|Toddler|

"Mommy, Daddy! My name is Pariah, and I will destoy all da monsers!" Craig giggled in a funny tone, doing an adorable little stomp with his arms outstretched, his oversized robe hiding his hands. His parents, Elizabeth and Jolan, walked towards the tiny sorcerer, smiling at his innocence. "Oh, where could my little Craiggy be?" Elizabeth teased, looking around. "Hmm, Mr. Pariah, have you seen my little Craiggy?" She smiled, bending down to look at Craig. "N-no. He-he went dat a-way." Craig giggled, the sudden fast gesture he attempted causing him to fall. Elizabeth instinctively caught him, the force flipping Craig's hood back.

"There he is!" Liz playfully gasped, boopping his nose before picking him up, making him giggle again. "I was jus kiddin." He admitted, sticking his tongue out as he held onto his mother's robe. "Where did you get the name 'Pariah' from?" Jolan asked, ruffling Craig's hair. "I was playing 'Kingdom' wit da kids in da town." Craig smiled, exposing his missing tooth. "Honey, maybe you shouldn't play with them." Elizabeth recommended, turning around to head home. "Why not?" Craig asked, furrowing his eyebrows. His father frowned. "Humans don't like sorcerers, Craig."

|Kid|

"Craig, this is Dawn." His mother informed, gesturing to the girl a few feet away from him. "H-hi.." Craig mumbled shyly, bringing a hand up as if to wave, but only dropping it as he second guessed his actions. Dawn giggled, her glossy, clear wings moving with her, leaving several sparks of fairy dust behind. Craig flinched at the sudden movement of the strange objects on the girl's back. "Hi!" She squealed, bouncing up to Craig, causing him to jump and take a step back. He looked back at his mother for a second, receiving a reassuring smile, before returning his gaze to Dawn. "H-hi." He repeated, except with a little more confidence.

The odd, sparkling appendage caught his curiosity again as he leaned to the side, getting a better view over her shoulder. Dawn giggled, fluttering her wings for him. Craig stared in awe at her wings, wondering many things about them. "Hey Craig, do you want to play with me?" Dawn offered, bringing a bright smile into play. Craig didn't know what to do, the girl was so inviting and he couldn't resist her cheery attitude towards him. Was it right to play with girls? Well, the way she's acting he might as well go for it. He looked back at his mom one more time before he and Dawn giggled as they ran off to mess around in the meadow.

|Tween|

"Ultrices." Craig spoke, remembering the words his father taught him mere seconds ago. "Ultrices." He repeated, louder this time. His lip twitched in annoyance, the spell seeming to do nothing. He tried a different pose, standing in the ready position his father taught him. Lean forward, head low, one leg in front, one behind, one arm stretched forward, the other raised by his side, both palms facing the opponent, fingers slightly bent as if to grab something. "Ultrices." He huffed, failing to get anything again. "Ultrices." Craig nearly growled out, his rage making him pull his arm back and forcefully push it outwards when the spell left his lips.

Craig jumped when several sparks flew in a failed attempt to collect, his face lighting up in realization. Now with hope in his hands, he tried once more, receiving the same results. He continued to try, harder and harder, but they'd either just gain or lose the number of sparks. Craig sighed, slumping his shoulders as he gave up on the spell today, most likely trying tomorrow. He nearly stopped practicing spells completely, but then remembered the new words he learned with his mother, and boredom decided to mix the two.

"Struct-Anim-Ultrices." Craig mixed, moving his arm as if doing a light, underhand throw, fingers curling towards the end of the 'toss' as if he was throwing fairy dust. Unexpectedly, many sparks flew up, creating a creature that resembled a tiny wisp, but before it could fully become the being it was to be, it split in two, both zipping in different directions. One flew towards Craig, who was already was wide eyed at his accident, hitting him in the forehead, causing him to stumble and fall backwards. He landed on his rear, groaning in pain as one hand supported him on the ground while the other rubbed his forehead, shocking his fingers once. A disturbance in the bushes caught Craig's attention.

He gasped as he looked up, the noise catching him off guard. Curiosity getting the better of him, he decided to crawl over on his knees. Craig peered over the shrubbery, pushing the leaves apart to reveal a small, white creature he's never seen before. The creature resembled an albino fox with big, sparkling silver eyes and ears like a fennec, only bigger. The fox was tiny compared to Craig, it's body being only as tall as his hand and as long as two. It's head was around half a hand and it's tails- all nine -being nearly a hand each. Craig stared in awe at the fox, while it stared at it's nose, static flailing around it.

