Jade: Thanks so much for Reading, liking and reviewing. n.n Not the best follow up chapter but I needed to get the ball rolling. XD
Special thanks to Darth Morpheus. n.n
Read n' Enjoy! :D
The clock chimed, indicating that it was midnight. I sighed, sitting up from the bed. It was beautiful outside, with a full moon and a sky scattered with stars. I glanced around the room, eyes resting at the mummified sword. I blinked as I looked at it. The linen wrapping had fallen off from today's earlier events and Gramps recognized the sword as the Sword of Zariah, the sword of the Tamer. When I told him how the piece of metal came into my possession, he looked shocked and shook his head, giving me a look of pity before ruffling my hair and telling me that I'd better get ready to leave tomorrow, or something like that.
The scent of wild flowers met my nose as the chilly evening air floated in through the window, making me shiver. I looked out. I was half-expecting to see the boy a few yards outside, but I saw nothing. I sighed, shaking my head. I was getting paranoid. My eyes glimpsed up at the moon and I shook my head once more, throwing my feet silently over the edge of the soft mattress. The floorboards were cold against my feet, not that I mind, but it just reminded me of that kid, with beautiful eyes and cold hands. I let out a silent groan.
I just did not call that frozen freak 'beautiful'.
I padded out of my room and silently opened the door. From the closed door, I could hear Gramps snoring away, mumbling something about peaches every now and then. I silently shuffled past the door and tiptoed into the kitchen. A sfera, a crystal-like orb that contained magical properties, glowed light blue on the top of the tall steel box, for lack of a better term. Just by touching the wooden handles, I could tell that the inside was chilling. With a small tug, the door opened and the artificial chill hit my face. I sighed, grabbing the pitcher of Koo's milk and a glass from another shelf. Setting the glass on the table, I quietly poured the liquid goodness into the tall glass.
It was silent in the house, I noticed. The only sounds I could hear were clock's ticking and Gramps' occasional snoring. With another sigh, I pulled out a chair and sat down, swirling the liquid in my glass a bit before lifting it up, watching drops of water appear on the side of the glass. I swirled it once more, letting the milk slosh around before I took a sip, the cold white slipping into my throat. I hummed in appreciation as I downed the glass. With a small smile, I poured another glass and lifted it to my lips, enjoying the taste of cream with a hint of vanilla.
"Hi there!"
I spat my drink out in surprise. I wasn't expecting anyone. I wiped the side of my mouth and looked around. There was no one. I heard a snort.
"Link, I'm over here." I glanced up on top of the cabinet, expecting someone to be there. I saw nothing.
"W-who a-are you?" I looked around once more, hoping to find the voice. "W-where are you and how did you know my name?" The voice snorted, like an unimpressed child. My head whipped up, and I saw something I never thought I'd see.
A small kid with cream blonde hair stared down at me with unimpressed hazel eyes. I stared up at him, my half-asleep mind processing what it was seeing. The kid, who did not look older than two, swung his feet. He had a cream-yellow coloured tunic on and a silver necklace on his neck. The kid grinned at me, his hazel eyes glowing lightly.
"D'ya want me to answer those questions in that order or should I just say everything?" I stopped gaping and shook my head.
"What are you doing here?" The boy stood up and tutted, wagging a finger at me. My eyes widened as he walked closer to the edge. "H-hey! You might fall!"
"My name's Cam, Camennea. I'm a Nine-tailed shifter who was sealed inside the Zariah sword and you, Link, released me." Cam grinned and jumped down, softly landing on his feet. He looked up at me and I noticed, his eyes had slit pupils, like a snake's. Behind him, nine tails wagged softly. Each tail was the same colour as his hair. I shook my head.
"I don't remember releasing you, nor do I remember seeing you." I said, planting my hands on my hips. Cam stared up at me defiantly for a minute before jumping up, turning into a miniature nine-tailed fox no bigger than a cat, and settling himself on my head.
'Sure you wouldn't. I was sealed inside the sword and only the true holder of the sword could release me, you dork.' I blinked and looked up as the fox-thing chuckled from his place on top of my head.
I shook my head and walked over to the sink, splashing my face with cold water. I gasped a bit. The water was far too cold for my liking. I shook my head and rubbed my face with the front of my nightclothes. I rapidly blinked a few times.
"This is quite the dream." I muttered.
