Gelun Forest
Arktis Skyland
Northern Space
Snow scrunched beneath Alec's thick black boots. He made no sound as he threaded over behind a pale, leafless tree. Steely pale blue eyes locked on a deer, with fur so white it almost blended with the snow. He took the time to examine its small wings, making sure that it was slow enough to escape if he ever missed the first shot.
He took a deep breath to calm himself, forming a small cloud of mist as he exhaled. His fingers grabbed the flight of the arrow and nock it on his bow. His hands shook from the freezing temperature, the thin gloves he used, unable to provide the warmth he needed.
He crouched down as he kept his eyes on his prize. If he could catch it, it would give him enough food to last for a week without hunting.
I need a break, he thought drily.
He jumped out from his spot. With his crystal blue eyes as cold as the snow in Gelun Forest, he drew the string back. He let go, and the arrow whooshed through the cold thin air, hitting its target right on the neck. The creature's body shook as it fell, before stilling moments later. Its wings shined and broke into glitters of light, before a soft wind blew it along. Blood covered the spot around the dead animal, ruining the beautiful whiteness of the snow.
Alec let out a sigh as he slung his bow on his back. He tightened the belt where three rabbits hung, before fixing his fur coat tighter around his frame. Bending down on one knee, he placed a hand on the dead creature's soft pelt, and closed his eyes.
"Bless your soul dear offspring of nature," he said. "May you, find peace in our Lord's realm." He opened his eyes spoke once more, out of prayer. "I'm sorry. I wouldn't be doing this if I don't need to."
After staring at the deer's lifeless body, he decided that he spent enough time in the forest already. With the small buck slung over his broad and strong shoulders, he threaded up-slope, out of Gelun's leafless forest. Grunts escaped his lips, as the tiredness from hunting since the morning caught up to him.
Once he reached the top of the slope, he squinted to find the way home. After a full minute, he swerved to his right and to a path surrounded with nothing but endless snow. About half an hour later, he saw the small rundown wooden cottage that belonged to none other than him.
Feeling the air getting chillier as the setting sun bathed the sky in hues of yellow, orange, and violet, he decided to hurry. In no time, he reached the front of his battered wooden black door, and dropped the deer onto the rickety porch, along with the belt with rabbits.
He unlocked his home, before getting inside. A minute later, he came back with knives in his hand and decided to dress the animals before he could butcher them tomorrow. After an hour, he hung the deer on a tree near his home, with its stomach empty and gaping open with redness of blood dripping on the snow. He draped the rabbits over a low branch.
He went back inside and cleaned himself up. As he donned a thick wool shirt, and comfortable big trousers he made sure to add more wood to his fireplace, spreading warmth through his home. He then lit a candle, before night swallowed the whole Arktis Skyland. He stood next to his bed as he watched the candle's flame flicker, filling his home with light. He set it down on a large table, taking care to place it as far away from the piles of thick books he finished reading. Once he picked up the discarded clothes on the floor, he sat on his bed. He released all the tension and strength on his muscles and fell back with his head nestled on his pillow.
He sighed and drew the furs to his neck to get a good night's sleep. But sleep refused to take him in its arms, and he tossed around his small bed. Every movement made the bed squeak in protest, until the last thread of his patience snapped. He got up and marched to his porch with a scowl etched on his face. The light of the twin moons greeted his line of sight, along with the billions of stars that blanketed the sky.
"Another sleepless night, huh?" he whispered to the sky. Even with the chilling wind that blew through his porch, he made no move to get back inside. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the serenity of the surroundings, and a small smile formed on his lips. His smile faltered though, as he reached a hand up to clutch his chest.
"I miss you Alen," he said.
He sighed as he realized a stray tear escaped one of his eyes. With some haste, he wiped it away with the sleeve of his shirt. He leaned on a post as he continued staring outside.
Memories of him and Alen playing and rolling on the snow flooded his mind. He remembered how they tossed snowballs at each other, until their faces turned red from the cold. He remembered when Alen first taught him how to use the bow and arrow. He hit the center of the target on his second try, and his mind never forgot how he looked at him with excitement and how pride seeped through his eyes.
A small laugh escaped him when he remembered the time he taught him how to throw a knife. Alen barked lectures at him telling him that trying to aim for his knees was not part of the lesson. He was chuckling inside for the entire two-hour lecture, while he had on an innocent tearful and sorry look on his face.
He shook his head at himself for reminiscing about those old childhood memories. A pained smile fitted his chapped lips, as he recalled his last memory of him.
"Don't cry when I die or I'll seriously kill you," he had said on his deathbed. It was supposed to make him laugh but it made him wail like the child he was eight years ago.
"One day, when life gives you a chance to do something please do not hesitate to do it," Alen added as seriousness fell over his face.
