First part of Calanon's Revenge
Prologue
The clouds rolled across the landscape, darkening the hues of the land. The wind picking up slightly, creating a cool, mid-autumn breeze. The grass in a field below partook in a breathtaking dance, the wind its conductor. Though its path was slightly erratic, they never seemed to touch each other. But in the middle of the field, there was something strange. An almost empty space, almost as if something was holding down a portion of the dying grass. Amazingly, there was something in the dying field grass, a person of sorts. Hid golden, flowing hair matched that of the sun goddess, Madon. His face was unnaturally youthful, yet his eyes showed that of a long, troubled life. His body was long, slender, but look extremely strong. Strangest, and most visible of all, was his long, pointed ears. He wasn't mortal, that was for sure. He seemed to be in a sort of trance, a sleep, or a state of comatose. Peaceful, blissful sleep is what it seemed to be.
Suddenly, the clouds quickly gathered together and darkened, the wind picked up swiftly. The heavens opened up and began to sing its booming songs and weep its terrible weep as it has done so many times before. When the first drops of rain hit the ground, the sky flashed, a loud, earth-shaking boom soon followed. Together, the flash and boom grew in intensity and vigor, almost like a heavenly orchestra amplifying to a finale movement. The rain fell harder, wetting the land with the tears from Marcoivua. The wind picked up further, bellowing through the tree tops. Making them sway erratically, clashing into one another. And the field were the elf lay, the tall, dying grass no swaying in erratic and extreme paths, dancing a fearful dance. Where rain fell and hit the grass, the grass fell for only an instant, the rain drops trickling off just as fast as they fell on the brown grass, causing the grass to once again dance it's fearful dance.
The elf seemed unbothered, though a giant storm brewed around him; he stayed in peace, in a state of bliss. The rain wetted his face, causing his hair to ask up all the moisture, and stick together to his forehead. His face seemed to almost gleam, as if he had just cried over a lost love. The earthen color of his tunics became drenched, and their hues darkened. Rain kept falling, the wind kept blowing, the lightening kept flashing, the thunder kept booming, the field grass kept swaying and the elf kept sleeping. A clash of nature, in both extremes, both as beautiful as they are dangerous.
Like a butterfly coming out of it's cocoon for the first time, the pale eyelids fluttered open, blinking a few times as his eyes came into focus. It wasn't the thunder the awoke him, it wasn't the rain, the lightening, or the wind. In fact, there was no sound or light that awoke him at all, but a sense. A sense of fear, of pain, of death, of sheer evil, an unspeakable evil, a darkness.
Chapter One
The leaves rustled as his light leather boots sprinted by. The only evidence he had been there at all. For his steps were careful. His movements always fluid, always elegant. A burning grew in his chest, a feeling not all too unfamiliar to him. Though, it was not until since many ages ago that he had last been forced to sprint. He always loathed running. It always made him perspire and give off bad odors. But he didn't get a choice in this case.
He was running for his life, running from an unseen foe. He knew a silent, but powerful darkness followed quickly behind him. The dark shadows almost licking at his feet. Dark and morbid whispers filled the air, and his heart began to pound quicker. He took in one last deep breath before sprinting with all the speed his slim frame could muster.
It wasn't enough.
Chapter Two
Using his right arm, he shielded the oncoming sunlight, bright in his bright green eyes. As his vision came into focus, his heart began to pound again. Within an instant, he had jumped to his feet and began to spin around. Confused and disoriented, he was. He knew these woods like the back of his hand, but last night, the wood had betrayed him. Pupils
dilated, visions of the previous night came into view. He could almost feel the impact as the sight on an unspeakable darkness overcame him, thrusting him onto the cold ground, then, it all went black, he had no recollection of what had happened afterwards, only that he woke up tired, aching, and confused.
Slowly, he began to drag himself to his village, roughly two leagues away. Two leagues, that quickly became the longest that he had ever endured. What he couldn't comprehend was that besides the half torn clothes, and aching body, why hadn't he been hurt worse? Why was he still alive? Those who never made it back to the village before nightfall, never returned. It had been that way for thousands of years. But yet, here he was, the next morning, standing at the outskirts of the huge clearing that made up his home village.
Though it was early morning, the sun gleamed in an almost regal fashion. Every window shone with the bright radiance that came from the gleaming sun. With a deep breath, he dragged himself further towards the center of the clearing, his energy clearly fading quickly. He was bound to determine that he made it back to his room, unfortunately, fate had another plan.
