Dragon Kin - Awakening

The Pyrite Siblings

Early mornings high on the plains of Rystwith Mountains, were calm and blissful. The sun arose warming the earth, accompanied by a gentle breeze that stirred evening dew from the grass.

Across the mountains, villages, some small others large and sprawling, began to awaken. Families gathered for their morning meal, children rushed outdoors to chase birds from the vegetable gardens with glee and travelling tradesman cleared away their camp fires and packed up their wagons to continue their journey between villages.

On the very outskirts of one such mountain town, known as Riska, the morning did not come so peacefully. In a small two story cabin held together by luck and creeping vines, a young woman lay sprawled in a knot of old tattered blankets, her chest rising and falling with each calm, steady breath.

A brittle, rasping creak cut through the peaceful silence as the bedroom door slowly crept open. The aged woods protest elicited a gasp from the darkness beyond and the door suddenly halted.

The young woman stirred, her once resting features bunched briefly into a frown as her limbs began to slither lathargically within the confines of the blanket. With the disturbance silenced however, the girls movements settled, the creased lines on her brow smoothed and the tension in her limbs melted away. For the briefest moment, tranquillity once again possessed the room.

Until, that is, an almighty war cry sounded and heavy footsteps charged across the dusty old wooden floor.

Waking with an alarmed yelp, the young woman barely had the chance to open her eyes before a foreign mass of gangling arms and legs crashed into her blanket wrapped body. Instinct took over almost immediately and within a few short minutes of gasping and grunting the young woman had bested her attacker, holding him firmly, face down on the bed.

'Really Cas, this has to stop!' She huffed, blowing a strand of stray hair out of her eyes. The hint of a smile hovered like a ghost in the corner of her lips.

The attacker, a tall thin teenage boy with an unkempt mop of dark brown hair and gleaming amber eyes, turned his head to the side in order to breathe. After a few dramatic gulps of air he felt his lungs were sufficiently inflated and replied with a smirk, 'It will, when I beat you Vada!'

The victor shook her head and sprang from the bed like a cat, landing so delicately that she barely made a sound. With the weight of her body removed, Cas sat up quickly, rolling his shoulders while grumbling about the ache that had quickly set in. Vada ignored his complaints, crossing the small room in a matter of steps to yank open the top drawer of an old chest missing half of its drawer handles. Inside, various garments of tan, green and brown fabric rested in neat piles. Vada inspected them with a serious stare and huffed with displeasure as she settled on two garments deemed to be the best of a bad bunch.

'I need new clothes,' she grumbled, heaving the drawer closed with brutish shoulder barge. The rough wood groaned aloud but settled into place with a bang, 'and new furniture'.

Cas examined his own clothes. Like Vada's, they had been mended many times over by their youngest sibling. Patches had been added and smaller holes were bonded together with a neat set of stitches. Where she could, Dani had tried to redesign the clothes but with their limited resources there was only so much the youngest Pyrite could do. Cas, however, wasn't so bothered by his clothes.

'Unlike you, I look good no matter what I wear,' he laughed skipping across the room. He turned and stuck his tongue out playfully as his sister brandished a shabby leather boot above her head. As Vada thrust the object through the air Cas disappearing into the hall, closing the door only seconds before the boot slammed into its target.

-

Breakfast was a modest affair in the small space that served as a kitchen, lounge and dining room. Dani, the youngest of the three siblings, managed to make every item she served smell and taste like it was fit for a kings banquet table.

Cas made mountains on his spoon, shovelling as much scrambled egg into his mouth as he could in one bite.

'You'll choke,' Dani warned.

Cas scoffed, but moments later his face began to redden as he coughed and gasped for air. Though the chef of the house was pale and frail in appearance, she moved around the table with great speed and dexterity, slamming her hand into the centre of her brothers back.

'Chewing works wonders Cas,' Vada laughed, jogging down the stairs, 'you should try it sometime.'

Cas wheezed as he glowered at his elder sister. Vada was unperturbed by his gaze, responding with a smirk as she sat down across from him and picked up her own spoon, 'thanks Dani,' she chirped as a fresh plate of eggs was placed on the table.

Dani smiled meekly and sat down, but unlike her siblings, she did not immediately begin to eat, instead she stared at the table biting her lip.

Between bites Cas huffed, 'out with it Dani.' Her head snapped up and she began to writhe uncomfortably in her seat. Cas insisted further, 'make your request and eat your food, you're starting to look ill!'

Abashed, Dani's eyes dropped to the table once again. 'I was wondering,' she began, her squeaking voice contrasting sharply with her brothers bark, 'well... it's fathers ceremony soon and I, I wanted to make ritual outfits for us all-'

The table turned suddenly solemn, spoons were lowered slowly and nobody made eye contact as the request hung in the air. Vada was the first to break the tension with a heavy sigh, a moment later she replied tentatively, 'cloth is expensive Dani-'

'We have extra eggs we can sell-' Dani implored, suddenly bold.

'I need new hunting clothes-' Vada added.

'I have things Dani can alter for you,' Cas interrupted suddenly. Reaching across the table he gripped Dani's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze while he held Vada's steely gaze, 'we'll sell the eggs and what's left of the bacon.'

Vada and Cas fell into a silent staring match for what seemed like the longest time but it was truly only the measure of a few heavy heartbeats before Vada relented.

'Go straight to the market today and be sure to haggle the prices,' Vada snatched up her spoon and began eating once again, staring at her plate and ignoring the triumphant glee on her siblings faces.