MyFursona.com

Aug 9, 2008 3:24pm

The Dark Trinity – Prologue
By Jerthar

Ae’n walked away from the pier and onto the beach. He took a deep breath of the salty air to clear his head. Sand and sea water clung relentlessly to the fur on his feet, but he’d become used to the coast’s irritations long ago.
The Kai’t loosened his pack, letting it fall to the floor. Carrying the unsold furs was always a chore. He lifted his arms and stretched before sitting on a rock and looking north across the sea. He was a sea Kai’t alright, his claws were meant for the timbers of sea vessels, not trees.
Of course, there were things he loved more than the sea, his friends for one. Ae’n would give up sea life in a second if it put his ability to drink, hunt and fish with those Kai’ts and men in danger. There was his beautiful village as well, on the flatlands by the southern coast, a fitting home for the good people who lived there. He was headed south now, headed home to see his greatest love, his wife Eave and their daughter Aera.
Ae’n longed for them constantly whenever he made the trip north to trade the furs of the island to the rich. There was no greater reward for him than teaching and raising his daughter (He marvelled that, after longing for a son, he’d been blessed with a daughter who found nothing more fascinating than archery!) and sharing time with his perfect woman. He sighed, returning the beloved salt to the sea for now.
“Ae’n!” one of the Kai’ts on the pier called.
Ae’n turned to see him loading a heavy crate off of the ferry and onto land. “Bit heavy for you, lad?” he laughed. Before the Kai’t replied, he called again, “Just hold on, I’ll be right up.”
Ae’n leaned back over the rock, stretching for his pack. He strained to gain leverage on it and, with a grunt, heaved it up and onto his back. He did a double take, quickly looking back at the overturned sand behind him with a quizzical, almost disbelieving expression on his face.
Ae’n’s eyes widened when he spotted it again. He stood up and stepped around the rock before bending over. He picked up a handful of sand and began to sift through it, brushing left and right until he uncovered it.
In his palm lay a small, black earring. It didn’t seem to be made of anything as common as brass, or even gold, but rather some incredibly hard, solid material that Ae’n couldn’t identify. In the sunlight, the Kai’t couldn’t place what its pattern was; it seemed to shift constantly in his gaze.
Ae’n laughed a short breath in wonder, before standing up, clutching onto it. It’d make a fine present for his daughter.
“Ae’n!” the Kai’t called again, no trace of irritation on his voice. “Come on!”
“Alright,” he threw over his shoulder, snapped out his reverie. “Just coming!”
With that, he walked up onto the pier again to help his friends. He didn’t show them the earring.

*

Unknown to the Kai’t, the dragon awoke, curled up in his fist. It did not know how long it had been asleep.
The dragon left the ring, still unseen or felt by anyone on the pier, to take a look at the one holding it. A large Kai’t, with a slightly bent, but proud back, his fur was a uniform orange all over except for his black ears.
Like smoke, the dragon drifted around the Kai’t for a long while, seeing where it would be taken. It wondered, was it time yet? Patience for now… If not, he’d make it time.