[Flashback] Bloody Trial

[Aren]

12th of Summer - 414 AV It had been Aren's birthday just a couple days prior, and he was finally old enough to take his Rite of Trial. His friends had been waiting on him for awhile, but it was finally time, and they had all gathered on the outskirts of Riverfall, right at the edge of the Sea of Grass. "Fifteen, and a day, huh? Soon, you're going to have to start breeding." Neri teased, even though he was only a few days older than Aren himself. "Yeah, well... at least I'll be able to breed, whereas you are going to get your head crushed by a glassbeak." Of course Aren had to retort immediately. He and Neri had possessed a friendly rivalry since the day they met, at the age of six. The other boys always found their verbal exchanges entertaining, and their physical exchanges educational, but now that was over with, and all acknowledged the severity of the task at hand with silence. Every boy in the group had been disciplined and trained, since the moment they could walk, for this day. Today, they would become men, or they would die in the attempt. No one was going to run, no one was going cower. That was the one, absolute truth they could all be certain of. "It's time." After a few seconds of staring out into the Sea, Neri spoke up, commanding the troops, as it were, to head out.

[Puck]

A soft breeze filtered through the tall grass, driving the scent of Akalak younglings away from what lurked. The sky had clouded over this morning, threatening the great plains beneath with the rare Summer shower; though no water had yet spilled. Overcast greys flooded the sky, in stark contrast to the varied greens presented by the plain. Distant lightning split the sky, and thunder erupted from the clouds to roll across the land like a wave. The young Akalak boys traveled across the vast expanse of the Sea of Grass for what must have been twenty five minutes before coming upon the first sign of life in the storm's prefix. The Olidosapux grazed. A small group, no more than nine in number, and each seemed wary. The impending storm made the air static and tense, a state that rubbed into the herbivores' demeanor. Snorts and a few low moos went up from the herd as the sky bellowed. Ears flicked back and forth on their large bodies, sifting through the various sounds of the antebellum. Each of the grazers had a pair of long horns adorning its face, looking wicked enough to impale the man. Amongst the lumbering beasts, two in particular were of note. One, the alpha male, seemed to be considerably larger than its compatriots. Another, if one were to look closely, heavily favored one leg, and would limp when it walked. It hovered near the edge of the heard, and dried blood matted its leg. Even as the turmoil of the lightning storm plagued the plains, the struggle for survival continued. Grass swirled about in the wind, but some stirred just a bit too much. It was clear to even the boys that the particular area they saw was not moving solely due to the wind. There was something ahead of them besides the Olidosapux, crouched low in the grass.

[Aren]

Neri took suddenly to the ground, motioning the group behind him to do the same. His keen eyes had noticed something in the brush, and though he could not perceive exactly what, the herd of herbivores in front of him suggested it was probably one of predators of the Sea. Perhaps, if they were lucky, even the one they were in search of. As Aren came up beside him, Neri silently motioned him to the wounded member of the heard. If they kept their eyes on it, eventually they'd spot whatever was around here, as it was unlikely to pass up easy prey. Of course, they'd have to hope they could stay downwind of it in the meantime. The weather being what it was, their ability to do this was subject to debate. Aren acknowledged the situation with a nod, and fell back to inform the others. They didn't dare say a word, regardless of their desires to voice their feelings or concerns, as one dissenting voice could spark a flood. Instead, they merely looked at each other, the tension so high you could have cleaved it in half with a dull spoon. Once they spotted the creature, they'd have to act quickly, while all of it's senses were focused on making the kill. Everyone would have to be ready. Any mistake, any indecision in any of them could result in the death of all of them. None of the animals of the Sea of Grass were to be taken lightly, but least of all the one they hunted. All of them knew this. It had been drilled into their skulls for years, but never before had the lessons they'd been taught ring so true. Many wondered if perhaps this wasn't the whole point of the Trial...

