The Beginning Of It All

I grew up in the slums being nothing more than a gutter rat. Although I was very different from the other children because of my appearance.

My mother had left me here when I was half a year old, telling me to find my father as soon as possible. I remembered everything from my birth, my brain being fully developed already when I was born. When my species are born, they already have the basic knowledge of a five-year-old installed in their brain.

I don't exactly remember what my mother had looked like, but I know my mother had been alone and in pain when she had me. She had been on the run from someone. But she loved me, and although it may seem harsh, because she loved me, she had to leave me. She had to leave me in a place no one would think to look.

In my memories of her she would never tell me who she was running from, but she told me that they were 'very bad people'. I may have been young but I was intensely curious as to who the 'very bad people' were.

When she left, I was sad and cried for a few days, but I knew as clearly as the day I was born that she would never have left me behind, even if she faced scorn at being a single mother. She loved me more than life, and I think I loved her too.

#

I had turned five half a year ago, in the summer, nobody else knew my birthday, let alone their own so I celebrated alone with a fresh piece of bread. I was a small for my age, but I was strong, flexible, and very fast. So I don't really know how I came to be in this situation.

It was the third month since my last one, so time for our regular three-month bath at Creed's bath house. Creed who owned the bath house would allow us gutter rat's once every three months, to use his baths after all his customers had left. The water was nice and we looked forward to these occasions. Creed was a good man, so when every child in the bath's began to fall asleep we were surprised and concerned.

The drugs they had put in the bath hadn't worked on me but had worked on every other slum kid in there. Their eyelids drooped and sleep consumed them. Fortunately none slipped into the water.

When some muscular and scarred men and women came in to collect the children, they saw me awake and staring so they tried to grab me, but I being fast and them being unaware, knocked them all out, apart from one who ran outside. A moment later, three large muscular men and one malicious looking woman came bounding through the door.

I was fast and strong so ended up taking down the woman and a man, before being held down, and tied up by the other two who were although badly beaten by me, unfortunately not unconscious.

I thought to myself that I would have to try harder next time and kill them instead.

I was taken out the back naked and wet before being chucked into a large wagon with the other kids. I was the only one who was tied, and the other children were too frightened of my glowing eyes in the dark to help me calling me a monster. I had rolled my eyes.

After around an hour we came to a stop and were thrown out, only to be caught by someone on the other end of the throw. I was of course given to the strongest one to hold me still.

We were then carried or dragged into a large bounding through a rear entrance. Standing in a large open space behind the door was a man in a fancy suit, who took one look at me and smirked.

"This one here will be the star of our auction! I suspect he is one of those rare human cross animal races!" I stared hard at him. I knew what I was, but what did he mean by auction? A slave auction?

And that is how I came to be here after escaping the arms of my captor and heeling the man in the suits nose. And then having to have six men chase me around the room with my arms and feet tied, before do to my mistake I fell over and they finally caught me.

So, yea. Here I am in a metal barred cage, chained tightly inside, after almost escaping five more times. Oh, and I also now have seven extra locks on the door.

I believe that I have made quite the achievement and record here.

Suddenly I heard the door to the large room open. The people and animals suddenly stopped sniffling and sobbing. I heard feet shuffling on the floor.

A cage door was opened. I heard a young girls voice shriek as she was pulled out of the cage. She was the first of a long row of children all chained together.

"So, this is the first human batch then? They might have been the worst lot I've seen yet, apart from some here are cleaner than others. Augh, for God sake, look some have even died already. The longest any of them have been here is five days, and they were given bread and water every day."

They began unlocking the dead children from the line. Once the last dead child was unlocked, they were led away out of the room. Off in the distance I heard the sound of echoing applause.

Slowly cages were unlocked, and more children, teens, and adults were taken away out of the room, and again I heard the echoing of applause.

After all of the humans were gone, animals began to be taken. One by one. In the cage next to me there was a snow tiger. He was large and fluffy but looked quite sad. I thought he was probably quite young and missing his family.

"Hey little tiger. Don't worry too much. You can always wait for the perfect time to kill your next master if you wish too." I smiled. The tiger seemed to understand and growled in response, as if to say, 'thank you'.

"No problem."

#

Eventually the tiger was taken. He seemed to be the main event in the animal auction.

The door opened ten minutes later, and in came five big bulky men and a muscular woman. They unlocked the door and the woman leant in placing a blindfold over my eyes. I tried to bite her, but a hand grabbed my neck and my head holding me still as the woman tied the blindfold tightly.

