View Full Version : A Stone's Throw Away
“We are fortunate,” Said Horace, the father and leader of the caravan. “The snow hasn’t quite fallen as heavily as the year before. We might make it to Kalev within a week’s time. God’s willing.”
Horace was an older man, with a grey beard and white mane of hair that ran down to his neck. He had been a knight in his younger days, but now he was in charge of the trade of lumber from one of Andvall’s strongholds and the city of Archen. Tomas sat beside Horace at the front of the lead wagon as the old man guided the horses through the pine forest.
“Th-that’s g-g-good to hear.” Tomas replied. His voice a little shaken as his teeth chattered together. He wasn’t quite as prepared as the others. He only brought his leather jacket with him and it was hardly enough to fend off the biting cold.
“You should get to the back, boy. You look like your freezing.” Horace halted the horses to let Tomas down.
There were two wagons behind them. The farthest wagon carried ten barrels of ale and enough supplies to last all the way to the Kalev Highlands. The second was a covered wagon that was used to provide some shelter from the freezing winds. Tomas dropped down into ankle high snow as he made his way to the back.
“Here, let me help you up.” A young woman wearing a heavy cloak and woolen dress offered him a hand which he took gratefully.
“Th-thanks.” He said as he lifted himself onto rear of the wagon.
“You’re a stubborn fellow, Tomas. To think you could last that long out there wearing nothing, but that jacket of yours.”
“I g-g-guess, I ju-just didn’t think it would be this c-c-cold.” Tomas replied, but the truth of the matter was he didn’t have enough money to buy a cloak or heavier clothes. His uncle had been against Tomas journeying to the north and offered him little in the way of helping him pursue this Mirridian stone he so urgently sought after. The other monks didn’t understand, they didn’t believe in the use of magic. But there was no way of changing their minds. So Tomas made do with what little money he had.
“It’s always cold in the north,” Elle reached over to one of their packs and pulled out a blanket which she offered to Tomas. “You said you lived in Knife`s Edge. It isn`t that far south. Surely you have a cloak or woolen clothes.”
Tomas shook his head as he happily draped the blanket over his shoulders.
“No, c-c-can’t say that I have...” He never went out much, stayed mostly in the monastery and worked most of the day. He never had the need for warmer clothes.
Tomas looked out the back of the wagon. He could see snow lightly falling down from the sky, dancing in the wind. It covered the pine forest in a white haze that was difficult to see through. Behind them were Garen and Gaven, both lumberjacks and sons of Horace. Garen was bulkier, wearing a suit of steel armor beneath his cloak. He once had been a warrior and served in the Archen military. Gaven was the taller, wiry brother who was three years younger. He was leading the last wagon.
There were six members to Horace’s family; the two brothers, Elle and her husband Jole, and the eldest daughter Lidia. Tomas had run into them in Archen as he was searching for passage to the Kalev Highlands. Horace had been kind enough to let him join them.
“Your father says we should be able to make it to the Kalev Highlands in a week’s time.”
“My father is ever the optimist” Elle scoffed. “I think it’ll take at least two weeks. Trudging through snow and sleet as we make our way north.”
Tomas could hear the bantering of the brothers in the distance. They were arguing about something, but Tomas couldn’t hear it over crunching of the snow as the caravan made its way through the pine forest.
“You take this route every year?” Tomas asked.
“Yes we try to make it before winter, but at times we are held up in Archen. The merchants who work for Vogruk – Stokes don’t usually take too kindly to Andvall tradesman like my father. We are considered traitors to the monarchy.” Elle explained. “So they make it hard on us when we go to trade. Vast amounts of paperwork would have to be filled out by my father. And when it comes to collection of our payment, they take their time gathering the coin. So what should take only a few days, ends up taking a few weeks instead.”
“That’s ridiculous.” Tomas replied vehemently.
“We don’t mind so much,” Elle continued. “They pay us better than most. And we only have to deal with them once a year.”
Tomas nodded in agreement as he wrapped the blanket tighter around himself as a comfortable silence settled on the two of them.
