The Whispering Phoenix

Chapter 1: The Hunter's Cabin

A/N: So I've been that I will start with lyrics from songs that I think fit Hunter since he's kinda the main focus of the book even though he's not the main character.
~
They all laughed as he turned around slow
They said you ain't welcome round here anymore
You just might as well go
He wiped the blood from his face
As he slowly came to his knees
He said I'll be back
When you least expect it
And hell's coming with me
Hell's coming with me
~ Hell's Coming With Me by Poor Mans Poison
~
Archer knew he should not have left the safety of Nowhere to wander the nearby forest. But it was also under the protective charm so he assumed he would be safe. But he had ended up getting lost and the six year old shapeshifter had now spent hours wandering the forest.

If he was older, he could have turned into a bird and flew back home. But creatures did not gain their abilities until they were sixteen years old. He shouldn't be worried though, creatures came into the forest all the time. And everyone in Nowhere knew each other. If he was found, the creature would just take him back to his parents.

But he still felt scared. It was in the afternoon. It was so bright. The creatures of Nowhere were nocturnal. He was rarely awake at this time. And it scared him that he was out in the light. He was worried a human would get him even though one would never be able to get past the protective spell.

It was fae magic, which made the spell quite powerful. Nothing would be able to get in or out. It had kept the creatures safe from the outside world for thousands of years. It would be strange if something threatened the town now.

Soon he came across an old cabin. He knew exactly what it was as he had heard many stories about it. Hunter's cabin. Legend said it belonged to a powerful fire mage who lost his mind. The place had been abandoned after his death. Most creatures avoided it at all costs. Some even said they could feel his spirit still lingering there.

Despite all the horrifying rumours, Archer approached the cabin. He instantly felt a wave of peace. It had a comforting presence. Like the warmth of a bonfire.

The cabin was clearly old. All the windows were smashed and the curtains were torn down. The door was open and leaning towards the side, it looked like it was going to fall off its hinge at any moment. On the wall beside the door, some teens had spray painted a grotesque looking ghost creature, there were spray painted words beside it that said "The monster lurks inside." Long claw marks ran down the front step and when he perked inside, he could see they went further in.

Maybe he was stupid, or maybe he was just too curious for his own good, but he went inside. He walked into the kitchen where the ruins of a table laid on the ground. A teapot was broken on the floor, Archer recognized the pieces of a spout and handle. It looked like the teapot had been beautiful painted in greens and blues.

To the right of the kitchen, there was a living room. With an old and tattered red couch. A huge fireplace was against the wall and when Archer wandered over it, fire leapt up from it.

The young shapeshifter jumped backwards but the fire did not follow him. It just calmly flickered in the fire place. The six year old ended up sitting in front of it for a bit and just enjoying the warmth. The fire turned into a playful blue and got warmer when he slowly smiled.

Archer headed down the hallway and went into a room. This one was medium sized, it had a small bed by the door and a large black bookshelf in the corner. All the books were covered in dust and each one had the carving of a salamander on the spine. Archer grabbed one and opened it.

It was full of beautiful drawings, each one was of a creature. One drawing was of a middle-aged man with pale skin, black hair with tufts of ginger in it that looked like flames and haunted yellow eyes. He had a stern expression on his face yet it almost looked like his eyes sparked with amusement. There was writing in the corner.

"With his last words he cursed the town. One day he would bring them all down. When the cabin's secrets are revealed. Nowhere will then yield."

Archer's inquisitive mind perked up at the idea of secrets. He flipped to the next page. It was a drawing of a woman, about the same age as the man. She had pale skin, ginger hair that went to her hips and orange eyes. She had freckles dotting her face.

The next page was a drawing of a young teen boy. He had pale skin, ginger hair with tufts of black hair that looked like flames and those same haunting yellow eyes. He had freckles on his

Next page there was a drawing of a teen female fae. She had pale skin, long brown hair and blue eyes. She lad large feathered wings that were a mix of dark blue and teal.

Archer flipped to the next page and was met with the drawing of a fascinating creature. It had dark grey skin, violet eyes, short blood red hair and pointed elf ears. It was covered in armour He instantly recognized the creature. It was a shapeshifter, they all looked like that in their true forms. The writing was quite a bit different.

"The knight's blood is the key to everything."

Then there was a bunch of blank pages. One page just had a tiny bit of writing.

"It's under the floorboards."

Finally at the last page, there was a bit more writing.

"Have you ever heard the tale of the fire salamander? They saw that a long time ago, a salamander was born with the ability to create fire. Some said it was a blessing from Ignis, others muttered that it was a curse. But a salamander is a salamander, it's not meant to have that much power. In the end, the salamander destroyed itself. This story is often told to young creatures and I heard it many times during my childhood. But I never could grasp the meaning of it. Stories are supposed to have meaning, right? What was this story trying to tell me? I later learned that I was looking at it the wrong way. It wasn't trying to give me a life lesson, it was warning me of something to come-"

"Archer! There you are!"

Casey, Archer's older brother had walked into the cabin and spotted him.

"What are you doing here? This place has an evil presence to it, can't you feel it?"

The book had been dropped and Archer had been picked up. The child squeaked.

"I feel a magical presence, but it's warm and comforting."

Casey just sighed.

"Don't go wandering off, Mom and Dad are worried sick."

And with that, the two young shapeshifters left the cabin, leaving the strange book behind. There was a tiny bit left that hadn't been read. When the light from the broken window hit it, the words lit up with a blue colouring.

"I didn't realize it then, but I do now. I was the salamander."