A/N: So here we go. That intro escalated pretty quickly, didn't it?
All I can say now is that it only gets better. What I'm going to do here is give a brief backstory on Sky before continuing with the main plot, so don't worry. Just bear with me through this chapter and just a little more so that you can get to the good stuff.
CHAPTER 2: Beginnings
It was a quiet morning. Beams of sunlight broke through the leaves and tree branches of a dense forest area, illuminating the lush, grassy ground as it gave off a satisfied hum. The environment was slowly ignited into life.
A brilliant winged creature swooped close to the ground and gained altitude steadily. It was decently sized, resembling the appearance of a bird. Its movements and agility were similar to those of a hawk, the color of its plumage rather exotic like a macaw's, and its beak long and pointed like a pterodactyl's. It zoomed through the herb-scented atmosphere underneath the long tree branches and around their trunks, traveling through hills and valleys while following a softened, earthy trail cut into a pathway towards a distant location.
It was at that moment in which a second brilliant sphere of radiance lifted itself off the horizon to join the other burning star, causing the forested area to become jubilant with activity. The exotic bird weaved through the clumps of wood, finally coming to a slow-down at a line which separated the incredible forest from a vast, colorful field of long grass, waving back and forth gently in the morning gust.
The bird then soared into the air higher than before. A view down onto the continuing trail through the grass below revealed that civilization was not far away. Small huts began appearing, and it wasn't long before the land became denser with them. They turned into structures consisting more of stone and crystal until finally, a village came into perspective.
It was a breathtaking sight… And the village was quite populated, too, despite its small size. The town's squares and streets were filled with brilliant crystalline architecture. The inhabitants maneuvered in and out of the buildings in huddled masses as they normally went about their business. They boasted an interesting culture, yet their primitive ways explained a lack of interstellar knowledge… Nothing was known about what was far outside of the village. They were, as they were made to believe over their history, the only intelligent beings of life that existed. In return, they were an undiscovered race, completely unheard of in the entirety of their own galaxy.
The population consisted of only one particular species: the lynx. Their fur was a beautiful white color, each and every villager being distinguishable only by the pattern of black stripes worn across their body. Some shrouded themselves in a woolen cloak while others displayed a more festive and colorful attire, depending on their relations to the main throne of power. The further away a lynx was to the line of the throne in the family tree, the more obligated he or she was to serve the ruler devotedly. The closer a lynx was to the throne, the more freedom he or she possessed along with rights and authority.
However… almost no power was exerted over one another. The villagers lived harmoniously in equality. The ruler was carefully chosen for this purpose in order to assure that no sort of corruption would every interrupt the serenity of its people. The ruler was kind, thoughtful, loving, and well-respected. The ruler was also strong, wise, knowledgeable, and believed to hold a certain divinity. Rituals took place to cherish the existence of this incredible land… Ceremonies, vigils, celebrations, and specific seasons all withheld a somewhat religious cause, yet there was no higher order. Life itself was worshipped. Everyone had, of course, different personalities, but similar beliefs. The young matured at a very fast pace, and adults were quite responsible and caring.
This seemingly utopian landscape was known as Zelenoa.
And so, the vivacious bird that had flown all the way from its home in the jungle began to circle around one small hut in particular. Spotting a place to land at last, it flapped its wondrous wings to slow down and grabbed hold of a thin branch that extended towards the hut's window. By now, the joyous commotion of the village was at its fullest. Seeming to reciprocate the surrounding vibes, the bird ruffled its feathers in satisfaction and cleared its throat.
…
A familiar chirping sound began to echo.
It then grew with volume and resonated within the small area of a brightly lit room. Through its only window, the suns sent swirls of light onto the ground as they danced around the walls and ceiling. A small sleeping mat rested in the middle of the earthy surface of the quarters. Within that bundle of quilted covering, a young lynx slumbered soundly as the chirping continued to grow louder. It touched the lynx with a bit of irritation as he stirred, trying to make the noise go away, but his eyes were forced open.
With a grumble, the lynx sat up in his covers and looked at the small cylindrical rock sitting beside his mat. He muttered almost inaudibly in native tongue, "It's too early…"
On top of the rock perched an exotic bird, seeming to smile pleasantly at the awakening young boy. He squawked quietly in return, pronouncing in the same language, "Indeed, but such a glorious day this is! Do you not agree, Poljska?"
