Children of the Stone

Prologue

It was a rainy and stormy afternoon. We were hiding from cold wind and raindrops in a small hole in the wall of a home. The storm came so suddenly, we we're caught off guard since it was such a fair day in the morning.

Three little lizards huddled in an alcove under the floorboards of the house. Drafts came in, chilling them to the bone. The loud pitter-patter of raindrops were heard along with the occasional thunderclap.

The howling winds threatened to snap trees in half. The waters of the canals flowed swift and threatened to flood the streets.

The three lizards hid in the alcove in fear of their safety. One was a white lizard with streaks of brown, orange, and grey obscuring its whiteness. Its eyes were pale blue, and it bore sharp claws, able to rend fibers to shreds on its paws, heels, and knees.

They were huddling each other, trying to feel safe from the storm. One of them was just like the other, but had iridescent horns on its head rather than claws, and whose eyes was a brilliant green. Three pairs of said horns sat on the back of the creature's head towards its neck, one pair smaller than the pair above it. The last was a green salamander with hooks on its lower jaw. Its head was triangular, and its eyes were a golden yellow.

A sense of unrest filled the trio. Something was troubling them, yet they do not know what it was. Then one of them remembered and spoke out, "Where's brick, brothers?"

The lizards looked at each other, sharing unknowing looks between themselves.

"It must have gotten lost in the blanket of the rain, and the howl of the wind," the green one spoke.

"The canal is about to spill over. It'll surely be swept away. We need to find brick!"

"No. Both of you stay here. I'll look for brick and keep it safe," the horned one said. It began for the exit, about to face the fierce storm on its own. Its brothers didn't heed its call and followed.

"No brother. We must keep together. If you'll be swept away, who'll look for you?" The clawed one said.

"Indeed, brother, let us help and ease your search," the green one added.

The horned one was unable to deter the determination of its brothers. They went out, into the storm, to look for their lost brother.

The wind blew so strongly that it threatened to carry them away. The rain blanketed their vision with haze they could only pierce for a few yards in. Thunder clapped loudly like a bomb exploding near. Lightning flashed so brightly, it was like the sun suddenly appearing before their eyes for a moment.

The brave trio persisted through the storm, calling out for their lost comrade. They were about to give up as they sense the canal about to flood over when they heard a faint whimper. They tracked its source.

They came upon an old house, worn and seemingly uninhabited. The whimper came from the side of the building where they saw a gutter had fallen over. The rainspout laid on the side like a rusty thrown-away pipe. The whimper came from within it, and there they saw their lost brother.

"Brick!" They shouted to the brown-red lizard.

The lizard almost jumped as the trio shouted its name. Its appearance was not very different than its brothers'. It was a beige, instead of white, with streaks of red, brown, and grey. Its skin was filled with ridges and valleys and had the appearance of being very dry. Its eyes were a deep red color, with thin black slit pupils almost blending with it.

"What are you doing here?!" The red one asked. "It's not safe here! The canal will soon spill its banks, sweeping the streets clean of debris."

"But brick, our beloved brother, we looked for your, to bring you somewhere safer."

"You'll be wasting your time. If broken bones could be put together again, I would come with you. My legs can't bring you or me anywhere safer," the red one replied and showed its left hind leg. It was cracked with many pieces missing.

"Brick! What happened to your leg?"

"See this gutter and rainspout?" The red one pointed to the fallen structure they're sheltered in. "When I was separated from you, the rain and wind came, and fell them to me. You'll be better off looking for shelter without me."

"Brick! How incorrect. We can find a way to mend those wounds. If you can't walk by yourself, allow us to carry you instead."

The clawed and horned one took the red one. They dragged it out the pipe and lay it on their backs. The red one stayed quiet as the rain pelted them with raindrops. The red one held fast to its brothers lest it falls and its brothers have to drag instead of carry.

The quartet of lizards walked towards the hole they once hid in. They searched for the house where their little hideout from the rain was situated. They walked on the wall which protected the streets from being flooded with water. The canal roared as it flowed with swiftness. The lizards became very wary of their predicament.

They fought against the wind and rain that tried to make them slip on wet stone and fall into the swift-flowing canal. The house where their hole was was soon in sight. Out of nowhere, lightning flashed and struck the house nearest to them. Its wooden parts caught fire, and its walls was shattered by the force. The nails that held the gutters soon gave way and made the gutters fall. The lizards was unable to dodge and was pushed into the swift waters of the canal, except for the green one, who was sound and unburdened. The orange and red lizards was carried by the waters to lands unknown.