[Puck]

Woe upon the Olidosapux with the wounded leg. Woe for it had no sanctuary from the wrath of the storm. It was weak, fit to be cast aside. The world shed no tears for the Olidosapux though, for its fate was overshadowed. Of all the unfortunate occurrences underneath that tumultuous sky, the smallest one brought the most shadow. Nothing that day changed more lives than the shifting of the wind. The grass stirred. It erupted with motion as the creature stood, rising to near seven feet in height. Its head was adorned with a vicious glass hook, and translucent scales clung to parts of its body. Pale yellow-green plumage covered the rest of it, blending uncannily well with the grass. The glassbeak swiveled its head a bit, glancing at the Akalak for a moment. Baleful eyes fell upon them like a harsh rain, piercing their clothes to soak their hearts. It stepped toward the children, a proclamation of power. A hoarse scream sounded from its beak, an announcement of death. The Olidosapux, noticing the threat, panicked. They abandoned their grazing, mooing loudly, snorting in panic. Two began to charge away from the Akalak, but divered and wheeled about as another scream erupted from the grass. Another pair of cries resounded from the grass, each piercing the ears of the Akalak children. The world had become a bedlam of sounds, and death scented the air. Olidosapux tried to escape, but each attempt was cut off by the predators; though the chaos in the distance seemed insignificant as the predator in front of the companions approached. The herd's only escape lay in the only side without a predator, which was toward the children. Tremors shook the ground as the Olidosapux rallied and charged away from the attacking predators, moos polluting the air. The lone beast between the children and herd snarled, charging in for its own kill.

[Aren]

"Shit...!" The sudden wind change immediately told Neri that whatever they were hunting was going to notice them, but how was he supposed to know that there wasn't just one of the beasts, but many. At the shifting of the wind, Aren had come up besides Neri, in hopes of co-developing a secondary plan of action. Only as he saw his friend's transfixed gaze on the scene erupting in front of them did he think to actually look at it, "Oh, shit..." Of course, with all the commotion, the rest of the group had come up to see what the fuss was all about... and what they saw nearly froze them in place: a pack of glassbeaks were in the process of executing a coordinated strike on the Olidosapux herd, but prey didn't generally give up without making the predator give chase. As it turned out, though, their only escape route was through the boys. "We've gotta get out of here!" Shouted Aren, giving Neri a good smack to shake him out of his trance. Yes, they had to move, but they had more problems than just a stampeding herd of wild animals. Aren had caught sight of the one glassbeak they were actually hunting, just as it caught sight of them. It's gaze sent a shiver up and down his pine, and the eyes of his friends seemed to open wider than he thought was possible. Some say animals can smell fear, and the beast certainly seemed to have caught the scent, as it charged headlong into the young Akalaks. It didn't seem to particularly mind or care that a large group of frightened, panicked Olidosapux were right behind it. And so, the boys did the only thing that seemed prudent at the time: run. In an effort to get out of the way of the herd, Aren attempted to rally the group off the path of the scared animals, "Move your blue asses if you want to live!" His words of motivation propelling them forward, the young Akalaks did their best to scurry out of the way of the coming avalanche.

[Puck]

