- 25 -
Dorin woke up and stretched one arm, then the other. He slid back on the soft furs and nuzzled the warm body beside him. The scent was familiar, nostalgic. He placed an arm over it and got a moan. A painful moan. He looked up, still half asleep, and strained through sleepy eyes at the curled up figure beside him. Short black hair and very pale skin.
"When did mother get a hair cut?" he thought sleepily, before noticing that the body was smaller. He sat up, looking closer at the sleeping person beside him. The sleek black hair was loose, it covered half of the face, but it was certainly Sebastian sleeping beside him.
Remembering what happened the previous night, Dorin quickly pulled his arm away from Seb's hip.
He looked at the boy’s body, but could find no wound or swelling. The supple skin was smooth and flawless; no sign of injury what so ever. He turned him over, spreading his arms to check fo
- 26 - The three of them made their way back to the burrow and helped themselves to the hot porridge cooking by the fire. Dorin had almost finished the pot when Horatio entered the cave accompanied by a pale child clad in while robes with a golden crown on her head. Seb stared at the centaur, his jaw hanging, then at the child whose eyes where as white as her robes. When Seb looked closer, he noticed that there were feathers mixed with the pale child’s white hair. “It is rude to stare,” said Damien. “Please excuse me...” apologized Sebastian with his head bowed. “This is the first time I have seen... persons from legend...” As he spoke, the centaur bend one knee and bowed his head before Seb. He looked strained. The pale child, on the other hand, fell prostrate in front of him. “My leige!” she said, her eyes low. Sebastian paled. He stepped back, his hands covering his mouth. “Here.” Damien h
- 27.1 - Damien gave Sebastian and Dorin white tunics to wear before leading them out of the burrow. They hiked for a while until they came into a clearing where huge deer were grazing in an emerald field.“We will meet with your aunt by the edge of the Dark Forest,” said Damien as he gestured to the majestic creatures. The deer looked larger up front, with antlers of gold. “from there, you are to travel back to your university.”[Are these golden elks?] Sebastian asked as he came near one of the animals, his hand outstretched.“Yes,” replied Damien. “they can take us there in no time.” He made some sounds at the elk who approached his two companions. The golden elks lowered themselves, their golden antlers touching the ground.[Is it really okay?] Seb asked, a little hesitant. He looked at Dorin who was already mounting his elk.“Is there somet
Chapter 27.2“We’re going to use a translocation spell,” Agate told her companion. “but before that, I suggest you put your old clothes back on.” She pointed at a duffle bag by the side of the wall. “It would look weird if you turn up in campus looking like that.”Seb looked inside the bag and reached out for his cloak first. He was about to take his robe off when he heard a whistling sound coming from the east. He looked up just in time to see something sparkling crossing the sky at lightning speed. It was heading towards where Major General Muller had parked his truck!Seb quickly pulled his cloak on and ran to the direction the light was headed, Professor Althea was quickly at his heals.“That’s a messenger!” she yelled as she overtook him, “It’s heading towards Dorin!”The two of them tried to reach their companions in time, but before t
Chapter 28 “Dorin. You can let go now.” Dorin snapped out of his reverie as Sebastian whispered to him. He looked down on his right hand and saw that he was still gripping Seb’s arm tightly. He quickly let go, noting the red hand mark left on his friend’s pale skin. “Sorry.” he mumbled as he stood up. “Are you two okay?” asked Agate who walked over to them. Dorin felt relieved and anxious at the same time. “Well, all’s well that ends well,” said Major General Marcus with a big laugh. “At least now we can enrol you into the Military Division!” “What do you mean Military class?” Professor Althea piped in angrily, “Obviously, he’s joining the Magic Division!” “Why would he want to learn stuff he already knows?” General Marcus answered back, “Of course the best way to go is to be a military mage like his mother and I!” he looked at Dorin who was watching his two new guardians bickering. “Isn’t t
Chapter 29.1: The Lost Days in The Dark Forest of AubrianneThese are the lost three days Dorin spent with Damien while waiting for Seb to wake up inside the Dark Forest of Aubrianne.“You are awake.”Dorin turned around and gets face to face with the tall groundskeeper.“Where are we?” He asked, “Why have you taken us here?”“This is my abode,” replied Damien Wolfsbane. “We are in the centre of the Dark Forest of Aubrianne.” he looked at the boy in front of him who stood in a defensive stance. “Do you know why the Dark forest is called so?” he asked the child.“They say that the holy night Aubrianne once signed a truce with the fairy folk here.” Dorin answered “There is untapped magic in the woods, but
Chapter 29.2Dorin and Damien left the burrow after Dorin was given the same kind of long pleated skirt the groundskeeper was wearing. It was made of a sturdy, canvas-like material that seemed to flow with his every move. They met Azra along the way who simply nodded at them and hurriedly entered the hollow. Her eyes once more, were a pale shade of pink.Outside, the trees were so close to each other that only a small path led from the hidden cave to an opening wide enough for a patch of sunrise to peep in. Damien stood in the middle of the patch and made sharp calls to the air. Later, Dorin saw two large eagles circling in the sky above them, descend to the forest floor.“Have you ridden an eagle before?” the groundskeeper asked him.“Yes,” answered Dorin as he lovingly caressed the velvety feathers near the base of the eagle’s sharp beak. “But I didn’t fly very far, my mother is ag
Chapter 29.3The sun was making its trip down the horizon when Damien and Dorin returned to the burrow. Horatio had already left with Azra. Damien shared a supper of roasted venison with Dorin, and then left after a session of story telling.“Still not waking up?” Dorin nudged Seb. “I bet you would have loved to see the things I saw today... and the stories Damien told me... but I guess, being a student here, you already know most of that stuff.” He looked at his companion and placed a fur blanket over him which the other kicked off. “Let’s talk lots when you wake up.” he said, placing the fur back. “So hurry up and wake up.”The next morning, Horatio was waiting for Damien at the mouth of the small cave, his hoof pawing the ground as they came near.“You took your time yesterday.” he said to the groundskeeper.“We had a little lesso
Special Chapter 30: Stories of Old from The Dark Forest of AubrianneEvery night after supper, Damien Wolfsbane would tell Dorin about tales long gone. These are the stories he told him.First EveningAs the night got deeper and the food around the fire was consumed, Damien Wolfsbane would ease himself on one of the thick furs scattered in the burrow’s floor and stretch out his long legs. When he is comfortable with the two kits side by side, one curled next to the other, he would give a deep sigh and tell a story...Once upon a time... In the days when the dark forest stretched over the whole continent, the child of the sun fell in love with the child of the moon...They came into this land to find a place where they can be together in peace, for the place they once called home