Thomas tossed and turned in his sleep, his eyes screwed tightly shut as he took quick and shallow breaths. The hairs on his arms stood on end and the sheet that covered his waist was scrunched and stuck to him.
"Thomas, Thomas." A voice whispered quickly to the young prince as he slept. Glimpses of Y/n standing in a dark meadow shaking a man's hand and screaming flashed in his mind. "Save her. You have to save her." He awoke with a jolt, as a light layer of sweat covered his face and exposed body causing his hair to stick to his forehead. His breathing came out in pants as he attempted to regain control of his breathing.
He stared sharply at the window, the sun blinding him as he made an attempt at shielding his eyes from the harsh rays that shined through the window. A groan escaped his throat as he turned on his side, facing away from the window and it's harsh lighting.
Loraine. He thought and quickly got up from his bed, the bed frame knocking against the wall slightly causing Thomas to jump at the noise. Although Thomas was a generally tall and muscular guy and could transform into a large Stag, the Ashford boy was easily frightened by small yet loud noises and he never knew why. It was quite amusing.
A shiver ran down his spine and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up - a hushed whisper voiced in his ear, it was calm and light. Almost like a spring breeze rolling though a field of grass. "Pain." The voice whispered quickly. "He took her pain." Thomas was once again confused for the second time that morning. Who took who's pain?
Thomas rushed around his room, his shirt and pants already on as he searched for the left boot that he had so carelessly threw across his room. When he found the previously misplaced boot, Thomas quickly put it on and grabbed a nearby coat that had been tossed lazily on his armchair.
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The snow melted off of the branches of the pine trees that littered the forest, creating a beautiful moment as the sun shined heavily down on it. Thomas, now in his spirit form, watched as icicles slowly melted from the heat and dripped down into the almost bare ground. The seasons were changing so quickly and it made Thomas feel uneasy, not only was war coming but deep down his gut was telling him that something bigger was going on.
A twig snapped and Thomas turned sharply in the direction the noise came from, his right hoof inches from the ground as he got ready to stomp. From behind a large oak tree emerged a black wolf with white paws and grey eyes - Minho. Thomas kept walking and Minho followed behind, their feet leaving mismatched footprints in the snow as they continued their trek.
The two men looked up at the graying sky, a thick breeze rolled overhead as Newt flew past them. The race was on. Minho and Thomas ran quickly through the woods, their fur slicked back from the wind that pushed it as they ran. The three friends finally stopped when they reached the tree line - Newt had won the race once more.
Thomas and Minho had transformed back into their human selves, smiles on their faces as chuckles erupted from them. Newt finally transformed back, his transformation taking a little longer. The boys looked at one another with joyful smiles, each one forgetting why they were there in the first place.
As quick as their smiles came, they faded. A raven with feathers as white as snow flew towards the boys and then looped back almost like it was trying to lead them somewhere. Thomas' eyes grew wide when he heard the familiar song it sang. "The song of the raven." Thomas muttered, hitting Newt and Minho on the arm as he carefully followed it. "The what?" Minho asked as he followed him.
Thomas whistled out a short tune and waited for a reply. Minho opened his mouth to speak but was quickly shushed by Thomas. After a couple of seconds of silence, a whistle emitted from somewhere ahead of them followed by a short sweet tune. Thomas smiled softly and started to lead the boys further out of the tree line.
"It's the song." Thomas said as Minho and Newt looked at one another with confused faces. "What are you going on about mate?" Newt asked him. Thomas whistled again and waited for the whistle and the short tune. "When we were kids, Loraine taught Y/n The Song of The Raven. It's a tune that Ravens use to communicate with one another, sometimes they use it as a battle cry when fighting for dominance or to bring death." He explained and continued to whistle and wait for the reply.
Minho nodded in somewhat of understanding and then scrunching his brows in confusion once more. "And you know the song because . . ." Minho waited for an answer, Thomas stopped in his tracks and stared in front of him. "Y/n taught it to me." The three friends stayed silent for the rest of the small journey, the only sound was the crunching of the snow under their feet as it slowly turned to wet grass, and the whistling between Thomas and the raven.
When they finally stopped they were left standing in the middle of the meadow, the white raven cawed from its place on an old tree stump. "Queen Loraine." Thomas said as the three boys bowed respectfully to the raven. The bird cawed again and transformed back into its human form, it's feathers long gone and replaced with a beautiful grey dress.
"You boys grow handsomer every day." Loraine complimented, bringing them into a group hug as she spoke. She pulled away and waved her hands gently behind them. "Have a seat, dears." The boys looked at Loraine confused and turned around to see chairs placed neatly beside one another for them. They took a seat and waited for Loraine to speak to them about why she called them there.
With a grim expression, she spoke. "He's done something terrible." She said to them. Minho sat straighter and placed a hand on his knee as he spoke. "He who?" He asked her. "Ruton." Loraine stated, taking a handful of grass and letting it blow away with the wind.
Thomas stared at the grass as it blew away gently with the wind, it's short blades disappearing in the distance. "Ruton, as in the Ruton? God of Souls Ruton?" Minho asked, a nod coming from Loraine confirmed his question causing his heart rate to pick up. "What did he do?" Newt asked Loraine.
A wave of fear crashed through Thomas and the voice from earlier that morning echoed in his head. Pain. Save her. He took her pain. Loraine looked over at Thomas with a shocked expression her hand reaching to his as she looked shocked at him.
"He took her pain." Thomas stated. "Who-" Newt began. "Y/n's."
Newt and Minho shockingly stared at one another as they processed the information. Thomas looked at Loraine with a stony expression, his voice low and raspy as he spoke. "I thought Ruton couldn't leave The Dark Land? How did he get to her?" Loraine shook her head and took her hand away from his. "He must have called her there in her sleep. It's the only logical way that he could've gotten to her."
Newt stared confusedly at the three royals around him, in Tezmera they didn't have multiple Gods. They just believed in one higher being - Cytis. It was an ancient spirit that existed long before time, before earths ground was solid.
Cytis was said to be hosted by a Dragon, his blood was gold and his eyes the color of fire. It was always said that after his extinction, he still had descendants living to this day on earth and when his blood and the Gods of Old's mixed, a war between good and evil would ensue.
"What does Ruton want with Y/n? What is his endgame?" Minho pondered as Loraine and Thomas thought the same thing. "War." Newt spoke up, the others looking at him confused. "That's what drew him to her. It's an ancient prophecy in Tezmera that the world would end in flames when a women constructed from war and a man consumed with hate fought one another. We came close to that end when the Battle of Lasren happened. He wants us to destroy one another." Newt said.
Loraine's face fell when she heard what Newt had said. "We must move quickly then, every moment that Y/n is without pain she will slowly start to believe her fathers words. If that happens, war will be going to Snowbrooke faster than we thought." She said, her eyes landing on all of there's and then settling on Thomas'.
