Fire From the Darkness: Prologue
#6 of Fire From the Darkness
All characters and story elements with names are © me, except for Tazina.
Tazina is © my friend, who would rather remain unnamed.
All elements that do not have a specific name (such as the race that Hatako belongs to) are taken, and altered, from Wizards of the Coast's Dungeons & Dragons books.
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The middle-aged male sat in his favorite chair, with his youngest pup on his knee, looking at the children in front of the fire. He watched them play, wrestling while trying to guess which story he would tell them tonight. It was a game they played every night, and the winner was only decided after he revealed the night's story. So far no one had ever won the guessing part of the game, because he bent the rules a little and only chose which story to tell after he heard both of their guesses.
The two by the fire were twins about twelve years old, one male and the other female. The two were practically inseparable, just as they couldn't be separated now without one or both being injured, or more likely the one who separated them.
The twins didn't know who was the older by minutes, which was how the male and his mate wanted it, because they wanted them to protect each other equally, as well as their younger sister. And at this point, even their parents were unsure which was older, which helped to ensure they treated them equally.
The male looked at his mate in the chair next to him. "Do you think they're ready to hear it?" He asked her, as he had already decided which story would be told this night.
"You told me the story when I was about their age father. And I was little more ready than these two. For all they may not show it, they're surprisingly mature. It probably comes from our heritage." Came the voice of his eldest child, a female of about eighteen years, from his other side. She had indeed heard the story when she was about the same age. She lived with her parents to help them run the inn they had opened in Gryma. Ran, as her name was, was her parent's favorite, though they loved all their children with all their hearts. She was their favorite because she showed her heritage more than anyone else in the family.
"I wanna hear the story too." Ayame, the little pup in his arms, piped up. She was about six years of age, and always wanted to do whatever her siblings were doing no matter what it was.
"So I did. And I guess you're right." He replied. "And so you will, my little ball of fur." He told Ayame, as he tickled her in his lap. "When you're older, and can understand it better."
"But, daddy..." She complained. She was the only one who had ever called him that, and it broke his heart to deny her what she wanted when she did. She understood this, and played the card whenever she could.
"No, Ayame. I'm sorry, but there are things in this story that I don't want you to hear." He looked into her eyes as he said this, trying to impress in her that he would eventually tell her.
"Can't I please hear, the story, please?"
The male's mate leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Just go ahead and tell the story. She'll probably fall asleep before anything pops up that would be too bad."
"Alright, you win Ayame. But no hitting me with your wings if you get bored like last time." He told her sternly.
"Thank you daddy, I promise I won't bother you." He snuggled into his arms to get comfortable.
He turned back to his mate, "So do you think they're actually ready to hear it? This is a pretty dark piece of history."
His mate seemed to think it over, "Well, I suppose that if you start to tell it an they aren't ready, we can always stop."
"I guess so." He turned his attention back to the twins."Hinata, Tsukiko, stop pulling each others feathers and fur and come here." The twins froze for a sec, then after Hinata lightly bit his sister's wing one last time, they scrambled over to kneel in front of their father's chair. "You'll want to get into a more comfortable position my children, this is a long one." They got off their knees and crossed their legs before settling down again. "Tonight my children, I do not tell you any ordinary story. Tonight, I tell you the story of the hero Firus."
"But father we already know..." Hinata, his son started.
"Shh. He must have a reason." His sister said.
"May I continue?" Their father asked. When the twins nodded he continued.
He seemed to go into a slight trance. When he opened his eyes, he spoke in a deep, dark voice and began his tale with the spell of images. The way he began all others. "Gather 'round my children, and listen to my voice. For I shall tell you a tale, and take you to a place. Close your little eyes, and let my words flow. For where they shall go, you soon shall follow." When everyone had closed their eyes to listen, he started to tell the story. "It all began in this very town, on a night not unlike this one. In an inn similar our own."