Chapter 2

Streaks of moonlight shone throughout the village of Ironguard, giving all metallic objects a shiny appearance. In the largest hut, that resided at the highest point in the village, a boy sat completely still, as his father talked on and on about the dangers of searching for things that do not exist, and so on. Logan pretended to be listening, but was instead looking through the dragons once again.

The system automatically gathered information about dragons, putting the information in a [Dragon Encyclopedia]. The encyclopedia was a function of the system, its purpose being to put obtained information into it, and saving it in case he needed to look through the information again.

"Son, are you listening to me," the chief asked, removing Logan's attention from the encyclopedia and back to his father. Logan's father's name was Leon Sherwood, the name Sherwood, being a line of nobility in the tribe. Leon had light brown hair, green eyes that could penetrate your soul, and a long scar that ran up his cheek. He wore a dark leather shirt, along with dark pants that fit him tightly. He also wore a long robe that was barely shorter than the ground, and had thick layers of animal skin on both sides of it. Bright beads and jewels of many kinds adorned the robe, making it glitter and shine with the help of the moonlight that streamed through the doorway.

He was a stern man, but also very kind, especially towards his family. His wife died 5 years ago, leaving him to raise Logan by himself.

Logan looked up at his father who sat lazily in his throne. The serious look on his face did not match the way he was sitting in the chair, which made Logan have to hold in his laughter.

"Their is no such thing as dragons, son, so you should just give up studying them." Leon said seriously.

"If they truly did not exist, than you wouldn't have said stop studying them. I can tell by the way you talk, that they really do exist, or did exist." Logan retorted calmly.

"Son, don't argue with me, I'm serious about this, give it up." Leon said in angrily.

Logan was tempted to keep prying his father, but decided better of it and kept his mouth shut. He stood up and walked out the door of the hut, shutting it behind him as he stepped out into the darkness.

As Logan stood looking out over the valley below, a cool breeze ruffled his long hair. He had no expression on his face as gazed sharply into nowhere. He was going to figure it out, no matter the consequences. After finalizing his plan, he moved into his hut and fell asleep.

*****

Logan set the pack on his back firmly into place. He had already gathered all the necessary items for his journey. The sun had yet to show itself, as Logan walked quietly down the hillside towards Lost-Woods Forest. He pulled the map from his pack and studied it intently to assure himself he was going the right way.

The sun was in the center of the sky, before Logan stopped. He was breathing deeply and quickly, but not enough for him to be exhausted. A thin layer of sweat covered his body from head to toe. He was burning up from the relentless heat waves that permeated him clear to his bones. He could hear the sound of rushing water, and he could smell the scent of flowers that drifted through the air. A thick canopy of trees surrounded him, along with vast collections of bushes taking advantage of the insect riddled soil below.

Curling climbing plants hung from a few of the trees, along with bunches of flowers, which enhanced the otherwise plain terrain. Sounds of insects reverberated through the air, in perfect harmony with the sound of rushing water.

The scenery surrounding Logan made him feel safe and secure, even though it was far from safe. Many people had died in this forest, even Logan was surprised of his lack of fear. Logan always felt at home in the forest, although he didn't know why.

Logan turned towards the sound of the water, and moved towards it. When he broke through the treeline, he saw a rapidly moving stream, that looked as clear as if looking from a window. He bent down and took a long refreshing drink from the stream, before looking back and forth between the river and the trees.

6 hours later...

Logan crumpled wearily onto a stump, as he gulped in deep mouthfuls of air. The breeze picked up its pace, slowly getting stronger and stronger. His hair and clothing waved with the wind. After he finished recovering his breath, he stood and moved into the closest stand of trees to his right. The shadows created by the canopy above, were getting thicker and longer, as the sun made its descent.

Logan suddenly heard sounds of voices along with laughter, entering his ears. He crouched low into the bushes and moved forward slowly. A band of men sat around a campfire, drinking and arguing, completely oblivious to his presence.

He watched them for a while, before noticing a metal cage at the edge of their campsite. Last he knew, nobody lived on this island besides his tribe. These men being here was suspicious, as they could have evil motives. What also surprised him, was the fact that they were sitting around a fire at mid-day, instead of waiting for the darkness. Something was seriously wrong, why would these men be here with no worries in the slightest.

Logan glanced over the men once again, only this time he studied them closely. Most of them were wearing armor, and had a sword or axe strapped to their backs. They looked dirty and menacing, as if they had never lived in cleanliness before. Yes, he knew it, the men were not here for a peace mission.

The giant iron cage peaked Logan's attention the most. He couldn't see what was inside it, or if anything was inside it, because it was covered in many different animal skins. But before the men spotted him, he needed to tell his father about them. Although finding the truth about dragons was important to him, his tribes safety was more important.

Without hesitation, Logan moved back the way he came as quietly as possible, trying not to get spotted by the men.

"Snap" the sound of a twig snapping reverberated throughout the forest once again. Although not very loud, the sound was clearly audible. Logan tensed, expecting the men to start coming after him, but after an excruciating few moments, the expected sounds of footsteps didn't come. Logan let out a breath, trying not to panic, and kept moving opposite the men, only this time he was careful not to step on any twigs.

By the time Logan escaped the confines of thick forest, he was gasping for air. Although he hadn't ran far, it was a stressful half hour. He had nearly ran into the guards that wandered around the camp slowly. He was even more assured that they were enemies, now that he knew the camp had guards. Logan was grateful of the fact that they were too loud and unruly, as that had helped him escape without alerting them. He breathed in deeply, before he burst out running towards Ironguard once again.