Thirteen Years Later

Ginger stirred as the cockerel crowed to signal the start of a new day. Her fringe fell in front of her face as she sat up and rubbed her eyes as the sunlight streamed through the window. Her hair fell loosely from a plait that had long since replaced her old ponytail, so she sleepily tidied it into a bun as she pushed away the bedcovers and headed across the house to the other bedroom.

"Dust?" she called with a yawn. "Rise and shine, sweetheart," she added, opening the door and glancing at the bed. She stopped in her tracks when she saw that it was empty, covers and strewn messily across the floor. "Dust?" she repeated, suddenly awake. Now worried, Ginger raced around the room, opening cupboards and boxes to look for the missing boy. Not finding him in the room, she raced down stairs.

"Dust!" Ginger shouted, in her worry not noticing a snickering blue-white fox hiding in the rafters just above the stairs until…

"BOO!"

"EEK!" Ginger screeched, reeling backwards as something suddenly dropped to the ground in front of her. Her scream was immediately followed by a peel of boyish laughter as Dust clutched his sides.

"Haha! I scared you, didn't I, Mom?" he laughed. Ginger caught her breath and clutched a hand over her heart to make sure it was still working. Good grief, her son was a handful…

"You most certainly did…" she replied, unable to stop an exasperated smile spreading across her face as she dusted her son's jacket down to calm her own nerves. "Can't you pick something quieter to be?" she quizzed, fiddling with Dust's hair in a motherly fashion before he batted her hands away.

"Aw, c'mon, Mom. That's no fun!"" Dust chuckled as his mother headed for the kitchen. "Wanna see me be a nimbat?" he grinned before doing his impression of said creature, which was pretending to bite someone's face off. Ginger let out a chuckle of her own — the boy was now a teenager and certainly behaving the part, although she knew that he was still as kindhearted as any mother could hope a son to be. She really could do without the pranks that gave her heart attacks on a regular basis, though…

"Why don't you make yourself useful and get your morning chores done early today?" she suggested, handing Dust a basket as well as the usual To Do list. "Bean needs the medicine I finished yesterday and I want you to check in on Geehan and Oneida as well. And, for Elysium's sake, tell Reed to drop by if you see him…without that dratted box."

"Sure thing, Mom," Dust nodded, taking the basket dutifully and double checking the list. "You want me to check if the shop's open yet?"

"Might as well whilst you're out," Ginger nodded. "Now get going, Scamp. I'll have breakfast done by the time you get back."

"Okay — see you in a bit, Mom!" Dust shouted over his shoulder as he left the house, at which point Ginger ran to the window and flung it open just in time to see her son head off towards Geehan and Oneida's farm.

"And say hi to Kalyn for me!" she called.

"Will do, Mom!"

With his arm hooked through the basket's handle, Dust made his way through Aurora Village with the morning sun rising over Archer's Pass and Abadis Forest to the east. In the west lay the forest known only as the Glade — Dust had been there once with his mother a few years ago, when she'd told him how he'd come to be her family.

It was no secret in Aurora that Dust was not Ginger's biological son, that he had been found by her as an infant in the Glade, but that didn't make any difference to anyone. Dust didn't know his birth mother, but with a mother like Ginger he'd never felt the need to. She'd taken care of him as well as anyone else could have done, and Dust constantly counted his lucky stars for having her as his family. She never hid anything from him if he asked, and he never wanted for anything.

To say Dust was a lucky kid would be the truest statement of the year, and he knew it.

Weaving through the various villagers doing their own early morning chores with the basket tucked closely to himself, Dust ducked under a group of workmen who were helping out with the new watchtowers around Aurora before stopping to double check his bearings. He was now at the top of the hill in the centre of the village and just down it was the house he sometimes called a second home. Outside was a person he'd known since…well, forever.

"Hey! Kalyn!"

As Dust ran down the hill, a young rabbit Warmblood with purple fur and crimson eyes looked up from beating a rug outside the front door of her home. Kalyn was Moska and Sarahi's eldest child and was merely a few weeks younger than Dust, making her the only other child his age in the village (a lot of the younger Moonbloods were either very young or a few years older). The two had been the best of friends since childhood due to Ginger supplying Sarahi with whatever medication she needed to make it through her subsequent three other pregnancies, as well as Kalyn being the one to patch up Dust's clothes whenever his ventures meant that they had more holes in them than usual.

Glancing up from beating the rug, Kalyn's eyes lit up at the sight of Dust running towards her.

"Dust!" she greeted. "You're early."

"Beat the cockerel to sunrise this morning," Dust grinned. "Mom asked me to drop some medicine off for Bean and check in with Geehan and Oneida. How's your mom and little Ivan doing?"

