Title in Progress~ Chapter 1
Chapter 1
The sun slowly rose over the forest canopy as dawn began to break the darkness of night. Birds started to great the morning with a friendly chorus of chirps and tweets.
"M-mommy?" a young voice said.
A little red head poked its way out from under a wad of cloth, struggling to free itself from the cloak that bound it's body. Suddenly, the creature fell from the hollow in the tree he had slept in, and hit the ground with a loud thump.
"Ow!", he cried as he landed on his head, "Mommy!"
Tears welt up in his eyes as he stood up rubbing his head. He then looked around, nothing but trees and rocks surrounding him. A small chill ran down his back.
"Im.... all alone", he said with a whimper, "Where's Mommy!"
Never in his life has he left his mother's side. Everywhere he went, she was always right beside him. Now he was alone, alone in the middle of a forest. He grabbed the cloak his mother wrapped him in the night before and held it close. Then he began to cry. He sat on one of the roots of the old oak tree, weeping for the loss of his mother. His entire world was falling down around him. Then, a strange noise caught his attention. He glanced up and scanned the trees in front of him.
"He-llo?", he said, shivering in fright.
A pair of dark red eyes stared back at him from the row of bushes a few feet away. The young boy stood up and backed against the trunk of the tree. A cold sweat swept over him as a tall, dark figure stepped out of the bushes and inches away from the light.
"Wh-who are you?", the boy cried.
The creature replied with a low growl. But before it could come any closer, the little boy quickly fled deeper into the woods, running as fast as he could. He panted heavily as he ran for his life. Eventually he looked back to see if the monster was following him. With a sigh of relief, he stopped. He was tired, and his body ached from running so long. A glimmering stream caught his eye.
"Finally, something to drink", he said as he knelt down for a sip of the cold water..
To his surprise, he was still holding onto his mother's cloak. He held it close, the scent of his mother still strong. Tears filled his eyes again.
"Why did you leave me..." he said with a sniff.
Even though the cloak was five sizes to small, he then wrapped it around himself and sat down on a large rock. He put his paws in the pockets. At the bottom of one sat something hard and cold. He then pulled the mysterious object out of the pocket and let it dangle from his claws. His eyes lit up, for a sterling silver necklace shined brightly in the sunlight.
"This... this is daddy's necklace!", he thought as he held it.
Fixed to the bottom of the silver chain was a deep blue sapphire pendant. Engraved in the middle of the sapphire where two letters.
"Why is daddy's...", he started to say before flashbacks of three nights ago flooded his mind.
Sparks danced wildly in front of a large campfire as the swords clanged against each other in fierce combat. A group of wolven soldier's surrounded an older looking reptilian creature. Armed with two sword's, the reptile ferociously attacked the group of soldiers, fighting for the lives of his family and his own. The battle seemed to go on for hours. But try as he might to fend them off, he was over taken. As the wolven soldier's bound the defeated creature, a little boy helplessly watched from a distance the ever approaching fate of his captured father.
"He,he... to bad you won't be around to watch us finish off the rest of your loved ones", one of the soldiers said as he tied the creature's paws together.
The creature struggled, lashing out at the soldier's with all the strength he could muster. But it was all in vein.
"Daddy, no...", the little boy silently wept.
Then, as if out of nowhere, another one of the wolven creatures appeared, only this one was different. All the other's knelt as he approached them.
"So, we finally meet again", he said with a smirk, "It's been quite some time, hasn't it..."
The creature only replied with a low growl, which was retaliated by a kick to the face from another soldier.
"I am going to enjoy this..." the leader of the soldier's said as he unsheathed his blade, "My sword has hungered for your blood long enough."
As he slowly raised his sword in the air, tears welt up in the creature's eyes. He glanced around with a pain in his heart, knowing this was the last thing he would ever see. The only feeling he had left, was failure. Failure as a leader, and as a father. He closed his eyes and silently waited for his demise.
A drop of water hit the boy's muzzle and broke the trance like state that purged his mind. He wanted to cry, but couldn't find the tears to do so. Another drop hit his forehead. He looked up as dark clouds began to swirl in the sky above.
"As if thing's could get any worse", he said as he pulled the hood over his head.
He took his father's necklace and placed it around his neck. The sapphire felt like ice against his scales. He clenched the gem close as the image of the wolf's evil grin lingered in his mind. The rain began to pick up as he stood there. Feelings of lament and despair welt up in him as he ran under a tree for shelter.
"I want my mommy", he said, scared for his life.
As the sun went down, and darkness claimed the forest once more, the little boy sat down under the tree. The frigid night air and the cold wet rain lashed at him. Sleep was nearly impossible for him, but as he curled up against the trunk of the tree, eventually sleep found him and carried him off into a peaceful slumber.
Not to far from where the young one slept, a quaint little village nestled itself along the forest edge. Outside the village, acres of tilled farmland covered the hilly plains to the east. To the north, the rocky peaks of the mighty mountain ranges overlooked the land. The sun was beginning to set, casting the mountains shadow across the hilly farmlands. Farmers where bringing in the days harvest and returning their animals to the barns. A flash of lightning darted through the sky, quickly accompanied by a clap of thunder.
"Looks like its gonna storm tonight", a young man said as he stood on his porch, staring at the oncoming clouds.
