The Awakening Of Azlite (First Book)

Chapter One

The warm, whispering wind followed Azlite as she walked toward the old, splintering oak tree, on the grassy hill just outside her parent's cottage. Her steps were light against the soft, green beneath her pale, bare feet. Finally reaching the old oak she placed her small hand against the stump, for a second gazing at her broken and chipped fingernails. Raising her head towards the dawning sky she closed her eyes and let the wind run and dance through her long blonde hair. Her skin was a pastel white, and her long platinum gold hair reached just before her bottom. She wasn't overweight nor was she skinny, but she had the weight in places where it belonged and that made her proud. She had a little nose and pink luscious lips. The warmth of the air on her face calmed her racing heart; opening her eyelids, cold emerald green eyes stared out into the distance where the Kingdom of Nahatahill awaited her arrival.

For seven years Nahatahill had been enslaved by a King named 'Nathan Lolungtuh'. He was ruthless, cruel and he cared for no one but himself. One day when Azlite was fourteen her parents had asked her to go and pick berries from the woods that surrounded their cottage. So, she did. Azlite had walked outside and into the red berry bushes. She picked a handful and placed them into the basket that her mother had woven. She also picked some for herself. The sweet juice and texture filled her mouth. Azlite was just about to pop another berry in her mouth when she heard her mother scream and her dad yell, "Don't touch her!" "Don't touch her!" Azlite had dropped her basket and ran into the woods and hid behind some thorny bushes. She could still here her parents yelling and screaming, Azlite was terrified. She peeked out behind the bushes and saw her parents hugging and sobbing into one another. The King's soldiers grabbed both of them, first her mother by the waist and then her father by the shoulders and pulled them apart. Her mother cried and tried to reach for her father "James!" "No James!" Her father had fought with every muscle and bone in his body to get back to her mother. "Fight back Samantha!" "Fight back!" Azlite watched with wide eyes.

She was so scared and confused as to what was happening. Her mother fought against the men that had her restrained but it was no use. Azlite's father had managed to free himself and he ran towards Samantha but another soldier had collided with him with a shield and he fell to the ground, knocked out, blood trickling from his forehead. Azlite's mother screamed "JAMES!" Azlite started to cry as her father was hoisted up onto a horse by the king's men. Azlite's mother still fought against them, kicking, punching, scratching and biting. Her mother wrapped her hands around the soldier that held her. He jumped back and pushed her to the ground "Bitch! She burnt me." Azlite's mother scrambled to her feet and started to run towards the woods where Azlite was hiding. But she didn't get far. A soldier tackled her and a crack echoed through the woods as her mother's leg was broken. A cry escaped her lips as she crashed upon the ground. Azlite gulped "Mama" she silently cried. Her mother must of head her because she looked at Azlite. Straight in the eye. "I love you" she said without speaking. Azlite whispered it back. Her mother was then dragged away.

Azlite shook her head to rid her mind of the memories. 'I will save them' she thought. After a few minutes she turned on her heel, put her back towards the Kingdom and started the descent down the hill. Her blue night gown blew behind her as she eased into a steady run. Slowing to a walk, the path that lead to the cottage door fixed in front of her vision. The path was no bigger than a metre in width and was filled with hundreds of white pebbles. Within the path every few feet a dark square called gut was glued into place. Gut is blood from a creature that lives deep within the 'Forest of Screams'. They're called Longtails, they look like small children but they have four toes on each foot, three eyes instead of two, mouse ears and big butterfly wings that trail behind them when they walk; and just like their names suggest they have long golden lion tails. These creatures are dangerous and very unreliable. They are murderers and revel in the killings of humans. Those who come across Longtails have a very small chance of surviving. The Hunters of Nahatahill whom are controlled by King Lolungtuh go into the forest once a month to find these creatures. The hunters who survive bring back one or two and take them to a dirty shed hidden behind the castle called the Valley. Where the hunters gut them and drain their blood, they also use their tails as scarfs and their wings as window shutters. The blood is shaped and after a few hours turns hard and smooth. Azlite's father brought the guts a few months before her fourteenth birthday and they have stayed in place ever since. Azlite stepped on each gut like stepping stones until she reached the end and came face to face with the wooden cottage door.