Smoke Filled my lungs and fear spread though my veins. Pa bolted for the house without muttering a word. Following close behind, we turned up the trail to our clearing. Our house was in plain sight. Our entire house was up in flames. I stopped running, shocked, and trying to take in what was happening. All of Ma's flowers were gone, our doors and windows were gone, even half of the wall was broken down. Was this real? I must be dreaming..
I could hear pa calling out ma's name and see him dive though where our door used to be. I couldn't move. The heat from the house was so intense even with me being so far away. It seems almost peaceful, like a large bonfire on a cool night. If you closed your eyes you wouldn't know the difference. This cant be real..
I stumbled closer, hearing the house cave in from the inside, I couldn't hear pa anymore.
I heard something.. It was Ma
"Shane! We're fine, I'm just stuck, run into the trees before it comes back!"
Before it comes back? Before what comes back?.. Her words seemed to bounce off of me. It didnt make sense. None of it did. This is my house, we live in the middle of nowhere, this kind of stuff cant happen to me.
I felt a large rumble on the ground behind me, like something fell from space and landed behind me. It was warm, almost like the fire ahead of me. It felt almost like my house was in flames behind me too. Im sure Ill wake up soon.
I turned around, slowly to face the large creature before me. It was the largest thing ive ever seen. It was a firey red color with black stripes over its eyes. It had wings, and a large spiked tail. Ive never seen anything like it, I was probably big enough to fit into its mouth without causing it any discomfort. Yup. Its a nightmare, Im sleeping right now i know it.
I could hear my parents calling for me but couldn't make out what they were saying. Its funny how fear makes your body stop working. The creature arched is back and let out the most ungodly roar I've ever heard. It was so loud that I fell to my knees, covering my ears. It felt like the creature blew out my eardrums. I opened my eyes just long enough to see its tail a mere 2 feet away from my face. It had spun around making its tail like an obscenely large mace. I had no time to move, it hit me.
Hit me so hard that I flew towards the trees away from my house. It hurt.. Bad. This is real isn't it.. Dreams aren't supposed to hurt.
I flew straight into a tree facing my burning house. I couldn't move.. How am I not dead? All of my bones should be broken, but I feel like they're still where they're supposed to be.. I saw my parents burst out of the burning door-frame.
Everything was getting dark. Oh no, "Im starting to black out aren't i.." I thought to myself. I need to snap out of it to help carry ma, it looks like her leg is burned. I tried my hardest but I just couldn't move anything.
She tripped, taking Pa down with her. I could see him look up and then yell something to me. Damn. I couldnt hear very well.. I need to stay awake, i need to help Pa like i did before. I can do it. Im a hunter, from a long line of hunters. I need to make him proud.
Ma reached out her hand toward me, I could see tears streaming down her face. What was she saying? I cant hear her.. Wait. Where did that dragon go?
Its what pa saw. Its why he had to stay with ma. Its why he had to do his best to keep her safe. It had flown up into the sky and just began lowering itself above them. I could feel its wings blowing all the ash and smoke into my face.
Come on Shane, just get up you big baby, help him, its no big deal
I made a fist. Finally, something going my way.
I pulled myself to my feet. Jeez my body hurts.. How am I alive? Wait. I remembered the necklace he gave me just before we came back home.. The armor talon he called it. Some old dusty magic kept me alive?
I picked up my head just in time to see it. Ill never forget what that dragon did to my parents. Looking down at them from the sky, it let out another roar and rained fire from its mouth, right on my Ma and Pa. No way this his happening. Im asleep right now arent I? Real funny subconscious, jokes over, wake me up now.

I must have stood at that tree for the whole night. It was real. Everything I knew was gone. Even my parents. I had nothing left.

