It was about midday. Mikael was walking calmly down the path to his home -
though it would be a while before he actually got there - with his white
tiger, Shi, at his heels. Shi was the first to hear the noise, a clamor
from up ahead. The tiger stopped and stood alert, ears perked to hear
better.
Mikael stopped to look at his tiger. Then, he followed suit and listened. He could barely hear it, shouting up ahead a ways. They moved toward the sound. When they got there, Mikael crouched behind some bushes to observe the situation.
A tall, blonde man was being beaten by five others. The five appeared to be bandits.
The first bandit kicked the man at their feet, causing him to wince and groan in pain.
"Take his horse!" another shouted.
"Arg!" a third… commented.
Mikael's eyes narrowed as he watched, appalled and trying to figure the situation out.
"Where is it?!" a bandit demanded.
The blonde, who seemed to have no idea what they were talking about, winced again. "Where is what?"
"It's not in the saddle bags!"
One bandit stuck a sword to his neck. "Tell us, boy."
"Tell you what?!" the blonde shouted back. "I don't know what you're looking for!"
"Don't play dumb, boy."
The one with the sword pressed it harder and finished the previous one's thought. "It's not smart." The sword drew blood.
The blonde tensed and again shouted, "I don't know what you're looking for!"
"Bulls-" the sword holder was cut off by the arrow that pierced his throat.
The blonde looked up. "Eh?" He then jumped up and staggered away the best he could in his wounded state. Another arrow killed a bandit as he fell over from blood loss. A white tiger sprang out and ripped two of them to shreds in a matter of seconds.
After finishing off the last of the bandits with his sword, Mikael calmly watched his victim fall to the ground and then looked at the blonde, who opened his eyes slowly.
"Thanks, man…" the blonde said weakly. "I owe you one…" he coughed. "Five actually…"
Mikael didn't say anything, he just looked down at the man, who stared back up, then crouched down next to him to examine his wounds. He none too gently redid the man's shirt, and stood.
As the black-haired man picked him up, the blonde felt himself loosing consciousness. He was swung over the back of his horse, and coughed up blood as everything went black.
Mikael swung onto the horse. "Shi," he commanded. The tiger looked up as his master kicked the horse then galloped away, Shi right behind.
~*~
Othello awoke to see a pair of sinister yellow eyes staring back at him. He screamed. The tiger didn't move as his owner, the black haired-man that saved Othello, walked over and crouched down by the two.
"Hi," Othello said, a little embarrassed at his scream.
Mikael only made a slight waving motion nonchalantly and asked, "Are you feeling any better?" He had found the other man pretty beat up, and had tended to his wounds.
Shi sat back on his haunches, his striped white fur gleaming softly in the firelight.
"Save for this cut on my head that is gushing blood?" Othello asked sarcastically. "Yah!"
Mikael sighed. "I fixed that."
"Eh?" Othello felt the back of his head. "Ahahah! So you did! Okay, I'm peachy," he added quickly.
Mikael nodded. "Good." Shi watched as he stood. "Where are you from?" Mikael asked after a moment.
"The village of Ayoyuki," Othello responded.
"Where's that?" Mikael asked as he threw him an apple.
Othello caught it. "It WAS the village to the south of where I assume we are now." He paused, then added, "Note I say was." He was referring to the earlier destruction of his small home village.
"Oh." There was silence. "Why were they attacking you?"
"For the treasure," Othello responded. Shi's ears perked up at the word.
"What treasure?" Mikael asked as he bit into his apple.
Othello was looking down at his apple, Shi watching him intently. "There's a legend about a treasure guarded in my village. It's passed from generation to generation of the Village Head's family. But the only thing is…" Othello trailed of as he took a locket out from a chain around his neck. Shi, intrigued, stepped closer and sniffed the locket.
"Is..?" Mikael repeated.
"All they do is pass down this locket. It's got something written on it about where the treasure is… but none of our scholars could read it."
"Interesting," Mikael commented quietly. After another moment of silence, he asked, "Who are you?"
"My name is Othello."
"You have anywhere to go?"
"Not since my village is gone now."
Shi smelled the blonde; the gigantic tiger was closer than most would be comfortable with.
"You can stay here tonight, if you want."
Othello petted Shi softly. "Thanks, man." He smiled. "I appreciate it."
"Yeah." Mikael threw his apple in the trash, barely eaten. "I'll see you in the morning, then. You should probably get some sleep for those wounds." Mikael went quietly outside as Shi leaned into Othello's hand and the man rubbed his head against the tiger's.
Outside, Mikael sighed as he stared at the moon. Something about that locket struck him; something about that story was somehow familiar. A deep sigh escaped him. He had almost given up. Given up on finding out who he was. But somehow, maybe this was new hope. He pushed some hair behind his ear as the wind picked up. He looked in the direction the wind was coming from, and gasped as a stream of flames burst toward him.
