Dawn of Destiny

It was the hour of the wolf. A soothing breeze hummed through the tender leaves as the crickets buzzed and the wolves howled. The white Star loomed tall above the pines and crooked hills covering all in a silver blanket.

The forest was tranquil, undisturbed by the chirping of birds or the felling of trees, its gloom shroud only amplified by a constant screech of crickets and a few notes of howling. The trails where littered with freshly shed autumn leaves, a curse for the prey for it amplified their footsteps.

Marcus almost jumped when a rock cracked beneath his feet.

‘Oh! Thank Mars! ‘, Marcus let off a sigh of relief.

His prayers to the god of the unknown had borne fruit so far, so he prayed another round with haste.

‘Oh great and enigmatic Onir please show me the way through, so that I may find a way out of this forest and get to… ‘

Marcus scratched his head Go where? Father never told me

All he remembered was his mother and father quarreling that evening. His mother Lady Elena had always been a calm and reserved woman. Her tall frame, light gold hair and ice blue eyes further amplified her serene aura. Yet, today she had been livid, screaming tearfully at her husband,

‘No I will not allow it I won’t! ‘She cried.

General Alexander Wilhelm Corvinus only listened with indifferent silence and a clenched jaw. He was flanked by his eldest son Schneizel, who looked at his mother sadly with his beautiful doe eyes and then took her arm and walked away as she left behind a trail of tears.

Marcus’s older sister Greta was beside him at that moment, looking from window at the top of the manor. He had asked her at that moment, ‘Greta why is mother crying? ‘

She failed to bring up any words and only hugged him tightly, blanketing him under her golden locks.

Marcus kept on walking, his small feet making rustling noises on the leaves. All around him the forest seemed to glow with an eerie silver hue.

A bush hustled here or a branch tweaked there, with the exception of those the only sounds he could hear were the sound of his own footsteps and the rumbling in his belly.

I wish I could have some of that corn soup Greta makes

She had promised that she would make it for his 10th name day next week but

‘hachhuu! ‘

He sneezed but with no handkerchief available rubbed his nose on the arm his tunic. The wind began to grow colder and the howls grew louder. Marcus felt a chill as he wrapped his arms around his chest and shook.

I should not shake He told himself father always said that it was cowardly

General Corvinus had often yelled at his son’s weakness but nothing he could do fixed it. Marcus tried riding horses but his little frame could barely stay a minute. He tried running but he would collapse coughing after a few yards, he tried fencing but the other lads beat him red. The only thing he was good at was eating and reading books but that only earned him his father’s scoff.

The rumbling in his belly got louder and the breeze grew colder. He fell to his knees shaking. He felt weak for he had not eaten anything since evening and had been walking for hours.

No I must not cry a true Elyrian man does not cry!

He looked around to see if there was something he could eat but all he could see were trees and mud dimly lit by the Silver orb. He squinted his eyes and found a broken branch, a few crushed rocks, some dense vegetation and some mushrooms

Mushrooms! Marcus gasped. He had always seen some in the kitchen. Maybe he could eat them but,

I’m pretty sure that Sage Lenowitz wrote that most mushrooms in the Silver forest were poisonous but…

He touched his belly as he looked at them again; they seemed to be brown or was it red? He couldn’t tell and couldn’t care with no other course in sight he motioned towards the vegetation but then he paused in his tracks.

A chill went up his spine as his blood froze. Swallowing a gulp, he slowly turned his head to the right.

He was not alone.

At first he only caught a glimpse but soon the image got clearer and closer.

He could not make much out of the shadowy figure but he could very clearly make out two glowing objects. They were blood red, large and almost glowing. They seemed as if they were gateways to the Lord of souls himself. They burned with a demonic flame while silver light flickered off a pair of sharp white protrusions right beneath them.

But above all else they were fixed on him.

Marcus’s heart jumped.

Oh no is that…is that?

A paw came out of the bush

Marcus’s mind went blank and without a second thought he started running, with every ounce of strength in his body attuned to the task.

The being behind also followed suit.

He ran as fast as he could through bushes, branches, open grounds and rocky terrains while his predator gave chase to him. He dared not even look behind to see what was pursuing him, all he knew that the growling only got louder with each passing moment. His face smashed against a low lying branch, cutting a line through his cheek. A moment later he heard the branch crack.

He tripped over a rock and skid across the rough trail on his right knee only to immediately find foot and run again leaving behind a sliver of skin. The growl grew closer while his heart reached a point where it might burst. His feet began to give away gradually and a claw grazed the back of his tunic.

NO ! Help me!

His eyes caught an opening among the bushes that gave away to an edge.

