Lostlings

Chi watched the distant horizon with curious eyes. She had always wanted to explore the world and learn its secrets. Her brother used to tell stories of the travels he had with mother. It made Chi sad knowing she wouldn't remember any of it. Her brother had her promised to explore the world with her but here he was now, exploring the world without her. She felt jealous but very nervous at the same time. Her brother was currently trying to fulfill a prophecy that no one had ever succeeded at. It was like a loop, the goddess of fate always choosing another poor soul to do it when the other died. So much death just to save the stupid gods. The gods had disappeared a long time ago, most magical creatures seemed to leave with them. Well, except for Fae, who were more planted in the earth than other creatures. They were also more human than animal, Fae's alway's shared some kind of feature with their bonded animals who were connected by their souls. If one died, the other would die too. Shapeshifters were also left behind because they were more human as well. Shapeshifters always had 3 forms not including their original human form. Different forms had different rarities. Dragon shapeshifters were usually the most celebrated. Chi was a shapeshifter and she loved being one, she had a cat, raven, and koi form, which were common. If only Chi could leave this valley in her raven form, but that wasn't possible. She couldn't leave her mother so suddenly and she had to wait for her brother to come back so she could see him again before she too went on her own adventure. Chi sighed, the sky began to darken, she knew she would have to head home before guards and bandits started lurking.

When Chi arrived back at her small little cottage that she shared with her, she was exhausted. She had spent most of the day doing battle training with her mother before watching from her safe place in the tree's. Chi looked around for her mother, where was that old lady off to? Chi searched around the house but her mother wasn't there. She must have gone out for another meeting with the other counselors, she thought. The old hags had recently been off and on with propaganda about the king of their land. It was getting annoying, she was hoping her mother would bring them to their senses before the guards that worked for the king noticed. The king's guards were very loyal to him and would punish anyone who spoke out against him. She knew some of the guards enjoyed having the power to torture those who they didn't like. The head guard of their town probably muses at the thought of doing some daily torture to the framed group of town folk, after all, he was a very cruel man. The head guards whose name was Orion always hated being positioned in such a small town, the guy always seemed like he was too important for them all. Orion would constantly injure people for no reason and would kill anyone who tried to fight back. He always said that they would die without him here to protect us and that they should be grateful but no one really felt that way about him. Replacing the head guard was apparently too difficult for the 10 counselors of their town to do, so everyone was stuck with him.

Chi laid down to sleep, no longer being able to wait for her mothers return. She dreamed about being a cat in a small room that had no windows. The room was completely white with soft white floors and walls. Chi turned to her brother and sat chained to the soft floor. Her brother looked like he hadn't had enough sleep or food. Where was her brother? Why was he here? She kept asking herself only to have even more questions. Her brother was supposed to be figuring out this prophecy, he wasn't supposed to be in a dungeon of some kind. Suddenly a door appeared out of nowhere. A young man who looked in his 20's entered the room, the door disappearing as he entered. "Let's get this over with," the man said. With a flick of his hand the room lit up in flames. Chi's eyes widened, her brother screamed in agony in the background as he burned alive. (continues next prompt)