With the last of his energy, he climbed the small steps up to well that marked the center of the relatively small village. His eyesight slow turned black as he gripped the stone rim, and he felt his body collapse, and just before he blacked out, he heard a small, distant voice, almost a whisper. One word is all he heard, a part of a word, to be exact.
"Aro...."
Chapter Three
Slowly coming back into consciousness, Aro let out a soft moan of sheer agony. He instinctively wanted to scream in pain, yet, all that came out was a whisper, almost inaudible. Every fiber of his being seemed to be on fire. He couldn't move. The quick thumping of his heartbeat louder than his moans and groans of pain, eyes black as night, panic had set in. Where was he? How did he get there? Why was he there? Was he alive? Dead? Or in-between? The only control Aro had of his body was his mind,
which raced faster then the wind through the treetops on a windy day.
Slowly, color and light filled his eyed, yet his view was fuzzy, blurry, unfocused. He tried to move his hands to his eyes, to wipe them, hoping to clear the obstruction that blurred his vision, but, nothing happened. His body had not moved a single inch. Not a single bit. Chest slowly rising, air tried to fill his lungs. His mind and body were in a battle with each other. His body screamed a need for a deep breath, to fill his lungs. But his mind told him he had to overcome the sheer agony that he felt. His lungs burned, as if he was breed straight from Madon herself.
Aro has always been a very feisty elf. He rarely listened to others. And when he had his mind set on a goal. he was determined to see it all the way to completion. The only one who had ever been able to control Aro was his older brother, Kajia. The bond these two brothers shared was stronger then what simple elvish words could ever describe. When the darkness had taken their parents, Kajia had stepped up to the role of a parent to Aro. He had taught him how to talk, how to walk, how to hunt, how to behave, and how to treat others. He was the closest thing to a role model that Aro had.
Suddenly, another memory flooded into Aro's mind, the day that Kajia had taught him how to hunt. Everything was as clear to him as it was the day it actually happened. Aro was standing behind a line drawn in the light brown ground. An oak longbow in his left hand, a freshly carved arrow in his right hand. His tummy was fluttering with butterflies, tickling him on the inside. His cheeks had a slight pink tint to them, and a very soft, almost inaudible, giggle rose from his soft lips. He took a deep breath in, focusing on the target that was crudely constructed out of a couple of twigs and leaves.
"Load your bow." Escaped Kajia's lips, his low voice sending a boom throughout the dense wood, making Aro's chest feel as if it was vibrating slightly.
Aro quickly lifted his bow to the upright position, taking the arrow and leveling it out horizontally on the designated notch of the beautiful oak long bow. Finishing it's ascent, the bow became straight, and the now notched arrow was level with Aro's bright green eyes. This was the first time he had ever used a bow, but that wasn't what made him nervous. Knowing his older brother was watching his every move did that trick. Ever since Aro was little, he was bound to determine to prove to his brother that he is just as good as any other male elf.
A small chuckle arose from Kajia as Aro's first attempt failed, miserably. Falling only a few inches from the bow, it was clear that Aro needed a lot more practice with the long bow, or any bow, for that matter.
"This bow must be broken!" Fumed Aro, not wanting to admit his small defeat. The only thing worse, in Aro's eyes, then failing at a task, is failing at a task while his older brother watched.
Aro half-expected a smart remark to come from Kajia, but nothing came. Instead, Kajia silently walked over to Aro and took the long bow out of his hands, and grabbed a new arrow from the quiver that was hanging on a wooden post nearby. In less then a eye blink, Kajia notched the arrow and had released the arrow. One could hear the arrow pierce the air shortly before piercing through the central leave. Bulls eye.
"H...how did you do that!?" Aro asked awestruck. His voice a bit higher then the average male elf. But a sweet high, like that of a caring mother.
"Practice." Kajia's simple answer.
"Can you teach me?" Aro looked up at Kajia, blushing a very light pink as he starred into his brothers eyes. Aro stood a head shorter then Kajia.
