Sasha Jackson & The Trials of the Pendragon

Chapter One: Sasha's Home

Eleven Years Earlier:
Many miles away the chilly mist that had pressed against the neighborhood windows drifted over a river that wound between overgrown riverbanks. An immense chimney, relic of a disused mill, reared up, shadowy and mysterious. There was no sound apart from the whisper of the dark waters and hardly any signs of life in the tall grass.
But far away from the neighborhood was a single tumbledown, semi-derelict wooden cottage with a chimney standing a little away from the long and twisting river and the towering willow trees. Despite the wildlife that surrounds the cottage, there seemed to be hardly any human life. Though, folks can have a second guess when they see a married couple and their eleven year old daughter living at the cottage. But not many people had seen the daughter, though a few children and adults had caught a few brief sights of her. The girl barely spoke a word to another and if she does, she only speaks to the animals and birds or to her parents outside of town.
The girl's name is Sasha Jackson.
Even though the neighborhood is a little bleary, the forest is truly magical. At least, that's what the girl believes in any case.
When the sun had rose into the morning sky, a pair of sparkling ocean blue eyes shone through the shadows of the forest and the golden sunlight shone on the trees. The sunlight shone on the slender figure's long, wavy golden-blonde hair as her hair cascaded over her shoulders in soft curls. The figure soon climbed off the low branches of the tree she was on. As some of her hair cleared away from her forehead to reveal a birthmark in shape of star and made up of freckles on her right side of her forehead and a small, white scar just below her bottom lip on the left side of her chin. While her skin is both fair and lightly tanned from her time in the sun. Something flashed in the morning light from the base of Sasha's chest, it was a single orange topaz pendant that has three golden dragons with small, yellow topazes for eyes.
When Sasha had stepped out of the shadows, the sunlight revealed that Sasha has a white blouse ruffling gently in the wind. Her blue shorts were lightly decorated in silver accents, while her white tennis shoes were on her feet as she walked gently through the grass.
Sasha sat down by the banks of the beautiful lake surrounded by a few willow trees, while bright colored wildflowers decorated the riverbanks. Sasha enjoys being out in the nature. It was peaceful and quiet. The wind gently rustled through her hair and breathed in the fresh morning air.
She already had breakfast, her parents had went to the nearby town to do some errands. Though, Sasha prefer to stay away from any rowdy towns, she enjoys the peace and quiet of the countryside. Sasha looked up to watch the morning sky rise in the beautiful shades of gold and amber. She had plucked a dandelion from next to her and blew the seeds into floating through the air, Sasha cracked a smile as she watched as the dandelion seeds float away into different directions from her.
She frowned when her thoughts had wondered back to her brother, Jacob. It had been eleven years since Jacob had mysteriously disappeared without a single trace had been left behind. Sasha only remembers a few bits and pieces of her older brother, but nothing more than that. But the only thing she does remember was his protective brotherly love for her and him saying, "I'll make this right. For both of us."
She sighed softly and looked back at the lake. Sasha smiled when she saw two grownup swans with seven gray hatchlings swimming behind the two swans. Birds had sung gently from the trees overhead. A few mice hid away from a passing fox, who didn't take much notice of the mice and disappeared into the shadows of the forest. The lake was both smooth and clear as glass. The sunlight made the huge lake shimmered like a huge diamond. The sunlight had outlined the richness of the sapphire blues and emerald greens within the depths of the lake like a huge aquamarine gem.
She sighed, feeling restless as ever, and decided to go to the buckeye and sycamore tree grove for a bit of fun climbing. Sasha soon ran through the grass, she leaped over a small stream. To her left, a dense forest stretched out unbroken, except the paths made by the deer and other woodland critters. Sasha sped up on the dirty path for about twelve or thirteen paces. She soon slowed down and smiled when she saw a slender deer trail, winding like an endless and waterless stream along the forest floor, Sasha raced along the path until she found the grove of towering buckeye and sycamore trees.
With a thrill of excitement, Sasha crouched down and sprung up to the lowest branch of a great buckeye tree. Like a cat, she worked her way upwards, one branch after another, Sasha had stopped at the height of three men above the ground. Sasha realized her heart was still racing from excitement and anticipation. Sasha could see the forest and far-off town, hear the gentle sounds of the forest, and smell the fresh summer scents of the forest.
