Chapter 1
"Lord, my path has gone astray"
The cold bit into him, his fingers numb as he clutched onto the branch in front of him. His arms shook as he pulled himself up, his bare feet slipping on the cold wet rocks. The mountain was unforgiving ... But at least it was kinder than the people who had driven him out of the town.
He got his bearings on the rocks and pulled himself up, his ragged clothes clinging to his already soaked body. He stopped for a moment to catch his breath, tugging his hood on further over his face. He knew there was no one around but it was habit.
He jumped as thunder crashed over head, the flash of lightning giving him a brief glimpse of what was around him. It was too dark to see, but he couldn't afford to stop moving. Not for very long.
He got to his feet again, tired and sore as they were, and continued up the mountain. How long has he been hiking? Climbing? Hours? Days?
He didn't know, nor did he care. He didn't even know where he was going. All he knew was that he couldn't go back.
He groaned as he pulled himself up further, the mountain becoming steeper ... The journey turning into an upward climb. Like a wall almost.
He could do it. Half way up ... He wasn't so sure.
He clinged to the wall, with no where to rest, no strength to keep climbing. His muscles protested with pain (nothing new), but he needed to rest ...
He closed his eyes and concentrated ... Can't rest here ... No where to rest. Can't go back ...
"'Otta keep goin'" He said to himself as he pulled himself up farther, his arms and legs shaking with the effort. The further he got up the mountain the more he felt like his grip was going to give out ... Every hand hold felt like it was going to be the last.
He glanced down into utter darkness, wondering if he'd survive the fall. He couldn't see down ... A flash of lightning and he wished he hadn't looked. No way he would survive if he fell. If he did ... He didn't want to think about that.
He climbed up further, ignoring the pain, pushing it back, it didn't exist ... He just had to keep telling himself that ... Pain was an illusion.
He reached up one more time and he breathed a sigh of relief. He'd reached the top ... Or at least a ledge to rest. He'd settle for that if need be.
He climbed up, pulling himself onto the ledge. His heart stopped as he felt the ledge give way under his knee. Felt himself falling back from the cliff, heard a scream echo through the air, was barely aware it was him as he started to fall.
He grunted as he hit the side of the cliff, the air knocked from his chest, pain tugging at his wrist.
He chanced a glance up and saw a dim glow shrouding a man in dim orange light. The man held his wrist as he dangled over the cliff face.
His first instinct was to struggle but that wasn't wise ... He remained still, staring at the man who raised the lantern to get a better look at him.
"I thought I saw someone out here." The man said. "I wasn't expecting it to be a boy ... Many men can't even make this climb." He said pulling him up.
The man watched as the boy pulled his hood over his head again, covering his face from view. The boy crouched oddly, shying away from him. He was clearly cold and very scared.
"Come, you will have a bed tonight." He said holding his hand out to the boy. When he did not take it he crouched down next to him. "You are a mutant." He said though he held no malice. "We hold no prejudice against your kind. You are welcome in our home." The boy looked up at him in surprise ... He was ... Welcome?
He wanted to believe it ... Wanted so badly to go somewhere he was welcomed. But mistrust had been ingrained in him since the day of his birth.
"If you do not trust me, you are welcome to stay out in the rain. I will bring you food. But I'm sure you would be more comfortable in a bed." The boy seemed to think about this. Another clap of thunder and lightening, and the rain started pouring harder.
It made up his mind for him. The boy didn't take his hand but stood up on protesting legs and followed after the kind young man.
The man placed the bowl of stew in front of the boy who barely even hesitated in taking up the spoon.
"Not many manners in that one." An older gentleman said.
"Be kind to the boy. He's starving. He's had a long hard journey." The young man who'd saved him said. It didn't take long before the boy finished off the bowl and the man poured him some more. "Perhaps a little slower this time ... We wouldn't want you to get sick."
The boy looked up at him sheepishly and ate the second bowl slower.
"My name is Amida and this is Koichi. What is your name?" Amida asked. The boy rested the spoon against the side of the bowl and stared at him.
"What, he can't talk either?" The boy looked at Koichi and swallowed the bit of food that was in his mouth. He said something so quietly that neither of the men heard.
"What was that?" Amida asked.
"My name is Toad." The boy said quietly. Amida smiled sadly.
"Somehow, I don't believe that. What's your real name?" He asked. The boy remained silent for a few moments before he muttered something else. "Excuse me?"
"Mortimer." The boy said a bit louder.
"Mortimer huh?" He asked. "Still water. Seems rather unfitting for someone who was so desperate to tackle that mountain face. Do you have a last name?"
Mortimer tapped the spoon against the bowl nervously. "No." He said quietly.
"You're a ward of the court." Koichi said leaning against a wall. Mortimer looked up at him, fear clear in his toad like eyes.
"Please don't take me back there!" Mortimer begged. "Please ... They lock me in the closet and only feed me every couple days and it's only a little and the other kids pick on me and the adults ..." Mortimer suddenly stopped his rant not wanting to voice exactly what the adults did to him. But it was clear in his voice and his hesitation that it wasn't good.
"We won't send you back." Amida said. "You are safe here."
Mortimer looked at him skeptically. "I ... I can stay here?" He asked. "And what do you want in return?" No one ever gave anything for nothing.
"How old are you Mortimer?" Amida asked. Mortimer was briefly confused by the change in topic.
"I'm ... I'm six." Mortimer said quietly.
"Six?" Amida asked. "I had you pegged for four ... You're a big boy then." Amida said. Mortimer didn't appreciate being talked to like that and it was clear in his face.
"Well ... Mortimer." Amida said sitting back in his chair, no longer talking as if he were talking to a child. It was clear he had grown up far too fast. "Seeing as how you are six years old, you require care. We don't expect anything in return ... Except hard work and dedication."
Mortimer knew there was a catch. This place was huge, no doubt they expected him to clean it every day top to bottom.
"We wake up at six am sharp. No dawdling. You'll be with me from six until eight for meditation, from eight until three with another man you'll soon meet for education and from three until seven for martial arts training."
Mortimer looked up at him once again shocked. "You're ... Going to educate me?" He asked. That didn't seem like a payment, that seemed like a reward. He'd never been to school before.
"We are. There will be two others with you through the day. William, who's eight, and Paxton who is seven. They're mutants like yourself."
Mortimer looked down at his bowl, suddenly less excited about learning. If other kids were there ... Even if they are mutants ... He was always picked on because he was the smallest. And people thought he was slow because he didn't talk.
"Do we have a deal?" Amida asked. "Unless, that is ... You actually had somewhere you were going when you headed up that mountain."
Mortimer knew there was no question. No chance he'd decline. He was welcome here by these two men ... Even if the kids picked on him ... He could handle it so long as he had a place he was welcome.
((A/N – Here's chapter one of hopefully my long Toad fanfic …. An introduction to Mortimer. Please forgive any errors I make in future, I know nothing about monks so I'm going to keep as little of it out as possible, and keep to the basics, even with research I could get things wrong, get different things mixed up and I don't want to offend anyone …. So keeping it to the basics and focused around Mortimers training and education. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy. Please leave a review.))
