Hope ran, weaving herself through the thick glades of grass. Her tiny legs carried her as fast as they could. Her curly black hair followed closely behind, bouncing up and down with each leap she made. Her wings were too small to fully support her weight, but she had a strong flap that could push her far.
"Hope!"
She mischievously ignored the call.
"Hope, stop!" Vixen yelled after her, finally catching up. Flying up behind the girl she quickly lifted her off the ground. She giggled, watching the butterfly she was after fly away terrified. Vixen panted out of breath.
"You sure are a fast little thing hmm," Vixen remarks. For just being 3 years old the girl had progressed at a fast rate. She quickly learned how to give the fast flyers a run for their money. She giggled at Vixen, finding it amusing the trouble she was causing. Vixen was not impressed.
"Rapid was right. I should have brought the leash." Hope stops giggling immediately, not finding that joke funny.
"I want to see butterflies," Hope throws her head back groaning in frustration. Vixen sets her back on the ground, the toddler looking up at her to pout.
"We can go see them after your training." Vixen holds her hand out to which Hope holds as they start walking back out of the meadow.
"But butterflies…" Hope's voice trails off quietly as she looks at the ground upset. Vixen laughs internally at her. For such a young child, she had quickly learned the fast fliers dramatic antics.
Reaching the edge of the tall grass the pair emerged from the field and back into the training area. Several fast flyers were gathering pollen on the other side of the field. Some were zipping by, directing the wind patterns.
"Looks like you bit off more than you could chew," Rapid snarkily remarks in amusement.
Ignoring his comment Vixen rolls her eyes not paying much more attention to him. As she walks past him with her head high, Hope's eyes narrow into a thin line and her lips form into a frown. Her glare follows Rapid as she continues walking, an evil look in her eyes. He was a bully, and Hope didn't like that.
It seemed that her glare wouldn't let up. Her head now turned at almost 180 degrees. Rapid became uncomfortable under it. Eventually she turns her head, still hand in hand with Vixen and dismisses him completely.
Rapid swallowed hard. All fast flyers were proud, and arrogant. Some always thought their talent was more important than another or at times they were cruel to those with 'lesser' talents. It was a dominant quality that had manifested through the centuries.
However, there was always a line. One that the fast flyers knew about and did not cross. It kept them in check and the Queen had made sure of that. But Hope…
For whatever reason, those qualities had started to evince in darker ways. She wasn't rude, or egotistic, or snobbish like the rest of them(not yet anyways).
She was… quiet.
Not In the way she spoke but in her eyes. The kind of quiet that a deer hears right before the bear grabs it by the neck. The kind of quiet that makes the hairs on your neck stand straight. The quiet wind right before a large storm.
While Rapid did not know anything about children, he knew that a normal human three years of age could never make an adult feel that way.
Everyone adored her. Thought she was cute. They didn't see it. It was funny actually. He was the only one who had ever seen it. Maybe she wanted him to.
She was quiet.
She controlled that look in her eye and let you see it only when she wanted you to. Hope was only three years old, but that mind of hers was bent.
Clarion was speaking with Sunflower in Spring time square. While the next season to be delivered was Summer, final preparations were usually in Spring because that was where they were sent off.
"We have 8 extra chipmunks this Summer. The cooking fairies could probably use them for gathering nuts but the winter fairies have requested 5 of them for the day. Something about digging burrows around tree roots…" Beck an animal fairy trails off, making notes on the notepad in her arms.
"I'm sure we can lend the winter fairies a hand. After all, we are ahead of schedule." Beck hums in agreement with her.
"I'll make arrangements. Anything else I can do for you?" Beck askes. Clarion thinks for a moment.
"That will be all. Thank you." She says instead. Beck bows respectfully and flys off.
Going over her tasks for the day, Clarion remembered that Hope would be training today. Smiling at the thought, she decides to make her way to the summer training field to check up on her progress.
She flys low in the grass, mind occupied with thoughts about Hope. The girl had grown faster and stronger than she had first expected.
Clarion had spent majority of the first two years with the girl. Nursing, bathing, and bonding with her. Hope had started to become attached. She knew it had been a mistake. She should have kept her distance. But if she had, what would she have become? Hope was a brave, and smart little girl. Sometimes too much for her own good. Moving from fairy to fairy would have isolated her. It would have stalled her growth.
While she was still in that primal age of needing a consistent care taker, Clarion realized that she too had become attached. Hope's big bright eyes pulled at her heart strings. Nevertheless, no matter what she felt for Hope, Clarion needed to be separated from her.
