Dragons of Alaevia

Chapter 9: Kaeirin

Kaeirin woke up to a handful of leaves flying at his face.
        
"Rub those on your wounds, it'll help." Cyprian mentioned, offering no further explanation as he turned around and walked out of the cave.
         
Yeah, okay.
         
Kaeirin rubbed the leaves on all of his scrapes and cuts, easing the burning and the pain. Then, he walked out of the cave to join Cyprian—who was just standing there, staring at the sun like it was the most interesting thing on earth. Kaeirin clapped him on the shoulder, and Cyprian jumped.
         
"Don't stare for too long, you'll hurt your eyes." Kaeirin reminded him. Cyprian looked away, obviously embarrassed, and Kaeirin grinned. But he also understood. The guy had never seen the sun in his entire life. Must be a nice feeling, seeing it, feeling it for the first time.
           
Kaeirin himself missed the feeling, and boy, it was great! The sun wrapped him up in warmth and a feeling of euphoria. Gee, he could just soak in the stuff forever. The Aysgarthians were really missing out, living their whole lives under dark, cloudy skies. Kaeirin knew for a fact that it sucked, especially after knowing what the sun felt like.
  
Kaeirin took in his surroundings, listening to the sound of...what were those, birds? He was used to hearing nothing but the obnoxious cawing of crows in Aysgarth. These birds had a prettier sound to them. Like they were singing a pretty morning song. He was starting to understand why Cyprian had wanted so badly to leave Aysgarth. It was...different here.
        
As the birds made their song, Kaeirin walked further into the forest. The lush green trees were tall, and bright leaves covered their branches. Each plant seemed to glow and thrive in its natural habitat. The grass was dewey on Kaeirin's ankles, and the soil was fresh and soft. Tiny plants blossoming with bright colors were scattered around the trees. Flowers. Kaeirin remembered seeing them a few times before, back home in Hibernia. Except in a place like that, snow and ice covered most of the flowers. Here, they were everywhere. He resisted the urge to pick them and make a bouquet, instead focusing on the misty feeling of the morning air—a breeze that was gentle on his skin. Also, the sky was more than one color. It was crazy. Kaeirin had forgotten that the sky could be many colors at once, and he liked it. They were the colors of the morning.
          
That's when Kaeirin caught a glimpse of something familiar. He examined the distance and noticed smoke rising out of the trees. That could only mean one thing. Fire.
     
"Look!" He said to Cyprian, pointing at the smoke.
     
"Maybe it's a village?"