The creature sneezed, it's head shaking as it's snout scrunched up. The force was enough to send the sparks to the fox's forehead as well, making it yelp and jump in surprise. The sparks disappeared, the creature now glowing silver in certain areas. It shook it's head, as well as it's body, as if it was soaked with water. Tiny silver sparkles flew off, the fox stopping to reveal a lightning pattern it wasn't wearing before. A 'bolt' started at it's nose, going over it's head to join the ones on it's back. It's paws and everything beneath it's elbows/knee (A/N: I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT'S CALLED, SORRY) were now a dark silver, the lightning bolt pattern being a light silver, sparkling in the late afternoon sun. The fur in it's ears were also the dark silver, matching the tip of it's tails as well. It took a quick look at itself, taking in it's new appearance, before looking happily up at Craig, all nine tails wagging.

Craig was in shock, having not a clue of what to do or how the fox wasn't afraid of him, yet at the same time, he felt a strong bond between the creature, like he's knew it for years. He slowly reached out a hand, not sure if he should do this. The fox creature skipped towards him, getting a quick whiff of his hand before licking it. Craig giggled, the creature barking excitedly when he got a reaction. Craig noticed how the animal acted towards him. He decided to take a daring move and attempt to pick it up. Surprisingly, the fox jumped into his arms at the attempt, knocking Craig over. Craig giggled as the creature began to lick his face, barking and wagging it's tails excitedly.

While petting the fox as it began to calm down, Craig got an idea, and his face lit up in excitement. "Hey, wait right here." Craig ordered, although it was so gentle it was like he was just thinking aloud. Craig got up, the fox sliding off, and walked into their tent-like home. "Mom? Dad?" He called upon entry. "Yes, Sweetie?" His mom called as she and his father came into the room. Craig stopped, thinking of how he should word this. "Can I have a pet..?" Jolan and Elizabeth exchanged glances, a smile on their face. "You've already asked that many times, Craig." Jolan informed, shaking his head softly. "There's just nothing around here." Liz added. "-And don't start with that lizard." His father remarked, point a finger at him. "-Or the bird." His mother continued. "Alright, alright! I get it!" Craig spat out as fast as he could to avoid the list, putting hands forward as if words were blockable (A/N: Oh how I love English). "J-just listen, okay? This one's different." Craig crossed his arms, his glance shifting from his mother to father. "Craig-" Jolan was cut off by the sudden new being that trotted into the room.

"KITSUNE!" Both his mother and father gasped. Craig jumped at their sudden outburst, immediately following their gaze to the fox-like creature he stumbled upon earlier. "I thought I told you to wait outside." Craig recalled, presenting a toothy smile as he crouched down to pet the being. "Craig, what are you doing? Kitsunes aren't very-" Jolan's voice stopped when the kitsune began to rub it's head against Craig's palm like a cat. "-friendly..." Jolan trailed off, he and Elizabeth in awe at the creature's actions. Craig picked up the fox, cradling it as it happily nuzzled into his neck. "Can I keep him?" Craig asked, smiling hopefully at his parents as he stood up, the fox's tails wagging vigorously. 

"Well, I-I uh.. I suppose. If this is what you want." Liz hesitated, unsure of whether or not keeping a kitsune in the house was a good idea. "But if that thing gets out of hand or hurts anyone, it's gone. You got it?" Jo put down the rules, pointing a finger at Craig as he watched the kitsune wearily. Craig nodded, excitement bubbling inside him. Somehow, the fox sensed his excitement and began licking Craig's chin, causing him to giggle. "So, what's his name then?" Liz questioned, showing a smile as she watched her baby befriend his new source of happiness and entertainment. "Hmmm.." Craig thought aloud, the possibilities running through his mind like electricity. Craig smiled warmly, burying his face into his new found pet- "Sparky."

|Teen|

"Tract-Ignis-Cycl!" Craig shouted, left hand near his face to control the flame while the other forcefully swiped from directly in front of him to outstretched directly to his right, palm eyeing the ground. The ball of flame grew out, imitating an infinite slinky, and the fire formed into a large ring surrounding Craig, standing bright and nearly two feet tall. Claps erupted from around him, a smile plastering his face as he let his hands fall to his side, the flames disappearing into the earth. "Ooh, I'm so proud of you!" Craig's grandmother smiled, pinching his cheeks before hugging him tightly, the old lady being an inch or two shorter than Craig. "Jesus, Ma', even as ancient as you are, you've still got a grip like a cobra!" Craig joked, making an overly dramatic dying face as the family surrounding him began to laugh. As expected, his grandmother chuckled too, easing up on her grip before she let go.

