Mark ran. He ran as silently and as fast as he could through the forest bottom. He couldn't be seen. If he was seen, it would be over. Coming across a tree with a branch low enough to swing up on, he stopped up and did just that. With eased movements, he quietly climbed up the tree and his amongst the branches and leaves. Autumn was just around the corner, so the trees would soon loose their leaves and this would be a useless hideout, but not yet luckily.

The tree shook a little as something stomped through the forest loudly. Mark wrapped his long limbs around the tree in order not to fall down. The stomping came closer and closer and soon he could see a large, almost golden, lizard-like creature with wings sniff around the forest bottom through the leaves.

He held his breath unconsciously as the large creature passed below him. When he could no longer see the large beast, he let out his breath. At the same moment, the loud steps stopped. Mark in his breath again. Oh no.

A few loud stomps and the large creature was back, looking up at him with crystal blue eyes. He cursed underneath his breath.

'Got you!' a smug female voice said in his mind. The creature started climbing up the tree using it's claws, pushing past branches, breaking them in the process. When the lizard-like animal reached him, it looked him dead in the eyes with it's large feline eyes. There was something cat-like over the being, the way it shifted its head from side to side as if analyzing him. The creature then broke free one of it's front claws from the tree and reached over to touch him. Mark didn't move.

'You lose' the same female voice as before said as the creature before him touched him.

“You almost didn't find me,” Mark told the large creature with a grin.

'Yeah as if. The moment you breathed, I could hear you' the female voice in his head replied with a scoff.

“It's not exactly fair with your enhanced dragon senses,” he argued and signaled that he wanted down. The almost golden dragon took a hold of him in one hand, pushed off the tree and descended down to the ground. Mark felt a small jolt when they landed, before he was set down onto the ground. He stepped back and looked at the dragon.

She was beautiful. Her scales were a brown yellow that made an almost golden color. The larger plates on her chest and stomach were a darker color, that reminded one more of brown and orange than golden. She was large, muscular and potentially dangerous. The membrane of her wings that were now folded in to her body, were the same color of her bigger plates of scales. Those too, were holders of incredible strength as they could carry her and several people on her back. Along her spine were sharp peaks. It was in between two of these that he would sit when they flew together.

A roar in the distance interrupted his train of thought.

“I think your Papa is calling for us, Kero” Mark said with a dry smile on his lips to the dragon.

'You think?' she replied dryly and turned slightly so he could climb up on her back into the saddle there. As soon as he was strapped in, she ran along the forest bottom until they came to a clearing, where she leaped into the air and unfolded her wings. With powerful beats of her wings, they gained height and soon they were soaring above the forest.

It didn't take long before the forest turned to the fields that surrounded the village and then they were descending once again. They landed in the middle of the large village square, where a large, flaming red dragon stood waiting.

'Mark, your Mama is waiting' an age old male voice told him. Mark nodded at the dragon, to which the voice belonged.

“Sure thing Papa,” he replied to the dragon before redirecting his eyes to Kero. “Come on Kero, let's go,” he smiled.

'Kerowyn stays with me' the voice interrupted before they could take flight again, using Kero's full name. Mark frowned. Kero hadn't had to stay with her Papa in years. However he couldn't disobey her Papa, so reluctantly, he climbed down.

“Should I take the saddle?” he asked the large red dragon, who nodded his head in reply. Mark sighed. That meant he wouldn't see Kero before tomorrow. With practiced skill, he unbuckled the saddle and took it off. He had to strain his muscles to keep the large and heavy thing from the ground.

'I'll see you soon Mark' Kero told him.

“See you,” Mark replied at bit downcast, but smiled nonetheless and headed off towards their small house at the edge of the village. Behind him he heard the two dragons take off and fly away.

“Hey, watch it!” AJ exclaimed, his small black eyes widened with worry. Jackson looked up from the container with the dirty green liquid.

“What?” he asked as he took a deep sniff over the container. Despite the color, it smelled like blueberry bubblecake. AJ stomped over quickly and pushed his face away.

“The fumes are ing poisonous if you inhale them for too long,” his friend exclaimed. Jackson let a hand go through his black hair and smiled a goofy smile, that showed all of his teeth.

“Don't worry, I'm fine,” he waved the other off, even though he was feeling kind of light headed. His friend frowned and raised his eyebrows slightly, wrinkling his forehead. AJ was a tall and skinny kid with two centimeter long orange hair (a side effect from one of his experiments) and a very pale complexion. His jawline was sharp and his body was almost all edges. His bony arms sticking out of his t-shirt were witness to that.

It was different how Jackson looked himself. He was shorter and broader over the shoulders and chest. His body was well muscled in his own opinion, the epitome of his pride being his thick and muscular thighs. He was also a shade or two darker than the white skin of his friend, and his features were much softer.

“If you start vomiting, then we have to get you to a healer,” AJ told him. “Does your stomach feel upset?”

