ON HOLD (most likely for a long time) Lost trails: book 1, Fallen Kingdom

Chapter Two: I Promise

(Disclamer: WoF refrences!)

Chapter Two: I Promise(Hope pov)One of my biggest problems is I have to keep my species a secret (anxiety reasons), I can hide my ears pretty well since they blend in with my hair. My claws aren't a problem I just wear gloves or something like that, I also where a small scarf (like Daryll). I was trying my best not to let my hood or scarf come off (the scarf the last thing I had from my parents) but this distracted me, so when the time came, I was at the mercy of Ser Patrick. "First we will test your agility!" He shouted. (I got this from Spirit Animals) "You will run up to the castle wall as fast as you can, jump and hit it, and run back and see how hard you hit these." The general instructed gesturing to first the wall then to five small hanging bags, then he demonstrated (as if his instructions weren't straight forward enough) jumping rather high and kicking off the wall, then sprinting back and punching the bag. "Like that, you may use any skills you poses but you must hit the bag and you have to land as steadily as possible." He commanded, Leaf looked confident, but nervous all the same. Stella, flat out terrified, well I knew why, magic was more her specialty. I was feeling pretty confident all the same, then we heard him shout. "GO!" So off I went sprinting like there was no tomorrow, I was determined to prove myself to these people, I wanted to help villages like this from suffering the same fate as mine. Then I remembered it, the day that changed my life, I remembered everything. The smoke, the light of the fire, and... the Pillagers. The one thing that kept me from just sitting in my village and excepting my fate, the anger that I felt every time I saw those gray skinned raiders, anytime I saw a crossbow. The anger felt like lava, pouring out of me, until I look back and notice something I never did. My parents! I had to snap out of this. I knew my mind was just playing tricks on me! Or, I thought I knew. What if that was them! They might still be alive! I froze in my tracks, just a few feet away from the bag, and I didn't notice until my vision started to get fuzzy that I was crying. I try not to cry in public, or alone. But the memory of my parents was just- just to much. "Iris?" Leaf asked. "You alright? You kinda zoned out there." I just looked at the ground my hair a mix, I missed them but just the image of them- the thought they could be alive somewhere made me have hope that I wasn't the last of my family- not to mention the last Felina. I struggled to stay standing, and eventually, my knees gave way and I crumpled to the ground, shaking. "That's enough, back to your rooms." Patrick said, not instructing but.. well kind, I soon remembered that others were watching and I got a grip, embarrassed I went back to my room without a word. I sat down on the side of my bed and took off my scarf, holding it one brief moment before setting it down on the nightstand, remembering something my mother told me a long time ago.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(5 yr old Hope) "Hope, you need to listen to me, you cannot go past the river! It isn't safe!" My mother said looking worried."But why!" I protested "No one would dare harm someone in a family like ours!""Some people don't like us, that's all, they may hurt you. And some people are irrational enough to 'dare attack us' though they really should think it through-" Mother sighed."Wait yo-you mean l-like they hurt father?" I asked now fearful, my mother froze."Y-yes." She breathed stroking my hair lightly, how I missed her.(next bit from WoF a little.)"Hope, just remember-"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"Stay secret, stay hidden, stay safe." I mumbled to myself.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"Can you do that for me?" I snapped up when I heard a knock at my door, my mother's voice echoing in my head. "Iris, it's Leaf. I just wanted to make sure you're alright, you kinda lost it back there." Leaf said through the door. "I'm fine, it's nothing to worry about." I replied wanting to be left alone. "Well, cya at lunch then." He responded walking away. "Whew, I hope no one has to see me like that, EVER." I sigh, looking out my window. "What if they are alive? Should I try to find them? What if the Pillagers captured them? Should I go rescue them?" I questioned, my mind buzzing too much for me to think silently. "I shouldn't jump to conclusions, my mind was most likely playing tricks on me." I say under my breath, but enough of that, I was getting hungry, I knew it. So off I went to eat lunch (I skipped breakfast beforehand), so I met up with Stella outside of Leaf's room and we all went to lunch together. After lunch I went to my room, I knew I told Leaf I would meet up with him today to help him with sword training, but the thought of my parents kept me in my wandering the fortress halls. After a good thirty minuets I decide I can't wait any longer for more clues as to weather they are alive and where they might be. Because I know where they would be kept if captured, The Brink. The largest Pillager outpost on the planet, and the capital. If they weren't there, they were dead. I go to get my scarf, but it's not there! 