ALL NOVEL Chapter 1: The Dragon and the Fox
Junipor Reigns rested the head of her axe onto the frost covered earth. Its polished iron glinted with dawns early light. The morning mist was thick in the air, and the suns rays had yet to fully breach the clouds. The smell of pine needles, and winter clovers, filled the air around her. That, and the hardy smell of buck fur.
“Bless me, sacred mother Phedona, so that my axe will swing true.” Junipor ushered a quiet prayer to her patron goddess. “Please give me the patience not to strike too soon.”
Hard ice buckled beneath the snow, causing it to crunch under the weight of her weapon. The sound was just audible enough for her soon-to-be prey to stir. Junipor froze perfectly still, her focus razor sharp. The seconds could be counted by the beating of her own heart, it was throbbing beneath her breast. Only when the deer resumed grazing did Junipor exhale, and then slowly prowl forward.
“Maybe a little help would be nice?” She sarcastically whispered to the wind, as if the goddess could hear.
Her ears twitched, flicking away several flakes of snow. Despite winters deathly grasp, the biting cold barely fazed the young Pharine. Her kind had adapted to the freezing climate generations ago, and no amount of bone chilling frost could sway her resolve. The Pharine’s were, after all, a hardy species to live on the fringes of the known world.
To survive and endure, that is what they were good at. From the desert sands of lost Valedonia, to the frozen wastes of Fanfow, that is what they were always known for. According to the sagas, they descended from the great fox mother, and were nursed to awareness by the goddess Phedona during the times of legend. With the fox mothers wily grace, and the goddess’s blessing, the children of the Pharine had thrived.
Junipor pressed her chest against the earth, and leaned forward. Her hind legs were strained, her triceps taut, and her shoulders bulged as the young hunter calculated the distance between herself and the large deer. She was close, close enough to make the leap and go for the killing stroke. One slice, and the giant buck would fall to her blade. She just needed the perfect moment, when the animal would look up and expose its neck.
Her thick copper toned skin glistened with sweat, and her white bushy tail yearned to sway from side to side. Sitting still for so long helped the biting cold cut its way through her tight muscles. To help combat it, Junipor wore a pair of deer skinned moccasins, and a padded jerkin underneath a thick bear pelted coat. It helped to mask her natural scent, and camouflaged her in the underbrush. Layers of muscle, earned from youthful vigor and years of training, also helped to pad her internal organs from the worst of the frozen extremes.
It was only the first month of winter, and already the Repentou trees were in full bloom. There leaves were the color of gore, and reached out towards the sky. They glistened against the morning sunlight like blood stained wax amid a white tapestry. The mountains soared in the distance, their peaks mixing with the clouds. The comfort of their shadows fled from the encroaching morning sunlight.
The young Pharine approached slowly, and quietly, closing the distance just a bit more. Junipor could smell the delicious deer grazing just beyond the thickets ahead. Her fox-like ears could make out the sound of its hooves against the padding of snow.
The buck was huge, and weary with age. The weight of several winters weighed heavily upon its bones. Prey like this rarely ventured this close to the village. At first Junipor feared the animal was ill, or had been pursued by a larger predator away from its herd. To be safe, she had to approach cautiously, and guard against any possible threat. Positioned downwind from the buck, she only committed to the hunt when she was sure no other scent was in the wind.
This close to the prey, Junipor reasoned it was healthy for its age. The amount of meat on its bones would sell well in the village markets, and its horns would make for a nice trophy.
Junipor ignored the growl of her own empty stomach. Inching ever so slowly forward, her knees scrapping against the frozen earth, she only paused when certain their was no way she could miss. Her stomach clenched, and her calves bulged as she readied to pounce. A bead of sweat strolled down her shoulder blades, and Junipor could feel the subtle vibrations of the earth as the deer took an extra step.
Silently she waited, the handle of her axe in hand. A fresh breeze chilled the air, causing the hairs between her legs to tingle. It mattered little, her thick skin kept the worst at bay, that and the layers of clothing. Even still, as the wisp of freezing air brushed against her ears, Junipor thought about going to the hot springs as soon as she was done.
