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A young man is standing out in the forest with a bow strung ready. The young man’s face was delicate in features but worn from his duty. He spends most of his time in the forest or with his friend the druid. His clothes are simple forest garb, brown trousers, green shirt, brown vest, and of course his dark green cloak. His long black hair frames his face; his eyes are emeralds so dark in color.
He pulls an arrow from over his shoulder and knocks it on his bow. He glanced at his hip making sure his long sword was ready, ‘really now’ he says to himself ‘I’m not gonna need that for what I’m here for’. He scans the surroundings for tracks of a nearby animal. He had been out in the forest all morning searching for the beast. The farmers nearby by had told him of a large ...beast that trampled their crops being made ready for the city. He finally found the tracks early in the afternoon, recognizing the tracks as a boar except there were three times the size of normal boars.
He slows his pace, taking light steps as not to disturb the forest floor. His took a couple of steps when he heard the boar rut. He takes his bow in hand and brings it up to draw. He pulls the string back and takes aim into the forest brush ahead of him. He waits only a couple of seconds before letting fly. His reward was a squeal. ‘Got ‘em’ he muses. He walks straight toward where he shot and sure enough the boar was there dead. The young man lets out a whistle ‘if I ever saw a boar before that thing is huge’ he was in awe. ‘What did this boar do anyways? Oh yea hurt the precious crops. Damn this boar was huge.’
He didn’t like to kill animals but it was his job not to let the wildlife interrupt the civil world. ““Civil world” huh, bunch of hogtosh. Well I better get this thing back to the village.” He put his fingers in his mouth and let out a sweet sound almost a whistle but more of a flute sound. He bent down and started to gut the boar with his knife. Not soon after he was done a rustling sound comes from the forest behind him. Instantly the young man is knocked down from behind to the ground. The young man turns to see his attacker only to find a huge wolf licking his face. “Hey boy I see you heard the call. Did you bring the harness?” the young man was talking to a wolf expecting him to respond.
The wolf turned and walked back the way he came stopped a little ways off and bent to pick something from the ground. The wolf turns and lopes back to the young man with a harness in his maw. He sets upon the task of harnessing the wolf and loading him with the boar. When everything was set they started back to town.
Part2
The young man and wolf dragging the boar behind enters the small settlement that presides next to the huge forest. This is the town he was born in and never left. He has no clue whom his parents are; he has always been an orphan. The village elders took him in and raised him until he was five. When his birthday arrived or what the elders deemed his birthday, the forest druid came and took the boy under his wing. The druid to his displeasure could not teach the boy the way of the druid. He taught him the lore of the wild, read tracks, move silently through the woods, track anything, and tell which plants are safe, but the boy couldn’t use any of the druids’ special abilities like talking to animals or plants. (If you ask a druid what would plants say? He would tell you there the best conservationist he has ever beheld) sadly the boy has never talked to a plant before.
When he turned nine the Kings huntsman came to the town. The boy was so fascinated by him he followed the man around everywhere. “What do you want kid? You’ve been following me nonstop for the past week, if you think I can’t tell that’s you following me in the woods then you better think again, I’m the best huntsman the king has to offer. Now tell me why you’re following me and how you became so good at wood lore.”
“Well sir, you’re the first outsider I’ve ever seen, and I just wanted to know what a ‘huntsman’ does anyways. I was taught the lore of the wild by the druid, but atlas I can do nothing but track, move silently, and tell you about all the plants that live around here. Now sir, can you tell me what a ‘huntsman’ does? You’re not a druid are you? I can barely keep up with you in the forest and I’m the best around here besides ole Gendra.” The boy responded with a smile.
“Well young man a huntsman is like a druid but we have no special powers. We are regulators of the wilds, we make sure everything is in order in the forest. You know a lot of bandits like to hole up in the forests and ply on helpless travelers. We as huntsmen make sure no illegal activity is brewing in our forest. We also help nearby towns if there being rampage by wild animals.”
The young man studies the man for a moment before responding. He had a bow slung over his shoulder with a quiver also, a long sword at his hip. The boy could tell there were more weapons about him but couldn’t see them. “Can you teach me?”
“Teach you what son?”
“How to use those weapons. The druid has already taught me everything I could learn from him.”
“Well what’s your name son?”
“The Villagers call me Ren, but my name is Renoyld Hathwile or so what Grendra tells me.”
“Well Ren, you can call me Connor. Well I can tell your good with wood lore and with you being able to take care of yourself it would be nice to have an extra pair of eyes and ears out there. Alright son ill teach you all I know.”
That was ten years ago. Now the boy is a huntsman just like his second mentor. Connor taught Ren everything from archery to swordsmanship. Ren was a fast and eager learner. Connor was surprised how well the young man took to everything. ‘It was as if he was born to be in the wilds’ Connor would remark to the villagers when he stopped by to get a drink.
Now the young man walks to the largest building in the village the ‘town hall’. He stops in front of the steps. “Hey Jerry, come on out I got something for you!” Ren turns around and walks back to the boar untying it from the wolfs’ harness.
- by AkirionStorm |
- Fiction
- | Submitted on 08/30/2011 |
- Skip
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