Two years had passed since the visions haunting me stopped. I was unsure as to why but I was not complaining. I was sixteen now, approaching my seventeenth year. Everything could not have been any better. More game returned to the forest so hunting has been much more rewarding. We hunters bring back three to four stag at a time instead of the old one or two. New homes and buildings stood tall amongst the village. A new tavern was built to accommodate the increase of trade wagons. Additions were made to the hunters hall as we gained many newcomers who wanted to train under myself and Helika. The new homes allowed for our village to grow quickly.
Helika and I stood at the back of the hunter hall, yelling at the new would-be hunters. "Straighten your arm to have as much stability as you can get!" Some of them barely older than me, yet couldn't even hold a bow. They all pulled and struggled to keep a steady aim. One of them threw down their bow and turned to us. "Why can we not shoot these already, it would be easier to get a shot when we have arrows!" Helika waved for them to stop, as they dropped there bows they all looked to us. "You honestly think if you have an arrow it will stabilize your shot?" Some of them looked around trying to avoid the question, others nodded in approval. "Shall we show them what we can do Wolfsbane?" He patted me on the back as I smiled, "This should be fun." We grabbed our bows and quivers as they all moved aside. "I want you to understand all of us started with what you are doing now, and Wolfsbane here is only sixteen years old. He is by far the greatest hunter we have."
One of them yelled as Helika spoke, "We have all heard the story, but he killed those wolves with a knife not an arrow how goo..." Before he could finish speaking I launched and arrow directly past his head scratching his ear, without looking his direction. The trainees all stood in shock as the arrow landed a perfect bullseye only feet behind him. "You will respect Helika's words and not open your mouths again while he speaks." They all closed their mouths and looked at me with almost terror. Helika smiled as he continued, "Do you think we gained this skill just by shooting arrows, or practicing where to shoot?" Helika shook his head as the trainees listened, "Everyone starts with the basics, if you can't learn the basics you will never be a hunter."
Helika grabbed my arm and held it high, bow in hand. "This bow is made from a special tree known as the Yetho tree, one that can only be carved and used by a prime hunter. If you all think this is pointless, try pulling the string back, the one who does gets to use arrows for practice." They all stepped forward one by one trying to pull the string back. Not one of them could, Helika smiled as he handed the bow back to me. "Now watch what practice will do for you, Wolfsbane if you would like." I pulled three arrows from my quiver and closed my eyes taking a deep breath. I loosed all three arrows within a second hitting three seprate bullseyes. The trainees jaws all dropped at the same time, "That is what training will allow you to do, should you train hard enough."
One of the trainees began to argue, "You know where all the targets are you have done this since you were ten years old!" Another returned his arguement, "I helped Helika place these new targets this morning, they are not in the same place as the old ones." The one to argue quickly closed his mouth and looked away. I took a step towards them, they all watched as I spoke. "We do not treat any of you differently than the next, I too went through this same training as a boy and look where I stand now. I am amongst the greatest hunters give to this land, because I was taught by the best so I gave nothing less than the best." They all gazed at me with admiration as I continued. "My father and his father before him were prime hunters of this village, Helika and his father before him were as well. Do you think we achieved that title by skipping steps or slacking on our training? No we pushed everyday to show that the blood in our veins ran like liquid fire, that we will give nothing but the best in honor of our past brothers!"
I thrust my bow high into the air as I finished, I did not notice the other huntsman heard me speaking and gathered behind Helika. They all cheered and pounded their chests in approval, as the trainees began to pick up their bows and bow their heads in respect. I turned and walked around the side of the hunter hall as Helika began barking orders again. I heard a light whisper on the winds as I turned the corner. "Hey Wolf Boy." Lelienna leaped on top of me from the side of the hunters hall knocking me on my back. She began to swing at me as I covered my face with my arms, wiggling left to right to dodge her punches. "Sit still so I can kick your ass again!" I moved my leg under her and managed to flip her over. I quickly sat on top of her and pinned her arms above her head. She shook and struggled trying to push me off, but could not. She finally rested breathing heavily from her struggle. I lowered my face to her and kissed her softly on the cheek. "Its good to see you too Lelienna." She looked at me with daggers for eyes as i stood smiling. I held a hand out to help her, which she slapped away as usual. "Ill get you for that one Wolf Boy." I smiled as I quickly closed the gap between us kissing her on the lips. She swung at me and missed as I backed away. "Will you get me for that one too?"
