Ties of Blood : Chapter 1 - Part 1

"The blood... stirs..."

I looked around wildly, unable to pinpoint the source of the voice. Darkness... all I could make out were shadows hiding more shadows. There was nary a thing within sight, everything was clouded in the deepest shades of black.

"...it calls... ...burns..."

All of a sudden, I could feel my body tensing up, all the while heating up. My brain was pressured to the brink of madness, and through it all, I couldn't even scream.

"...you... legacy..."

My mind raced as all my senses went haywire. Light spewed out of the darkness like a painter would throw paint to a canvas without a single care. High-pitched shrieks deafened me. My skin, not content with feeling the constant rise of temperature now told me it was under the assault of a thousand needles. My mouth went entirely dry, tasting the acrid dust in the air. And I smelled... I smelled...

...death.

"...no time..."

My time had come, so I thought. Out of the darkness, I was thrown into a chaotic blankness. I couldn't endure this anymore, I was ready to succumb in Altana's arms. It was my dearest wish. And it was realized, though not as fatally as I had wanted.

My body felt damp all of a sudden, my skin brushed a soft, airy cloth. My nose smelled the damp soil and grass, my ears heard the crickets chirping. And my mouth tasted of milk. I looked outside, as to seek salvation from the ordeal I went through. A waxing moon stared down at me, as though the night kept a watchful eye for Altana's children. My breathing, erratic at first, calmed from the panicked rhythm, trying to force my heart to follow suite.

Around me, I looked for comforting thoughts. My fishing rod, which I used as a kitten to get the occasionnal crayfish. My strength was barely enough to get my bite out of the water and onto the docks of Windurst Waters. Many a day I spent there with Rosaly, my adoptive sister, at the back of the Rhinostery, enjoying the sometimes sweet, sometimes wild fragrances stemming from the Tarutaru ministery studying the various flora of the world.

Then, I looked at a small bow, made of willow lumber, which at first was a mere toy in my hands. But as I aged, it fulfilled its purpose as a hunting tool, as I learned to hunt down small game as I grew up. I swore on that bow that someday I'd be a great Ranger.

I know, that never happened, but the thought helped me steady my hands, as my mind started focusing like if I was trying to keep a steady aim at some prey. My body started cooling back down, the rushing nervousness fading away progressively.

That nightmare again... It has been slightly over two months since its first occurence. Ever since, the frequency and intensity of the feelings of dread had intensified, making each time after waking up a tougher ordeal to recover from. It has been so grave I moved back to the family house three weeks ago. Mother was more than understanding, and Rosaly came to check on me regularely ever since she caught wind of my... condition. I tried to assure them both this was nothing to worry about, but they were not so easily fooled.

I groggily pulled back on my sheets, the coolness of the sweat refreshing in the gruely hot summer savanah night doing well in comforting my heating body, but serving only as a reminder of how scarred my soul has become. It has become hard steeling myself for slumber, ever dreading the return to that hellish assault on my nerves. My heart didn't thump as hardly anymore, calmed down as after a small sprint. I could only hope tomorrow would help bring my mind off those disturbing nights.