Sixty miles per hour. That was how fast a glassbeak could move when running down prey. As the boys scrambled for their lives, the predatory bird screamed once again, a sound to shatter the stoutest of souls. It closed the distance with effortless speed, and the boys could almost feel its hot breath on their backs. This seven foot monstrosity, the very thing they had come to hunt, would be their end. Blood would soon stain glass. The first Akalak scream came from behind Aren, Neri was crying for him, "Aren! Aren!" His shrieks were high as the glassbeak's, a pleading cry for help. Even as Aren's legs pumped to carry him away from the scene, the words of Neri were repeated in his mind like a metronome. Aren! Aren! His name was all that his friend had cried before his voice dissolved into bloody gurgles and pleas. Neri's voice faded fast, and was all at once snuffed out like a small candle. Never again would Aren hear Neri's voice, except within the demesnes of his nightmares, where it was ceaseless. The Olidosapux continued to charge, quickly gaining ground on the children. Tremors from their combined mass of well over two tons rocked the earth beneath their feet. The fledgeling hunters knew that they would not last much longer if a plan was not devised. An odd cry resounded from the herd, too high pitched and fierce to be from an Olidosapux. A Glassbeak had been trampled by the herd, indubitably while snapping at one of the members. It flailed about in the dust as it tried to stand on crushed legs and ribs. It too, was destined to die this day. The glassbeak that had slaughtered Neri did not cease its pursuit. For it was not dim enough to stand and get trampled. Instead it ran diagonally past the boys, moving dangerously close to Aren and out of the herd's path. He saw the blood coating its beak and talons, Neri's blood. A bit of gore hung from the glassbeak's maw, and its eyes briefly focused on Aren as charged out of the stampede's path. One of the boys ahead of Aren, Jacost, turned to see the predator approaching his backside. Panicking, he broke away from his friends and dashed out into the Sea of Grass. Immediately, the massive avian took off after him. He would not last long if they did not take action, but any cessation of pace would likely result in the entire party getting trampled. Jacost ran, the glassbeak closing swiftly.

[Aren]

In their desperation to avoid being trampled, the boys had blundered, and forgotten the swiftness of the glassbeak. It was a mistake Neri paid for with his life. "Neri, NO!" Alas, too late did Aren look back to be of any use to his friend. All he could was witness his own prediction coming true: Neri's skull being crushed in within a massive glass beak. Only because of instinct and training did his mind manage to stay in the moment and prevent the same-self fate from befalling him. Onwards he continued, with the rest of the group, attempting not just to outrun the stampede anymore, but also the monster at his back. Aren hadn't come to the Sea of Grass to be prey, however, and he wasn't planning on running forever. Unfortunately, all he could really do at the moment was try and prevent anyone else from dying. Even more unfortunately, when a member of the group panicked, the glassbeak decided to pick off the lone straggler, making a bee-line straight for the poor boy. But, Aren was determined to steal this one from the beast. He and Neri had been the de facto leaders of the group, and he'd feel like the deaths of any of the boys would be his failure. Motioning for the rest of the group to keep running the way they were, the young Akalak gave chase after his wayward lamb. As Aren ran to intercept the glassbeak before he could get to poor Jacost, he unwrapped the scythe strapped to his back, preparing it for immediate use. He seriously doubted he could fell the monster in a single blow, even if he could surprise it, but perhaps he could make him fall. As the glassbeak approached Jacost, and Aren approached the glassbeak, he attempted to extend his scythe outwards towards the beast's legs. Maybe if he could trip it up, it would delay the animal enough for Jacost to get away. In truth, it was probably his only chance.

[Puck]

As Aren's scythe hooked the leg of the glassbeak, he knew that he had saved his friend's life, possibly at the cost of his own. The glassbeak screamed when it swung its leg forward, cutting a vicious looking gash as it hit against the scythe's edge. Aren's strong grip tripped up the predator, and it pitched forward with incredible velocity. The beast ground into the dirt, sliding a small distance before coming to a halt. Though the predator ceased its pursuit of Jacost, Aren was now in dire straits. A creature the size of a glassbeak carried a great deal of force when it ran, which was given to Aren as he extended the scythe to trip the beast. The boy lurched forward, plunging belly first into the grass, completely prone. His scythe barely remained in his grasp, yanked out to arm's length. Aren had little time to stand as he saw the glassbeak stand. The greatest mistake somebody could do when confronted with a glassbeak was run. Not only because the beast would inevitably chase you down and rip you to pieces, but because glassbeaks often do not hunt alone. Every predator is opportunistic. One of the predators flanking the herd broke off, abandoning the difficult Olidosapux for the new prey. It sped off with speed greater than the fastest horse of the Drykas, toward Jacost. In the distance, Aren could see his friend pull his dagger out. Jacost always dreamed of his own Lakan, and used the closest weapon he could find. The boy readied his dagger, preparing to stab the predator. Though the glassbeak, instead of charging, leaped into the air with its talons and beak extended forward. Jacost held his ground though, thrusting over the creature's legs and into its stomach. Though the thrust was well aimed, it was for naught. The huge predator's talons carved into Jacost's chest, driving him to the ground. A pained noise erupted from the glassbeak's throat as the boy continued to stab as the beast's leg. Within seconds, the boy fell silent as the predator tore at his face. But Aren had his own problems.