Her face turned red as she turned and walked away. "Tomorrow, expect an ass beating." I could see a slight smile on her face as she walked away. I watched her for every second, her hair, her body, all of it a drug that I gladly took in. Dastrin a new blood who recieved his brand a few months ago patted me on the back making me jump. "Admiring the prey that eludes you huh Wolfsbane?" I sighed as she rounded the corner out of sight. "She is all I can think about most of the day, even when we hunt I think about her and how I wish she would see me as I see her." He smiled and pushed me to start walking. "She will come around, it took me three years to get my woman to bond to me." He laughed a bit as he spoke, telling me of how they became one. Truth be told I barely listened to him, for days I had been feeling anxious. Like I should be expecting something, however I didn't know what.
As the sun slowly moved behind the trees the hot summer day began to cool. Helika piled hides and fur onto a wagon heading east through the mountain passes. Dastrin was cutting meat from a stag recently braught to town. I sat on the ground outside the hunters hall resting after a days work. Helika walked through the door of the hall stretching and enjoying to cool breeze that ran through the village. "Our village is becoming ever more popular as the days pass, I believe we have you to thank for that." He sat on the ground next to me leaning against the wall. "I heard Lelienna is giving you more attention these days." I smiled and elbowed him in the arm, "Shouldn't your attention be on the trainees Helika, besides im sure im just her entertainment at this point."
He laughed and wrapped his arm around my neck pulling me to him. "I see the way she acts after your little lover fights, she stops for a moment to catch a breath and smiles as her whole face turns red." He pushes me back over to where I sat after I punched him in the chest trying to get free. "I think she looks at you the way you look at her, she just shows it differently than you." I looked at him holding the side of my neck where he grabbed me. "So her way of showing it is trying to kick my ass everyday?" He punched me lightly in the shoulder, "Exactly!" I looked up at the fading sun-drenched sky. "Name another that she shows any attnetion to past her own father." He stood and smiled, dusting himself off as he began walking to his home. I sat looking at Leliennas home wondering if what he said was true.
When suddenly I was tackled from the side, we rolled for a moment as Lelienna put all of her weight on my chest. She pinned my hands above my head with one arm and held my face in the other. I looked at her in suprise as she had me pinned. "Your mine Wolf Boy, I win!" I smiled up at her as she smiled at me. We sat for a moment just looking at each other as she held me in place, very well I might add. I relaxed and let myself sink to the ground, "You got me this time Lelienna, after two years, you have me, now what are you going to do to me." She hovered over me savoring her victory. Her crimson hair flowing in the light breeze, her grin faded and her head turned slowly. "Why can't I hate you." A tear ran down her face and fell onto my cheek, she sat back onto the ground and dropped her head into her hands.
I sat up and looked at her with a bit of confusion. "Ever since you returned to us two years ago I cant help but want to be around you. I fight myself everyday and play it off as if im trying to hurt you." She lifted her head as tears flowed from her eyes. "Now that I had you, it felt different, it's like I wanted to curl down and lay against your chest." I looked into her eyes as she continued to cry. I stood and held my hand out to her, she looked at me then dropped her head as she grabbed my hand. As I pulled her to her feet she leaned her head against my chest still holding my hand. Without think i wrapped my arm around her and pulled her closer. The winds wrapped around us as if it was speaking. I closed my eyes and spoke, "I love you Lelienna." The words left my mouth like water flowing through a waterfall, I felt her shift a bit, smiling against my chest. "I know Wolfsbane." She used the name for the first time and it echoed around me as she said it.
I was in pure bliss for a brief moment, until I felt her go limp in my arms. I opened my eyes to see two arrows sticking out of her back, and a dagger in her chest. My heart sank as I held her lifeless body to me. I fell to the ground tears rushing from my eyes. I looked up to the ashes of the village around me. Helika lay on the ground coughing up blood, arrows and large cuts lined his back and sides. "You...could have saved us...Wolfsbane but you left us to die instead!" He coughed up more blood as his breathing stopped. My father lay with a sword in his back in the same place he was in my vision. "This isn't real, it's been two years demon, where are you hiding."