Vixen had graciously agreed to train her. It was Clarion's wish that if she slowly started to see the girl less, she would eventually become a vague memory to Hope. Her Queen just as she was to everyone else. She hadn't seen her for 17 days now, and had heard that poor Hope had been crying her name at night.
It was an improvement for sure. For the first few months of their separation, Clarion saw Hope at least every other day. When Clarion had come to see her the first few times, she would cry and cling to her, sensing when she was preparing to leave.
There was a churn in Clarion's stomach as she approached the clearing. Not because she was nervous to be around the nature talents, but because she did not know what to expect from Hope.
She could see nature talents through the blades of grass. They were not aware of her presence yet. Taking a deep breath and fixing her posture she took a step out into the clearing.
Some of the fairies stopped to bow as she passed them, surprised by her appearance. The majority were fast flyers but there were several water talents and garden talents working on various tasks.
Over in a private little corner away from the hustle and bustle of the other's, were Vixen and Hope. Hope was practicing controlling wind speed with the flaps of her wings.
Vixen's back was facing the Queen but Hope looked up and caught a glimpse of Clarion. Her face lit up and her body language changed from absolute focus to sloppy excitement.
Jumping off the rock she had been standing on, she raced over to the Queen. Hope ran until she reached the Queen's feet. She had pink checks and a heavy breath from the quick sprint. Her eyes looked up at Clarion's expecting to be embraced. But she did not. Instead Clarion smiled warmly at her.
"Good morning, Hope." Clarion lifts her head and smiles at Vixen who is now flying towards her and bows quickly.
"I came to see how you've been getting on." She is suddenly aware of the attention on her from the surrounding fairies.
Hope looks disappointed at the greeting but quickly recovers.
"Hi," Hope scrunches her face into a grin, and her nose crinkles at Clarion. Clearly happy to see her.
"She's been doing very good with her training. Her wings are getting stronger each day. I'm sure she'll be flying in no time," Vixen smiles down at Hope.
"I'm happy to hear that. I hope it hasn't been too much of a struggle" Clarion gives Vixen an apologetic look. "I had anticipated some more…volunteers. But nonetheless you have exceeded my expectations."
"Thank You your Majesty," Vixens bows her head, flattered at the compliment. Only minutes into their light banter does a light fairy come up out of the corner of Vixen's eye.
"Sorry to be a bother, but a flight of fireflies got a little wound up when some light talents were playing ray ball(A/N:baseball with a ball of light). Two light fairies didn't come in today so we're a little short handed. Do you mind helping us round them up?" Glory pleads for help. Odd that she asked Vixen and not one of the many other fast flyers training today. Clarion smiles politely at Glory's simple request, despite the fact.
"But you promised butterflies," Hope's tiny hands grasp at Vixen's tunic, her eyes forming a round and sheen-like look to them.
"I'm sorry Glory, I have Hope for the day. Can't leave her," she says regretfully, but not really.
"It will only take a moment. Perhaps someone else can watch her." Glory slowly gazes towards the Queen. Vixen's eyes shoot to Clarions, eyes widen in slight surprise at the suggestion. Before Clarion can reject the idea, Hope is by her side jumping up and down in glee, obviously picking up on the small glances and social cues. Glory smiles brightly at the resolve, not realizing that she has spoken out of turn.
"Perfect! I'll lead the way." Glory flies off without giving anyone a chance to reply. Vixen looks at Clarion for permission to leave, at which the Queen nods her head. Hope is wound up at the assumption she is going to go see the butterflies. She is quite literally bursting with anticipation. Vixen gives an apologetic half smile, before she follows the light talent.
"Let's go, let's go!" Hope starts running in the direction of the butterfly training center. She has become impatient.
While being displeased with the situation Clarion had just found herself, Hope's behavior takes over her thoughts. Before she had decided to gain some distance from the girl, her manners had been so much better. She didn't interrupt conversations, or run off ahead of her supervisor. She had started to display that restive fast flying attitude. If Clarion was going to have to spend time with Hope, she was going to make sure she didn't end up an impatient little fairy.
If it wasn't handled when she was young, it would lead to much bigger problems in the future.
Rain crashed against the tungsten walls, so heavy that the sound made a consistent and loud hum. Thick, dense, black clouds filled the sky. Very little light made it past them.
Second patrol had just started. Trudging boots worked to march the jagged surface of the ground. The *Adjutant was walking the perimeter of the site tonight. A precaution that was taken once every hour. The last time the patrol failed to check the perimeter, several bodies were buried.
The rain slowly slid off of his breastplate. The heavy drops were an opaque white with a thick consistency that left a sticky texture behind. Tonight it smelled especially putrid, like the inside of a privates' boot. This was the result of an abundant amount of unearthly minerals existing in the planet's atmosphere.
