Chapter Two: A Hunt for the Blind

The air was cold, and the wind whipped my gold hair around my face. I gripped the handle of my father's weapon tightly. It weighed heavy at my hip and was a constant reminder on what I planned to do. I strained my eyes to see through the darkness, cursing my lack of preparation. In better circumstances this hunt would be enacted on a night of full moon, so its light could lead the way. However I could no longer wait, my mother's death hung in the air like a constant stench and it was beginning to get increasingly difficult to ignore. I am to become a warrior, I reminded myself. At that, my mother's soft voice rang in my head, "Focus on the path in front of your feet my little Bulwark. Do that, and as surely as the sky is blue, your goals will be reached." I could almost feel her small pale hands squeeze my cheek.

That had been the first time my mother gave me the title "Bulwark". My chest had puffed with pride at the new name, hoping that it would turn out to be a fierce creature of some sort. "What is a Bu-bulwaaak?" Trying out the new word was of some difficulty for a boy of only three rotations.

My mother had laughed at my attempt and scooped me up in her arms, "Bulwark my dear. It's pronounced Bulwark." Placing a soft kiss on my head, she carried me to a far wall. Upon it hung a large map, something a little strange for a pair of nord farmers to own. "You see that little curve of the land?" I nodded my small head and followed her finger with bright eyes. "There right along the coast is a small town by the name of Raven Rock." She turned her eyes down at me, making sure I understood her.

"But mommy, what does that have to do with a bul-wa-erk?" I questioned, contorting my face in concentration of the pronunciation.

She smiled and set me on my feet, kneeling in front of me. "Well, you see there in Raven Rock the wind creates relentless ash storms, making life dangerous for the people who dwell there. So, to protect them, a giant wall of great strength and height was built. This kept them safe for many, many years. This wall was named, The Bulwark.

I felt my excitement deflate, a wall. She gave me a title of a wall, how boring, how dull. I couldn't stop my disappointment from showing on my face. Ylva giggled and my small puckered expression. "My dear, what's wrong?"

"Why a wall mama? Why not something scary! Or fierce like a saber cat!" She laughed as I ran around her, enacting a performance as a wild beast hissing and jumping from chair to chair.

She caught me mid leap and held me close to her bosom. "Because Argis, you will grow to be as strong as the wall Bulwark, not scary or angry as a wild saber cat. No, you will learn to protect and to defend the people that you care for. This I am sure of. "Her eyes held something in them that I didn't recognize, but her words didn't seem to calm my young thoughts...

The memory faded and I was left in the cold with silent tears wetting my cheeks. I wiped them away quickly and sniffled. "I must be strong." I reminded, having mother gone made my goal a little harder to reach. I want to be the man she foretold of, the strong wall capable of protecting all that I love from harm. However in order for me to do that I had to learn to be strong right? Gaining strength and the skill to defend and fight would never be gained at the farm, of this I was sure. So my destiny was elsewhere, how far however was something I couldn't answer.

My mother's story of Gunjar was told for me, this I had come to realize since her… passing. My sister may not understand, but ever since our mother gave me the title of Bulwark I couldn't keep my mind from wandering to the adventures possible beyond the fields of our family farm. I may not have been named after a wild beast, but I would certainly live up to the name of a strong mighty wall.

That would be why I couldn't contain my excitement this night, for realizing that the story of Gunjar held a bit of my future within the tale made me smile. As if my wise mother had known to leave me with a story that would give me purpose after her death. Little did I know, that the tale held something much larger in it then just my future. However, this was something I would not discover till much later.

It was impossible for my mother to foresee her murder, however a small part of me was well aware that mother was an incredibly intelligent woman. So much so that knowing her life was drawing to an end wasn't so far off from a possibility. Maybe knowing of her end was the reason for her choice in telling, maybe she even knew that the tale would not be completed by her lips. It's possible that, that was her purpose, maybe I would find the completion on my journey.

And so, in my excitement to achieve the goal my mother had set for me I had said harsh words that wounded my soft hearted sister. The sadness in her eyes when I brought up my mother's story was seared in my memory. I had hurt her and I regretted the things I said in unthinking anger. I do miss my mother as she does, that was never in question, but I refused to let myself become stricken into a pit of depression. I needed to keep my mind active and distracted in order to keep from teetering on despair. I don't have the time to grieve and let my heart heal from the loss, mother saw me as the Bulwark, and the Bulwark I was determined to become. For her.

