Rage

[Silvion]

Rhodry was lying in the undergrowth. From out the little patch off trees he looked at a fairly sized flock of sheep. They where all shaven, marking them his fathers. Noone else shaved their sheep this early in April. Rhodry had to squint his eyes due to the low-hanging sun which just upscured his vision. Between the sheep he could see 3 large men with dark cloaks. Allthough he saw atleast 2 of them had scabbarded swords he was not afraid. He was angry. No not angry, that was to small a word to describe his wrath. He was furious! He was lying as still as he could, but he coudnt help fingering his longbow. It was strung, and his quiver was full of arrows, he was ready for it.

3 hours later Rhodry still lay in the patch of trees. Sunset came and went and now it was pitch dark. The full moon would not go up for about an hour or so, time enough to do the job. The bandits had lit a small campfire to keep of the early spring cold. He could see 3 silhouetes sitting around it. “Probably eating sheep-stew for dinner”, Rhodry thought. Around the bandits the sheep stood everywhere, now and again making silent noices, like they always did when they where asleep. Due to the sounds they made Rhodry would not be noticed, atleast he hoped not. Deciding that it was time he crawled towards the blazing fire. Stopping now and then to check his bow he advanced slowly, but nevertheless, he could now hear the man speaking in low voices. Occasionally one of them burst out in laughter. Deciding he was close enough to do what he had to, he said “Having a good time, ey?”. The 3 guys jumped up like they where 1 and began unsheating their weapons. 2 pulled out long, curved swords. The 3d grabbed hold of his pointy dagger, but died with an arrow in his eye before he could pull it free from his belt. Seeing that his arrow struck home, Rhodry felt a wave off satisfaction surging through his body. He nocked another arrow but before he could aim the two remaining men jumped in opposite directions and vanished between the sleeping sheep. Not sure of what to do Rhodry slowly walked towards the burning fire. He saw a bucket filled with sand, emptied it on the burning logs and sat down beside the still smoking logs. Darkness fell over the world like a cold, dark blanket. He sat down and began humming a verse, thought to him by his father. The toughts of his dead father made him angry again, but he didn’t mind, he liked to be angry nowadays...

[Silvion]

Morning came, with the sun climbing above the trees in the east. There was still no sign off the 2 bandits. Rhodry stood up and saw he dead villain lying between the grazing sheep. He thought about burning the corpse, but decided to let it where it was as food for the wolves and carrion-birds. He searched for footprints, but found nothing, for the ground was trampled by the hooves off the sheep. Dissapointed he looked around him. A few sheep where wondering off from the rest off the herd, but he did not care about sheep any longer. He decided that the sheep where now free animals. "Whoever finds this sheep can claim them, whether it be wolves or man", rhodry thought. He walked to the dead man and took hold off the man's dagger. With a twist off his arm he took the weapon off the bandit's belt and put it under his own. With a numb feeling in his head he walked towards home...

A few hours after he arrived, Rhodry had given his parents a funeral and bathed himself. The numb, empty-like feeling still hung inside his head. In spite of the empty feeling he still knew what to do, he had to go away from home. He didn't know in which direction, he only knew if he staid around here any longer he would go mad. After he had bathed himself he took out his backpack from behind his closet and filled with food, salt, arrow strings and other usefull things he thought he could use to make a large journey(like his flute for example). Fastly, he walked to his parents bed and lifted the matress. On the ground, stuffed into a corner stood a large chest, as he excpected.

Years ago he saw his father going through it, and when his hands came out, his old man held a cask full off coins. Since then Rhodry secretely opened the chest now and then to look at the beautifull goldmarks.

With a shock Rhodry came back to the present world. He must not let himself be sentimental, he must do what he had too. Quickly he opened the chest and found the cask. He opened the cask a little to make sure the coins where still in there, and they where. He walked to the living room and put the cask in his backpack, next to the dried meat and the yet-to-be-riped fruit.

