Kingdom Of Artia

Chapter 16 Part 1

Crust was engulfed in a dream. The white haired boy with white eyes, one of his memories.

A black haired and bearded man with azure eyes stood beside him-no stood beside the boy. They were wearing thick clothes as the blizzard of snow hail among them, the boy happily skipped holding his father's hand with an awfully large smile plastered on his face. In the other hand of the boy, he was dragging a cub of a wolf, blood stained his mittens as the cub's mouth was dangling wide open with its tongue sticking out, it's fangs were tainted by blood, and a stake was pierced right at its throat.

"Father, Did you see I killed the cub out there?!" the boy said elated, the boy was younger than he first saw, about 6 years old perhaps.

The man beside the boy who he called father's jaw stiffen, he glanced at his son and abruptly nodded.

"Say, since you've been a good boy let's.. bond. We will walk a little, having a little detour and celebrate." He extended his arm and ruffled the boy's head.

They walked as the blizzard grew stronger and stronger until came a view of the forest.

"Ok, your prize is waiting at the middle of the forest, don't leave until I came to give you, your-uh.."

"SPEAR?!"

"..Sure..spear."

The little boy as naive as he is went to the Forest of the Forgotten. It was once used by the king to exile a criminal by sending them there. There were rumored of all kinds of beasts and odd creatures living there. But no one had ever went in and come to live to tell the tale.

The boy felt unease as he felt he was being watched, the trees were enormous and noises came from all directions. He sat and curled up into a ball attempting to warm himself, closed his eyes attempting to block the noise, be in his own world, protected by darkness. He rocked himself back and forth and covered his ears when a piercing howl came and a roar came after. He was brave but weak, he was smart but at the same time naive, he was strong but vulnerable, and he is very dependent.

Until now.

He opened his eyes and pulled out the stake in the cub's throat, gripped it tightly stance ready for battle, he stayed alert. There was rustling in the bushes, wide eyed he prepared for an attack. He sprinted, (well he just might get the enemy off guard) he let out a battle cry. He stopped mid air as he saw the old woman.

The old woman smiled, yellow teeth and some missing teeth displayed in her mouth. Wearing a torn dirty black cloak and with the weapon of a staff.

"Oh, what a pleasant surprise. A visitor!" she said jumping up and down in joy, the boy furrowed his brows thought the woman was crazy, there were no houses or even the hint of an old woman living here.

"...."

"Cat got your tongue boy?"

"What?" the old woman walked past him as she hadn't heard anything.

"Oh! what happened to this lil' fella?" she asked "Youngsters this days, can't get a good joke." she murmured.

"I killed it."

"Well, it hasn't been dead in her24 hours is that correct?" she said examining the cub. "a rare species at that one too." she whispered

"Well, nothing a little magic can't fix." She touched the spot and a yellow glow emitted to where he had killed the wolf. After a couple of minutes it whimpered.

"...."

"Well aren't you going to ask me how I just did that?" said the old woman.

"You said it yourself it was 'magic'."