But Sasha felt something soft brushed behind her as she leaned against the tree's trunk. Sasha looked over her shoulder and saw the sleek silvery-gray tail disappeared around the trunk. As Sasha stretched to peer behind her, she heard a soft meow.
Sasha sat up again, just in time to see a female silvery-gray tabby cat with black stripes around her sharp emerald green eyes climbing down in front of her. Sasha smiled patiently as the cat climbed gracefully through the branches, while purring and soft meowing. Then, the cat stopped short as if the feline had just realized she wasn't alone. The feline considered Sasha for a while, her green are warmer and more intelligent than those of any cat she'd ever encountered — almost human even.
Sasha tilted her head at the cat curiously and the cat blinked at Sasha mysteriously. She reached out her hand and hesitated slightly before Sasha had started petting the feline's soft silvery coat. The cat purred with contentment before the feline had stepped back and placed a seed in Sasha's hand. Sasha retracted her hand to look at the seed and that's when she felt something. Then, Sasha felt something going through her. A newfound energy warmed and cooled her to the skin. The power coursed through her, cleaning her, repairing her, and giving her strength. It made her feel more alive and she was breathing fresh air for the first time. Sasha wasn't sure where it had came from, but it felt... quite nice and reassuring, but somewhat familiar.
Sasha looked down at the palm of her hand and smiled when she saw the seed blossoming into a small, but beautiful white daisy into the warm sunlight.
Sasha looked at the cat with amazement and joy, who was watching on with calm and patient green eyes. Sasha soon offered the flower to the cat by placing the flower over the cat's ear before Sasha started looking down back towards the ground.
"See ya later kitty cat." Sasha started climbing down the tree and she soon landed on both of her hands and feet on the ground.
She started heading back towards her family's home. After Sasha's maternal grandparents passed away and her aunts had went their separate ways, Sasha and her family had moved into the cottage that had been rebuilt good as new, so no accidents would happen. Sasha had grew up as the only child of the family and carries a great deal of her family's love over her shoulders. Sasha remembers the stories that her parents had told her, revealing a piece of their truer selves when they told her the stories. Both of their favorite stories were based off Ancient Greek and Arthurian legends. The missing piece of her parents seemed to come to life when they told her of gods and monsters, the knights and quests, in the myths and legends. All of these stories had brought a special light shining into their eyes.
Sasha shook off her thoughts when she saw a tumbledown, semi-derelict log cottage with a chimney at the forest's edge. She smiled softly when she recognizes her family's homely cottage. She soon opened the door, which revealed a lovely and a simple living room and kitchen. There was a few potted plants and a tank with a few fish swimming around in it. There was also a barn owl perched in a opened cage by the window and was watching her with calm amber eyes, the female barn owl's name is Athena and the barn owl is her family's owl. The lovely scent of fresh herbs had went over her and calmed Sasha.
In the ridge beam above were dozens of clusters of herbs, leaves, flowers, roots, nuts, bark shavings, and seeds. There were some more on the window and in the center of the table. Because of the bundles, the whole cottage smelled of sage, sunflower seeds, and oak shavings.
With all of these ingredients and tools Sasha's mother used to make her healing powders, pastes, and poultices. The table a little away from the meal table held a large collection of bowls, knives, mortars, pestles, strainers, and other utensils. Sasha had watched her mother crushing leaves or small fruit, mixing powders, straining plants, or applying a mixture of remedies to someone's injury.
Sasha's eyes lingered up towards where her father was probably working at. She remembered laying partly awake night after night, watching her father work on the other side of the room. Lit by a single lamp, he would sharpened his traveling knives, mix potions, study maps and blueprints, or study and extract plants to make his potions. But every time he sees Sasha, his expression softens and gives a gentle kiss on Sasha's forehead before bidding her goodnight and watching her fall asleep. He works as a ranger as a part time job and an undercover high-ranked Auror officer of the Ministry of Magic.
