TIW: The Darkest Ray of Hope

Three kingdoms rule over the world. Qanas, a kingdom of knights in the west. Klyfland, a sandy kingdom full of magic in the north. Klyfland, a kingdom filled with warriors determined to hone their skills in the east. The world is ravaged by a war that's lasted for over one hundred years. The reason for this war being started has been lost to time, but feud between the kingdoms still burns furiously. A small group as formed in the south where there are no kings or queens, hoping to put an end to this war.

A young boy travels through a vast forest, his clothes dirty and rugged from the wear and tear of treading through the wilderness for so long. His backpack struggles to stay on his shoulders, but holds on with all its might. How did I end up here? That question rings through his mind over and over. It has for the past week. The thought of returning home, seeing his family again keeps him moving forward.

He comes to halt when he hears something rustling in a nearby bush. He hesitates, then walks towards the bush. A young lion comes jumping out, scratching his chest as the sudden forces knocks him backwards onto the ground. He grabs the lion by the scruff with his left hand, pulling it off of him and getting up on his feet. He finds himself staring at a lion cub. The cub starts to flail about, scratching his forearm.

"Ow! You motherfucker!" He exclaims as he turns it away from himself so it can't scratch him. The searing pain from the cuts only makes him more agitated, "What the hell is a lion doing in the forest? I thought they lived in the sahar-" There's a sudden flash and something heavy starts pulling down his arm. He's surprised to see a young boy in a light brown shirt and pants, around eight or so, flailing around in his hand.

"Let me, go!" The kid cries.

"What the hell are you?"

"I'm a kid! Now, let me go!"

"You're not, a kid. You were a lion just a moment ago,"

"Yeah, and I'm a kid too. Now, let me go!" The kid starts flailing harder, swinging one of his feet backwards and hitting the boy in the side, right where he got cut, the pain igniting.

"Stop," The boy says sternly as he pulls the kid around to face him, "You hear me?" He glares at the kid with fire in his eyes. The kid quickly stops resisting.

"Yes," The kid replies as he looks down at the ground.

"Good. Now I'm gonna put you down, and you're not gonna run away or turn back into a lion and claw me up, got it?" The kid nods. The boy puts the kid down and the boy stands there, holding his hands behind his back and rubbing his right foot against the ground.

"S-Sorry for hurting you," The kid says hesitantly. The boy lets out an annoyed sigh.

"It's alright," He lies, "But, where on earth are your parents? I haven't seen a town or anything for a week,"

"I...uh…"

"You?"

"I, uh...ran away from home…" The kid says, unable to look him in the eyes.

"Why?"

"Well...people don't, like, what I am," He looks down at the ground, becoming teary eyed, "Including...m-mama and papa…" He sniffles as tear drops fall onto the dirt.

"Fucking people…" The boy mutters to himself. He kneels down, "Hey, uh, kid...what's your name?"

"L-Leon…" The boy wipes the tears off the kids face with his hands.

"Well, Leon, my name's…" He glances off to the side for a second, "...Himitsu,"

"H-Himitsu?" He repeats with a slightly runny nose.

"Yeah," He replies with a soft smile, "Now come on," He stands up, "We have a lot of ground to cover,"

"Huh?"

"You're coming with me,"

"W-What?"

"You heard me. Someone needs to take care of you,"

"I can do fine just by myself," The kid pouts.

"Alright, have fun being by yourself then," Himitsu shrugs as he starts walking off.

"W-Wait!" Leon cries as he grabs Himitsu's hand.

"What?"

"...I...I, changed my mind, I wanna go with you," Himitsu smiles a bit as Leon looks down at the ground, too embarrassed to look up at him.

"Okay. Here," Himitsu kneels down, taking his backpack off his back and zipping open the largest pocket, "Why don't you turn back into a lion and I carry you?" Leon looks at the open backpack, than glances up at him, "I'll leave it open if you want,"

With a bright flash, Leon is now a lion cub once more, and he hops into the back pack, turning around and sticking his head out. Himitsu lifts up the backpack, tightening the straps before continuing his journey through the forest.