The cage door was then closed again, and all the locks were clicked unto place. I felt myself being lifted and carried out. The light coming through the blindfold kept flicking from light to dark every second or two.

The sound of laughter, applause and someone speaking, was getting closer every second. Suddenly it was right close to me, and my cage stopped moving.

Laughter came from the audience after the speaker said some joke, I didn't quite understand why they considered funny. I felt one of the men next to me give some kind of signal.

"Well, well ladies, and gentlemen. Our main event of this evening has arrived." A loud cheer went through the audience.

"Now, now, quiet down. I have some information for you about our special guest today." The audience quietened.

"This was quite the late arrival to this auction, as we only just captured it today. It is quite the rarity, and we weren't expecting such a good find. So please my favourite audience. Please do welcome. Our boy from the snake people." There were gasps, cheers and applause from the audience as I felt my cage begin to move, and myself become bathed in bright hot light.

"This boy here is quite the feisty one, he took down many of our people before we captured him. Just look at his beautiful smooth and tanned skin. His bright white hair. And his perfect child's body. We suspect he is around five years old. But he could be a bit younger as he is quite dainty. But that's not even the best bit" the audience began to whisper to each other curious as to what was about to be revealed.

My head was clamped by multiple hands as an arm once again reached into the cage and grabbed my blindfold. I tried to struggle out of the strong grasp and achieved my goal as I turned and bit the arm holding the blindfold. Pulling at my cuffs I felt the weakened metal break my feet were still stuck but I managed too pull of my blindfold.

I was hit by amazingly strong light and found myself on a stage surrounded by red curtains. There was an audience directly in front of me, watching with avid curiosity. I hissed and glared. Hoping none of them would be willing to buy me. However, I had the opposite effect, a hand went up already taking the first bid, not even asking for the starting price first.

"One million" Said the suited man from earlier stood at a podium nearby to the right of the stage

"One million, one thousand!"

"Two thousand!"

"Three thousand!"

This went on for a very long time before someone said.

"One billion!" shocking everyone into silence.

"O-One billion!" said the man at the podium.

"But before that you are all going to be killed and all of the slaves here will be set free." Said a man in the audience. He stepped forward and began to walk towards the stage.

He seemed familiar for some reason. I looked away from the men trying to grab me and the woman who was holding her arm as it bled.

I saw his eyes. Blue, and glowing as though they had their own light. I knew immediately who it was. And for some reason I was sure he knew who I was.

He strode elegantly and with overpowering authority towards the stage stepping up into the light where u saw him properly for the first time.

Long white hair cascaded down his back, and a large white snake wrapped itself around him. His skin was pale as ice and his blue slit eyes were clear as diamonds.

"Um. uh. Excuse me sir. What are you doing?"

He strode to my cage and as the men lunged at him, he took them down swift and smooth as the falling snow. His movements flowing like water. The whole place was silent. No one spoke, they were all stunned.

The woman noticing the man behind her was to late to react as he knocked her out in one small movement.

The man at the podium was stunned and afraid. But was to drawn and curious about the mysterious man, that he didn't move only stared.

I watched as the man kneelt down at the cage door and break it open. He crawled in slightly and broke my ankle restraints before taking me in his arms and lifting me out.

I stared at him. His eyes and face were comforting in a way. He looked a little surprised by the state and smiled. I think everyone other than me in this building got chills from that smile, as he flashed his pearly white fangs.

"Leave none alive!" he snapped his fingers and assassins dressed in black appeared from all corners of the room and dropping down from the ceiling.

The man pulled my face unto his shoulder holding it there do I wouldn't have to see it. Even if I heard it.

"You have done well. Now you can rest."

"Did you try to find me?" I asked.

"Yes. For these past five years nine months and fourteen days I have been searching for you both."

"Did you find mother?" he went quiet.

"Yes. She has departed from us now though. She loved you, you know. Her last request was that I find you here in this town, or wherever you were, and look after you. She never wanted to leave you." He slipped his cloak around me and held me close.

"I know. I know she never wanted to leave me. I do." I don't know if he felt his shoulder become wet with warm, salty, tears. Or whether he noticed himself get drenched in the rain outside as he covered me with his cloak. But all I knew was that he was my father, and I was his son.

#

It has been seven years since my father found me at the auction house. He looked after me like he promised mother. Although our life was full of assassination and information gathering.

