When Falcons Fall

A pale man walked over the valley of the dead and surveyed the vast area. Thousands of dead corpses lay sprawled out through the field. The man threaded through with a shudder. He came across a burnt man breathing slowly. The pale man drew his sword and put him out of his misery. He stood, and wept. It had all been his fault for this terrible outcome. For the fall of the falcons- a race of warriors who were kind, noble, and powerful. And now they were all dead.

The pale man was a man named Cobalt, a very frugal man who lived within the valley of Tearnok. He himself was a falcon, and took deep pride in it. Of course, the falcons were the best, and were chosen only from the bravest and most kind of men. They were chosen by the king of Treynok, a land a few miles east of Tearnok. Cobalt had been a falcon for almost ten years, and was a very experienced and hardened man. Nothing could break his will. All that is, except his wife- Scarlett. Years ago, when Cobalt had first started as a falcon, a raid on the little village of Raynok was occurring. He and another falcon named Auburn were near the area, and were sent to intervene.

" how strange that a small town such as Raynok would be pillaged for jewels and other fortunes!" Exclaimed Auburn, " they hardly have any type of valuables at all!

"Yes, it is strange my friend," Cobalt agreed, "but that does not mean we should let our guard down. Come, let us make quick waste of these bandits."

So they rode down to Raynok to stop the bandits from taking the property of the town. There, they encountered Firus, a rogue wizard who was humiliated for trying to delve within the dark arts.

"Go, take what you can!" Firus shrieked, "the falcons will arrive soon, and we must take whatever spoils we can find!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Cobalt rode down upon him on a horse with crystal armor, with a three-pronged sword in tow. He sliced at Firus and his men, but only managed to get a hit one of of the thugs. Auburn shortly followed, and made his way down to the small houses of the villagers, freeing the trapped citizens from the fire that was devastating the town. Firus growled in hate as soon as he saw that Auburn had succeeded in freeing his captors. He lunged toward Auburn while Cobalt was distracted with dispatching Firus' goons. Firus planted a spell upon Auburn, and he burst into flames, never to be doused. Cobalt turned, and saw his friend cloaked in eternal flame, and a desperate Firus keeping a hostage, a young woman with green yellow hair- Scarlett.

"C'mon big hero!" Firus screamed,"you think I'll give up this easily?! You must be crazy!!!"

Cobalt reached for his bow. And shot. Firus fell to the ground with an arrow in his eye, and Scarlett in shock. The rest of the villagers were safe, and Auburn had gone missing somehow. But Scarlett was the most grateful of them all. After all, Cobalt did save her life. So a few months later, with permission of the king, Cobalt was married to Scarlett.

But she was dead herself too. Everyone was. Except him. He had lived to see the destruction he himself had awakened. He remembered how this had happened... And how it started.

Of course, it wasn't necessarily Cobalts fault this disaster had happened. In fact, if his fellow falcons were there with him, they wouldn't have blamed him either. But he did. And it happened.

Cobalt woke up from a long journey. It was bitter cold, the landscape was rugged and snowy. The fire he had lit was almost completely gone reduced to ashes. He stood up off the rock he was resting from, and mounted his horse. He quickly dashed through the landscape. Down the hill was a meadow where the snow didn't touch- most likely a spot where Auburn was. Ever since the day Auburn went missing those eight years ago, Cobalt still thought his fellow falcon could still be found. Although the other warriors thought him crazy, and Auburns funeral had been held a long time ago, Cobalt still believed his friend was alive. He remembered talking to his wife about it too.

"Cobalt, are you sure you must go on this journey?, Scarlett pleaded, "our child will soon be here, and you are needed!"

"Although I do indeed look forward to the birth of our child," Cobalt returned, "this is long overdue. I need to find Auburn."

"Cobalt.." Scarlett sighed. "Wherever your heart leads you, I will be there with you. Across mountains and fields, and dungeons and dragons.. Remember me, and find hope."

Scarlett bestowed upon Cobalt a special charm, a charm she had worn the day Cobalt had saved her. A little gift so Cobalt could see her wherever he went.

Cobalt dismounted within the meadow, hoping he could find signs of Auburn. You see, that's the thing with magic- it can be completely random, or completely organized. It can happen at any time, or planned out. It is not necessarily good, nor bad. The results vary, and is a science few had delved. Cobalt saw orange flowers throughout the field, and found a small hole buried in the middle. As Cobalt looked to investigate, a loud CRACK was heard. Cobalt fell to the ground, bleeding. A shaky voice answered his whimpers.

"Cobalt.. Long time, no see."

Cobalt looked up.

"Let's get this started, shall we?"

It was Auburn.