The Last Flame - Crystal Bow

Chapter 4

Cliffton sat alone next to the forest when a thunderous sound shook the world. His eyes widened as he took in the scene but he couldn't believe what he saw; just above the treetops, a distant figure soared. Fire erupted from its jaws and it looked scarily like one of the ancient dragons he'd read about in stories. 

And it was in the direction of the village.

Cliffton sprang to his feet and ran across the forest. In the two months since he learned archery, he found himself spending more time in the forest, practicing his archery on small animals that he could bring back to his family for hunting. He was still thirteen, although he would be fourteen in about six months. Cliffton stopped at the edge of the village and stared in horror.

Screams rang through the smoky air as fire rained down from the sky, burning buildings and people alike. Cliffton looked around but he couldn't see his parents. Taking a deep breath, he ran into the flames, squeezing his eyes shut. He dashed through the heat and the smoke, coughing several times but determined to get to his house. Eventually, after a bit of fumbling and groping, he found the door and shoved it open. He heard a familiar scream upstairs and realized that the roof was on fire. 

Cliffton ran up to see that the structure of the house had collapsed in, trapping his parents. His father met his gaze. "Cliffton! Run! Go to the forest! Find your aunt!"

Cliffton's Aunt, Mumba, lived nearby in the forest where fae were rumored to live. Cliffton felt tears string his eyes and tried to rub them away, but this just got ash and dust in his face. "What about you?"

Cliffton's father shook his head. "Go in the other room, get our stuff! Run Cliffton! Please!"

Cliffton let out a choked sob and ran into the next room over, gathering all of his father's hunting and camping supplies when he spotted something. On the floor, there was his necklace; he'd given it back to his father after Buckie had disappeared. He hadn't wanted to be made fun of again. But now, Cliffton didn't care about being made fun of or anything of the sort; he simply grabbed the necklace and stuffed it into his pack alongside all of the others things. Cliffton scrambled to his feet and ran, feeling himself stumble as he burst out of the house, coughing at the sheer amount of smoke in the air. He ran straight the way he'd came until he finally got out of the smoke and collapsed to the ground in a heap. As he looked up, he saw a strange brown figure streaking across the sky. Cliffton had doubted what he'd seen earlier, but he was too close to deny it; that was a dragon.

Cliffton scrambled to his feet, raised a fist, and silently swore revenge. He would avenge his parents and White Bridge.

He just...had to figure out how.