Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Insightful Promise ❯ Prologue - Stone ( Prologue )

Stone paced along the entrance to the cave, each step reverberating off of the walls of the cavern and making the noise seem a thousand times louder than it was. He kept his gaze turned towards the sky, watching for any signs of danger. His cobalt hair blew in the breeze, whipping his long ponytail back and forth. His sister, Star, walked up behind him, holding out her hand to stop his pacing. “Brother, please, must you really pace? The echo here is horrid. My eardrums are aching,” she said, her silvery-blue eyes wide and innocent-looking. Stone knew that she wasn't as innocent as she looked, though. Neither of them were; both of them were dangerous, and they knew it.

 

“I'm sorry, I suppose I was just lost in thought,” Stone said, glancing down at his sister. She was a few inches shorter than him, even though she was older. He sighed and glanced down at his hands; the gray pallor of his skin looked odd in the setting sun.

 

Star nodded, turning to look at the land surrounding the cave. The land around them was beautiful; rolling green hills and a clear, crystalline lake. Birds sang as they flew by, drifting on warm updrafts and barely flapping their wings. “I miss flying,” Star whispered, longing in her eyes as she watched the birds.

 

Stone's jaw nearly dropped. His sister had never admitted that she missed her wings; in fact, she had always insisted that she hated them and was glad that they were gone. “I miss flying, too,” he said as he leaned against the wall. He turned his head away, pretending that he didn't see the tear that had streaked down his sister's face. “We'll get our wings back, Star,” he said, trying to console her, though he wasn't sure how much good his words were. In his peripheral vision, Stone saw Star nod and wipe away the tear on her cheek.

 

“I'm going to go to sleep,” Star muttered as she turned and walked back into the cave, leaving Stone alone at the entrance.

 

Stone sighed and kicked a small stone over the edge of the small cliff; they were up about ten feet. The stone clattered noisily on the way down, bouncing off of other rocks and finally coming to a rest in the hard-packed dirt at the base of the small cliff. He gazed downward at it as darkness filled the cave and then the sky. Before he turned to go back inside, he looked up at the stars; millions of tiny glowing jewels standing out against a blanket of black. He shifted his gaze to the moon, which was only half full tonight; it would be full in a week and a half, though. Stone loved the full moon; it was so glorious, so pure-looking. He loved how it brightened the sky and how the water shimmered when the moonlight danced across its surface.

***

“Stone.” The sharp whisper brought Stone into consciousness, waking him up abruptly after a peaceful (as peaceful as sleeping on a cave floor can be) night's sleep. His eyes snapped open and he sat up slowly, moving almost silently. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the faint light in the cave. Star was crouched on his right side; she was the one that had woken him.

 

“What's going on?” he asked her, his voice only a whisper. He scanned the cave, starting at the entrance and following along the wall until he saw nothing was attacking. He turned back to Star, who pointed towards the mouth of the cave. Stone's brow furrowed as he stood, slowly, to go and see what she was trying to tell him.

 

When he reached the entrance, he nearly fell over the side of the cliff. They were here. Finally; this was the day that he and his sister had been waiting for. He smirked, though his eyes still held the same sad expression they always did. Turning back to his sister, he mouthed `They're here' and walked farther into the cave, towards Star, so he wouldn't be seen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prologue