"Perimeters all clear General" a gruff voice sounded through the heavy rain. Adjutant walked clumsily over the uneven ground. He was still new to patrol and hadn't yet gotten used to standing on the surface for long periods of time. If he didn't catch on soon he would end up dead.
He walked towards the front of the structure where there were open bars. Not lifting his feet high enough on the terrain, Adjutant stumbled into the bars leaving an echoing smash as his armor met the tungsten.
Regaining their composure, Adjutant slowly straightened up, eyes carefully studying the area on the other side of the bars. It was too dark to see more than ten feet in front of himself, but he knew what was present when a large plume of hot breath exuded from the bars. He held especially still as he caught sight of a towering dark shadow not too far from inside the cage.
Before he could react the shadowy figure let out low angry bellowy clicks and although he could not see it, he could hear it moving closer to him.
A strong grip then pulled him several places back, away from the cage.
"No one will save you from those claws Adjutant. Clumsiness will get you killed."
"Sorry, general. I'll be more careful". That warning had been kind. He would not get another one.
"I'll walk the perimeter next. Take your position," the General ordered. While the perimeter only needed to be patrolled once every hour, this adjutant was clumsier than most. He would walk it again, just to be safe.
He turned and started to hike the area in the dark. Once he reached the top of the site, where the ground leveled out you could see the top of the cage. It was jagged with natural tungsten and dangerous to walk on. If you fell you would be impaled by the metal.
Nothing was out of sorts. The site looked clear. Preparing to continue on, the general stopped and looked back at the top of the cage. In the middle, about 20 meters out, there was a flat spot with no metal protruding upwards. It stood out dramatically but in this light would be easily overlooked.
The general climbed over the wet tungsten and rock being careful not to slip. Upon reaching his destination, his heart skipped a beat and he quickly reached for the sword on his hip. On the surface of the cage was a hole. The hole reached deep into the ground. A black abyss was all that laid in the center.
Along the edges of the hole, the ground was smooth. The hole had not appeared naturally. It had been cut, probably with a blade hot enough to melt through the surface. It was about 5 feet in diameter. Large enough for anything to get in or out.
Before he could move another inch, the sound of attack sirens erupted in the distance. From several miles away he could see dark red signal smoke rising to the sky. The smoke was only visible because of the reflective mineral particles in the air that made it shine in the darkest of spaces. It looked like a liquid plume of molten metal flowing through the sky.
Smoke surrounded the contours of a black slick structure that was far beyond the height of the tallest trees. The moisture in the atmosphere clung to the structure making it look as if it were precipitating. The sight would have been sickening to any decent soul.
Readying himself for action, he turned to start running but came to a fast halt when he was met with the sharp tip of the adjutant's sword closely located at his neck.
They stood there for what seemed like several minutes of silence before one of them spoke.
"I thought you would be harder to fool. Most in the *company speak highly of you," Adjutant said in a soft voice, not mockingly but merely thinking aloud.
"This is you? I highly doubt you have the capability to be acting alone." A disgusted sneer formed in the deep crevices of the General's face. "Pathetic, clumsy, weak man. You will die for this. You will not succeed."
An amused smile pulled at the corner of the adjutant's lips. He was forgetting what side of the sword he was on.
"We already have. It's amazing what you can succeed at when you're underestimated."
Before the Adjutant could say anything else, the General used his armored hand to move the sword away from his neck, taking the chance to lunge forward at the Adjutant.
It was safe to say that Adjutant had been underestimated. Before the general could blink, Adjutant had him falling forwards, dodging his attack.
With a stiff thud, General started to recover from the fall but then slowly stilled unable too. He started choking on his own blood, confusion in his eyes. It took him several seconds to realize a massive blade of tungsten had impaled him through his body during his impact with the ground. His hands wandered around him, looking for a solution to his problem, his saliva taking on a metallic taste as his lungs started to burn. Adjutant watched as his body became lifeless.
Pulling down the balaclava off of their face, Adjutant took a deep breath of the putrid air. A loud low groan of a predator rumbled in the distance, near the signal smoke and stick structure. It was time. The reckoning had been set in motion.
*Adjutant- An assistant to the general.
*Company- A tactical-sized unit that can perform a battlefield function on its own.
Ahhhhhhh. Has it been a year already?! I am so very sorry about that. I honestly don't know what to do with this story so please, please give me some ideas(I'm actually begging)!
See you in another year hahaha, just kidding. But really… it might be another year. Help me, I don't know what to do3