"So, that should've been the last of 'em, huh, Mini?" Simon, Craig's older brother, presumed. Craig gained the nickname of 'Mini' a few years back, the name sticking and pretty much replacing his real one. Not only did his growth spurts take forever, but his siblings and a lot of his relatives were just naturally taller, which is why they started calling him 'Tiny', 'Small', 'Shorty', and 'Mini', but of course, only one stuck. "Last of what..?" Mini asked wearily as he raised a brow at the giant. "The last fire spell in the book." Duncan, another brother of his, clarified, walking over to the two. "You're mastering the fire element, Min." Lewis, Craig's other brother, added, also getting into the small group. "Oh.." Mini muttered, realization hitting him like a brick. "Sweet." He smiled, knocking his hood back. "That means I get a marking, right?" Craig grinned hopefully up at his brothers with excitement, them being nearly half a foot or taller than him.

Mini frowned and looked wearily at his kin when they exchanged glances of worry and devious smirks. "Am I not or..?" Mini trailed off, taking a step back. "No, you are. It just might-" "It's gonna hurt." Duncan cut off Lewis, he and Simon smiling. Lewis glared at Duncan, who grinned sheepishly at him and shrugged. "A lot." Simon added quickly, receiving the same daggers Duncan did, except with an extra slap to the face. "Ow!" Simon grunted, rubbing the irritated skin of his cheek with his palm. "Oh.." Mini muttered, looking at his feet disappointedly. "Min, it's fine. Do you feel anything?" Lewis asked, pushing Duncan out of the way to grab Mini's chin. "Uh.." Craig wordlessly questioned him as he raked through any feelings of discomfort he had at the moment. 

"N-no I-" Mini was quick with his reply, but cut himself off when he discovered he was wrong. A sharp pain to the shoulder caught him off guard. It was like little needles trailing his skin, slowly upgrading to daggers within seconds. Craig's pupils shrunk as he yelped in pain, grabbing at his right shoulder as his knees buckled him to the ground. "Mini!" The trio gasped in unison, getting down on their knees as they removed Craig of his robe, examining where the lad was groping at. Craig was bewildered at the smarting's appearance, strands of bright red and orange burning down his shoulder to his forearm. He watched in horror as an image started to take shape, his skin flaming like the picture. 

A glowing tattoo of the raging flames of a fire flared up his shoulder blade and down his arm, calming down at his collarbone and halfway down his forearm. After the shock factor wore off, curiosity caused him to trail a finger down the mysterious affliction. Mini flinched at the simple brush of his finger, light tingles of little pain appearing where he touched. "Woah.." Simon marveled, Craig completely forgetting his brothers were there gawking at his marking. "You okay, Min?" Duncan worried, Craig giving him a questionable look. "You're kinda... crying.." He clarified, Craig's eyes widening as his fingers went to wipe away his tears. Mini was so focused on his marking he hardly even recognized he was crying. He wasn't full on sobbing, 'thank the lord', and it was only a few tears from the pain. Lewis's sudden remark brought their attention on him, Mini thankful they stopped watching him cry.

"That's kinda odd though..-" Simon's brows furrowed, followed by Duncan raising his and Craig's eyes widening. "-You're mark is so much more.. different.. from ours.."

|Young Adult|

Craig groaned and scowled in annoyance when a familiar tongue licked his cheek, further frustrating him when it changed it's course to his mouth. "Pfff, alright, alright! I'm up! I'm- really?" Craig spat, pushing away Sparky's muzzle, opening his eyes to realize the kitsune was merely laying down from slumber and had just licked his face after noticing light from the windows. "Oh, how I hate you.." Mini sighed, remembering how much the little fox had grown as he stretched and rubbed his eyes. Sparky was now about a foot tall, minus the three inch ears and each foot and a half long tail, and nearly a foot and a half long. 

