|| ×3 FEATURED || When the ever-skittish, homesick, twelve-year old Fralith accidentally-on-purpose stops a kidnapping, no one knows what to think--especially Fralith. Newly stranded on a planet not his own through a misdirected HomeKin portal, wher...
The first thing he saw was the moon. It was huge, like an unblinking eye. And it was foreign. Fralith shot to his feet with a cry, only to stagger into a tree. A gasp escaped him as the world lurched and spun, the rough bark of the tree scraping his fingers.
He sucked in a breath, but not enough air would come. It was as if the very air was not enough; too thin, too stretched apart. Gasping and choking, he strove to meet his body's demands, heart racing like a rabbit running from a wolf. It slammed against his ribs, little claws scrabbling at his chest.
Not enough! He couldn't get enough! But he needed it. He needed to breathe. His mouth flopped open, working open and closed in a soundless scream. The world tipped and he crashed to his hands and knees, horrible sucking sounds coming from his throat.
Time whisked by like a swift river as he focused all he had to the next great gulp. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Gradually, the rapid thuds of his heart slowed and air flowed in and out easily.
Fralith blinked hard to clear the blackness in his vision and sat up, wiping his mouth, head full of fizzles and sparks. Dull pain burned in his face, pounding a rhythm into his cheek bone, making it hard for him to focus his eyes. He rubbed at them and peered around.
Deep shadows clung thickly to the ground, blurring the edges of everything so it looked like one blobby mess. He squinted up through the leaves at the sky. It was a dirty gray with the haze of coming dawn touching its edges. The moon watched him from its perch, seeming farther away. Emptier. Lonelier.
Ice shivered down his back and he swallowed, the paws of his heart starting to thud rapidly against his ribs. His senses sharpened and sound rushed into his ears. Foreign sounds. Sounds not from forest creatures. They filtered through the foliage, filling his head with shrill sand-eating bird calls, monstrous guttural grumbles, head-splitting screeches, and a plethora of unidentifiable noises.
This wasn't— this wasn't— this wasn't home. Home. A lighting bolt struck his chest, drawing a gasp from his lips. He twisted towards the trees, wide eyes raking the dim forest floor. Where was it? Had he closed it? It had to be here, it had to! He scrambled forwards, tearing his hands through the grass. No, no, no, no! The HomeKins had to be here. It had to because— a thundering roar pierced the murmurs of the strange place, shattering any semblance of calm.
A white flash slammed into his senses and he was running. Flying. Shooting past dark blurs with splashes of light, straining with all his might to get away. Again. He was running away again. But this time, he wasn't running away from— from— him.
Golden flames flickered across the boy's eyes, illuminating his enraged scowl. "How could you?" the boy yelled, arm lifting the torch, hands shifting, and eyes blazing. Then the torch was flying. Flames sparking, spinning, twisting towards him, his heat roaring, light consuming— his foot landed on rock, jarring his bones and clicking his teeth together.
Light exploded around him and he threw his arm over his eyes, crying out with pain. It shouldn't be like this! It should be night! Dark!
Slowly, the intensity of the light lessened and he lowered his arm, blinking. The forest was gone. No more trees. No more grass. No more comforting night shadows. He swallowed, intestines twisting. In its place were houses. Not SecondHomish wood or stone houses, but houses made out of...he didn't know what. In front of the houses were patches of grass, and beside that, strips of black that led to a wider strip of black with white strips along the middle.
Strange-looking beasts sat on the smaller black strips in front of almost identical-looking houses. Tall smooth trees stood on the small hard path he was on, their tops producing the blinding, unnatural light.
All the air left his lungs in a tumbling whoosh, taking his strength with it. He sank to the ground, world blurring and ears ringing.
Wherever this was, it was not SecondHome.
~~~
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Greetings!
Welcome to A Fallen HomeKin! Constructive criticism is welcome; I'd love to hear feedback from other people for the content and grammar. I've recently started editing and writing the second draft, so more chapters will be changed and updated. Because of that, previous comments may or may not make sense.
(FYI, until I fix the descriptions, Fralith is not a wolf (the wolf depicted above is called Banana Wolf and has no relation to this story); he's humanoid.)
