[Flashback] At First I Was A Boy....

[Jaeden Kincade]

50th Day of Spring, 490 A.V. 6 Years Old: Baby Steps The sun was just slowly inching it’s way over the horizon as wildlife spoke in whispers that spring morning. Subtle calls of the birds echoed lightly in all directions as they began their hunt for nesting material and mates. The wind pushed past leaves and shook branches as the smell of rain in the distance lingered in the air. Jaeden laid restlessly along his blanket, visions of his parents and sister being killed still pushing their way into his dreams. He was soon woken when he felt a nudging at his shoulder. His eyes slowly opened as darkness gave way to blurred vision. A slow rub to his eyes eventually cleared his sight as he looked up to see the large man who had taken him under his guidance. Gin Olevar was a large human, standing nearly six feet, eight inches tall. His leathered skin and large build lent truth to the harshness of his life out in the wild. His green eyes gazed down at Jaeden, as he held out a plate in front of him. “Here, eat this,” Olevar said in a plain and simple tone. Jaeden grasped the plate as he slowly sat up. Looking down into it, the plate was full of food as four eggs sat cooked and steaming to one side. Another area had a medium loaf of bread while steak and fish were layered over another side. Finally a healthy serving of carrots and slices of apples lined what little space along the plate was left. Jaeden slowly looked up to Olevar as he sat down to his right, picking up his own plate. Shoulder length brown hair with hints of grey in it dangled over the strong features, a short rounded nose taking a moment to smell his food. Olevar raised his gaze from his plate to meet Jaeden’s. “What are you waiting for?” Olevar said, “Eat.” “I’m full.” Jaeden said. “You made me eat a rune sack full of dried jerky meat yesterday, as well as three apples and four oranges. There was also those three fish you caught and the squirrel meat.” “Trust me, Pup,” Olevar said as he began eating from his own plate. “You’ll want to eat some more. It’ll give you energy for your training and you may even keep some of it down by the end of the day.” “What do you mean?” Jaeden asked, frowning in suspicion. “I mean, you’re going to work so hard today, that you’ll likely be sick from being so tired,” Olevar answered, smirking at Jaeden. “It is most likely that you’ll be vomiting as a result. So eat.” “You want me to eat, just so I can puke it up?” Jaeden then question, a slight confusion appearing in his face. “Better than having nothing to vomit, and any that stays down will help build you up,” Olevar said before shooting a glare to Jaeden. “Why are you questioning it anyways? You want to stay with me, you’re going to have to keep up and eventually pull your own weight. So, just eat.” Jaeden fell silent before looking down to his plate. He didn’t feel hungry at all, which was a total reversal of the feeling of starvation he felt not more than two days ago. Recollecting that feeling had drove him to pick up the fork and knife and begin eating when even his own body told him he didn’t need to. By the time he had finished everything on his plate, his stomach felt soar, as if it were ready to burst. He slowly looked over to Olevar who stood there, patting his own stomach as burp escaped his lips. “All finished then?” Olevar said, looking down to Jaeden while grabbing his water skin. “Good, let’s go for a run then.” “I’m so full I feel like I can barely move.” Jaeden commented as he resisted the urge to yawn, feeling sleepy after a big meal. “That’s the perfect time to drive yourself.” Olevar replied, the corners of his mouth spreading wide into a smile. “Now come on, boy. Time to get you fit enough to survive out here.” That was how his training began. A large meal and an activity as simple as running. It wasn’t realized, at first, just how difficult running over the uneven forest ground as fast as your legs could push you actually was. Jaeden, however, learned such first hand, tiring himself enough to drop to his hands and knees just after an hour. His legs felt like jelly, his lungs burned, and his heart felt like it pumped fire. Jaeden realized, as well, that this was the fist time he actually sweated to the point that it dripped from his brow. Hid gaze slowly floated up towards Olevar, who was barely winded, almost giving him a pleading look. “It’s been three miles, you want to quit now Pup?” Olevar said, a challenging look cast down into Jaeden’s own gaze. Jaeden suddenly found that gaze gave him resolve that he never even imagined he had. With it, he pushed himself back to his feet and continued to move forward, even if his own feet merely dragged along the ground at that point. He would do this for two more miles, throwing up at least half of the contents of his breakfast before finally making it back to camp. “Alright, take a rest,” Olevar said, tossing the water skin down in front of Jaeden to drink from. Jaeden took a long pull from the water skin, laying flat along the ground as he sucked in deep breaths. His arms and legs practically shook from exhaustion as flashes of light danced in his vision. He felt he could have just fell asleep right then and there. Two ticks of the chime had passed before he heard Olevar’s voice slowly call out, “Okay pup, rest time is over.” The passing week would involve Jaeden’s simple conditioning. Running in the morning, lightly working his muscles in the afternoon as he would, in repetitious motions, push his body from the ground, pull himself up along tree limbs and roll his body into a fetal position as he hung from his legs from the tree. He would go to bed tired, and wake up soar, and just as things began to feel like they were getting easier, Olevar would make them more difficult. He would extend the distance and repetitions of his work out, and add weight along his back when he worked out his body. Every time he felt like quitting, like giving up, both Olevar’s gaze and his own memory of starving alone in the wilds drove him that much more. Still, Jaeden worried slightly when he remembered that everything he went through, was only the beginning.

