Sparrow had arrived at the small village he called home as the sun had started to rise. The village was still asleep as usual this early. The carriage dropped him off right outside the village not wanting to risk the curse the village was rumored to have. This village held the name Dramophalia which came from the name of the afterlife, Dramophal. Most people avoided the village worried it would bring them to Dramophal quicker, but to Sparrow it was home.
He walked through the village smelling the fresh bread being made in the bakeries before the breakfast rush. Each building looked the same, black stone homes with gray wood roofs. That is except for one house, this house was made of sandy brown wood with a blue stained roof. This was where Sparrow had been raised by his kind, fun loving mother, she had built this house to bring the whole village joy. Sparrow opened the door to his home and the smell of a fresh baked moonberry cake filled his soul.
“Sparrow is that you?” Sparrow’s mother called from the kitchen.
“Yeah, I’m home.” Sparrow savored the moment before moving to the kitchen. “Is that moonberry cake I smell?”
“Yes, it is, I picked the moonberries fresh yesterday. The cake just finished baking, come grab a slice of it.”
“Of course I wouldn’t miss fresh moonberry cake for the world.” Sparrow went to the kitchen to find a piece of the cake cut and on a plate.
“Come sit, tell me about how you’ve been.” His mother’s cool blue eyes invited him to sit across from her at the table.
“I’ve been great mom. The training is hard but fulfilling. I’m much more confident with my sword than I usually, so I think it’s worth it.” Sparrow took a big bite of the cake, and the flavors stuck to his tongue.
The cake had an unmatched sweetness that you can only get from the plants grown in the village, the tart moonberries blended with the sweetness making it more palatable. His mother always added more sweetness to her moonberry cakes so the contrast of sweet and tart was perfect. It filled him with memories of his childhood, which brought Natali to his memory.
“How’s Natali doing?” Sparrow asked his mom.
“I’ve heard she’s doing well. According to her dad she just started harvesting from the woods.”
“Nice, when would be the best time for me to go and see her?”
“I heard she is spending some time in the woods to become better acquainted with them, I think she’ll be back in a few days.”
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“Then I guess I’ll have to wait.” Sparrow looked out longingly toward the woods, past the property line.
“The sun has fully risen by now; I best be off to get the best bread in town for dinner tonight. You can go and get settled in while I’m out.” His mom stood up, gave Sparrow a kiss on the forehead, and left.
Sparrow headed up the stairs to his room, it was a nice little room with anything a growing boy could need. A desk, a bed, pictures on the wall, and most importantly his hiding spot for late night snacks. There was also a window leading to a tree Sparrow had used many times to see Natali late at night. Him and Natali had grown up together, they were neighbors, learned the basics together, and just inseparable. That changed when Sparrow had been told that he would join the champions in the Capital, Natali hadn’t contacted Sparrow since that day. Sparrow wanted to find her as soon as possible and figure out what was happening between them, what he did wrong and how to fix it.
The bed was soft and cozy, the opposite of what the Champions’ beds were like, It invited him to lay down and he was out. A room filled his sleep, it was the room he typically saw in his dreams, it was dark but the throne at the end of the hall was lit by candles. Pillars lined the walls, and between each pillar was the bleeding head of random species. The throne was made of bones with a deer head hanging above it. On either side a Houndwolf bed sat unused. Voices came from a door to the left of the throne and the door opened; they spoke a language Sparrow had only ever heard in these dreams but this time they were different people. Other than the king and his son Marshalo he saw 2 tall lean figures with pale skin and white hair. One looked directly at where Sparrow was, meeting him with the figures deep blue eyes that seemed to come from the deepest part of the ocean. The other figure looked at him too, but his stormy eyes seemed to go right through him, after a bit of back and forth the two went back though the left door.
“SPARROW!! COME!!” A voice called from the door to the right. “I NEED YOU HERE!! AS SOON AS POSSIBLE”
“COME ON SPARROW!” Soon the voice changed to Sparrow’s mom.
Sparrow rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and went downstairs. He found his mom sitting in the family room with Natali’s dad across from her.
“So, it’s true that you made it back. I was hoping you would help me with something. It doesn’t have to be now but just as soon as you can get the needed people for the job.” Natali’s dad met him with pleading eyes
“Of course I’ll help. What’s the problem?” Sparrow sat next to his mom
“Do you remember Safia?” Natali’s dad looked down at his hands. “Well, she went missing last night. No one can find her; you’re our last hope.”
Sparrow remembered Safia, she was Natali’s sweet younger sister. “Really, do you think she ran away or was she taken? I hope she just ran away.”
“If she ran away it’s likely she ran to the woods to find her sister.” Sparrow’s mom chimed in.
“Would Safia really so something like that?” Sparrow looked between his mom and Natali’s dad.
“She loves her sister; she’s also been upset since Natali left.” Natali’s dad rubbed his hands together, leaving them red.
“I’ll do the best I can. Would it be ok if I wait till I go back to the Champions so I can get help?”
“Of course, I just want her to be safe. I have others looking for her already.” Natali’s dad stood up and left.
