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CATALYST
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SHADOW PRESS
Chapter 1
Catalyst continued to quietly stalk the deer. It paused, sniffing the air. Catalyst stopped moving and hoped that the wind would not blow his scent towards the wary deer. When the wind changed to a new direction, away from the deer, he let out a small sigh. Even so, the deer, startled, sprang towards the small brook that was trickling merrily down, out of the mountains. Catalyst cursed himself for his momentary lapse and sprinted after it, pulling his bowstring taut as he saw the deer fleetingly. He stopped and sighted on the frightened deer, who was sprinting in different directions, not sure of where Catalyst was. The confused deer crashed into Catalyst with a surprised bellow, only to stop as the arrow he had loosed by reflex ruptured its heart. At least I can eat tonight, though I won't be home until tomorrow. Catalyst was thinking of his wife and children. He never knew if they were going to be safe. The evil king Thane2 grew stronger by the day.
Catalyst salted the meat and continued thinking of his hated king. To think that the man could just come into his village, Cadoc, with his vassals, kill half the families living there, and take everything they could carry was despicable. It had already happened twice. He was sure that there would be a third time, but then the murderers would be given a little something to think about when they returned to Thane. Catalyst scowled when he thought of Thane. If he had never come to live in their lands with his dreadful barbaric men, then everything would have been all right. But now, Thane and his army have obliterated all resistance, becoming a tyrant like no other.
Catalyst scowled again, as he remembered how Thane had ascended to power. The tyrant had come on a ship with twenty or so men and pleaded for shelter from a nearby village, as he and his men were starving and had lost all of their valued possessions. The kindly villagers let him in, and three days later, the townsmen were dead, their money and valuables stolen and their houses burned. Soon, nearby villages were burnt, the men and some women taken in for slaves, and the children drowned or trapped inside burning buildings. From there, every vagabond and robber that existed seemed to appear with him. Then more and more greedy, power--hungry, and brutish men joined Thane. Nowadays, he controlled everything south of the mountains, and parts of the mountains themselves. There was no way that the simple hunters and crafters could fight off Thane, who had years of combat experience from warfare up north. All of Thane's allies had fighting experience, led well, and could inspire their troops to do anything within their power. Thane had a formidable army, indeed.
Catalyst decided that he had walked far enough carrying a full deer's amount of meat, so he decided to rest until tomorrow morning, and then walk the remaining four miles to his small hunting village.
The next morning, Catalyst stood, stretched, and gazed about him at the beautiful mountains surrounding him with numerous clear springs and small stands of trees. He thought of the numerous animals living here, depending upon one another for survival. It was glorious, and Catalyst knew that not many men had the privilege to see something like this. It took many years of living with the wild animals, or 'wilds' as his fellow hunters called them, to have them go about their business without paying attention to an onlooker. Only the animals that were hunted, such as deer and rabbits, gave humans a wide berth. With a sigh, Catalyst sat down to eat, and when he had finished and stored all of the belongings he had with him, he extinguished the glowing embers that remained of his fire and began walking towards where he knew Cadoc was.
When Catalyst arrived, about two hours after he began walking that morning, he found a joyful village, with children running around in ever widening circles and playing in almost every imaginary lair conceivable. It had been many years since the last attack from Thane, the evil king, before Catalyst was born. He smiled as he watched Thorik the carpenter gently herd a few children to the middle of the stone square where most people went about their business. Actually, much more than the square was stone; almost everything was made of the dark gray mountain rock. The stone helped against fires and gave the mountain dwellers a way to defend their homes and themselves if someone wanted trouble. The small courtroom where squabbles were settled was at the right corner; the men and women selling goods, talking, and having a good time occupied almost the rest of the square. Then, in a small, dark corner was a black door, with runes written across in some ancient language of magic. The door was never touched, since every villager, including Catalyst, was extremely afraid of it. The entire settlement was set on a large flat area where two mountains' bases farther apart than usual. There were three stands of trees there, as well as a lake full of clear, cold spring water, though on the other side there was a large cliff. This was truly a way to live near to paradise. Catalyst's train of thought was shattered as a slight woman with startlingly blonde hair sprinted out of a doorway near the court, accompanied by a cat of prodigious size, with pitch black fur and brilliant emerald eyes. The difference between the black wildcat and small woman was miniscule, yet strangely gargantuan.