Ch 5- Mor'du and the Huntress

Sol:We wrote this on the same day as Goodbyes, because something happened and I am so. Damn. Angry. At 2 of my bros. I feel violent and so does G'syr. So we wrote this. Oh, dang. Spider Pig just came on my iPad and I lost some on my violent inspiration. (It's soooo funny!)

…

I was on the train. Maybe now was a good time to check out what Mum gave me…

There was a big fang. It had some carvings on it… And an actual piece of paper! It had writing on it… a story. I can tell from the beginning. Not sure what to think, I start reading.

Mor'du and the Huntress

A long, long time ago, in the kingdom of ancient Scotland, there was a King and Queen. They had all the luxuries in the world, and there was peace within their realm, but they were not happy. For there was one thing they wanted, and it was the one thing the couldn't have themselves: a child.

The King saw his Queen's unhappiness, and set out to find a child. He traveled across the kingdom, far and wide, but he couldn't find a single lost or homeless child. He should have been happy about this, for it meant that his kingdom prospered, but all he could think about was the Queen.

As he walked on the trail that went by the forest, he saw something appear. It was floating above the ground, and it was made of blue fire. The King was startled, for he knew from the folk's tales that this was a Wisp, and it led you to your fate. So he urged his horse off the trail, and followed the spirits.

He was led into a clearing with arches of stone, in the alignment of a circle. And in the middle, was a baby girl, wrapped in a blanket of rags. The King gently picked up the baby and started to ride off, when he heard a low, loud growl. He looked around, and saw two shiny, black, malicious eyes peering at him through the undergrowth. Drawing his sword, he waited for the creature to spring.

It charged at the King, and the horse the King was riding jumped out of the way. The King's eyes widened at the creature, which was revealed to be a gigantic, black bear that stank of rotten meat. Back and forth, back and forth they fought, man for survival, Bear for fresh meat. Finally, the King stabbed his sword into the Bear's eye, and the roar of rage was heard even in the village. As the Bear's stabbed eye went gray, the good eye stated glowing an evil, malicious red.

The King rode off, barely escaping. As he thought about the unusually large bear with the now red eye, he remembered the tales his mother used to tell him, about demons who took the forms of beings with red or black eyes. His heart beat faster, he had narrowly escaped one of those supernatural beings. At the next village he came to, he sacrificed his best food to the Wisps.

When he returned, the Queen was overjoyed. They brought the baby girl up as her own, naming her Merida. As she grew up, she despised her princess duties, and instead preferring to use the bow the King gave her.

One day, when Merida was a young woman, stories of a bear terrorizing the nearby villages, who knew him as Mor'du, the King remembered his near-death encounter with the Demon Bear, and forbid Merida from going into the woods, her favorite place to spend time. That made the already rebellious princess more so, and every spare second was spent in the forest. And one of those times, she saw a fiery, blue spirit floating above the ground.

Back at the palace, a roar was heard outside the gate. The best warriors were stationed there, while the women and children were rushed inside. And as the gate crashed, the hulking form of the bear towered over the guards, and clouds blocked out the sun. And suddenly, the castle was plunged into darkness as black as midnight.

Merida followed the Wisps to a clearing in the forest she had never seen before. With stone archways arranged in a circle, she felt danger in the air. And quickly, she drew her bow, holding it at the ready.

Mor'du swiped at the warriors, snapping the necks of six. He crashed down, biting and scratching everywhere. They had to go into full retreat, or else they would all be killed. Without his prey, Mor'du lumbered back to the woods.

The rain had drenched Merida, and the feeling of danger had increased tenfold. The sound of branches snapping filled the air, and the princess pulled back the bowstring, arrow at the ready.

Mor'du burst into the clearing, and Merida dodged the hurtling body just in time. She backed away carefully, and shot an arrow. It buried itself in the demon's back, not affecting it more than a bee sting. Arrow after arrow, swipe after swipe.

She had been cornered against a tree, and readied her last arrow. And as Mor'du let out a triumphant roar, the huntress released her arrow.

It sank deep into the Demon Bear's throat, and it ended up coughing blood. And as it fell and died on the grass, the huntress pried his biggest fang out of his maw, and took it back to the castle as a trophy.

She told her story to the bards and the King and Queen, and the best artists carved her and Mor'du on his tooth.

There is a note on the back of the story.

Merida-

This is an old Scottish legend. Some say it is true, others say it is just a tale. But me and your father have proof, which we have just given you. The fang of Mor'du. We have named you after this huntress ancestor of yours, Merida. You look just as she did in all of the full legends… the fiery red, curly, untamable hair, her posture of confidence… and you have lots of her in your attitude, too. Your rebellious streak, your bravery, your independence… Merida, you can win this. You are our little Huntress. We love you.

-Mum

I looked again at the fang. It had the carving in the story on it. A girl who looked remarkably like me, drawing a bow. A bear looming up above her, roaring. Strange. I didn't believe the legend, but neither Mum or Dad or one of the triplets have an artistic bone in their bodies… I wonder… I'm not sure, but…

Could the legend be true?

…

Sol: I know, sucky ending. But, the legend is cool, though, right? I kind of re-wrote Brave. Don't be mad at me! *hides behind couch*

G'syr: Stop being paranoid, Sol. Me, G'alim, and G'ryan will protect you… right guys?

G'ryan: we haven't been painted yet. G'alim is not talking to Sol, and neither am I until she paints us.

G'syr: okay, just me then

Sol: I'll put that on the list of things to do. Goodbye, everyone!