Mikael stopped to look at his tiger. Then, he followed suit and listened. He could barely hear it, shouting up ahead a ways. They moved toward the sound. When they got there, Mikael crouched behind some bushes to observe the situation.
A tall, blonde man was being beaten by five others. The five appeared to be bandits.
The first bandit kicked the man at their feet, causing him to wince and groan in pain.
"Take his horse!" another shouted.
"Arg!" a third… commented.
Mikael's eyes narrowed as he watched, appalled and trying to figure the situation out.
"Where is it?!" a bandit demanded.
The blonde, who seemed to have no idea what they were talking about, winced again. "Where is what?"
"It's not in the saddle bags!"
One bandit stuck a sword to his neck. "Tell us, boy."
"Tell you what?!" the blonde shouted back. "I don't know what you're looking for!"
"Don't play dumb, boy."
The one with the sword pressed it harder and finished the previous one's thought. "It's not smart." The sword drew blood.
The blonde tensed and again shouted, "I don't know what you're looking for!"
"Bulls-" the sword holder was cut off by the arrow that pierced his throat.
The blonde looked up. "Eh?" He then jumped up and staggered away the best he could in his wounded state. Another arrow killed a bandit as he fell over from blood loss. A white tiger sprang out and ripped two of them to shreds in a matter of seconds.
After finishing off the last of the bandits with his sword, Mikael calmly watched his victim fall to the ground and then looked at the blonde, who opened his eyes slowly.
"Thanks, man…" the blonde said weakly. "I owe you one…" he coughed. "Five actually…"
Mikael didn't say anything, he just looked down at the man, who stared back up, then crouched down next to him to examine his wounds. He none too gently redid the man's shirt, and stood.
As the black-haired man picked him up, the blonde felt himself loosing consciousness. He was swung over the back of his horse, and coughed up blood as everything went black.
Mikael swung onto the horse. "Shi," he commanded. The tiger looked up as his master kicked the horse then galloped away, Shi right behind.
~*~
Othello awoke to see a pair of sinister yellow eyes staring back at him. He screamed. The tiger didn't move as his owner, the black haired-man that saved Othello, walked over and crouched down by the two.
"Hi," Othello said, a little embarrassed at his scream.
Mikael only made a slight waving motion nonchalantly and asked, "Are you feeling any better?" He had found the other man pretty beat up, and had tended to his wounds.
Shi sat back on his haunches, his striped white fur gleaming softly in the firelight.
"Save for this cut on my head that is gushing blood?" Othello asked sarcastically. "Yah!"
Mikael sighed. "I fixed that."
"Eh?" Othello felt the back of his head. "Ahahah! So you did! Okay, I'm peachy," he added quickly.
Mikael nodded. "Good." Shi watched as he stood. "Where are you from?" Mikael asked after a moment.
"The village of Ayoyuki," Othello responded.
"Where's that?" Mikael asked as he threw him an apple.
Othello caught it. "It WAS the village to the south of where I assume we are now." He paused, then added, "Note I say was." He was referring to the earlier destruction of his small home village.
"Oh." There was silence. "Why were they attacking you?"
"For the treasure," Othello responded. Shi's ears perked up at the word.
"What treasure?" Mikael asked as he bit into his apple.
Othello was looking down at his apple, Shi watching him intently. "There's a legend about a treasure guarded in my village. It's passed from generation to generation of the Village Head's family. But the only thing is…" Othello trailed of as he took a locket out from a chain around his neck. Shi, intrigued, stepped closer and sniffed the locket.
"Is..?" Mikael repeated.
"All they do is pass down this locket. It's got something written on it about where the treasure is… but none of our scholars could read it."
"Interesting," Mikael commented quietly. After another moment of silence, he asked, "Who are you?"
"My name is Othello."
"You have anywhere to go?"
"Not since my village is gone now."
Shi smelled the blonde; the gigantic tiger was closer than most would be comfortable with.
"You can stay here tonight, if you want."
Othello petted Shi softly. "Thanks, man." He smiled. "I appreciate it."
"Yeah." Mikael threw his apple in the trash, barely eaten. "I'll see you in the morning, then. You should probably get some sleep for those wounds." Mikael went quietly outside as Shi leaned into Othello's hand and the man rubbed his head against the tiger's.
Outside, Mikael sighed as he stared at the moon. Something about that locket struck him; something about that story was somehow familiar. A deep sigh escaped him. He had almost given up. Given up on finding out who he was. But somehow, maybe this was new hope. He pushed some hair behind his ear as the wind picked up. He looked in the direction the wind was coming from, and gasped as a stream of flames burst toward him.