Grata Domum Stars of the Beginning

Dracones clamant

A sound? What was that? It came from that hole in the great stone pillar of the sky, but we just looked in and nothing could fit in there… Nothing, but a small animal or child. Was there an animal or child in there? No… Maybe I should check.

I walked past the black trees and crouched to the height needed to see into the opening of that hole and my blood ran cold… I couldn't be seeing things right could I? Was that a kid? By the Gods!! Are there two of them? Are there any more children down here? They couldn’t be older than 4, so why are they here and alone?!

This is a dangerous part of the enchanted forest; they should not be here alone! Did they get lost and hurt? Are they really alone? “Hey Viggo” I heard Vincere call my name snapping me back to the reality of my sichuation. “ Vincere, come quick!” His heavy stepps shook the ground and stered the red path to the opening of the rocks, “Are those kids?!” The sense of urgency in my voice made the boys chuckle thinkinging I was messing with them. “Viggo, not funny” Lance said, “I’m not joking there's a kid down there!”

Vincere taking his time to make it to my side allowed the features that he was blessed with shine in the white light. His piercing red eyes moved the smallest of us, the tan skin adorn with scars that he had earned in the battles he had won. The long white hair that reached his neels swayed slowly in the wind.

His humming was that of calm, his voice sweet and mellow; I recall time and time again that of his tune putting us all to sleep. The stride he moved in was majestic and powerful. He was the best of us, a royal who I called friend, but in all those years that I have known him never once did he make it that we felt less than him, he was fair and just. We all loved him and we respected him.

By the time that he reached my side the child had not seen me yet, we stayed quiet and no one moved as Vincere looked into the mouth of the rock. His calm piercing eyes once reasurent on there being nothing, but a deer in the ground grew in shock as he noticed the child holding a toddler walking deeper into the mountain.

He moved not onec. The confusion in his eyes gave the impression that he was still unsure that what he was seeing made any sense. He moved his hand to his face and rubbed his eyes and immediately as he brought it up he brought his hand back down.

He moved fast as the child had noticed him. The man that I knew to be eleven feet in height, shrunk as much as he could to be at level with the small seven foot mouth of the rock and tried to take a step in.

The older of the children dropped the younger who cried in pain and what appeared to be pleading and begging left him there and ran further into dark fading from view. Vincere with a crouched-like position entered the dark abyss and interred reached the baby who must have been scared and hungry. How could the older of the boys just leave his brother there alone in the dark.

Vincere from the light of the water just stood there in front of the baby who was still weeping, and never moved. What was he doing!?! I looked in shock as he just stood there motionless and… what was that? Was he shaking? He stood there looking at the poor thing for a solid thirty minutes before finally taking the weeping boy in his arms.

The child looked to be beaten up pretty badly; he had round lumps all over him and his bone looked to be breaching the skin. What happened to this kid? Vincere finally made it back to the mouth of the rocks once more holding a small, really small baby.

His voice came out first “Viggo will you pass me a fur?” in a strong voice “This little one is soaked to the bone and I fear it will catch their death” in a hurry I rushed to Lance who had been with the wagon guarding our stuff. I managed to find the new fur that I had gotten from the ursus just the night before. I ran back just as fast to see him still in the mountain holding the small one who was still crying and shaking.

Handing the fur to him he knelt down to the ground and slowly wrapped the little one in the soft, warm and dry fur.

He was calm the entire time and gentle with the poor thing. He looked at me once he got back to his feet handing me the little one so he could get out and walk once more with us to head home.

The little one was odd to hold, he was smaller than what kids his age should be. At least he was safe now. Vincere looked down at me and held his arms out as if to ask for the child in my arms back.

The prince had a fire in his eyes and moved with an urgent stride as he took the baby and looked to the fading and falling sun. “ we have to rest for the night” he spoke “ come there’s a tavern not that far from us”

We followed him, well almost all of us did. I looked back down at the mountain mouth “Vincere?” I asked “What about the other boy” he stopped and looked at me. “Don’t worry once we get back to the city I’ll have the guards come look for him” a smile on his face