Flames...
There was so much. What was a child supposed to do?
Heat...
Screams. Screams! Screams! So many of them!
What was he supposed to do?
Damian of Little Rock woke up.
He did not want to awaken. Screams had awoken him; once again, he could not sleep.
It was always their screams. That little girl, her bright blue eyes, and the pain. So much pain in her face as she burned. He'd tried to help. He'd desperately tried, but there was nothing he could do.
Damian stood and, looking around, reached for his blade. It was a terrible thing. It was the length of his arm twice over, and as wide as his hand. It glinted in the sun, a terrible yellow color. It had been the only thing left in his village.
He wore nothing but a simple tunic and hose. As the little sleep he'd gotten left him, he remembered that he was running.
A howl sounded behind him.
So he got off the tree he was in and ran opposite the rising sun in the west. The further east he went, the more likely he would get out of the terrible woods he'd found himself in.
He ran. The howls eventually began to leave earshot. As he came to a clearing, he heard the shifting of leaves. Then he felt the shifting of skin; there was a snake nearby.
The clearing was small, just enough for a quick check of your surroundings if you were a lesser beast of the forest. Damian moved, checking his own surroundings. He unsheathed his blade while moving out of the middle. The dirt under his feet was warm; there were bugs within.
He heard it, coming from his left. Then it sped up.
In a flash of a moment, Damian cut the snake's head off. Blood spilled out of the beast, and its long body fell out of the tree from which it had ambushed him.
It was incredibly long; it had been a very old snake, but Damian had no care for that. He had to keep moving; the howls had gotten closer. His feet carried him for hours over terrible terrain, but they were used to it. He'd grown up in this forest, a terrible thing.
The forest was large, and thousands of beasts that defied the laws of nature roamed its vast lands. It held Drakans and other foul creatures. All types of trees existed, and you'd be lucky to sleep in one that did not want you for a meal.
Damian could hear the howls getting closer. So he tried his best, almost cutting his feet open upon a loose rock. Damian jumped onto a tree to avoid a fox nearby. The poor animal had no clue where it was headed. There were plant-eating animals that would devour that poor creature.
The howls were too close, though; the beasts were near at hand. He'd need a better strategy to escape them. As he moved, he spotted grassland and then huts. There were people in that area. He was close to getting out of the woods.
As he moved to get close to the final line of trees, he felt his senses go mad. Like a thousand pieces of wood pricking his skin, he turned around.
A two-headed beast was headed towards him. Damian took a second look and realized it was the snake he'd already killed. It wasn't a snake on second look. He hadn't seen the frilled neck; that was a terrible mistake on his part.
It moved with terrible ease as one of its heads snapped towards Damian. Damian smacked the head with the flat of his blade. Then screamed at the top of his lungs; it was all hope that someone had heard him. He could hold it off for a little while for people to get there.
Damian put his back against a tree as it approached, moving on its legs. He should have seen the legs when he'd first cut it down.
A howl cut Damian's train of thought, and he cursed. If it wasn't for those pesky beasts chasing him. Pain erupted from Damian's shoulder as wood slowly ripped through it.
He mentally cursed and brandished his blade. He cut the wood and, with great effort, separated himself from the tree. He'd lost track of the multi-headed beast. As he heard the movement of leaves, he moved to the right.
The blade suddenly got very light; it glowed, and with the swiftest of motions, Damian cut both heads of the beast off. Damian's eyes widened as he moved out of the forest, holding his shoulder and his blade. He was bleeding, and he could feel his arm going numb.
It glowed, with a terrible yellow light, as if the very sight of the sun gave it incredible power.
Then he froze; the howling had stopped.
He turned, and before him stood a pack of dire wolves. Their manes were large, their jaws snapped shut with the ferocity of restraint. One of them stepped forward, and Damian stepped back. This one was the smallest of the group, but it had the most commanding figure. It was all black except for white hair across its eyes.
His situation just got so much worse than he thought it could get.
Then a voice spoke, rattling his brain.
You killed our suppressor. Our lives are forfeit to you.
Damian took a second. He was now very concerned. He hadn't expected this to happen; then again, who could've?
He didn't know how to respond. However, he was sure he had heard a voice in his head.
The direwolf stepped forward again. This one had kind eyes. It seemed like it could see into Damian. Its brown eyes looked up at the boy with concern.
Worry not, Young Fang. We are here to protect you.
Damian was horrified. What was he supposed to do? Just accept the new voice that has just found its way into his head.
Confuse yourself, you are doing. The link is one-on-one, so the other will talk when they will.
Damian of Little Rock passed out, and his body fell toward the ground. However, before he could hit it, the direwolf caught him by the neck of his tunic. The beasts dragged him into the town.