Chapter 9: The Boy
It was early morning, and a slight mist rolled off the lake and into the trees, hiding the floor and making the trees appear grey against the brightening sky. The silence that preceded the sun as it rose above the horizon would seem stifling to most people who weren't aware of its beauty and would impose a fear to those who weren't used to its unnatural stillness.
But to the old man who walked along the banks of the lake, this time was nothing but serene. It was a time to ponder, to remember old friends and to reminisce of the times he had spent here as a child. He smiled as he remembered a time when he used to run in the mornings, darting between the trees on the banks, splashing through the still water and startling the occasional deer. He had been carefree back then, and he had none of the troubles that he had now.
He walked to where the water met the earth and sat on a worn stone the jutted out of the ground and overhung the water. How many times had he stood upon those rocks, opened his arms and let the elements take control? And how long would it be before he could teach another to do the same? The old man sighed and looked down at his scarred hands, turning them over to examine their contours. Like the rest of his body they looked like they should have been laid to rest years before.
A call from a startled bird broke him free from his reverie and he turned from where he sat to stare into the trees. There was no movement, nothing to have startled the bird out of hiding. Yet he could sense there was something there; something powerful.
He stood up and started towards the trees from which the call had come, then jerked back as a figure came into view, staggering from the shadows and swirling the mist that lay at his feet.
The old man watched as the figure looked up, seemingly surprised at the sudden clearing, and stood still as the glazed eyes focused on his face. The elderly man wasn't scared. There wasn't much that scared him, but there was something about the dark haired stranger that made him catch his breath.
Suddenly the figured lurched forward again, this time falling to his knees with a groan that broke through the silence of the forest. The old man rushed forward and upon closer examination saw the man's face and naked torso to be covered with blood.
He caught the man as he fell forward, and gently turned him over, brushing the dark bangs away from the blood-crusted face. The old man frowned as he examined the man further. Man? No, this wasn't a man, he realised. It was a boy. A teenage boy. The boy looked up into the face of the old gentleman that had caught him as he fell, and the old man gasped to see a flash of intense emerald eyes before they rolled up and the body sank heavily into his embrace.
Even though the boy had obviously experienced intense pain, and probably had more internal injuries that could be imagined, the old man smiled slightly. He gently ran his hand across the boy's forehead, his fingers gently outlining the unique scar that was embedded there. His quest was nearly over.
It was early morning, and a slight mist rolled off the lake and into the trees, hiding the floor and making the trees appear grey against the brightening sky. The silence that preceded the sun as it rose above the horizon would seem stifling to most people who weren't aware of its beauty and would impose a fear to those who weren't used to its unnatural stillness.
But to the old man who walked along the banks of the lake, this time was nothing but serene. It was a time to ponder, to remember old friends and to reminisce of the times he had spent here as a child. He smiled as he remembered a time when he used to run in the mornings, darting between the trees on the banks, splashing through the still water and startling the occasional deer. He had been carefree back then, and he had none of the troubles that he had now.
He walked to where the water met the earth and sat on a worn stone the jutted out of the ground and overhung the water. How many times had he stood upon those rocks, opened his arms and let the elements take control? And how long would it be before he could teach another to do the same? The old man sighed and looked down at his scarred hands, turning them over to examine their contours. Like the rest of his body they looked like they should have been laid to rest years before.
A call from a startled bird broke him free from his reverie and he turned from where he sat to stare into the trees. There was no movement, nothing to have startled the bird out of hiding. Yet he could sense there was something there; something powerful.
He stood up and started towards the trees from which the call had come, then jerked back as a figure came into view, staggering from the shadows and swirling the mist that lay at his feet.
The old man watched as the figure looked up, seemingly surprised at the sudden clearing, and stood still as the glazed eyes focused on his face. The elderly man wasn't scared. There wasn't much that scared him, but there was something about the dark haired stranger that made him catch his breath.
Suddenly the figured lurched forward again, this time falling to his knees with a groan that broke through the silence of the forest. The old man rushed forward and upon closer examination saw the man's face and naked torso to be covered with blood.
He caught the man as he fell forward, and gently turned him over, brushing the dark bangs away from the blood-crusted face. The old man frowned as he examined the man further. Man? No, this wasn't a man, he realised. It was a boy. A teenage boy. The boy looked up into the face of the old gentleman that had caught him as he fell, and the old man gasped to see a flash of intense emerald eyes before they rolled up and the body sank heavily into his embrace.
Even though the boy had obviously experienced intense pain, and probably had more internal injuries that could be imagined, the old man smiled slightly. He gently ran his hand across the boy's forehead, his fingers gently outlining the unique scar that was embedded there. His quest was nearly over.
