The Girl and The Skrill

Prologue

POV: None
Word count: 823

"Please?"

The 7 year old girl asked again. She had been begging her father for another story for what felt like forever.

"Ugh, fine."

Her father finally said, sighing, although he was fighting a smile.

"Oh, come on, dad. There's no way you're telling another story."

The boy in the other bed next to the girl complained.

"Oh, don't worry Kayder, it's only one more. I've been wanting to tell you two this one for a while anyway."

The girl got excited and Kayder looked interested.

"Alright, so this one starts with a kid. They were walking through the Claw Forest-"

"Who let a kid go into there?"

Kayder interrupted. Making his father look at him with a slightly annoyed and amused expression, and his sister to look annoyed.

"I mean, that's where all the dragons have their nests and eggs. It's stupid to let anyone go in there."

"Kayder."

His father warned and Kayder sighed and went quiet again and his father smiled and continued.

"Alright, so the kid was walking through the Claw Forest and they found a part in the woods where the trees were destroyed and looked like they were on fire before. And then the kid heard a growl. A scratchy, high pitched sort of, like a hiss but also deep at the beginning."

"Like a Skrill?"

The girl questioned.

"Yes, Kaeya, just like that."

"You mean one of the most feared dragons apart from the giant ones?"

Kayder said, with a skeptical tone

"Yep."

Was all their father said before he continued.

"So the kid turned around but all they saw was a couple burned bushes other than the forest. The kid thought about going back but before they could start walking, they heard the growl again. They turned around again, but still saw nothing. They saw the sun going away and looked up and saw storm clouds quickly covering the sky, but it looked odd. The clouds had a red tint. And then they saw some lightning going through the clouds and it was also red. The kid thought they were going crazy. They knew it wasn't a natural storm because natural lightning was blue. But it couldn't have been a Skrill's storm, then the lightning would have been purple. The kid couldn't make sense of it and turned towards the forest and started running to get home. When they got to their village, it was raining and lightning was flashing down all over. They headed to the closes hut, but the second they got near it, lightning struck down and burned the house. The kid ran to the next. Lightning. Next. Lightning. Next. Lightning. It kept happening until the kid ran out of houses. They were in tears. They watched their village burn. More lightning striking. And then they saw a red blue in the sky. It flew towards them and landed in front of them. It was a Skrill. But not just any skrill, a rare, red one. It had red lightning sparking all around it as it growled. Then it roared. The lightning stopped. And then it started at the kid and flew away. Leaving the kid standing there, alone and defenseless in the rain."

He finished the story and looked at both Kayder and Kaeya. Kaeya was looking at her father with surprised, wide eyes and she flinched when she saw it started raining. Kaien also looked surprised. He pulled the wool blanket he used more up on him on his wooden bed.

Their father smiled.

"You two don't need to worry. It's just a story I made up when I learned that there was red lightning a couple nights ago when that one skrill attacked."

"Seriously, dad?"

Kayder said, looking annoyed.

"That wasn't a very 'fun' story."

Their father laughed.

"Now when did I say it was fun? I just said I've been wanting to tell you guys it."

"That's just mean."

Kaeya said. "Skrills are scary. The only thing more scary than them is that one alpha deathgripper you keep."

Their father laughed. "Oh come on, Slayer isn't that scary. At least not to us."

He added the last part quietly but they both heard it and Kayder spoke up.

"His name is Slayer. How is that not scary?"

"It's not even that bad. Even while we're practicing."

"Anyway,"

He said as he stood up off the stool and put it back against the wall.

"It's time for you two to go to sleep. Love you two."

He said as he started going down the stairs.

"Love you too!" They both called.

After a little bit after their father left, Kayder looked over at Kaeya.

"So, one more story, huh?"

"Be quiet."

Kaeya mumbled at him as she turned away and Kayder laughed and he closed his eyes. A second later Kaien spoke in a softer tone.

"Love you, Kae-Kae."

"Love you too, Kai." And sleep took them both.