It was a particularly restless yet quiet night throughout Eumus's grand forest.
Stretching miles across the land, swirling naturally around ranges, ravines, mountains, rivers- creeping into the borderlands, slowly dying out into withered vegetation. This magnificent world of beasts and nature's brilliant might inhabited most of the land's myths and legends. Even birthing the heroic tales of heroism which circles the holy city's own unscarable gentlemen's knight, Duke Von Cadarvic.
As always, the nights within this grand forest were wrapped in knitted blankets of darkness, barely allowing any moonlight through the towering trees.
"Haa, haa, haa..." A man ran along the barely visible detritus paths. His breathing was labored in exhaustion as his large frame nimbly sliced through the darkness.
"Just how far will they chase? Dammit... this was a terrible idea." Though no one was there to hear, his rantings spilled from his lips, slowing down his pace momentarily.
Slicing through the same darkness, a large beast covered in transparent scales revealing the inner workings of its body, lunged at the man.
It did not let this man's moment of respite go unpunished.
He barely managed to avoid the creature, yet not enough to be unscathed. It's claws, sharp and merciless gashed his side wide open. He grunted in agony as he tumbled down a sloped hillside.
A gust of wind pushed through the gaps between the beast, dancing down the slope through the ankle high grass and beyond the trees.
The pack of beasts came to a glaring halt, nearly meeting the same fate as the man.
A break through the crown of trees allowed rays of moonlight to illuminate these otherworldly and elegant beasts. Their appearances like wingless dragons were ominous. Those cloudy eyes reflected not a single trace of soul, as if they had long been dead.
"Haump, haump." Gasping on air, the man could only curl himself inward, holding tight to the bleeding hole in his side.
His silvery hair twinkled in the moonlight. Obstructing its glimmer, patches of red stained his lovely hair which scattered across his back, resting over his shoulder, and webbing out along the ground. His broad body laid there helpless, soaked in his own blood, his bronze skin wrapped in wounds from every visible part of him.
Those beasts, as if blinded by the open expanse, moved their large heads back and forth, their paws testing their lack of ground, refusing to budge from the cliff side.
Unable to hold the excess weight, dirt broke from the vegetation's roots, sliding the beasts down the slope. As if unaware, the beasts did not attempt to move, continuing to swish their heads back and forth, their ears twitching ever so slightly.
One of ten, the first to set foot upon the ground, stiffened. Immediately its head pointed towards the man who still hadn't moved. With a roar it lunged.
And in that moment, the instant the man turned his head, looking straight inside of the beast's mouth, a shadow swept over him taking the beast with it.
"Crawch-crawch-crawch-naump."
The sounds of crunching follows a gulp. Dropping his head back to the ground, his vision was blinded by a large leg covered in fur.
Standing above the man a dragon covered in black fur just finished off one of the beasts, gulping it down.
"Tasty," The dragon hummed in approval.
Since he'd found such delight from his new meal, it took little time for this hungry dragon to spot the other nine tasty treats.
"Aunty always said, never waste food. Especially good food." So without hesitation, he pounced.
Barely managing to hold onto consciousness, the man watched as his pursuers were devoured left and right, unable to do a thing but wait to be eaten.
"Even Beguiled Wisp Dragons fall to the real thing. Such magnificence of power." He coughed on his words, shocking a response from the sated dragon.
Heavy footing his way forward, the dragon dropped its head covered in black fur.
"How strange." Tilting its large head, larger than the man lying upon the ground, the dragon sniffed the man becoming more confused. "You smell like aunty."
Their eyes met. Red to blue. Gratefulness to bewilderment. Exhaustion to exuberance.
Swiftly, giving into the darkness, the man's red eyes closed, slumping his body as his hand fell. Blood flows steadily out of his wounds, seeping into the earth, startling the dragon into recoiling away.
With a smooth motion, he leaned back down. Gentle and with great care, the dragon used his mouth to pick up the man.
With a swoosh, it leapt into the air and flew off.