“I'm fine, man, I'm fine,” Jackson waved him off again. “What was it about Hana?” His friend gave him a final look before going back to his former place in front of a small cauldron.

“Well, she told her joke, she looked me straight in the eye and winked,” AJ continued his story as he started stirring the cauldron. Jackson raised an eyebrow.

“Are you sure she winked at you and not the person in front or behind you?” he asked, clearly doubting it.

“I'm telling you, she winked at me!” the red head snapped. “Why would she wink at anyone else, when it's clear she's got the hots for me?”

“I don't know, maybe she doesn't have “the hots” for you?” Jackson replied grinning. “I certainly wouldn't.”

“You know what, face? You're an ,” his friend angrily dumped a handful of something white and sand-like into the cauldron.

“Oh, you know me so well,” he grinned in return waving a hand at the other.

“She winked at me, ok,” AJ almost muttered as he looked at the deep green liquid that smelled like blueberry bubblecake, concentrating. Jackson looked as the other poured half of the substance into the cauldron.

“I'm sure she did,” he nodded with a teasing smile. The red head gave him a seething glare and dropped something into the cauldron. A loud boom resonated through the room, making Jackson jump in shock.

“Oi! Give me a warning next time,” he scolded his friend, who laughed in reply and started stirring again. “You sound like an evil witch with that cackle,” Jackson told the other in order to stop him from laughing. It worked for a moment. AJ looked up at him, while still stirring and gave him a smug grin before he started an evil cackle. An idea popped into his head.

“You know what I'm going to do?” Jackson said with an evil grin stretching his lips. “I'm going to tell Hana about your little crush on her.” His friend stopped and looked at him with wide eyes.

“No,” he ordered.

“Oh yes I am. That's karma for you,” Jackson smirked.

“You wouldn't.”

“Try me.”

“You little-” AJ started but stopped. “You look a little green,” he said instead. Jackson was holding his stomach. It didn't feel that good all of a sudden.

“I-” he didn't reach any longer into the sentence before he threw up the contents of his stomach on the floor. Standing with his hands on his knees, he breathed heavily. He really didn't feel too great right now.

“That's karma for you,” AJ told him with a laugh and Jackson looked up to give his friend a look that could kill. “Let's get you to a healer, my potion needs to simmer for a while anyways,” he said, stopping his potion making and went around the table to help him to the healer's wing.

The ground was hard, but he was used to it. The warming spell he had put over himself did enough to make him comfortable. So he lay there a little longer, waiting for a door to open and the rough voice of the nice baker.

“Himchan,” said familiar voice called for him and he drowsily opened his eyes. A pair of familiar black shoes was the first sight he saw. Looking up he found the baker, fat, round and with a permanent scowl on his face. “Up! I can't have you scaring away the customers,” the baker told him in the usual annoyed voice. Wasting no time, Himchan sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, before standing up. Half a loaf of bread and a piece of cheese was shoved into his hands. The baker then harrumphed as he did every morning and went back to the door. Giving him one last look, the baker told him to 'get lost' and the door was slammed.

Himchan smiled at the door and did as told. He crawled over the high fence he had been sleeping against, holding on to bread and cheese with his mouth, and jumped down into the alleyway behind it. He removed the bread and cheese from his mouth and started walking as he ate. The bread was always slightly burnt, but the cheese was of fine quality today. Sometimes he would get slightly old cheese. He could stomach it though. After many years of living on the streets, he could eat most remnants that people threw away.

He stretched his long limbs, cracking a few joints, as he made his way through the streets towards the river. Around him most houses were silent, but a few had lights flickering in their windows. Somewhere beyond the walls of the city, the sun was peeking out behind the horizon. It would warm the air soon, so he could drop the warming spell he kept around him at night.

Reaching the river and having finished his breakfast, he went out onto the bridge and laid down on his stomach. Reaching down, he cupped some water in his hands and washed his face with it. It was cold. Clenching his teeth, he reached into the cold water a couple of times more. He then stood up and whispered a couple of words to the wind. A warm breeze swirled around him until he was dry.

With that, he went on his way towards his brother's place. More lights were flickering in the windows and a few people were seen on the streets. Most of them gave him a look of disdain or ignored him completely. But he didn't blame them. His clothes were old, tattered and dirty, labeling him as poor and homeless. It didn't matter what they thought about him. The only important person in his life didn't think of him like that anymore. That was all that mattered.

He reached a large worn down building. It was the only building in this part of town that had a second story. His brother lived in the basement with Himchan's step-dad. In actuality, his brother was only his half-brother. Going around the corner, he sat down there and waited for his brother.

The sun was up and his warming spell wasn't needed anymore when the front door opened. Out stepped his brother with a small bag in his hand.

"Jongup," he called out and stood up. His brother turned around and a smile stretched his lips, eyes turning into small crescents. He looked more like a cute kid when he smiled, despite his body being muscled beyond his 15 years. Himchan went over to him and tousled his brown hair.

