by L. Cyrus Whelchel
The village was full of hustle and bustle, much more so than the last few months. In a small hamlet like Havenfall, the constant rabble would be unusual even to outsiders. Bright, colorful banners fluttered in the breeze, bearing prayers of luck. The cobblestone roads were lined with stalls of craftsmen and villagers selling their wares and food. A few small bands of people were murmuring to each other uneasily. Words like ‘cancelled,’ ‘massive,’ and ‘strange beast’ broke through the chatter, but others seemed to brush the words aside with claims of excessive worrying.
A small number of young men and women scattered among the crowd were in perpetual motion, a heavy aura about them. For these select few, this was one of the most important days of their lives.
Every year the chaos would return, but for the older generation, it was still as exciting now as it had been in their youth. The trees, with their scarlet and yellow leaves newly sprouting and the white bark lined with sap, left an aura of spirited renewal in the air. It was more than the coming of spring or the beginning of the planting season. Even though both events were important in Havenfall, no other day held the same importance as the Rebirth Equinox, which brought with it the village’s annual festival known as the Trial of Ascension.
In a village where everyone was expected to learn and refine the skills of a Hunter, today’s ceremony allowed the village’s youths who had reached the age of seventeen to prove themselves as worthy adults and earn their Hunter’s crest. The entire Grand Duchy of Livoria relied on Havenfall’s Hunter Corps to control the animal populations and support the Royal Navy. Earning one’s crest was more than just a dream for Havenfall’s younglings. It was their village’s sworn oath in serving the Royal House of Ardei.
“Winds be damned, Kai, hurry up! You don’t want to be late,” A high-pitched voice shouted amongst the crowds, causing a few adults within earshot to laugh. The voice’s ten-year-old owner clung tight to a much taller young man as she dragged him among the throng.
“Serafina, you’d best watch your mouth, otherwise Ma and Da will toss ya in the river and scrub your tongue with a soap cake,” came a chuckling reply. Towering over others his age, Kai Travaldi was a bit of an oddity in Havenfall. As the only Norzen in the entire village, his angular feline ears, two tails, and the bushy mane on his chest made him stick out like a black bull in a field of sheep. The fur atop his head looked newly windswept, its inky black contrasted sharply with the paleness of his skin.
His ivory skin served as a point of amusement for the other youths his age. No matter how much time Kai spent out in the sun, he never quite tanned like everyone else. Even other Norzen had darker skin tones than Kai did, from what little he saw of them. His skin just burned easily, then would become itchy and unbearable for a few days, especially around his mane. He adjusted the pack on his shoulder and allowed the girl to pull him forward, small bags of aromatic leaves and stone vials full of viscous liquid dangling from loops.
Well, he thought, this is it. My Trial of Ascension. Maybe now the villagers will see me as more than just an ‘odd Norzen boy’ or ‘demon cat.’ By the winds, I’ve only ever met one other Norzen in my life, and he was a crackpot, if there ever was one.
Kai shook his head and straightened his back. He would prove he was just as worthy a Hunter as any other human or faumen in the village. He may be different, but what was wrong with that? Maybe being different was just as good or better than being like everyone else?
Serafina crossed her arms and pouted while trying to give the boy her best glare, but the attempt was more amusing than anything. “You better not say anything! I swear to the Saints, I’ll yank every bleeding hair out of your tails if you do!” she retorted. The wide grin on her face exposed a lack of true anger in the threat.
Kai’s only reaction was to thump his sister on the head with both tails, a smirk lining his face. She giggled and threw her arms around him as the furry appendages draped over her shoulders. The pair weaved their way through the crowds, finding their parents in the square on the outskirts of the village. Serafina flailed her arms wildly while dragging the taller boy.
“I can scarcely believe it’s time for your Trial, Kai. After today, you will finally be a man,” Gaspard Travaldi said, his voice swollen with pride. A thick, stocky man of middle age, Gaspard’s own hunting career was on display through the myriad scars covering his arms and a burly walking stick. Verona was younger than her husband, yet still a vibrant and excitable woman for her age with a bright smile and warm hug for everyone.
“Oh darling, it feels like it was only a few moons ago when we found you in that basket on the Great Ardei, and now you’re embarking on your first hunt! I’m so proud of you,” she bubbled with glee, pulling Kai into a bone-crushing hug.
Serafina snorted and chimed in, “Maybe now you’ll have something to do besides fiddle with that garden of yours.”
