Flame of Ice: The Story of a Warrior - Part One

Waves lapped against the sandy shore of an island. Water droplets sparkled on the leaves of palm trees. A crisp breeze blew across the shore, picking up sand and twirling it around in a crazy dance before letting it drop back to the ground. The sun shone on the water, dappling it with its golden yellow rays. From this description, you'd think it was Mystery Island. But no, it's Krawk Island.

      This area of Krawk Island is only known to the ones who live there, for it's hidden well from curious eyes. Thick palm trees guard the cove on all sides, and the tall cliff on one side is hard enough to climb down not to need this protection. It was far away from the main settlement on Krawk Island, far away from the Bandit's Cave, even far away from the Fungus Caves. A small section of beach was left out in the open, even though it was guarded on three sides by palm trees.

      A green Gelert sat on the beach, letting the water come up and lap his legs. He sighed and closed his eyes as a soft breeze blew in from the ocean. The leaves moved slightly in the breeze, as if they feared the wind.

      The Gelert opened his eyes and a smile made its way onto his lips. He stood up and brushed the sand off his black pants. After taking a quick look around to make sure no one was watching, he ran into the water. The water felt cool and good against his legs. He dove and swam through the water, enjoying the feeling of weightlessness the water created; the feeling of being completely free.

      Once he surfaced, a male voice called from the shore. "Sam, what are you doing?" The Gelert looked to the shore to see a strong male Zafara looking back at him. His silver vest shone brightly against his black fur, and his light brown pants stirred lightly as the wind blew across the shore. "Well?" he asked, arms crossed.

      "Just taking a little swim to cool off," Sam replied with a nervous laugh.

      "Sure you were," the Zafara replied sarcastically. "Do you normally swim with your shirt off?" he asked. When Sam looked confused, the Zafara picked up a brown vest that was floating in the water. He laughed when Sam covered his eyes with his paw.

      "It must've come off when I dove under water."

      "Come on, let's get going before we're too late."

      "Too late for what?"

      The Zafara smirked and replied, "Duh, the Warrior Ceremony."

      Sam froze. He'd forgotten all about it. "The Warrior Ceremony's today?" he asked, trying to seem calm, though his nervousness showed in the way he acted, and he couldn't keep it from showing in his words.

      His friend laughed at his startled reaction and replied, "Don't worry! The ceremony itself isn't until later. But all the festivities before it will be starting soon, and we don't want to miss that, or be late to it! Remember what happened last year?"

      Sam groaned as he though back to the previous year. He and Dac, the shadow Zafara, had gotten to the pre-ceremony activities late, so Grog's Gang had decided to throw pies at them and then "clean them up" with water balloons. After that, they had signed them up for a stage act. They had had no choice but to perform, and they had to act as clowns! He and Dac both knew that Grog and his gang never seemed to be there early, and this way they could hide before they got there. "I'll be right there!" Sam called.

      He swam swiftly and smoothly through the water. His powerful strokes brought him quickly to the shore. Dac handed him his vest and said, "Hurry up and put it on, or do you want to be on time for some pie throwing?"

      Sam groaned and slipped his arms back through the vest. Dac smiled and said, "Come on, I'll race you there!" Sam smiled as his friend darted off into the woods.

      He was about to run after him, when something caught his eye. He turned towards the deep blue ocean, and saw something floating in the water. It glinted in the sunlight, which he had seen in the corner of his eye. He waded in and picked it up. It was a dark blue bandana, with a piece of something silver sticking out of it. Unfolding it, he saw what had been shining in the brilliant light of the sun. It was a coin, made of pure silver. On it was a picture of finned tail sprouting from the water. A sword curved along the top edge.

      "Sam, you coming'?" Dac called from the woods.

      "I'll be right there," he called back. He quickly wrapped the coin back in the bandana and stuck it in his pant pocket. Then he raced into the woods to meet his friend.

      Dac smiled as he came running up. "Glad you could make it," he said lazily.

      "Ha, ha, very funny," Sam replied as he came running to a stop next to the festival grounds.

      "Come on," said Dac, "I think we still have time before..."

      "Before what?" asked a voice from behind them. Dac winced and Sam groaned before they turned around to face Grog and his gang.

