"The Legend of ShadowStep-chapter 1" by Rory braconnier

The legend Of Shadow Step

{Pre sight}

I'll never forget my childhood. How could I? it is what started my future, one i surly was not expecting. Growing up in the golden city of Meracoin I was a forgetful orphan. I never aspired to much but my talents in thieving. Or so i though they where a talent. Chiok and Tom-Tim. they were my true

and only friends. We played such havoc on the guards and the market people, stealing fruit to eat and to throw what we did not eat at the guards. Oh that was always the best part, being chased down the streets, the alleys and the roofs. Yes those where some of the greatest times. There was only one

day way back then that I would have to say was the best. It was the day my future would begin. The day History was made. And the day that Rizzet was forgotten and Shadow Step would be remembered and feared.

Chapter 1: Meracoin

"HEY, get back here you little runt"

The guard said with anger who's shining armour now had a bright splatter of a tomato on it.

"I promise ill get you this time!"

The guard said with even more angry as the boy slowly got closer on the roof tops..

"And when i do, so help me....."THUWAP" the guard never saw it coming.

Rizzet in the flash of a lighting strike spun on his feet and throw a whole apple at the guard. But before it hit, as he knew it was a perfect shot. Rizzet leaped off the roof of one of the common house and disappeared into the shadows of the ally. Rizzet came to a walk and a crook smile appeared on the corner of his mouth as he heard the "thud" of a body hit the ground.

"Hah, bet hes got a nasty headache now"

Rizzet said laughing a bit.

"Rumble rumble"

Rizzet grabbed his stomach.

"Dam that was my last apple too. oh, well ill go see if Tom-Tim or chiok got any tasty treats for today"

Rizzet said with a sigh. As Rizzet came around a corner he came up to three different paths to take

"hmm, what way do i wanna go"

Rizzet said with some interest.

" enie menie minie mo, steal an apple from a crow, enie menie minie mo. Huh, guess I am going the long way home"

Rizzet said with lack enthusiasm. Walking down the dark and dreary path Rizzet got a tingly feeling on the back of his neck "something is not right here" Rizzet said to him self. And in a blink of an eye Rizzet jumped off to the left behind some old box's unable to be seen. Or so he though. Moments after his heart settled down Rizzet poked his head out and looked around. He saw nothing just a normal uneventful alley. The same alley he walked down. But out of the corner of his eye he saw something almost un-noticeable. Something that most people would miss, or would not concern them self with. But Rizzet had a feeling this was something. He jumped out from his hiding and ran over where he saw it. He poked his head around the corner and again he saw nothing just another alleyway.

"sigh i must not be getting enuf food, I am scaring my self for nothing"

Rizzet said with displeasure. He was about to turn around when something on the wall of a building caught his eye. A small piece of blick-silky fabric hanging of the building. He walked over and took it out of the nook that was holding it there lifeless.

"Now what is this"

Rizzet said with great interest. Flipping and folding the fabric between his fingers to see what it is. Rizzet saw the letter D.B written in white on the jet black cloth.

"D.B I wonder what it means. Hmm maybe Tom-Tim or Chiok well know".

With that Rizzet took one last look around, put the cloth in his pocket and started walking again.

"How interesting"

said the shadow.

Rizzet finally got back to his home or what they called a home around dusk. Rizzet walked up to the hidden door they had concealed behind some wooden box's and knocked.

" once, twice, double tap"

it was there code. As Rizzet waited for them to open the door the hairs on his neck stood up. They always did when he stood here. Rizzet always got an uncomfortable feeling knowing that eyes where on him but not know where. Even if they where his friends it did not matter. The sliding eye piece opened and the light was blocked out by a silhouette standing in front of it.

"Who is it"

it beckoned.

"Must we play these games"

Rizzet said with a sigh. The silhouette spoke once again but harsher.

" I demand to know who it is!".

"Its Rizzet now let me in!"

Rizzet said with irritation.

"How do i know its really you? and not some killer!".

Rizzet quiet frustrated at his friend answered

" Because if i was a killer you would not be talking to me! now if you don't open this door i might just do that!."

A couple of seconds passed by then Rizzet heard the rusted iron bolt sliding open and the clinking at the chains dropped limped to the grown. The door swung open with a Hunting squeak. The silhouette called from the other side of the darken entrance. Almost surreal like.

"I'm sorry Rizzet. I just like to be careful you know, with people now days".

Rizzet stepped inside and looked over at the silhouette still standing there.

"Its fine Chiok i know your nervous"

Rizzet said patting him on the shoulder

"Now if you don't mind please close the door before someone we don't know actually walks in here".

" Yes Rizzet, sorry Rizzet"

Chiok said with some hast. Rizzet walked swiftly over to the table and looked inside the basket placed there for food they had "collected" from out working.

"Nothing absolutely nothing. Just dust."

Rizzet said with a prolong sigh. He looked back at his friend and asked him, even though he knew he new the answer

"Where is all the food Chiok?"

Chiok but his book down, one hes read hundreds of times.

"Food? come on Rizzet we have not had food in along time. Except what we find out on the streets". Rizzet sighed again and went to go sit in front of the fire place.

A couple of hours later the heard a knock on the door. Instantly Rizzet knew who it was for he could hear the soft hum of a song that Tom-Tim always hums. That and it was their secret coded knock. Chiok walked over to the door, slid the eye hole open and was about to speak when Rizzet interrupted him.

"Chiok, come on you know who it is and so do i. I would warn you if it was some one unsuspected. So open it up for Tom-Tim".

Chiok sighed and closed the eye hole and unlocked the door for Tim-Tim. He walked in from the breath taking outside to the life giving warmth of their home with a look of confusion on his face. Rizzet looked up at him

" What is it Tom-Tim?"

he said equal confused by him.

