Part 2: Shadow Warrior

After a little less than an hour, the sun was just beginning to sink behind the mountains in the east. She broke through the line of trees and stood, breathing deeply in the slightly chilly breeze. It was the end of Auron, which meant the harvest season was right around the corner, night would come quicker and last longer, and the air would get chillier. Rai shivered a bit as the sweat she’d worked up cooled on her skin. There, at the bottom of the gently sloping hill, was the cabin her father had built 18 years ago when he’d married her mother. Smoke was curling gently out of the chimney and dancing in the breeze and she could just make out her mother, sweeping the front porch with an old twig broom.  Papa couldn’t be in the forge, because she couldn’t hear the telltale sounds of hammer meeting metal, so he must be in the barn, then. Kolen Sloan was the village blacksmith, but preferred not to live in the village. So he’d purchased this land on the edge of the village from the kingdom. It wasn’t very big, but they were able to have the cabin, and the forge, and a barn big enough to house two horses, a cow, and two goats. They also had a chicken coop back behind the barn and a fairly large vegetable patch behind the cabin, which was her mother’s pride and joy. Rai grinned contentedly and began trudging through the long grass. Suddenly, she heard an excited yelp and her grin widened. Daygo, her dog, was bounding across the field toward her, tongue lolling. Daygo wasn’t technically a dog, but he was close enough to one. Her father thought he might be an ashwari, a type of wolf found only in the Neverwood, but he wasn’t sure. Rai had found him, just a pup, one day a few years ago while hunting in the Never and he’d followed her home. Papa had been reluctant at first to allow her to keep him, but Daygo had refused any attempts made to shoo him away, so they had finally just accepted him as part of the family. She whistled, long and piercing, and the dog sped up. Rai stopped and braced herself, for a minute later Daygo bounded out of the grass and planted his paws on her chest, covering her face in doggie kisses.

“Good boy, Daygo, good boy.” She murmured, laughing. She scratched behind his ears for a second before shoving his paws off of her. He grinned at her, tongue lolling. He was big for a dog, the top of his head reaching just above Rai’s waist. His fur was thick and shaggy, and so dark that he seemed to melt into the shadows at night. His eyes were a piercing blue, and he had a long snout, pointed ears, and a bushy tail that curved slightly. Rai patted his head and began walking again. Daygo started to follow her, but turned his attention to the fringe of trees, whining slightly. His eyes searched the deepening shadows and the tip of his wet nose quivered as he scented the air. Suddenly his eyes zipped to the left, focusing on a huge boran tree, and he cocked his head to the side, tail wagging slightly, almost as if he was listening to someone. A moment later, he barked once, in acknowledgement, and then bounded away after his mistress.

         Rai staggered into the yard, her leg muscles burning a little from her day long trek.

“What did you bring us, Veraia?” Mama called from the porch as she set aside the broom and started down the steps from the porch. She rested her hands on her pregnant belly, arching her back a bit and smiling brightly at her daughter. Selia Sloan was a beautiful woman, with her daughter’s thick black hair, a soft, round face, and a slender figure that was now showing the signs of the ninth month of childbearing.

“A sayan, Mama. How are you feeling today? Is your back bothering you?” Rai asked.

“A bit, darling, a bit. But it comes with the territory, so I can’t complain. Mmm, sayan. I’ll put together a stew for tomorrow night. The weather’s turning chillier, so it’ll be nice to have something warm.  Go on, then, and take it into the barn. Let your father know evenmeal’s about done.”

“I will, Mama. Go put your feet up for a few minutes. Papa and I can serve the evenmeal tonight.” Rai said, leaning over to kiss her mother’s cheek, knowing that Selia wouldn’t listen. Selia smiled and patted her daughter’s shoulder before waddling back up the steps and into the cabin. Rai watched her go before continuing through the yard and into the barn, Daygo trailing her like a shadow. Inside the barn, she deposited the sayan on the butchering table before walking past the stalls and back to the little workroom. She stood in the doorway for a second, watching her father as he patiently filed a metal horseshoe. Kolen was a tall, broad shouldered man, with dusky blond hair curling over the collar of his shirt. Rai had inherited her bright green eyes from him, and the shape of his mouth. His arms were thick with a blacksmith’s muscles, and Rai could still remember the feeling when he would use those arms to throw her high into the air, catching her and swinging her around.

“Papa, I’m back.” She said, stepping into the room. Kole jumped a bit and whirled to face her, a hand slapping to his heart.

“Rai! I will never understand how you do that! Not a peep out of those blasted animals and you walked right past them!” he exclaimed, placing the file and the horseshoe on the table. Rai giggled.

“Oh, it’s only because they’re so familiar with my scent, Papa.” Kole held out his arms and Rai moved in to hug him.

“Well then why do they make enough noise to raise the dead when I walk past them?” he asked, smiling down at her as he hugged her.

“Well, it doesn’t help that you sound like a stampeding bear when you walk. Why do you think I don’t let you go hunting with me anymore?” Rai said, laughing when he swatted her head lightly.

“You know, if you were a son instead of a daughter…”

“I know, I know, Papa. You’d hang me upside down in the well by my toes for a week.” She said, rolling her eyes. It was an old joke between them. Though, to be fair, Rai was just as good as a son when it came to helping him with manual labor.

“How was the hunting?” he asked, running his hand over the back of her hair affectionately. Rai smiled.