Sasha smiled when she saw her parents cleaning from their dinner in the kitchen. Despite her calm and peaceful life, she felt something within her that she must go up to the attic and checked it out. She soon went upstairs to see that the attic has been already opened, but they soon all heard a loud scream of pain. Sasha glanced over her shoulder when she saw her feisty sandy-furred wolf-dog named Bella, who had raced out of the living room and immediately by Sasha's side. Her parents had bought Bella for Sasha when she became eight years old, she is like a protector (a dog protector, no less). Though, she's not purely sandy-furred. She has a white chest, underbelly, and paws, while her eyes are striking dark brown in the same color as dark chocolate.
Sasha sighed wearily and immediately knew that they have to get ready ready for the nighttime patrol. But she soon heard a knock on the door, Sasha quickly answered the door and was overjoyed to her cousin, Nicholas Jackson, standing there with his sleeping bag and backpack. He has a pale complexion, tousled black hair, and warm brown eyes like melted chocolate. He was dressed in black jeans, combat boots, a deep blue shirt, and a black leather jacket that suited him quite nicely. He was tall and lean, his ears stuck out a bit, and he wore a silver chain around his neck. He lives on the other side of the forest, he's both much kinder and gentler than some of the neighborhood boys that lives at the broken down town. He's also a wizard, since his mother is a pure-blood witch who works as a Magizoologist and his (divorced/arrested) father is a Muggle who was a secret animal smuggler.
"Hey Nick," greeted Sasha with a grin and allowed him inside. "We're about to head out on a patrol again—"
"To figure out the mysterious animal who had gotten in trouble?" finished Nicholas with a smile, his voice both calm and determined.
"Yup," Sasha said, smiling. "Wanna join?"
"Sure I do." Nicholas soon glanced at his backpack before smiling up at the others. "Lets get ready."
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Sasha soon gotten dressed in a tan tunic and dark blue pants with a braided brown belt. She slipped on her leather brown boots on. She had managed to tie up her hair into a ponytail. She slung a soft wool cloak dyed in the color in deep blue of the night sky onto her back after she tied two pouches and her covered up belt knife onto her belt, she also slipped on her brown satchel over shoulder before she made her way outside to meet up with her family. They were also dressed up like her. Only Nicholas was dressed up in dark green for camouflage, while Sasha's parents were both dressed up in their dark blue and silvery-gray robes.
They were all holding lit lanterns and Sasha's parents has Buddy, their pet male German shepherd.
"Okay, remember to be careful everybody," said Sasha's Dad firmly. "We don't know what we're dealing with here. We're going to search everywhere till we find those hunting traps."
"Including the Shadow Forest?" Sasha asked curiously.
"Including the Shadow Forest," confirmed Sasha's Dad with a grim, but determined expression. "Be on your feet everyone and be careful."
Sasha felt a thrill of excitement as they departed into a pair of groups. Athena was flying overhead in case she has to get help for a group that might be in trouble. Sasha, Nicholas, and Bella had checked out the usual places that they had used to find the hunting traps: nearby meadows, grassy fields, hidden or secretive deer trails, and the three of them soon ended up at the edge of the Shadow Forest.
The Shadow Forest is a massive and dense forest, figured Sasha as they walked calmly into the woods. As well as its name applies, the forest casts huge shadows all over the place — even in the daytime — at the moment, it was casting long glows from the eerie glow of the full moon above. The forest is covered with beech, oak, sycamore, and yew trees as well as some of the undergrowth was covered in small patches of grass, thorn bushes, and brambles. Sasha, Nicholas, and Bella were following one paths when Bella had came to a sudden stop and started whimpering, she soon pointed towards one of the sycamore trees.
Nicholas stepped over and they gasped when his lantern shone over the hunting trap. It was an ugly snare and an unfortunate animal was already trapped in it. As they came closer, they stunned to see a teenage centaur laying there. He was laying on his side, completely still and his eyes were closed.
To the waist, the young man has fair skin and brown hair, but below there was a horse's gleaming dark bay body with a long, dark brown tail. But his left back leg was trapped with the snare and a nasty scar has been made from the trap, causing his scar to bleed nonstop.
"Is he dead?" whispered Nicholas as they started surrounding the injured centaur.
"No, he's still breathing." Sasha started gently stroking the young centaur's glossy coat and looked down at the centaur with concern. "He's exhausted from struggling. He must of gotten caught in the trap before we did our patrol." Sasha sighed softly and looked at Nicholas determinedly. "We have to help him."
