The Upbringing

Chapter 7) Goldenclaw

Chapter 7) Goldenclaw

Eon laid on the soft grass, looking up towards the sky. Soon after the Timekeeper's revelation, he had retired to sleep, leaving Eon alone to ponder upon all he had been told. Eon didn't know where to start, all his life he had felt like he didn't belong, that his parents had abandoned him because he wasn't worth having. Now though, not only did he find out that his parents gave him up in order to save him, but that in the process of doing so, they ended up sacrificing their own lives.

In one day, his whole world had been turned upside down. He learnt he was from another dimension, that he could end up possessing special abilities, and that somewhere in this land, his other half was roaming around. This for the moment interested him the most, being an orphan, he had always trusted animals more then other humans, and loved every variety. What his counter part looked like, he could only imagine. Would it be another griffin like the Timekeeper's? Or hopefully even a dragon, that would be great, but what if his power was so low, he only had a small animal as his other half, he thought. He would just have to wait and see.

At last all the day's excitement began to leave him, leaving a deep yearning for rest. Closing his eyes, memories from his old life flashed before him. He saw the rickety, wooden orphanage, with half it's windows and shutters threatening to fall off. He remembered the cave he had once found, deep in the woods. Before he dived into the world of dreams though, he saw, in perfect detail, his faithful companion, Shady.

He was flying up high, over the grey clouds, invisible against the black sky. Every flap of wings sent a shiver coursing down his spine. Up above, the moon and stars provided the only light, how beautiful he realized, was the moon with all it's imperfections, a mirror to the sun's radiance. He wished he could stay up here all night, bathing in the white light, but despite all his power, he was still mortal, for now, and his body needed rest. Sighing, he signaled to turn back to camp, all the while still meditating.

No fear could touch him up here, especially in the company of his companion. How ironic that having feared the dark for most of his childhood, now it had become his friend, his steed, his COMPANION. No longer would he look into the night, and tremble at the possibilities of what could be hidden among that viel of darkness, no, now HE was the one that would cause the trembling, HE was the one they would fear. A crooked smile crossed his face, he could live with this he thought, he could live with it just fine.....

Eon awoke to an intense light shining into his eyes. Momentarily blinded, he shielded his eyes with his hands, simultaneously rubbing off the last remainders of sleep, and his dream. Looking up, he saw where the intense light had come from, having three suns, Aurora's sky was three times brighter then what he was accomstumed to, forcing him to squint his eyes until they adjusted to the light. As he sat up and looked around, he saw the Timekeeper tending a small flame, holding a pot on another hand.

"Morning," he said with a yawn, stretching his arms to the heavens above, "what are you making?"

"Some stew to eat before we leave, want some?"

"Sure, even though I normally don't tend to eat something so heavy in the morning," walking up to the Timekeeper, he sat across from him.

"Trust me, your going to want all the energy you can get." The Timekeeper put the medium sized pot on a small rig he had constructed of strong sticks. "We won't have to wait long," he continued, "the pot has some enchantments that speed up the cooking process."

They silently waited for the stew to cook, each one focused on their own thoughts. Eon was still thinking about counterparts and power, while the Timekeeper was troubled by this young man who sat across from him.