Draconics

Chapter 2: A Strange Man

The Ironrock village...

The Ironrock Village, located 20 miles away from the Northern Mountain, is well known for making the finest iron tool.

They even make weapons and armor for some small Kingdoms.

Nearby the village is a small open field with a bunch of rabbit burrows. Some jumping, some eating, some laying out

CLANK!

WOOSH!

An arrow flew across the sky, hitting one of the rabbits. The other rabbits scattered and ran off.

Hiding behind the bush were two boys. One of them was a blue-eyed redhead named, Zachary, who is now nineteen. Next to him was a dirty blonde with blue eyes named, Devin, the same age as Zach, and Zach's cousin. With them was a white dog with brown and black splotches all over him called, Max. He was there to collect all the rabbits that were hunted.

"Shoot!" Zach complained, "I missed".

"No you didn't," said Devin, "You shot the one behind it".

"I don't know if that's supposed to make me feel better or not, what if it was a person?"

"Well... what happens... happens".

Max ran to get the rabbits back to Zach and Devin.

"Good boy," said Zach, giving him a bone he had in his hunting bag.

"How many did we get?" asked Devin.

"I think we caught enough," Zach answered, "Probably more than usual, we should get this back to the stand."

They put all the rabbits in the sack and carried them back to the village.

"Sometimes I wish I could do something else... " said Zach, starting a conversation, "I mean I don't mind helping my mom and aunt out with the stand, but... sigh... I don't know..."

"Mmmaybe making Iron tools like my Uncle Bill?" Devin asked.

"My dad tried to get me into the iron business. I just never got around to it, he didn't seem pretty pleased about that idea".

"He is a bit hard-headed... Maybe you can make Story books for children, based on the fairy tales Grandpa would tell you!"

Devin laughed.

"Oh ya, that would DEFINITELY make my dad proud of me. Plus, I already got beaten up by telling those stories at school".

"Especially by that bully, Edward Sawyer. Remember when he pushed you off the school balcony and broke your arm?"

"How could I forget that? Thanks to him I have a fear of heights".

"I'm just still shocked that's all that happened. Like that was a big fall, I'm surprised you didn't get a concussion or died".

"I'm just glad that it was just my arm and nothing else".

"I'm kind of glad he's missing, is it mean to say that?"

As the boys walked into the village, they passed a lamp post with a "Missing" poster with a picture of Edward on it. He went missing last week, the last time he was seen he was near the woods, the ones near the Northern Mountain. He was supposedly off to hunt dear, but he never returned.

"You know they do say that those who go to the Mountain never come back," Devin continued, "Maybe Dragon people got him," he joked.

"Dude shut up!" Zach scolded, "It's serious, what about his family?"