He was the Head of a large guild that the northern snake people had escaped to. They were being hunted by a human king somewhere in the west. They had wiped out the southern snake people, where my mother had come from, and had chased them down until only my mother had been left. There may be a few still wandering the world, but no one really knows.

The Northern snake people were next on the kings list, so they had started a guild to use as their cover. Mother had been married to father and had run away knowing that they were after her, and not wanting him and his clan to get involved. She had been a kind woman who cared deeply for me and father.

"Ormr! Your father wants to see you!" Peppin came through the library door pocking her head around and grinning at me.

"Oh, sure I will be there in a sec." I closed my book memorising the page number and set it down on the table next to the armchair I was curled up in.

Father was very loving towards me when we were together, but when I wasn't there, he was apparently very cold and grumpy, so Peppin would often do this to get me to save them from him.

Peppin was a tall girl with a very fun personality. She was always laughing and being silly. She had pale skin and golden slit eyes, with red hair. When father went away for work, she would often go with him as she was one of the best fighters here. She was within the top ranks here.

To no surprise either Peppin was very popular within the ranks as she was very beautiful and loving.

Following Peppin we reached fathers office in no time. When she opened the door I felt the glare from my father that he gave her.

"Where have you been?" he hissed.

"Well sir. I met Ormr in the hallway, so I brought him with me." I felt my father brighten a little at my name. I poked my head around the door and saw my father sitting at his desk. He definitely brightened at the sight of me. He pushed himself from under the desk a little and beckoned to his lap.

"I'm twelve already." I said.

"And?" he said smiling. I sighed and walked across to room to sit on his lap.

Whilst on his lap, I noticed all the documents he hadn't bothered to finish and took up a pen. Leaning over the desk I began to write and finish them off for him. I did this often and he would sit there resting his head on my shoulder whilst talking to his team in the room.

"Leonard. Your information gathering has improved a little lately. Well done."

"Thank you, sir."

"Skiri. You have been appointed a mission for assassinating a corrupt noble for his majesty, you had better not fail otherwise I will have my head on the chopping block. Here is the official letter. All of the information on your target is in here. I trust in your skills."

Skiri being the silent type took it with a nod.

"Peppin. There is nothing for you at the moment so keep training the men."

"Of course, sir." She grinned.

"Stop that its creepy." Said Laxi.

Laxi was another woman in the group. A very grumpy and stuck-up woman, who loved me a little too much and was very loyal to my father.

She had purple hair and purple slit eyes. And just like all of the northern snake people she had very pale skin.

"Shut up!" retorted Peppin grinning even harder.

"Guys don't fight." Said a small voice.

Orphil was a tiny woman who excelled in assassination and was way more sadistic and deadly than she looked or acted. She had white hair like mine and my fathers and red slit eyes. She looked rather cute with her short bob and child stature. But her mood swings were deadly.

"You guys have the energy to argue this early." Yawned Flaxis our very own mad scientist.

Flaxis was our resident mad scientist and our only half human half snake people left. He had brown hair and green slit eyes. his skin was slightly tanned but the dark circles under his eyes were still very visible.

"Its two in the afternoon! Were you up all night again?!" complained Peppin. Flaxis yawned and ignored her.

"Guys. No fighting. Ormr is here." The room went silent. Father had spoken, and to them he was absolute authority. His head was still resting on my shoulder, and I had been pretending not to listen whilst doing my father's work for him

"Hey dad. What does this mean?" I asked trying to remove the tension in the room. But I actually didn't understand the word that was written on the paper.

"Nudiustertian." He thought for a moment. "I think it means the day before yesterday."

"Ah! I see. This makes sense now. Thanks dad!" he smiled and kissed my forehead.

When I had first come to live here, he didn't leave my side for a second and was with me all day and night. He didn't kiss me, but he smiled a lot. I had been the one who kissed him on the cheek and after that whenever he had the chance, he would kiss me on the cheek or forehead.

My hair was long like his now and kept falling in my face, so I slipped of his lap and tied it up. When I turned around and looked back at him, he seemed dejected. I let go of my hair letting it fall down around my face. I then sat back down and handed him my hair tie. He perked up and began to comb his way through my hair. I sighed and rolled my eyes at the guys watching. They smiled and tried to stifle their laughter, apart from Flaxis and Lexi. Even Skiri smiled.

I leant on the desk and closed my eyes letting my fathers soft hands run through my hair. I was suddenly very tired and thought I would take a quick nap. The rhythm of my fathers hands were like a lullaby and I felt myself quickly drift into a deep slumber.