His father had always talked fondly of the mountains in which he grew up. "They're the most beautiful sight you'd ever see, son. The soil is rich to grow great crops, and the woods are filled to the brim with all the game you can imagine. That's the place to be, boy. That'll be the place where I rest."
Steele was born on the southwestern coast of the continent. He grew up here with only his mother and father, who would teach him everything he knew. Though he was only 8 years old, he was an excellent fisherman due to the teachings of his father, with a green thumb he inherited from his mother, a light woman with a very strong attitude. Her dark hair had grown long, touching her shoulder blades. Though he was just a boy, he had the demeaner and strength of a man. As the only three people around, they each had to pull their own weight, and Steele was no exception.
Steele's father was a very burly man, with broad, strong shoulders and a rigid back. He wore a large dark beard and a bald head which he often covered with a wide brimmed hat. The De La Croix, as his father called it, was a beautifully made dark brown hat with a flat crown. As one of the only fashionable possessions his father owned, it always caught Steele's eye.
One day while checking the crab traps, his father caught him staring at the hat. "What is it Steele?" He asked, "Have you got something wrong?" "No Pa." Steele replied. "Then what are you starin' for son?" His father asked, growing curious. "I just like you're hat Pa. Did you bring it with you when you and Ma left the mountains?" "Ay son, I made it from the most beautiful elk you'd ever seen in yer life. Had the greatest antlers too, made many a tool handle with them old horns." "Pa, what's an elk?" The sadness that shone in his father's eyes filled Steele with instant regret. His father thought for a minute, then answered "the beauty of a great mountain elk cannot be placed into words. They're bugle carries through the mountains in a way which cannot be explained, only heard. The venison harvested from their bones has a taste unimaginable until experienced.
"It saddens me that you must only imagine such things from my stories. To experience them is the closest thing to heaven on earth. Far better than this life by the ocean which we have given you." It was that night that his parents started planning the journey across the desert. Steele often heard his mother and father talking at night when they thought he was asleep. In such a small shack by the ocean, it is often hard not to hear what is being said. This time though, it was different. They were sitting at the dinner table, rather than bed, talking in a low voice over a wide parchment sprawled out over the table between them. Steele strained his ears to listen in on them and was able to barely catch what they were saying.
"He's only just a boy, Tahr." He heard his mother say. "He may not even make it across that godforsaken desert! Even if he does, what are we gonna do on the other side? Move back to Valor? Make him work his life away in the mines? I won't have it!"
"Calm yourself Goa before you wake him!" Tahr spoke in a small, yet commanding voice. "We won't be moving back to Valor; we'll make a place of our own just like we did here. The boy's strong and resilient, no more a boy in spirit than I was when we made that trek down here. I refuse to let him grow up here, where the only thing the boy looks forward to is fishing and reading. He's got nobody here except the two of us, so what will he do when we're gone? Live here alone, with nothing but his books to keep him company? No, we must make this journey if we wish for him to have a future."
"It's true that we've neglected him by keeping him from others, but you know what we ran from. It's still there, and if we go back to that we may as well kill Steele ourselves. I wish it could be different, but there was a reason we moved out here. Do not get the boy killed just to satisfy your longing for the mountains Tahr!"
"Keep your voice down Goa! "Tahr said again, losing his patience. "This has nothing to do with reminiscence. I'm thinking about the future, both for us and for Steele. The Ten Talons won't remember us after 10 years of being gone. And even if they do still hold a grudge, I doubt they would ever recognize us. It may be risky, but we are growing far too old to support ourselves on only fish and vegetables. Steele is growing far too old to only know you and me. It's time we went back home, where we belong. Where Steele should have grown up."
"Alright, it would be nice to be back in the mountains. I do so miss those fruit trees." Goa said with a faint smile. "But where would we even settle once we got back? It could not be close to Valor, or one of the Talons would surely recognizing us. We need our own homestead, on a piece of land with rich soil and flawless game."
"I already know the place. Remember that beautiful valley about 10 miles northeast of Valor?" Tahr asked.
"Of course, I remember that valley." Goa said "You brought me there to give your proposal. It was the loveliest night I had ever witnessed, the moonlight sparkling through the creek that ran from the nearby spring was magnificent. I thought nothing could ruin that night, until that sand dragon came in to ruin it all!"
"He did not ruin it all, you still said yes, didn't you?" Tahr said happily
"Of course, I said yes, you big oaf. You didn't have to bring me all the way out there to ask me to marry you. I'd have said yes if you proposed in father's horse stable." Goa said as her eyes rolled slightly with a smile.
"One thing I did notice about that particular dragon, though." Tahr said, refocusing on the task at hand. "Is that he never looked down into the valley. I heard a week later that the indestructible city had been hit by a dragon that night. No doubt that's exactly where he was headed."
"What does that have to do with us?" Goa asked, puzzled.
"Everything, Goa! That dragon had no interest in that valley or anything in it, which makes it a great spot for a homestead." Tahr said. "If the valley is still untouched by the people of Valor, then we could easily settle there without any trouble. There is enough lumber in that valley to build a nice cabin, with plenty of fresh water from the spring to keep us and the plants watered. All of that open grass would be perfect for grazing cattle as well."
"It would be so nice to be able to drink water without boiling it." Goa sighed, imagining such burdens being lifted off of their shoulders. "Alright, Tahr, you convinced me. Daddy always said you could talk a frog into giving up flies. When do you plan on leaving?"
"Tomorrow morning. We'll use the same route as we did to get here, stopping at the same oases to stay hydrated. It will be a hard journey back, but Steele needs to go while he is still young and strong. The faster we get moving, the easier it will be on all of us."
The next morning, he awoke early to his father pushing gently on his shoulder. "Son, you need to pack your things, but only what is necessary. We will be leaving at dusk so be quick." "Where are we going, Pa?" Steele asked, already sure of the answer. "To the far blue mountains, to give you the life that you never had in a land you never got to experience. The journey will be a long one, so be ready."
The family ox carried a small, single axle wagon with all of their food and clothing in it. Glancing back at his family's old shack, it saddened Steele. This was the only life he'd ever known, and he was watching it get smaller behind him as they traveled to a place he'd only ever known in his father's stories. If they were only half as good as his father said they were, the mountains would already be better than what he was leaving. So, Steele set his jaw, made up his mind, and walked side by side with his mother and father into a great unknown future.