Story Ideas

The Paw Printed Tree

"Damien!" Ashar yelled from the bottom of the stairs, her voice echoing off the walls of the empty house. "It's time to get up. You have to help me unpack the training equipment before you start your first day of school. Also, there's something that you need to know about this town - it's not like any of the places we've lived in before. Also, I'm making breakfast so hurry up before it gets cold!"

Damien scrambled through his bedroom window, but caught his foot on the window sill and stumbled headfirst onto the grey carpet next to his bed."Ouch!" Damien groaned as he picked himself up off of the floor.

"Damien? Is everything alright up there?" Ashar asked as she started to slowly ascend the creaky wooden staircase leading to his room.Damien frantically grabbed the wool blanket from his bed, and with a single motion, he had draped it over himself. He hastily scooted under the covers. The door creaked open and Ashar peered in cautiously.

"Yeah I'm fine, Ashar," Damien said, as if trying to convince himself. "Just fell off the bed.""Are you sure you're OK, Damien?" Ashar asked with her eyes cast downward.

"Yes," he replied quickly. His voice was high-pitched and unconvincing.

"OK, just making sure," she answered, her gaze lingering on the visible edge of his shoes.As Ashar shuts the door and begins to descend the stairs, Damien realizes his close call.

"Man that was close" he mutters to himself as he gets up and throws the blanket onto the bed. He strides towards his dresser, takes off his black shirt and pants covered in dirt and grass, and places them into an empty bottom drawer. Without delay, Damien puts on a fresh pair of jeans, then pulls a dark blue shirt over his head, its fabric skimming over an intricate symbol inked into his chest.For a typical human, the tattoo may appear to be just that—a tattoo. But for those like him, it hints at something far more significant: which race they belong to.

Over the heart of every werewolf is a paw print, though it is more vivid in the alphas. For an alpha, their chest markings take on the shape of a small half moon behind the paw print.

Vampires have a symbol like the two fangs of a vampire engraved on their left wrist. Each time they kill due to their bloodlust and lack of control, a tally mark appears above the symbol. The members of noble families possess a similar marking, but with a drop of blood instead of a tally. Each time they kill out of their blood lust, the amount of blood dripping off their mark increases. According to the "blood law" established by the Council of Races—two representatives from each of the four races—vampires are allowed up to 10 marks in the first 20 years of life, with an additional one mark per decade after that. Exceeding these limits will lead to imprisonment, while breaking the law again can result in death or capture by royal forces.

The witches have a special language that is only known to them. The Language of Potions are etched into the skin on the back of their left hand flowing up their arm, and it served as a signifier for their name. Beneath the name, it revealed the category of potions they can create.

The immortals were an enigmatic group of beings, their powers surpassing the limitations of mortality. A tree on their chest over their heart served as a symbol of their age and strength; for every year of life they experienced, a branch would grow from the trunk etched into the skin. Royals, who could trace their lineage back to the first immortals, have absolute control over one element. This gift is predetermined at birth and often lay dormant until hitting maturity around 15-18 years old. The magic they wield is not just an extension of themselves but a part of them, ingrained within each breath like an intrinsic heartbeat. the elements of air, fire, water and earth, you can tell what element they controlled by looking at the symbol on their chest. Air is represented by streaks of wind blowing through the branches; fire is marked by a small fire maintained at the base of the trunk for warmth and protection. Earth is represented by thick roots that coiled out from under the trunk and splayed outward into the ground like veins; water is shown as a stream flowing next to the tree. The more intricate a symbol, the stronger someone's connection with their element is.