A small, grey ball of fluff shivered under the pouring rain. It was lying on the steps of a tiny cottage in the middle of nowhere. There was yelling inside the cottage, a man, and a boy. There was a loud crash and the boy stormed out the door, slamming it behind him. He was busy tucking a small leather journal into his satchel and he wasn't paying attention to where he was going. He stepped on to the last step and felt a squishy lump. As he panicked and jumped off the stairs, he heard a crack along with eerie silence from the creature he stepped on. He looked down and saw a fluffy, grey kitten. He scooped it up and gasped.
"A Tabaxi!" he stared at the small humanoid kitten. Its big blue eyes were streaming tears. The kitten's tears mixed with the pouring rain, creating quite a sad sight for the boy. He took a closer look and saw that the Tabaxi's leg had been broken.
"Can you talk little guy" the boy frowned.
The kitten shook his head. His tears had begun to slow down, and he wriggled in the boy's arms.
"We should take you to the healer in the nearby town. It's only a few hours walk, and I was heading there anyways," the kitten began to move his paws around in a series of signs.
The boy stared at the kitten, puzzled. He stood staring at the kitten for a second before speaking, "Sign language? I don't know sign language, sorry little guy," he gave the kitten a sympathetic look. The kitten stared back with huge sparkling eyes.
The boy opened his mouth to ask the kitten something else, but he was stopped by the sound of the door opening. He ran to the side of the cottage, kitten in his hands. The boy held his breath as he clung to the kitten. They both shivered from fear along with the chilly rain that streamed from the sky.
"Boy! Where are you?" a large man had emerged from the house, screaming angrily into the wet night. The kitten wondered who this man was, and why the boy was running away. The kitten watched the man, intrigued. He opened his maw in shock as he saw the man's outline in the moonlight. An elf! He thought. He turned to look back at the shivering boy. The kitten's eyes widened; the boy was an elf too! He was pulled from his thoughts by a loud slam. He and the boy both jumped at the noise. The man had gone back inside the house.
After a moment of silence, the boy spoke, "That was my uncle," the boy explained, "He has been taking care of me since my parents disappeared. He hates me. I decided to run away and go on an adventure! My dad used to go on a lot. He wrote about them in his journal. I'm going to do the same!" The boy smiled. The kitten licked his hand in reply. They both sat there for a moment, the pale moon's glow staring at them like a giant eye.
"Why exactly were you on the stairs of my house?" the boy's face contorted into a puzzled look. The kitten made a writing motion with his hand. The boy stared for a second, the puzzled look still there. It disappeared as he realized what the kitten meant.
"Sorry, I spaced out for a second there," the boy patted the kitten on the head. The kitten let out a small purr. The boy reached for his satchel and pulled out a piece of paper, ink, and a quill. Small raindrops hit the paper. The rain is slowing down. Once it stops, we should leave, thought the boy. The kitten was scribbling on the paper in messy handwriting. He came to a stop and handed the boy the paper. In messy handwriting the paper read:
My name is Silent Quill. Call me Quill. My family abandoned me in the nearby woods. I walked for a while until I got to your house. I come from a rich royal family. I know that war is coming. They abandoned me to save their last heir.
The boy sat there, a billion questions racing through his head. This kitten sure has a big vocabulary, he thought. He continued thinking about what the kitten said. He decided to ask one question at a time. He took a deep breath,
"Ok. So, who is your family?" the boy asked. Quill took the paper along with the quill and wrote:
My family is the royals of Asratoil, the capital city of Wistimis. Do you know the places I speak of? They are on every map of Zespiria.
He stopped writing for a second and looked at the boy for a reply. The boy nodded. Quill continued:
My father is the king, and my mother is the queen. My brother was in line for the throne until he died in a terrible accident. I am now next in line. Except my parents abandoned me.
The boy decided to ask the next question, "What is the war that is coming?"
Quill began to write:
My father told me little about it. I did overhear some details. There is unrest in the people, they think my father will crack under the pressure to protect the kingdom. He is protecting it from an army of beasts. They are led by a king. The king of Lavoria, his name is King Assyrius. Lavoria is not on any map that I have seen before, it is one of the banished lands.
The boy's eyes widened as he read what Quill knew. The banished lands! Thought the boy, people never mention those! Quill handed the quill, ink, and paper back to the boy. The boy quickly put them in his bag. They both sat there for a while, exhausted.
"We should probably begin walking to the town. "Your leg is hurt," the boy said as he stood up, Quill still in his hands. He began to walk down a path into the woods, not even glancing back at the cottage.
As a side note, you have an awesome username and your profile is super cool.. kinda gives Myspace vibes
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