Oldest Kin: Book One: the Realm

CHAPTER ONE

A HOWLING WIND BLEW through the air, causing several autumn leaves to be shaken from their oaken homes. Floating upon the gusts, the leaves danced their solemn dances as they spiraled to the ground. Spinning around one another, they finally ran their course, ending the dance upon the cold autumn ground. Carefully moving among these cascading leaves and sleeping oak trees was a doe; a stag followed her closely, keeping watch as their fawn pranced, wobbly legged and unaware beside them.

Finding a small patch of half-dried grass, they stopped. Bowing their heads they began to graze, their ears ever alert for the slightest sound, or hint of danger. Just as they had begun to calm, a snap could be heard as something broke a near-by twig. The stag’s head shot up, his ears turning as his eyes glanced around for the source of the sound. When nothing emerged, they became anxious, the doe pawed nervously at the ground causing the fawn to become unnerved. He hid behind his mother, watching with terrified eyes as she looked about them.

Then, suddenly without warning, a large snow leopard pounced from behind a near-by bush. In an instant he had the doe by the neck, his sharp claws pinning her down; red flowed from her body, staining his white paws. The fawn seemed to be frozen in pure terror as the leopard latched his jaw upon the doe’s neck, his marble-white teeth tearing into her as a knife would butter. Enraged, and in a fit of panic, the stag lowered his head, pointing his sharp antlers towards the leopard. They shone with strength and health as the buck tossed his head trying to intimidate the leopard. And before the leopard could react, the stag charged, aiming to kill. The leopard’s blue eyes widened as the stag charged. He had no time to move, he could only brace for impact.

But it wasn’t the sound of his bones shattering that he heard. Instead, a mighty cry shot through the air, quickly followed by the stag’s cry of agony. Opening his eyes, the leopard saw a hawk, nearly the size of a mountain lion, digging its talons deep into the stag’s back. With one beat of the hawk’s mighty ebony wings the stag was lifted off the ground. Rising higher and higher into the air, the hawk let out another cry before releasing its grip upon the stag allowing him to plummet to the ground. A few silent, agonizing breaths escaped from the stag. Then silence. He was dead.

In shock the leopard didn’t move as the hawk landed gracefully upon the carcass of the stag, folding his great wings. As the leopard stared in disbelief, the hawk began to glow a dull black color. His wings began to shrivel, the feathers disappearing in a shimmering dust. His talons began to shift as well, becoming shorter as his wings did, forming more humanoid feet. Finally he stood, no longer a hawk, but a man. His hair was the same ebony as the hawk’s feathers had been, his eyes the same soul-piercing gold.

You don’t have to stare, Aaron. I know you’re probably just in awe of your amazing savior, but really now, we all know how amazing I am, the hawk man laughed, as he stepped off the stag’s body. His feet were covered in blood, just as the talons of the hawks’ had been. While he wore no shoes, he did wear black pants and a green shirt and both seemed to be made from the same light woolen material.

Snapping out of his daze, the leopard realized the doe had long stopped moving and he released his grip upon her. Averting his eyes from the hawk man, the leopard began to glow a dull white, much like the hawk man had. He seemed to be standing up from his position on all fours and, as he did, his limbs shortened, his claws disappeared and his fur shimmered off in a white dust. Finally, he stood as the hawk man had - no longer beast but man. His hair was the same snow white as the leopard’s fur, and had the same black speckles throughout; his blue eyes shimmered in just the same way as the leopard’s had.

I wasn’t staring, Jacob, growled Aaron as he wiped the blood off of his hands and onto the same type of black pants the hawk man was wearing. Aaron’s shirt, however, was a deep navy blue, and he didn’t wear shoes either.

Admiring, then. Same thing really, Jacob continued, a confident smirk slipping onto his face. He seemed to be more confident than Aaron, even though they could be no more than a few years apart.

I’m just surprised that a scout such as you could handle a hunter’s job, Aaron attempted to come back, and, surprisingly, it seemed to do the trick.

Ha-ha-ha-ha, you’re getting quite the mouth on you. Maybe it’s time I show you how a royal scout is taught to fight versus a butcher’s assistant? Jacob threatened playfully; he only wished to keep Aaron in his rightful place.

This butcher’s assistant could probably show you a thing or two, Aaron retorted.

I doubt it. Remember you are talking to a man who is on a fast track to be a Knight.

