Fan Fiction ❯ Lord of the Wild ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

"Did you hear? Hey, wake up!"

Kinirchar was rudely jolted from his sleep as someone shook him. He automatically lashed out with one fist, then yelped and caught himself with his other hand as the shift in his balance almost sent him rolling into the river.

"What?" He scowled, sitting up and pushing his bangs out of his eyes.

The twins who had awakened him laughed and shot him innocent looks in perfect unison. Kini immediately felt his anger fade in the face of the wide, angelic blue eyes and tousled blond hair of his half brother and half sister. Kini had a fairly large family, he was the oldest child at nineteen, followed by his sister Milani at seventeen, his brother Respen at fifteen and his youngest sister, Treli at fourteen. His mother had died birthing Treli, and his father had remarried a couple years later when he found out his lover was pregnant with the twins, Yushiran and Yushoko, who were now nine.

"We are sorry." Yushi said, blinking those wide eyes and tugging on his yellow shirt.

"We didn't mean to wake you." Yusho finished the thought, brushing her hands over her green pants.

"You did so." Kini corrected them fondly. "What did you want to tell me?"

The two little troublemakers giggled, dropping their innocent act together. "Mother and Father gave us a message for you!" Yushi said with a nod.

"Yup," Yusho took up the thread of speech, knowing exactly what her twin wanted to say in a way that always made Kini dizzy to think of. "There is a group of travelers in the market and they want you to come back."

"So that you can help settle them into the inn if they choose to stay!" Yushi finished triumphantly.

"And you should clean up some." Green clad Yusho added as an afterthought.

"They look like they have some rank." Yellow clad Yushi nodded.

Kini sighed and climbed to his feet, reaching down to ruffle the twins' hair and making them squeal in protest. "Thanks spites, now go off and play, you're making me dizzy looking between you."

The two children laughed in delight at the familiar reaction from him, and tore off in the direction of the village.

Kini shook his head wryly, and followed them at a jog.

It took him only a couple minutes to leave the peaceful quiet of the forest behind, and all too soon he found himself cresting the hill that overlooked the village where he lived. It was almost large enough to call a town now, he mused, and noticing not for the first time how much Foresthave had grown since he had been a child. The village was spilt in half, straddling the wide main highway right before it entered the Elven Woods. The side closest to the trees was the older, more residential area, consisting mostly of small homes that single families lived in, with large yards and gardens. Closer to the road on the forest side were the Guard posts and a couple larger buildings where people gathered to work on different products on days with bad weather. Then there was the blank area between the buildings and the road, the road, and the blank area on the other side. The other side of the village consisted of the markets, stalls lining the wide roads and boarded by tall shops with bedrooms on the second floor. A bit farther back from the road were the taprooms and inns, and behind them the fields and farms stretched out.

His green eyes took in the familiar sight, automatically seeking out the largest inn, the one his family owned and that he had grown up in. The yard was currently empty, which meant he still had time.

He made his way through the village and across the road with the ease of long practice; exchanging quick hello's with most everyone he saw and even the occasional handclasp or hug with closer friends.

Just as he was about to step into the inn yard, he saw a group of travelers round the corner and paused for a second to study them. They weren't a large group, but the twins had been right, they did appear to have some rank. There were seven of them, all seated on well-bred horses and had expensive looking, although not flashy, saddles and gear. Their clothes were well-worn, simple traveling leathers and cloaks, in faded browns and greens, but appeared well made from this distance. The three in the lead were tall and thin, all wearing their hoods up. They appeared human, but Kini's skin was tingling and he had the strangest feeling they were just spelled to look so and were really elven. The other four wore their hoods down, laughing and talking quietly to each other as they rode behind their companions. Two of them were female, one wearing cloth instead of the more common leather, and the other in leather with a light mail coat over it and a sword strapped across her back. The two men appeared to be simple axemen, wearing leathers but with armor bundled in plain sight on their saddles and axes strapped to their backs, but Kini felt that strange tingling as he stared at them and knew they weren't what they seemed either.

One of the hooded people looked up, and his eyes locked onto Kini's. Kini held still as the other stared at him, eyes widening in surprise as the tingling grew. Then he shook himself, ignoring the surprised expression on the others face, and moved quickly into the inn yard to meet his parents.

"Kinirchar Welatic! Where have you been?" His stepmother scolded, hands braced on hips that had gained a certain plumpness after the birth of the twins.

Kini hid his grin by ducking his head and letting his too long bangs fall into his eyes in a gesture he knew annoyed her. Unlike most children who had a stepparent, he didn't hate his stepmother. He actually respected her and loved her in a way; glad she had managed to pull his father out of the depression he had sunk into at his first wife's death. He did so enjoy teasing her though. "I was out by the river mum!" He replied, still letting his bangs hide his eyes.

"Oh! You were lazing around and napping! I'm going to have to teach you a lesson!" She threatened; waving one fist in the air as her eyes sparkled merrily.

Kini's father laughed and looped his arm over her shoulder. They were a good couple together, her in her blue dress with her flour smudged apron over it and her blond hair tied back into a short ponytail, and he in brown pants and shirt, muscular body and short-cropped black hair.

"But mum," Kini said in a whine before he looked up and grinned. "The travelers the twins told me about are right outside."

Repsi Welatic laughed and swatted at him before turning her attention to the gates in time to see the group Kini had been watching ride in.

Kini shrank back a bit, his unease returning as all three hooded figures immediately turned their gazes on him.

"Greetings, I am Welinch Welatic, the owner of this inn. How may I help you?" Kini's father asked the group as a whole.

The lady wearing cloth smiled and bowed her head, swinging down from her horse. "I'm Questirna. We could use some rooms for the night if you have them."

"Of course, how many would you like? The price is ten gold per room, per night." Was Welinch's easy answer.

"A single room each please, does that price include food?" She asked as her companions dismounted, the hooded ones still eyeing up the uneasy Kini.

"Dinner and breakfast. The taproom charges per glass though. This is my son Kinirchar, he'll be taking care of your horses."

Kini managed to give the group a bow that didn't seem to reveal his nervousness too much, before stepping forward and accepting the reins as his father lead the group inside.