Night Chase

Axel wakes up screaming where he found himself on the cold hard ground. His breathing was heavy, and his body was covered in beads of sweat.

Axel gazed out through the window and into the distance of the forest. The night was still young, and his body softly glowed in the moonlight.

He sat himself on the side of his mossy green bed, facing the window sill. He felt the cool pendant dangling from around his neck. Axel sighed as he wrapped his hands around his head and closed his eyes. Another night haunted by the same twisted dream, he thought.

It's been a little over three years now since the destruction of the giants.

Axel knew that he wasn't going to be able to fall back to sleep again, so instead, he got up and put on his clothes. He wore a slightly large vest that was a deep leathery brown. The texture of the armor was made of scales from a dragon. Rough one way and smooth the other. He grabbed his bow and arrows and walked out into the forest.

The air was cool and fresh, and the leaves rustled in the light breeze. Axel walked along the stream that glowed with a light crystal blue. Mushrooms and Passion Lilies with a powdery color of all sort, glowed on the edge of the stream and around where the water found its way. Nightshimmers flew around the evening sky as their long-feathered tails imitated the starry night sky. The song that they sung was unique to the forest, and a sound that Axel will never get tired of hearing.

Axel wandered deeper into the forest until he came to an open area. A ray of moonlight lit a carved stone which was sitting nestled in the center of the open. It was covered in moss and vines.

He knelt and placed a hand on the side of the stone and when he closed his eyes, he could see Osmond standing there in front of him. A tear was fighting to escape but Axel wouldn't let it, instead he took a deep breath and stood up as he loads his bow.

Aiming deep into the woods Axel started sprinting forward. He released arrows here and there, towards targets that he had made for practice. Occasionally there would be wooden statues of an elk or deer for him to shoot at.

Axel was about to release his last arrow when he heard a whip of a vine in the air. He stopped and stood there listening into the depth of the forest. He then felt something kick him from behind and he fell to the ground with a hard thud. When he glanced up he saw a blue crystal glowing in front of him. He tried to stand up but was struggling to breathe.

There in front of him stood a dark hooded figure picking up the crystal. Thinking quick, Axel managed to flop himself forward and grab one of the figures legs, but only enough to trip them.

Though the hooded figure got a running start, Axel didn't waste any time to catch the thief. He had no idea what had just happened but whatever it was, he knew that he wanted that crystal. He wanted it back.

The sky was still dark which allowed him to see the glow of the crystal floating through the forest. He didn't know about this thief but Axel knew this forest well. Axel shot up from the ground and headed off towards a different direction.

The stream shimmered and glowed under the moonlight. The fungus glowed a dreamy powdery swamp color, that lit a pathway allowing Axel to see beneath his feet. He saw a bright light in the distance dancing around through the forest. He got closer and closer to the crystal and at the right moment, he lunged towards the hooded figure. They both went tumbling to the ground.

Axel threw himself on top. "Who the hell are you?" Axel demanded as he tore the hood off the thief's head.

Axel stopped wrestling the figure, for he was taken by surprised.

"You're...a girl?" Axel stared down at the thief's powdery red eyes. She had wavy short hair that was a warm orangey red. Her skin was a warm tan and had freckles which powdered her cheeks.

"Obviously." The red head responded as she started to squirm her way out.

Axel snapped out of his gaze. He saw the crystal laying on the ground and leaped off her to grab it. They both shot up, but Axel got to the crystal first. He noticed that the crystal was just like his, a star sapphire, only blue.

"That crystal is not yours," she said as she leapt towards the crystal. Axel shot his arm straight up above his head.

"Where did you get this?" He gave her a look, "Who are you?" He was so confused.

"Doesn't matter." Again, she tried going for the crystal, but Axel kept his arm held high.

"What were you doing in the forest?" Axel kept his gaze on her. He couldn't help the fact that there was something familiar about her.

With a sigh, she finally took a step back, "That crystal you have in your hand belonged to someone very special to me, and I want it back." She pulled out a knife and thrust forward. Axel threw himself back, surprised.

"Who?" His mind was rushing all over the place.

"Doesn't matter." The thief was getting irritated.

"I think it does," Axel clenched his fingers around the necklace with a firm grip. "Because this belonged to someone who was special to me," Axel's voice began to raise. "He's the only one who meant the world to me. And because he's gone, I've got nothing, but this," he held the crystal up to her face, "Osmond had one just like this."

"Osmond." He heard the girl gasp.

Axel was taken aback when she said that. He saw her expression, which was a mixture between fear and eerie awe. Axel took a step back, not realizing that he had backed her up against a tree. There was a moment of silence.

"You knew him?" She looked down, her cheeks glowing.

Axel sighed, "Yeah, Osmond was my fath-. Well, Godfather that is, but either way, he was my...." His voice drifted as he glanced down at the crystal, "I thought this was lost forever."

The girl looked up at him confused, "He's, your Godfather?"

Axel gave her a nod, then asked, "How do you know him?"

"He was my instructor." She responded.

Axel looked amazed. He knew Osmond taught others the practice of a sacred gift of some sort, including him, but Axel was clueless.

"Aridith?" He asked amazed.

She stared at him for a second, then gasped, "Axel?"