Verona tweaked her daughter’s nose. “Hush Sera! I didn’t see you fuss when your brother stopped your friends from eating those poison berries.”
Kai blushed at the praise and combed a hand through his hair as he gazed at the ground trembling with nervous energy. He was aware that a lot of the villagers made fun of his garden and knowledge of the forest’s vegetation behind his back. He tried to ignore the jibes most of the time and focus on caring for his plants. At least they didn’t ridicule him for doing something that he found relaxing and enjoyable. After a few moments, he met his father’s inquiring gaze.
“Hey Da, do you reckon I’ll know what trade to learn soon? Many of the others my age have had theirs picked out for a long time,” he asked. “I mean, you’ve been a baker as long as I can remember. How did you know that’s what you wanted to do?”
Gaspard emitted a braying laugh and slapped Kai on the back. “You ought not worry about that too much, son. I didn’t realize how much I liked baking until a few years after my own Trial. I may not be an active hunter anymore with this broken leg, but I’m not bothered because I still get to do something I love. But if you’re still worried, remember this. Think about what stirs the fires of your passion, Kai. That’s where you’ll find your answer.”
Kai nodded tentatively. He knew how much his Da loved the bakery, and the man was damn good at it too. Nobles from Grantide to the north often made a weekly trek to Havenfall just for some of Gaspard’s sweet rolls and fruit pies. He certainly didn’t want to follow in his father’s footsteps though, even if he was a fair baker himself. Just the thought of being in front of a boiling hot oven all day made him cringe. His tails would likely catch fire in the first week.
“I always thought you would be good at running a tea shop,” Sera chirped from beside their mother. “You make really yummy teas with those plants you grow behind the house, and you always know the best ones to help if we have a belly ache or can’t sleep.”
Once again, Kai’s face burned scarlet, though he mulled over his sister’s words. It was an open secret that his teas were just as famous in town as his father’s bread. But still, he felt as though there was something deeper that he could do. Kai knew in his heart that he didn’t just want to make people happy. He wanted to give them a reason to live.
Any further discussion was stalled as they noticed the village Elder, Barraco, make his way to the front of the square, his jowls quivering with each step. The portly old man was well-liked in Havenfall, despite his odd habit of wearing Corlatian silk suits. All the other villagers preferred the leathers and furs they earned on the hunt.
“Gather round, friends! It is almost time for the Trial to begin. Would this year’s candidates please come to the front?” Barraco called out while using his whole arm to beckon the crowd forward.
Kai gave his family a hug as he trudged up to the Elder. Soon, he stood in a line alongside the four other candidates. The three males gave him smug looks. The tallest, a solidly built Soltauri blonde named Aldo, jostled Kai as he passed the young Norzen with a snort, angling his short, pointed horns towards Kai and pawing the ground with his hooves. The boy was only a few months older than Kai, but the two had never gotten along. Kai viewed Aldo as a stuck-up snob who thought he was a noble, and the blonde saw the Norzen as an outcast that should have been sent back to the woods of Duskmarsh with the rest of his kind.
“I don’t know why you bothered showing up, Furball. You’re a disgrace to the village, while I plan on coming back worthy of a Brand,” he said with an imperious air. Kai snorted and flicked his tails at the other boy in disbelief. A Brand was among the greatest honors in Livoria, an epithet given to one who performed noble or great deeds. Earning a Brand marked one as an Exarch Knight, the greatest warriors in the Duchy. It was rare for anyone younger than thirty to become one, and only three Hunters had accomplished the feat in the last hundred years. Still, every boy dreamed of doing something worthy of a Brand.
“I guess we have different ideas of what disgrace is, Aldo,” he replied.
Stella, the only female candidate this year, looked at him with concern and gave a shy smiled when their gazes met. Their eyes all pointed to the crowd as the Elder continued speaking. Despite his advanced age, Barraco had a booming voice that echoed across the village.
“My fellow villagers, these five stand before us ready to prove their worth and skill in the wood. By sunset, we hope to see all of them take their place as adults. You all know the rules, but for our visiting friends who have never enjoyed this wondrous festival, allow me to explain.
“In order to complete the Trial of Ascension, each candidate must successfully hunt a beast from the Lesser Ardei Forest before sunset. The animal must stand at least a yard tall at the shoulder to be considered appropriate prey for a crest and can be felled using any standard tools. This includes your weapon, traps, or anything useful you may find along the paths.
