Winged Dream

Hunted

"Waldek?" Freyer asked as they we're heading down the stairs. "Why are you so concerned about attracting attention?" Waldek stopped dead it his tracks.He didn't say anything but Freyer gathered that it would be best to never bring it up again.

When they came into the kitchen they saw Finn roasting delicious potatoes. '

Hmm didn't peg him as the cooking type.' Freyer thought.

A little while later,Freyer saw something even more surprising. Waldek had cooked the most scrumptious looking dinner, and he was serving it,still in his girlish apron. Waldek sat down and they began eating .For quite some time they all shared one group thought along with their silence:

'AKWARD'

"So,a,Waldek, you said I'd be working?"

"Yes, you'll help Finn with his chores, and find a job elsewhere when you learn how things work here." 'I see he's gotten his complete indifference back.'

"Brother, should we not ask him where the hell he's from?!" Once again Finn sounded...not so happy.

"I suppose. ask away."  he replied obviously bored with the subject.

"Well, where are you from?" Finn insisted.

'he's enjoying this isn't he?'

"A town no one knows about,Lochedge,England."

"Where?"  they asked. It seemed he had managed to peak Waldek's curiosity, as he had spoken.

"Um, England, ya know, in Europe..." The brothers had come to perhaps their first agreement: Freyer. Was. Crazy. They all stopped talking again and then Waldek got up and brought back uncooked cream puffs.

"I-ION PUFFS!! Brother we have not had these in soo long!!!!!" Finns sparkles returned from the grave and this time were joined by Waldek's smile as opposed to his hand. Waldek set them down in the middle of the table. Finn stood up and said

"Freyer, get back" Although he could see no reason for it, he did anyway.

'Maybe there made of C4.'

Finn put his hand to his mouth (left pointer on the edge of his lips) and blew out a furious stream of flames. When they had cleared it revealed a platter of perfectly cooked Ion puffs. Waldek and Finn divided up the puffs into three piles. As his first kind gesture to Freyer, he passed Freyer his portion. Freyer just kept staring at him and Waldek.

"Uhh....Frey....ya gonna eat that...?

'The...the bloody hell?fire, fire came out of his...What kind of cream puff recipe calls for torching with lethal force!?'

"Oh,sure..."Freyer took a small bite of the Ion puff. It's Thick cold cream splurged into his mouth, along with the flaky golden brown shell. Freyer's pupils turned into giant sparkly stars. Drool ran down his chin. He shoved the rest of it in his face and took as many more as he could hold and did the same. Before long Finn and Freyer were tossing puffs back and forth into each others mouths. Waldek unsurprised by this continued to eat his like a normal person.

"Bed,now." Waldek commanded when they had run out of cream puffs. The pair wearily went  upstairs into their room.

The next morning Freyer woke up to see that Finn had fallen out of his bed and was sleeping on the floor under a pile of blankets,including Freyer's.

'hmm...maybe I should wake him up.'

He went over and tapped him lightly on his shoulder. There was a response. Finn lept up sword in hand, aimed at Freyer.

'de ja vu'

He blinked his eyes open and stared. Just stared at him.

"You... sleep with your sword...?Freyer asked and then Finn lowered his sword and continued to stare. Then he grabbed Freyer's wrist and nonchalantly dragged him down stairs into the kitchen. Finn went over to the cupboard to get breakfast and Freyer sat in the chair he had been shoved into,Freyer noticed that there was a note on the table.He tried to read it but.

'Where the hell am I?!'

It was in some strange writing that looked more like organized squiggles to him.

"Finn,there's a....er....note here..."

"Hmm?let me see that."Finn snatched the note from Freyer's hand.

"Well,what does it say?"

"Fool,can't you read?It says: Finn,Freyer,gone for a while.Something turned up.Both of you are to split these chores. .Clean the kitchen .Weed the bath .Get more food .Sharpen the tools and weapons. .do the laundry Dinner and lunch are in the cupboard above the knives and spoons.Don't die.Don't go to the village.Don't give your selves away. -Waldek"

'don't give your selves away'.... "Gone?Where did he go? "

"I don't know."

"You don't know?!"

"Well he's working.Does it all the time,just leaves in the middle of the night.Find a note in the morning."

"Where the hell does he work...?"

"No-'where' he's a bounty hunter."

'......figures......'