A small grin appeared on Kajia's face, his signature grin, a grin that could make anyone melt in an instant. He handed his little brother the oak long bow and stepped behind Aro. Placing his hand over Aro's, he lifted the bow up to the proper position. Kajia's warm breath tickled the hairs on the back of Aro's neck. Lightly gripping the young elf's other hand, Kajia assisted Aro in noticing the arrow. To Aro, it seemed like an eternity that they stood there together, his brothers warm, tender hands helping him position everything correctly. The butterflies that were already in Aro's tummy now fluttered with renewed vigor. He could feel his warm, pure elven blood rise up to his cheeks, making the soft skin blush a bit more then usual. Will all his might, he tried to limit his breathing, this moment in which Kajia had been assisting Aro, Aro wanted to last forever. Slowly, the older brother helped the younger brother release the arrow, with precise accuracy, the arrow hissed to it's target. A small cheer arose from Aro. Kajia's signature smile grew a bit larger. And in the heat of excitement, Aro turned around in Kajia's arms, as to thank him.
It was then that something unusual occurred. Aro's mouth opened as to say some sort of gratitude, but, as he saw his brothers smile and deep blue eyes. All thoughts had quickly flooded out of Aro's mind, and his pink blush became darker, and he bit his lower lip gently, a new feeling arising in him. He stood there, not saying a word, just starring into his brother's eyes. Kajia quickly followed suit. It all went black.
Chapter Four
His vision slowly came into focus as Aro awoke from his seemingly perfect daydream. A soft groan escaped his lips as the bright sunlight filled his already dilated pupils. Having already forgotten his recent discovery of suspected paralysis, Aro tired to move a bit, with no luck what so ever. Taking in short, quick breaths is all he could manage. Since waking up, the butterflies in his tummy began to woke up, thinking about the dream that had just occurred. Again, his long pointed ears picked up a soft, distant whisper.
"Aro...."
A thousand leagues a second, his heart and mind flooded with mixed emotions. Emotions of fear, confusion, and of being lost, completely and truly lost. It had been a long time since Aro had been scared last, truly scared. If memory holds rights, it was the day that his mother died. A shadow overcame the elf's already diminished eyesight, and as a result, his heart picked up tempo. Instincts began to kick in in Aro's mind, his mind already deciding to fight, instead of flight. He readied himself for an onslaught, forgetting his paralysis, going through scenario's that could or could not ever occur, some more fantastic then others. But then, something occurred, something that Aro had not expected, he felt something warm against his forehead, at first, he suspected that this shadowy figure had crushed his skull, and blood was beginning to pool, he braced himself for sheer agony, expecting it to come at any moment.
It never came.
Curiosity grew within him, what was this warm sensation, why had it not killed him? Nothing made sense to him right now. He was lucky to have remembered his own name. It was in that moment that he had lost all hope, of life, of love, of moving, of breathing, or seeing, of hearing. He could feel a sense of dread and darkness begin to overtake him, he closed his eyes, hoping to drift away to an endless sleep. To end this sheer agony of not-knowing. The darkness crept up on him, he could feel that he was losing himself. From the tips of his toes, the cold dark slowly rose. Mixed feelings crossed his mind, should he be panicked? Should he succumb so quickly? Aro didn't know, the only thing he now felt was the slow march of the black death that slowly overcame his body. He could feel it at his chin, his lips, his nose, his eyes, and finally over his entire being. His lungs let out an exasperated breath, leaving itself deprived and unmoving. All was silent. Everything was dark.
Strangely, though his entire body felt like it had been frozen in the deep caves of Hilkin-Ten'oio, one warm spot remained, the warm spot on his forehead. At first, Aro had noticed it at all, but slowly, the small warm spot began to grow. Before Aro could tell a difference, the warm spot seemed to turn into a wild fire, quickly ravaging over all of his body, and in a bright flash a light, Aro's lungs expanded fully with surrounding air, the sound, of his ravished lungs refilling, audible throughout all of Tora. The pale skin of his fair eyelids fluttered open as a new born butterfly, freshly hatched from it's cocoon. Everything came into view, into focus. He saw the slight arch of the ceiling of the room in which he was in, a classical architecture for the average elvish home. He turned his head from side to side, letting out a loud groan of pain as the muscles in the back of his neck tensed up and cramped harshly. As his head rested to the left, he could see the curved frame of a small window, the sun just beginning to shine at the tip of the corner, telling Aro that it was early evening. He laid there, starring outside of the window. Watching the tips of the far away trees sway in the mid-autumn breeze. A small smile crept onto his face, aching a bit, but that didn't stop it from growing into a full blow grin. Even further away, he could see the tall mountain that made up the frozen caves of Hilkin-Ten'oio, the forever frozen caves.