The disgruntled lynx blinked at the creature through narrowed eyes, "Only my family can call me that. You may be a pet, but you aren't fully there yet."
The bird playfully shrugged and craned its neck, "Oh, surely! After the long journey I took all the way through the Zelenoan wilderness just to make sure you did not receive a scolding from your mother? A stressful job for a pterolark, that is."
"I guess you're right, Kuna..." The lynx stood up and stretched tiredly. "Please, just stick to calling me Sky for now, okay?"
"As you please, Sky." Kuna nodded. The pterolark's wings opened and closed slowly as he loosened his muscles in preparation for the long journey back to his nest. "Luck through the forest, you will wish me?"
"Yes. You may go." Sky replied with a nod and finally managed a smile. With that, Kuna swooped down and spiraled out of the window with one final squawk.
The tired lynx rolled out of his mat after pushing the covers back, standing up and brushing himself off before draping his upper body with a small cloak and putting on a long pair of cotton pants which seemed baggy around his ankles. After readying himself, he passed through a wooden doorway to the outside, which was extremely bright compared to his shady hut. Used to this change in brightness, Sky didn't even flinch.
He made his way over to a larger hut, one with multiple rooms and a larger doorway. A couple was standing near the entrance, a middle-aged female lynx and a strong, tall male lynx. A smile appeared on both faces.
The male spoke in a quiet yet husky tone, "Ah, Gray Sky has awakened at last." His arms were crossed and his face brightened proudly. "How do you feel today, son?"
Sky looked up and greeted him in return, "Hello, Father. The weather's pretty nice today."
"Poljska, why don't you eat something? Certainly you must be hungry." A sweet, soothing tongue spoke out in the same quiet manner. Sky became eager as he realized that his stomach was rumbling.
"Mother, did you cook anything for breakfast?"
She nodded with a warm giggle, "Yes, dear. There is bread and milk on the table."
"You're the best!" He ran up and happily hugged his parents. They hugged back tightly and laughed after they released the excited child to go into the larger hut. Afterwards, the two began to exchange hello's and how-do-you-do's to the passersby that waved cheerfully in return.
…
Fox was sprinting through a long, narrow corridor that seemingly stretched on forever. There wasn't any recognizable surface, nor walls or ceiling… It was just emptiness. Pitch black emptiness. Adrenaline pumped rapidly through his body as he picked up speed and momentum. Beads of sweat were flying off of his wet clothing and trailing behind him as he ran…
But what was he running from? Who? Where?
There was nothing but darkness. He couldn't see anything, but he sensed the approaching of something mysterious. The feeling in his gut only willed him forward in his mad sprint, even though he couldn't feel nor hear his feet hit the surface. All of a sudden, he heard footsteps… but they weren't his own. It was definitely someone. Whoever it was, they were closing in gradually, so Fox sped up his pace and tried to lose him.
Of course, as he predicted, it was no use… The footsteps echoed right behind him. The vulpine's movements became quite frantic in order to escape his pursuit, but it was all to no avail. Yet abruptly, the chase came to a stop. The area grew eerily silent. Regardless, Fox continued to run, but he had wondered if the figure who was hounding after him had disappeared… Why did that happen?
Fox then had to stop dead in his tracks as a completely white silhouette materialized in front of him. He grunted and slid across the nothingness, skidding his boots and attempting to change direction. He turned left and began sprinting again, this time fueled even more by panic. He dropped onto a slope, almost causing him to lose his footing as a startled rush of anxiety passed through his body and caused his stomach to lurch, but he regained balance and pressed onward.
The silence was interrupted by a whisper that arose from the darkness.
"You cannot control the winds of fate… You cannot control the winds of fate…"
Once the echoing ceased, Fox's footing disappeared. The vulpine's stomach somersaulted as he fell in a downward spiral, plunging deeper into the black realm. His brain was being rattled with questioning thoughts yet again, just like his state of mind during the vortex that swallowed the Great Fox. He couldn't grasp anything while he fell, but because he didn't experience any sense of gravity or feel wind flowing upward, it was almost as though he were suspended by cables in midair… Instead, he could have sworn that he sensed the presence of a puppeteer that controlled the cables, but he couldn't define anything past that. It was an unknown force that determined his body movements… a force that he couldn't resist against.
