Behind their house, the twins stood staring at the woods. They had many thoughts running through their minds at the moment.
"Are you sure we're doing the right thing, Raten?" Kiyan asked his brother.
"No. Right now, we are being stupid." Raten stated as a matter of fact. He then gripped tighter onto the dual blades in his hands.
"Though I don't believe father will get a place so dangerous for us to live in, I still think, no, I know this is foolish and might cost us our lives. He has warned us repeatedly against this. I just am too curious to know why even the animals avoid it." He took in a deep breath and moved forward.
Trailing slowly behind Raten was his brother Kiyan. Once they entered into the woods, Kiyan picked up pace so as to catch up with his brother.
********
"No, Agnar. I don't like this. I gave you your space, why must you venture into mine?!" An elderly looking man spat at Agnar clearly annoyed at him.
The men sat in the living room of a small cabin in the woods. The chairs were carved out of wood and quite uncomfortable. The place was filled with pieces of dirt, roots of trees and grasses could be seen on the ground, instead of a usual wooden floor.
Through the windows broke in branches of trees with beautiful leaves on them. One look at the house, no one would imagine a person lived there and at the moment, three men stood in the cabin.
One of them had his eyebrows furrowed, making more visible, his wrinkled skin.
"Can you stop whining, Raymond?" Agnar said tired of the man's tantrums. It was odd for a man of his age to always complain and whine as if a child, but Agnar had to put up with it. He needed him to do things for him.
"Hurry up Raymond, so we can leave here." Rocking back and forth on a wooden chair was the third man with them. He wore an eye patch over his right eye and had his left eye closed. He had long grey hair and he looked to be very old. His wrinkled skin being proof of it. Yet, in a way, he looked, acted and sounded fit, just like Raymond.
Letting out a huff, Raymond fell back onto a small carved mahogany chair behind him and with a wave of his hand, a staff levitated towards him.
Grabbing hold of it, he tapped it on the floor three times. Sparkles of light rose from the floor and moved to form a large orb. Moving closer and looking into it, Agnar could see his sons walking throughout the forest. He lips curved slightly as he gave a wry smile.
"Split them up." Agnar spoke.
********
Using his short dual blades to cut through the vines and leaves as they walked, Raten led the way.
"This is tiresome, I think we should go back." He said and stopped. In front of him was an open field. "Do we rest first?" Raten asked his brother and just like from the first time he spoke, he got no response from the other.
"Kiyan?" He called out and turned back. To his surprise his brother was gone and he was alone.
"Kiyan?! Kiyan!" Looking from left to right, he repeated called out his brother's name. Still, no response.
"Kiyan!!" He called out even louder but then put his hand over his mouth immediately. He realized just where he was and making that much sound would attract nothing but danger.
Realizing this he became afraid. He and his brother were now separated in an unknown, probably dangerous environment. He thought to leave the forest through the path he cleared and hopefully find his brother. To his surprise, the path was no more. Raten became even more petrified.
Not having any other option, he turned back in any direction and headed out of the forest.
"Kiyan? Where are you?" He whispered walking about not knowing exactly where he was going. All he could see were large trees, vines and shrubs. At intervals, he would hear loud grunts and groans that sounded like nothing he had heard before.
Cutting through the last vine and branch in front of him, he had a perturbed look on his face. He had moved about for a long while now and every path led him to where he had realized he was alone.
"What is going on here? Kiyan where are you?" He mumbled feeling frustrated, worried and becoming more afraid.
*Crack...
Raten's hairs stood on end as he heard the sound of wood breaking and heavy footsteps that followed. He could feel something move towards him from the back and he began palpitating.
"Please be Kiyan, please be Kiyan." He muttered inwardly, hoping whatever that was behind would be his brother.
Still frozen in place and looking ahead, Raten eyes widened in fear. His hopes of the creature coming towards him to be his brother was dashed as a large shadow was cast over him.
"Don't tell me..." He muttered quietly. Slowly, with trepidation, he turned around to take a look.
Raten was met with a large menacing creature. He almost turned blue at the sight of the ferocious beast in front of him. Standing on its fours, the large horse-like beast had thick long black fur coating it's entire body and an even longer fur running from it's spine to it's head. It's hooves were about the size of Raten's head. It had two large white curved horns which contrasted strongly with its body.
Wagging slowly behind it was a long tail with numerous large spikes on it. Raten gulped down his saliva.
"What did I get myself into?" He questioned inwardly as he was filled with regret and thinking of every possible way out. Looking up at the beast, he noticed it's gaze was fixed on something else.
Raten was still frozen in place when it began moving. It lifted it's large limbs and went off in another direction.
As soon as it passed, Raten bent over with his arm on his chest taking in deep breaths. He hadn't even realized he held his breath while staring at the creature in front of him. He looked back in the direction the beast went and then in front of him.
"I, I need to leave here." He stood upright and sprinted forward, surreptitiously as well, to avoid unwanted attention. He didn't know where he was going and only hoped it would not take him back to where he begun.
"Beasts, m-magical beast, how come?!" Raten said in a shaky voice while he ran. He then tripped over a rock and fell on a pile of dead leaves. Lifting his head off the leaves, he saw a pair of thin scaly legs in front of him. Running up the thigh to the rest of it's body were thick purple feathers. It had three long necks leading to three scaly bald heads. Each beak was large and curved with thin long, sharp teeth shooting out of them.
Pushing his body up, he stood face to face with the creature. It was as tall as he was and stared at him with its three eyes; one for each head.
"I mean no harm, I'm just passing by." Raten said to the beast with his arms behind him, though knowing fully well it didn't understand him, he hoped it did and began taking slow steps backwards. Every step he took, one of the heads would tilt to the side.
"It hasn't made any moves yet. I need to escape." Raten assumed as he took another step back.
*Crack..
The twig he stepped on broke. Raten froze momentarily expecting a reaction from the bird-like beast, but there was none. "Maybe, it's friendly." He thought and took another step back.
*SQUAWK!!
As soon as Raten moved, the bird spread its wings and let out a loud squawk. It's feathers began pulsating and it's now stared fiercely at Raten.
"So you are hostile. You don't seem like you would let me run." He moved his feet back. And immediately the beast launched at him. Expecting it, Raten quickly moved out of the way and held out his blades.
"This is my only option then." He stood firm ready to attack as well. "This isn't the time to be scared," he thought gripping firmly onto the blades. It will be nice to tell of my kill. Kiyan, I hope you're okay." He muttered under his breath.
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*Author's tears flowing incessantly..
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