Chapter Five
Aro seemed to be in a sort of trance, starring outside the windows, his bright green eyes unblinking, as if in a state of deep though. But he wasn't in that state, in fact, he was barely thinking at all. As he absent mindedly stared, one thought dominated all other thoughts,, that simple, warm spot on his forehead.
It was a strange thing, how quite it was. The simple periodic inhale and exhale was the only sound that pierced the deafening silence. Everything was so calm, so peaceful, so serene. Such beauty was usually present in the Woods of Madon, home of the wood elves, the Toranians.
The light rustle of the leaves that made up the tree of Aro's house, if you would call it that, brought him back from his deep trance. Putting the thought of the warm spot to the back of his mind, Aro's attention focused on movement. A loud groan of anguish escaped Aro's lips as he attempted to prop himself up on his elbows. He could feel his muscles contracting as if he was moving, but, the sheer anguish of the fire that overcame his body prevented himself from lifting himself up. Panting slightly, Aro attempted to prop himself up once again. Slowly his arms slid, as slowly as a slug on the dry ground, towards his body, pants and groans filled the warm autumn air., It seemed like an eternity to Aro, this arms locked into position, close to his sides, elbows out right. With a very audible snare of pain and determination. Aro slowly began to prop himself up on his elbows, the room around his slowly coming into view as he elevated himself slowly.
Aro's golden hair glimmered from the sunlight as he looked around the room. Something felt wrong, out of place. Aro had looked around his own room many times before, but this time was different. It was as if he had awaken in another's bed, things just didn't feel right. His light green eyes took in his own room as large as a newborn, taking in the world for the very first time. A loud exasperated breath escaped from his lungs. The strange thing was, everything was in it's place, nothing was different, nothing was wrong. But, then why was Aro so confused, so lost?
Fire began to catch in Aro's arms from the strain he had put on his muscles as he propped himself. He gritted his teeth slightly, determined to overcome himself. Aro put his mind against his body. The more he resisted, the more the fire grew, as if resistance was the fire's fuel. Aro shut his eyes tight, feeling the fire of his muscles take a toll on his already depleted energy. Aro attempted to slow his breathing as to give his more energy to resist himself.
A loud gasp or air echoed throughout the entire room as his arms gave out, falling back onto his bed. Aro kept his eyes closed, and drifted off to a sleep, his energy completely depleted.
Chapter Six
Snap! A twig cracked under light elven leather bots. The deep breathing of an unseen creature pierced the silence of the dark night. A full moon illuminated everything with a eerie silvery glow, casting strong shadows didn't help to soothe the tense feeling in the atmosphere. The normally golden locks of a young elf's hair shimmered white as he looked side to side. Trying to look and locate where the omnipresent breathing came from. The quick rising and falling in time with silence-piercing pants. Slowly, the pants and chest heaves slowed, and silence was once again restored. An almost maddening silence settled in. As to keep the silence alive, the young elf looked around him, anxiously/ Fear filled the bright green eyes the silver forest became dominated by a darkness darker then night, darken then the deep chasms of Hilkin-Ten'oio.
Instinctively, the young elf ran towards the only place that he could be called "safe." As he ran, his golden hair flowed behind him, almost fluidly. Once again, his breath picked up, a mixture of fatigue and fear. Faster and faster he ran, the need not look behind him, for he knew if he did not run faster, it would surely catch up with him.
It seemed hopeless, the faster he ran, the faster it caught up. He could almost feel the darkness licking and lapping at his heels. He felt the ground strike him as he was tripped over a loose root, he knew he was defeated, and closed his eyes tight.
A shroud of pure black overcame the fearful elf. All went black. All went silent.
Chapter Seven
Aro awoke with a fright, launched into a sitting position, a cold bead of sweat sat upon his brow. A deep breath filled his starved lungs. Why was he so disturbed, why was he so terrified of a simple dream? Aro slowly looked around the room. The rising sun cast an orange glow, long shadows kept the small room dim. As Aro's breathing calmed, he heard the light tap of soft leather on natural wood, and a light ember glowed brightly deep in him, a few butterflies fluttered within his empty stomach, Aro could see the visitor's shadow as the new elf approached.
