Dragons of the Elements: Defiance

Chapter One

Chapter 1: Beginnings of Water

Passerby were tossed aside as the merchant chased the small figure of an agile and flexible boy through the crowded streets. The boy ducked below stalls of goods, and jumped obstacles, running only to keep the goods he had just stolen from the unsuspecting merchant, who was now hot on his tail.

A barrel led the way to a roof, and seeing the opportunity, the boy leapt off the ground, and pushed himself higher with the barrel until he landed on the poorly built stone roof. Several loose pieces of shingle fell as the boy landed. Despite the height advantage, the boy knew from experience that he still must run. He jumped from roof to roof, the merchant that had been tailing him from the ground slowly getting left behind, slowly becoming a mere dot in the boy's peripherals.

Soon, the man was out of the boy's sight, and he could take a rest. Hopping off of a roof to the street below, he casually walked behind the house, out of the eyes of any people.

He sat down behind the house, opening his bag to see what he had managed to snatch from the merchant. Looking through the bag, the boy found a few coins, an old knife, and a pair of fine gloves.

"Yoko Ahava, were you at the square again?" came a voice from above the boy.

"It's possible. Who are you to know?" said Yoko.

"You know who it is, stop playin' around." said the boy as he hopped to the ground next to Yoko.

"I still don't see why it matters if I go to the square, Damien." said Yoko. "I have gotten everything I needed from there. And nothing has ever gone wrong."

"One day something will go wrong. What will you do then?" said Damien.

"Trust me, I'll be fine." Yoko replied, aggravated now. "Stop worrying about me."

"What did you manage to nab this time? Anything good?" Damien said curiously.

"That's for me to know, and you to wonder," teased Yoko.

"Whatever, I'll be at the prison when you decide to come home." said Damien, as he rose up, climbed the wall above them, and left.

Yoko chuckled, the prison was the name he and Damien had given the orphanage, the place they lived. It was a horrible place to live, never enough food or blankets, and the owners hated children. The only reason it still operated was because it was the only one in the many nearby towns.

Yoko contemplated going, seeing his real family, the people he grew up with. The ones who didn't leave him on the doorstep of the prison, but the people who were alone, like him. Abandoned and left at the orphanage, like him. He hadn't seen them for a while, and if he went, it would be the first time in weeks he actually came home.

And, he thought to himself, if he went, he could see Rosana. Rosana, the prettiest girl he knew. Yoko really missed her, her light blonde hair the opposite of Yoko's own scraggy brown hair. Her blue eyes never quite as pure as his own blue's. Yoko missed her greatly, and he wondered if he was ever on her mind like she was on his.

With only seeing her on Yoko's mind, he tied the bag of goods to his tattered belt and set off towards the orphanage.

<<A/N This was released EARLY because i'm updating my ipod and am afraid to lose what i've written. Do not expect regular chapter releases with this story, it is supposed to be the second book. Donovan's adventure comes first.>>