I have no choice!

Another strike fell on his back, this time the claws ripped right through his tunic and took some skin with it. A stab of pain rushed through his body. He could now feel the breath of the creature on his back.

Here it comes!

Then the edge came, the heavy forest gave out to a clear night sky and the hustling of waves. Marcus jumped headfirst over the edge and the beast jumped after him. Both of them for a brief moment levitated against the moonlight. Marcus took a glimpse at the mystical orb transfixed by the gods among an ocean of stars.

The moment dissipated as soon as it came as wind crashed against his face. He looked beneath and closed his eyes as the waves hurried towards him.

Everything seemed heavy, the world was foggy, various images and sounds seemed to float around

Schneizel brandishing his sword, Lady Elena checking accounts, Fredrick and William riding, Greta and Natalia giggling while reading a book and lastly there was General Corvinus. He was looking out onto to the horizon until he turned his way and his smile melted away into a frown and his deep blue eyes sunk deep beneath his heavy eyebrows

Father!

Marcus’s eyes burst open. He was lying on his back and his hand was reaching towards the sky. It was no longer dark and the stars had receded though the moon still loomed above. He tried to open his mouth but water blocked it. He turned around and violently coughed for a while. The water came out after a brief struggle and he collapsed onto his chest as his whole body started to ache.

He closed his eyes and took a brief pause until it struck him like a bolt

Where’s the thing that was chasing me?

He tried to get up but his right leg stung, he clenched his teeth at the burning sensation. He looked grudgingly at his right knee, a good portion of the skin was missing plus a layer of yellow fat was visible. He grimaced but there was no time to lose

He got back on his two feet with shaky legs only for his right leg to buckle

‘arrgghh…’

The burning sting was intense yet after a struggle he got back on his legs and looked around. He was on the bank of some river, the Tybur perhaps, most likely its lower branch. The great river rose from the grey mountains in the northeast and flowed down stream covering all of Alesia with its sweet embrace.

Slowly dawn started to usher in as the first rays of light were making their way through a heavy sky.

He motioned around and finally found his would be devourer. It was a Leshen after all, a giant wolf like creature rivaling the size of a bull and matching the horns of one. And the one that had been pursuing him certainly had the strength of one as could be judged from its muscled legs.

Yet all that remained of this once mighty demon was a bloody ruin. Its head had crashed into a solid boulder on the river stream and had sent the contents within floating into the river stream. Even its majestic horns had not been spared as one had been broken in half while the other hung loosely from the shattered skull. One eye was turned to jelly while the other dangled from a bloody socket. Marcus retched at the sight.

As he pondered over it as the wind took a sharp turn for the cold while the skies grew dark, thunder struck.

It’s going to rain soon, Marcus despaired.

Another bolt struck and the wind started howling ever stronger. He started to feel a biting cold.

Where am I? Where am I supposed to go? What am I supposed to eat? Where am I going to find shelter?

All he saw around him was greenery, a couple or birds flying away to their nests and the river flowing by. Not a single soul was in sight. A sudden wave of helplessness engulfed him. He fell to his knees and started to cry.

Why is this happening to me? Mother please come get me! What have I done?

His sobbing only got louder with the thunder.

Everybody has left me….I’m all alone….It’s all my fault I…i’m…not worth…anything…..he was right…he was always right….I’m just a ….

Then suddenly he felt a tug in his leg, he took his face off his arms and looked at it. A small puppy was pulling his leg and looking him at him. When he looked at it, the puppy started to wag his tail and its tongue.

Marcus tried to stop sobbing though a few tears still went loose and then he hesitatingly brought his right hand above the puppy’s head and touched it. The puppy approved of it, he closed his eyes and rubbed his cheek against his hand.

Marcus put his other hand on him and started to pet him and the puppy could not have been happier; it started to lick his hand.

For the first time in days Marcus smiled’ You...You like it? ‘

As if understanding his words, the puppy barked and waged his tail.

‘Don’t you have a mother to go back to? ‘

The puppy barked repeatedly then rubbed his head against Marcus’s feet.

‘You don’t have a home either, do you? ‘

The dog then licked hand, it gave him a tingly yet feeling. Thunder cracked again and small droplets of rain started to fall.

He looked up again at the sky but this time not in despair.

‘The rain could make you sick we need to find shelter and food some place that is warm but where…’

Then his eyes fell on the expired Leshen and on the horn dangling from its skull.

The puppy now was looking at him, his tongue wagging again.

Marcus then said, ‘Fine then we’ll do it together! ‘

Then he pulled off the horn from the shattered skull and stabbed it into the belly of the beast.