“This year, I would like to warn our candidates not to venture too deep into the forest. Commander Petro has found evidence in the outer reaches of the wood of a large beast never seen in these parts before. For your safety, try to finish your Trial without straying too far.”
Kai frowned in contemplation. A large beast they not seen before. This was the first he heard of something like this. He glanced out into the crowd and noticed grim looks on the faces of the older Hunters. The rest of the crowd was sharing uneasy looks as well, with Kai’s own family standing stunned near the front of the crowd.
Right, he thought to himself, avoid the deeper woods. Anything that can make the captains look like that is something we don’t want to deal with. At least that explains why some of the villagers have been so twitchy of late.
Barraco chuckled and rested his hands on his expansive belly. “I daresay you won’t have anything to worry about, as the beast should be close to half a day’s journey away, but tis always better to be vigilant than risk your health. Now, that being said, I wish all of you luck. May Tapimor bless your hunt and his winds of fortune guide you. Let this year’s Trial of Ascension…begin!” he proclaimed. The crowd roared in excitement, as if their yells would drive away the uneasiness that had settled in. Kai and the others lifted their packs and, without another word, darted among the white-barked trees.
* * *
Kai slogged through the dense mud. Recent flooding had turned the pathways and forest floor near the southern part of the river’s western fork into a thick mire that made foot travel slow and tiring. Every step made Kai feel as if he might pull a foot from his boots just trying to move forward. “Walking may be hard, but this should make tracking so much easier,” he muttered to himself. The five youths were quick to scatter in different directions, with Kai heading west towards the river. His plan had been to down any animals drinking from the river. He soon found himself questioning that decision once he came across the mud.
He stopped several times along the path to lay traps and nets in the hope that some hapless creature might stumble into them and end his Trial early. He tightened his grip on his mace, an arms-length metal shaft with sharpened flanges attached to a rounded head. It wasn’t as fancy as the large broadsword Aldo liked to wave around, but it was easy to wield and could easily shatter bones or tear flesh if swung hard enough. As he approached the river, Kai groaned when he noticed there were no suitable animals present. The emerald water rushed along mostly undisturbed, clear as glass and full of fish darting around.
“Well, it is still early. Perhaps it isn’t yet hot enough to drive the animals to drink. Shucks, and I was hoping to get this done quick,” he whispered. Settling into a crouch behind a tree, the young man waited and rotated his ears.
The forest seemed quieter than normal. When Kai would wander into the woods in defiance of his parents’ rules, to harvest plants and barks for his tea, there was always a calming chorus of sounds from the forest’s inhabitants. The teen smiled to himself. He knew that his parents knew he wandered in here. After all, some of his ingredients could only be found in the forest. But they had never once caught him doing it. And to Gaspard and Verona, that alone was worth not punishing him. After all, was it not a sign of a skilled Hunter if you could accomplish your task unnoticed?
Today, however, there was nary a sound. It was as if the entire forest had fallen asleep and all you could hear was the gentle swaying of the trees in the breeze. The lack of noise was unsettling and, to be honest, a little scary. A stray thought flitted across Kai’s mind that the forest was channeling the village’s nervousness and now the silence was making his fur stand on end.
A soft rustle nearby caused Kai’s ears to twitch. One of the advantages of being Norzen was that his ears, perched on the top of his head, could swivel towards any sound that caught his attention. Both ears turned to the right, followed by the rest of his head as he lifted his weapon. The bush in front of him shifted at random, as if a small creature were entangled in the branches. He moved forward and stuck a gloved hand into the brush, creating an opening to see what was inside.
A small form darted from the leaves and crashed right onto Kai’s chest, causing him to squawk in surprise before falling back and planting his rear in the mud. He looked down and saw what had startled him. A small tree ferret, barely two hands long and black with a short, bushy tail, was clutching to his vest and quaking in fear. Kai grinned and chuckled to himself. If Aldo or the others had seen him get spooked by this scamp, he would never hear the end of it. And Tapimor only knows what Sera would have done if she had seen him. Thinking of it, the boy could see his sister rolling in the grass cackling like a hyena.
“Hey there, little friend. What’s got you so scared?” he asked, feeling a bit silly. He frowned as he realized that the ferret wasn’t just scared, it was beyond terrified. He could make out its gasping breaths and quaking body, as if it had been running for some time and was exhausted. It kept trying to scramble over Kai’s vest and move on, but its paw was caught in one of the loops on his pack, causing it to thrash about. He gently pried the creature loose and set it on a nearby tree. The moment his hand let go it bolted into the forest, squeaking.
