Taken By His New King

A Great Way To Start The Day (Not Really)

(Hey! I have so many rough drafts that it's hard to choose which one I should continue working on and publish, hopefully I'll have an update to this story next Thursday.)

The smell of smoke and wood burning was what woke my up out of my blissful sleep. Looking groggily around the large hut, the light barely there and making it harder to see my surroundings. Slightly puzzled as I heard a loud shrilling noise I struggled out of my layers of quilts and finally stood up. I shivered as a draft of extremely cold air came rushing through the wooden door forcing me to grab my still warm blankets and wrap them around my body.

Yawning once again I took my time going to the pile of clothes that was heaped by a small indoor fire. Grabbing a pair of pants and a long-sleeved shirt, then finally put on some thick socks and boots. It took a while before my body got at its regular temperature, I breathed in deeply as another piercing shrike was heard. This time I notice that it was a scream. Not sure of what to do I looked around my room again, looking for a weapon of some sort but failed because it was still dark in the hut. Nearly giving up I reached blindly into a area and felt the familiar shape of a bow and a quiver filled with arrows and in a box to its side my throwing knives. Feeling reassured that my most treasured weapons was near me, I grabbed all three of them and put them in their respective places. Heading towards the door, I stopped suddenly and turned around retracing my steps I searched blindly for yet another weapon. It took only a few moments before I found a bundle of cloth. Unwrapping the cloth I pulled out two short blades and placed them in my side pockets. Yes, I know I'm looking like I'm about to go to war but you can never be to careful out around these parts. Now having every weapon on my person I headed towards the door again.

Taking a deep breath I open the door to...darkness. I frowned at this and noticed that it was barely even dawn, frowning even more I took a step outwards, my boots sinking into the fresh powder of snow as I scanned the area around where the village fire was kept running always. Staring at the glowing flames my eyes slowly got adjusted to the dimness of my surroundings and I was able to see forms running back and forth behind the fire. Another scream sounded, this one more closer then the others from before, I turned to the left to the sound and stared with my mouth wide open as the hut beside mines went up into flames. Frozen to the ground not know what to do I stared at the flames, its heat slowly rising more and more as the smell of burning clothes and incense filled the air. More screams came from the building now but one thing that will forever scar me is that a figure came running out of the hut screaming while completely naked since the fire burned what little bit of clothing they had on. Their fur was on fire as they dropped towards the snow and begin rolling in it, but even I was able to tell that it was pointless, still not sure of what I can do I stepped towards the burning body to offer a blessing to the afterlife but stepped back quickly as I noticed who it was. "M-Mother!?" I shouted at the top of my lungs as the flames that was once dancing across her body died out slowly from the snow. Tears was running down my cheeks unchecked as I wondered who could be attacking us at this early in the morning and who could possibly take the lives of our people, especially my mother. I begin to shake uncontrollably and sink to my knees in the white snow and hugs my mother, praying to the higher beings that this was a nightmare and that it would end soon. Slowly the world started to fade from my mind, as the only thing that was keeping me from tipping over the edge of insanity was the small light that I saw in the consuming darkness.

The light slowly begin to get brighter and brighter, but yet closer and closer. I knew I should be afraid of what this strange light was, but I felt drawn to it, as if I knew who or what this weird bright light was. The light was now within reaching distance and I put out my arm, trying to reach for it but as I touched it, my vision went white and slowly faded to a dull grey as the form of my mother was in front of me. Or what I thought was my mother. She smiled at me, reaching out with her own arms and caressed my cheek before speaking. "Rakeem, there is three things I have to tell you before I have to go. I can already fill them trying to pull my now, so listen quick." I nodded quickly, my ears flicking towards her straining to hear what she had to tell me. "One, protect your sister and brother, you are now their care taker. Two, trust only and I mean only who your heart tells you to trust. There will be a time when doubt clouds your judgement, so please rely on your heart and your gut. Those two things will make sure that you survive this upcoming war. And three, none of this is your fault at all. Me and your farther loves you and will always continue to love you no matter what you do, say or think." It took me a moment for me to digest what she told me, and any questions that came to mind was soon lost as her light and her begin to slowly fade away. But with the last ounce of her will she managed to say, "You also have a great power's running through your veins, you and only you would be able to release it. So use it wisely when the time comes for it"