"Well its just i was hoping Chiok was going to answer the door like he always does. I had such a great line for him this time!"

Tom-Tim looked over at Chiok and started laughing then patted his friend on the shoulder and smiled. Tom-Tim walked over to the table and throw his satchel into the basket wish a big smile.

" I worked all day for this.

You guys better appreciate it!"

Rizzet and Chiok walked over with interested and almost simultaneously they said

" FOOD".

They looked at each other and laughed. Tom-Tim flipped the satchel and emptying it of its stomach quenching goods. An what he saw gave him a smile from ear to ear.

"Where did you get all this Tom-Tim? Chocolate, beautiful chocolate. And fruit succulent fruit! Oh, sweet and merciful Akihito where did you get this?"

Tom-Tim just smiled at him and said

"I worked hard".

He castes a side glance to Rizzet and wonder if he did good. Rizzet nodded his head and smiled.

" Such wonder full food, thank you Tom-Tim".

Rizzet said and grabbed a crisp green apple.

“Oh, I almost forgott!”

Rizzet said. Chiok and Tom-Tim both looked at him curiously.

'What is it Rizzet”

Tom-Tim Said with a mouth full of apple. More piece falling out of this mouth then going in. Rizzet took out the fabric and held it into the light.

“I found this early to night. In one of the alley ways.”

He passed it to Tom-Tim.

“A piece of garbage?”

Tim-Tim started laughing. Rizzet glared at his friend.

“No.. Look on the corner it says D.B. I Think its the initials of the person who was following me.” Tom-Tim looked back a Rizzet. Concern now leaking onto his face.

“Following? You lead him here? Did you seem him?”

Tom-Tim started to walk to the door. Rizzet grabbed his arm. Tom-Tim looked at him.

“No i did not see him. I. I had a feeling. And no he did not follow me here. Or at less i am sure he did not.”

“ Well”

Tom-Tim said thinking.

“What ever it is. It cant be to important or the “guy” that was following you would have come to get it.”

Rizzet took a minute to ponder his friends logic

“I guess your right.”

Rizzet still not totally convinced. He took back the fabric from Tom-Tim hands and replaced it back into his pocket.

Later that night when Chiok was asleep in his bed Rizzet look over at Tom-Tim staring blankly at the fireplace deeply in though. Probably thinking of something stupid to say to Chiok when he answers the door again. Rizzet just shook his head at the though and proceed with more important

information residing.

"Hey, Tom-Tim".

Tom-Tim with a sudden shake of his head. Just confirming what Rizzet had just pervasively thought.

"Yes, Rizzet whats on your mind?"

Tom-Tim said with confusion. I was just wondering wear on earth did you get all that food, and such fresh food at that. The food for the rich."Though he new what he probably did but he wanted to confirm it.

" I told you Rizzet. I worked really hard for it."

He said with some caution.

"Come on Time tell me the truth, the little on is asleep"

he said prodding at his friend. Tom-Tim sighed

" I...I got some men to get it for us."

A flash of anger crossed Rizzets face

" I told you not to do that. You know it can bring trouble".

Tom-Tim looked away and took a big intake of breath as if it was his last one.

" I'm sorry Rizzet but i had to. We have no food and we and we cant go on finding whats on the streets. Its just not enuf for us or Chiok."

"I know, but there are other ways to go do it. You don't make bargains to killers. Men who well hurt us. Chiok. Because you don't uphold your part of the bargain. They are the devils."

Rizzet was getting madder by the second. TimTom looked away from him and stared into the far distance of nothingness. Rizzet was the sadness on his face

"What is is Tom-Tim?".

Tim never looked at him he just sat there looking far, far away.

"Tim! what is it, what happened?".

Tom-Tim turn to face his friend with a face of fear and dishonour. At that moment Rizzet new. Rizzet new all to well what had happen that they. The devils. Had made sure that he would up hold his part of his barging and if he did not. Rizzet shock his head unable to think of what might happen. As he looked upon his friend know he felt pity and yet anger. Anger that he would do something like this. Anger that he well deprive Chiok of him self. Anger that he new this would happen. And as he looked on at him now. He new he was not looking at his friend but death. A soul who had given up on life. Rizzet grabbed Tom-Tims had and smiled.

"You did fine you did vary fine. Everything well be okay".

Tom-Tim just looked at him knowing that this was their parting and smiled back.

A couple of weeks later Rizzet found Tom-Tims body cold and dead on the dusty ground of an ally beaten to death. He knelt down and picked his friends lifeless body up and carried it way. To be somewhere respectable. Somewhere he liked. Rizzet walk on and on for hours to find his friends favourite place. A patch of rosy flowers on a dark grassy noel just out side of the city of Meracoin. Rizzet placed him down gently and stared at him for along time. And wondering what all happened that night. and why those man did this to him. He came back to reality and said a few pained words.

"I am sorry it had to end like this my friend. But i swear on my life that the men who did this to you well be brought to justice by my hands. "

Anger began to rise within him as he though of the man again. The man that beat his friend to a lifeless corps. To nothingness. Rizzet knelt down closed his friends eyes said the praise of passage for Akihito. He stood up and walked off back to the house to go inform Chiok what had happened. It was all he could do. And Chiok deserved to know. As he got closer to town. Closer to where he lost his friend it became hard for him to control his vengeance. Rizzet eventually made it to the to the house and told chiok. But not with out a few broken bones and some wooden boxes. The boxes won. Un-aware to Rizzet because of his unstable state other wise he might have noticed. He was begin watched and followed closely by someone interested in him.

"Yes i think he would do quiet fine. I must watch him a little long though."

The shadow said to him self an then vanished into the cold and harsh wind.