Well, first of all, Aaron replied, I think ‘boy’ is the more appropriate word than ‘man’. And, secondly, I don’t think that track is really moving very fast.

Just you watch, my little butcher man, before you know it, I will be a full-fledged Knight and will – on top of that - have won the hand of the fair Princess Marisa.

Oh, now you really are dreaming! Does flying around in those lofty heights deprive you of something? Make you dizzy and cause you to hallucinate? Because you cannot be thinking very clearly if you for a single moment think you have any chance at all of winning the hand of Princess Marisa. Do you have any idea how many men - boys, whatever - there are who dream of her long, dark hair and beautiful face and secretly hope for the day when they will become her champion and win her hand in marriage?

Hmmm, replied Jacob after a moment of thought. "It seems to me that some little butcher boy might be having fantasies, himself? Right, my little man?

I’ll show you who the ‘little man’ is, Aaron snapped, dropping the doe he had been preparing to load onto a cart.

No, now, wait, my friend! And you really are my friend. Have been always. And we can’t have that changing. Especially now - the way things are.

What do you mean about ‘the way things are’? Aaron asked.

Surely you’ve heard the rumors? The rumors that we are going to war?

Well, yes, I have heard them. But I thought that’s all they were - just rumors.

On the contrary, little man, Jacob said, shaking his head. They are far beyond the rumor stage. My father, Lord Victor - who happens to be one of the King’s most trusted Knights and his oldest friend – assures me that that it is very possible that we will be in a full-scale war within a fortnight. After all, the Queen’s murder must be avenged. My father says that the King is in a terrible state, alternating between deep depression and savage anger. He has vowed that the Queen’s murderer will not go unpunished. And a number of the more war-like young Knights led by Prince Carlo are urging the King to declare war on our Enemy now.

I’ve always heard that Prince Carlo is very impatient for the day when he will be king himself, Aaron said. Maybe he’s thinking of making more of a name for himself.

That could be, Jacob agreed. But it still does not change the fact that our beloved Queen was killed in cold blood. Who could do such a thing, anyway? It’s just crazy.

Well, said Aaron, who had completed the task of loading the carcasses of the deer on the cart – without any assistance at all from Jacob, the proud-Knight-to-be. You know what our Enemy’s own people call him, don’t you? ‘The Mad Emperor’. ‘Mad’ - that would explain it.

Mad indeed… Jacob mumbled, striding mischievously over to Aaron’s side. But not nearly as mad as the love-stricken kitten, eh little man?

A low growl rising up in his throat, Aaron swung at Jacob, missing him by inches. Laughing, Jacob jumped skillfully from the range of Aaron’s swing shifting in mere seconds into his hawk form once more. Letting out a mocking cry, he beat his wings furiously taking off into the sky with blinding speed.

Disgruntled, Aaron wrapped the leather cables attached to his cart around his waist and began his trek out of the woods. While the cart weighed several pounds, it didn’t seem to bother him. The woods were all but silent now, the creatures hiding from the commotion Aaron and Jacob had caused while taking down the family of deer. Looking up at the tree-tops, Aaron sighed as he thought of what Jacob had said. If war was truly to come upon them, things would become very difficult for him. Lost in thought, Aaron blindly strode through the forest, unaware of the things around him. The oaks creaked as the wind forced them to bend; shaking even more leaves onto the ground.

Feeling a cold sensation under his bare feet, Aaron snapped from his daze, looking down. The forest floor was disappearing beneath his feet as he continued his way, slowly being replaced by smooth, cold cobble-stone. The crude pathway seemed to have been worn almost away. Stubborn blades of grass emerged from beneath its smothering presence. He never enjoyed the feeling of the cold stone upon his feet, it had never felt natural. The butcher had always jokingly referred to this as Aaron’s feral fears, meaning he was becoming more of an animal than one of the Kin.

You’re sure in a hurry, a gruff male voice spoke, startling Aaron. He had not expected to run into anyone during this time of the day. Most people were busy in the market at this time. Turning his head, he found the source of the voice as he noticed that a tall man, roughly in his thirties, had begun walking next to him along the crude pathway. The man’s brown hair was cut short, and his sunken gray eyes showed he had not been receiving as much sleep as he should. He wore silver armor which seemed to be newly polished. It had elaborate designs upon it etched in slightly darker silver. He bore no weapon and wore no gauntlets, with only crudely fashioned leather boots upon his feet.

"I need to get this meat to