"Not quite! Stop shaking your head! I'm getting dizzy up here!" Cam said, still in his mini-fox form. I sighed, and decided to ignore him.
The little thing continued ranting at me while I cleaned up my milk and returned the pitcher back into the cold door. Silently, I slipped back into my room, my eyes flitting towards the sword before I sat back down on the bed. Cam hopped down and sat beside me, hazel eyes looking up at me with an unreadable expression. I sighed.
"Shouldn't you be going home to your mother or something?" I asked. A painful whack followed on the back of my head. I let out a surprised yelp and glared at the little devil, whose arms were crossed. He was already in, what I guess, is his 'human' form.
"I'm two hundred and thirty-seven years old. My mom's dead already, dolt." I blinked at him. He didn't look like he was older than two. I shook my head at him.
"I'm sorry to hear that."
The nine-tailed shifter just snorted, crossing his arms once more before going over to the corner of my pillow, where he plopped down and curled into a ball. I gave him a strange look as he made himself comfortable on my bed, pulling the covers over himself like he felt cold.
"Get some sleep. We should start the quest first thing in the morning." The small creature muttered, curling in my bed some more. I sighed, running a hand through my hair and leaned down on my bed, not really feeling comfortable with the little guy sleeping near me. I wordlessly stared at my bedroom walls as the clock continued ticking on and on. My sleep-addled brain couldn't make heads or tails of what to do. I let out an inaudible sigh, finally lying down on the soft pillows.
Suddenly, I felt a small weight clinging onto me. I looked over and noticed that Cam had rolled towards me, hugging my arm and practically nestling against me, his fluffy ears and nine tails popping out with a happy purr. Despite the fact I should feel awkward, I felt the opposite thing, it felt so natural, so nostalgic that my body reacted on its own. Soon enough, I had the shifter snuggled up against me. I allowed my hands to card through his soft locks. It felt so natural, but I had no idea how it came to this, like the entire thing was a puzzle with a missing piece. I felt as if, I know this feeling and I did this every single night but I just couldn't find a single strand of memory in my brain. I took a deep breath, allowing sleep to claim my troubled mind.
\''\'/w0)/''/
"By the Earls of the Neverglades! Why is there a Shifter in here?!" I opened my eyes, and yawned. After a few seconds, I finally took in the figure of Gramps standing in the doorway, glaring down at Cam, whose ears were flat against his cream-yellow hair. I moved quickly, picking up the small shifter in my arms. Gramps glared harshly at me, then at Cam, making both of us flinch a bit until he took a deep breath.
"Did you contract this Shifter or did you force it with you?" he asked, a bit calmer now, but he still looked angry. I was confused. Why would he be angry?
"I contracted Link, Sire." I blinked as Cam spoke politely in my arms. The foot tall creature looked unfazed, hazel eyes unblinking, which was rather different from how I found them earlier. Gramps nodded before turning around, rubbing his temples.
"Well, boy, ya better keep that Shifter with you then." He turned back to us, a smile on his face, eyes twinkling kindly. Cam and I gave each other a confused look. Gramps' mood swings are awkward. "Why don't you both come to breakfast and get some fuel runnin' yer systems?"
At the mention of food, my stomach rumbled. I blushed a bit as Cam laughed, shaking his head and riding on my shoulder, clinging onto my hair for support. I cringed as he tugged at my hair to balance himself. Gramps laughed lightly at this and shook his head, leading the way as I followed. Cam adjusted himself on my shoulder so he wouldn't fall, muttering every now and then how he had forgotten to ride humans. I sighed and stepped into the kitchen, where Grandma was setting down an extra plate for the shifter. She smiled when she saw us, eyes crinkling.
"I never thought he'd actually be your Shifter friend." She chuckled. I looked at Cam, who gave me an equally confused look. Grams motioned towards the seats and Cam and I sat down, well, I did. He just plopped down from my shoulder onto the highchair. The newly baked bread smelled wonderful. I reached over and took one, nibbling as silently as I could.
"You must have mistaken me for my brother, Madame." I blinked and looked over at both of them in interest. Even Gramps stopped downing his coffee to give him a quizzical look. Gram's eyes just twinkled.
"I see, well, you both finish eating up. It'd be best if you start on your quest as soon as possible." She said, taking a sip of warm milk. I continued eating in silence before the entire thing hit me. I choked on my bread and started coughing. Gramps sprang to his feet and patted me on the back while Cam hammered at me.
