To The North

Chapter 1

As the ambiance of the forest disturbed by the howls of wolves, Darren quickly snuffed out the fire he had made five minutes earlier and climbed the nearest tree to get his bearing on those guards using wolves to track him down.

One of the perks of being adopted by a skilled hunter and becoming an apprentice of him, his eyesight was sharp as an eagle trying to find it's prey. Darren saw those guards with Wolves on chain around its neck.

"Fifteen kilometers from the southeast to here" Darren whispered to himself. He hid up on the tree for nearly an hour before the guards retreated back due to heavily raining. Darren pulled his hood up and waited at least fifteen minutes before climbing back down.

Darren climbed back down and examine the wet firewood which he had snuffed out earlier. He tried to spark it back to life using his flint and steel which he had brought along before running away.

Several tries and nothing happened. He cursed quietly and hugged himself to gain body heat to warm himself up. Then an idea struck him, he checked his surroundings before sitting in a crossed legged on the ground. He then extended his left hand and closes his eyes.

He thought about warm things, like the hot blazing furnace which he uses to make the tip of the arrow. Without hesitation, he chanted a fire spell. " faar Riis Kaa " he whispered the incantation and a ball of fire appeared hovering above his left Palm. Darren was amazed that it worked on the first try. It usually happened after several of attempted.

He then thought about what angered him. How his parents willingly left him in a strange town, how the other kids mock him because he was different, how the rest of the town resident tried to kill him due to his abilities. In that moment he put his left hand straight pointed to the firewood and again spoke the incantation, only much louder " Faar Riis kaa ". The floating fireball suddenly got shot to the wood fire, blazing them intensely as it gave Darren the warmth he needed.

Darren huddled near the fire and began to take out some of the jerkies from his pack which he had brought before running away. He then cooked it on the fire and eaten it half-cooked, because waiting for it to cook perfectly was simply too long for him to handle.

Still crossed legged, he then lean back to the tree and watch the beauty of the night sky. Stars painted the sky as he saw the brightly half moon. Darren always loves the beauty of nature.

Darren yawned as he realized that he had not slept for two days because of trying to cover up his track and kept moving as far as he could from the guards and hoping they will eventually give up. He knew that the rain would cover up any of his tracks and trails as the guards would need to search him in the morning.

Darren took a risk and try to get some shut eye before dawn. It was around midnight so he could have at least four to five hours of sleep before starting his day again. He had hoped that he was going the right direction heading to a populated town where he could lay low before going back to venture off to the circumference.

The circumference is a capital where humans, dwarves and many mores with unique ability such as Darren himself, lived peacefully and no quarrel with normals. Both unique and normal live together. That is where he wanted to go.

The old town Darren spend his childhood was a 'hate Uniques' kind of town where such as him are not welcome. But they made an exception towards him because he was left off by himself when he was only two years old.

Sleeping in a box, a guard found him outside the town alone, crying. The guard then took him to the town hall where everyone who lives there has to vote to take care of this young infant. No one wants him of course. Who wants a baby with a black colored hair and hazel colored eyes.

After an hour long session of who gets to keep baby Darren, a known hunter took him in, Zolomon was the one who fostered him and teaches him in the ways of archery and hunting.

Darren looked into the stars as he wished his foster father well and thanked him for what he had sacrificed to raise a weird looking child. Darren finally closes his eyes as he mumbled some incoherent words before entering into slumber. But what he didn't realize is that something in the bushes that will keep him company towards the night.