'What!?! Could someone have stolen it?' I think, now alarmed. Throwing everything off the (small) table and my nightstand I rapidly search my room. "It has to be here somewhere, right?" I ask myself, rummaging around, when I come across a small piece of fabric, no bigger than my palm. As I inspect it, I stifle a gasp, Pillagers! They stole it! But... why? My parents were dead, or I thought they were. I decide that if my parents are alive, now was my chance. It was time to fight back! I grab my swords and race out the door to the barracks, get a few quivers of arrows, a bow, and steal some prototype explosives from Azura. Then off I went, no one saw me, or- so I thought. By the time I was out of Azura's lab, I was sure no one knew, I soon figured out that I was dead wrong.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Leaf's pov)Iris, something seemed off about her when we went to lunch, but I find it best not to linger, so I followed their lead. After I ate I decided to go to my room and rest a bit before getting rather bored and so I decided to train. "You know you can over train, right?" I turn to see Rain standing there. "I know I have." He laughed, but it sounded rather half hearted, and he looked tired. "Yeah, I'm just trying to take my mind off things." I reply. "Oh, alright. I was actually wondering, have you seen Iris around? Me and Abigail wanted to ask her something." Rain continued. "Um, no actually I haven't, she was supposed to meet me around half an hour ago. Wonder where she is." I reply looking in her window, only to see that her light was off and the window looked to be locked in place, and it was cracked slightly. Also who the heck is Abigail??? "Maybe she lost track of time?" I ask not wanting to hear anything worse, just then Stella ran up to us. "Rain, Leaf! Iris is missing, I asked everyone I could find and no one has seen her! I already checked her room and it's a huge mess, like she had a seizure or something." The purple haired Enchantress breathed bending over and resting only for a second and she was back up. "We have to look for her!" She finally said. "This is why I don't like drama." I sigh grabbing my sword "Lets check her room for any hints as to where she went." I say pointing at the window with my weapon. "Good idea." Rain said running to the castle entrance, as we hurried up the stairs I hear her, faintly, but the others seemed to hear it too. "It's coming from Azura's lab." Rain said looking through the window, barely able to see past the curtains. "She looks kinda shifty, like she's trying to find something." He said letting me and Stella see, Stella gasped. "What?" I ask not being able to see Iris through my side. "She stole something, like a block. Rain do you know anything about this?" Stella asked turning to see Rain. "Well, I heard Azura talking about something to do with explosives the other day to Patrick." He replied. "Watch out! She's coming to the door!" I whisper, we all hide behind a door and wait for her to get out of the room. She opened the door slightly, peeked around and sprinted for a window. "There she goes!" I shout sprinting after her, Rain and Stella close behind. "Iris, wait!" Stella yelled after her, Iris looked our way but didn't stop, instead she leaped out the window and landed on the nearest balcony, jumping down from there. I leapt after her, heights not having much an effect on me, growing up around tall trees. "Iris! where are you going!?" I shout leaping down after her, following her path. Iris didn't respond. Instead she turned around, looked me dead in the eye with an expression that told me one thing. Then she shouted it for Rain and Stella. "You can't stop me!" And with that, she jumped. Not to the next balcony, to the ground. "Iris!" I heard Rain yell. We were at least halfway up the castle when she jumped- or at least I was, she was a ways farther down then me, so I hoped she was okay. "We... have to... go after her." I breathed as Rain and Stella stopped at a nearby window. "We can follow her better on horseback." Rain replied. "I'll tell Abby." Stella nodded. "I'll get horses. Should we tell Ser Patrick?" Rain stared hard at her. "No. One, me and him will get in a fight and we won't have time to follow her. Two, Patrick will never allow it." I nodded. "I'll get weapons." Stella shook her head and nodded to her book. "I won't need any." She said and we all ran off to get supplies, all in all I was flat out scared. I didn't know what to expect, my life was usually simple. Steal from Pillagers, don't get caught, stay hidden. That's all I had to do, now I was running after perhaps the most insane girl in the history of the world.