[Aren]

“Gotcha, ya ugly bastard.“ Aren had managed it, he had saved Jacost, giving him an immense sense of satisfaction. Not unexpectedly, the glassbeak’s tumble took him along for the ride, nearly yanking his scythe out of his hand, and his arm out of it’s socket. Still, Aren was up quickly, more confident of victory over the beast now that he had damaged it’s legs. The risk of his endeavor had been worth it...at least, Aren had thought so, only to see another glassbeak turn Jacost into his personal scratching post. This time, he could only look on in shock, his rage rapidly coming to a boiling point. “By Akajia, I’m going to kill every last one of you!” Aren was rapidly losing his ability for rational thought, a condition which was likely to prove fatal in the situation he was in. He wasn’t quite there yet, though, and right now he was thinking that maybe if he could kill the glassbeak he had wounded, the other one might back off. Though he hated himself for wishing it, Aren was hoping that second glassbeak took his time with Jacost’s corpse. “Let me help you...” A strange thought suddenly entered his mind, like a voice from somewhere within him, but Aren didn’t think he had time to be going insane, and paid it no heed. Instead, he directed his focus on the task at hand: killing a glassbeak. Grasping his scythe firmly by about the middle of the snaith (the staff portion), Aren tucked the rest of the length under his right arm, with the blade facing out. With the weight of the weapon mitigated by the rest of the snaith being braced by the boy’s shoulder, he could move around without needing to have both hands on his weapon. Now that his left arm was free to do something other than hold his scythe, Aren extended it outward. With his palm open, and facing skyward, he breathed out a milky blue substance which accumulated a few inches above his open hand. This was his Djed. This was what his mother had taught him, and what he had so stubbornly tried not to learn. It was what might save his life today, and the irony was not lost on him. His weapon at the ready, his Djed released, Aren was now in a position to do something about the squawking monstrosity in front of him. And so, the young Akalak charged headlong at the beast, determined to bring it’s existence to an end.

[Puck]

The glassbeak before Aren Anazasz did not look pleased. Its head lowered, knees bent. Aren knew that when those legs extended, his life may very well end. Imminent death was not as surreal and cliche as stories made it out to be. Aren's life did not flash before his eyes, he did not, even for a split second, relive the best moments of his life. No, instead the entire moment became etched into his memory. It was seared into the back of his eyelids as surely as if a river had carved it over centuries. The stench of decay and blood offending his nose, the salt of sweat dripping into his mouth, the hard wood of the scythe digging into his palms. Every detail worked in unison to make this towering horror a reality to Aren for the rest of his life. Aren was aware that the Res he had summoned would fast decay if he did not transform and cast it, time was running out. Even after drawing this once, he could feel the strain on his Djed. This was perhaps one of few chances he had to impress upon the glassbeak just what a threat he was. A cerulean blur of motion in Aren's peripheral vision caught his attention. It was Larenth, the last remaining companion. Aren was vaguely aware that his friend had stopped running, but he did not have the stupidity to glance away from the bird. The glassbeak, smelling the kill, charged forward to end Aren's life. Though before the scythe wielding boy could rip the life from the bird, an ornate arrow hummed from Larenth's position, thudding into the glassbeak's heart. The predator faltered, offering time enough to glance over and see Larenth nocking another arrow on his large recurve bow. Though its eyes seemed fogged over, the glassbeak continued its charge on Aren, relying entirely on inertia. This was Aren's last chance, the bird by Jacost had collapsed. The Olidosapux approached, guided by the last glassbeak tailing it. The predator was herding them to its partners.