The Whispering Phoenix

Chapter 2: Sixteen

They say that I'm wanted
Hear the whispers in the street
Better start running
Cause nothing scares me
Faster faster
I'm the one you're after
Back down for nothing
You'll have to come and get me
No more warnings
I follow my own decree
You built a fortress
But I'll never kiss the ring
Faster faster
You're the one I'm after
Back down for nothing
Cause I'm my own king
- Outlaw by Neoni
~

Sun shone all around Nowhere and the nearby forest. The town was quiet. Everyone has asleep. Well, everyone except a young shapeshifter.

Archer walked through the woods, listening to the bird song flitter through the air. The smell of rain hung in the air and it tickled his nose slightly. But the day was beautiful. Creatures rarely went out during the day as they were mostly nocturnal. But he enjoyed the daylight, the warmth of sun, how everything was just so bright and more prettier than it was during the dark of night.

Lately, Archer had been venturing outside of Nowhere and into the nearby forest more often than he usually did. As he got older, he realized his boring it was just staying in the town. He wanted adventure. Unfortunately, there wasn't really any way for him to get adventure. Nowhere and it's forest were sealed behind a protective barrier spell and had been for thousands of years. That meant nothing could get in or out. Only a creature like a fae or a mage could take it down and they would have to be very powerful in order to do that.

Faes and mages were pretty much non existent. Archer had never seen one but his parents said they were still around, it was just really rare to see one. Plenty of rumours surrounded the two creatures. Some said that they were just happily living in the forest and that they were just anti social and preferred to be alone or with others.

But others said that Violet, the fae who created the spell that kept everyone safe in Nowhere, killed them all so that no one would be able to take down her spell. That seemed a bit extreme to Archer, creatures rarely killed each other. It was an unspoken rule between them.

Archer wasn't sure what happened to them, but wherever they were, he hoped they were having a good life. Twigs crunched under his feet as he broke into a run. A branch snagged in his red hair and broke off a stick, leaving it in his hair.

He leapt over a log with a laugh and skidded across the weight grass. He hummed a little tune to himself as he raced through the forest. Animals scattered as he accidentally disturbed their resting place. He abruptly stopped when he reached the mysterious cabin. He panted and tried to catch his breath. His red hair stuck to his face and he quickly smoothed it out.

He walked up to the door of the cabin. It still hung off its hinges, like it did when he was a child. He stepped up onto the deck. There was a crack and his foot fell through the wood.

"Archer? Is that you?"

A voice called out.

"Yep."

"What happened?"

"My foot fell through a board. This place is getting old, one day the whole floor is gonna collapse."

The creature came into view and laughed. It was Moonlight, one of his best friends. She was an elf with pale skin, short blonde hair that did not hide her ears and blue eyes. She held out her pale hand and he grabbed it with his grey one. She helped pull him up.

"We should really stop meeting here, this thing is like a thousand years old."

Another voice mumbled and Archer turned to see Camillo peak his head out of a broken window to stare at the two.

"Actually, it's closer to a million than a thousand-"

"Yes, Moonlight. I know. You've told me a thousand times. It doesn't change the fact that this place is a death trap."

This time Archer spoke up.

"It's not a death trap, no one has actually died in here. It was probably haunted at some point but the ghost has moved on long before we got here and now it's just rumours that this place is-"

"Oh my Solis, my best friends are nerds."

Camillo said with a laugh. Archer lunged through the window and tackled him to the ground. The shapeshifter and the werewolf wrestled and rolled around on the floor until they tired and sat back up.

"You guys done with your guy time? Okay, good! Because today is one of the most important days we will ever face."

Moonlight clapped her hands together excitedly.

"I heard it's better than finding your soulmate-"

"Camillo, where did you hear that? No one says that."

Archer burst out laughing and laid on his back, closing his eyes. He felt the hard wood under his back. Despite it being so old it felt solid and kind of comfortable. The sun shone through the broken window, the light bathed him in warmth. The smells of the forest were all around him. He could almost fall asleep.

And then Camillo flopped down loudly on his back beside him and proceeded to run Archer's sense of calm. His purple eyes opened and he looked rather perplexed.

"So, birthday boy, have you tried out your powers yet?"

Ah, yes. It was his birthday. He was officially sixteen. At that age, creatures got their powers as their abilities manifested when they were mature enough to handle them. There were some exceptions though, a purebred Shadow would have their abilities since childhood.

Archer was the youngest out of his friend group. Moonlight was the oldest. Camillo was stuck in the middle. Archer brought up the rear. Despite them being a couple of months older than him, they had not quite figured out their powers yet. Moonlight was able to hear what animals were saying but she couldn't quite communicate with them yet. And Camillo hadn't had his first transformation but he wasn't looking forward to it. Werewolves became horrifying, bloodthirsty creatures during a full moon and would attack anyone, including their friends.

"No, I haven't tried it out yet. Apparently it takes a lot of work to be able to shapeshift. Casey plans on teaching me."

Archer was super close with his brother. The two were almost inseparable. It meant a lot to him that his older brother was willing to teach him how to use his abilities.

"Present time!"

Camillo suddenly shouted and sat up quickly, causing his loose brown curls to fall into his face. He pulled a neatly wrapped purple present from behind the old and tattered couch.

"Open it! Open it!"

Archer playfully shoved him away and grabbed the present. He slowly opened it. In it was a strange electronic device.

"What is it?"

"Humans call it a cell phone. A human dropped it when they got too close to Nowhere and I used a stick to pull it across the barrier. I don't know what it's used for but I know you are fascinated by human things so I thought it might be a fun challenge for you."

Archer smiled as he pictured Camillo trying to pull the strange device through the barrier. He kind of wished he had been there to witness it.

"Thank you! I really appreciate it!"

They didn't really get a lot of human stuff, sometimes dropped items got sucked in through the border but it was rare. It was really sweet that Camillo decided to give a rare treasure to him. Moonlight shoved a blue present towards him.

"Now open mine!"

Archer quickly tore it open. Inside there were three lilies. One blue, one green and one purple.

"They are enchanted to never die."

Moonlight smiled at him. Archer had a soft spot for flowers.

"They are beautiful."

He smiled and tucked the blue one into Moonlight's hair. She laughed and tucked the purple one into his. Camillo made gagging noises.

The three laid back on the ground. Archer's hand accidentally scraped against a broken piece of wood and it cut his hand open.

"Ah!"

Archer winced and held up his hand. Red blood dripped from his palm. It landed on the floorboards. The second the blood touched the wood, the old and forgotten fireplace sprung to life.