The Last Flame - Crystal Bow

Chapter 7

Three days of walking in the wilderness and Cliffton was dirty, covered with blisters, and exhausted. He was living off of the food he'd salvaged from the fire and a water bladder that he'd filled back at the river. His clothes were covered with ash and soot and mud, caked in dirt. Leaves and branches stuck out from his hair, and Cliffton held his father's bow. He needed to hunt, and he needed to do it soon. He was running out of food and he couldn't live off of leaves and mushrooms.

Cliffton got to his feet and began to cautiously scour the forest until he finally found a deer. He grabbed his bow and nocked an arrow before drawing the string back and releasing. The arrow met it's mark and hit the deer in the shoulder, making it's leg collapse beneath it. Cliffton nocked another arrow and finished the deer quickly, then walking over to it. He'd learned from his father how to make cuts of meat for him to eat. He made a few cuts and looked up to see the sun starting to set.

Cliffton set up a campfire and leaned forwards, roasting some of the venison over the open fire. He cupped his face in his hands and began to cry.

His family was likely gone. He wasn't sure what to do now; he had no idea how to get to his Aunt Mumba's house from here and he probably couldn't live out in the wild without any shelter, and he only had so many arrows. Speaking of which, he grabbed the arrow from the dead deer, washed it off, and put it back in his quiver. Cliffton sighed and got to his feet, pulling the venison off of the stick he'd used to roast it and biting into it, tearing off a piece with his teeth.

Pride filled Cliffton. He was only thirteen, but he'd managed to kill and cook a deer. Maybe he could live on his own, if only he could find somewhere to stay. Cliffton finished his cut of deer and placed the rest in a container to keep it good. He curled up beside the fire and fell asleep.

++++

When Cliffton woke up, the fire had gone out and he was cold. He sighed and pushed himself to his feet, drinking some water and walking over to the river. He quickly bathed himself and cleaned the dirt, leaves, and mud out of his hair and crevices and then washed his clothes. 

When Cliffton came out of the water, he heard something crack and looked around. Somebody had been following him. Hurriedly, Cliffton went to fetch his bow, but it was gone. Fear filled him; his dagger, too, was gone. Both of his weapons had disappeared.

He heard a crunch and turned to see a man staring at him. He wore a white shirt with a lemon pattern woven into it and his ears were pointed. Horns curled up behind his head and then down and below his ears, framing his face and green eyes. He had the lower half of a goat, white with brown, and black spots.

"You're not human." Cliffton stated it as it was, backing up. "What did you do with my stuff?"

The man rose his hands palms-up. "We don't want to hurt you, I just need you to come with us."

"We?" Cliffton studied the man distrustingly.

"Tolei, come down!" At the man's call, a creature swooped down from the leaves. He appeared to be an eage, but he had the body and back half of a lion. Elegant feathered wings sprouts from his back and as he landed, he shifted into a more human-like creature. His wings stayed.

Cliffton tried to look scary but failed miserable, trembling like a tree in a hurricane's winds. The faun blinked. "My name is Hawken, and that's my friend Tolei. Like I said, we don't want to hurt you."

"Why are you here?" Cliffton took a step back. "What did I do?"

"You didn't do anything." Tolei shook his head. His voice, in contrast to Hawken's, was deep and seemed to echo through the forest with regality. "We saw your village burn. The King of The Fae requested to meet you, to learn more."

"I-I was barely there." Cliffton's eyes widened. The king of the fae?! "I didn't see anything other than the dragon!"

"Relax, boy." Tolei sighed. "You have no home, right?"

Cliffton frowned. "No."

"The King is patient and kind; he will likely give you a home in the palace." Tolei tilted his head. "Please."

Cliffton frowned. "Fine, but only if you give me my stuff back."

Tolei tossed Cliffton his bow and he caught it, and then he walked over and handed the boy his quiver and dagger. Cliffton thanked him and Tolei shifted.

An image of Cliffton on Tolei's back flashed through his mind and he blinked, surprised. "What...?"

"Gryphons speak with mental images." Hawken explained. He hopped up onto Tolei's back and shifted so he sat just behind his wings. "Hop on, kid."

Cliffton nervously slung his pack up over his shoulder and, with some struggle, climbed onto Tolei. The gryphon wasted no time, shooting up into the air. Cliffton let out a shout of surprise as he was lifted up into the air and carried to the palace.