Larkin

The Blind Huntress

Born the runt of the clutch, Larkin’s whole life has been a struggle for survival. She had been tossed aside. Abandoned. Left to die. She couldn’t keep up. She wasn’t big enough. She wasn’t strong enough.

***

She was woken by the sounds of battle and scorching heat. Her parents rushed them outside away from the billowing flames that engulfed the nest. The hatchlings lept through the doorway just before it collapsed into a pile of debris. Stopping to catch their breath Larkin quickly notice something was wrong.

Her sister. Where had she gone? Horrified, Larkin turned towards the nest, and there beneath the rubble lay Rammaq. It was too late for her. She was with the Gods now. Tears welled in her eyes and her father urged them onward. She was much smaller than her siblings and quickly fell behind.

Smoke filled her lungs as she tumbled through the brush desperately trying to follow her family. Screams of battle echoed across the plains and the fire quickly spread through the dry grass. In the chaos, she soon lost sight of her family. She called out into the night.

“Wait for me!” she pleaded.

“Please…wait…”

Her siblings muffled cries called back and there in the distance she caught sight of her father. He met her gaze. His eyes filled with fear as his gaze shifted behind her. The fire was approaching fast. Without a second thought, he spun towards the calls of her siblings and sprinted off into the night leaving her to the blaze.