* * *
"Oh silver dear, what are you doing? Do you like mother's hair that much?" Laughing deeply, melodiously so, the beautiful big boned woman squeezed her son's cheeks.
He nodded happily, digging deeper in his mother's creamy brown hair. "Mother's hair smells like sunlight."
"Mother didn't know sunlight had a smell, but perhaps only my darling Silver can smell it." Shaking her head with a laugh, Stella patted her son's back. "Now, now, your father should be returning home soon, why don't we go greet him at the gate, mmm?"
In confusion, both Stella and Silver looked out and saw an older man rushing to leave the yard. This man Silver knew to be his grandfather Luceon, which he called grandpa Lu for short.
"Father what's the rush, did something happen?" Stella asked in concern, a sense of foreboding ran up her spine, one that even her son felt as he shivered.
"Stella?" Luceon stopped, turning to look at his daughter in law with controlled breaths. He spoke through clenched teeth, a tremble at the edge of his tone. "Something… something's happened to Averick."
Silver looked up, confused by his trembling mother. "Mother, what happened to father?"
As if not hearing her son, she placed him down and bolted out of the yard. Silver chased after as best he could, yet since his legs were small, he could barely keep up.
He lost sight of her, but he knew where she was headed. Even his grandfather had run in the same direction, right towards the gate.
Faster and faster Stella runs. Down and across the darkened earth, passed the bare trees, she nearly tripped over the iron like roots protruding from the ground.
Rushing out beyond the village's gate she stopped at the sight of a party of men clad in bandages, wrapped in dusty clothes, with various weapons at their hips.
In and out she heavily breathed, scanning every man, looking for something. Yet no matter how many times she looked, she did not see who she wanted to.
One of the men took notice of her. He walked to her in measured steps. Once he stopped before her, his words sent Stella tumbling to her knees.
"I'm sorry, there was nothing we could do."
Silver showed up just in time to see his mother fall, just in time to hear her screams, just in time for his small world to fall to pieces.
With a rush of emotions, Silver's eyes burst open with tears and light. In and out he breathed, stabilizing himself, painfully drying his tears. It wasn't the first time he'd had this dream, and still it had the same effect.
"Dammit."
Slamming his fist down, he cursed. Well, he tried to slam his fist, but for some reason, he couldn't feel the sting of contact.
Abruptly he stilled. One of his arms was heavy and he couldn't move it. How strange, he thought. So he tilted his head to the side, blinking repeatedly in wonder.
A room? After being chased for three days and three nights without rest, the bed beneath him was god sent, the room around him heaven. He enjoyed the warmth. He appreciated it all. But just as much as he appreciated it, he also couldn't help but question this circumstance.
Shouldn't I have woken up to the cold forest floor? Not only that, shouldn't I be hanging on to my little life, he shockingly looked around. That was until an incoherent mumble caught his attention.
His sight fell to his arm that was too heavy to move. Yet to his dismay, he could not see past his elbow.
"Ugh." Attempting to sit up he grunted in pain.
Falling back to the bed after two tries, he gave up. Instead he opted to turn to the side, his right side which only had a few wounds unlike his left.
To his amazement, laying there attached to his arm and fast asleep, was a child with the most beautiful hair he'd ever seen. A balayage of dark brown and creamy white, much more vibrant than even his mother's hair whom he'd loved since childhood.
Gripping tightly to his arm, a line of drooling slipping down his wrist, was Alicia who looked beyond exhausted. Dark circles were beneath her eyes, a knit in her brows. Mumbling softly, only three words could be made out. 'Bad, Villain, Food.'
Her words, though confusing he did not pay attention to. Silver took a lock of hair between his fingers, twirling it, and brought it to his nose.
"Mmm." In contentment he hummed. "Smells like sunlight."
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Author's note: In case of theft. This is an original -English- novel done by yours truly [MyKataren]. This author will state here and now, oh ye thief of old, thanks for the free advertisement!
Original : www.tinyurl.com/MVPGAwebnovel