Night had fallen on the little house on the hillside. The moon light shining on the lakes calm surface. The scent of warm bread, hot meat, and vegetables could be caught in the air. The fire crackled in the fireplace.

“Dad where did you go today!” Alex asked, as he started to grab food for his plate.

“*ahem* Alex.” His father cleared his throat. “Are you forgetting to do something?” He said it as a question, but Alex knew what he had forget. Dropping the small bread roll back onto the table he lowered his head, closed his eyes, and clasped his hands together.

“DEAR HEAVENLY MOTHER!” Alex all but screamed. Taking Darcy by surprise, he winced and peered from one eye as he watched his son.

“WE THANK YOU FOR THIS DIVINE GIFT OF BREAD, MEAT, AND MERRYMENT. THANK YOU MOTHER OF THE WORLD FOR ALL YOU DO FOR US.” And with a final clap from Alex “LET US FEAST!”

Alex’s hand rocketed from its rest place against his other and grabbed his bread roll faster than he had originally released it.

Darcy watched on, just drinking in the image of his son. He was so young, but so energetic, just like his mother was at that age. He smiled as he put a piece of steak on Alex’s plate and he dished up the rest of his own.

After dinner the two did their dishes, changed into their evening wear, and went up to bed. Darcy tucked his son into bed, gave him a kiss on his head and went to his own bed. Darcy’s thoughts wandered as his mind replayed memories of his past in blurry strokes of a brush. He remembered her scarlet hair, a smile, and the day Alex was born. A bright light. Worry. An argument between him and her. Her walking into the tree line as Darcy held his son close.

“Daddy?” Darcy, surprised, opened his eyes to an empty room. To his side his son was laying beside him. “Are you okay daddy? You were groaning a lot. You seemed hurt.” Alex said worriedly.

He rubbed his eyes; tears had rolled down them while he was asleep. “Yes, sorry little one.” He said back. “Seems my dreams may have snuck up on me. But I’m fine.” He reassured. “Go back to sleep my little bird.” He kissed his son on his forehead again, and the two drifted off to sleep.

Alex didn’t dream often. Or, if he did, it was usually about food. But tonight, his dreams were alive and vivid. He stood in his home’s kitchen, and it was hot. Red hot, as if the sun were surrounding him. His eyes opened and his house was a blaze.

“Daddy!” He cried out! The words filled the room in a stale muffled sound. He ran up stairs to find his father. But he wasn’t there. The frame of him and his father lay broken on the floor. Alex ran to the window that overlooked the lake. The lake was frozen over and two figures stood on it. One, holding a sword and shield with their back to the house. The other a shadowy silhouette the only thing he could make out were two wide, large, empty white eyes. The figure seemed to let out a large screech when a loud crack came from behind him. Alex turned just as the roof collapsed upon him. He threw his hands as he braced for impact.

Alex shot up in his bed. Sweat dripping from his face and nose. His father was no where to be seen in the room.

“Daddy!” He cried out again as he ran to the stairs. Alex could hear a large metal clang and heavy foots dart across the wooden floor. His father started up the stairs when Alex suddenly lunged into his arms.

“Are you okay?!” his father began looking all over his son trying to find an injury.

“I’m okay Daddy. I just had a bad dream…No…worse than a bad dream, it felt so real.” He started to whimper a little bit.

“What was your dream about?” His father asked as he embraced Alex. The warmth of his father blanketing him and making him feel safe again.

“Well, I was standing right there.” He pointed by the dining table. “And the whole house was on fire. I ran upstairs to check on you, but I couldn’t find you Daddy. I looked out the window and saw someone with a sword and shielding standing on the lake.” He said.

“The lake?” His father questioned.

“Oh yeah, the lake was frozen! This person was standing on it and in front of the was a large silhouette. Huge, GIANT EVEN!” Alex explained as he raised his hands overhead.

Alex’s father stayed silent as his son explained this dream to him.

“Oh, it was so scary dad. I couldn’t really see its face, but it has these large, empty, wide white eyes.” Alex said slightly distressed. Darcy looked at him with his full attention.

“and then it let out this loud screech and then suddenly the roof collapsed on my head. That’s when I woke up.” Alex said as he ended his tale.

“What sound did this figure make?” His father questioned.

“Uh…I can’t really remember? It was really loud, it hurt my ears.” He said.

“Did it sound like a bird?” His father pressed.

Alex thought for a moment as he looked into his father’s eyes. They were hard and serious. Alex started “I don’t remember…” and he placed his hand on his father’s forearm. He froze in place for a moment, he could see his father speaking to him, but he didn’t hear anything.

Suddenly the image of his father was wiped away. He could see the frozen lake again, only this time, he was on the frozen lake. He looked around, the borders of his visions blurry, as if water was rushing down glass and you tried to peer through it. He heard his father, as if he was hearing him underwater.

“You have no place here creature. We did off with you once, and I shall do it again.” The person speaking was his father and he wore a golden shield with intricate details on the front and in his right hand a sword. The same sword and shield he saw from his dream. He looked to his left and saw the silhouette again. It opened its maw and from it emerged the loud shriek of a bird.

His vision was wiped away again, but he heard the faint sound of wood crushing. Suddenly another image appeared before him. It was a large white crystal. He saw a little boy dressed in armour speaking to the crystal.

“Alex, this is your destiny.” The crystal glowed as the words echoed around him.

Again, his vision was cleared away, in rapid succession he saw images of a green translucent ball, a short man with a beard the words “Cahptin, are you alright?” echoed as the image blurred again. A young girl with short brown hair smiling, and the images cut away again to a dark room. There was just enough light to show these feather-like forms dashing through the air. The boy from before was defending himself against them when one suddenly pierced its way through the silhouette of the boy. When suddenly his ears popped loudly causing his vision to go black.

“Alex! Alex!” he could feel his father shaking his shoulders and his voice went from being barely audible, to being loud and clear.

“Huh?” Alex looked around hazily.

“Alex are you all right?” his father called to him.

Alex took a hard look at his dad and quietly whispered.

“It sounded like a bird daddy.” as he collapsed, unconscious, into his father.