[Jaeden Kincade]

69th Day of Summer, 490 A.V. 7 Years Old: Learning the Difference Jaeden ran at a fast pace through the forest, sweat dripping down his brow. Small leaps and ducks were taken under the various obstacles that the forest provided. It had been four months of hard training. Every day saw the same, except the day that marked his birth into the world. Jaeden would wake, he would eat and then he would train. Already the curvature of his form was changing. Despite his young age, his body was becoming more toned and mass was slowly growing. He had grown a little more used to the strenuous activity. He ran seven mile every morning, increasing the distance a little bit each time. On top of it all, Olevar no longer felt he needed to accompany Jaeden on his jogs, now seeing the drive the young boy had to improve himself without his subtle nudges. Something new, however, had been added to Jaeden’s training in the past week. Olevar had began going over common reading and writing, as well as bringing out various plants and lining tracks along the ground at camp. It had been coupled with his regular physical training, which meant that Jaeden had to push himself that much harder if he wanted to complete all his lessons in one day without losing sleep. Jaeden felt everything was being thrown at him quickly, and it felt taxing. On the other hand, having to concentrate so much on his training, he had very little, if any, time to linger on his families death. Jaeden soon made it back into camp, slowing himself down and eventually coming to a stop. He leaned forward, slipping his hands to his knees as heavy breaths escaped his lungs. It was actually a large step considering that he originally was collapsing from exhaustion upon returning to camp for the first couple of weeks. “You don’t look as tired as usual,” Olevar said, stepping out from within his tent as he tossed Jaeden a water skin. “Add another two miles tomorrow to your run.” Jaeden grumbled slightly, catching the water skin in his hand. He didn’t outright protest, however, but simply took the water skin and took a large drink from it. Capping the water skin, Jaeden then licked his lips, before dragging his hand across his lips. He slowly walked over towards the log that Olevar had motioned towards. In a strait line in front of him, Jaeden saw a line of animal tracks, each one different. He slowly studied each of them for a long moment before Olevar began waving a plate of food under his nose. Grabbing the plate, Jaeden quickly began devouring the plate full of meat and fruits, his eyes still studying the tracks that were in front of him. Eventually, a small branch poked one of the smaller tracks, indicating that his lesson was beginning. “Squirrel,” Jaeden said, his mouth still wrestling with the food in his mouth. Olevar then moved on to the next one, poking the stick into it as he did the first. “Rabbit.” Jaeden answered. Olevar slowly nodded as he began to increase the speed in which he moved on to another track, no longer going in order down the line. Jaeden stopped his eating for a moment as he brought his hand to a slow rub. “Why do you do that? I’m barely able to study the track that way.” Jaeden then said, looking up at Olevar. “Because a good hunter shouldn’t need to study a track,” Olevar replied, raising the stick and tapping it along his shoulder, “they should be able to glance at a track of an animal and just know. Now, let’s continue.” Olevar then continued to point at the tracks in random order and with increasing speed. Jaeden, in turn, answered as fast as he could. “Chipmunk. Wolf. Deer. Bird…” “Predatory or scavenger?” Olevar asked on the bird track suddenly. “There are no real talon marks that I see, and they don’t look as large as any predatory bird you’ve shown me so far, so I would have to say scavenger.” Jaeden