Wings of Spring

Chapter One

Author's Note: I am going to be releasing revised and updated versions of the chapters for Wings of Spring. I read through the story and I was unsatisfied with several things I had written. I got some feedback from friends, and there are a few things I want to change. So, here is the first newer chapter. :D Enjoy!

Tamlin

The darkness envelops me, crushing the air from my lungs. I am alone, utterly alone, in this world of unending night.Terror grips me, locking me in place. A voice, my voice, roars in my ears, screaming. Where are you, where are you, where are you?!

My arms reach out, groping for anything I can sink my claws into. Anything to anchor myself against the rising panic in my chest. All I feel is emptiness, emptiness in my heart and in the bed I now lay in. I know she isn't here, that she will never be here, but still I reach for her. Sweat drenches my skin, leaving me shivering in the cold room. So cold and still so empty. I wrap my arms around myself, trying to keep the raging fear coursing through me locked inside.

The moonlight illuminates the empty room that, after being destroyed beyond use, has been so carefully repaired in the months since my return. I push down the familiar, burning rage pooling in my core, but lingering tendrils of her scent wrap around me, holding the churning emotions at bay for a few moments. I inhale deeply, savoring her smell. An ache builds in my chest, and the beast under my skin again roars to be freed. Fur and fangs and claws erupt from my body as I curl myself around the blankets. I wish to roar my pain and anger to the stars and the moon, but I eventually fall into sleep. At least in my dreams, I can pretend she is here.

The first snippets of birdsong coming through the window let me know the sun is rising. In a flash, I winnow back to my own rooms. The pity-filled glances of my sentries and the hushed whispers of the servants tell me that my people are worried. What people remain, that is. They do not need to know I cannot sleep peacefully without her scent. Even months after the war, my court lays in shambles. Very few have returned to their homes. Repairs have been slow to repair the catastrophic damage left behind by Hybern's forces. It's my duty to be their High Lord, to carry on, even as broken and hollow as my heart feels. Despite the mistakes I made, I must be strong and show them I can heal, so they may begin to heal as well.

I emerge from my rooms clad in my usual green tunic and brown pants. One of the newer sentries greet me with a polite nod. I return the greeting and make my way to the dining room. My footsteps echo loudly in the hollow silence of the room. Breakfast is the usual lonely affair, and the ever-present ache in my heart grows more prominent here. I push the food around on my plate, glancing around at empty room. Once, in a distant past, this place was full of bright laughter and animated conversations. Now it is as silent as a tomb. The long wood table with its two rows of chairs stand watch over an empty house, a broken High Lord. Always empty.

The sound of approaching footsteps catches my attention. A welcome distraction.

I glance up from my plate, donning a mask of polite interest to my face as I take in three sentries in the doorway. I wave them in with my hand. They murmur polite greetings to me. "Good morning," I say. "Do you have news for me?"

The oldest sentry steps forward. His voice is grim as he gives his news. "There have been reports of naga attacks on the northern border, near the village of nymphs. You are needed there, High Lord."

I nod and dismiss the sentries. Finally! Something to do. As I reach the gates, the sentries there jump to their feet, startled, and bow in greeting as I pass. I give them a tentative smile as I exit the gates. Once I am out of sight of the house, I trade my skin and weapons for fur and fangs and begin to run, weaving between the trees.