      Grog was a stocky male Krawk with a brown hide. His gang consisted of a yellow Wocky, a blue Lutari, another Krawk, this one pink, and a blue Chia. All of them wore black vests and red pants. Everyone knew them as 'Grog's Gang', but every one also knew them as a bunch of bullies.

      "So," he said slyly, "yaw think you can get through here without havin' a little fun with us, do yaw? Well, you just gone and broke our poor little hearts. Now, why don't we have some fun?"

      Dac stepped forward boldly and said, "You know, the Warrior Shaman won't let you get away with this."

      Grog smirked and replied, "Her? Ha! Her prophecies can't hurt us!" Then, he repeated the story of the Warrior Ceremony in a mocking way. " 'Long ago there was a great warrior that roamed the shores of Krawk Island. One day, a great threat came to the island. It threatened to destroy the island, but he was able to stop it. However, in doing so he was made one with the sea. Now we celebrate the Warrior Ceremony to see what from our 'warrior skills' have taken.' All she could do with stories like those is put me to sleep!"

      "They would, would they?" a female voice asked from behind Grog.

      Grog stiffened and turned around slowly. "He-hello, ma'am," he stammered.

      A tall and elderly faerie Xweetok stood before them, elegant wings fluttering slightly. The Warrior Shaman was beautiful, even in her old age. "What exactly were you doing, Grog?" she asked.

      "Just havin' some fun," he said, patting Dac on the shoulder before scampering off, the rest of his gang close behind.

      The Warrior Shaman laughed and said, "I wonder how he'll fair in the Warrior Ceremony?" Then she looked down at Dac and Sam and said, "You two are competing as well, aren't you?"

      "Yes," Sam replied.

      She smiled and said, "This is a once in a lifetime chance. Do you have any colors you'd really like to be painted?"

      "I'd like to be camouflage!" Dac shouted excitedly.

      "I don't care, just as long as it's something cool!" Sam replied.

      "I hope you both do well in the ceremony," she replied.

      *

      Sam held his sword in tightly in one paw. He waited anxiously for his name to be called to go onto the field. "Dacara," boomed the voice over the immense amount of sounds. Dac clapped Sam on the shoulder before heading out onto the field and getting into place. "Grog," the voice called out again. Grog smirked before going to stand beside Dac. Sam shifted nervously, twisting his sword around and around for practice. "Samari," the voice finally called out. Sam walked over and stood beside Grog. He stuck his hand in his pocket, fingering the coin. Now, the real test was about to begin.

      All of the contestants stood in a line, waiting to be told what their tests would be. "Your first challenge," the announcer explained, "is to make it through the obstacle course. Once you all finish with that, you'll each face an experienced warrior. For your final test, you all shall take a quiz. In this way, you'll be tested in your speed, strength, wits, and your ability in different situations. You may only use the one weapon you brought with you and yourself. Now, are you all ready to start the Warrior Ceremony?"

      The reply was a strong "yes" from all of the contestants. The announcer smiled and nodded his head. "The course will be to climb over a fence, and from there climb up a tree and swing across it using vines. Then you'll run across slippery ground, and then you shall climb up a stonewall. You will then jump from wall to wall. Don't worry about falling, for there are pillows between each wall. Then you shall swim across a pool of water. The final task of the obstacle course is to run the remaining length to the finish line. The race begins when I drop the flag."

      No sooner had he dropped the flag and shouted 'go' than the contestants were off, fighting to be first. This isn't so bad, Sam thought as he started to swing across the vines. That done, he started to run across the slippery ground. He slipped and fell a few times before making it across. Soon the wall jumping was done as well, and all that was left was the swim and the run. Sam jumped into the water and started to swim, putting his heart and soul into it. Almost there, he thought.

      Suddenly, something pulled him under. All he could see of it was one large claw holding onto him. He drew his sword and started to swipe at it. He slashed its claw, making it cry out in pain and let go, disappearing from sight. However, that short battle had depleted what air he had had in his lungs, so he let the water take him.

      *

      When Sam awoke, he found himself lying in a bed with eyes watching him carefully. "Sam!" a familiar voice shouted. "Sam, I'm glad you're awake!"

      When Sam's vision cleared, he saw a camouflage Zafara staring down at him. "Dac!" he shouted happily. "You got the color you wanted to be painted!" Then, curious to know, he asked, "Dac, what color was I painted?"

      "Well," Dac replied nervously, "you weren't painted."

To be continued...