A set of massive antlers poked through the bushes. Like a crown it stood out amid the surrounding foliage. The deer was looking up, exposing its large neck. Whatever had captured its attention, Junipor couldn’t know, but It didn’t matter for it had given her the perfect moment to strike.
Junipor whispered a silent prayer to the goddess, that her axe would strike true. She took a single deep breath, and her hand clutched onto the handle of her weapon. Just as she was about to pounce, the buck jolted and screamed as it fell to the ground. The earth shuddered from the weight of its impact.
A curse escaped her lips as Junipor rushed forward. Adrenaline surging through her veins, her heart pounding like a drum. She held the axe with both hands, and was ready to engage whatever had seized her prize. The world slowed around her as the young Pharine dashed through the bushes, her eyes focused on anything that could impose a threat.
A raven spread its wings and flew overhead, as if leading the way. Junipor ignored her fears, her trust was firmly placed in the hands of the goddess. As she landed, her axe ready to swing, she found the deer laying on the cold ground, but still very much alive. Its bulk was pressed into the snow covered earth by another figure who managed to pin it in place without even a struggle.
“Seldei! What are you doing?” Junipor dropped her axe, and glared at her accomplice.
Seldei looked up, her bold red eyes piercing into Junipors very soul, and whimpered. Unlike herself, Seldei wasn’t a Pharine, but one of the Zakinae people’s of the far south. It was said they came from a tribe of humans who were enslaved by the dragon’s of old legend. Their offspring, bearing a blend of draconic blood, were responsible for spawning an entirely new lineage.
The typical Zakinae were born with large draconic wings, and flexible tails. Scales sometimes covered their bodies as well, although, apart from those iconic features they still looked very much human. Rarely did they ever migrate north, or were found above the equator. Seldei was a unique, and tragic case.
Seldei’s pale skin wasn’t suited for the cold, and thus she was wrapped in several layers of pelted furs. Even smothered in warm clothes, her body wouldn’t stop shivering. Scales only decorated her shoulders and backside, and her curly red hair matched the color of her eyes. Her body was lean, softer, and shorter in contrasts to Junipor’s more muscular frame.
It was only a few months ago, during the waning months of spring, and the coming of fall, that the Zakinae had been found aboard a slavers vessel. Junipor would never forget the moment she found the poor girl covered in dirty rags, and chained in the ships hold.
It was Junipors first raid, a mark of adulthood among the Pharines, and they believed the ship was a smugglers vessel wandering too close to the islands of fear. When they discovered its true calling, they showed its owners no mercy.
Within its confines were dozens of Pharine’s from across Fanfow, bound in chains and consumed with fear. Humans were bound amongst them as well, many from nearby countries. In the corner of the hold, isolated from everyone else, they found Seldei.
The Zakinae had been found chained and starved to the brink of death. She was likely to be sold to some rich aristocrat in the north, and kept just barely alive for the journey. To keep her from flying away they removed her wings, and kept her in solitude.
The horror of such barbarity left Junipor speechless. She cradled the weary young dragon girl in her arms, and carried her to safety. Since then, Seldei had been recovering, although she would likely never regrow her wings. While never being able to fly again, she still had incredible strength, and after a few days her lungs regained its forge fire.
Seldei noticed Junipor’s fright, and spoke out in her native tongue. The words were quick and sharp, with a lot of words ending in an ‘ish’. The dragonling still struggled to learn the Pharine language. Despite the language barrier, Junipor could always surmise something of what she was saying. Or at least, she thought she partly understood.
“I told you to stay back and wait. Hunting takes time.” Junipor sighed, catching one of the rushed words Seldei mentioned relating to food. Evidently, she was quite hungry. Junipor wondered how Seldei managed to find her so far away from home. The answer came in the form of a small fennec fox hiding underneath Seldei’s cloak. Francesca poked her little head from underneath the Zakinae’s collar, and chirped toward Junipor with excitement.