"They're doing great!" Kalyn replied with a warm smile. "Your mother's a real miracle worker, Dust."

"She sure is good at what she does," Dust agreed with a hint of pride in his voice.

"She's not just 'good' — she's incredible!" Kalyn protested. "Her medicine really saved Dexter and Mindy from that measles outbreak last year."

"Mom hates seeing people suffer," Dust sighed. "If I get so much as a sniffle she's there three nanoseconds later with the herbal tea."

"No wonder you're the healthiest kid in Aurora," Kalyn giggled. Dust grumbled something in protest but he was used to this kind of teasing from his best friend. "You sure you're not going to carry on the business?"

"You know I'm useless as a physician!" Dust protested. "Besides, Mom's taken on Tristan as an apprentice — he's way better at it than I am." Tristan was one of the older Moonbloods — one of the lucky child survivors of the war fifteen years ago. As Dust said, he was now training in medicine with Ginger as his tutor.

"Yeah, and I guess you've got your Guard Training," Kalyn remembered. "Oh, speaking of, Corbin passed by just before you came. Asked me to remind you that you've got a session with him this morning." Dust nodded — he liked to think that he had a fairly retentive memory and he'd never missed a training session before. He wasn't planning to start missing them now.

"I'll track him down before I head home for breakfast," he decided. "You doing anything later?" Kalyn narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"You're not planning on pranking Mr Gianni again, are you?" she asked.

"Hey, I haven't pranked him in a month," Dust pouted. "And in my defence, he earned the poison ivy…and that was also Mom's idea…"

"Sure, Dust," Kalyn sighed. "Sure." Dust once again grumbled something that Kalyn didn't quite hear so she let it slide. "Well, I'm helping Mordecai in the shop after breakfast and I won't be off duty until after lunch…"

Dust winced — of course, Kalyn was working in the shop as Mordecai's accountant. She was good with numbers.

"How about we head for the usual spot once you get off?" he suggested. "I should be done helping Mom out with the chores by then and Corbin can't keep me that long. I'll bring a picnic — my treat."

"Sure! That sounds great!" Kalyn smiled in agreement. "I'll meet you at the shop."

"Great," Dust grinned. "I'd better head over to Bean's and drop his medicine off — I'll see you later, Kalyn!"

"See you, Dust!"

Waving goodbye, Dust continued his walk through the village, once more weaving in and out of the crowds of Warmbloods and Moonbloods alike as he made his way to Bean's house. On his way, he spotted Calum keeping an eye on the weekly group of tourists, some from as far away as the capital of Falana, Falun, and so waved a cheery 'Good Morning' as he passed by.

Dropping the medicine off at Bean's took all of five minutes, with the old now-retired guard wishing Dust well and asking him to pass his well-wishes to Ginger as well. As he headed back through the village towards the shop in order to pick up the few things on his mother's list, Dust couldn't help but stop in the centre of town.

There, in the village square, gleaming proudly in the early morning sunshine, was the statue of Falana's greatest hero: Sen-Mithrarin. The statue had been erected a year before Ginger had found him in the Glade to the west, but even fourteen years later it still shone like a new ornament thanks to all the care and protection from the elements that the villagers had given it.

While he'd never known the great hero, Dust couldn't help but admire him. His favourite bedtime stories when he'd been small had been those of the fox Warmblood arriving in Aurora accompanied by a nimbat. He'd seemingly come from nowhere with no ties to anyone and yet he did not hesitate to help them with their troubles.

This hero had protected the people from monsters before putting an end to the source of the war. It turned out that he had been summoned from the Life Thread by the Moonbloods, then under threat of extinction due to campaigns led by General Gaius, and in the end he defeated the general and ended the war, even though it came at the cost of his own life.

Ginger had told Dust that she'd been close friends with Sen-Mithrarin, which was the reason she had named him after the great hero, whose name in the ancient Moonblood language meant 'He who is Born from the Dust'. She'd told him on numerous occasions that she did not expect him to perform such heroic feats himself — it was enough for her that he grew up kind and compassionate. So Dust never felt like he had massive shoes to fill — he simply led his life the way he wanted to, living happily in the town that had accepted him into its arms without a second thought.

That, for him, was more than enough.

"Mom, I'm home!" Dust called as he walked through the door half an hour later. Ginger looked up from the table where she'd just set a bowl of steaming porridge and a pitcher of milk, and smiled when she saw her son with now full basket of groceries.

"Perfect timing, Dust," she greeted. "Set the shopping in the kitchen, sweetheart. I'll sort that out after breakfast." Dust did so before pulling himself up a chair.