The young man scratched his head and gazed around. What in the name of the Saints could have caused that reaction? Tree ferrets had plenty of predators, sure, but even then he’d never seen one almost frightened to death. Suddenly, his ears picked up a rhythmic thumping echoing through the trees. It sounded as if something was treading through the brush far away. A very large something if the heavy thuds he could hear were any indication. He remembered the Elder’s warning and scowled.
Surely, he thought, that thing can’t have wandered so close to the village already. He was barely a forty minute’s trek away from the festival square.
Kai shook his head and stood back up, trying to wipe the mud from his pants. He needed to find the others, and fast. If the beast Barraco had warned them about was nearby, then they needed to leave the forest and warn the captains. A loud humming drew his eyes upwards as he noticed a large flock of birds flying away, blocking the sun as they passed overhead. Once they were gone, the unnerving silence returned.
“What was—”
A piercing scream shattered the quiet and caused Kai’s head to snap to his left.
“Stella!” he yelped, his feet pounding through the mud as he shot towards where the scream had come from. He grunted and fought against the mud, his boots threatening to sink into the quagmire.
“Damn it! I’ll have to take the high path if I want to get there fast enough,” he grumbled, pulling his gloves off to reveal sharp, pointed claws and leaping onto the nearest tree. His nails sank into the white bark, giving him a firm hold as he clambered up to the lowest set of branches. Thankfully, the bark also helped scrape most of the muck from his boots along the way. Another scream pierced the air and Kai jumped among the trees, using the thicker low branches and trunks to launch himself.
He could feel his blood pumping and heart racing, a dull thump echoing in his head as he darted from tree to tree. Would he make it in time? His feet would contact the wood before his legs extended at once and sent him flying to the next tree. Within minutes he was close enough to hear Stella’s cries and even her ragged breathing. He could also hear a second voice alongside Stella’s shrieks. There was something else too, besides the screaming.
A deep, guttural growling resonated through the air that shook Kai’s body to the bones. He couldn’t remember hearing anything like that before. He knew there were predators in the forest. River wolves and daggertooth lions were the most dangerous but tended to travel in groups, avoiding people unless cornered.
More important, no rookie hunter with any sense would be foolish enough to try and tackle a predator for their Trial. Deer and giant mallards were preferred targets due to how common and docile they were. Tackling one daggertooth was difficult enough, but facing an entire pride was closer to suicide. Even veteran Hunters preferred handling the predators with a full four-man squad. None of them made a sound like this though.
Whatever this was, it was big, and likely very angry. Or hungry.
Kai heard a frantic rustling nearby as he landed on a thick branch, his eyes locking onto the moving foliage. In seconds, Stella burst from the bushes and stumbled to the ground after catching her foot on a large tree root. Her leather bodice was mangled, and her tunic ripped in multiple places. If the situation hadn’t been so serious, Kai would have laughed at how much her copper hair looked like a bird’s nest with all the sticks and leaves sticking from it.
The girl scrambled back, visibly frightened. Kai pulled his whistle and blew two short blasts, a common distress signal. Stella squeaked and twisted around, looking up as he dropped to the ground. He signaled for her to keep quiet and helped her up. The growling grew louder. And closer. Another figure tumbled from the brush in an undignified heap, covered in mud and leaves. Kai blinked when he realized it was Aldo flailing in the dirt, his uniform torn and his sword nowhere to be found. Half of one of his horns was snapped off, leaving a jagged stump.
“We have to get out of here!” the blonde hissed, crawling towards the others as fast as he could. “That thing will kill us!”
Stella was bobbing her head while clutching Kai’s arm. The Norzen winced and felt blood dribble down his arm when the girl’s nails pierced his skin. He nodded and grabbed both by the arms to pull them towards the brush. His eyes swept over the area, trying to find anything that could help. The beast’s thunderous stomps were growing louder, and the teens could see its ominous shadow in the trees ahead. Kai tried to get a good look at the beast, but the intersecting branches and shadows provided an effective cover. In fact, if it hadn’t been moving, he would have easily mistaken it for an algae-covered boulder. The thick canopy of the trees blocked out most light and gave the forest a foreboding aura. It would be on top of them at any moment!
Kai’s nose twitched and he turned to notice a tall, odd-looking bush nearby. Thick and lush, its branches were thin enough that the three of them could easily hide beneath it. But that wasn’t what caught his attention. It was the brightly colored blue and violet flowers that bloomed all over the surface in spherical bunches. He grabbed Stella and Aldo and dove into the bush, pressing hard on their backs to keep them from standing or moving around.