"Dooo, daaa, dooo, daaa...." Verif said to himself as he walked
through the thick brush. Only a genius could come up with such
a plan, he was quite proud of himself. Few hours previous before
he set out on his journey, he laid out a map and decided to go Andvall.
The shortest way would be to take the main road. It dawned on him
then, that the 'real' shortest way would be to cut through the forest
and go straight for the city.
An owl that was perched high looked curiously down at Verif. He was
walking through dwarf-height snow, only the top of helm visible. Bushes
and small plantlife tangled with his armor creating more drag. A small
sphere around him would move with every step he took.
"Doooo, daaaa, dooo, daaa.... I'm a genius."
"Here try this on," Elle offered him a pair of doeskin leggings and an overcoat. "They're Garen's but I'm sure he won't mind."
Tomas tentatively reached out to the clothes.
"Um, are you sure he won't mind?" Tomas asked. Not wanting to offend anyone.
"I'm sure. Now go ahead and try them on."
Tomas got up and slipped on the leggings over his own pants, and fastened them with a belt. Then he donned the overcoat and buttoned it up. He then stood before Elle for inspection. His sleeves were dangling at ends of his hands and he was stepping on the leggings that were far too long.
Elle laughed curtly.
"I don't think it fits." Tomas stated with his arms raised at his sides, dangling the sleeves. He was a bit embarrassed. He felt like a kid, playing dress up with his parent's clothes. It was an odd feeling, one he'd never experienced before having grown up amongst monks instead of a regular family.
"I can fix that," Elle rummaged through their packs opening several and scanning their contents, until she finally found a pair of scissors. "Here we are. Now I'm just going to need you to stand still."
"Whoa, whoa, wait." Tomas exclaimed backing away from her.
"I told you already, he won't mind. He's got clothes to spare I assure you." Elle said with a mischievous grin. Tomas surely didn't trust her, but he also desperately needed the extra layer of protection against the cold.
But before he could even say anything, she reached out and began cutting. She took the sleeves in her hands and measured out where his wrist were and quickly cut along the edges. She did the same with his legs as he sat down with each leg raised. Within moments, he was wearing a set of doeskin winter wear that loosely fit him.
"If I just brought some threads and a needle I could clean you up a bit, but that should be good for now."
Tomas let out a sigh. He only hoped Garen was an amiable sort of man. But he had to admit, he could barely feel the cold now. Well except on his face. His nose had a reddish hue to it while the rest of his face was paler in complexion. Elle on the other hand was beaming with appreciation over her own handiwork, fussing over his overcoat.
Outside the wagon, the caravan was coming onto a fork in the road. Horace brought the horse's around a lead them down the right path. Jole leading the second wagon followed suit. Garen at the back yelled out to their father. He had spotted Lidia. She was riding a chestnut mare with a golden tabard. Her horse snorted as she rode it to a stop beside the center of the caravan. Deftly reigning in the horse it rounded in a circle kicking up snow as she yelled out to her family.
"There's a clearing to the east with a standing stone. A stream runs beside it. We can rest here or continue down the road."
Elle poked her head out of the rear of her wagon and listened in on their discussion.
"We have enough dry wood." Garen yelled out.
"The weather is on our side, we should continue." Argued Jole, Elle's husband.
"That may be true, but the horses need the rest and some water." Horace word was final.
Lidia led them down off the path cutting through the pine forest where a large boulder was rooted to the ground. It was covered partially on the top with snow. The wagons formed a circle around the stone as the family went to work. Tomas stepped out into the cold air, looking up into the sky. Snow was still falling gently down from grey misty clouds overhead. Around him people were busy at work. Horace, Jole and Gaven were leading the horses to the stream. Only allowing them to drink a little at a time, for the water was ice cold. Elle was digging into the rear caravan untying the tarp that covered their storage of dry wood. Lidia was taking a shovel to the ground clearing away snow for the fire pit. Garen approached Tomas with a quizzical look on his face.
"Look it wasn't my idea, your sister insisted." Tomas began trying to defend himself.
"Are those mine?" Garen asked tersely.
"Yes... Look I'll pay you back" Tomas offered. With what money, he wasn't sure.
