Weeks passed as the winter months ended and spring began to warm the mountain side. My wounds healed and left large scars across my arm and back. My brand healed quicker than the rest, the pain still flared from time to time. The name Wolfsbane is now used more than my true name. Even traders who rest in our village at night have heard the name. Almost every night my story is told, the fourteen year old boy who slayed the white wolves and lived. As stories go they get more extravagant with every telling, some add more wolves, others add more wounds to me and they all end with me returning triumphant walking through town holding the wolf head high.
Only the village knows the real story and tells it as such now. As I walked through the village center I noticed a heavier flow of trade. The hunters hall had more buyers of fur than we usually had, and our cooks had to make twice as much as usual. Carts were lined on the side of the houses as trade goods flowed left and right. My father walked with a few tradesman laughing and making small conversation. He nodded my direction which drew the attention of the tradesman.
"Ah is this the fabled Wolfsbane I've heard so much about?" My father stood next to me with pride, "Indeed this is my son Ysellian Densahy, or as you know him Wolfsbane." The men staggered a moment in shock that I actually existed. Two of them looked me over and smiled as the other looked at me in disbelief. "So your the boy who slayed the white wolves hmm, I dont believe those horseshit stories." My father turned to him and glared as if to pierce him with his eyes. "You can believe what you will but my son is the slayer of the beasts, he returned to us with its head on his belt." The man spit on the ground as my father finished speaking. "Prove it then I want to see the scars left by the beasts, I want to see the-." Before the man could finish speaking I ripped the leather from my chest exposing my back. I turned allowing him to see the marks for himself. "I promise you the stories are true." His eyes grew wide as he eyed the thick scars on my back. It was as if the entire village stopped to eye the scars made by the alpha wolf. Tradesman from all over stopped and looked as the only one who denied it cleared his throat. "Forgive me Wolfsbane, I simply wanted to see for myself if these stories were true." I picked up my vest and strapped it onto my body again. "Did that satisfy your curiosity?" He nodded his head without meeting my eyes, he looked at my father and lowered his head as he returned to his cart.
My father nodded and continued to walk with the tradesmen, who were now harshly insulting the one who denied who I was. I approached the hunters hall looking at the pelt on display above the door. "It is still amazing to think you survived Wolfsbane, yet here you stand among us." Helika stood behind me looking at the pelt as well, smiling as my father did. "The other hunters and I have something for you, come inside." He stepped past me and opened the door waiting for me to enter. I stepped through and saw my fellow hunters all standing together. A few of them held and fist to their chest, the others simply smiling. "It has taken us a great amount of time to do this, finding the right wood and binding from a tree so rare is difficult to say the least." Helika walked behind the other hunters out of view. " However we finally found one and crafted this for you." He walked around them holding a pristine Yetho carved bow, a tree rarely found in a mans life much less carved from.
I felt my eyes widen as he held it out to me, my jaw loosened as I went to speak but no words came out. "This is a gift from all of us, you have done what none have done before you, not just once, but twice. You survived the primes challenge and managed to kill two white wolves." I looked up at him as tears filled his eyes. I grabbed the bow and admired it for what seemed like hours. "You are the greatest of us Ysellian Densahy, and I am proud to have you as a prime hunter by my side." The other hunters chanted and howled as he finished speaking. The pride in the room could be cut with a knife.
As we all left the hunters hall, jokes and laughter filled the air. Even the tradesmen began to push and laugh. For hours we all shared stories of hunts, fights, travel and love. I lay back for a moment and closed my eyes, smiling at how well things were going. Then it went silent, no laughter, no talking, silence. I opened my eyes to an empty dark village, no fires, not even the wind was blowing. Suddenly a house burst into flames, then another and another. Within moments the entire village was a roaring inferno. I jumped to my feet and looked for a way out of these flames but could find nothing. The fires grew larger as the houses began to collapse. "Again you find your way to me young one." A tainted voice echoed through the air as the visage of an older me walked through the flames. Half man, half darkness, he walked toward me slowly. His gaze like a piercing dagger.
"You stand at the top of your achievements, full of pride and thoughts of victory." His foot steps became heavier as the ground cracked beneath him. "You only stride down the path to me Ysellian Densahy, or should I call you Wolfsbane now?" I took a few steps back only to be met with a wall of fire. "This is a dream isn't it, you can't be real." I took a step forward testing my thoughts, I instead met the end of his dark arm. It pierced my chest lifting me from the ground. The pain was so real, but how could this all be happening? "You will soon realize that your fate is inevitable, you are mine." I spit blood on to the ground and lifted my head to meet his gaze.
I grabbed my dagger attached to my belt and thrust it into his arm. Unfazed by it at all I dragged it toward me slicing open a large wound. He smiled as if amused, he pulled his arm back from my chest. I fell the ground hard holding my hands to my chest to find no open wounds, but the pain was still very real. I staggered to my feet as he examined his arm. "Your heart and will is indeed strong, but you still do not understand." His arm pieced itself together as if no wound was ever made, he smiled and slammed his fist into the ground wrapping everything in pitch darkness. "You will be mine Ysellian Densahy."