Pepe, Thyme, and Basil were gone at the time, there were on their way back from a sale. I really hope they didn't make much.. They saw the smoke and left their wagon in the woods and ran straight for my house. They found me standing at the tree. They didnt know what to say. I cant blame them, I wouldn't either. They just sat me on the ground and sat next to me for a while.. I was out of tears. I literally had nothing left to lose.
"What am I supposed to do.." I finally said. "I have no home. I have no family. I have nothing to stay alive for. I wish it died with them. I shouldn't b-" Pepe jumped from the ground and onto my chest, tugging at my collar of my shirt.
"Dont even start!" He screamed. Tears streaming down his face. "What would your pa say to you right now if heard you say that nonsense?!"
I was wrong. I wasnt quite out of tears yet. My eyes became misty and i had nothing to say.. he wouldnt be happy with me thats for sure. I tried to make eye contact. It was hard, like opening your eyes underwater.
"Ill tell you what he'd say, he would tell you not to worry about him." His voice started to trail off and shake. "He would say that you need to live and be help people. Thats what he did, and thats all ever wanted out of you.." His grip loosened and he looked down letting the tears fall into my lap.
"Youre right.." I said quietly. "But what can I do?.. I have nowhere to live.. How am i supposed to survive out here by myself."
"Youre not by yourself." Said Thyme "You cant forget about us.. We're like family too."
I looked into the smoldering pile that was once my home. I saw something.. it was shiny. Sort of a light blue glow almost.
"My Knife!" I shouted jumping up from the ground and tossing the cat onto the ground
The sheath was black and burned, but still held up. This was all I had left from my pa. That and this stupid necklace.
I bent over and picked up it.
*Click* back into its case.
"I wont let you down pa" I said to myself.
"C'mon buddy," Pepe said. "Its starting to rain meow, lets go into the village. It shouldnt take long."
I always liked the rain. It made things seem new and clean every time. Almost like a new start.
We left my house that day and i made a vow to myself to never freeze up or let anything bad happen to anyone else.

We made it to the village the next morning. They were so nice to me, I even got to live with the chief. His name was Rikka. He was the villages oldest and best hunter in his day. Because of his hunting days, his body was scarred and very tan from days of being outside. His pale green eyes were almost covered by his ridiculously large eyebrows. Just like Pa. It was just a small fishing village, everyone that worked there seemed to have a specific job and without just one person, everything would fall to chaos. The first few days of my staying there was mostly just Rikka trying to make sure I was comfortable. He was very nice to me, but I was still in shock. I didnt talk for a while.. After the first week passed, I had a long conversation with him about my parents and he just let me talk and cry and vent about how nothing was fair. Thats what i needed. After I cried for the first time, he just hugged me and told me everything would be okay. Ever sense that night, things have been looking up. I began working with the fishermen to be helpful, as well as some other odd jobs around the village. They did so much for me, I could have never made it up to them. Pepe, Thyme, and Basil come to visit me almost every day bringing me some sort of trinket or interesting object from their travels.

Im twenty years old now. My blonde hair became long and almost permanently swept to the side because of the breeze on the sea. The fishermen got tattoos to show they were a big deal or something. I never quite understood it, but they said it was a "becoming a man" sort of thing so i conformed to their wishes. I had a bright red line that carried under my right eye down to my jaw. They said it was symbolic to a shark and picked it out for me. They always liked my ferocity when it came to large sea creatures so thats what they made me get. I became very muscular and because of that, everyone assumed me to be a womanizer of sorts, but I didnt care much about that kind of stuff. I was also very tan, I spent almost every day outside or on the sea.

"Hey buddy! Ya got mail!" Yelled pepe marching down the road
"Whatcha got for me fuzzy," I said in a mocking tone. He always hated it when I gave him cutesy nicknames.
"You wish you were fuzzy." He muttered. "The guild gave you a mission, your first big deal." He said handing me the envelope. It had the guild seal pressed into the wax on the back of the envelope.
"Finally they notice i have more worth than just picking stupid weeds.." I said with a grumble peeling open the letter. As I read it, I slowly picked it closer to my face to make sure i was reading it right.
"Uhh you alright?" Asked Basil
"Haha watch, its another stupid mushroom gig." added Thyme
"Guys.." I said slowly lowering the letter.
"They want me to come into town. They want to size me up." I said though a grin.

"They want me to go after something big"