Of course in order for me to achieve that I must first prove myself to Frald the Stone. My father had gained his name from his unwavering decisions and strong hands, capable of completing the work of many men single handedly. That being in mind, my task was not to be an easy one. I would need to prove my courage and strength, and the best way to do that would be a hunt.

Something huge, something fierce, and something that belongs to the deep prints within the mud that I follow. Already I had come across a few swift rabbits and dispatched them with ease, however my aggravation was increasing. When would I run into the creature I stalked? I could not come back empty handed, no, I refuse to come back empty handed.

Despite my earlier thoughts I stopped and sat against a large tree, my tired body getting the better of me. Just a short rest, that's all I needed, then I would be refreshed and ready to take down anything that came my way. I let my eyes drift closed and crossed my arms over my chest, attempting to conserve heat. Sleep overtook me quickly…

XOXOXOXOX

I woke to the sound of soft steps and growling, my eyes flew open and my hand shot to the handle of the weapon on my hip. Searching hard through the trees I saw it. A large rust hued wolf with his head bent low and teeth barred. Fear gripped me hard and I could feel my blood running cold within my veins. The wolf moved ever closer, growls becoming louder. My mind searched frantically for a solution. A voice whispered in my head, 'Wait for it to move closer, grab the sword and pull it out quickly. Make a hard slash across the face. Finish the job.' My grip tightened on the handle, and determination took over. Whatever the voice was, I would follow it, and I would be victorious.

The angry animal came within range and I pulled out the sword, attempting to move it with great speed. What I wasn't planning on, however, was the weight of the steel. The weapon pulled out of its sheath in a painfully slow movement and dragged along the dirt in front of my feet. I grunted in exertion but the weapon barely lifted from the ground. The wolf snapped and jumped curling its clawed paw towards my eye. Blackness and searing pain were my rewards.

I lifted my hand to my face and pulled it back to my right. Hot, thick blood covered my fingers, and I could feel the shock kicking in. Behind me the wolf turned from its leap to face me again. I was to die in these woods, killed by the very creature I had hunted. Stupid boy, what were you thinking?

"Fuck!" Stomping and yelling. Not real, I'm gone, left my family to care for themselves. I'm selfish and deserve to die.

XOXOXOXOXOX

My face ached and I was too hot to think clearly, a fever maybe. A dream? Was my adventure just a dream caused by a simple illness? Had I not died in the woods? What of my wounds? The wolf? I worked hard to open my eyes, however it seemed only one would obey my call, like a canvas made of my weeping sisters face had been cut in two, and I was only able to see half of it.

I must have let a noise escape my lips, for her eyes shot to mine. "Argis! You wake!" She turned to a bowl filled with a mixture of herbs and water that sat on my bedside table. Taking hold of the sponge soaking in the healing liquid with steady hands, she squeezed it out, leaving it with just enough to be considered damp. She shifted her body towards me again and put the sponge to my dry mouth, letting a few drops fall in.

It tasted bitter, but the effects were immediate. The pain that was throbbing harder and harder from the left side of my face halted. I sighed in relief, and gave a small smile to my sister. She smiled back at me, without letting it reach her eyes, which were still filled with concern.

My ear began to itch, so I lifted my hand to scratch the skin, instead it rubbed fabric. My fingers followed the wrappings that seemed to cover half of my face, including my eye. That would explain it. "What… What happened?" My voice came out scratched and weak.

Dyfrinna took a hold of my hand, stopping me from pulling the obstruction from my face. "You don't remember?" She asked, her voice seemed small and extremely tired. I examined her face, finding her skin as white as mothers had been when she laid at our feet covered in blood. She also seemed thinner than usual, her skin pulling tight against her face and collar bones. Her hair was pulled up in a messy knot at the top of her skull. Something that was never done to her hair, 'too much damage' she had once told me. It seemed that the care of her once gorgeous hair has been abandoned.

My eyebrows pulled together in confusion, "I'm not… I don't…" I wanted to ask if the wolf were real, if it had simply been a dream. It certainly didn't seem like a dream, especially if the wrappings covered what I thought they might. I pulled my hand from her cold grasp and gently touched my covered eye, "Wolf?"

"That's right boy. You ran off in the middle of the night, took my sword without permission and went on a suicide mission." Frald's voice was deep with anger, his figure moved from my blind spot so I could look upon him. His pale blue eyes gazed on me with a fierce fire. He had his dirty blonde hair pulled back from his face and crossed his thick arms over his broad chest. It was on his arm that I noticed the wound. Deep, long bite barks and scratches covered his left forearm.