"Reed said he'd drop by this afternoon around lunch, still doesn't like leaving that stupid box unattended," he said. Ginger groaned and almost stabbed a spoon into the table. Don't ask how. "Oh, I bumped into Corbin on the way home," Dust added. "I said I'd meet up with him for today's training session after breakfast."

"Of course," Ginger nodded. "That's perfectly fine, as long as you're back to clean your room before lunch."

"Aww, but…!"

"No buts, young man!" Ginger interrupted as Dust began to protest. "That prank of yours this morning cost you a no-chores lunch." Dust pouted. Well, his mother's face had been worth it. "Now eat up. Corbin won't want a hungry student on his hands." Dust's pout vanished as he let out a quiet chuckle before helping himself to porridge, as well as a generous spoonful of honey to go with it.

"Say, Mom…" he said softly after swallowing a mouthful of porridge. Ginger hummed back in response. "Tell me about your friend again. The one we've got a statue of in the town square." Ginger paused in helping herself to breakfast.

"You mean Sen-Mithrarin?" she remembered. Dust nodded. "I don't know what else there is to tell you, sweetheart. I've told you his story more times than I can count."

"But…where did he come from?" Dust asked. "The way you and everyone else tells it makes it sounds like he just showed up outta nowhere." Ginger paused and looked carefully at her son's face… She remembered those eyes so well…

"Well, he… He came to Aurora from the west," she explained. "That's when we first met him."

"But there's nothing west from here apart from the Glade and the abandoned house," Dust pointed out.

"He really was a mystery to everyone," Ginger admitted. "As you said…he did seem to…come out of nowhere."

"Did you ever find out where he came from?" Dust asked. Ginger took a deep breath — okay, no hiding anything. You promised yourself this.

"Eventually," she admitted. "You know what 'Sen-Mithrarin' means, don't you?"

"'He who is Born from the Dust', right?"

"Exactly," Ginger nodded. "Well, in Moonblood legend, it is the name given to the warrior destined to save the world in its hour of greatest need. A warrior whose power and strength were… Huh?" she blinked, sitting upright as a tap sounded on the door. She frowned and stood up to go answer it.

"You expecting anyone?" Dust asked.

"No, not at…" Ginger began before opening the door, revealing a familiar face — scaled and framed with thinning white hair. "Elder Grey-Eyes!" Ginger greeted. Dust perked up a little and leaned backwards so that he could see the Moonblood Elder. "This is an unexpected surprise."

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything, Ginger," Grey-Eyes smiled gently. He leaned around Ginger slightly to greet the young Warmblood still sitting at the table. "Good morning, Dust!"

"Morning, Elder Grey-Eyes!" Dust greeted back. Ginger smiled and invited the Elder inside, offering to get him a cup of tea if he so desired — he gladly accepted. "You visiting Aurora, Elder?" Dust asked.

"Indeed I am, young man," Grey-Eyes replied. "I have a few matters I need to discuss with Old Bram later today. I thought I'd drop by to see how you two were doing."

"The boy is as mischievous as a puppy in a hay bale," Ginger grumbled playfully as she poured the tea. Dust made a face at his mother behind her back. "You haven't missed much."

"I take it you pulled another one of your stunts on your poor mother, Dust?" Grey-Eyes guessed, raising an eyebrow at the boy who was starting to finish off his breakfast.

"Maybe…" came the reply from the boy, whose silver-blue eyes twinkled gleefully, leaving Elder Grey-Eyes in a fit of light but hearty chuckles.

"I hope you still have an outlet for that energy," the Elder continued.

"Oh, yes!" Dust nodded eagerly. "I've got training with Corbin soon — I said I'd meet him after breakfast."

"Well, I won't keep you, then," Grey-Eyes noted as Ginger handed him a cup of tea. "Although if it's all the same to you, Ginger, I would like a word or two with you once this boy's gone."

"Of course, not at all," Ginger nodded as Dust polished off his bowl.

"Right, I'm off!" Dust called, grabbing his training gear from beside the door and heading back out into Aurora. Once the door closed, Elder Grey-Eyes turned back to Ginger who was now seated at the table once again with her own drink in hand.

"He's grown a lot since I last saw him," the Moonblood Elder remarked. Ginger smiled softly.

"I can't seem to stop him," she laughed quietly. "I turn my eyes away for two seconds and he's shot up another three inches." Grey-Eyes chuckled at the statement.

"He's growing into a fine young man," he said. "You should be proud of him, Ginger. And of yourself — you've raised him exceptionally well."

"Well, thank you, Elder," Ginger replied.

"I wanted to ask, without troubling Dust himself of course…" Grey-Eyes began. "But…has he remembered anything at all?" Ginger paused and set her tea down before sighing.

