The Last Chimera

Prologue

I was six when we were found.

My brother and I had always been on the run, and I never knew why. Some days Nico would rush into our camp and tell me we had to go. We would pack up and get moving.

That day was different. My brother had been out hunting and came back like normal. He started skinning the three rabbits he'd gotten.

A flock of Blackbirds suddenly burst from the trees in a frenzy, fleeing to the sky. Nico jumped to his feet, forgetting the rabbits at once. I wasn't aware of what the birds entailed. My brother was.

We had found a part of a deep forest that no one ever entered. That's where we had lived for seven months, the longest stretch we had lasted. The thing was, the birds never alerted in that big of a flock for any of the inhabitants of the forest.

The only thing it could be was a person. A strange, new, dangerous person.

Nico whipped around. "Novi, start packing!"

I immediately obeyed, recognizing the urgency and fear in his eyes. It was present every time we left an area.

Meanwhile, he grabbed his long knife, his bow, and a sickle. He checked to be sure I was busy packing then ran in the direction of the birds.

I was scared, but also curious. The curiosity came from ignorance. I didn't know what was chasing us, and I was curious because of it.

A few seconds after he was gone, I had everything ready and in one pack. I shouldered it on and did what he told me to do whenever I needed him. I whistled.

The piercing sound traveled through the air, and it was as if the sound made the world freeze.

I suddenly became even more scared. I was young, and dependent on my brother, so the sudden silence and absence of him affected my young mind quite a bit. Even the wind seemed to have gone.

The sound came rushing back, then, as my brother burst out of the forest.

"Nico!" I yelled, stepping forward.

I could see he had an arrow sticking out of his shoulder. The red was dripping down his arm as he stopped. His weapons were gone, and he had a cut on his cheek.

"Run, Novi! Hurry!" He gasped, gripping his shoulder.

I looked terrified. "What about you, Nico?!"

He grunted. "I have to stay, and hold them off so you can escape."

A sob slipped from my lips. "I can't do it without you!"

He kneeled in front of me, his arm dangling uselessly now. "Yes you can! You have to! Take this, it's all I had. Use it sparingly." His good arm shoved a bag into my hands, sounds of metal emerging from it.

Tears were falling now. "No, Nico! No!" I shook my head as I clutched the bag to my chest.

The bushes where Nico came from crashed around as three men stumbled out. One saw us and shouted, "There they are! Get them!"

Nico struggled to face them. "Go now Novi! Always stay safe, never stop running. Never! Trust! Anyone!"

He started to run at the men. I stumbled back, disbelieving. My hands darted to my mouth as the second man lurched at him, slipping bast his block and kicked his ankle.

"Nico!" I sobbed. He sent a meaningful look at me as he attempted wrap his good arm around the third man's legs, as he had skipped over Nico and headed for me.

I hesitated for one more second then, tears streaming down my face, I turned tail and ran. I heard the men cursing and blows landing. I put my hands over my ears and kept running, used to moving through the thick forest.

As I ran, I startled several deer and a couple of rabbits. They sensed my distress and began to run beside me.

I managed to calm down a lot. Then I noticed I was running alone again. Behind me, the man was still crashing through the foliage.

I pushed to run harder, when the ground beneath me disappeared. The trees disappeared at the same time. I realized I had ran off of a cliff.

A scream had barely left my mouth when my instincts surged. The next instant I was no longer falling, but flying.

I surveyed myself in wonder and found that I was no longer human. My body was that of a great Griffon. The bag of metal was still clutched in my hand, and the bag of our camp was still on my back.

I looked back to the forest and saw the man who chased me, just standing there.

A fresh wave of tears fell from my eyes as I realized that I was on my own and I'd probably never see Nico again.

...

It's... a lot for a 6 year old to take in... isn't it?