Faithful Pebble
Part Seventy-Nine
"It was at this time that our savior appeared. He stepped into town after spending a number of years hunting in the lands beyond. The hunter was strong and courteous, a hero in look and heart. Believe me, you would know him if you saw him," the headsman laughed. "Seeing the need, hearing it tumble from the quivering lips of the surviving miners', the hunter ran to the woods and its tragic cave. He plunged himself into its heart easily finding the murderous beast dripping in the blood of his victims."
"The boy…"
"The beast…"
"He stared at the hunter quivering in fear and regret."
"Growling ferociously, the beast bared his fangs at his noble opponent and instantly the hunter marveled." The headsmen whispered, "His fight would be long, the hunter thought. It was a certainty that the battle would end with his death, but the hunter did not value his life so highly. It was not greater than the lives he wished to save, nor of the lives he wished to avenge. For the village's reputation, he would lay it down. For the sake of us all, the hunter tightened his bow."
"Whimpering desperately, the boy showed his fangs to his uncertain opponent and instantly the hunter pitied him." Pebble whispered, "There was no fight in that cave, the hunter thought. It was a massacre and nothing more, not a true battle nor an honest one. The dragon still remembered who he was, but the village did not.
"Understandably, the hunter knew that the villagers would never accept the boy as he was. Blood had been shed. A battle would ensue. And if such a battle occurred, it would certainly end in the boy's death. More blood. More guilt. No Solution. The hunter had to do something. He did not value his reputation so highly, nor the opinion of the villagers whom he promised to protect. His love for his livelihood was not greater than his integrity nor his compassion. His life was not greater than the life trembling hopeless before him. Thus, after a moment and with much regret, the hunter fixed his arrow."
"Dipped into the poison of his trade, he notched it."
"The hunter pulled back the string and struck. In one shot, through the eye, the arrow pierced and as a result the boy fell."
"After much to do which I do not have time to relate, the hunter pulled back the string and struck it down. In one shot, through the eye, the arrow pierced and as a result the beast fell."
- Calla