Stella coughed and spat out some dirt she inhaled from hitting the ground. Her face took on a look of disgust. “Blech! What is—” Any further comment was halted as Kai clamped his hands over both their mouths, hissing for them to be quiet. The creature stalked into the clearing they had just occupied and was obviously trying to locate their scent.
Kai frowned as he again couldn’t get a clear sight of the beast. The bush’s crimson leaves were too thick for him to see outside, and he certainly wasn’t about to stick his head out to satisfy his curiosity. Hearing it was easy enough, though. The grunting and growling noises it emitted were strange, yet somewhat familiar to the boy. Where had he heard something like that before? One of the village farms perhaps?
He sucked in a breath as he noticed its shadow directly over them, the beast inspecting the bush they were hiding in. Two deep breaths later and it emitted a violent sneeze, turning away with an angry chuff. All three let out a sigh, watching the beast’s hulking shape stomp back into the woods. Kai removed his hands from the others and signaled for them to follow him. With that, the group made its way back towards the river.
* * *
“Why aren’t we running back to the village as fast as possible, Furball?!” Aldo exclaimed, hissing in pain when he slapped his knee for emphasis. Kai snorted in response while he wrapped a bandage around a deep cut on Stella’s arm. On their way to the river, the three had come across Marko, Aldo’s friend and one of the two other hunter candidates. When asked what happened to Sal, Marko admitted he hadn’t seen the other boy since they split up at the Trial’s start.
After noticing the condition of his friend and Stella, Marko decided to join the group. Safety in numbers was better at this point. They sat in a small ditch near the river to patch their wounds and regroup. With any luck, they would find Sal soon.
“Believe me Aldo, I’d rather be back home just as much as you. But let me ask you a question. Do you really think you can outrun that thing for over thirty minutes in your condition?” Kai replied, raising an eyebrow and gesturing to his bloody leg. Aldo winced and shook his head. Even if the two didn’t like each other, he had to confess it was a valid point.
This was a fine mess they found themselves in. They needed to get back somehow and warn the village. It was easy for the teens to imagine the damage a beast that large could cause if it ran unchecked into the festival square. Kai’s heart clenched as he saw images flash before his eyes.
His sister, lying in a pool of blood, her body crushed and broken under the weight of that monster. His parents, thrown to the ground and trampled under the feet of escaping villagers. He shook his head and a soft rumble radiated from his chest. No! He would sooner die than let that happen.
Kai sighed and finished tying a knot in Stella’s bandage, the rumble in his chest subsiding. The girl smiled and drank from her canteen before tapping him on the shoulder. “Hey Kai, I have a question. What was that bush we were hiding in when that thing nearly caught us? I’m assuming the smell masked our presence because that thing reeked!”
The group laughed at the look on the girl’s face. The smell had not been pleasant, and it took the three almost ten minutes each in the river to scrub the odor out of their clothes and skin. Kai blushed, the tips of his tails swinging like pendulums.
“It’s not really a common plant around here, but Da told me he’s seen rich folks in big cities like Grantide use it for garden decorations because of its flowers. It’s called bolopu and when you rub the leaves, its oils give off that horrible smell. My best guess is it warns off animals from trying to eat it,” he explained, the group nodding in acceptance.
The rookies knew from experience that, despite his age, Kai knew more about plants than most villagers. Even if they used to make fun of him for his strange hobby, they couldn’t deny that his knowledge had likely saved their lives.
Marko snorted and clamped a hand over his mouth, causing the others to look at him in confusion. He finally looked up and grinned.
“Sorry, but that’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all moon. You three actually got your lives saved by a bush,” he said, still snickering. The others shared a glance and couldn’t help but laugh, releasing some of the tension in their muscles. It did sound ridiculous.
Aldo shifted, wincing as he clutched at his leg. Kai looked over and knelt down next to him. “Hmm? What are these?” he murmured, pulling Aldo’s hand away to reveal a pair of needle-like quills stuck in the back of the other boy’s leg just above the knee.
“That damned monster swiped me behind the legs with its head when I tried to dodge it. Tossed me over a log when it did, and I lost my sword at the same time. That’s also how my horn broke. Its whole muzzle was covered in these. I’ve never seen anything like it, but I’m just glad it didn’t gore me with its tusks,” Aldo explained. Kai tore a strip of cloth from his tunic and stuck it in the other boy’s mouth, telling him to bite down as Marko held his leg still and Kai pulled the quill out. The teens’ eyes widened. It was a rusty red even with the blood wiped off and longer than a man’s hand.
