Magik & Myth; Falling of the Dusk; Blood Dawn (Chapter 1)
Here we go, this is the re-written Chapter One of the "Emerald Ages" I started ages ago. So, enjoy the read, and let me know what you think!
Chapter 1 - An End
The sound of clashing metal rang out through the Valley of Ekos. The Temple of Dawn, normally a shining golden jewel in the lush, green valleys of the Sjiin Mountains, was now more of a toppling brass statue.
There was little that a the young human girl could do, crouched under a fallen pillar, her eyes full of terror. She had seen many DawnWalkers fall this day, more than in her entire life, short as it was, at only 16. Her normally pretty face, now bent in fear, covered in the soot of the battle around her, her bright blue eyes darting around, trying to absorb as much of the battle as she could.
She clutched tightly to her necklace, the symbol of a tree made out of silver, and given to each of the Students of Dawn when they first enter the Temple. A sign, a sign that they see the Light of the Divine, It's Guardian, Tiamat, the Empress of Dawn, and the truth of Faith.
She had faith, more than most her age, even here at the Temple. But in the face of this death and destruction, she found even her faith waning. Fear almost lead her to turn and slash out with her steel dagger when she heard a noise from behind her. The blade was caught on the bracer of one of the last ScaleGuard still alive, he smiled warmly at her, motioning with his other paw to keep quiet. She nodded in understanding, readying her blade again should she have need of it.
The ScaleGuard was a panther, his black fur matted down with sweat and blood, mostly his own at this point. He knew he wasn't going to make it out of here alive, but he had a message, and the girl in front of him was still in peek condition, beyond being scared half to death. He stepped out of the shadows, the light glinting off of his gold-coloured armour, his longsword coming out before him, his buckler shield, with it's elemental circle carved into the front, held up ready for the next attack. He nodded to the human, throwing his gaze to a hole in the wall, one made by the enemies many siege machines. He gave her a wink, and said simply. "Run, Dawn Child. Don't look back. You must find the Champion of Dawn. Trust in Daybreak to guide your way. You are now The Illhamman, my child! RUN!"
He turned back to the approaching enemies, lizards, who called themselves Shaal. Black scales, and dark armour, or a metal the panther had never seen before. They're weapons were immensely powerful as well, massive claymores, battle axes and war hammers, yet for these warriors, they held the massive weapons like children's toys, giving plenty of room for each to carry a massive tower shield, half they're height, and almost the size of the panther ScaleGuard, they completed one of the most formidable foes that The Four Empires now faced.
The ScaleGuard smiled, as out the corner of his eye, he saw the human girl pull herself out of the hole in the outer wall. 'She's gone. Let Daybreak guide her way."
He raised his sword, and charged alone into the gathering crowd of blood-lusting Shaal, before him.
* * *
It was night. A nose stuck out of the red Razor grass of the Rouge Plain. It sniffed the night air, the ducked again out of sight.
It took another moment before he stood, a tall silvercross fox, about 6 feet in total, Rather slender, as were most of his people, He was of the Lunas Tribe, a proud and old tribe of nomadic vulpine. They had, for many centuries, lived wandering the Rouge Plains of Heldryn Province,
He was out late now, taking advantage of the recent rain storm that had passed over. The animals of the Rouge Plains tended to be mostly nocturnal anyway, but after a good rain, it was as though they were drawn to come out from the safety of they're homes. And where there was prey, this silvercross was likely to be the predator.
He pulled out a short willow bow, cocking an arrow into it and peering through the brush at the deer not twenty feet away. He smiled. The deer did not notice, until it was too late, and the twang of the bow string was and heavy thud were the only things that pierced the night air.
The silvercross walked over, starling the other beasts and sending them fleeing. His bushy tail swaying lightly and happily at having gotten, yet again, enough food for the next few days.
This was his life. To go out every few days and hunt for food, and when not doing that, he was likely helping his father, the village chief, to make all sorts of battle strategies and plans they would never be likely to use. The last battle his people had gotten into, according to they're own legend, was 300 years ago. His father had been a mere child, and his now departed grandfather had been the head of the tribe.
The fox picked up his prize and started east, making for his village. As the clouds parted overhead, the moonlight shone brightly, revealing the beastfolk's garb; a long, heavy, dark green cloak and deep red quiver on his back, holding perhaps 3 dozen arrows, all made with the fox's own paws.
