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Post by Chorovis Titanis on Sept 18, 2013 0:37:45 GMT
Part 1
"Who knew, you'd grow up so fast?" A beautiful young woman in a handwoven cloth dress leaned down and kissed the young boys head. Chorovis blushed, and looked away. "To think it's been a whole ten years since you were born. Time certainly does fly." Chorovis and his mother sat at a small wooden table in the middle kitchen, which was only about 4 yards across. They sat there for some time, his mother just looking at him while he sat there awkwardly, his face reddening every second. Chorovis and his parents lived in a cottage, just a 20 or so miles from the Royal City of Calis. He was ten now, so it was time for him to start following in his father's footsteps, and help out around the house. They were a comfy family, Chorovis's mother helped with the house work, while his Father gathered resources for the army of the High King.
Chorovis's mother patted him on the shoulder, squeezed his arm, and finally said, "Well, enough of this. It's time you started helping your father out now. He's getting old, and he'll need your help now!" She smiled widely, and Chorovis did the same. "Your father's out back, chopping wood. You should go help him. Tell him that it's time you learned how to use an axe."
Chorovis nodded, and ran off toward the back of the cottage. "I know how to cut wood. I saw it from Dad," he yelled back, once he reached the back door. His mother smiled again, and just as he was about to leave, she finished off with "Be careful!"
The door slammed behind Chorovis, and once again, everything was silent.
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Post by Chorovis Titanis on Sept 19, 2013 1:21:52 GMT
Part 2
The city stirred loudly as the afternoon sun glowed brightly in the sky. The roads were crowded with people, both buying, and selling their goods. A toothless man yelled, "FISH! Get your fresh fish here! Get'em 'fore their gone!" Another man, his stomach reaching out farther than his arms, called out, "MEAT! Pig, chicken, cow, get all the meat you can! Can't defend the city without some meat on your bones!" Many other merchants were calling out similar advertisements. The people were numerous, but everyone seemed busy, like everyone had places to be and not much time to get there.
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Post by Chorovis Titanis on Sept 20, 2013 20:59:45 GMT
Chorovis followed his father's lead, holding onto his cape as a horse drawn carriage pulled a wagon filled to the top with large logs. "Keep up my boy," Dungar said, as he patted Chorovis on his back. "You wouldn't want to get lost in such a busy crowd." Chorovis hurried his pace, still tugging on his father's cloak, and trying to stay as hidden from everyone as he could. They quietly ignored the yelling merchants, making their way towards a large building with a group of guards stationed out front, and a man with a list in one hand, and a quill in another. The man was unfamiliar, tall, thin, and pale, dressed in light colors and a wave pattern on his robe. The group was not totally unfamiliar though, for a familiar face. One of the guards were unusually bulky for a human, though on closer inspection, you could clearly see he was far from human. His skin had a light green tint to it, and his ears were slightly pointed. He stood seriously, his hands always kept on his great ax. He didn't wear much plate, like the other guard, but he was covered in black, reinforced leather that glistened in the sunlight.
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Post by Chorovis Titanis on Sept 20, 2013 21:00:29 GMT
"Gu'Rad! How's my favorite Half-Orc doing? You look more lively than usual." Chorovis's father patted Gu'Rad on the shoulder, but he kept his stance, and simply grunted in reply. "My you're chatty today; never seen you so talkative!" Chorovis giggled at this, but again, Gu'Rad simply grunted. "Names," said the tall, lanky man, without looking up from his list. "Dungar Titanis, and my boy here is Chorovis Titanis. He'll be helping me on resource collection from today on." Gu'Rad raised an eyebrow at this. He stared at the older human for a while, and then looked down at Chorovis, and his small, undeveloped muscles. Gu'Rad scrunched his nose, as if he smelled something bad, showing his off-white teeth and fangs. "How many?" Asked the tall man. This time he had looked up to look at the wagon of logs. "20," said Dungar, now walking to the back of the carriage and undoing the rope that had been fastened to keep the logs in place, and then unhooking the horse so that the carriage fell forward. "Sounds good" said the lanky man, putting his list under one arm. "You'll get your share in a week. The High King appreciates your efforts to help expand the realm's wealth." "Sure," said Dungar, leading his horse to an empty wagon. "Come Chorovis, our work is done." But Chorovis just stood there, staring up at the giant beast of a man. "Boy," bellowed Gu'Rad, down at the small child. With one hand, turned the boy around, and pushed him towards his father. "Dungar. Keep your eyes on your child. The last thing we need is another distraction." Dungar nodded, and then leaned down at the small child, whispering in his ear. "See that man?" Dungar pointed at Gu'Rad, and Chorovis nodded. "If anything happens to me, you find him. Understand? He'll take care of you. Understand?" Chorovis nodded slowly, confused by what his father meant. Dungar stood up, took Chorovis's hand with his left, and the horse's reins in his right, and walked started walking away. However, even as they disappeared into the crowd of people, Chorovis stared at Gu'Rad, and Gu'Rad stared back.