"Well hello there, you're finally awake." Aro's heart soared as he say that signature smile, the bright blue eyes of his older brother, all the pain and sorrow flooded out, giving only warmth and love. Blood rushed to Aro's cheeks, giving them a light pink tint.
"H...hi." was all that Aro could stutter out, He attempted to cover up a bit of his blush by letting his golden hair drape in front of him, hiding most of his smooth, nearly perfect face. Aro could hear Kaji approach, and felt his bed shit a bit as Kaji sat down on the edge of his bed, right next to Aro.
His already pink cheeks reddened as he felt Kaji use his two longest fingers adjusting his own hair, placing the golden silk behind Aro's pointed ears. Kaji sat there so very close to his younger brother. Together, they starred into each others eyes. Lost in each others soul, the only sound was the hearts of the two elves, thumping together, ion time, slowly. Kaji leaned forward a bit, until he felt his broad forehead press against his younger brothers, their eyes never breaking away from each other. Slowly, the world faded around them both. It was just the two of theme, alone, together.
A mixture of tension and passion filled the room. Aro's mind was filled with a storm of emotions and thoughts. He was happy that he had someone he could trust fully. He was lost, having never felt this overall feeling before. He was scared, he knew that having feelings for his brother was so very wrong, just past the threshold of loving another male elf. However, the biggest thing he felt was a deep, heart-sparking, soul-warming passion. A passion so deep, Aro did not know if he could control himself. Aro could feel his brother's breath upon his own soft lips. A deep hunger filled all of Aro. He wanted to taste Kaji's lips. The longer Aro resisted, the more he hungered. He felt as if he was about to explode, he wanted to feel his brother's lips upon his own. Aro's cheeks turned red as Kaji slowly slide his strong elven arms around his brother's slightly small, almost feminine waist. Kaji slid one hand up his brothers back and ran his longer slender fingers though his brother's golden locks. Kaji slowly half closed his eyes, and began to lower his head towards his brothers. Aro leaned up a bit, wanting to taste those perfectly shaded lips. Aro tentatively placed his shaky hand on Kaji's broad chest.
Kaji jumped a little as his younger brother let a tear-filled gasp, tears slowly running down the young elf's cheeks. Kaji's signature smile melted to a worried look. His strong elvish heart thumped anxiously.
"Aro!?" Kaji hadn't expected his voice to have projected as loud as it did. His protective instincts kicked in as Kaji pulled Aro close to him. preparing to protect his younger brother from whatever danger had afflicted Aro.
Panting gently, all that Aro could mumble out was: "I..I....I moved!" Aro could see the confusion in his brothers eyes. Aro slowly pulled his knees to his chest, a grant grin glowed on Aro's face. Gripping Kaji's shoulders, Aro slowly rotated himself, his long slender legs nearly radiated as they slid off the bed, exposing themselves to the morning sun. Aro's long slender fingers gripped the edge of the bed. The light green silk-like fabric of his bedding seemed to just make his milky white, pale skin radiated more. It was truly a beautiful sight a lean shadow laid behind Aro's sitting stature. Aro's hair draped behind him, A light glow surrounded nearly all of Aro's' facets. The green sheets wrinkled a bit as Aro's grip tightened. Slowly, Aro rose to his feet, he felt a little shaky. The slow rising sun warmed Aro as he ran his longer slender fingers through his golden hair. He just stood there, simply taking in all the scenery of Madon. A soft gasp escaped Aro's lips as he felt himself fall towards the ground as his weakened knees gave out. Preparing fort the impacting fall, Aro closed his eyes. The ground never came. Hesitantly, Aro opened is eyes, only to be pleasantly surprised. Kaji had leapt across the bed, and had caught his younger brother in his arms. Aro became anxious as he noticed the worried look on his brothers face. His heart ached, knowing he was the reason for this look on his brother's face. Kaji just kept on starring in Aro's eyes, worried, slowly, silence set in.
"I fell," was Aro's only response, his soft voice almost a shout in the awkward silence. Aro bit his lower lip softly, anxious for his brothers response. The corners of Kaji's lips lifted a little as he let out a loud, hearty chuckle. Pulling his brother close to his chest, Kaji knew his brother had a lot of explaining to do. So he sat his younger brother on the soft bed and sat next to him. Aro knew that if he couldn't rust Kaji, he couldn't trust anyone. He leant against his older brother softly as he began at the beginning.
"I was out one night..."