"Spit it out, Link!" He cheered. I hacked; grabbing my glass of milk and downing it in one go. A set my glass down with a loud bang as everyone looked at me with worry. I coughed a few more times and wiped at the corners of my mouth. My eyes were wide. I turned to Grandma, a look of disbelief on my face.
"W-what do you mean quest? I thought Gramps was just jesting yesterday." I said, perfectly confused. Grandma shook her head, hair bouncing around her face. Gramps signed, settling back on his chair as Cam stood in front of me, arms crossed, looking like a perfectly annoying brat.
"You dork! We're going to save Azimah! He chose you as the Champion of the Zariah Sword! You can't say no, butterfingers!" He said, voice getting louder and more annoyed with every sentence. For a small creature, he was quite loud. I rubbed my ears and studied his expression. His ears had gone flat against his head and his nine tails had puffed out in annoyance. I sighed and shook my head.
"Look, I don't want to go on a quest. I'm fine here in the farm." I said, gesturing at my grandparents. I gave the shifter a pointed look. "Azimah looks fine to me. No wars, no armies, no monsters rampaging, it's peaceful." I continued, explaining my side. Cam seemed to get even more irritated with every second. Grandma set her cup down, and looked at me, eyes twinkling kindly.
"My dear, don't you want to gather your memories once more?" I looked at her, stunned.
"B-but, you said I've been here my entire life." Gramps smiled and patted me on the back, his eyes also twinkled, like he was so proud of me.
"Ya have been here in your life, Lad, but not your entire life." He said, looking at me dead in the eye. I shivered, the pieces linking together.
"W-who am I?" I muttered, confused out of my mind. From the corner of my eyes, I could see my grandparents looking expectantly at Cam. The shifter nodded at them and came close to me, getting my full attention. The cream-haired shifter gave me a soft smile and placed a hand on my cheek. The smile turned into a grin.
"You're Alederalink Sarentemiero de Caradeo Dalatto." I gave him another confused look.
"What?" He shrugged, crossing his arms nonchalantly. Gramps laughed from his seat.
"By the name of the Chickens, Link! It's a darn lot easier to call you Link than Alederalink!" He said, giving me a toothy grin. Somehow, I felt a bit insulted, even though it was just in good fun.
"Alederalink Sarentemiero de Caradeo Dalatto is a proper name." I said, a bit surprised that the name had rolled off my tongue so easily, not to mention that the way I pronounced it made me sound like a noble, who had long and really hard to pronounce names. Cam gave me a knowing smirk from his place on the table.
"Well, it sounds like you got your name right." He said, jumping off the table and running back to my room. I looked at my grandparents quizzically. They just shook their heads and smiled at me.
"Go ahead, Link. You have to get ready." Grandma said, waving her hands at me in a 'go to him' manner. I nodded silently, my thoughts not making sense.
My feet dragged on and the simple steps felt like an eternity to complete. It was all so confusing and I couldn't get anything straight in my head. Too many racing thoughts, too many confusing things, too many unanswered questions. Who was I? Why do I feel some connection with Cam? Who was the kid who gave me the sword? What's the consequence of all this? Why do I have to go on a quest? Why is everything so confusing? Where are my damned memories?! I sighed, quite surprised that I had entered my room. Cam was busy stuffing my things into a small bag, jumping from one ledge in my closet to gather this, and then jumping to my nightstand to get that. I quietly observed him from where I was standing. Not that I had no intent to help, but I couldn't help but stare at him. It felt so familiar, yet I had no memory or whatsoever of it.
It irked me.
My eyes narrowed before I advanced, finally helping the shifter pack my stuff. Cam ignored me as he started handing me random articles of clothing. I silently folded them and placed them inside my bag. That was, until I felt something slimy. I blinked, surprised to see a frog sitting on my lap. The green thing croaked, it growing at least twice its normal size. From point blank, it looked like it was going to eat me. I yelped and pushed the slimy creature away. The amphibian jumped out of the window with a satisfied croak as I tried to relax myself.
"Well, well, that was adorable." Cam snickered. "I never thought bull frogs freaked you out." I growled, jumping to my feet and chasing the shifter out of my room.
"Cam! I am so going to kill you!"
Jade: WElp, what do young think? o3o; How'd I do?