“I…I think I’ve seen something like this before, but there’s no way something like that should be here,” Marko said. The others turned their gaze on him, provoking a blush. It was clear he wasn’t used to being the center of attention; that was Aldo’s specialty.
“You know how Sal’s parents have that big farm on the south side of the village, right?” The others nodded. “Well his brother always used to tell us stories of some of the things he saw on his travels whenever he would take animals to the big markets here and abroad. He showed me some of the keepsakes he got too. This quill looks exactly like one he got from the Federation. He said it came from something called a nettleboar.”
Kai choked. “A what? Da told me once how he ran into one of those on a hunt. That’s how he got the scar on his leg,” he exclaimed. The group looked around with nervous apprehension. That leg injury had been the end of Gaspard’s hunting career 12 years ago.
“So what is it exactly? I mean, I know it’s obviously a species of wild boar just from what I saw, but boars don’t get that big, do they?” Stella asked.
Kai sighed and clutched his head. “That’s because it’s not native to Livoria,” he muttered. “According to Da, nettleboars and their ilk are found only on the Corlatian plains. They’re one of the most dangerous predators out there, with a surprising amount of intelligence and a temper to match their size. Cacovis be damned, Da said he’d rather fight two daggertooth prides by himself than a single nettleboar again. Not only that, but you know how they say boars will eat anything,” he finished.
Aldo’s leg started twitching. “Damn it, my leg feels funny,” he hissed. The others turned towards him.
“What do you mean ‘funny’?” Kai asked. “Is it a prickling, sort of like pins and needles?”
The Soltauri boy looked up and nodded. “That sounds exactly how it feels. Do you know what it is?”
“Not really, but I had a feeling in my gut that it might be a type of poison. It’s possible that nettleboar quills have a venom similar to ants and bees.”
Kai pulled a bag from his pack and drew a thick, broad leaf from it. Ripping the leaf into pieces and shoving them in his mouth, he began to chew. Soon, he spat the masticated leaf into his bowl and mixed it with water until a thick paste was left. He dipped his fingers into the bowl and smeared the concoction on the wound. Aldo cringed for a moment before his expression softened. He gazed at the Norzen in awe.
“Furball—no…Kai, what is that?”
“It’s a parpusa leaf. They’re softer and thicker than most leaves and known for absorbing large amounts of water. I’ve heard sailors use it as a substitute for bog rolls. I’m hoping it will draw out the venom even in paste form,” Kai answered, wrapping a cloth bandage over it.
The others watched the exchange in silence. This was the most civil they had ever seen Aldo act towards Kai. Stella cleared her throat and brought everyone’s eyes back to her.
“Well at least we know what we’re dealing with now. Any ideas how it got here?”
Marko shook his head. “We may never know. Could be a poaching expedition gone wrong. It could have been driven out of its territory and just wandered here. We can sit and toss ideas around all day, but what matters is that it’s here and it’s mad. All I know is we need to make tracks and get home before it finds us. Personally, I have no desire to be an overgrown pig’s lunch.”
They all nodded and started packing. Kai finished first and stood up, hoisting his mace and giving it a quick swing. He looked at the others and noticed them staring at him in horrified silence. No, they were staring at something past him. He grimaced and pinched his nose.
“…It’s right behind me, isn’t it?”
He opened his eyes and noticed them slowly nodding, their faces bone white and now paler than even he was. He didn’t want to look but knew that he had no choice. Slowly, he turned his head and shifted his gaze upward. There, at the top of the ditch in all its daunting glory, stood the nettleboar.
Standing over two yards tall to the top of its hunched back and at least a yard and a half wide from shoulder to shoulder, it was massive. It was easily the biggest animal that Kai or the other rookies had seen in their lives. Its dense, matted fur was a mix of dirt brown and the same rusty red of the quills covering its muzzle. Two spear-like tusks protruded from its mouth. The boar’s beady black eyes were focused intently on the group, watching for any movement.
Even worse, Kai’s heart sank into his feet when he saw Sal’s broken body impaled on one of the boar’s massive tusks. From his vantage point, Kai knew the other boy was dead; his eyes were listless and dull.