As the dark clouds rolled in over the village, the young man went inside to bed after a long day of working the fields.
The sun rose bright and early the next morning. All the farmers returned to their fields for another day of harvesting crop for the coming winter. The young man lazily rolled out of bed and onto his feet. With a loud yawn he walked to his window and looked out at the village.
"Hey Edd, you gonna come out and work or what?", a man yelled at him from outside.
The young man quickly got dressed and ran out the front door.
"Sorry, I overslept", he said with a smirk.
"Im not pay'in yah' to sleep all day, theres work to be done", the older man said with a huff.
He threw a bucket into Edd's arms.
"Now go and feed the chickens and slop the hogs", the man said as he walked off grumbling to himself.
"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed", Edd said silently to himself.
All day Edd worked on the man's farm, tending to the animals and helping harvest crop. Around noon, he went on his lunch break.
"I can't stand this boring old village, there's got to be a life better than this", he grumbled to himself as he ate.
After he finished, Edd decided to go for a walk with the time he had left. So he grabbed his bag and headed for the forest. But what he didn't know is that his life was about to take a drastic turn.
"It sure is beautiful out here today", Edd thought as he walked through the forest.
The birds where happily chirping in their nest, squirrels ran up and down the branches of the large oak trees, and bees where buzzing from flower to flower collecting pollen. Everything was like it always was in the forest, peaceful and quiet. So, like he always would, Edd sat down on a stump and opened his bag. He reached in and pulled out a silver harp.
"Nothing like a little music on a lovely day", he said as he placed the harp on his lap.
He started to play, closing his eyes and feeling his way across the strings. Every creature in the forest fell silent as he played. He smiled as he played, flooding the forest with his beautiful music.
The music carried far and wide. Eventually, it reached to where the young reptile had slept. He slowly opened his eyes, awakening from a long night of horrible nightmares. He then stood up, stretching his arms and yawning.
"What's that?", he thought as the mysterious music caught his attention.
Curious, the young one wandered through the forest in search of the soothing melody that had awaken him. Like a moth to the flame, the little boy came upon the small clearing where Edd sat playing his harp. He stood just outside the clearing and peered through a row of bushes.
"What on earth is that?", he thought as he looked at Edd.
He had never seen a human before, so the little boy didn't know what to think. But as he continued to watch and listen, the less afraid he was. Finally, he decided to get a closer look at the strange creature. He took three small steps into the open. Fear started to build up in him, he wanted to go back into hiding, but he also wanted to know who or what this stranger was. So he pressed onward, fighting his fear.
Soon he was standing mere feet away from Edd, but Edd continued strumming, lost in his music.
"He-ello?", the little boy said nervously.
Edd opened his eyes, then froze as he stared at the little reptile boy. He slipped his hand down his side to grab his pocket knife.
"Hello?", the little boy said one more time.
But all Edd could hear was him growling. He didn't understand a word the boy was saying.
The boy took a few steps closer. Now they where face to face. Edd didn't know what to think or how to react. He just sat there and stared, waiting for the creature to attack.
"Who are you?", the little boy said, tilting his head curiously.
Edd just looked at him, wondering what he was. He stuck his hand out towards the little boy. The boy didnt know what this meant, but he raised his paw towards Edd's hand.
"H-Hello there little guy", Edd said nervously as he took the boy's paw in his hand.
The little boy stared at him, unfamiliar with the noise he was making. But he smiled at the though of finding a friend, even if it was one he couldn't understand.
"What's this?", Edd said as he grabbed the sapphire that hung from his neck, "G.M.?"
The boy took the necklace back and growled low.
"Woah! Sorry", Edd said as he backed away.
The boy held the necklace close and looked up at Edd.
"I see, that must be very important to you", Edd said.
Edd lowered his hand and rubbed the back of the young one's head. The little boy replied with a soft purr.
"Aww, thats cute.", Edd said with a smile.
Soon the sun began to set and Edd realized that it was about to get dark. So he stood up, returned his harp to his bag, and slung the bag over his shoulder.
"Well, it was nice meeting you, but I've got to go.", Edd said as he pat the little boy's head.
The little one looked up at him, still perplexed as to what he was saying. But as Edd started to walk away, he understood what he said.
"Wait!", he cried as he ran after him and hugged his leg.
"Ack!", Edd exclaimed in surprise.
The little one nuzzled his leg and looked up at him with tears in his eyes.
"Go on now, go to your family little one", Edd said.
But then when he saw the tears in his eyes, Edd knelt down to his level.
"You don't have a family do you...", he said while wiping tears out of the little one's eyes.
The boy looked up at him and licked his hand.
"I guess where in the same boat then", Edd said as he stood back up, "Come on, your coming home with me. I'll be your family."
He picked the boy up and held him in his arms.
"But you need a name...", Edd said as he looked down at him.
Then Edd saw the necklace again.
"Thats it, I'll name you Gm", Edd said while carrying the boy home.
He didn't really understand what was going on, but he snuggled close to Edd and closed his eyes. It may not have been his mother, but he felt just as safe with Edd as he did with her.
So onward he went, with Gm in his arms. Off to his house, where Edd would spend his life looking after and raising his new found friend.