He must have noticed my stares, for he unfolded his arms and turned to hide the injuries. My father never was one to show weakness. "Why you dared going out into the woods, on your own, at this time of night is beyond me. What were you thinking Argis? You nearly got yourself killed! Hell you would've been had I not gotten up and noticed my weapon gone. You're lucky I found you when I did." He looked down and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Dyfrinna stood and placed a delicate hand on our father's shoulder, he glanced up at her, softening his expression. "I believe it's high time that we all just headed to bed, it's been a long night and we all are very weary. We can speak in the morning, alright?" He nodded and made his way out of my line of sight and into his bedchamber, shoulders slumped. Dyfrinna came back to sit at my side, once again taking my hand between her cold, thin ones. "As for you, I want you to understand that you've hurt us all deeply tonight…" Her voice was soft, trying to speak to me kindly. However I could see the pain deep in her grey eyes. I opened my mouth to explain myself but she silenced me. "No, you listen. We all have lost mother, and the wounds of her absence are still very much open and bleeding. I understand we all grieve in our own way, but running off to 'fulfill your destiny' will only make matters worse. Avoiding your problems and pain never solves anything Argis, you need to understand that."

I watched as she closed her eyes and small tears fell from them, "I thought we were to lose you this night, so soon after mother's murder…" Her voice had lost all steadiness and her shoulders shook, trying to keep from sobbing.

"I didn't mean to hurt…" I trailed off, unsure as to how I should apologize. I knew I had acted selfishly, going on the hunt. My sister, my father they needed my help here and going out to kill a beast would not satisfy that...

Maybe I had read mother wrong, maybe the story of Gunjar was just that, a story. I attempted to explain this to her, "I had thought, Gunjar…" Dyfrinna's eyes flew open in teary-gazed anger.

"This again!? It was just a story! She told tales every night Argis, and that one was no different!" She grunted in frustration and wiped her tears away. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell… It's just you can be so pig-headed sometimes." She stood and rubbed her hands on her dress, something she would do when she needed to calm herself. "We can talk when you wake, so for now just rest." She turned and went to her bed, falling asleep quickly.

The night had not had much left in it, and the sun rose quickly. I fell in and out of a restless sleep. I had expected my father to wake as soon as the sun had come over the horizon, but it continued on till near midday when he finally came from his room.

His hair was knotted and deep dark circles where under each blue eye. Many people had told me that I was a mirror image of him, 'certainly your fathers child' they would say. At times I could see what they meant. While I wasn't as large as he, I did have the same blue hue of my eyes and my hair took on the same hue. Mother said I had gained his looks and her father's restless heart.

I had never met my grandfather, but my mother spoke of him often. Having had been a man of the sea, Ylva had lived and saw many lands with him. When she had met my father and decided to settle down here with him and raise a family, my grandfather had smiled and kissed her on the forehead. He bid her farewell and good fortune, giving her his prized map and a promise to write often. It wasn't long before Dyfrinna and I had been born, and together we would read the letters aloud. I loved hearing his tales of adventure, but slowly after time the letters stopped coming. My mother had been hit hard with depression, but she kept on going, happy to have us with her.

Frald stopped and sat near the fire, staring with cold eyes at the blaze. I doubted he had slept very much, if at all. Memories of mother more than likely the cause. Since her death he had not slept well, waking up to go and sit in front of the fire. He reached out to adjust the wood and keep it burning, then sighed.

I had been so focused on my father's movements, afraid of when he would turn his gaze on me with anger once again, that I did not notice my sister enter the room. She had plain white, long fabrics in her hands, and was moving towards me. She didn't seem as exhausted as father, but it was certainly there.

My sister sat on the stool next to my bed and placed her hand on my head, "Don't seem to be too hot. The fever must have passed, that's a very good sign." She reached over and grabbed the ends of the wrappings on my face, "This may tug a little…"

XOXOXOX

That's all for this bit. I'm hoping it doesn't sound too rushed or unclear. I know I got this chapter out rather soon after the first, I just had a bit of extra free time over the weekend to get this typed, I doubt the next will be as quick. I will try my best of course.

As always tell me your thoughts/questions/concerns/advice.

Your Humble Writer,

Smoldering Thoughts