Under this he sported a leather vest, thick, but loose enough to allow for plenty of free movement, which was over a very deep green tunic. He also wore loose hide pants, with a leather belt, holding his dagger and cutlass; all the aforementioned clothing being various shades of brown.
While the dagger was made also by the tribesman, the cutlass was a gift from his father, as of two years ago when he came of age. At 72 years, the silvercross fox was still quite young and inexperienced, but time would solve that, as it does with most.
The moonlight cast also, his features, into sharp relief. His dappled silver, orange, and white fur almost seeming to shine in the dim light from above. His eyes were sharp and alert, but full of a confidence most would find intimidating. He wasn't really at all build, but was strong enough to defend himself, and more than made up for any deficiency in that respect with his speed, and his most prized possession, his cunning.
Time seemed to pass for him rather quickly, as he soon found himself coming upon the fires of his tribe's encampment. Although the tribe did live rather nomadically, they would often settle down in one place for up to four or five years, or until the local resources demanded they move on.
It was a rather large village for a band of nomads, encircling about a half mile all around, and holding perhaps 2 dozen homes. The homes were made out of the local materials, Stone for the walls, cast off from the cliffs of the Sjiin Mountains just north of the camp. The roofs were made of the red Razor Grasses the Rouge Plains were covered with. So silently astounding was the scene of the dawning sun upon the grass, that it's as though and sea of blood is being poured from the light across the landscape.
At the centre of the Lunas Camp, stood the LongHouse. Twice as long as any of the other homes, and a half size taller, the LongHouse held the Council Fire, and the living quarters for the Tribal Chief and his family. The silvercross's family.
The fox stood and smiled as he stood just inside the wooden gates of his village. He loved this place, with all of his heart and soul. And, although that day was long away, there would come a day when he would take command of this tribe, take his father's place as the High Chief, and rule over the Lunas Vulpine Tribe for the rest of his days.
"Halo!" shouted a voice. The fox turned, seeing an orange vulpine, an old friend of his, bound toward him. "Hey, Halo, hang on!"
Halo smiled, and started walking, making deeper into the village, as his friend caught up with him. "Nice catch!" he said, eyeing the other's deer over his shoulder.
"I thought you'd like it." Halo replied, his voice was deep, but will young, not having lost it's curiosity in every tone, Curiosity at the whole world around it. "Took me most of the evening to get this bastard too." he laughed.
His friend echoed Halo's laughter, saying, half-jokingly, "Well, I hope you're going to share a bit, we're all running low these days!" as he turned to go into his own tent
"Of course!" Halo replied, hoisting the deer carcass more firmly upon his shoulder and shouting a final, "Take care, Rexis" before disappearing as well, into the longhouse door.
He was greeted almost immediately by several yells of his name, as his legs were swarmed by young kits, gleefully asking the silvercross what he'd brought home.
These were his nieces and nephews, quite a large family all together. He smiled and told them they would have to wait for his mother than one of his uncles, Jamii, to prepare the food.
"Speak of the Shade." Halo chuckled as his Uncle Jamii came walking out of the kitchens, his trademark smile across his face. "Good to see you didn't come home with another bunch of half-starved rabbits." He laughed a deep, bellowing laugh, that echoed through the walls of the LongHouse. Halo smiled, handing the deer over to the silver fox. "Over to you, Uncle. Make us proud." He too chuckled.
'Don't I always!" replied the other, as he disappeared behind the brown hide flap of the kitchen.
Halo sat down in a chair at the table in the main room. The LongHouse wasn't all that large on the inside, what with how many lived there. Halo, his mother and father, His father's mother, 2 brothers and one sister, and Halo's uncles' children. Halo's aunt, didn't have any children. In fact, she couldn't, being infertile her entire life. Instead she had focused her time on the battle side of the Lunas Tribe, rather than they're equally important domestic side. It was, in fact, she, who had taught Halo everything he knew about fighting, which was enough to make him one of the most formidable warriors in the Tribe, after his Aunt Scara, of course.
