Kemor
14-09-2008, 08:42 PM
[25 years ago in Chrace]
The forest was a maze of mist and shades. At this wee hour, the in-between time when night-hunters are heading back to their lair while the day-dwellers have not yet awoken, even Kemor had to be very careful not to break the surrounding silence. He'd been resting the day before, knowing that his prey would not move far and he was now carefully catching up. White lions were gigantic beasts and yet they could move through their territory without leaving much tracks.
The apprentice knew the signs well however, his old master had taught him well, and the day of his maturity was finally ahead. As he progressed through the trees, adrenaline started pumping in his veins, awaking all his senses to a level he never before thought possible. Then he stopped...
The beast was here, so white it was blinding, so pure it was stunning, so majestic that even Kemor's high elven pride felt diminished. Almost instantly, the white lion acknowledged the elf's presence with a slight turn of it's head but kept otherwise immobile on the other side of the clearing, almost inviting. Kemor felt shame for the first time of his young life as he stood half-crouched behind a fallen tree while his supposed prey stood there so fiercely. In a movement he hoped as graceful as he tried to make it, Kemor stepped out and into the clearing, moving his huge halberd into a more dignifying stance. As he circled to get into a strategic position, he started to wonder who was the prey...and who was the hunter. Did the beast picked this place for a reason? His master had told him stories and warned him about the lion's intelligence but he never paid that much attention to them.
Both stood there for what seemed hours. The white lion had finally fully turned and now faced the elf but had not moved since then. Kemor's mind was still racing and even though the fight had not even begun yet, he was already feeling his muscles tire. Mustering all the courage he could, he finally let out the Woodsmen warcry and charged the beast...which simply nodded and almost carelessly took just a step forward.
Kemor's charge stopped as suddenly as it had begun, now only 30 feet from the lion. What had just happened? Won't it fight back?
"What do you want beast? Fight me and bring me all the honours I deserve! Fight me damn you!", Kemor shouted menacingly.
The white lion tilted his head sideway as if pointing at something. As the elf looked in the direction while keeping an eye on the animal, fearing some ploy, he suddenly noticed a little ball of white fur, just a couple feet into the covering of the wood. He now knew what the white lion wanted.
"Have no fear, this is between you and me as it has been for eons before us. The survivor will become the mother and father, be it you or me!"
Seemingly pleased, the beast slowly started to circle the clearing, his natural instincts and movements now so obviously focused on the coming battle that Kemor's resolution was shacken...
[2 weeks ago]
- "Kemor! Pack up your gear and go see Ilraydin within the hour. The Phoenix King needs you and your regiment up north as soon as possible! The Black Arks have landed on our land! Naggaroth is invading us! Now move it!"
And so Kemor and his regiment were sent to the Blighted Isle with what seemed hundreds of other young recruits, archmages and swordmasters.
His training half complete, the world-old rules of the White Lion's regiment broken due to extreme circumstances, he could only count on one thing: Ettie, his daughter, his weapon...
..his White Lion.
And then he heard a voice: "Yo, move away, I'm gonna buuuuuuuuuurrrnn this thing down! Boyyyyaaa! There! Say, I'm Sol from Precept, you know chaps with the Ears like you named Song and Wagner?".
And the rest is yet to come.
The forest was a maze of mist and shades. At this wee hour, the in-between time when night-hunters are heading back to their lair while the day-dwellers have not yet awoken, even Kemor had to be very careful not to break the surrounding silence. He'd been resting the day before, knowing that his prey would not move far and he was now carefully catching up. White lions were gigantic beasts and yet they could move through their territory without leaving much tracks.
The apprentice knew the signs well however, his old master had taught him well, and the day of his maturity was finally ahead. As he progressed through the trees, adrenaline started pumping in his veins, awaking all his senses to a level he never before thought possible. Then he stopped...
The beast was here, so white it was blinding, so pure it was stunning, so majestic that even Kemor's high elven pride felt diminished. Almost instantly, the white lion acknowledged the elf's presence with a slight turn of it's head but kept otherwise immobile on the other side of the clearing, almost inviting. Kemor felt shame for the first time of his young life as he stood half-crouched behind a fallen tree while his supposed prey stood there so fiercely. In a movement he hoped as graceful as he tried to make it, Kemor stepped out and into the clearing, moving his huge halberd into a more dignifying stance. As he circled to get into a strategic position, he started to wonder who was the prey...and who was the hunter. Did the beast picked this place for a reason? His master had told him stories and warned him about the lion's intelligence but he never paid that much attention to them.
Both stood there for what seemed hours. The white lion had finally fully turned and now faced the elf but had not moved since then. Kemor's mind was still racing and even though the fight had not even begun yet, he was already feeling his muscles tire. Mustering all the courage he could, he finally let out the Woodsmen warcry and charged the beast...which simply nodded and almost carelessly took just a step forward.
Kemor's charge stopped as suddenly as it had begun, now only 30 feet from the lion. What had just happened? Won't it fight back?
"What do you want beast? Fight me and bring me all the honours I deserve! Fight me damn you!", Kemor shouted menacingly.
The white lion tilted his head sideway as if pointing at something. As the elf looked in the direction while keeping an eye on the animal, fearing some ploy, he suddenly noticed a little ball of white fur, just a couple feet into the covering of the wood. He now knew what the white lion wanted.
"Have no fear, this is between you and me as it has been for eons before us. The survivor will become the mother and father, be it you or me!"
Seemingly pleased, the beast slowly started to circle the clearing, his natural instincts and movements now so obviously focused on the coming battle that Kemor's resolution was shacken...
[2 weeks ago]
- "Kemor! Pack up your gear and go see Ilraydin within the hour. The Phoenix King needs you and your regiment up north as soon as possible! The Black Arks have landed on our land! Naggaroth is invading us! Now move it!"
And so Kemor and his regiment were sent to the Blighted Isle with what seemed hundreds of other young recruits, archmages and swordmasters.
His training half complete, the world-old rules of the White Lion's regiment broken due to extreme circumstances, he could only count on one thing: Ettie, his daughter, his weapon...
..his White Lion.
And then he heard a voice: "Yo, move away, I'm gonna buuuuuuuuuurrrnn this thing down! Boyyyyaaa! There! Say, I'm Sol from Precept, you know chaps with the Ears like you named Song and Wagner?".
And the rest is yet to come.