Oooh! *intrigued* This is really good—I like it a lot. Please, do continue. 

Ah. Here's the same thing, revised, plus the rest of the chapter. If it's going to be written that way. Please comment and give feedback: I feel like the dialogue at the end especially is pretty weak, but I can't place how. Please pinpoint this for me! Thanks all. I'll only ever be a decent writer with your help; I'm really bad now. :(

~~~

"The moon is the color of blood tonight."

Arthur Braesal was looking out of the window in his usual melancholy way, the light of the stars and the dark red moon caressing his face. Daina smiled, looking up from the medicine she was mixing for Mrs. Braesal's headache. "Why don't you say the color of raspberries? That's much more pleasant."

Arthur ignored her. He almost always ignored her as of late, and it made Daina sad. She shook the bottle of pungentberry oil over her mixing cup; it was almost empty. 

"Let him call the moon what he wishes, Daina," snapped Aprusha as she fiddled with her knitting. "Blood and raspberries are a different color anyway." Her black hair fell into her eyes, and she brushed it away impatiently. For a moment, as it caught the red moon's light, it looked silver.

Daina frowned, as as she frowned, she thought: This is a night of tension. A night of a blood moon and sharp stars.

Suddenly, without any particular reason or influence, a scene from long ago sprang into her mind. She and Aprusha, running through the wood (the small one south of the school) after a faiwerth, a faiwerth that was holding a small bottle. A bottle that Aprusha apparently needed to possess.

"I want to see what is in it," she had insisted as the girls pushed their way through the damp dark undergrowth.

"It's probably empty," Daina had said as she reached out her pale hand to a branch to steady herself, the exhilaratingly cold air quivering through her lungs.

Aprusha had glared at Daina and continued onwards.

After a long chase, the girls had finally managed to catch the faiwerth; and miraculously enough, they managed to do it without receiving a noseful of pepper from the squirrel-like creature's eyebrows. Aprusha had secreted the bottle away into her pocket before Daina could see the contents, and they had headed home in silence.

That was eight years ago, when Aprusha was thirteen and Daina was twelve. The two sisters had never spoken of it since. And for some reason unknown to Daina, they never were on good terms since either.

Daina finished mixing the medicine for Arthur's motherand, handing it to him, wished him good night as he went to his home; that is, the half of the house that Aprusha, Daina, their parents, and Lukikulu the blue-voiced, gold-feathered bird didn't inhabit. (Though the Mawtats in the basement must not be forgotten).

A few moments later and the old, creaking door separating the homes of the Braesals and the Klarens opened again. "Emerald Riders," Arthur whispered into the dim kitchen. "Outside."

The young women rushed to the Braesal's side of the house, where there was a large window like the one on their side. Through this one they could see the road, and on it, four black horses. On their backs were four men in emerald green armor. The stars and the moon shone down upon the armor, and it seemed almost to cast light upon the ground.

The branched of the caolokan tree outside waved in the slight breeze, lightly tapping the men's armor.

~~~

Wait a sec - this is getting too long - 

"Are they coming for us?" Daina asked in a whisper. "Should we wake our parents. They make me feel quite afraid."

"Then you are quite a foolish girl, Daina," said Aprusha, stretching and tossing her silky hair as she turned from the window. "They are not here for us. What have we done wrong?" Now she turned and looked Daina in the eye. "We should go to bed. Good night, Arthur." Aprusha shot a sweet smile to Arthur and strolled to the door.

"They're eating something now," called Arthur. "Eating and drinking."

"That's nice, Arthur, now don't disturb us anymore." Aprusha hurried up the wood stairs to her attic bedroom, leaving Daina to stand in the kitchen, looking out at the blood-colored moon. It was an omen, she was sure it was. 

"Do what your sister tells you," called Arthur. "Go to bed. It's nearly dawn."

By way of answering, Daina shut the kitchen door.

Just then the front door opened, with a bang and a glint of green.

"What's your name and family, huh, missy?" asked the towering emerald figure standing in the doorway against the night.

"I am Daina Klaren, sir," said the brown-haired woman in a trembling woman in a trembling voice. "Daughter of Dainen and Rushel Klaren. We have two other families living with us," she added as an afterthought. "The Braesals and the Mawtats." Her voice trailed off.

He nodded and stepped in. Daina shrank back as two of his companions followed.

The first man looked out at the moon. "We've come for your sister," he said. "To arrest her, for she is a member of the Alakaltrix."

~~~

Phew! That's long.

Pronounciation Key:

Braesal: BRAY-zahl

Daina: DAY-nuh

Klaren: KLAH-rehn, KLAH-rihn

Aprusha: aah-PROO-shuh

faiwerth: FAY-werth

Lukikulu: loo-kye-KOO-loo

Mawtat: MAW-taht

caolokan: kah-OH-loh-kahn

Alakaltrix: uh-LAH-kahl-triks