1 Chapter 1

I'm out in the woods collecting wood for tonight because my father believes that it's going to be the coldest night of this winter. As I am walking I hear something faint almost not even there.

I wonder what it was or what it was saying. My father used to tell me stories about the woods when I was little he would say the woods would speak to you if you were willing to listen. My parents are always telling me that I need to stop being so carefree and to grow up, but there isn't any fun in that.

I keep collecting wood until about dusk when I make my way home to my family's little farm. When I reach the door the wind is blowing and it's freezing ita also dark outside. Icicles are starting to form on the trees and I open the door going in where it's warm.

I hand my father the wood as I walk over to my mother who has been ill from the cold. The village physician hasn't been able to cure her and she only gets worse as well as many others in our village and the king doesn't seem to care about us. Many have starved grown ill or their homes ravaged by bandits. Our little village is falling apart.

I look to my father saying "Will she ever get better?" He responds "I do not know everything is uncertain the physicians are clueless on what this could be all we can do is keep her comfortable and pray for her to awaken." I nod. Saying "will you be traveling to the king to plead for aid father?" He shakes his head no saying "I am needed here to care for your mother and for you we both know the other villagers find you....odd." I get up walking to the door saying "I am going to check on the animals make sure they are in the barns." I wrap myself in my cloak walking outside in the cold and out to the barn. When I get to the barn I go in checking on all the animals making sure they are doing well in the extreme cold today.

Father says it is the coldest it has ever been this winter that he can remember. But I know why the villagers call me weird and strange. It's because I tend to be very optimistic about everything and I even believe that the Dragons were not lost in the great Dragon wars many years ago before I was even born but I was told about it from my father.

As I am checking on all the animals and the barn's integrity I hear "Brenna quickly come back to the house." I then make my way back hastily my father sounded urgent.

When get back outside my mother's sleeping body is being dragged outside. I run over to the men pulling her out into the cold grabbing one of their arms saying "Please my mother is not well taking her back.." the man smacks me down to the ground. My father runs to my side to check on me. One of the men says "I'm sorry to do this but the sickness is only getting worse the only course of action is to burn all those infected." They throw her to the ground and with a torch burn her alive I try to rush to my mother's aid but my father golds me back. Her screaming fills the air then I hear the woods whispering 'Take what is yours back'