"If he has, he's never told me," she replied. "And he's never given any indication that he has either. So either he's a very good liar and actor or he still doesn't recall his deeds from before."

"Well, if the way you've raised him is anything to go by then Dust is the last person in this world that I would call a liar," Grey-Eyes commented.

"You're right," Ginger agreed. "My son is a jokester, but he would never lie to me." She looked up at the Moonblood again. "Why bring this up?"

"There is something troubling me, Ginger," Grey-Eyes explained, the mood suddenly turning sombre. "We see many things in the Blackmoor Mountains…and the army is on the move. Things have never truly settled to the north of the mountains, even in the last decade, but for the last week in particular, tensions have been rising." Ginger frowned — there had been a new Moonblood settlement raised in the Blackmoor Mountains, not far from where Zeplich Village used to stand. It provided a view of most of Falana when the weather was clear and was a good lookout point — but why would the army be moving?

"And what does that have to do with Dust and his past?" she asked, a little shorter than she perhaps meant but she didn't like where she thought this was going.

"I am worried about Dust," Grey-Eyes continued. "Sereth and other Moonblood merchants have heard that there are those from the capital seeking out a white fox Warmblood… Old allies of General Gaius looking for his alleged killer."

"That's ridiculous," Ginger half-snapped. "As far as everyone outside of this town and you are concerned, Sen-Mithrarin died in the Everdawn Basin alongside General Gaius. And why would they be looking for him now of all times, let alone at all?"

"I hate to imagine," Elder Grey-Eyes frowned. "But who knows who the tourists who come here truly are." Ginger's breath hitched — so Dust could have been seen by anyone during his rounds through the village… "I do not yet know what the army wants," the Moonblood continued. "Nor if these rumours from the merchants hold any truth, but there is something that has been troubling me."

"What is it?" Ginger asked, feeling that there was more to this than just Dust's wellbeing.

"I have lived a long time, Ginger, and I have some small connection with the Life Thread," Grey-Eyes explained. "Something is tugging at it, as if trying to break it… I am by no means as in tune with the Life Thread as deities like Lady Tethys are, but such occurrences still trouble me."

"Again, what does this have to do with Dust?" Ginger pressed.

"It may be nothing," Elder Grey-Eyes said. "But regardless, no matter what he may or may not remember, Dust remains Sen-Mithrarin. His fate is tied to that of this land. You may not be able to protect him forever."

"Dust is my son!" Ginger snapped, the fur on the back of her neck rising and her tail bushing up, swishing angrily. "The Life Thread let him be born anew and I, for one, will not enforce his old life upon him! After everything he did for you…for us all…he deserves to live a life without conflict!"

"You are his mother, and I can see you love him deeply," Elder Grey-Eyes noted calmly. "I will not force Dust to do anything. I give you my word on that."

"Good," Ginger said shortly.

"But Fate may be unavoidable, Ginger," the Elder continued. "Should Dust have to answer the call of destiny, there will be little to nothing you can do about it."

"Then so be it," Ginger replied, still with a snappish tone. "If he does remember who he was…who he is…I won't stop him. And I won't hide anything from him if he asks."

"As you have told me before," Grey-Eyes sighed. "But we have discussed this. There are some things you mustn't tell him out loud, and you should be careful about telling him too much should the time come, Ginger…"

"And how much is 'too much'?" Ginger asked snappishly. "It was because Dust was told nothing last time that he felt so lost and confused. He hated not having answers from anyone, Elder, and I don't blame him for ever becoming frustrated."

"Ginger…" Grey-Eyes began but Ginger finished the rest of her tea before slamming her cup on the table.

"No, Elder," she said firmly. "I will not withhold anything from him if he asks." In fact, I was in the middle of telling him something before you arrived…so, yes. You were interrupting something.

"Very well, Ginger," Elder Grey-Eyes sighed, finishing his own tea calmly. "I shan't overstay my welcome anymore. Old Bram will doubtless be waiting for me." He stood up, as did Ginger out of courtesy. "Thank you for the tea, and give my best to your son."

Ginger saw him out of the house before glancing towards the direction of the town square where Dust would no doubt be in the middle of his lesson with Corbin by now. Elder Grey-Eyes' news troubled her greatly. Why would the army be on the move now when the war ended fifteen years ago? And what was happening with the Life Thread to cause the Moonblood Elder so much worry?

All Ginger had ever wanted for Dust was a normal life, but now she was starting to think that even that must have been too much to ask for when it came to the being known as Sen-Mithrarin.

Enjoy the peace and quiet while you can, everybody. This story is not going to be all cupcakes and Wall Chicken.