For the rest of the week Finn and Freyer did the chores as needed and talked to pass the time.Then at the end of said week, it was time to 'get more food.'

They headed out the next morning. It was about a 20 minute walk to the forest. Although Finn did his best to stay fairly close he still ended up quite a ways ahead of Freyer. As Freyer got closer to the forest he saw that in one tree there was...something...As the tree came into focus he realized, the 'something' he saw in the tree, was Finn

"Finn! What are you doing up there?!" Now at the base of the tree he noticed that Finn was gnawing at it. "What the!!? Bloody hell. Are you eating the tree?!" Finn released his death grip and jumped down from his perch

"Of course!  it...a...it's kinda like a..comfort food..."Finn's face turned a bright red." It...a...calms me...down...and....OH FORGET MY DRACONIC EATING HABITS! LET US GO OFF TO SLAUGHTER THINGS TO DEVOUR WITH PROPER SEASONING!!!"

'Trees...he eats...trees..?'

Finn and Freyer carried on through the woods in their search for food. Finn occasionally pointed out plants that were edible or handy, and what they  were good for. Finn started to feel on edge. Their few lines of dialogue had dropped to zero for little.The feeling kept getting stronger.

"Freyer."

"Hn? What is it?" Finn's face. It was an expression he had not seen. He looked nervous, worried, anxious. Even the way he talked.Something was wrong.

"Ah...It's..." "Something's not right."

"Yeah. I. Every time I look away I feel it. The glare. Like I...am prey."

Freyer could feel it too. But not as intense. He could feel the danger ,but he didn't feel like prey ,not quite. The feeling, the hair raising feeling of being watched, hung in the air like a poisonous fog. It was silent. Not not even the sound of wind blowing through the trees was present.All of the sudden Finn drew his sword and turned 180. Not 5 meters behind them, was a man, dirty, and he also had drawn his sword.

"HA, it would seem I had not vanquished all of you beasts!!"The man boasted. Finn slashed at him almost cutting his stomach open. If the man hadn't slipped back when he did...

'Finn.'

The man came at him but luckily Finn could match his speed. There swords clashed. The pushed harder one each other waiting for the other to slip. Finn held his ground, turned slightly and shouted

"FREY! RUN!"

His pupils shrank. Blood splattered. Finn collapsed, he lie on the ground, his breathing heavy. He couldn't move. Blood flowed from the gash in his side.

"FINN!!"

Freyer had stumble back on to the ground and was right next to were Finn lay. Paralyzed with fear. The man drew nearer,ready to give the final blow. He lifted his sword smirking at his handy work. Freyer saw a flicker of movement behind him and then.CHOP! Blood spewed from the man's neck and his head rolled on the ground stopping right at Freyer's feet. Everything became hazy and dark but the last thing Freyer saw stayed with him. Waldek's face, glaring, a dark shadow over his ruthlessly cold eyes. The blood splattered on his cheek.

Later Freyer found himself on his bed across from Finn. Freyer walked slowly over, holding back his tears. He stood over Finn's unconscious body for a while. Sorrow surrounded him. Memories of earlier haunted him. He felt nothing but regret that he could do nothing to help when he needed it.

'It's all my fault.. If I hadn't been there...Next time, I'll protect him,'

Waldek was downstairs in their living room. He sat in a beautiful leather chair surrounded by piles & piles of books. He was reading a blue bound tome. Quietly he turned the brittle yellowed pages. Without so much as a glance up from his book he said

"What is it Fre-"

"What's going on!?" Freyer demanded. Waldek looked up from the book and stared with that 'go on' expression.

"You're not tell me everything.' Don't give yourselves away', attract too much attention, when that man attacked Finn he said 'It would seem I had not vanquished all of you beasts!!' and how do you plan on explaining fire coming out of Finn's mouth!!? WHAT ARE YOU HIDING!?!?!!" Waldek was speechless. Never had he heard Freyer raise his voice, not like that.

"We're......half dragons....."

"Half........Why...why didn't you just...tell me?"

"You really are a fool aren't you? Here, dragons are considered evil. We are thought to be the devil's favorite out of all demons. We, and those who are associate with us."

"Will there..be more? Like the last one?"

"Probably but fortunately I don't think they know about us yet. That one today just got lucky." "Then..train me."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Teach me to fight."

"What...?"

"I can't help you, if I can't fight."