Thoughts of what the odd whispering meant filled his questioning mind. He closed his eyes during the plummet, and his body faded in a matter of seconds until nothing remained.
…
"Here in Zelenoa, times have always been peaceful. In fact, the land was occupied relatively recently, and since then…"
Yawns crept their way out of a young group of students' mouths as yet another dreadfully boring lecture of history was being given by the professor. Breaking away from the crowd, which was huddled in front of the aged adult, another student hid himself among the shelves and desks set up around the classroom they were all trapped in. Unbalanced stacks of books were piled around him as he sat cross-legged while heavily engrossed in a rather large piece of text, which was written in hieroglyphics.
There has to be more… Our race is too small to be the only one in existence.
The young student's thoughts were abruptly interrupted as the professor had noticed his absence from the cluster. Without making a sound, he placed the book down and crept his way around the shelves where the old lynx was not directing his attention.
"Gray Sky, where have you gone? We have just arrived at the most important part of today's lesson," the professor inquired.
Almost as soon as he had asked that question, Sky had raised his hand to make himself visible, and he was sitting on the other side of the circle where the confused teacher was not looking.
"Oh… There you are," he added a bit more quietly after finally noticing, blinking his eyes in confusion. "I wonder if my eyesight is getting any worse… Now then. Back to the era…"
As the professor redirected his attention to his textbook, he failed to notice Sky sneak off yet again without making a single noise. He had already made it back to his stacks of advanced reading before the lesson was continued for more than a sentence.
"There were no major wars, no outstanding leaders, and no differences in government…"
Sky concentrated immensely as he tried to interpret page after page of millennium-old hieroglyphics. His research was not taking him far.
The outside of this land is known as "outer space?" But… What is this formation called as a whole? It can't all be Zelenoa.
"In this land, a specific tradition remains clung to after all these years. Anyone who openly proposes or argues against our ancestral theories is not supportive of the ideal of life itself. That person is then labeled an outcast."
Sky continued to dig deeper inside the text. The interpretations all translated into the same meaning, looped repeatedly. How useless.
It's so simple… There's nothing behind these stories. Is it all there just to make our elders sound that much more important? It can't be right since the idea is to praise for there being life.
No matter which book Sky picked up, its variations were highly correlated to his previous findings. At times, the writings progressed very incoherently, but the same message seemed to appear in every bit of Zelenoan history…
"As you all know, our native tongue is Celestian."
That part was obvious. A challenge to others, the expansive language known as Celestian came naturally to Sky, even during his youth. He couldn't explain how, but he was familiar with it almost as much as a credited historian, and because of that, there were a few in his village that called him a prodigy, which he often took quite modestly as an exaggeration. That was the only thing which helped him stand out in a crowd… Other than that, he was quite inconspicuous and possessed almost no other outstanding abilities. Therefore, he devoted more of his time to studying and finding the answers to questions that nobody else would ever think to ask.
Ever since I was young, it's been the easiest thing for me to pick up. How so? What makes it harder for others to understand it?
Suddenly, he paused and widened his eyes in deep thought.
"… Our native tongue is Celestian."
The last part of the professor's sentence. It was setting off an alarm of realization inside Sky's head. What could it have meant though?
"Celestian."
That's… That's it! The name of our language! It might have come from another place. Or it could relate to… the name of whatever this whole thing is called. I think it's a… a planet?
He found through a tad bit of astronomical research all the qualities of a so-called 'planet.' However, Sky had yet to prove that the land in which the lynxes thrived on could have been defined as such since no information whatsoever had been collected about what could possibly be endless expanses of land and wilderness that surrounded his village.
Could it have been Celestia?
He thought about that for a bit. Sure, that could have led to a few things, like setting out to discover what the name of the planet was, if it turned out to be a planet, but who would ever want to go that far? It was nothing but a dumb theory, and Sky knew that whatever the elders would have to remark about it would most likely include one ten-year-old boy getting in way over his head and foolishly disclaiming evidence that had supposedly been built upon for at least a millennium.
Thoroughly unenthusiastic, Sky rejoined his group after placing the texts back and pondered upon the subject until it was time for all youth to dismiss from school.
…