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Prepared by Fate 1

Wisdom's Gift

In late fall a violent storm blankets the night sky the howling winds and lashing rain complemented by the crack of lighting forking from the darkness like claws of electricity, and the deafening booms of thunder sounding like some fell beast in a murderous rage. An ominous orange glow can be seen on the horizon and as the storm rages on, the smell of burning wood and flesh spreads rapidly across the land. As the lightning strikes again it illuminates a huge plume of thick smoke, a vast black miasma of death and destruction. The reality of the situation soon becomes clear as the glow is that of a burning village, its inhabitants slaughtered mercilessly by a single killer whom set the fire to ensure that no witnesses remained.

The storm passes as the night deepens and the burning village fades into the horizon, a cloaked figure can barely be made out approaching an isolated meadow that borders a dark and foreboding forest. In the faint light provided by the full moon an insignia glitters in pale silver on the breast of the cloak, an insignia of two crossed sickles behind a flaming skull. This symbol is feared by those who know it because it belongs to the Draconian Elite, a ruthless group of soldiers that serve as the queens personal army.

The cloaked figure was an officer of the Draconian Elite, one of the few that had a sense of honor. As he was unable to abide the ruthlessness and depravity of his comrades, he was put in charge of the castle guard. This allowed him to overhear a most foul plot, a plot devised by the queen herself to destroy the egg that carried her unborn daughter. To prevent this he stole the egg and fled the castle under the cover of night, forsaking his oath and all that he had known to save an innocent life.

It was not him who destroyed the village however but his pursuer, an extremely ruthless individual by the name of Bjorn. Even among the Draconian Elite Bjorn was feared and for good reason, not only was he ruthless to those he attacked but also to his own men should they fail him. His mission from the queen was simple recover the egg, and kill the one who stole it. At least it would have been simple if the man who stole the egg wasn't familiar with the tactics employed by the Draconian Elite, and Bjorn's methods in particular.

The cloaked figure soon reaches the meadow, and sensing his pursuer drawing closer decides to leave the egg there. Gently nestling it in a dense thicket of Nettles he covers his tracks, and doubles back toward the smoldering remains of the village. He would not be seen again either alive or dead, as Bjorn caught him just as he reached the village having doubled back himself to be sure no-one survived the destruction.

A few nights later the egg still nestled in the thicket of nettles begins to shake ever so slightly, the moon and stars reflected in the smooth polished shell. As the minutes pass the shaking grows more violent, until finally the shell shatters in a small burst of orange flame. Reducing the thicket of nettles to ash and scorching the ground, there among the shards of shell lay a small hatchling with scales of ruby red. It is several hours before the hatchling stirs and opens its eyes, which are of fiery orange the color of hot coals in a blacksmiths forge.

A short while later the hatchling moves, crawling towards the deep shadowed verges of the forest. The limbs of the ancient tree's stretching out like gnarled fingers, seeking to grasp the very light before it can penetrate their mighty boughs. Before long the hatchling reaches the dubious safety of the forest, passing into its shadowy confines. The darkness broken here and there by small gaps in the canopy, creating a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere.

It is almost dawn by the time the hatchling reaches a cave near a serene sparkling stream, its entrance covered by a tangled web of Ivy and wild Honeysuckle. Although the caves entrance is small at a mere three feet wide and six feet tall belying it's true size, the interior is vast and cavernous at over a mile across and three hundred feet high. It is this cave that would become the hatchlings home, a shelter from the dangers of the forest and the fast approaching winter.

As the months pass and winter deepens, snow covers the ground and treetops like a frosty blanket. Although the intense cold was enough to freeze the stream solid it had as yet not managed to permeate into the cave, due to its thick walls and vine covered entrance. Inside the cave is quite comfortable neither to hot nor to cold, and right now the hatchling is sleeping on a bed of pine needles.

As the morning slowly approaches the hatchling wakes with a yawn and stretches, hir wings extending gracefully as shi sits up and looks around hir cave as if checking to see if anything was out of place. Visually nothing seemed to be out of place, but a dark and ominous presence clouds hir mind for what seems like an eternity, despite only a few hours having passed. As the darkness fades a lighter presence is revealed and in it a voice powerful and wise. ''I name thee Tenchi Arizonia let it be a beacon to guide you until heaven and earth reunite with the Novastar.''

End???