"Elle!" Garen yelled turning on his sister with an angry look on his face. "Why couldn't you given him your own, he's about your size. The hell were you thinking."
Elle was smiling back at him playfully.
"Oh, don't make such a big fuss, it's just a pair of leggings and an overcoat. You've got dozens of them."
"At home! I only brought so much with me!"
Garen reaching to the ground, balled up a snowball and quickly chucked it at her. Elle, catching on quickly, was already running around the wagon to protect herself. Garen chased after her, tossing snowballs in her wake. Lidia remained stoic as her siblings began a snowball fight. She went over to the wagon, dropped the shovel in and took some wood out. Tomas half helped her while spectating the battle between Garen and Elle. Elle was light on her feet and dodged expertly on her toes, firing back in quick succession getting the better of her brother who, worn down by his armor, moved sluggishly in comparison. Although the snow balls he did land exploded on impact.
"Drop that here." Lidia ordered, drawing Tomas' attention back to the task at hand. He placed the bundle of wood he was carrying beside the fire pit. Lidia, like her brother, was wearing armor. But instead of steel, she wore a golden bronze breastplate with matching pauldrons and gauntlets. Her haulberk was full bodied, ran down to her legs snuggly fit to her form. At her back was a light violet cape with rippling gold design patterned onto it. Her hair was jet black just as dark as her chainmail. And much darker than her brother and sister's hair which were a light shade of brown. Tomas found himself slightly uncomfortable in her presence.
"Get a pot and kettle from the wagon." Lidia stated coldy as she worked a tinderbox. By the time he returned she had already had sticks setup for cooking with a fire blazing beneath. Elle and Garen both wet and breathing heavily joined them. Garen leaned against the standing stone near the fire. While Elle brought some food, getting ready to prepare a meal.
"Where is everyone else?" Tomas asked as he put out his hands to the fire. Grateful for the warmth it provided.
"Feeding the horses of course. You saw them lead them out." Lidia answered, visibly annoyed by Tomas question.
"Lidia... Come now. It was a honest question." Elle exclaimed.
Lidia ignored her little sister and walked away from the fire to tend to her own horse.
"Don't mind her," Garen said, putting a heavy hand to Tomas' shoulder. "She's like that with everyone."
The fire cackled as the three of them made makeshift seats out of the logs, talking quietly together.
A high-pitch whimper cut through silence of the woods. Verif
instinctively pulled out his axe and stopped to listen. He heard it
again, this time more quiet. Moving, he advanced slowly in the
direction of the noise.
Entering a clearing, he spotted green for the first time in days.
Some grass and plants grew untouched by winter's wrath. Huge
entangled trees kept the snow from falling within. Leaning against
a side of a tree, a young dear was nursing an injured leg. It's eyes
were wide with fear as it stared at Verif.
"Woah there... Everything's alright." He lowered his axe as he
approached the injured animal. A sudden noise came from outside
the clearing. Turning, Verif raised his axe again. More noises, like
paws on snow, were all around him. Unclear of how many predators
lurked outside, he walked slowly backwards towards the deer.
Six red eyes appeared in front of him as three large wolfs came into
the clearing from where he entered. Their teeth glistening, eyes
darting between the deer and Verif.
"AAAARrrrrggghhh!" Verif screamed as he ran towards the beasts.
The lead wolf crouched low and pounced, clearing ten paces easily.
* * *
Ripping off a chunk of meat with his mouth, Verif smiled happily as
he chewed. A little rough, but it tasted great compared to his packed
rations. It was dark now but the heat from the fire stayed inside the
clearing. Pure luck he found a great resting spot as good as this.
Moving to take another bite, a fast blur came across him and he
chewed on air. "What the?...." Verif looked puzzled at first, but he finally
noticed the wolf devouring his food in a corner. "Hey!" Verif yelled giving
chase as the wolf playfully ran around the fire. The other two wolves
full from cooked deer were sleeping close by.
