Daughter of the Phoenix

Chapter One

Felicity ———————>
AN
This chapter may seem a little slow, but it's just a way to introduce the characters. The ending is important though! You'll see more of Felicity's personality in the next chapters. Please comment and vote if you want to read more! You guys are motivation! <3 - Julia
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"Wake up Felicity!" Shouted Hope while shaking my body.
"Okay, I'm up. I'm up," I groaned as I sat up, wiping the tiredness from my eyes.
"You'd better get up and get dressed before my mother comes in and sees that you slept late again," said Hope.
"Oh crap," I said as I rushed to my feet and started frantically getting ready.

After brushing the knots out of my hair and putting my crème colored dress on, I fastened my blue apron around my waist and went into the kitchen. Everyone had already been seated when they saw me walk through the doorway. The smell of breakfast was like sweet torture to my rumbling belly.
"Good morning..." I said awkwardly.
"Look who's finally joining us," replied Opal sarcastically.

Opal is my aunt; Across from her sat my uncle, Richard. They have raised me ever since my parents died when I was six years old. I don't know much about my parents. All I have left of them are vague memories from my childhood and a wooden hunting bow with an intricate carving of a bird I'd had never seen before placed right on the grip. They died during an ogre army attack on my little town of Canthropel. The army was most likely sent by the ogre king from the kingdom of Darffix, but for what reason I'm unsure. After the attack was over, my parents never returned home, and their bodies were never found. So, I assumed that they were eaten by hungry ogres since they are notorious for having a craving for human flesh. I don't really find it that sad anymore since it was so long ago and I can barely remember them.

"Come sit down, Felicity." Opal said, gesturing a hand to the chair that was sitting across from my cousins.
Both were around the same age as me. The girl to the left is Hope, and the boy to the right is Andy. They are the closest thing I have to having best friends.

I sat down at the table, letting the silence flood into the room. On the table sat three platers. The first one had a delicious pile of bacon that we can only afford to buy from the butcher every once in a blue moon. The second one was full of scrambled eggs from our flock of chickens behind the house. And finally, the third one was Opal's homemade bread with a big glop of grape jam spread into it. That was my favorite. I grabbed a little bit from all three platers. Everyone watched in silence as I shoved my face with the jam covered bread that just melted in your mouth. After my uncle had had enough of watching my embarrassing indulgence, he took his last bite of breakfast and turned his attention to Andy, who was done eating now.
"Andy, my boy, how's about we go into town and pick up a few things?" Said Richard, breaking the silence.
"Sounds good to me, pops," Andy replied.
"Well, lets get a move on then or we won't make it home before sundown," said Richard. Our log house was on the outskirts of town, which meant getting to the middle took quite a while.
They stood up, grabbed their coats and hats, and left out the front door. Now it was just Opal, Hope, and I left at the table. We began cleaning up the mess left from breakfast then started on our daily chores. By the time the boys had returned , the sun was almost kissing the horizon. The girls and I had just finished up our daily duties when Richard and Andy walked in the door. My uncle wasn't holding anything except for a box with a ribbon bow tied around it. At first, I was a bit confused; I thought to myself, whose birthday is it? Then I remembered, Oh right, my eighteenth birthday is in like two days. Ugh.

"Felicity, I know your birthday is coming up and I saw the most perfect thing for you," Richard said with a smile. He handed the box with the ribbon to me, "I just can't wait till your actual birthday to give it to you."
I smiled, "Well thank you, uncle."
"He knows I hate presents!" I thought to myself.
I untied the ribbon from the box and opened the lid. Instantly, my face lit up.
"The newest addition hunting arrows?!" I asked.
My uncle replied, "Yep."
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" I shouted as I flung my arms around his neck and pulled him into a big hug. I wanted to ask him how he could even manage to find these let alone afford them, but I was too busy dying to try them out. Shaking with excitement I said, "I have got to go test these bad boys out right away!"
I ran to my room, well, mine and Hope's room. I changed out of that god-awful dress and into something more.. my style. My outfit consisted of a white, cotton long sleeve shirt with tan pants that snugged my legs just right, and knee high black leather boots. I braided the side of my fiery red hair and pinned it back so that it wouldn't be in my face while I was hunting. Then, I went back into the kitchen that led to the front door and grabbed my cloak off of the hook. I put it on, tightened it so it wouldn't dare to fall off, and put the hood up. The hood of my cloak had fur lining it from the two squirrels I had hunted the first time I was wearing the cloak. Their tails were practically made for this look! After putting on my cloak, I grabbed my new arrows off of the kitchen table. I went outside and prepared my weapon for the hunt. Since the sun was now over halfway sunken into the horizon, I had to light a oil lantern so that I could see the tracks that the animals had left behind in the woods.

I yelled into the door, "I'll be back! Don't wait up!" Then closed it and ran towards the edge of the woods. Not too far past the first tree in the forest, I started seeing all kinds of tracks. Some from deer, others from rabbit and other small game. I even came across a few bear tracks. I was having a blast, and the suspense was building inside of me as to when I was going to be able to use my new arrows. Just then I heard rustling. I froze and listened.. the rustling kept getting closer till finally, I locked eyes with it, pulled back an arrow in my bow, and..
BAM!
"Got it!" I whispered.
I tracked the small drops of blood till the trail ended and right there was a rabbit with an arrow clean through the chest. I picked it up by the ears and pulled my arrow out of its carcass. Then I stuffed the next source of food for dinner in my bag and wiped the blood off of my arrow with a rag. I was just about to pick up my lantern from the woodsy floor when I saw this flash of light flickering through the trees. I traced it down to where it crash landed, which was about a mile away. I was too curious not to go check it out, so I began my walk to the mysterious light. When I was roughly a hundred yards away, I saw debris with smoke or fire covering it. I followed the debris till it led me to a giant breathing, smoking lump. I could have mistaken it for a rock, but I'm pretty sure rocks don't breathe or smoke for no reason. Then again, I could be wrong..
I held my lantern up to get a better look. The light from it reflected off of, what seemed like golden scales, in a dancing pattern. It was mesmerizing actually.
At that moment a huge eyelid opened to reveal a beautiful, golden eye with dark brown flexes around the cat eye pupil. I realized I was staring at the eye of a dragon. But why was it out this far, I thought. Dragons usually stay in the valley that is surrounded by tall mountains to the far north of my town. It keeps them protected from poachers that kill them and take their scales for armor to have an advantage in war.

The dragon began lifting its head and gave me the most frightened look. I didn't know wether to run or figure out what was wrong with it. The beautiful creature started to move and lift one of its wings. I backed up and it began to whine. It almost seemed like it was trying to tell me to come closer. I inched forward, step by step, till I was arm length away from its body. The dragon began to lift its wing again and uncover something from underneath. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
"Oh my god. Is.. is that a..." I whispered.
There was a boy laying on the ground. His clothes scorched and ash covering his body. I didn't see any rising or falling of his chest to indicate that he was alive, so I started to panic.
"I've got to help him!" I yelled frantically to myself.