The LongHouse itself was made of four rooms. Halo, his mother and father, slept in the back room, with plenty of space for the three of them, it was almost as large as the main room the silvercross now sat in. Off to the left of the main room, was the living area for his father's brothers, they're family, and Halo's grandmother, (who was quite ill and near death),
To the right of the main room was the kitchens, and the back door into a little vegetable garden Halo's mother made some years ago. It didn't produce much, but enough for some spices and other things that they might otherwise not be able to get from the traders that passed occasionally through their camp.
The main room itself was a large circular fire, surrounded by three tables, one behind it, before the door to the back room, at which Halo, his mother, and his father sat. Left and of this were two, slightly shorter tables, (all three made of wood from nearby oak trees) and at these other two tables, sat the Elders of the Lunas Vulpine Tribe, the oldest, and wisest of those in the Tribe, those who had lead in great old battles, or in times of hard suffering, and pulled the Lunas people out of it all the stronger for it.
These tables angled into the large flame-pit, called the Inner Fire, at the moment with nothing but a small fire in it, simply for warmth. In times of great ceremony, however, this fire would reach to top of the LongHouse, in which there was a large hole for the smoke to escape from. An angled piece of leather across this screen, set higher than the heat of the hottest tribal fire, kept the rain from pouring into the LongHouse, while allowing all of the smoke to escape around it.
The inside walls of the LongHouse were decorated with ancient ornaments and old armour and weapons, some dating back over 3 thousand years. Halo had heard a legend when he was young, that the helm that hung above his father's seat, was actually from the Time Before, an age of myth, before the rise of Magik, when it was said that a powerful form of knowledge known as The Science ruled.
The helm itself was white, with two large tubes out the back of it, holding firmly to the sides of the helm around to the front, just under the wearer's chin. The eyes of the helm were a reflective glass, but from inside, the wearer could see perfectly fine, though the light was a bit dimmed. This plate of glass could also be turned upward, and to over the wearer's maw, was a strange sort of grill, small open slats to allow air to pass in, or out, of the helm.
So long had it been, than know body in Halo's family could even remember the helm's original meaning, nor who it was that had held it, but it had been in the family as long as any could recall, and thus was kept, to honour the Infinity family's Unknown Ancestor.
"Good to see you back, son." said a kind, heavy voice from behind the silvercross. Halo turned in his chair, and smiled, his father standing behind him. The old fox's silvery fur glimmered in the low light of the Inner Fire, as he took a seat beside his son. "Heard you did well on the hunt."
Halo shrugged, looking away toward the curling smoke from the Inner Fire. "I just did what I could, Father. But thanks." He smiled. His father put a paw on Halo's shoulder. "I wish to tell you someth--" he had every intention of going on with something presumably profound, but at that moment the door swung open.
Inside, rather flushed, came an orange fox, who nearly fell upon the fire as he'd run from the other side of the camp to arrive here so quickly. He gasped his message, "Chief! High Chief Talen!"
Halo's father stood quickly, rushing over to the fox, and grabbing him firmly to steady the beastfolk. He said simply, "Speak, fox, what's the concern?"
"A human... a human girl! We found her outside the east gate, unconscious!" by now the messenger had regained himself, and was standing tall on his own, head bowed slightly to his Chief.
Talen replied, "So, take her to Mai, our Wise Woman, she'll be able to heal her."
"Yes, High Chief, I instructed that, but you see--"
"Yes? Well, spit it out, kit!"
The messenger composed himself for this, as it came as a shock to see, and would no doubt be so again to say. "High Chief, the girl was dressed in the robes of a Student of Dawn, from the Temple in Ekos Valley. That's over a week's walk away. And not only that..." he paused, but his chief pressed him on. "She's covered in blood, some if it, is clearly not her own, being black in colour."
Talen turned to his son. Halo, locking eyes on his father for only a moment, then nodded and walked out of the LongHouse, making for the tent of the village Wide Woman, Mai.
Blood. Black blood. Someone had attacked the Temple of Dawn. Halo could feel it, as could his father. And if this girl survived, perhaps she was being hunted. Perhaps the whole village was now in danger.
~~~~~
I'll post Chapter 2 later on, I like to stay far ahead in the actual writing of the story before I post more here. I'm about Chapter 5 right now, so just bare with me, there will be more soon enough.
Hope you liked, and either way, comment away and give me your opinions!
~ Halo McKinnon