking piranhas."
Imperial knew her magic wasn't strong enough to take both of them on at the same time. She realized it would be safe to leave whatever it is they wanted and let them go about their way. She cursed herself for not buying a tent two weeks ago from the merchant in Avolon when she had the chance.
Cautiously, she tried to pick the still snoozing Kaiko into her lap. The bright pink goblin closest to where she sat snapped at her hand, causing her to jump. Again, she slowly moved towards the child while both goblins snarled at her. It was then she noticed what the goblins had set their sites on, the sleeping child. Reaching over she was able to pick up her discarded staff, trying not to make any sudden moves.
"Leave him alone you ugly bastards!" She growled, trying to draw attention to herself.
Swinging the chrysm staff wildly at the two hunters, she stood quickly leaning back into the rough bark. Although the thick wood covered her back, it cut her delicate wings in the process. Cry out in pain she gave one more wild swing before she turned and ran for dear life.
The pink goblin to her snapped his powerful jaws nearly taking a huge bite out of her thigh. In order to stop wind resistance, she awkwardly lowered and folded her wings, gaining more speed to get away from her pursuers. Turning her head back to see the goblins giving chase, small branches cut into her skin as she desperately tried to get away. Using the moonlight a guide, she avoided most of the brush and rocks that would slow her down. If only she could make it back to Orion's cottage...!
Beginning to tire from carrying the boy Imperial slowed her pace. Kaiko held on tightly to Imperial's neck, staring at the goblins that were now catching up to them. After a few more minutes of running, she stopped altogether exhausted.
Imperial set the boy down desperate to remember any spell that would give them some more time to escape. With staff in her hand, she began to recite a simple wind spell at their aggressors. The gust of wind hit the purple goblin onto a rock, fazing him but did nothing to the pink one still running toward them.
As the charging goblin opened his mouth to bite Imperial, Kaiko threw a rock into its mouth causing the beast to choke. Seeing this as a chance to gain an upper hand, Imperial used her staff as a lance and skewered the beast through.
With all of the commotion, Imperial lost sight of the fazed purple monster. Pulling her staff from the first goblin's dead carcass she wondered if her wind attack was enough to scare it off. Suddenly, the beast jumped from some neighboring bushes ramming her and Kaiko to the hardened earth, knocking their only protection from her hand. Ready to pounce on his cornered prey, the disgusting creature ran up to them with thick white saliva dripping from its gaping maw.
Frantic, Imperial looked for any type of defense. Seeing a long thick branch next to her feet, she picked it up just as the beast move in to clamp down on her. By the blessings of the gods she was able to place the branch inside its frothing mouth, keeping it from shutting its huge jaws without losing any of her fingers in the process.
Yet, the branch wasn't strong enough to keep the goblin at bay for long.
Applying slight pressure, the goblin easily splintered the branch. The beast opened it mouth wide again, preparing to feast on the trembling teen. Turing her head from the inevitable, Imperial closed her eyes and said a silent prayer as she shielded Kaiko's body with her own.
A swift silhouette dived down onto the goblin from an above perch. With a mighty yell, four long metal claws reflected in the moonlight before they disappeared into the fiend's thick skull. The silhouette slashed unceasingly, slicing until the goblin fell to the dirt in lifeless bloody chunks. Breathing harshly, the ominous figure strolled over to Imperial.
"I figured something like this would happen." Orion stated heatedly. "And it's my fault that is did. I regretted my earlier behavior and came looking for you."
Relief flooded her causing her fairy wings to change to a happy bright pink. She threw herself on Orion giving him a fierce hug, "Thanks." She whispered. "For a minute there I thought that we weren't going to make it."
He awkwardly patted her back. "Well, I figured I would like to observe you and Lakaiko some more. So if you don't mind I would like to I'll travel with you." Orion smirked sheepishly as he continued on "Anyway, you still owe me for saving you the first time." Imperial glanced up at the cat and gently smiled.
Sensing another presence, Lakaiko wandered a few feet away from the two. Peeping into some underbrush, he watched a deer nuzzle her sickly fawn. The fawn was struggling for breath, it's eye big and listless as death hovered near. Taking little notice of Orion and Imperial now curiously studying him, Lakaiko placed his hands over the small animal and shut his eyes. A blue blaze surrounded him for a moment then dispersed into the fawn.
The light then scattered into the night sky. Blinking with new strength, the young fawn began to breathe easier falling into a peaceful nap near its mother.
"How is he able to do that? I never saw anything so wonderous..." Orion's speech trailed off in quiet astonishment.
Imperial face scrunched up lightheartedly at the Woran "You should see him when he's angry."
In another part of the land, a lone figure travels to a little known hut on the outskirts of the town of Nanai. Focusing at the sky for the moment, he witnessed a flash of blue light twinkle then die out. Unfazed by the unknown light display, he pushes on.
"Sooner or later, father. It'll be just me and you." He whispers to himself.
*(In this world Fairy wings reflect the feelings of the fairy by changing color for a few moments. If a fairy was sad, her wings would turn light blue; angry, they would turn deep red, pink was to show happiness, embarrassment was light red and so on. If a fairy hid her emotions on her face, her wings would easily give her away. Because of this built in mood detector, fairies had no problem expressing their emotions, even when they didn't want to. - Symphony Areia ^_^)