I shot up from the ground to my feet dagger in hand, I looked around frantically. My father grabbed my arm and turned me to face him. "Ysellian stop!" His face immediatly sent a chill through me. A large cut from his cheek to his chin was freshly made. I looked down at my dagger in shock, blood dripped from it. I dropped it to the ground and took a step back. I felt myself begin to shake as I looked back to my father. "I, I'm so sorry father, it was so real, the pain in my chest, his voice!" My father placed a hand on my shoulder and kneeled in front of me. "Not here my son, come let us go home to talk."
I walked through our door with my head sunk low, how could I strike my own father? "Tell me what you saw Ysellian." My father shut the door behind us not wasting any time. He made his way to his chair in front of the fireplace. I sat on the ground next to my bed and shivered at the thought. "The village on fire, a visage of a man only, half of him was pitch black. The other half looked like me but older." My fathers eyes widened as I spoke, "Your sure it was you Ysellian?" Tears ran down my face as he asked. "What other hunter has the brand over their heart, or silver hair?" His eyes dropped to the floor, "It sounds as if your vision from before was more than just a vision." He stood from his chair walked to me and held his hand out to help me to my feet. As I stood he lifted my head to meet his eyes. "You are the one who controls the will of your mind my son, nothing and no one can take that from you."
His words circled in my mind for a moment piecing together what he meant. "Your saying I choose what can and can't be done in these dreams, right?" He nodded his head, "There is no force in this world or the next that can take away your power in your own mind, unless you let it." I understood what was meant, but I did not know at the time how to do it. All I knew was I was afraid to sleep, afraid to see my village, my family burned and the buildings turning to ashes. I gathered myself and looked at my fathers face where I cut him. "Please forgive me father, the dream was so real I just couldn't bare the thought of losing everyone." He smiled and placed his hand on my shoulder. "It is not my first cut and it will not be my last Ysellian, if anything you gave me a nice scar to show off now." He laughed a bit as he spoke, I laughed as well as we both walked toward the door.
Days went by with no visions or nightmares, I still did not sleep well regardless. The village became even more busy with each passing day. I stood at the side of the hunters hall stacking leather and pelts ready to be traded. I watched Lelienna work with her father across the way. "So when are you going to talk to her again?" Helika, walked up from behind me carrying more leather to be sold. I laughed and grabbed a pile of fresh leather stacking it with the rest. "After the last time I'm not sure I should try." Helika laughed and pushed his fist into my cheek. "Don't tell me the mighty Wolfsbane is scared to talk to a girl now!" I pushed his hand away smiling, I looked up at Lelienna as I placed more leather on the stacks. "I don't understand what it is I admire the most, her strength is obvious with her father being a builder. Her resolve, since she struck me its like nothing happened." I paused for a moment admiring her long red hair as it danced in the wind. " I think what it is, is her spirit, I can't explain it but every time I see her its like I'm being pulled to her. Like something wants me to be around her to talk to her, if that makes sense."
Helika stood and listened to me talk about Lelienna for at least an hour. I barely knew her and yet I couldn't stop myself. As I paused for a moment Helika patted me on the back and smiled. "It sounds to me like your in love." I felt my entire face heat up as I looked away. "Oh, shut up!" Helika laughed loud as he walked past me toward Lelienna's home. "Helika no don't you dare go and tell her anything!" My words might as well have bounced off of him. He approached her father smiling and not long after they were both in laughter. After a bit of laughter and some pats on the shoudler. Helika waved for me to come over, Lelienna's father looked at me and smiled. "So the mighty Wolfsbane is still after my daughter is he?" I glared at Helika as I approached, Lelienna continued her work as if I didn't exist. "I heard you spoke very, happily, about my daughter." I looked up at him and smiled nervously. "Yes I did, i'm sure Helika didn't leave anything out."
He patted me on the shoulder and smiled. "If you want to try again for her attention I will not stop you, she is free to speak with you when she sees fit." Lelienna dropped a large wooden log on the ground and turned to look at me. "Are you back for another chance at a sore cheek Wolf Boy?" I looked at her playfully, "You can certainly try if you would like." She grinned and walked towards me, she swung as I raised my hand to catch her fist. She quickly swung with her other hand, only to miss as I ducked under it. I stepped forward and pulled her off balance catching her only an inch from my face. "I didn't think you were so easily beaten Lelienna, you showed more promise the first time you hit me." She grinned a devilish smile as she kicked my leg. I let go of her and stumbled back a bit, she quickly swung another time catching me in the chest. I stumbled another step back and looked up at her smiling. "Was that good enough Wolf Boy?" She said as she turned away returning to her work.
I stood straight again as Helika and her father stood both grinning from ear to ear. "I think she likes you Wolfsbane." Helika said through a short laugh, her father took a step toward me as he spoke. "I think she does to, but I don't think she will go easy on you again." I looked at her father in confusion. "Go easy on me? I havent been hit that hard since Helika and I were practicing." I saw Lelienna look over at me and smile as she picked up four large logs of wood and carry them behind her home. I watched her walk and realized what he meant. "I don't think I would have it any other way." He laughed and turned back to his workbench as Helika and I returned to the hunters hall.