Outsider (Book One)

Chapter One (3/3)

~Maroon snapped back to the dining room, the weight of the vision making the room spin. He gripped the table to steady it. After a minute, the room evened out, leaving Maroon slightly queasy from that expense.

I wonder who that was? Maroon thought. He had to remind himself to ask Dusk who it was. What a weird vision, and for it to be so fast and sudden proved that I would be soon. The faster and quicker the vision, generally means the close the vision is to coming true. He stroked his chin as he thought about the meaning of the vision. As he was pondering, he didn't notice Dusk peek her head through the doorway.

"What are you thinking about???" Dusk asked curiously. Maroon almost leaped out of his skin.

"Dusk! You almost scared me to death!" Maroon gasped, his heart still racing from the shock.

Dusk giggled a little. "That was kind of my point. You just looked so serious." She made a pouting face at him as her eyes crossed.

That made Maroon laugh a little. "Please tell me I didn't look like that."

"Sort of!" Dusk giggled again. "I brought my family with me this time. You saw them at the Cathedral, but only a glimpse."

A Sky Serpent stepped into the room. Her dark grey dress was eloquently tailored with a slit to expose the left leg. A sash rimmed with gold trimming encircled around her stomach and form was lithe and strong, with a subtle grace to it. Her scales were a crimson color with a hint of orange. They shimmered with a luminescent glow similar to fire. Her horns went straight back until the end, where they slanted outward a little and her wings were folded neatly behind her back. She was a beautiful form of a Sky Serpent, epitomizing the beauty and grace of a drake. "This is my mother, Garnet. She was in the military before she retired and became our loving mother." Dusk declared proudly.

Maroon could see the loving mother part, but the rest he could definitely tell was military. It radiated a form of danger that was condensed into a concentrated form.

The next drake was the one Maroon could tell was an elder. He was ginormous, stooping his head so he wouldn't hit his head on the doorframe. The Sky Serpent was insanely muscled, his expansive chest barely contained by a leather tunic that stretched and groaned with each deep pull of breath. His horns twisted backward in a spiral and his expansive wings took up most of the doorway. His scales were a darker red, nearing a light mahogany with crimson tints into his. He wore corduroy pants, the tunic and that was it. The only accessory was a small ring on one of his fingers. Most likely the wedding ring. He looked really intimidating until you looked him in the eyes. His eyes were bright red and any hope of intimidation was lost when you saw the happiness and humor behind those bright eyes. Still, the size of him was enormous. "This is my dad, Shrike. He's the brighter side of our family, always trying to cheer everyone and keep everyone together. I always loved him." Dusk beamed.

Attached to Shrike's hand was a little girl, whom gave Maroon a shy look. She had her mother's eyes, but her scales were more orange oriented. The scales had the same fluctuation as her mother's also, making her body shimmer. Her horns were barely starting to bud out, leaving little nubs of ivory that shone with the glimmer of beauty. Her eyes were more slanted, with the eyelashes flicking back to the side. "This is my littlest sister, Torch. Generally, she is out of control, bouncing off of literally everything. I don't know what is wrong with her today." Dusk said with an inquiring stare. After a couple of seconds, she turned her attention back to Maroon, just as Torch stuck her tongue out at Dusk. Maroon smiled a little bit.

Then suddenly the air grew colder and the atmosphere changed. A Sky Serpent stepped into the room, radiating anger and remorse. His scales were the color of rust and his eyes the color of blood. He was slouched back with his arms crossed. His body was wiry yet still toned, as Maroon could still see muscles through the thin plate of metal that was among his whole body. This drake leeched all of the warmth out of the room.