A great stone hand rose from the ground and grabbed Tomas by the waist. He struggled against the giant's granite grip, trying desperately to wrestle free. But his efforts were futile. He was lifted into the air as the hand reached higher into the sky. Beneath him the crown of a stone giant surfaced, sending stones scattering on all sides. Tomas began to scream for help, but the fingers tightened around his waist stealing his breath away. Another arm shot out of the ground and slammed a hand down, pushing itself up through the Earth. Below the head of the stone giant turned to look up at him with burning orange eyes. Dirt and dust falling off of it in streams that trickled down through the creases of its mouth and head. Tomas now terrified tried to break free of its grip once more with all his strength. Dark clouds swirled above him as flashes of lightning shot down from the heavens streaking the sky with burning white light. Tomas could feel himself losing consciousness as the edges of his vision begin to blur and darken. But just as he was about to faint, the giant slammed him down to the Earth as thunder rolled in.
Tomas woke up with a jolt. Disoriented and breathing heavily, he looked to his surroundings. Everything seemed unfamiliar. He rose at his waist, sending layers of blankets sliding down his chest. He let his eyes acclimate themselves to the darkness. A faint glow came from the canopy of the wagon shining through from the fire outside. Memories of the day before rush back to him as reality set itself in again. He remembered eating with the family. He had been so famished that he ate his own weight in soup and bread. They teased him about growing fat by the time they reached Kalev.The cold night air sent a shiver down his spine and he reached out for his clothes which were neatly folded on the seat beside him. He dressed awkwardly in the dark, banging against the boards on the sides that served as seats. Once dressed, he stepped out into the camp.
He could see the fire burning low against the standing stone. He could see a silhouette of a person seated by the fire. He approached them with his arms wrapped around his waist. Snow had ceased to fall from the sky and above the heavens shone with thousands of bright stars. Just beautiful, he thought.
"Who goes there!" Warned the seated person, turning around with a bow and arrow in hand.
"T-Tomas, it's just me." The young artisan stuttered, slightly shocked, with his hands raised.
"Tomas, gods, what are you doing up so early?" The man lowered his bow and return the arrow to its quiver.
"I, uh, I had a bad dream." Closer now, he could see in the light that it was Jole.
"Those can be a pain. I hope it wasn't too distressing."
"I can barely remember it now." Tomas admitted.
"For the better, I would say. Are you still hungry?" Jole asked. "There's still some soup here, warm enough to eat."
"No, I'm still full from the day before. Thank you, though."
Jole shrugged as he lay down his bow. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a long pipe which he filled with crushed leaves.
"Quiet night, eh." Jole said as he leaned toward the fire with pipe hanging from his mouth. He grabbed a burning brand and used it to light his pipe.
"Yes, but I think I heard someone snoring by the wagons." Tomas said with a small smile.
"That would be either Horace or Gaven, maybe both." Jole said between puffs of smoke.
The fire was cackling, sending embers shooting out at them. They glowed in the dark by their feet and lasted for few moments before fading away.
"I've never been this far north before..." Tomas stated more to himself than anyone.
"I think you'll like it here. There are some sights worth seeing in the North. The view from the highlands alone will take your breath away."
"Were you born in Andvall?"
"Me, no, I grew up in Pestovo. I gradually made my way north, following herds of elk. Before settling in Andvall territory."
"It was there where you met, Elle?"
"Yes, actually. We met over a dispute. She had been setting up traps for days, hunting foxes in the mountains while I was quick on the trail of a stag. It was a white stag mind you, a rare sight. It would fetch a fortune in the markets. But just as I was about to loose my arrow, my mark fell into one of Elle's traps. I was confused at first because to me it just went around a bush and simply disappeared. When I found it, I couldn't figure out how to get it out. I had no rope with me at the time. So I had to wait for Elle."
Jole shook his head, smiling and laughing a little to himself before continuing.
"It was dusk by the time she arrived carrying a lantern. She thought I was a poacher and drew a knife on me. I had to explain myself quickly. I told her that the stag was mine by right. She didn't agree since it was her trap after all. We argued into the night. And settled on seeing a Knight's Justice to decide what to do with the stag. Elle didn't even let me touch the stag. She drew it out herself by digging a slope into the trap and placing it on a sled. Then we ran into another conflict. Who would take the stag for the night. Neither of us could agree on anything. We ended up staying up the whole night, neither us trusting the other."