Nicholas frowned and took out his book about hunting traps. He soon found the right page and showed it to Sasha, they both studied it together.
"Okay," said Nicholas, sounding equally as determined as she is. "Here's the plan. I'll push down on the lever and the trap will spring opened. Then, you have to carefully pull leg out. Ready?"
Sasha swallowed her self-doubt and nodded determinedly before she said with more confidence than she felt, "Ready."
Bella sat down a little away from them and was keeping lookout for the centaur's herd.
Slowly and quietly, Nicholas pushed down on the lever. They flinched when they heard the snare creaked a bit as it opened, but the trap soon opened for them quietly. Nicholas raised the bar off of the centaur's leg. Slowly and carefully, Sasha removed the centaur's leg from the trap and placed his leg carefully onto the ground, so she could treat his injury.
His scar didn't looked too bad that it'll needed to be stitched up, figured Sasha as she observed the bleeding scar. It just needed to be treated from any infection and bandaged to stop the bleeding. Sasha got out a canteen of water and started cleaning the injury, but she cringed nervously when he started fidgeting in his sleep.
Sasha quickly got out a piece of tannish cloth and damped it in a small bottle of valerian before she gave it to Nicholas.
"Don't sniff it Nicholas," instructed Sasha softly. "Put in front of the centaur's nose to put him back to sleep." Sasha gently ran a hand over his glossy coat. "I don't know how he's going to react towards us, but he must be kept to sleep so I can help him with his injury. He'll wake up in a few hours before daybreak, so we have to be quick."
Nicholas nodded and did as he was instructed, he placed the damp cloth in front of the centaur's nose and the centaur soon relaxed as he fell asleep again.
Sasha sighed in relief and got back to work. She gotten a bottle with peroxide, and she carefully poured a good amount of it onto the cloth. She gently started rubbing it on the centaur's scar. When there was enough medicine on his scar, Sasha put away the cloth and sealed the bottles, she soon got out the white bandages and carefully wrapped the bandages around the centaur's leg. When she done, Sasha watched as Nicholas carefully covered up the snare with a bit of cloths and slipped it into his backpack, while Bella stood next to Sasha.
Sasha scrapped the dirt off her pants before they all started heading a little away from the centaur. Sasha had made Athena land and had gave the family owl a message about the injured centaur caught in the snare and they had took care of it. As she watched as the golden-brown and white barn owl flew away with the message in her talons into the sunrise, Sasha had almost forgotten about the awakening centaur. When Sasha looked up at the sky, she saw something astonishing and beautiful in the sky.
What was happening in the sky? Whatever it was, it was the most stunning and amazing thing she'd ever seen in her whole entire life. She never seen anything like this before. It was so beautiful. She could count more hues and shades than in the box of paints and water colors that she had gotten for Christmas a few years ago. Shades of sapphire, magenta, amber, and gold shimmered, like a giant rainbow had blanketed the sky and stretched out over the land.
It was barely morning, but the stars continued to sparkle like diamonds. Despite the lightness of the incoming dawning sky, the stars were so bright and clear like distant diamonds sparkling in the dawning sky. It seemed that the stars was sparkling to the rhythm of her heartbeat. The bright constellation shaped itself into a tigress. Are those Northern Lights? Why are they so bright? How did the stars form that shape?
She was soon snapped out of her musings when Nicholas gently nudged her arm. Sasha glanced at Nicholas, who'd nodded back towards the Shadow Forest. Sasha followed his gaze and almost jumped back in surprise when she saw a pair of centaurs helping the injured centaur get up. One of the centaurs has black hair, with a horse's dark bay body with a long, black tail and the other centaur has dark brown hair with a a horse's buckskin body with a long, dark brown tail.
The trio of centaurs had saw them. Nicholas tensed, half ready to run out of the centaurs' sight, but Sasha placed a hand on Nicholas's shoulder to keep him where he is and Bella stood still as a statue. She didn't want the centaurs to think that they had set up the trap, but she also doesn't want them to think they were cowards either.
Sasha met one of the centaur's gazes and was relieved to see understanding shining in his eyes. He nodded to Sasha and her friends, a silent thank you, towards them. Sasha nodded back at him before she silently gestured Nicholas and Bella for the three of them to go back to the house to meet up with the others and to get some sleep.