Thursday, January 3, Fourth Era 903.
A sunny, warm morning in the wintertime, an oddity in the Kingdoms. The Foxhounds were camped up behind a hill overlooking the town of Darkened Dawn. Only Sinopa was awake at this early hour of the day. He was atop the hill with a clear view of both the town and the camp.

I watched over the Foxhounds as they slept without any sign of waking any time soon. Most of the new recruits were untrained, unable to realize when they were supposed to be awake.
"I remember those days," I said to myself. "The days when I had no worries; the days when I could sleep in as much as I wanted."
Of course, the Patriots had hired me in 4E901. I was just fourteen then, but the courageous fire inside me burned just as bright. The Patriots and Fayden placed their faith in me, and I couldn't let them down. I just can't.
Maybe I should wake up the recruits. I panted slightly, trying to cool myself down. I shook my head. I'll let the recruits figure it out for themselves.
Recruits wasn't technically the right word. Some of them were seasoned veterans of wars, some were trained mercenaries who are doing this for the pay. Fayden was one, of course.
"Up early, I see?"
I jumped slightly.
"Fayden!" I yelled at the elf. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"
Fayden smirked under his hood. "Why not, Sinopa? You've done it to me in the past, I just wanted to return the favor."
I scowled. He was right, the clever bastard. When I was first recruited into the Patriots, I always scared Fayden when he least expected it.
"So, the recruits are still asleep?" I asked the elf.
"Yes, they are. But some are stirring. Perhaps they might wake sooner than the others."

"So, Fayden, why did you really come up here?"
Fayden adjusted his arm. "I came to you to tell you what we're doing in Darkened Dawn."
I sighed. "Finally, some orders."
"We are to investigate reports of a creature that could cause massive turmoil in the region if released. This creature is Tyrant, a bipedal monster from Archaea."
"Archaea? You mean the era before recorded history, right?"
"Correct." Fayden sat down next to me. "There are many things we don't fully understand about Archaea, Sinopa. Many tales remain unsolvable as there are many missing links from that time. Tyrant, a dinosaur-like creature I personally found in 3E7088, could be one of the many missing pieces of the puzzle. Only fifty years ago did it escape from captivity."
"You found it in 3E7088?! That's more than five thousand years ago!"
"And that is but a fraction of my lifetime, Sinopa."
"How old are you, exactly?"
Fayden seemed deep in thought at the end of the question. "Well, technically, I'm only twenty, but my own legacy spans several thousands of years."
I was going to ask him how, but then it hit me. He used time travel! That was so simple I'm frankly embarrassed that I didn't catch on immediately.
Fayden got up and walked down the hill. There was an odd jerkiness to his steps that I never noticed before. I turned back to the town and sighed.
Well, I hope Lady Luck has given us her favor. I really do.