So Much For That Ordeal
What?! An intro and a chapter out on the same day?! I just wanted to get this out there so SoFurry could see my writing capabilities and look forward to more of my works! I will have characte art for both this story and _The Soulless King _that I'll try posting in the next couple of weeks. Thank you so much for the support, and I'll see you in the next chapter!
I was confused.
Originally, I had come out to a forest located near my village, with my Uncle, to hunt a feral stag; partly because winter was on its way and the clan needed food, and partly because stag antlers were great sources of materials. Hunting was easy for me in early fall, right when the snow started to fall down. My white scales almost blended in with the snow, and if I had white irises, I could be hiding with the snowfall in plain sight. Yet, my bright ruby eyes contrasted the blinding scales, sometimes scaring the prey away. Being only the age of 8 in dragon years, I had only just learned how to hunt. I was wearing a fur-collared black cloak with light cloth clothing underneath, since dragons of my clan produced their own internal heat.
My Uncle was an old crimson dragon with flaming orange eyes. He himself wore nothing but thin cloth pants, ignoring the cold, and wielded a bow and arrow. I myself carried a makeshift spear and a sword I had found while scavenging strapped to my side. Normally, I wouldn't bring the sword on hunting trips, but my Uncle insisted I bring that and a small shield, while he packed me provisions for a day or two. We had gone out into the forest, me being my happy self, and I simply asked, "Hey Uncle, why am I taking these things with me?"
He didn't look at me at first, his orange eyes avoiding mine. "You're camping overnight out here on your own, and we don't know if you will run into trouble. You will take a decent size of the stag for yourself, and I will take the rest back to the encampment. In the morning, you will come find us." He stated without looking at me. I nodded, not thinking of it.
We went pretty deep into the forest, and came upon a small clearing with running water next to it. The water was clear, and the clearing was big enough to set up a small camp. Uncle dropped my shelter, an animal skin with a bundle of sticks, in the middle of the clearing. I set my bow on the ground, then began taking off my straps for my sword, shield, and pouches. Once I had removed the extra weight, I shouldered my bow, and took off after my Uncle, who was in a very fast pace.
Within an hour to an hour and a half, we successfully killed a ten-antler stag, massive in size and stubborn against arrows. I dragged the stag proudly back to the camp, smiling triumphantly, not quite noticing the sadness in my Uncle's eyes. We skin the deer, and like he had said, he cut out a large piece for me to have. After that, we both stood tall, staring at on another. I could see something in his eyes - there was some sadness - that I didn't know how to describe.
He gave me a firm hug and said, "You do good tonight, Naltar. Your mother would be proud of you." He pulled away and sighed softly. "See you in the morning, hatchling." He ruffled the top of my head, and without a word he hefted the deer over his shoulder, turned around, and walked away from me, back to our clan's encampment.
I sat there for a moment, staring at him, my hatchling naivety not seeing what was really going on. Shrugging my shoulders, I built a fire, then built two vertical sticks keeping a longer horizontal stick above the fire, in which my meat was roasting on. I yawned, sat back, and pulled out a soft leather journal my father had given to me. I jotted down the day's events, and included some thoughts on Uncle's emotions.
I set up the tent, set up a place to sleep, then ate my meal. I've never camped far away from the encampment. To be honest, I didn't even recall that this camping alone was part of the Adolescent Ordeal. The woods were far too dangerous for hatchlings, filled with terrifying creatures and monsters. I yawned, my ears slowly lowering as I was full with the meal, when something snapped to my right, causing my head to snap in that direction. Cautious, I extended my left claw out to the nearest weapon, which was my sword. My ears perked when I heard the familiar growl of a Yai Gris Bear, the only kind of bear to live in these woods.
I froze, watching as a large brown furred feral rise to a full seven and a half feet - the height of young adolescent dragon warriors. It looked down at me, and I dared not move. Fear claimed my body, keeping my petrified as I watched the creature sniff about, trying to tell the difference between cooked deer meat and raw dragon meat. I didn't want to be noticed, though it was looking at me, because the Yai are tough to kill because of their size and strength.I wanted to run, to hide, to flee, but then I remembered what my Uncle had said.
"You do good tonight, Naltar."
I felt courage and pride swell up me, tearing that fear to shreds, and I watched that bear's every move. As soon as it haunched forward to advance me, probably with curiosity more than anything, I reacted. I dived for my sword, landing on it with my hands and rolling forward as I heard a shocked growl from the bear. I recovered quickly, drawing the blade, but the bear charged me. I vaulted over the bear, pulling the sword out of its sheath, and landed as the bear ran into a tree. It turned around, and stood up again, which meant it was ready for real business. It came at me, and this time I had my sword out. I threw my sheath at it, distracting it, and ran at it.
Thankfully for the snow, the ground was slick and soft. I slid on my knees past the bear, sinking my blade into its right leg, causing it to roar in pain. It turned and before I could react, hit me good in the back with his club-like paw. I sailed across the clearing, landing in the fire and rolling across the snow. It hurt when I landed on the sticks, but I struggled and got back up. The bear was on me, and I almost had no time to dodge. I successfully got out of the way, but I knew I couldn't last long. Yet, I didn't want to die. I felt an overwhelming power surge through me, making me forget my pain and focus sharply. I needed to kill this creature before it killed me.
It came at me again, and using my strength, I delivered a successful backhand to its snout, making it roar in pain again. It charged me, and this time I turn and run, but not away. I run straight for a tree, the bear behind me, and run up a few steps along the trunk. Planting both feet on the trunk while in momentum, I vault backwards, flipping over the bear as it ran headfirst into the tree. I landed on its back, and without giving it a chance to recover, I sink my sword into the nape of its neck, severing the head from the spine, but not completely decapitating it.
The bear slumped to the ground, and the overwhelming power decreased. I stood atop the bear, trembling in excitement and fear, realizing what I had done. It took more than two warriors to kill a Yai, yet I had killed one by myself. I laughed lightly, pulling the sword out and stabbing into the bear again, just to be sure. I turned around to tell my Uncle when I realized he wasn't there. I sighed, pulled the sword out again, and stepped off of the bear.
I debated whether I should take the bear now or wait until morning to take the bear. Remembering I was supposed to wait until morning, and being the good hatchling I was, I kept the bear where it was, and moved my shelter farthest away from the bear inside the clearing. Yawning, I crawled into my shelter as my fire died down, ready to sleep and return victorious to my clan tomorrow.
They were gone by morning.