"Um, what's a Knight's Justice?" Tomas asked curiously interrupting Jole.
"Oh, it's the position Lidia holds in the courts of Andvall. She serves as a judicator of sorts. She's familiar with all the laws of Andvall and common folk go to her to resolve their problems. Anyways, in the morning we brought our case before Lidia. Elle was especially happy with herself because at the time I didn't know that Lidia was her sister. We each told our sides of the story. Lidia consulted her own statutes on hunting and gaming and found that the stag should be awarded to me. Which I was elated but at the same time relieved. The whole ordeal had robbed me a day of sleep and half a day of hunting. Elle was fuming. But in the end, I gave her half the earning I made off the stag. It wasn't long after that before we started seeing each other."
"Your a lucky man, Jole. Elle seems like a wonderful person."
"She is... But don't tell her that, it'll get to her head."
They both shared a laugh as dawn began to shine beyond the mountains.
Huge bodied frame bounded against trees and it snorted in
annoyance. Small branches snapped as it forced it way
through the bush. It stopped briefly and sniffed the air.
Satisfied that it was going in the right direction the bear
continued walking.
Hearing it's approach the three wolves ran out into the
morning light. Waking with a start, Verif got up slowly.
The bear reaching the clearing growled in frustration. It
expected a injured deer, instead a man stood there.
Raising high it wanted to scare the man into submission
for an easy meal. Verif opened his eyes wide and noticed
the animal was very thin, and possibly desperate.
"Aren't you suppose to be asleep?!" He yelled at the bear
as he ran to the edge of the clearing, but he wasn't renown
for his speed and the bear quickly caught up. It's huge
paw landed on Verif back-plate and he was launched
forward hitting a tree and falling off a rock ledge several
feet below. His axe leaving his hand clanged down the slope
as his body slammed heavily, bouncing before coming to a stop.
Looking at the stone ground Verif chuckled. "I'm... a.....
genius..." Blood spurted through the holes of his helm and
unto the gray stone. Darkness descended, and his vision
blurred.
The trail hugged against a rocky slope, leading them deeper into the wilds. They were several days away from the nearest settlement, and Tomas could feel the slightest of fears pestering him. He had grown so comfortable with his monastic life that he felt helpless in the wilds. He didn't know how to hunt, cook or start a fire. He couldn't make his way back home without the help of Horace and his family. The trail was overgrown in some parts and there were many forks in the road. He could have easily taken the wrong route and gotten lost. Which worried him.
He had to take this road back to Archen, through the wilds and the highlands. What then? He had no coin to hire a guide. Would there be anyone traveling back to Archen in the North? He just didn't know. He started to think that he had been to hasty setting off on his own. But he had to push all these thoughts to the back of his mind, it wasn't something he should concern himself with now. He had still had to get to Andvall.
"Why so quiet?"
The question jogged him out of his revery. He had been mulling over his own thoughts that he'd forgotten he was seated beside Gaven. Tomas turned to him apologetically.
"Sorry... Just thinking to myself..."
"No need to apologize." Gaven replied before clicking his tongue urging the horses on. Garen, who was usually with his brother, was taking a nap in a small space between their supplies and barrels of ale.
"Is all that going to Andvall?" Tomas asked about the ale.
"To one of our strongholds, yes."
"It seems like a lot."
"Hardly, we'll be lucky if it last us a week or two. It's just something that fetches a good price back home."
"Oh, I see." Tomas replied.
Snow had ceased to fall and the forest was quiet save for a gentle breeze that swept through the tops of the trees. It left a serene feeling in the air that was sweet and welcoming. A stark contrast from how Tomas was feeling earlier.
"What sort of work did you do back in Knife's Edge?" Gaven inquired.
"Me?." Tomas began. "I use to make clay figurines for children. There wasn't much money in it, but I enjoyed it nonetheless."
"That's good to hear. Does it take long to craft those figurines?"
"Depends on how intricate the work is... Sometimes it takes a few days others a few hours."
Gaven nodded as he pulled on the reins. The wagons ahead of them had come to a stop. Curious, he called out to those in front. When no answer came he reached to the back and pulled out a two handed lumber jack's axe.