"Hi," the other greeted him with a smile that could compete with the sun. Many didn't believe they were brothers, but they had their similarities. Their bodies were of different proportions, as Himchan was tall and thin (mostly because of being underfed), while Jongup was short and broader in his build. Their faces though, had some of the same features. They had the same nose and the same black eyes. Jongup had round cheeks when he smiled, while Himchan's were long gone seeing as he didn't always find more food than the breakfast he got from the baker. And of course while Jongup's hair was a nice brown, Himchan's was blonde.

“Ready to go to school?” Himchan asked and his brother nodded. “Let's go then,” he said and started off towards the younger's school.

“Where did you sleep?” Jongup asked him.

“The baker's as always,” he answered with a smile on his lips.

“Which baker? There's several in this city.”

“The same as always.”

“But I don't know which one that is,” Jongup complained and Himchan smiled in return, not answering. He never did. He didn't want to tell the other that he was sleeping on the ground in the back of the baker's shop. Better to keep the other thinking that he was sleeping inside. So he kept it a secret which baker's place he slept at, in case the younger went there asking questions.

With a sigh, Yongguk fell into his chair. This night had been exhausting. It wasn't often he was out in the field so he was a little out of shape. But he hadn't trusted anyone else would be able to deliver the message properly, so he did it himself. His client however, had somehow known he was visiting and had set up a trap for him. He would have to search through his ranks to find out who betrayed him. Only a few knew of his mission tonight.

A knock on his door, interrupted his train of thoughts.

“Come in,” he called out. The door opened, and his right hand man, Kangin, stepped into the dark room. Kangin wasn't very tall, but muscular and broad across his chest. He always wore baggy clothes, in order to come off as a bit on chubby side, but the truth was that it was all muscle. His face was very squared and his brown eyes sharp.

“You're back,” Kangin stated needlessly. Yongguk swung his arms out to each side, as if saying 'as you can see'. The man closed the door, plunging them into darkness again. “Why is there no light?”

“I haven't lighted anything yet,” Yongguk answered. A silence fell over them for a couple of seconds.

“Would you mind if I lighted a candle or two?” the other man asked.

“Go ahead,” he nodded, forgetting that the other couldn't see him. For a long second everything was quiet, before the candles in the room sputtered to life. The small flames lighted a simply furnished room up. There was a desk in front of Yongguk, with two chairs on the other side. Behind him were shelves filled with documents and records of his dealings. Every piece of furniture in the room was made of wood and looked old and worn.

“Is any of the blood yours?” Kangin asked him calmly. Yongguk shook his head. His brown and simple clothes and cloak were covered in blood. He had had to kill tonight to get out.

“I will wash it off later,” he told the other while studying his right hand. It was covered in a fair bit of blood. He had long slim fingers, that were calloused from the work he did. They were perfect for more delicate work. His friends had always said they looked like a woman's hands.

“Tell me of what happened while I was away,” Yongguk ordered Kangin. With a nod, the other gave a report of all that had happened throughout the night. The Daphne had been moving again. Something fishy was going on with them and Yongguk had a nagging feeling what it was. First he would have to prove his suspicions right if he was to move against them though.

“Thank you,” he thanked the man on the other side of the desk, when he finished. “We will talk about more of this when I have rested,” he went on and the other nodded. With that, Kangin turned around and left the room.

When the door had closed behind the man, Yongguk left his chair and went around to the many candles, blowing them out one by one. He didn't have the gift of magic like Kangin, no matter how small it was. With the room dark and black again, he expertly made his way to the shelves. There were no windows in this room as it was underground. Finding the third shelf from the top, he found the box that stood on it and pressed it inwards. The sound of the shelf moving reached his ears. When the sound stopped, he moved forward into the room it had revealed.

The room was lit up by the fire in a fireplace. It was simply furnished as well. There was a desk in one corner, a full body mirror in the other corner, a bed in the middle and a sink opposite the fireplace. With a small push at the shelf, it moved back into place. Going over to the mirror, he looked at himself.

He was getting thinner. That wasn't good. The stress of leading a thieves guild was finally leaving its traces on him. Still well muscled though, which was good. That and his shape was what had kept him alive earlier this night. Fighting Kangin regularly had been a good idea. He would have to find new opponents soon to get a little variety. While fighting, he had felt his instincts expected Kangin's moves instead of what was going on. Looking at his face, he turned it a couple of times. His jawline had gotten sharper and the fat on his cheeks that showed when he smiled was disappearing. He noted down he needed to eat more.

There was blood in his black hair. He needed to wash. Walking over to the sink, he washed his hands and face. This was his least favorite part about doing jobs. Washing away the blood.

Hey there, here's the first chapter...

It's basically introduction, so yeah... 

I feel incredibly awkward right now...

Look to your left! There's a unicorn riding a tricycle!

Peace out (^_^)v