answered, slipping some of the berries that were on his plate into his mouth. “Good,” Olevar said before continuing. “Boar, puma, elk,” Jaeden continued saying before his eyes narrowed, looking along the ground to the last track, which was just a few waves made in the ground. “What’s that?” “Snake,” Olevar then said as he took a seat nearby. “They’re hard to find in the forest here, simply because the weight of their bodies are so evenly spread out, unlike the weight an animal being driven towards the hoof or paw. Normally they’ll only be visible if the ground is overly dry, or sopping wet after a large rain. One thing you should do if you come across them, is beat the grass. Some of them, after all, are poisonous and you don’t want to be bitten due to accidentally stepping on one.” Jaeden slowly nodded, looking up to Olevar now as he moved to a small sack nearby. Opening it up, he reached his hand inside before tossing a plant out to the ground. “Nettles,” Olevar said as Jaeden began to examine the plant. “The little hairs along their stalk can leave you with an itchy sting, but boiling or steaming them like other vegetables will get rid of such leaving them edible. They are found to be in abundance in woodlands and jungle areas. There’s even some in the Grasslands where Drykas roam. That’s your new plant to study before the end of the night. Name off the others we’ve gone over so far, aside from the obvious ones.” “Trout Lily.” Jaeden answered, already studying the plant before him. “How is it edible?” Olevar said. “The corm is edible raw.” Jaeden answered, slipping his now empty plate aside. “Next,” Olevar then simply said. “Wild Leeks.” Jaeden then said, taking another quick sip of water. “How are they distinguishable?” Olevar then said. “They smell like onions, and grow in patches. Normally among the first plants to appear during the spring season.” Jaeden replied, looking up to Olevar. “The leaves and bulbs are edible.” “Good, what else?” Olevar said as he moved over towards his pack. “Wild Garlic,” Jaeden then replied, “found just about anywhere, it also smells like onion. The whole plant is edible.” “Well done. We’ll move on to mushrooms and fungi in the coming weeks,” Olevar said before pulling out a small book and some parchments. He handed Jaeden the book, before sitting before the fire as he began sharpening a short stick to a fine point. “Now lets continue on your reading and writing. I’m glad to have found that you already knew a little bit of such before we started. Go ahead and start, read at your own pace, and ask me if you come across something your unfamiliar with.” Jaeden gave a slow nod, looking down at the book. A frown soon formed over his brow. “Uh, Master Olevar?” Jaeden then asked. “What? Stuck already?” Olevar said as he held the point of the stick he had just sharpened in the flames of the fire pit. “Well, it’s a weird word, and I’m not sure how to sound it out. What does f-e-l-a-t-i-o spell?” Jaeden asked as Olevar’s eyes suddenly widened. “And what’s with this picture? Why would a man and woman wrestle naked?” The book was suddenly and sharply snatched from Jaeden’s hands as Olevar let out a nervous laughter. “Heh, sorry Pup.” Olevar said, closing the book and scratching his head lightly. “That was the wrong book. Something you’ll learn later on, when your older.” Jaeden simply looked at Olevar with a confused look on his face. In the end, he didn’t ask, but rather waited as Olevar began rummaging through his pack again, this time checking the contents of the book he pulled out before handing it over to Jaeden. Jaeden himself simply shook his head, dismissing Olevar’s reaction before his gaze fell down to the pages of the book, finding their words more familiar than the last. He then began reading, knowing that his day, and now his overall training, was far from over.