“Taen! Run!” Kai yelled. The teens were up in moments and scrambled from the ditch in different directions. The boar’s head twisted about in confusion, not sure who to attack. Sal’s body was flung from its place, flying into the ditch and rolling to a stop near the abandoned fire.
Its eyes locked onto Stella, struggling to climb over a dead tree and, with a thunderous bellow, charged. The girl looked back and screamed in terror when she realized the beast was coming straight at her. A lone tear fell from the corner of her eye as the nettleboar bore down on her, the shadow of death in its eyes.
A flash of silver flickered at the edge of her vision and her head turned. She lost her grip and dropped to the ground with a gasp when Kai appeared from the brush, swinging his left arm in a wide arc. His mace caught the charging boar behind the ear with immediate effect. The sudden impact forced the boar to turn and roar in pain, its eyes shut tight. Stella sprinted towards Kai and the two began running.
A crash and the sound of splintering wood drew their eyes back. Unable to see, the boar had simply run straight into and through the tree Stella had just been hanging from. They backed away while the beast shook its head and looked around, searching for them. Glancing at each other, they turned and took off towards the river. A roar from behind proved that the beast had resumed chasing them.
Neither could see where the other boys had gone and weaved between the trees, trying to put any kind of distance between them and the nettleboar. Bursting into a small clearing, the pair could now see the river. If they could make it to the other side, they would be safe. Even small boars were known for being poor swimmers and the Great Ardei River was still deep enough this far south on the western side to make crossing it almost impossible for the beast.
Another bellow rang out and the two cleared a large root, only to catch their feet on another that sent them both to their knees at the edge of the riverbank. Looking back, they saw the boar charging full sprint. Kai looked down at Stella and scowled. They needed a distraction. Making his decision, he gripped his mace and pushed the girl towards the river.
“Get out of here! Now!” he yelled, turning to face the rushing boar as it entered the clearing. Stella gaped as Kai took a defensive stance and pulled his pack off, holding it forward like a shield with the mace switched to his right hand. A deep rumble seemed to emit from the Norzen that he couldn’t remember making before. Soon the sound changed into what he could only describe as a vibrating growl.
“Stella, please! I’ll hold it off!”
“Have you lost your kettle, Kai!? You can’t fight that thing alone!”
“Maybe not, but I have to try. Hurry back to the village and warn everyone.”
Stella bit back her tears before diving into the river. Kai nodded and faced the beast advancing on him. He only had one shot at this. He made a short leap to the side as the boar came within striking distance but lost his grip on the pack and dropped it. The beast seemed to predict his movement, twisting its body to follow him.
Pain erupted in Kai’s arm, causing him to howl and bite down hard on his tongue. Glancing at his arm, he nearly fainted. The boar’s left tusk had lanced straight into his left arm just below the shoulder and was sticking through the other side. The beast lifted him off the ground and rumbled down the riverbank. The breath was knocked from his lungs when his back slammed into a tree. The nettleboar pinned him against the trunk with its head, grunting savagely. Even with the river right there, Kai couldn’t hear the flowing water or Stella’s renewed screaming as anything more than a dull echo. His entire being was focused on one task.
Survival.
Growling, he matched the boar’s gaze with a glare and swung his arm up. Even with the weapon in his off-hand, Kai knew he had to make this count. He let fly with a downward strike as hard as he could. Kai’s Norzen blood proved a blessing, his denser muscles offering extra power as he struck the beast in its open mouth, sending teeth and blood across the forest floor. The monster squealed in pain and jerked back, the tusk in Kai’s arm snapping off. Kai felt the tusk shift and winced, biting his bottom lip.
This was it! There was no turning back. Tightening his grip he swung again with a backhand. The boar shrieked when its eye burst from the attack. It stumbled back but couldn’t create enough distance. The young Norzen pressed forward with a ferocity he didn’t know he possessed. Each swing was brutal, a constant rain of blows to the head forcing the nettleboar into the river. Without warning, the beast’s rear vanished into the water.
Kai blinked and stopped mid-swing, watching the nettleboar shriek and struggle against the river, its back legs caught in the undertow. His own knees wobbled until he tumbled backwards onto his rear. He looked across the river and noticed Stella eyeing him in anticipation. The boar’s squealing became weaker and more ragged, its body being pulled downriver. Its strength was faltering yet it managed to get enough of a foothold on a patch of rocks to heave itself out of the river, taking a few staggered steps before collapsing on the bank in exhaustion.
