The Majors, Rebuild and Reunite (Book 3)

Chapter 1: Three Years Later

~Gemini~

I woke up to my temple pounding, the headache worsening the more conscious I became.

Accompanying it was a painful crick in my neck from falling asleep sitting up. I still was sitting, propped up against the torso of my sleeping dragon. Violet's chest rose and fell from behind me, and now the size of a small horse, she was the only comfortable thing to rest against in this cave.

I sighed to myself, rubbing my eyes with my knuckles as I pushed myself up to sit independently. Through bleary vision I glanced around the small cave, seeing it was just as we had left it before falling asleep. The entrance was hardly big enough for us to stuff Violet in, morning sunlight already beginning to stream across the dull stone. Violet herself took up nearly half the cave, her tail curled around the edge. 

Fwhip laid on the other side, still asleep and sprawled out across the ground, using our supply bag as a pillow. His hair was everywhere, hiding his face and nearly to his shoulders. I needed to cut it again for him...

Between us was a small pile of charcoal and sticks, a makeshift firepit, damp from when we had splashed water onto it so that we wouldn't roll into flames during our sleep. 

It was cold and muggy within the miniature cavern, the dewy air clinging to my skin to raise goosebumps. I clawed at my cloak to bring it closer to me, pulling a few strands of hair from my braid to cover my ears. You'd think after a couple years of moving from place to place, in the wild, you'd get used to waking up like this, in the cold and with no idea where you'd sleep the next night...but no. No, you do not.

I glanced over at my brother who was snoring like a tractor. I'd wake him later, he needed sleep...although I really didn't want to have to listen to that foghorn breathing for another couple hours.

A walk it is then.

I shoved myself up from the ground, brushing off my trousers matted with dirt around the trim and torn at the knee.

Me and Fwhip had hardly explored this area, as we had settled down quickly the previous night. In my spare time I could do some...scouting, I suppose.

I ducked underneath the opening of the cavern, hidden by overgrowth and vines from the naked eye. I may have had to do a little enchanting to keep us out of sight, but the nights were now dangerous here...dangerous everywhere.

My hand tightly clutched the amulet around my neck, my knuckled tainted white around it. I kept myself on alert, eyes flicking towards every noise, breathing as quiet as possible. Who knows who else was in these woods with me. We've had too many close calls in the past of couple years not to be cautious.

It was still dewy, but it was beginning to dry out, on the brink of becoming a stinging cold. Autumn was quickly taking over, all branches in sight void of leaves, instead the reds and browns crunching beneath my feet with the withered shrubs.

Despite us now approaching November, there was still no signs of snowfall, even in the south where I thought we were...there hadn't been snow for years...

It was as if it too were mourning.

I shook off the thought, trying to remain light on my feet to make as little noise as possible. Silence was the difference between life and death in these times.

Perhaps I'd find a berry bush...we had supplies located in the cave, but I was desperately craving something fresh other than the dried and preserved meats. I tried not to get my hopes up, however. The first cold wave had most likely killed all the wild fruits that may have grown over the Summer...

There was no path, so I simply wove between dying tree trunks, the smell of sap and soil hanging in the air. I reminded myself every so often of the way back to the cave, so I wouldn't get lost...hopefully.