The Prophecy
Dances with Balrog sat on his chief's chair, one leg crooked up as he studied the pieces of paper laid out in front of him. He took up one and studied its details. On it wrote, "Name: Micah Fisherman" A photo was tagged loosely to the corner of the paper with a paper clip. He flipped the pages carelessly, skimming through its contents.
With a sigh, Dances with Balrog set it down and looked up. A small boy with hair the color of flames shuffled uneasily under his gaze. "Look up, boy," Dances with Balrog barked. Hesitantly the boy raised his head and stared at him wide-eyed. Dances with Balrog smiled wryly. "Welcome to the family of warriors." Upon hearing those words, the boy's face lit up with a smile. "Oh thank you!" He cried out joyfully. Taking a hurried bow, the boy left the Chief's house and scampered off, no doubt reporting his good news.
Dances with Balrog shook his head and stepped down from his chief's chair. He walked to the exit of his tent and with a slight pause; he waved aside his curtain and stepped out of his den. Shading his silt-like eyes against the hot sun, Dances with Balrog made his way over to the Perion Street Corner.
"Going hunting?" A familiar voice called out cheerfully.
Dances with Balrog turned around in surprise. "Ayan!" He returned the greeting with equal enthusiasm when he saw the tan, pink-haired girl waving at him. "I was just going to check on the areas around here, my bones are going to rust if I stay in that prison for one more second," He laughed good-humoredly.
Ayan would have none of that. "You have to watch out for the monsters, they've been getting more and more restless lately."
"I know, I can take care of myself you know? I'm the chief of this land for god's sake!" He said exasperatedly.
"You're not getting any younger you know?" She rebutted, placing her hands on her hips.
"Yes yes, now may I take leave your Highness? I haven't got all day," He said with sarcasm. Without waiting for her reply, he turned and headed down to the street corner.
Dances with Balrog walked some way along the street and then when he reached a large tree stump, he abruptly turned towards the right. Immediately he heard a rustle just behind of the dead bracken near him. His hands sprang to his sides, poised above his axes. Suddenly the rustling got more aggressive and an axe stump jumped out at him.
Spontaneously, he lashed out both of his arms and a pair of axes flew out of his hands and back. The puzzled stump stood there, its eyes crossing. Suddenly the stump split itself into three neat slices and landed onto the ground with a hollow thump. Dances with Balrog placed his axes back by his sides and collected the firewood. Frowning with worry, he studied the three pieces of wood. "The monsters are getting too aggressive these days, don't tell me…" he let his voice trail off, not wishing to complete the sentence.
Dances with Balrog looked over the side of the street and jumped down with practiced familiarity. Landing onto the floor with a soft thud, he dusted himself and checked around his surroundings. "Ah," He exclaimed when he spotted it. A door was embedded deep inside the side of the Perion Street Corner. Normally one would not be able to see it, seeing how it hid into the shadows so well. But being someone who had hardly left Perion since birth, Dances with Balrog knew the place like the back of his hand.
Placing one grizzled hand onto its oaken surface, he felt its smooth texture before he eased it open, poking his head through.
The wild boars were shuffling about in their usual pig-like manner. He breathed a sigh of relief, no signs of aggression here. Just as he turned, prepared to leave, something caught the corner of his eye. Dances with Balrog twisted his head quickly, sure enough, there was a boy not more than ten was hiding surreptitiously behind a rock, a makeshift wooden club in his hands. He had bright yellow hair that reflected the sun's rays, turning it to a rich golden color. His eyes were squinted, no doubt concentrating on the wild boars, but his eyes had a glint of intelligence and defiance.
Dances with Balrog felt the urge to call out to him and warn him of the dangers of hunting here. But by some impulse, he held back and watched what the boy would do.
The boy crouched low, his eyes intent on a boar that he had marked out to be his victim. His face was bathed in sweat as he concentrated hard. His timing had to be perfect. And then the boar broke away from its herd. The boy gave a war-cry and charged out from his rock. The startled boar had hardly any time to react before the boy hit it on its head with a loud bonk. The boar shook its mane wildly to recover from the shock. Then it looked up and growled at the boy. He backed off a little. The boar pawed the ground angrily and charged at the boy, enraged by his childish act. The boy gave a short cry of alarm and took off running in the other direction. Dances with Balrog stepped out, half bemused half worried. The boy sure had some backbone to attack a boar like that.
The boy, still running as fast as he could, was nearing towards a wall; it seemed that the boar would surely catch up with him and then it would be the end of it. Just as Dances with Balrog prepared to fling his axe at the boar, the boy suddenly jumped up and flipped over the boar, landing neatly on his feet. The charging boar had no time to react at all and charged straight into the wall, which resulted in a heap of broken bones and rubble.
Dances with Balrog was impressed. That boy would make a good warrior. He walked over to the boy, who was rejoicing over his kill. "You there," he called out. The boy turned to see who it was and his eyes widened when he saw the renowned warrior standing before him.
"What's your name?" Dances with Balrog asked.
"L..Leo," The boy flustered, tripping over his words, "Leo Greystorm."
"Well then, Leo Greystorm, how would you like to become a part of the warrior's family?"