Alec pushed himself off the post and heaved in the cold air. He glanced at the game he caught earlier hanging on the tree, before he decided to go back inside, and attempted to at least get some sleep.
―――
Alec fell off the bed at the sound of a loud roar. His head hit the wooden floor hard enough to earn a groan from him. With a grunt, he forced himself up, and leaned his back on the bed. He drew one knee up to his cheek, with the other leg sprawled out while he rubbed the sleep and pain away from himself.
He strained his ears again for the irritating roar that ruined his sleep. Hearing nothing but the twittering of the Arktis birds, he got up and readied himself. He decided to butcher the deer today and sell half of it and the rabbits in town.
After eating a light meal of meat and cold soup, he dressed himself in his black wool and furs and put on his hunting boots. He took his bow and quiver of arrows, and tucked numerous knives in the hidden compartments of his boots. Moments later he stood outside, and locked his door.
But when he turned to the tree where his deer and rabbits hung, his eyes widened in shock. He rushed towards it, and jerked down to his knee and grabbed hold of the broken rope that he tied on his game yesterday.
His eyes narrowed into slits as he noticed deep trails on the ground, like something was being dragged. He noticed flecks of blood on it too. His eyes followed the trail, as he stood. As his gaze continued to move, the one who stole his prize got farther and farther away, but closer to the Arktis Edge. He cocked his head to the side, as his brows knit in confusion.
"Why would he take it to the Edge?" he mumbled.
That wasn't the first time that somebody dared to steal one of his kills. But that was the first time that the trail led to somewhere else, instead of toward the town. With curiosity gnawing at him, he decided to follow it. His attention focused on the trail so much that he failed to notice the big prints of the animal which the trail barely hid from his view.
Less than half an hour later, Alec caught sight of the Edge. He gulped, and moved closer to the clump of large grey rocks. A gust of wind whipped at his jet black hair as he hopped on top of one. He looked over to the spot only a few feet away from him. There he saw the endless clusters of clouds that floated by below the skyland of Arktis. The clouds obscured his view of the bottom, but it was not like he was going to actually see the bottom of this world they called Kosmiks.
Nobody never even knew if the infinite sky actually had a bottom. And those who dived below with their Draes to find out, never returned again.
A growl made his head snap away from the infinite sky, and turn to his left. It came from behind two large flat rocks. With soundless footsteps, he reached the rock and crouched low on top of one. As he inched closer to see where the growl came from, his eyes grew big, and his mouth hung open.
There, munching on the body of his buck, was one of the most magnificent and dangerous creatures of Kosmiks. Its inborn silver armor glistened in the early morning sun. It covered its spine to the tail, the outlines on its wings, and its head. Hard scales almost as red as blood, peeked out from the said silver. The creature's length spanned to almost nine feet long.
Alec watched as its narrow head and snout devoured the deer, tearing its flesh piece by piece. He heard its grunts and growls, as it continued to feast. Time seemed to stop for Alec when the Drae stilled and stopped eating. It sniffed the air as if looking for a certain scent. Alec scrambled up from his spot and made a move to leave.
"Wild Drae," he said as a practically ran. "Too dangerous...."
But right after he said that, a shadow flew above him. The next thing he knew, snow flew in the air when something landed in front of him.
"Holy Kosmos!" he said, as he took a step back.
Yellow eyes with slit black pupils met with his pale blue ones. The Drae was so close that he could feel the creature's warm breath fanning his face. The scent of blood and flesh caused his nose to wrinkle, but Alec was too terrified to make a move.
He remained still as his gaze fell over the Drae. The silver plate wrapped around its head reflected the golden light of the sun. From there, the silver thinned and faded into the red scales that covered the rest of its head. Two grey horns bordered between the silver head plate, and red scales.
The part that terrified him was the fact that it bore its sharp teeth at him. Its lips twitched as low growls escaped through his teeth.
The Drae and the hunter remained in that position for only Kosmos knows when. To Alec's surprise, its sharp teeth retracted back into its gums. The Drae's forehead creased, as it tilted its head, regarding him with confusion. Alec was unable to do anything but mirror its look. It pulled its head back and bent low and stared at one of his hands.
Alec had no idea why, but he lifted his hand towards the creature. The Drae jerked its head back, but as Alec's hand remained in the air, it inched forward towards him.
A sigh of awe and relief came from Alec, as the Drae pressed his snout to his hand. It was rough, and he could feel the heat of the creature, giving him a bit of warmth that he sought whenever he was out in the cold.
As he stared into its eyes, he saw a gleam of happiness in them as its pupils grew slightly big. That gleam seemed infectious, as Alec reflected the same in his eyes with a small smile on his lips.