The Spark And The Flame

The Darkbeast

Theran sat in the open grassy meadow.

"Ha, thats excellent, Willow! You're an artisan already" he said, marveling at the flower-woven circlet. He looked up from it and put a hand on her head, "You got that from your mother." He smiled warmly, and fell on his back looking up at the sky. "Attack!" Willow said as she tackled her father. "Oof, you got me, you win." Theran said, then he gave a croak, stuck his tongue out, and played dead. But only for a moment, knowing how Willow felt about those types of games.

Willow, satisfied with her ambush, laid down and joined her father, gazing into the sky with her childish wonder. A moment passed where the two sat in silence. All that could be heard was the chirping of the birds and the wind brushing through the grass and the trees. "Why are there two suns in the sky?" Willow asked. Theran laid there, thinking of how to explain. "Hmm, that is a tough question, everyone will say something different. Some say the gods got too cold up in the heavens. Others say a great evil wanted to make this realm he was banished to seem more like his home. And others would say that the stars deemed it so; but I never saw it as anything other than the beauty so closely cherished by my beloved, to me; it is your mother." Theran said, still gazing at the endless blue sky with his daughter as it slowly turned golden in the light of the sunset.

The pure serenity of the meadow in which Theran and his daughter found themselves lost in, was broken. Interrupted by the distant but clear beat of drums. "The Monitum Drums?" Theron asked himself. Quickly bolting to his feet, he grabbed his daughter, looked her in the eyes and said "Get to the treehouse, I swear to you, I will return when its safe, hurry." Immediately she turned and ran into the forest, knowing, remembering, the look in her fathers eyes.

Theran watched as his beloved daughter ran into the forest. Only when she was out of sight did he turn in the direction of the city. He ran at a blistering speed.
I need to get there, and fast! he thought.

After a minute of full sprinting he came across a familiar boulder, roughly the size of a tavern. He scoured the ground surrounding it for a moment, and found what he was looking for. A rock, about the size of a small chest, laying there, completely inconspicuous. He ran up to the stone, put a hand on it, and lifted it up with such force and speed it flew into the distance, most likely to strike some unsuspecting traveler. Theran then plunged his hand into the dirt, up to his elbow, reaching around in search of the item he buried there so long ago. It didn't take long before he found the hilt of the blade. With little effort he pulled the blade from the earth, up-heaving the dirt around it. He looked at it, he had sworn he would never again take a life, unless it threatened another's. Yet, if the drums were being used, it was the only possibility. His brief lapse in concentration now gone he once again ran forward. The closer he got, the more apparent it became that the drumming wasn't from the now collapsed scout tower, but from an attacking force that was nowhere to be seen. There was very clear destruction in the city, yet no military force there to cause it.

The drums sounded strange...off, instead of the intimidating presence created by battle drums, they seemed to somehow comfort and sooth, despite there tone. However, this feeling was quickly dashed away by the sight of a creature in the sky. A huge beast, as black as the night sky. Where its great wings fanned the air, darkness remained in its wake. Leaving streaks in the sky, unnaturally swirling and moving as if alive. From these trails came embers, but not glowing and heated, they were black and cold, leaving ice were they landed.

The beast halted in the sky, the only thing keeping it afloat it in the sky were the great back-beats of it's wings. The ground below it rippled and overturned from the wind the colossal wings generated, in spite of the distance it actually was from the ground. As the beast hovered in place, it released from its depths a great roar. The sound was so immense  that the ground cracked and fleeing townsfolk dropped dead. Luckily, Theran had not yet entered the city, and was thus out of its range. Undeterred by the overwhelming might of the beast, Theran did not waver, he did not falter. His town, his neighbors, and his friends were in danger. He sprinted forward with renewed determination, knowing he was the last person left who could help now. As he neared the city walls he realized the gate was destroyed and there was no way to pass. Still he ran forward, and upon reaching the wall he first jumped off a tree and then over the wall. Due to his lean stature and ample strength, he easily scaled the fifteen-foot wall.

Theran landed with practiced grace and continued running, plowing through a toppled cart, splintering it in the process. As he neared the town square he noticed a group of townsfolk, just standing there, motionless. They seemed as though under some sort of trance, the group slightly swayed in tandem with the beat of the drums.

Hypnotized by drums, "I'll be chasing the sun." The entire group said in unison, as their pupils went white; with such an intensity they began to glow. This seemed to have summoned the beast flying around through the sky. It immediately changed its course from a nearby squadron of city guard to the group that seemed to be hypnotized. It swooped towards them with blistering speed, long sharp talons outstretched, ready to skewer anything before them. Theran only had a moment to react and chose the only option that came to mind in the instant he had to think about it. He quickly ran forward and jumped in it's path, blade at the ready. Standing in the path, he looked the great monster in the eye as it flew toward him.