"Wake my brother." Gaven ordered before he climbed down and went to see what was the matter.
Tomas did as he was told and climbed over to the back of the wagon to where Garen was fast asleep and shook him.
"Uhhh... What is it?" Garen asked. Still donning his steel plated armor beneath the blankets.
"The wagon's have stopped. Gaven's gone to check it out." Tomas quickly replied.
Garen cursed as he pulled himself up.
"Well, let's go follow him then."
The both of them made their way down onto the trail, jogging past the still wagons. When they caught sight of the others standing in a semi circle. Gaven turned to the sound of their approach still holding to his axe.
"What is it, brother?" Garen asked.
"There was an axe laying on the ground." Gaven replied.
Jole turned to them and added. "No signs of a skirmish. But it has been here for only a short time. It would've been buried by snow otherwise."
"What does that mean?" Tomas asked looking to the three of them in turn.
"Orcs or barbarians maybe. They roam these parts" Gaven replied.
"Or a victim to a raid, fleeing away." Garen suggested.
"There's no tracks suggest any of those things." Jole commented with puzzled expression. He had his bow slung between his shoulders with his quiver at his waist.
"Where's Elle and Lidia?" Tomas asked, for it was only the men standing around. Horace had been silent, studying the weapon in his hands.
"Scouting ahead just in case." Jole informed him before turning to Horace. "What do you make of it?"
"Hard to say, it doesn't look like any orc or barbarian weapon I've seen. It could be magical 'tis why the snow hasn't touched it. Whatever the case may be, whoever it belongs to may still be nearby. I want you all to be on your guard. Gaven and Jole take the wagon at the center. Tomas, you take the rear wagon with Elle. At any sight of danger you flee. The rest of us will form the front line in case anything happens."
Horace lifted the mysterious axe to his shoulder as everyone else acknowledged his command.
"We wait for Lidia to report before moving ahead."
Tomas nodded as fear knotted his stomach. This was the first signs of danger and he got a sunken feeling it wouldn't be the last.
Waking with a start, he pushed his aching body from the snow. He
walked forward slowly not remembering how he got there. Something
familiar was missing, and he reached for his axe at his back. When
his fingers touched nothing he suddenly remembered the axe falling
after the attack.
Glancing around quickly, he hobbled to where it should of fallen. Peering
over the edge of a steep hill he saw a caravan and some people standing.
Carefully he made his way down. When he was in sight he tried to wave
his arm to get their attention.
Close behind, a huge form bounded toward him. Teeth gleamed with
saliva, and it's flaring eyes full of contempt.
Tomas was first to catch sight of the dwarf as he was waving his arms. From this distance, he couldn't tell if he was armed or not. But he seemed to be alone.
"Um, there's someone coming down the slope." He said to no one in particular, drawing their attention to the armored dwarf in the distance.
It was Jole, with eyes like a hawk, that saw the bear. It's fur a matted mixture of white and grey perfectly camouflaging it's approach from the others. He quickly drew an arrow, but hesitated to loosen it. The bear was too close behind he risked injuring the dwarf.
"What is it?" Tomas asked.
Ignoring the question, Jole yelled out to the dwarf.
"It's right behind you!"
Catching sight of the bear, Gaven and Garen sprung to action running out to aid him. Horace, instead, moved to the wagons and cut loose one of the horse which he mounted bareback. He looked to Tomas and Jole.
"Stay out of sight. If you find a clear shot take it."
Tomas nodded while Jole moved out to find a better vantage point. Not knowing what else to do, the young craftsman followed Jole.
Turning his head he ran as his fast as legs could move. Unable to out-
run the bear, he knew what he had to do. As the bear terrifyingly closed
the distance, Verif jumped flat on his belly as it chomped downwards.
Off-balance, the bear fell over Verif and skidded on its side.
Quickly, Verif grabbed the closest stone and rammed it into the bear's
face. It chomped down angrily on his arm when Verif was going for a
second swing.
"Aaaaahhhh!" Verif yelled as he could hear the metal of his plate armor
give way.