"I can't wait until I get my amulet." Mini thought aloud, putting his hands behind his head. Amulets are a sorcerer's source of power. It's also where their soul rests, moves on, and boost them in battle. They can use it to help them communicate with creatures and telepathy towards their own. Amulets are only gained in some sort of ceremony based on the time of convenience and based on the convenience, and or ceremony, is what type amulet is given, which reflects a lot of their personality and more experienced power(s), sometimes even their pet, a symbol that plays some sort of part in their life, or a close friend or family member. A sorcerer can only receive their specialized amulet after turning eighteen, and even then they have two months until some type of ceremony is arranged, but most of the time it's coincidental or an accident, seeing as there's always something going on for a sorcerer that gets in the way when they're eighteen.

Craig jumped at the sudden pain in his abdomen, shooting up to discover that, yet again, it was Sparky. Sparky had stood up and arched his back, right on his fucking stomach. "Ow, get the fuck off me!" Mini whined, hiding the smile on his face as he shooed the fox-like creature off of him. "Goddamnit.. There's no way I'm going back to sleep now." Craig rolled over onto his side, eyes still heavy and voice still groggy.

Sparky yipped and jumped off the bed, stretching his legs and shaking any tired vibes out of his fur. He turned around, softly wagging his tails when he made eye contact with Craig. All Craig did was make the sound of dog growling and whining in it's sleep. Sparky trotted up to Mini's hand that hung off the bed and licked it, making a little whining sound. He sat down, curiously watching Mini bury his face in the pillows and let out a noise similar to when a cat's snarl wavers as you get closer. Finally giving in, Craig lifts himself off the mattress and kicks his feet off the bed, the quilt dropping to the floor with his toes.

Sparky followed their morning routine and bounded towards to kitchen, carrying a cloth bundled around their breakfast on the way back. Craig slowly bent forward, pushing himself off the bed and trudging into the bathroom. He scooped water from a bucket and splashed his face multiple times, looking at the blurry reflection of himself through the chiseled crystal. With a sigh of disapproval he took a quick piss, walking back out and stumbling to find his glasses. The immediate difference of the clear world made him satisfied, a content sigh escaping his lips, with a smile not too far behind. He stretched as he walked under a beam in which Sparky was on top of. A sudden robe falling from the ceiling and nearly slipping onto to his arms perfectly let Mini acknowledged the fact that he was there. 

Out of habit, he caught it before the worn fabric could slide off onto the floor, and put it on the rest of the way. "Next time, Sparky." Again, out of habit, he praised the kitsune for getting close as he made his way back to bed, where a certain cloth was always placed on his nightstand. Sitting down, Sparky jumped up with him and sat next to the sleepy sorcerer. Mini reached over and grabbed the juicy fruit, his fluffy, gray and white pet climbing onto the wood to eat some crazy looking hummingbird. "You're so weird." Craig smiled, watching Sparky as he unconsciously ate his own breakfast, the light guitar and birds chirping from outside allowing him to space out even after they were done. A sudden scream from outside scared them, causing both of them to spring up and rush out the door to find it's source.

Mini grumbled in annoyance, his upper lip twitching. Sparky continued to run and bark at his siblings while Mini glared at them by the doorway. "You gotta be kidding me.. I thought somebody was being eaten alive out here!" Craig scowled, still tired from the night before. His siblings jumped around, flinging themselves and each other with powerful wind spells. "You're just mad because you haven't got your amulet yet!" Lewis teased, the lad already in his late 20's like his other brothers, which obviously means they already have theirs. Craig only sent daggers his way, even though he was technically, and literally, bouncing off the walls. "He's right, though." His grandmother brought up, scaring the absolute shit out of him.

"Jesus, Ma'!" Mini jumped, a hand over his heart. "Y'know, Craiggy, you 'ave ta' be patient or you'll never get it." She advised, wiping the side of the guitar with a cloth slowly. Craig sat down on the bench next to her, watching Sparky try to chase the others with Jaffa. "Don't call me 'Craiggy', I like my real name." He joked, half serious. Craig hunched over, chin falling into his hand. "I like it too, I even helped pick it out." Craig looked down momentarily, thinking of his response. "But why 'Craig'? Simon, Lewis, and Duncan have cool names. Mines so.. plain.. and bland." Mini questioned, tapping the fingers of his other hand against his knee. "I like it. It reminds me of that nice beast I met in the f'rest. 'E said that there was a very wise and powerf'l man ta' rise soon, and his name would be 'Craig'. He would rule over the f'rest and beyond, taming every beast'nd fighting off every enemy. That kind o' peace would allow us ta' return." Mini turned to her, expecting her to tell more about the beast like she always does. "And I'll tell ya' what, you're already a legend." She giggled, jokingly patting him on the shoulder. 

