The Birth of a Ranger

Chapter One

Growing up Yuki heard stories of men with bows and arrows that wandered through the forests of Avenixia, one of the many continents in Eduviel. She hated she was never allowed to go through the woods for this reason and so she never did, despite her curiosity getting the better of her more than once in her life. She often approached the forest lining desperate to see if anyone was really there and to her sadness no one ever was.

Arthedain was the largest city on the island continents of Avenixia of which her family, Noble House Silvermoon, resided, though there was nothing noble about her or her family. They were treated as slaves to The Morrigan, Naya and often forced to ride for days upon days to reach Sosari just to deliver clothing to them. It was not glamorous but it was work nonetheless and put money in their pockets.

It was one of her rare moments when Yuki wasn't needing to work and could be a child that she decided to venture out into Arthedain. She wanted to find and play with the other children of Arthedain but none had ever seemed to want that with her. She came around so few times in her life that none of the children seemed to remember her or how she acted.

It was then she decided to promptly head to the forest to play by herself, something she had to do many times over in her life to keep herself sane working inside all day. She ran through the forest with such ease and grace one may think she was just a really young ranger if they didn't take note of her clothing.

The forest was a welcome sight as it was where she felt most at home and yet she didn't seem to mind the fact that it was dark, blanketed by the trees overhead. What made her uneasy was the feeling of being watched that she stopped in her tracks and looked around. The snow on the ground was biting into her bare feet and fear overtook her. How often was it the Rangers roamed the forests around her? Would she even know if they were there? A bird calling in the distance made her jump and gasp and the sound of stepping feet approaching her caused her to turn and run.

When she turned around to look there stood an older kid like herself named Jamie. As she knew him, he was the village jokester and hated Nobles but Yuki was the exception. "Relax, Yuki. There's nothing out here but stories." she gave a scared smile and took note of his clothing. He always dressed in gear that really didn't make sense given neither of his parents were a tailor nor blacksmith.

"I guess...what bird is that?" She asked slowly.

Jamie only smiled and looked around. He knew things she didn't know about the forests and his listening ears were helpful. He stopped talking before he heard the call and nodded, turning to Yuki. "You know, I am not quite sure." the look on his face said otherwise but he smiled and put his hand on her back. "Come, let's get you home. You shouldn't be out in these forests." She nodded and started walking back home.

She hated that for all the burading her family did to her about leaving the village, Jamie and his family didn't seem to care that he was out and about the forest on a daily basis. Come to think of it she didn't know Jamie had a family as she had never seen him with them. Jamie was quiet for the most part but the little he opened up about his parents suggested they were still living to this day.

When she returned to Arthedain's forest line Jamie ushered her through but didn't come with her. He was a forest man through and through. She turned to glance at him and that kind smile he held once again before hanging her head and walking home.

"Yuki, one day when you are older, I will bring you along with me. For now the forest is no place for a ten year old." Jamie's voice was soft and kind to her in that moment and she sensed his sincerity.

When she had gotten home after a short walk home, she looked at the building. Their home sat on the outskirts of the forest, a short horse ride into Arthedain. She let out a sad sigh and walked up to the front doors, Noble House Guards escorting her inside and to the dinner table where she found her father talking to some palace guards.

"Ah, Yuki." Her father got to his feet and approached her slowly. He looked tired in his old age and maybe even worn out. She had nothing good to say about her father. "These men have been sent by Morrigan Naya to ensure your safety." His hands clasped in front of him and that same fake smile he always held was plastered on his face.

She only glared at the guards before walking to her room, the guards in tow. Part of her wondered if she had reacted differently if that night wouldn't have been the worst of her life. Maybe she could have helped save her parents instead of fleeing for her life. It was a mistake she would forever regret.

That night she woke up to smoke and flames engulfing her home. It took a lot to burn down a Noble House mansion but theirs had been around for two centuries and never once altered to marble or stone. Their home was made out of pure wood in most areas. One of the two guards sent by Naya had been shaking her until she woke up and as soon as her eyes opened he bent down by the bed, his helmet coming off.

The glare faded from her face to a look of sorrow and worry. His voice was gentle as he held her hand. "Yuki, you need to run for Sosari. Take my horse. There is nothing for you here but death. Take the forests, you'll be safe there." When Yuki didn't move the guard sighed and picked up Yuki carrying her out of the burning building and to his horse. He spoke in a tongue she didn't understand once she was settled on the horse and the horse took off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yuki had fallen asleep against her horse which, by the time she awoke, the horse had been killed. How she hadn't felt the horse falling over scared her. Had she been injured too? She searched around in a satchel for the daggers she had seen the guard drop in a pouch of the horse before taking off and got to her feet to look around.

It was day and yet it didn't feel like it. The forest was blanketed in a morning sky, barely visible through the overhead leaves of the trees. She remembered the bird calls she had heard and froze in place. She was cold from where the snow had begun to come down again over night and even covered her body and hair, not that it mattered. She was what was referred to as a Junisho. A fox-like being. Her tail, ears and even hair was pure white, a trait of the Silvermoon family.

She had started to walk, slowly but surely, scared and alone. She had never felt such an empty feeling in her life. She didn't know if her mother and father were dead and she hadn't been found over night so the thoughts came and enveloped her like a deep darkness she couldn't control.

Her body was cold and her bones popped as she moved. She didn't get much faster than she already was and her weeping was constant as she moved through the snow filled forest. Her bare feet getting torn up from thorns, twigs and even rarely, glass. The frostbite set in on day one as she clutched at her daggers.

How did any one man think she knew her way to Sosari? She didn't. She was never at the seat guiding the wagon to the capital and for that she knew she would be lost. In fact, she was lost.

Her Journey through the forest was a confusing one as she walked throughout it, often times getting lost in which direction to go and getting turned around. Every now and then tears filled her eyes again and she would forgo walking all together, settling for sitting on the ground instead of walking, just to weep.

The daggers she held felt awkward in her hands and caused her to adjust them many times over until finally she settled with holding the blade upwards and clinging to them. The blade ended up piercing her in the same spot over and over again, causing her to cry in both pain and sorrow until she stopped feeling the pain all together.