but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. -Isaiah 40:31
The five boys sitting around the fire in the stone building all looked to be about the same age. Despite the chill in the air, each boy wore little more than a loincloth. However, each loincloth was different from the next: one seemed almost as if had been hacked from the side of some beast, another was made from a number of leaves woven together, the third was made from long strips of wood bound by bits of old cloth, the fourth was all but hidden behind a curtain of beads and shiny stones, the finial loincloth was made of a single large scale that was the dark grey of old stone.
The boys sit in silence save for the crack and snap of the fire. Each of the boys knows that only four of them will live to see the next sunrise. For the last fifty years, these boys had lived and worked together, and during that time they had grown as close as brothers. They had faced numerous trials together, and each had saved the live of the others at least once, if not many times more.
The day before, the five of them had been excitedly talking of which name they would choose, which planet and which culture they would hunt first. But that had all changed at sundown when the Huntmaster had told them of their finial trial. Before the night was over, they had to kill one of the others. The Huntmaster did not care who die, why, or by who, all that mattered was that in the morning, one of the boys would be dead.
And so the boys sat in silence, as outside the night was already half over. Eventually, one of the boys, the one with the hide loincloth, spoke up. He choose to speak in the old tongue, the ancient language of the Anzat that sounds like molten silver cascading over smooth stones.
if we make no choice, the Huntmaster will slay us all.
At this the other boys nodded, but could not bring themselves to start deciding which of them would not live until morning. As was common in trials, the boys had no weapons that would make the task easier. Only the knives they had received so long ago, and anything they had crafted since then. After another long silence, the boy with the bead loincloth spoke.
how shall we choose? Will we play games of the mind, or games of strength?
This managed to draw a short argument as to who would have the best advantage in each of the several possible tests they devised. After an hour of arguing back and forth, a way was decided. Taking five twigs in hand, the boy with the scale loincloth charred the end of four of them. Turning his back on the group, he hid the blackened ends in his closed fist with the unburned ends poking up. Closing his eyes, he held out his hand toward the group. As each twig was pulled from his hand, the boy remember the night long ago, before he had met his friends, when he had nearly been eaten and had found the scale in the cave afterwards. At last only one twig was left in his hand. He opened his eyes.
A quick glance told the boy all that he needed to know. Taking out his knife, the boy with the beaded loincloth cut four strands free from the cloth. Handing one to each of the other boys, he stood and walked away from the fire, stepping outside into the night. A few moments later there was a sickening gurgling and then quiet. Looking grimly at each other the four remain boys stood and stepped out into the night, going to show their friend gratitude one last time.
When the sun rose the next morning, the Huntmaster found four boys waiting for him outside the stone building. Each of the four boys had blood smeared up to their elbows. Stopping in front of the group, he asked them the last question they would hear as boys.
what are your names?
The boy with the hide loincloth answered Drakim.
The boy with the leaf loincloth answered Plentoth.
The boy with the wood loincloth answered Kit-gou.
The boy with the scale loincloth did not answer for a long time. He stood there gripping the strand of beads tightly in his hand. Suddenly the boy knew the name that would follow him for all eternity. On the strand of beads his friend had given him was a certain type of stone, the name of that stone in the old tongue was Resi.
The Huntmaster nodded as the last boy spoke his name. taking out his knife, the one he had been given during his trials centuries ago, the Huntmaster cut his palm. Letting his blood flow, the Huntmaster pressed his palm against each of the four foreheads, leaving a bloody print. Now they were truly men, and ready to Hunt.
Author Notes: ya, i rolled chapters two and three into one, as neither of them was long enough as a stand-alone. If anyone was wondering, yes, Resi is the one we be following. But don t discount seeing one of the others again. ;)
For the people wondering, I had planned to go into detail with each of the five boys. however i found I didn't have enough material to do so. my notes remain, so Resi will be having flashbacks to the time between chap 1 & 2 from time to time.
Again, comments and such are welcome. I will be trying to update once a week (on Monday) i am a little late this week due to one of my teachers being interesting. Anyway, this be not the place for school drama. Love you all.
TBC