Night was beginning to cover the sky when Tuske and his younger brother Veaga arrived at the burned down barn on the edge of the forest. Away from the village you could see hundreds if not thousands of sparkling stars. The sun was in the middle of the sky on the next day before Anara arrived at the park with her malevolent pet Giri. The two brothers had stayed the night in the barn under some hay stuffed sheets they found. Giri is a cat about two feet tall and three long with claws that can tear down an opponent before they knew what was happening, but aside from that she was a kind creature that will not so much as show her teeth against her mistresses wishes. Anara on the other hand was also a force to reckon with. She was normally a kind person but if you upset her she can become so dangerous that not even the most skilled of combatants could defend against her deadly strikes from in the shadows, she was a master at the stealth kill. This was a mundane ability for people from her village but none the less dangerous.
Anara strutted up the dirt path as if the rest of the world would just have to wait. Of course there was nothing the world could really do about that. She was whistling as she always does when she's in a good mood. As she arrived at the barn the boys were just brushing the hay from their hair. "Will you stop…" Tuske cut himself short when he realized whom it was walking up the path. Veaga was already standing at attention when Tuske realized what was happening. Not only was Anara their friend but she was also their commanding officer and trainer. She was there today to commence their first day training. They were training to become officers in the national army, which was personally commanded by Titan. Titan ruled the land from the great eastern river, Kray, to the western Shores of Ode, from the southern edge of the Forest of Oleander to the north most mountain, Dust Peak, one of the bordering mountains in the Trinity chain.
"First off" started Anara," You will refer to me as Officer" she said this as she paced around the two boys. "And second off" she stopped and looked Veaga in the eyes, " You will not, I repeat, not stop unless I give the order. And I won't". On this note she turned and beckoned for Giri to heel. Giri never disobeyed Anara. Anara kneeled down next to Giri and petted her along her back. She had shiny black fur about two fingers long. Anara pointed to the top of the barn and whispered something in her ear. Giri immediately darted towards the barn. She ran with such grace that it was hard to believe she was so big. She had reached the point of the roof in nearly no time at all. "Now, for your first task, you are both to catch her without rendering her unconscious or other or it doesn't count." There was a sense of laughter in her voice as if she didn't think they had a chance. "I expect this to take you at least two days so I shall return tomorrow". "Least I remind you Giri is a very agile creature so don't underestimate her abilities and don't be afraid to collaborate. That's what this session is to improve. Au revoir". Then she turned and whistled her way back down the path that she came from.
When she was out of sight Veaga looked at Tuske in curiosity. "How does she expect us to catch Giri? That blasted animal will just outsmart us and make us look like fools", said Veaga in despair. "She knows that, that's why she gave us this problem" said Tuske trying to sound confident, "and cheer up, there's two of us and one of her. How hard can it be"? Veaga smiled weakly. He knew that his brother was just trying to see the bright side of things but Veaga wasn't sure it was helping.
"Well we're not getting anywhere by just standing here, lets go", at this the two started for the cat who so easily avoided their charges and lunges. Attack after attack the feline so angelically moved out of the way whenever anything came it's way whether it was a fist, a foot, or anything one of the boys had thrown. Nothing seemed to be working. Hours had passed and the moon was high in the star scattered sky before Tuske advised they sit and rest for the evening. They agreed they should start a fire before freezing in the cool night air. It was crisp and refreshing but it sent a chill down your spine knowing it came from another land over the sea. Where they were, it wasn't far from the sea.
Veaga returned with some firewood just as his brother was returning with the blankets they had found the previous night, also with some extra hay for padding. When the fire was started and the boys had settled in Giri came about from one of the bushes and lay along the fire. A gleam of victory in her eyes, as if to say she was proud of putting them to shame. The fire roared into the night air sending sparks swirling into the darkness. It was rather a large fire for two people but it was the one thing the two boys both loved. They had been raised around metal workers and always adored the way the men manipulated fire to work in their favor. They especially loved when the traveling entertainers would come to town and bring the fire breathers. The way they spat flame into the sky tall above the on looking crowd.
The boys had been fast asleep when the flames finally burned themselves into an ember but they were up early the next day trying to catch Giri. Today the boys were at the peak of their performance level. Darting left then right then left again but still it was no use, Giri was just too fast for them. They did laps around the barn trying to catch up with the animal. They would run into the barn, around the plow and up into the chicken coop were she would just leap down and go back outside. They even tried to catch her as she jumped down but it was useless. Then Veaga noticed the chicken coop window. It gave him an idea. He consulted his brother and they began setting up their trap. They opened the coop window and closed one of the barn doors. They blocked off all the available openings and they were ready. They began their regular routine and when they were about to run inside the barn Tuske stopped and shut the door behind his brother and quickly climbed onto the roof of the barn. Since the only opening in the barn was the window that's were Giri headed. Just as she neared the opening Tuske rolled out one of their blankets over the window. Giri began to slide to a stop but Veaga had no such intention. He collided with the animal with enough force that it sent them both out the window and spiraling towards the ground in an alarming spiral. They had hit the ground before Veaga could slow there spin, it took time to reorient himself to which way was up but all the while he never let his grip loosen. He had to keep hold for the sake of the training. Tuske was soon there to help, uncovering his brother from under the blanket that was still around the animals head stopping it from seeing. They had done it. They didn't think it possible at first, but they succeeded.
