(FLASHBACK) The Death of Darus [SOLO]

[Ronan]

21st Day of Autumn, 498 AV Dry grass whistled in the wind. Ronan shivered, pulling his tunic tighter. It wasn't the weather. It wasn't the time of the year. It was the rising cairn in front of him that struck cold into his heart. My brother... He fought back the tears. Here stood the whole pavilion, and friends, family, Drykas all gathered to commemorate Darus Windsong. He could not falter before them. Not when he was just searching for his Strider - just becoming a Drykas man. The adults said that he would find the web. That Darus would be here in the Sea of Grass for eternity. Will you come and find me brother? It was strange. So many Drykas died so very often - stray to far from Endrykas and there were many dangers lurking in the Grasses - but this felt so very different. There was a bitter clod inside his gut, and it wouldn't go away. He swallowed, twisted, pondered. But that lump of pain remained, and it felt like it was going to stay forever. Ronan plunged a hand into his tunic pocket, all eyes in the crowd fixed firmly on the cairn. And here's a little part of you. It was Darus' dagger. A beautiful thing. I'll keep hold of this. Wherever you end up, you'll never fade from my memory.

[Ronan]

After the gathering of Drykas had abandoned the cairn, and his parents had returned to their tent mournfully, Ronan crept away into the wilderness. He swam through the great Grasses, pushing, pressing forward. In his right hand he wielded Darus' dagger. In his heart, he wielded conviction. I can hunt on my own too! He felt an urge to make a mark. He needed to prove himself to the others, and more importantly, find his Strider. He was a Drykas. With or without Darus, he was one of his kin and he had to gain his status. As he got further and further away from Endrykas, he suddenly heard a rustling near him. He froze, raising the dagger. There was an eerie silence, a gush of wind. He could hear his heart. Thumping. Thumping. It was the squawk that sent terror running through his body. He span on his heels and ran blindly back through the grass. That sound... every child had heard stories of the Glassbeaks. They had even seen first hand, the rare occasions when flocks of the vicious creatures had struck at the fringes of Endrykas. Brother, what would you do? He ran, and ran. He wasn't even sure he was going the right way, but he had no time to stop and think. His skin was warm and glowing red. All of a sudden his left foot snagged on weed. He stumbled, tried to regain his balanced. He wind-milled his arms, dropping the dagger. Then he slammed forward, the corner of his forehead hitting the ground hard. He tasted the metallic sensation of blood. Then darkness consumed him.

[Ronan]

As he awoke, the light had died in Cyphrus, and the evening had cast its sullen shroud upon the grasses and plains. He fumbled around, a dull pain in the back of his head, and after momentary panic was relieved to find his brothers dagger lying in the grass beside him. He quickly realised how lucky he had been. No one was foolish enough to sleep out in the open amongst the Grasses. He could have been bitten by the serpents, attacked by more Glassbeaks, or worse... stories of the velipar haunted his mind. Ronan had proven nothing. Only that he was foolish, and had nearly gotten himself killed. He longed to be in Endrykas more than anything, but he had no idea where he was, lost somewhere out in the Grasses when darkness had fallen. He rose from the ground, keeping the dagger tightly in his grasp. Darus wouldn't have been stupid enough to trip and knock himself out, he thought mournfully. His brother had been the true hunter of the pavilion, with their father always singling him out as the future of their clan. He began to walk in one direction by the light of the moon, but then changed tact and direction. It only took a few minutes to realise he was lost. Hopelessly lost. "Ronan Windsong." His full name. Only she would ever say that... "Mum!" he cried, turning round to find his mother shaking her head, hands on her hips. His first instinct was to rush into her arms, but would that make him less of a man. No, he thought. Family is everything to the Drykas. She willingly pulled him into an embrace and stroked his thick brown hair. "You foolish, foolish boy... what were you thinking?" Ronan found himself crying, unable to hold in his emotions any longer. "I wanted to be like Darus." Those words silenced his mother for a moment. It scared him when she didn't reply immediately. Then she held him by his shoulders and stared into his eyes intensely. "Remember you're your own person, Ronan. Love your brother, cherish his memory, but don't try and walk in his footsteps. If you're always in his shadow, you'll never feel the beauty of the light." He wondered if that was true. Darus' death had changed everything. His whole world had been turned upside down, leaving him hanging and unsure of what to do or where to go. But that was because he had tried to emulate him. He had tried to be the wonderful brother he had lost. But his mother had ignited a spark of ideas and hope. Maybe, just maybe, he could walk his own path. He gripped the dagger so tightly, his fingers grew sore. But you'll always be here beside me. Watching. Smiling. Advising. THE END

[Lariat]

Rohan Windsong

Experience:
Running: 1xp

Lores:

My brother's dagger
Oh, where have you gone?
A mother knows best

Thoughts: Interesting thread, if you have any questions about the xp, or lore I gave out, send me a pm.