Trying to ignore the fact that he would disappoint his grandmother when he doesn't become as great as she says, Craig allows another question to slip out seeing as the topic was pretty much already brought up. "When will I be able to go into the forest?" Craig's grandmother turns to him. "When you're ready, Sweetheart." "But I am! I'm eighteen, I've mastered several elements, I've-" "You're not.. prepared for what.. it holds.. It.. it's not like how it seems. It might be pretty on this side, but there're things you do not need ta' experience at t'is age because you aren't ready. Let's wait a little, okay?" She offered a hopeful smile, fear and worry clouding her irises. The sudden turn the conversation took let him know he should stop, a feeling of reject melting his insides. 

A girly scream rang through his ears, Mini looking up and expecting it to be his brothers'. "Craig, inside, now." Worriedly, Craig turned to his grandma, immediately getting up when she set down her guitar. "Ma', what-" "Go inside. Pack yer shit." "Wait, what's-" Mini struggled with his grandmother, stopping himself when his mother and father came running back with several of his older cousins. "Mum, what's going on?! I-" "Craig.. Craig, get inside." "But what-" "Hun, give me your amulet." Craig still could not get an answer, which slightly pissed him off, but what intrigued him more was when his father gave up his amulet so easily. "Why are you-" "Inside. Now. Come on, hurry up now." Elizabeth herded Mini inside, Sparky following. 

"Mum, is everything alright?" Mini frantically asked his mother, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Craig, honey, I-I need you to take this." His mother took off her own amulet, placing it next to his father's and muttering a spell under her heavy breath. Under a bright glow, the amulets morphed into a larger one, a wavy, diagonal line separating rich, golden orange and deep, dusty grape. "Mum?! It's your amulet! I-I can't have it!" Craig protested, pushing away the gem being shoved in his hands. "Put it on! Quickly!" Liz urged, helping him put it on. "Mum, what's going on..?" Craig panicked, eyes burning from holding back tears. "Craig, listen to me. I need you to run into the forest as far as you can and don't look back. Find help, and be safe." Elizabeth ordered, tears already leaking from her amber and dark maple eyes. "Mum, I'm not going anywhere." Craig argued, staring fearfully into his mother's eyes, Liz pushing past Mini towards his room. 

She grabbed his satchel and shoved Jolan's spell book on Craig's desk into the bag. "But, Mum, I'm staying with you guys! What's even going on anyway?!" Mini worried, eyes wide and arms outstretched. He watched Elizabeth pack various things, quickly shoving it into Mini's hands and turning to pick up Sparky. "Knights.. from the kingdom.. Th-they.. they found us.." Liz explained sadly, gently placing the kitsune in Craig's arms. "N-no..." Mini whispered, watching his mother trying to contain what she was holding back. "They're here.." Craig immediately understood the drama, Sparky just being glad he was getting attention, until he felt Craig's mood drop through their 'bond'. "I-I'm staying to fight." Mini declared, biting his cheek. "No, you're not. You're leaving, and that's final." Liz corrected, not wanting to continue this argument. "But the forest... It's forbidden, is it not?" Mini countered, taking a step forward. "Yes, but.. where else are you to go?" Elizabeth pointed out, Craig sighing and letting her usher him out of the house. 

Mini immediately noticed the fight outside, a strong worry for his family gnawing at his heart. "Go. Now." His mother ordered, gently pushing his back. With a frown, he held his breath and bit his lip, keeping in his tears as he watched his grandmother fall. 

"Craig, now."

He closed his eyes and looked away, opening them to reveal the forest. 

"Craig, go!"

Before disappearing into the forest, he whispered one last thing to his mother, tears already pouring down his face.

"I love you."

~~~~~~~~~~

HEY, SORRY IF IT'S LATE, I'M A RETARD

I DID WRITE 600+ IN ONE DAY AND ABOUT 1,400+ IN ANOTHER

4,331 words.