The buck struggled beneath the Zakinae’s strong grasp, the weight of her small body seemingly at odds with rational law. She kept it’s head pinned against the snow, and had a foot firmly planted on its stomach. Junipor was quick to slay it, fearing it would harm Seldei if it thrashed with its antlers. The axe’s head met the bucks throat with one fierce stroke. Scarlet red blood spattered onto the frost, causing it to melt, and emit a thin steam.
Seldi chuckled with delight, speaking a few indecipherable words in approval. She then took a step back so the blood wouldn’t touch her boots. Junipor noticed that Seldei was squeamish around it, almost childishly so, even when it came to cooking food. Whenever Junipor prepared her meals she had to make sure the meat was charred to a crisp, so that not a single drop of blood was left, otherwise Seldei wouldn’t dare touch it.
The animal died quickly, its life force spent in mere seconds. Junipor looked it over, noticing there was enough meat on its bones to make a healthy profit. There might even be enough left over to keep for themselves. Junipor’s lips were salivating at the thought. “You don’t need to be worried,” Junipor spoke to her friend while whipping the blood from her axe. She sheathed the handle to her belt once clean, and withdrew the rope she kept in her hunting pouch.
Seldei wrapped her arms around her giving chest, and the tip of her pointed tail could be seen poking out from the frontside of her cloak. It always surprised Junipor, how flexible the Zakinae’s tail could be. It had been coiled around her tiny waist in an attempt to keep it from the cold. Seldie looked over to the fennec, and chirped a series of lengthy words that only made Junipor’s head hurt trying to piece them together.
Francesca leapt from Seldei’s cushioned shoulder, its paws barely leaving a mark in the snow, and hopped into Junipors arms with a cheerful quip. It quickly perched on one shoulder, while her fluffy tail wrapped around the back of Junipors neck.
“You little rascal,” Junipor grinned knowing there was no negotiating with the small fennec. With Francesca clutched to her shoulder, Junipor tied the bucks legs using the rope, and readied herself to drag the stag back to the road. From there they could summon a cart to help bring the mighty beast back to the village in one piece.
“Yes we can go home Seldei,” Junipor tried to speak to Seldei. She could make out the Zakinae word for hunger, and home, and put two and two together. “And don’t over exaggerate. You really shouldn’t be out here all alone anyway, it can be dangerous.”
Seldei followed her, even offering to help pull the rope. Junipor brushed her aside, there was no way she was going to let her new friend hurt herself. Seldei was capable, and somehow strong enough to pin down a mighty stag all by herself, but she seemed far too skinny and light to carry the beast all the way home.
“Oikaey doiky” Seldei spoke clumsily. She could understand Junipor too some extent, having picked up enough of her words and being able to measure the tone of her voice.
The pair dragged their prize all the way back to the road before the sun broke through the clouds. Its soothing rays melted the snow from Junipors white hair, and cast aside the remaining shadows lurking from the surrounding trees.
The sounds of birds chirping in the wind echoed all around them, and nearby Junipor could hear the small footsteps of wolves. Francesca hissed in their general direction, sensing the predators daring advance.
Junipor could smell them, they were following the trail of deer blood. She wasn’t worried, despite their hunger, the wolves would never dare cross her path. In the lands of the Pharines, the wolves knew their place. But should an opportunity arise, where Junipor would have to abandon the stag, the wolves would certainly like to claim her prize.
“When we get back home, I’ll be sure to warm you up a nice soup. Then I need a bath.” Junipor was already daydreaming of it. The hot springs in her village were practically calling her name.
Seldei looked at her in curiosity, but her eyes flickered at the mention of soup. That was one word she clearly understood. She skipped ahead, with a smile on her face, and answered with more Zakinae words of what Junipor assumed was approval. Seldei then whispered something at the end of her statement. It was barely a whisper, yet Junipor’s sharp ears could hear it clearly.
“Anasta Travayor?” Junipor had heard Seldei call her by that on several occasions. She assumed it to be a moniker of sorts. Yet she had yet to get a good answer as to what it meant.
Seldei simply looked back to her with surprise. Hearing Junipor say the words in a foreign accent caught the Zakinae off guard, her cheeks were blushing violently, and her tail jerked under her robes. Seldei was awkwardly silent from that point on, until they finally made it to the road where a cart was already waiting for them.