Kai ambled to his feet and approached the heaving nettleboar. It was obvious the beast had no energy left after its ordeal. It watched the boy warily with its remaining eye, but it couldn’t even muster a growl. Kai gave Stella a quick look and nodded. He raised his arm once more and, with a roar, brought the mace down between the great boar’s eyes. It gave a final shudder before falling limp. Stella’s eyes brightened with a smile on her lips as she cheered.
“Kai, you did it! I was so scared I couldn’t breathe, but you really did it!” she exclaimed.
A loud rustling and multiple frenzied voices could be heard approaching. Kai turned, clutching at his injured arm. He didn’t think he had the strength to fight anything else off. Marko charged into the clearing with Aldo on his back, leading a procession of Hunters from the village. The entourage skidded to a stunned halt as they took in the scene before them.
Kai stood over the dead nettleboar with his clothes in tatters, a blood-covered mace in one hand and a tusk half a hand wide sticking through his left arm. Stella was leaping in excitement on the opposite bank, her uniform in better condition but covered in scratches and bruises. The group rushed forward and began treating the teens’ injuries. The two explained to the senior Hunters everything that happened after the boar found them. Kai’s face burned the same bright red as the leaves around them when Stella praised his bravery and the heart-wrenching battle along the river.
The teens met each other’s eyes in tears before pointing towards the ditch they hid in, warning the adult Hunters of Sal’s body lying there after falling victim to the boar.
“Kid, I’ve met a number of Hunters and sailors in my time, and I’m damn certain all but a handful would have died fighting this beastie alone. Suffice to say, I think it’s safe to assume you’ve passed your Trial,” the Hunter Corps’ Commander, Petro, said as he wrapped Kai’s damaged arm. Several layers were needed to staunch the flow of blood from the gaping wound once the tusk was removed.
“Sir, I just did what needed to be done. All that mattered was making sure the others could get away. Besides, it was nothing but dumb luck,” Kai responded, ears flattened against his head in embarrassment. Petro smirked and peered over at Kai’s ruined pack. Bags of leaves and vials lay strewn about the clearing in pieces and the pack itself was beyond repair.
“This might sound odd, kid, but have you ever thought of becoming an apothecary?”
Kai blinked and looked at the older man in confusion. “An apothecary…?” he repeated. Hailed throughout the world as master healers, the village once had its own apothecary, years ago, before the man died of old age not long after Serafina was born. None of the wanderers seen since then bothered settling in Havenfall.
“ Sure. You seem to know a damn sight more about plants than anyone I’ve ever met, and you have the mind for it. Just an old man’s observations. Give it some thought, at least.” With that, Petro ruffled the boy’s fur and left the Norzen alone with his thoughts. Kai gazed at the ground; his eyes locked on one spot but peering beyond it.
An apothecary… him? He smiled, remembering what he had seen from the traveling healers who visited the village in the past and how they worked hard to help others in need. Perhaps…yes, this could be the answer he was looking for.
An older woman sat down in Petro’s place and leveled a hard stare at Kai, though a hint of mischief was obvious in her gaze. The boy already knew he was going to regret whatever lecture was coming his way.
“Travaldi, are you aware of how many times you should have died?” she asked.
Kai shook his head. “I didn’t have time to keep count, Master Chika, but I imagine more than enough.” As the village weapons instructor, Chika was the one who taught Kai and other younglings how to fight.
And how to take a hit.
“Too damned many. You’re lucky you had that parpusa to treat Aldo’s wound. Nettleboar venom can be deadly if not treated, and that paste of yours was rather effective.”
Kai sucked in a breath. It was nerve-wracking to think that Aldo could’ve joined Sal in Finyt with everything that happened. He gave a silent prayer to Tapimor, thankful that none of the quills managed to pierce him during his own fight with the beast. The leaf he used on Aldo’s wound was his last one.
Chika smirked and gave the boy a gentle shove. “The captains will be chatting about this one in the meadhouse for years. They’re already calling you the bane of Cacovis herself, with how many times you cheated death today. In fact…” she trailed off, giving Kai a wide grin. He felt as if a chunk of iron had settled in his stomach. That grin promised trouble.
“I’d be willing to wager your hunt today has earned you a Brand.” Kai gaped at the older woman.
“You can’t be serious, master!” he groaned. He didn’t want the attention that being named an Exarch would cause.
“I most certainly am. In fact, we’ve already decided on the perfect epithet for you, should the Grand Duchess be willing to accept it.”
“And what would that be?” Chika smirked, gazing back at the dead nettleboar.
“Gravebane.”