They tied her down and waited for Anara to arrive. It didn't take long but long enough for Giri to cut the rope twice and try to get away but the boys kept a close eye on her. They didn't want to be found trying to catch her with the pathetic story that they already had.
Anara was pleased to see their progress. She thought it would take longer. It seems that these two were smarter than they looked, but that was not good enough, this was to be expected. Anara saw the two sitting around their fire pit talking when she arrived but once they noticed her they were quick to react. To their feet and at attention almost instantly
"Your next assignment is in combat, you to will fight me", she said as she drew her a small stick, about one foot in length, from inside her coat. It wasn't an ordinary dowel, it was smooth and finished, like it wasn't meant for battle but to be displayed in a home, but the boys thought no more of it. "Now, let's see, what are you going to use to fight me?" First the boys were puzzled but soon picked up on what she was saying and retrieved some straight branches off of a nearby tree. They were ready to go first Veaga rushed her and failed miserably, she easily stepped to the side and swatted on the back of the head as he passed, toppling him forward. Tuske then tried to ambush her from the barn when his brother lured her close enough but his attempts were futile. The boys tied to out maneuver her but that was a task that could never be accomplished at the moment. They tried to out run her but it seemed Anara had more stamina then both of them put together for they chased her around for an hour, taking shifts but she only so swiftly dodged and circled. Hours had passed without words, only constant sweat and toil over trying to bring the greatly articulated trainer to her knees but nothing seemed to work. The sun had gone down and the only thing lighting their heated battle, Veaga was in mid-run when he collapsed under his own weight over he feeble, over worked legs. Training for the evening came to an instant end because Tuske was at his brother's side giving him water and a making up a bed for them. Since it was late Anara decided to stay the evening with the boys, and because secretly she was worried about what might happen to the by if she left them alone.
Tuske had an armful a wood to build a fire for the evening when he saw something glisten in the bushes. He was reluctant to go after it, for fear of what it might be but he thought to himself, if not him, someone else and he didn't want to pass up the opportunity that I may be something wondrous. Maybe it was a valuable gem, he thought to himself, or maybe a lost belonging with a reward. Either way he wanted it more than not so he lay down his wood collection and pulled out his knife, cutting away the thorny branches, going deeper and deeper into the shrub, the thorns pricking him more and more. The item seemed to be moving away from his hand the closer he got, but that's impossible, he thought, so he reached further and further, he was nearly holding it in his hand when something grasped his ankle, something large. He felt its grip tighten and he was pulled from the dead plant and hung in the air by his ankle. His shirt fell down over his face disrupting his view of the massive creature holding him. A loud grunt of disapproval came from behind him and Tuske was thrown fifteen feet into another bush. The pain he got from landing in the thorns was great but bearable enough for his curiosity to make him get up. Tuske found it harder to relieve himself from the bush than it looked but he managed to get up in time to see to large beings running off into the forest, tearing through small trees as if they weren't even there. The one closest to him was about the same height as him but three times as muscular. He, or it, had long black hair running down his back, braided into three thin braids. The other creature was much larger, about two and a half feet taller, and was even more muscular. It had its hair woven differently than the first one's, the big one's hair was a bluish tint color and was parted to the left side and pulled straight back and tied down to his left arm. Both of them were wearing black, animal skin pants. What kind of animal was a mystery, it looked familiar but he couldn't name it. They creatures disappeared into the forest and Tuske looked at the place where the shrub had been. It was no longer there, the bush nor the gem. The bush had been ripped out of the ground and discarded twenty feet away. His woodpile had been scattered and he was forced to round up another suitable pile, after doing so and retrieving his knife he limped back to camp.
He arrived to see Anara sipping water into Veaga's mouth from a small dropper. "Is he doing any better", asked Tuske? "Yes, he's recovering very quickly, I'm proud of him, he worked hard today", she replied without looking up from her work. Tuske began to start a fire when he noticed a large gash in his right hand. He gasped and apparently Anara noticed it to. "What happened to you", she asked sounding more curious than concerned. She reached deep into one of her pockets, deeper than seemed possible, and pulled out a small bottle filled with a bluish silver liquid. "Here, pour three drops of this on your hand and wrap it tight", Anara said, ripping a strip of cloth from her robe, "and don't expose it for two days or the formula will wear off", she continued as she handed him the bottle and the rag. "Now you need to get some rest, tomorrow is going to bring only more work so you're going to need your strength". "But what about you", Tuske asked sounding more so like he was already asleep? "I'll be fine, go to sleep and ill see u in the morning".