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Chapter 2

A bird's song split my ears, waking me up and introducing me to the bright morning. I was still in the cave, safe. Phew, that was close.

I felt a tingle on my leg. I scratched it, but it stung! Then I felt one on my arm, I scratched it too, it stung also! Then I felt them everywhere, little baby spiders, crawling all over me.

Oh great goblins, this must be a Arcek nest! Arceks are huge, carnivorous spiders the size of cats, but where was this one? I should have known that's what this was, I'm surprised that I haven't been eaten yet! But what am I doing? They could be feasting on me right now!

I quickly grab my satchel and sword, then crawl out fast, shaking my body like a dog shaking off water as I start running. I ran out of the clearing with spiders still all over me.

Then I spotted a river.

Yes!

I drop my satchel and sword on my way down to the water, then take off my boots before I splash into the cool river. With a jolt, I remember that my hunting bow was still on my back. Ivory wood, a pure white type of wood, did not do well in water.

Quickly, I jumped out, free of almost all of the hairy spiders, then take my soaking bow off quickly. The cold water laps at my legs, almost like it is asking for me to dip under for it to feast on my flesh.

I set the wet bow on a rock that had a bit of sunlight glinting on it from a bare spot in the tree canopy so it can dry, hopefully quickly.

I dip back under the water, letting it wash me clean. I feel a pain in my foot, then remember my fall the day before. Unicorn hooves! I forgot about that! I sit on the bank and pick up a heria stone from the bank.

The stones are known for their healing properties and as I wash my injury with it, I start to feel relief.

When I finish, my upper half of my body is mostly dry and my foot feels much better. I climb out, legs shivering, but feeling refreshed. Sitting on a cold rock, I put on my fur-lined boots again and ran to grab my satchel and sword. I take a relaxing seat back down on the rock, the bubbling stream to my left, and take out a journal from the satchel. It is leather-bound and has a dragon engraved on the front.

Us U'Ahdak have this belief that dragons are the most high creature out there besides the races. I open the journal and see my first and only entry that I made a few weeks ago:

I am a wanted U'Ahdak in the world of Kaski, a wonderful and cruel world if you ask me. I escaped from my village four months ago due to the fact that everyone suddenly realized something about a prophecy that I was supposed to fulfill. Me? A 13-year-old U'Ahdak peasant boy? No, I had said, no, not me. That's when the town turned on me, started forcing me to train for my big moment, the moment when I defeated the Pack. I had heard of this "Pack" in legends, but never saw it in real life, for it has been said that the 5 wizards drove them out for 250 years. I heard that this is our last year, the 249th. That's why they said it was me when they decided to train me. I hate them, I hate them all now.

That's where the entry had stopped. I realize that I may never see my family again, or my friends, not that I had many. I never will go back to my father's grave and lay flowers upon the grass, I will never go out to the stables to clean the horse's hooves.

A single tear drips down my face, then I hear thumping in the woods upstream. Oh no, that must be the U'Ahdak! The Wikask wouldn't make that much noise! I jump up, wiping my tear away and stuffing my journal back into the leather satchel.

I swung it around my shoulder and grabbed my sword once again, then take off towards where the river flows. I heard another noise from in front of me, more U'Ahdak!?

I swivel to check what could possibly be behind me, spotting three large men are stand, holding weapons like I've never seen before. They appear to be U'Ahdak, but they have a different feel to them, I can't quite place my finger on it...

Their armor clinks as they start to edge towards me, holding their weapons up as a threat. I back up, keeping a uniform distance between them, and me. My hand slowly reaches down to my sword, but before I can grab it, I bump into something and a sack is pulled over my head.