Generations: Broken Prophesy Story

Chapter 3: Journey

The next week, after discussing their plans with their parents, had started normally.  However, things quickly began to go downhill.  The first day was normal enough, but during the second, Bucket and Mulch along with the other fishermen would fall silent any time one of the three were within earshot.  The ‘Silent Treatment' only got worse, and by the end of the week the whole village was doing it.

  

Starchaser turns in his bowl-shaped bed, a gentle breeze comes from the cave’s entrance.  The scent of heather and the clatter or river-stones shifting stirs him from his slumber.  Lifting his head and cracking open a single eye, Chaser looks about the den.  Sunlight, filtered by the flowering brush outside, casts long shadows through the open chamber.  His yawn echos through the small cavern.  Glancing at the wall closest to his bed of stones, he runs his claw tips along the shallow gouges.  A wistful smile plays across his face as he creates a new set, pulling away small rocks and dirt to clatter to his feet.

“Ahh!  Awake at last, sleepyhead?”  The feminine voice calls from the entrance.

“Morning Mom…  What time is it?”

“Just a bit before midday.  Are you hungry?  I still have some breakfast left.”  The sleek black form sidles up beside him, her amethyst eyes bore into his.

“No, I’m fine…  But why did you let me oversleep?  I was supposed to help Bucket and Mulch with this morning's fishing.”  Stretching hard enough to make the tip of his tail twitch and letting out a yawn that echoes through the den, makes his mother chuckle.  “Although, what’s the point…  It seems no one in the village wants us around anymore, and I don’t know why?  Did we do something wrong?”

His mother’s chuckle catches him by surprise, “You can thank your Grandfather for that.”  Standing up, she nudges her shoulder into his, “In fact, let’s go do that!”  With an unexpected spring in her step, Kari leads the way from their den.  Once past the bushes, planted to hide the cave’s entrance, the pair leap into the air and with powerful strokes, climb into the sky.

Confused, Chaser follows his mother as they wing their way over the normally bleek island of Berk.  Murky greens and browns of the forest make way for the trampled browns and greys of rough hewn roads and goat trails leading from the walled village.  Bright glass lanterns hang from every building, and brightly painted shields hang around the town center, identifying each of the families of Berk.  Chaser and Kari land as Stoick hammers the last of four new shields into place.  Smiling faces of Berkian villagers gather around the grand square, dropping their decorations to be closer to the new arrivals.   Stoick waves to the newly painted shields, the first holds a pair of stylised Shadewings chasing each other around a rough approximation of the island itself.  The second is a Shadewing curled around an expanding spiral of bright yellow.  The third is a Shadewing on a field of emerald green and the last shows the curled form of a Shadewing on a blue starburst.

“Ahh…  There ya’ are.  Was beginin’ to think yur gonna miss yur own celebration!  So?  What do ya’ think?”  Stoick booms.  Seeing the look of confusion written clearly on the young dragon’s face, Stoick laughs.  Raising his hands, villagers begin pouring from every door.  Within mere moments the square is filled with cheering and laughter.  Stoick scratches behind Kari’s ear as Chaser looks on in stunned confusion.

A trio of shadows pass overhead as Tannlaus leads Amber and Jade into the square, with a roar of greeting.  “Ya’ look confused,” Stoick mentions as the rest of the Shadewings gather.  With a nimble claw tip, Chaser leaves his marks in the ground.  The Hooligan elder pinches the bridge of his nose, “Alrigh’  Let me get this straight…  No one has spoken ta’ any o’ ya’ for almost a week?”  Glancing at each of the youngsters in turn, he clearly sees the hurt in their expresions.