The Hunter: chapter 7

                                         Chapter 7

                      

                      "What is not yet known by the human eye, is termed as inhumane and monstrous. Yet is it because of the unknowingness surrounding it?"                                               

                                                                                 -Count Rodarick of the holy college

                                 "He's beautiful! Just like his mother." said Mikhael, the little boy laughed with joy. Their baby boy was only about three years and yet inherited all the good characteristics of his parents. Shahadi the village shaman blessed the boys with the good wishes of the wood spirits. "You better grow up to be a good huntsman like your uncle Tom" said a man who looked like he was in his twenties. "I bet he would admire his aunt Tina!" said a woman who looked like the gatherer of the village. "And hopefully he turns into a fine man like her husband Aldrin" said another bearded man beside her. Mikhael was happy and joyous that his little boy was so loved by by his dearest friends. As a young boy little Ivan would play happily with the other kids of Velenwood. The only few words he had in his vocabulary were happiness and joy.

                                 "Father, when will mom come back from her trip to Stonegrad?" asked Ivan to his father everyday before bed without knowing that his mother had been lost to the sea "Soon my boy, Soon". The only issue that this happy family faced was their bloodline. They were the descendants of  poor. And hence were treated a bit less fairly than the other families present in the village. They even had a name to themselves, Morgus. Yet little Ivan was unaware of this and hence wasn't quite bothered by the fact. Every morning would be bright and filled with excitement. Until that  one awful moment.

 

                                   "What do you mean chief! you know about his bloodline do you not" were the often comments after the verdict was passed that Mikhael would now be the new chief of the people of Velenwood. "No matter his blood, he has shown admirable skill and the leadership to lead our people in this bygone age. Our village has thrived with his decisions and opinions. If there was anyone more fit to lead our village it would be him"said Gerald the second-in-command of the village and a dear friend of Mikhel even though Gerald was one of the higher bloods of the village. Yet his son would strongly disagree with him. His son was named Jack and had earned the title of Bear hide as once he fought a bear with his fists and got wounded badly, yet his skin even though badly scratched showed no signs of injuries. He was pale skinned and had a huge beard and long orange hair. He resembled a wild bear rather than a human.

                                 Soon the decision was taken that Mikhael would be the new chief of the village. The reaction was often mixed. Some would curse their rotten luck for having a Morgus as a chief, whereas some would rejoice for their good luck. That night Ivan slept cuddling a broken piece of a medallion. It was lade with emeralds and diamonds. It had sentimental value to him as he remembered this as a memorial of his lost mother who died at sea. In the morning he woke up and went to play with his fingers but on the way there he saw an open door below the town hall. And he decided to venture down there as his curiosity knew no bounds. There he would be met with a grizzly sight. 

                                 He saw the burnt bodies of many but one in particular made him stammer in fear. As mangled and burnt the corpse was he could make out the hand of a woman and in her hand was something that made him flood with various emotions. Fear,  pain, rage, agony, all slowly ebbed into his delicate soul. For in her hand was a medallion laden with emeralds and diamonds. And a picture of Ivan , Mikahel and herself....."M..mom?"

                                Slowly the crops started dying and the village started degrading in terms of food. Many people were upset and they had someone to point their fingers on. "I TOLD YOU THAT ELECTING A MORGUS AS OUR CHIEF WOULD SPELL OUT BAD LUCK FOR THE REST OF US!" Mikhael didn't know how to react. For he had no words to explain that him being born of the lesser blood could possibly be the reason for this catastrophe. "I know how we can deal with this." said Jack as he exchanged looks with other villagers and shared a common grin. "Winter is approaching and we are low on kindling". With that they grabbed Mikhael and started beating poor Ivan. Ivan was so injured that his face bloated painfully and no cry for help would be answered and the last he saw his father was outside the entrance to the town hall basement. Amongst all the blood over his face there were tears too. 

                             

                            

                          

                          The Hunter heard about this story and had no words to speak , no emotions to show and more importantly no words of sympathy to give. On the other hand Helianthus was struggling to keep his bearings intact and not burst out into tears. "Years passed Hunter but yet the wounds never healed fully. For months as I grew up eating the scraps thrown at me and the apples crawling with maggots my fate never got any better and so I decided then and there that I should....no I MUST do this deed and so I on the twelfth day of Summer under the cover of night I gathered the skull of a rotting moose and the feathers of a thrush and offered my own blood to appease the wood spirits. The following days the crops started dying and the fishes died in the water." Cold air wept pass the trio as they heard what followed. "First it was the dissapearance of the little kids and soon the elder's food turned a sour black during the feast. Even though the burning bodies in the town hall provided warmth at night the village was enshrouded in a fog of cold."  Ivan then told them about the events about Tom and Tina and her husband. 

                         Just then they heard the sounds of footsteps behind them. The hunter turned around and saw the village elder approaching him. " O good hunter what are you doing lollygagging around with this Fool of a misbirth." The hunter had no words now. His fingers were twitching with rage. "I heard all about your deeds. Mikhael trusted you Gerald, you were his solace from the village and yet you decided to carry on with his execution. The way you deal with bodies in the basement still shakes me and would shake even a mass murderer. I ask you? why?"

                          Gerald looked angry, "Why does it matter you. I did it because the villagers needed a message to not mess with us higher bloods. Ivan's mother rejected my love and chose his low blooded father instead. Tina despised my actions regarding Ivan's mistreatment and my dealing with Mikhael. Now if you're questions are answered i suggest you get to work and deal with this pest problem like the good lapdog you are. Or would you like me to use your friends as kindling?" Something awoke within the Hunter. A feeling of caged rage as he unsheated his sword. "Wha....what are you doing fool!" the hunter looked towards Gerald and answered. "Doing my lapdog job....Killing monsters"