“I took down a sayan, Papa. The skin is beautiful; it’ll make a nice blanket for the baby.”

“Let’s go see.” Kole strode out of the workroom and up to the butchering table. He whistled softly.

“Seeven’s breath, Rai, that’s a beautiful shot.” He patted her shoulder. “You’re right, the skin is beautiful. We’ll have to be extra careful with the skinning. You go on, now, I’ll take care of this. Won’t take me long.”

“Are you sure, Papa?” Kole nodded.

“Absolutely, poppin.  Go wash up for evenmeal; give your mama a hand in the kitchen.” Rai kissed his cheek and left the barn. She was striding across the yard when she had the strangest feeling that she was being watched. She stopped walking and stood, searching the shadows at the side of the barn, but even her keen eyes couldn’t find anything out of place, so she shrugged it off and bounded up the steps and into the house.

Deep in the Neverwoods, a small brook bubbled merrily through a clearing. The moonlight filtered down through the break in the tree tops, painting the clearing with a silvery glow. Silently, a small sphere of sunlight winked into existence right next to the brook, burning brightly for a few seconds before it disappeared just as quietly. When the light faded, it left behind a curiously shaped stone that glowed purple in the moonlight. The stone seemed to shiver, but then it lay still.

Rai spent the next few days helping her parents prepare for the coming cold season. There were vegetables to store, meat to be dried, trips to be made into the village. Her mother was at the end of the pregnancy, so they were all waiting for the arrival of the baby. The third day after she had brought down the sayan, Rai woke before the dawn. It was a chilly morning, and she groaned at the thought of her feet touching the cold floor. She lay for a moment, listening to Mama and Papa moving around beneath her. The air carried the scent of eggs and potatoes frying, with the slightly bitter undertone of derya, the hot liquid her father liked to drink in the morning. It was made from ground beans and steeped in boiling water, and Papa said it was all that got him going in the morning. She smiled and sat up, pushed the heavy furs back, and swung her feet to the cold floor. Gratefully, she noticed that someone, probably Papa since Mama couldn’t climb the ladder anymore, had brought her hot water to wash with. She hurried through her morning washing and quickly combed through her tangled mass of hair, braiding it tightly and wrapping a leather thong around the end of it. Breeches and a light weight shirt, a leather vest, stockings, and her well-worn boots were all pulled on quickly. Dressed for a day in the woods, she clambered down the ladder that led up from the kitchen to her little loft.

“Good morning, poppin.” Papa said from his seat at the little wooden table next to the hearth. She returned the greeting, kissing him on the cheek before taking her own seat. Selia placed an earthenware plate in front of her, piled high with steaming fried chicken eggs, fried potatoes, and a thick ham steak. A mug of milk was already waiting for her.

“Thank you, Mama.” She said eagerly. Closing her eyes, she said her thanks to the gods before digging in.

“I want you to be careful today, Rai.” Kole said, holding his steaming mug of derya. Rai raised her eyebrows at him questioningly. Kole took another sip from his mug before answering.

“When I was in the village yesterday, Kerr Stringer told me that bandits hit Goria Village not two nights past. They killed four people before Oshayne Dervi was able to run them out. Unfortunately, this is the direction they were headed, so Dervi sent a runner to warn us. They might be hiding out in the Neverwood.” Oshayne was the Ibian term used to describe the leader of the village. Ibian was an ancient language in Tern, almost obsolete except for a few words that were traditionally used. Rai swallowed her food and scowled.

“Maybe I’d better stay here, then. I can always go hunting tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow is the start of Ashlan. I won’t have you missing the harvest festival to go hunting. We’ll be fine here.” Kole smiled at her. Ashlan was the start of harvest season, and was marked by a festival in all the villages of Tern. In the kingdom capitol, there were huge feasts and carnivals throughout the city.

“If you’re sure, Papa.” Rai said, before tucking back into her mornmeal. She finished eating quickly.

“Well, I’m off then.” She rose and took her plate to the basin before grabbing her leather knapsack off its hook by the door. Selia handed her a wrapped bundle.

“Some rolls, a wedge of cheese, an apple, and some sayan jerky for noonmeal.” She smiled and kissed her daughter’s forehead. “Take Daygo with you, Rai. I’ll feel safer.” Rai tucked the bundle in the knapsack.

“But Mama, I’d rather Daygo stayed here. He’ll give you warning if the bandits decide to pay a visit.” She replied, frowning. Kole chuckled.

“And he’ll warn you if you’re about to stumble into a bandit camp, which is why your mama wants you to take him. We’ll be fine here, Rai. Take the dog, if only to ease her mind.” Selia smirked at him.

“Ah, and it’s only my mind that’ll be eased, I’m sure.” Kole chuckled again.

“Alright, I’ll take Daygo. It’s not like he’ll harm my hunting any. You know, it’s odd that he doesn’t chase the game away. He doesn’t even bark at them.” Rai said as she grabbed her unstrung bow from the brackets that held it above the kitchen door.

“If I’ve learned anything about that dog, it’s that uncanny is normal for him.” Kole looked at the dog, which was curled in front of the fire. Daygo chuffed softly and grinned at Kole. Rai rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers. Daygo leapt to his feet and walked over to the door, tail wagging.

“I’ll be back before dark then. Bye.” Rai said, and she swung her quiver over her shoulder before striding out the door.