When all preperations for the journey where made, Rhodry stepped outside. He donned his pack on his back and slung his bow on his shoulder. A full quiver off Arrows already hung at his hip opposite a long dagger. He turned his attention eastward and dicided that was the direction he wanted to go. And so a 18 year old boy, armed with a longbow and sleek long hair that hung infront of his eyes, begun his journey. He started walking without looking back, he would never see his house again in this life.

[Silvion]

Rain came pouring down the dark night-sky. After a week without, the land welcomed the downpour, and so did Rhodry. Playing his flute, he sat below an overhanging rock located inside a patch of trees. The nearest village , Fourwoods, was just a few miles away, but Rhodry rather avoided village’s when he did not have to earn money. The tune drifted through the wet trees. If heard one would call it sad, but there was noone to hear it. Rhodry was alone. He had set up camp just 2 hours ago. Soacked by the rain he tried to put on a fire, but the damp wood wouldn’t burn. After an hour he finally had a dry piece burning. Soon enough he had made a complete campfire. Rhodry settled down and emptied his pack. He took out his food, spare clothes and extra bowstrings and laid them close to thefire to let them dry. Seeing his stuff drying he realized he was pretty hungry. For his meal he chose a chunk off salted meat and a couple of dried apples. Normally he would find the taste awfull, but not now, after a hard days march it tasted like a royal banket. When he felt his clothes where getting dry he sat back against the rock, took out his sheperd-flute and started a tune called “the wind blows through the willows”. So there He was, playing the flute with his clothes drying up and he felt qiute comfortable. The sad tune working as a lullaby he began to feel drowzee. Slowly sleep overcame him and darkness shut out the dark, wet world…

… He was standing on a low hill watching the surrounding landscape. Fields of green grass streched towards the horizon. Only here and there he could see a couple off tree’s, but there was nothing moving in his view. Not a single bird or rabbit he saw, while normally such a place should be crawling by life. But that was not where Rhodry was fascinated off. What held his attention was the fact that it seemed he could see the whole world. It truly was the clearest view Rhodry had ever seen. He stood there looking at the land for quite a while when suddenly there was a man walking towards him. Rhodry had not seen him coming, it was like he just materialized there a few hundred yards from where Rhodry was standing. Even from that distance Rhodry was possitively sure he had never seen the man before, yet he looked familiar. He had the distinct feeling like when you meet a good friend you havent seen in years. Faintly he heard a name echoing inside his head. Lak? Zak? He did not hear it clear enough to know precisely, but he thought the name he heard was Zak. What he did know for sure was that the name he was hearing was the name off the man who was walking towards him. The closer the man got, the better Rhodry could see him. At first the man seemed to walk straight and proud as a king, but when the man got closer he could see that the man walked a bit slumped. It was just as if he was carrying a heavy burden on his back. The familiar stranger still advanced towards Rhodry, and he continued to walk more bend to the ground, untill finally the man was on all fours, like a dog. The man’s hair slowly turned from a deep brown into a silverish grey. His clothes started to go gray too and before Rhodry knew it there was no man anymore. A large, beautifull wolf strolled towards where Rhodry was standing. Strangely Rhodry felt no fear. He felt like what you feel when your asking a pretty girl to dance. No fear, just excitement and nervousness. The wolf reached Rhodry and carefully took hold off his shirtsleeve .Suddenly the grassy landscape dissapeared. He was now standing inside a small room. The room was completely empty except for a large table with 2 weapons ontop of it. One was his bow, the other was a longsword. He looked to his right expecting to see the wolf standing next to him, but in case the man stood there again. The man was looking at the table with great interest, just like he had done a few seconds before. All off a sudden the bow was hanging on Rhodry’s back. Out off nothing the longsword appaered strapped on the wolve/man’s belt. He and the man turned to eachother and for the first time really looked eachother in the eye. Bright blue into bright yellow. Without knowing why he put forth his right hand and the man did the same. They carefully put their palms together. Upon touch there was a great flash off light and…

…and Rhodry jumped up, awake as he had ever been. He already had his bow in his hands with an arrow nocked on the string, but there was nothing to fire at. Realizing what he had had was a dream he sat back against the rock and fell back asleep. The rest off the night he was troubled by dreams off grey wolves…