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Post by Chorovis Titanis on Sept 20, 2013 21:01:33 GMT
Part 3
Dungar closed his eyes and listened for any sounds of life. "Well?" whispered Chorovis. "Do you hear anything?" Chorovis had never been off the island that that Calis was stationed on, so when his father offered for Chorovis to to join him on his 2-3 week journey to hunt in the unexplored forests of Calamity, the excitement that brewed within him almost overflowed. It'd been almost 2 years since he'd started training with his father, yet all they'd ever really done is help with fishing and tree-chopping. He knew his father went on much larger hunts to greater lands, but this was the first time he'd seen ANY combat up close. He wasn't even sure what went into these hunts, but he was sure that he was ready to learn.
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Post by Chorovis Titanis on Sept 20, 2013 21:29:15 GMT
Dungar put his finger in front of his mouth, and in a long, quiet whisper, he said, "Shhhh... be still, my son. Your eagerness is reassuring, but a hunter must have complete silence and concentration." He put his hand down and continued to kneel quietly in the thick bushes and tall grass as Chorovis sat and continued to watch his father in anticipation.
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Post by Chorovis Titanis on Sept 20, 2013 22:04:22 GMT
Dungar opened his eyes and drew his bow. Chorovis jumped to his feet, though still hidden behind one of the many tall trees. "What is it? Have you fou-" "Shh!" Dungar ordered, drawing an arrow from the large quiver, which hung across his back. He rested the arrows's base on the string, pointing the stone arrowhead down at the ground. His head turned, and his eyes focused on the bushes that were approximately 60 feet away from him. Suddenly, the bushes rustled, and out strode a great and magnificent buck. This was the 1st time Chorovis had seen one up close, and he was amazed by it's magnificent beauty.
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Post by Chorovis Titanis on Sept 20, 2013 23:29:16 GMT
Dungar took a deep breath and slowly exhaled as he drew the notched arrow back to his ear, focusing in on the buck. As Chorovis saw the actions of his father, he whispered, "What are you...?" And with that, the buck's ears twitched as he looked in their direction, and immediately darted off in the opposite direction. "Damnit!" called Dungar, barely getting an arrow off before it hopped behind a tree. The arrow pierced into the buck's side, and it squealed in pain as blood seeped from the edges of the wound. It limped to a tree, and slumped on it before starting again at a limp. Quickly, Dungar drew another arrow, brought it back, and released. The arrow flew with incredible speed and accuracy, and as fast as it started, it ended when the arrow head penetrated the back of the mighty buck's skull.
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Post by Chorovis Titanis on Sept 30, 2013 21:31:40 GMT
Chorovis let out a long sigh as he dropped to his knees. "It was so beautiful" he whined, and then looked fiercely at his father. "Why did you kill it?!" His tone was bitter, but his face was face was sad.
"Survival" his Dungar called back to him as he walked towards the now dead buck, and knelt down inspecting and and feeling the buck's smooth hide. "Survival, my son. You see, I hunt, not because I wish to see these creatures in pain, but because they supply, not only myself, but the rest of the kingdom with much needed supplements. Without them, we would likely wither away until nothing but bone was left of us." Dungar yanked the arrow from where it had pierced the buck's side, quickly rapping the wound in a cloth he had gotten out moments ago.
"I guess, but..." Chorovis looked at his hands, which were trembling with sadness. If something so beautiful could be destroyed by someone he held so dear, could the same be said for the rest of the world? He wasn't sure anymore.
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Post by Chorovis Titanis on Sept 30, 2013 21:38:53 GMT
Dungar yanked the arrow from the back of the buck's head, repeating the process he had done with the buck's side. After collecting his arrows, he used what was left of the cloth, and cleaned the blood off the sharpened arrowhead. Dungar stood up, crossed his arms and looked down at his slumped over child. "I understand your feelings." Chorovis looked up, staring straight into his father's eyes. "It's a sad sight to see such a majestic creature slain, but we must all do what is necessary to survive. However, not all people see it this way. If this buck had not died here, another hunter, much like myself, might come along, and take it's life as a trophy, as opposed to the more just cause of survival. This man would play with the creature until it was ready to die, and then keep it alive for more entertainment. This is why I aim for the head, and I like to get it over as quickly as possible. I would rather give this creature some mercy, and in doing so, end it's life as quickly as possible. After all..."
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Post by Chorovis Titanis on Sept 30, 2013 21:47:07 GMT
Dungar walked over to where Chorovis sat, knelt next to the helpless child, put his hand on his shoulder, and smiled. "Every living creature deserves mercy. No matter who they are, or how they act, or what they believe, if you can provide mercy to them, then you MUST provide mercy to them, whether they be man or beast, angel or demon. Remember that Chorovis, that no matter what you face, each creature deserves mercy." Dungar patted his son on the shoulder and stood up. He stretched his whole body, and then finally looked down at his son, pointed at the buck with his thumb, and said, "Now come on and help your old man with carrying this buck back to camp. We're gonna have a long day ahead of us, and it'd be nice to have an extra set of hands."
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