The Dragon Chronicles: The Arrival of The Heir

Kallum seemed to awaken from a deep sleep, his head spinning and vision blurred, to a pair of deep purple eyes; eyes which matched his in hue. Eyes that emitted a burning gaze that threatened to burn into his very soul. He flinched as he felt smooth scales and a horn brush past his shoulder, hot breath billowing off of his chest. He shut his eyes tight, trying to will this nightmare away like all the other times but this one was different. He heard a deep voice booming in the back of his head.

' I know you and your gifts. The claiming of dragons. Go there and you will find me.' 

With that a searing pain ripped through Kallum's body like a white hot, burning blade carving something into my chest. He doubled over in pain, desperately reaching out into the darkness for something to hold onto when the glowing eyes faded from view and he felt the sensation of falling helplessly into an endless pitch black abyss.

Kallum woke up with a scream, gasping for air and sweating profusely, his hair soaked and clinging to his face the same way the sheet clung to his toned abdomen and well muscled arms. He glared wild eyed at the small room he called home, three hammocks hanging alongside the walls with a small fire pit taking centre stage in the room. He sighed as he pulled himself out of his hammock, reaching up to pull the curtain across a humble window to lessen the hard impact of the sun's warmth. Wiping the sweat from his brow he sat hunched over, catching his breath. Confusion filled Kallum as he shook the last vestiges of grogginess from his head. He'd had this dream for months now but there had never been a voice before.

He got up, shoving his confusion to the back of his head. He glanced wistfully at the empty hammock. It was his mother's but his parents, having passed two summers previously had left him alone at 16 with an empty house and two empty hammocks to match, one that was currently filled by Zane.

Zane was one of his only friends here in the slums. Kallum looked down at him, thinking to himself how far Zane had come from the half frozen bag of bones that showed up two years prior. Zane's chocolate curls flowed over his slightly pointed ears, his lithe frame rising and falling slowly as he drew breath. Two years Kallum's junior he was smaller but made up for it with spunk, witty quips and sarcastic comments forever flowing from his lips. Kallum turned away from his friend, leaving him to sleep in for a while longer. He gathered up a bag of hunting supplies and slung them over his shoulder as he strode out through the door.

Kallum threw his hood over his head, obscuring his features, a response born from years of wide eyed stares and hushed whispers. Even now mothers held  their children close and the crowd slightly parted with every step he took. He was different, none his like, deep amethyst eyes and striking white hair marked him as an enigma, a weirdo, a freak. He contrasted heavily when compared to the emerald eyed Gusamari of the forest and lacked the gills and webbed appendages of the fishlike Suvamari. These facts alone set him apart as an outcast, shunned by all, save for a few merchants who valued coin more than they feared the village freak. He had two friends here, Zane and Raylin. 

Raylin was Suvamari girl around Kallum's age, sweet if a bit naive. She worked down at the local tavern at nights, a job Kallum wished she didn't have to take but employment was slim in these parts. As Kalllum trudged through the dusty street his mind swirled with confusion surrounding his dream. It felt like he was missing something. Like there was something he should know but just didn't. The ever increasing heat of the sun shook this fog from his mind however, steeling him towards his goal, Kallum turned away from the main road and started off towards the nearby woods.

The forest had always been a place of peace for Kallum. The cool fresh breeze caressed his face while rays of sunlight, softened by the tree cover tickled from above. The subtle sounds of bird calls surrounded him and the confusion of the night before began to effervesce with every step he took. Ten minutes into the trek he heard a rustling in the bushes a few feet away. Turning his attention to the patch of shrubbery he slipped his pack off of his back with a thud that elicited yet another rustle from the bush. Kallum fixed his eyes on the bush, drawing his hunting knife from the long leather sheath hanging from his hip. He took small, quiet steps, padding around, moving backwards until something snapped. His foot had landed on a dry twig,he turned his head downwards, diverting attention to the sudden noise he heard a bloodcurdling squeal erupted from the nearby shrubbery as a huge wild boar burst through the cover and charged directly towards him.

Whipping his head around Kallum dove to his right, narrowly escaping the beast that was barreling in his direction. Scrambling to his feet Kallum pushed himself off the ground as fast he could but he was too slow, the boar was already upon him, driving him back onto the ground and the knife from his hand. The hot moist breath from the slavering creature was repulsive as it prepared to gore him with its razor sharp tusks. Kallum desperately grasped around searching for his knife when he heard the sharp twang of a bow and felt the boar shudder and collapse down onto him. He heard footsteps approaching and looked up to see none other than Zane, his curls blowing in the breeze, wearing the cockiest smirk he could muster.

"I just can't leave you alone for five minutes without you getting yourself into trouble can I ?"