A/N: Well, we're getting pretty far into the story now, and I thought it would be wise to include a flash-back chapter, instead of little tidbits sprinkled here and there throughout the story. There will be more flash-back chapters in the future, so this is not the entirety of Angela's and Grendel's past. This takes place in the distant past, before everyone on Castanet was even born (except the magic user and the deities), in an undisclosed desert (I couldn't recall any deserts in any Harvest Moon game, so I just skipped over giving it a distinct location; Angela, Grendel, Inazin and Simon all lived in the desert on the outskirts of some sort of outpost located in the middle of nowhere).
"Now?" Asked Angela, her child legs dancing around the floor of the cave, looking impatient and excited.
"Not yet," soothed Grendel, keeping an eye on the hole in the ceiling of the cave. Her eyes, unlike those of humans, could detect the acute change in the phase of the moon without the use of a telescope or any other magnifying instrument. It was breezy in the desert that night, and as a faint wind circulated through the cramped cave Grendel pushed a lock of hair behind her ear.
Simon, sitting out of the way and watching his young granddaughter's display, chuckled lightheartedly. Every quirk, inquiry, and action Angela did filled Simon's heart with the kind of affection a grandparent drowns in when in the presence of a beloved grandchild. "Careful my dear, you might trip on the hem of your cloak. Again."
Grendel smiled at that while Angela's cheeks reddened with indignity. "That's not funny! I could've broken my brain when I fell that time."
"You're right my dear, you're right. And we're certainly glad you did not." Simon held his large and muscled arms opens as Angela threw herself into her grandpa's embrace. Grendel continued to stare through the opening at the moon. It's being awfully lazy tonight...she mused.
"Now Angela, what do we do first after we've prepared the grave for a necromancy spell?" Quizzed Simon, looking Angela in the eyes with the utmost respect he would subject an adult to.
"First we drink the unfermented grape juice!" She declared triumphantly, holding her arms up in a victory pose.
"Correct!" Smiled her grandfather, poking her ribs and making the girl squeal with laughter. "And you remember your chants, right? You do not always want to depend on Grendel to remind you, do you?"
"No way," she shook her head fiercely, her short brown hair flying around her.
"Oh? Then why do you keep me around?" Asked Grendel, never taking her eyes off the floating white orb in the night sky. Just a few more minutes.
"Because I love you! And Grandpa! And Inazin!" She chirped before resting the side of her head against Simon's shoulder. "When is Inazin getting back?"
"He'll be home by the time you two return. You know it isn't always easy to find food in the desert." Simon replied, leaning his own head against Angela's. By this time, Grendel judged by the time the two made it to the animal's grave that Inazin had killed and buried a few weeks back the moon's face would be perfect. She began to gather their supplies before beckoning to Angela.
"C'mon, let's get going."
Angela hopped to her feet and made her way to the entrance of the cave. But instead of leaving, she turned to her grandfather. "Are you sure you don't want to come?"
He waved them off. "I think I'll stay and wait for Inazin. Perhaps we'll even have dinner ready when you two return. Now, off with the both of you."
The girls turned and left, Angela waving goodbye.
Between thirty and forty-five minutes after Angela and Grendel left Inazin had returned with some kind of elk native to the land slumped over one should. The firelight from inside the cave danced off the walls and gave Inazin and his unfortunate victim an eerie glow.
"Goodness!" Simon quickly got to his feet to help the young man. "We'll eat like kings for a week!"
"I know, look at how enormous it is," Inazin said, reveling in his prize. "The girls will be surprised. I assume they left already?"
"Yes," the men flopped the dead animal next to the fire. Simon clapped Inazin on the back. "And yes, they will surely be impressed."
Inazin blushed. He, like Grendel and Angela, loved Simon very much. He always looked out for his pupils, not just for their magical abilities but also for their physical and personal well being. Although his magic surpassed all of theirs, Simon never made anyone feel beneath him, and was always modest and humbled when anyone would graciously comment on his miraculous abilities. The citizens of the nearby outpost despised Simon and his pupils for what they practiced, which was why Inazin was required to hunt for food, whether it be animal or edible vegetation, in addition to maintaining his training to become a full-fledged necromancer. Simon felt guilty for putting such a burden on one so young, but Inazin actually did not mind: he enjoyed playing both a magic-casting and mountain man role.