I layed Lelienna's body on the ground and stood. Her body turned to dust and was swept away into the wind. Helika and my fathers body did the same as my dark visage walked through the town. "Your beginning to recognize my methods, your strength has improved." He stood a tower of veiled darkness glaring at me as I walked toward him. "You are nothing but a vision that will never come to pass, so long as I breath, you will never be real." He laughed, a deep echo that bared razor sharp fangs from his mouth. "You think I am just a vision do you?" In an instant he was inches from me. I quickly took steps back to keep atleast some distance. His lips curled into and evil grin, flashing his fangs again to me. "You think that I am any less real than you are?" He again appeared inches from me without making a move. I tried to back up again but instead ran into him.
I froze for a moment blinking, knowing he was just in front of me. His veiled arm slowly came up to my face. I tried to move but I couldn't, it was like my body wouldn't respond. His hand touched my cheek as pain shot through me. It was like recieving the brand again, only it was everywhere. I screamed in pain as he laughed behind me, my feet left the ground as I slowly began to turn to him. "This pain you feel is more than just a dream boy, it is as real as I am." His eyes met mine as the human half of him began to be over taken by the shadow. "With all your strength, you still cannot stand against me, it is pointless to try." The pain centered itself in my left arm as it became veiled in darkness. It felt as if my arm was being devoured, as it continued I lost feeling where it consumed it. It slowly crawled up my arm onto my shoulder.
I closed my eyes trying to prove to myself this was all only a vision. When my fathers words echoed in my head. "You are the one who controls the will of your mind my son, nothing and no one can take that from you." I focused on his voice and his words, suddenly the pain stopped crawling up my arm. I opened my eyes and glared straight into the demons eyes. "You will never, take me!" The shadows began to crawl back down my arm as his eyes widened slightly. "Impressive..." His voice echoed around us as the village disappeared and only darkness surrounded me. The darkness on my arm began to dance back and forth as I struggled for control. "This is not your mind, this is not your realm, and I will not fail against filth such as you!"
The darkness shattered from my arm as he staggered backwards. I hit the ground and jumped to my feet, pulling my dagger from my belt. In one swift motion a buried my dagger in his chest, twisting it and pushing him to the ground. The shadows surrounding us parted and the village came back into view. Only something was different, the village was not on fire. Instead people looked on in shock as I stood above the shadow veiled man. He picked himself off the ground holding his chest, black liquid flowed from the wound made by my dagger. He laughed through coughs of pain as he stood in front of me. "You are truely impressive Ysellian Densahy, I will enjoy watching that heart of yours break under your own failure." The wound on his chest healed instantly as he glared at me. The village looked on in horror as we stood ready to fight one another. I glanced around at the villagers unsure if this was real or another vision he has dragged me in.
I realized it was real when an arrow flew past my head and struck him in the arm, he looked down unfazed at it. Helika and the other hunters began to circle us keeping a wide area as to not get too close. He smiled as they aimed their bows ready to loose them on him. "Are you truely going to let these weaklings fight your battles?" In an instant the human form he wore changed into that of a large white wolf with one solid red eye, the other with a large cut over it. "Or will you finish what we started on the mountain side two years ago?" My eyes widened at the sight of the alpha wolf, I gripped my dagger tight as I stood ready for him. Helika and the others stood waiting to hear my reply. I lowered my head a bit and growled, "Finish your failure? I welcome the chance."
As the words left my mouth the hunters loosed their arrows into him. He howled in pain as he fell to the ground. He returned to the visage of a man as I approached him dagger in hand. I kneeled next to him as he began to spit black liquid onto the ground. "You failed, you will never have me or this village." He smiled as I put my dagger to his throat. "You stride ever closer to me with each passing day Ysellian Densahy, one way or another, you WILL be mine." I pulled my dagger across his neck cutting deep. Black liquid sprayed across my face and on the ground around us. His body went limp after a moment as I stood over him. "What the hell was that Wolfsbane!?" Helika placed a hand on my shoulder as I turned to him. I wiped the black blood from my face as I began to speak. "A nightmare that started two years ago, put to rest."