Tomas was hard pressed to match the pace of Jole who moved through the underbrush with surprising speed. Tomas kept tripping over rocks and fallen logs as he followed the hunter. He glanced over to the brothers and the bear. Judging the time it would take them to get to the dwarf who was desperately fighting for his life. He wasn't sure if they were going to make it.
The two brothers were both breathing heavily as they ran, urged on by the plight of the dwarf whose arm was in the maw the beast. But both of them were losing steam. As they began to slow, coming up from behind came Horace racing past them. The old knight spurred on his mare, closing the distance. His sword drawn. Cloak fluttering in the wind. Leaving his sons behind him as he raced to face the beast.
Tomas continued watching them as he traversed through the rough foliage. Ahead of him the pine forest was spread evenly, giving Jole plenty of room to make his shot, yet the hunter was still moving. Tomas turned his attention back to Jole who was climbing atop an uprooted tree. Jole scanned ahead before looking back to the dwarf, quietly contemplating his course of action.
"He's in trouble you must do something." Tomas pleaded.
"I can't. I'll risk hitting the dwarf. We have to get behind the bear." Jole replied. He climbed down the tree and continued running.
Tomas sighed as he half-heartedly followed after him.
Desperately Verif swung several times at the beast's neck and face. Unphased,
it started shaking to tear off the limb. His arm in a vice, he winced in pain and
realized he didn't try something he used to do with his brother.
"Take this!" Dropping the stone in his hand he used his index finger and jammed
it in the eye of the beast. At first, it tried to withstand the pain but as the
finger slowly went deeper it let go of the annoying dwarf and hit him with its
paw. Seeing the attack, Verif moved up his arms to block but the weight of
the blow sent him sprawling backwards.
Shaking off the dizziness, he contemplated where his axe might be. Raising at
full height, it towered above the dwarf. Verif stiil in a daze, was patting the
ground trying to find his lost axe. The bear bore down for its final blow.
"Huaaaaahhh!" Ah deep resounding yell paused the bear's movement for a fraction
of a second as it turned it's head to see Horace closing fast. Timing his speed,
the bear moved to hit the rider as he rode past. Moving away and low on the
saddle, Horace expertly swung the sword upwards into the huge arm of the beast.
The bear roared in pain. The horse startled by the noise bolted away in fear. Horace
not anticipating the sudden change in momentum fell off the horse. He held firm onto
his sword as he rolled.
"Father!" Gaven yelled as he reached the beast before his brother Garen. Swinging
the axe he sliced into the back of the beast.
Garen watched in horror as he saw the beast turn with incredible speed to hit Gaven.
The force had him flying off the main path into a tree. "Nooo!!!!" Garen yelled in anger
and desperation.
"Focus Garen!" Horace yelled as he gripped his free arm. He had fallen heavily on
it and the pain was almost unbearable. He gritted his teeth, and attacked the bear
who swung at him. He swayed sideways and the bears claws teared into his cloak.
Stabbing quickly he kept moving to keep it guessing.
Tomas stopped to catch his breath. He couldn't keep up with the hunter any longer. As much as he wished to, there just wasn't any energy left in him to keep going. Jole was far ahead of him now. Once again he felt useless. If there was only something he could do to help. But nothing came to mind. He was out of his element and there was nothing to do, but keep his distance from danger. Lest he make things worse by getting himself into trouble.
Things weren't looking good for Horace or Garen at the moment. Then he caught sight of Gaven laying crumpled beside a tree. A deep sinking feeling made its way through him as he thought the worse had happened. There was nothing he could but watch events unfold before him.
Garen stood his ground with sword drawn between him and the bear. The beast swiped at the sword nearly ripping it free from his grasp, knocking him off balance. Seeing an opening the bear advanced on him with tooth and claw. Garen brought up his arm just in time to stop the bear from chomping on his throat while its claw dug down into his pauldron. It had pushed its full weight upon Garen, tumbling him to the ground. Pinned beneath the bear, Garen tried desperately to bring his sword in to stab into the belly of the beast. But the bear inadvertently slid its paw down from his pauldron onto his elbow locking down his sword arm. He squirmed beneath it. Crushed by its shear weight.
"Father, get it off me!" He yelled in desperation.
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