"Well, we should start cutting this beauty up. Would you mind burying anything that remains afterward? I feel Angela may want to practice her necromancy skills soon, and I believe she is growing tired of resurrecting the same rattlesnake you buried a while back over and over again." He smiled. His granddaughter's enthusiasm over becoming a necromancer over the past few months has been a little more than overwhelming for Simon and the others, but he was just glad she finally came around. At first she was so resistant to becoming one, and although Simon would have eventually given up on trying to convince his granddaughter, he believed seeing two people who sort of took her under their wing as an older brother and older sister helped bring her to their side. Simon only wanted a world where necromancy could be seen as a blessing and not an abomination, depending on the wielder's will.
"You got it Master." Inazin smiled. Simon bowed and began to hand him the knives designed for tearing through bone and flesh and sort out the pots and pans. He hoisted a large jug full of fresh water, to which Inazin quickly helped the old man with. They made a strange family, the four of them, but they were utterly and unquestionably happy in their little cave house.
"Big gulp, now," Grendel said, holding up the glass jar full of unfermented grape juice to Angela's lips as she drank. When she had her full, the girl pulled it away and Angela's face grimaced.
"Yuck..." she muttered, sticking her tongue out several times in an effort to extinguish the distinct taste that comes with consuming the juice.
"You'll get use to it." She handed the little girl a wooden staff. "Ready?"
"Ready!" Angela nearly shouted before taking position. She held the staff out, closed her eyes, and waited for Grendel to give her the word to proceed. When she did, Angela chanted as fast as she could, the juice churning in her stomach. A light formed around the barely visible diagram sketched into the dirt and shot a pillar of light to the moon. A rush of wind picked up and swirled around Angela as a small slithery form slowly rose from the diagram. Grendel sighed. Angela will be disappointed...
"Oh no!" Cried Angela, stomping her feet into the ground once the ritual had been perform. Unfortunately, the snake came out...not right. At all. Half of its body was detached; both parts did wiggle with some sort of life, which was a plus from the result last time when the snake had emerged severed in four places and unmoving.
"Don't be upset Angela," Grendel came up behind the little girl and placed her hand on her shoulder. "Believe it or not you're getting better."
"Not good enough." Angela shook her head, and with a sigh the two girls doused the snake in the salts and left for home. As usual, Angela was wiped out from the necromancy, and in addition to carrying the jug of juice, the vile of salt, and the staff, she had to cradle Angela in her arms all the way home.
"Welcome home Mama," chided Inazin playfully as Grendel made her way into the cave, a sleeping Angela in tow.
"Yeah yeah. Just give me a hand with these would you?" The smell of cooking meat infiltrated her nostrils. "Smells good."
"Elk. Can you believe I snagged one? How did it go?" He took the staff, salt and juice from Grendel and sat them in their usual spot. Grendel sighed.
"Better than last time. Actually, a lot better since last time, but you know how Angela is: go big or go home. Try not to mention it." She glanced over at Simon who heard every word. Though they were pleased to hear that Angela was getting better, they nodded in agreement not to make a fuss over the night's session.
"She'll need a day or two to rest. Tomorrow you and I will go out to practice Inazin, and then the next night you and I Grendel." His students nodded as they gently woke Angela up for dinner.
She groaned and rubbed her eyes, but woke instantly when the flavors of tonight's meal filled her nose. Simon may not have much to work with when it comes to culinary ingredients, but he always knew how to harvest what grew in the desert and combine it with anything to make a delicious meal. Around the campfire the four sat, bowls and utensils in hand as they happily talked and ate the elk stew, like a normal family.
A/N: Yeah, doesn't give you much information about the current events and situations in the story, but I wanted my readers to get a feel for what life was like for Angela and Grendel before the present day. Living in a cave in the desert doesn't sound like much fun, especially when one of your roommates goes crazy with magical power, so I wanted to illustrate that the four of them made the best of their situation, and truly cared for one another. The next flash-back chapter won't be anytime really soon, but it will delve further into how Angela, Grendel, and Inazin became who they are today, and the one after that will reveal more details, and so on. Thanks for the reviews and your patience!