[Jaeden Kincade]

84th Day of Fall, 491 A.V. 8 Years Old: Snare Them Up Jaeden slowly crouched along the ground, narrowing his eyes as he swept away fallen leaves from the ground. The dried leaves cracked and crumbled under the subtle movements, creating that much more the sweep away. Jaeden slowly gave a exhale as his head dipped to the ground, a fog floating upward from under his form. “I‘ve lost it again,” Jaeden said before looking back to Olevar, who stood behind him. “The grounds grown to cold and the smaller animals are no longer leaving prints in the ground as regularly.” Olevar shook his head slightly. “The trail is still there, Pup,” Olevar said, “you’re just not seeing it.” “What’s to see?” Jaeden said with a grumpy tone. “The ground is too hard. The animal would have to weigh as much as a wolf to disturb it.” “You’re looking too much at the ground then.” Olevar simply said, taking a lean along a nearby tree as his arms folded. Jaeden frowned slightly, looking at Olevar with confusion. Olevar simply smirked in return remaining silent. Obviously there was something that Jaeden had missed, and it was something that Olevar wanted him to figure out on his own. Jaeden slowly looked back to the ground, still not seeing anything but the fading grass, that had a slight covering of frost, and the dirt that almost began forming colors of grey as opposed to it’s usual blackened color. He simply let out a sigh, moving forward slightly as he began pushing aside mover leaves and debris to uncover more ground, thinking that perhaps he just hadn’t searched enough. His hand then paused, as it settled along the leaves and twigs. His head then tilted, his vision broadening slightly as he examined the layout of the fallen leaves and brush. Eventually, his eyes seemed to fall on a simple disturbance he then began seeing in the fallen leaves. He then looked back to Olevar for confirmation. “I was wondering when you’d notice. Not bad, though I was hoping you would be able to do it without a hint.” Olevar remarked, pushing himself of the tree and falling into a crouch beside Jaeden. “Even when the ground is too hard due to cold weather, there will still be a sign that the wild animals leave behind. In this case, it was the fallen foliage. Broken leaves and twigs or disturbed piles of leaves. Others may be simple tufts of hair snagged on trees or branches. Things become most difficult though when all you have is their droppings to follow, but a trail is always there.” Olevar then gave Jaeden a hardy slap along his back, causing Jaeden to fall forward from his crouched position before his hands slapped along the ground. “Let’s go, Pup,” Olevar said standing up. “You need to pick a snaring point based on this trail yet.” Jaeden pushed himself off the ground, brushing dead leaves from the legs of his pants as his eyes kept a look at the trail he had discovered. Following it slowly, his hand fell to a small pouch at his waist, pulling out a stick of dried beef. He took a large bite, putting the remainder back into the pouch. He occasionally looked back to Olevar who just simply followed him in silence. After close to half a bell, Jaeden paused, seeing two small rocks that sat close together, the trail leading between them. He then looked further of the trail before turning his head back, noticing that it had swerved around numerous bushes and trees. “An escape pattern?” Jaeden then asked Olevar who responded with a simple nod. “When small game is being chased by various predators, they’ll often use the terrain to their advantage,” Olevar said as he stepped up towards the rocks, tapping one of them with his foot. “This one was likely running from a hawk or owl, using the rocks to prevent the bird from swooping in on it accurately. It’s a solid spot to lay a snare. Let’s just hope that a predator isn’t chasing if it gets caught, otherwise we just give them a free meal and likely lose a snare. Which one are you going to go with?” Olevar crouched down as Jaeden reached into his pack, pulling out a small length of twine. “Just a normal snare.” Jaeden answered as he began anchoring one end of the twine to one of the rocks. “I’m still not really good at making a lifting snare yet.” “Fair enough,” Olevar said, “but that just means your going to practice it more when you get back to camp.” “Of course,” Jaeden said, dismissing any thought that Olevar had of him raising protest. Jaeden then began tying a slip not along the other end of the line before finally resting the loop in front of the two rocks. Hopefully, the snare would have a small animal of some sort in it when Olevar checked on it later. Jaeden slowly stood, looking up to Olevar as the hunter gave him a nod in return, laying a heavy hand on Jaeden’s shoulder. “Alright,” Olevar said, “you know the way back. Head back and get things ready for dinner. I’ll follow that elk trail I saw and bring home dinner.” “When do I get to go on a hunt with you?” Jaeden then asked. “Eventually,” Olevar said with a smirk. “Right now you need to get yourself familiar with how to catch small prey, before you even think about tackling the larger animals.” Jaeden then gave subtle nod. He was slightly disappointed over having not observed Olevar hunt yet, despite having been with him for over a year now, but in the end, he was still the student. He was there to learn, and he felt everything Olevar was teaching him was well worth any minor disappointment he had when he denied one of his requests. He slowly turned, walking slowly back towards camp. His feet though suddenly paused when he heard Olevar say, “Why are you walking?” A quick gasp of realization then escaped his lips as he suddenly took off into a small run, looking back at Olevar. His run, was cut short for a moment when Jaeden ran into a tree and fell to the ground, having looked back to Olevar instead of paying attention to where he was running. He quickly got back to his feet however, and began his run once again, increasing his speed gradually. Olevar simply chuckled, shaking his head slightly. “He’s gotta stop doing that,” Olevar said with a smile.

[Jaeden Kincade]

56th Day of Summer, 492 A.V. 9 Years Old: Woodland Wrath Jaeden sat idly, slowly skinning the a rabbit he had just liberated from a trap. He slowly hummed a song, the only song he knew in truth. It was a song that his mother sang to him before bed every night, and it somehow comforted him whenever he felt ill eased. Whether he was doing disturbing work, like skinning an animal, or had woken up from the nightmare of his families death, he would hum the song and soon things would be better. As he heard a quick, huffing growl echo through the air nearby, however, he knew that no amount of humming would help him. His head slowly turned, and a short distance away, he saw that large imposing frame of dense muscle and thick brown fur. Dark, beady eyes stared down at Jaeden as it stood up on it’s hind legs, standing close to ten feet tall when it did so. A thunderous roar echoed through the forest as birds flew off in fear in all directions. The grizzly bear made it’s presence known with authority as it’s roar suddenly caused Jaeden to rise to his feet, gripping his knife. He knew that, even with a knife, he would stand no chance, and so he did what any boy in his situation would do: He ran. This, unfortunately, only triggered the bear’s natural instinct to give chase, as it fell to all four and began it’s quick run, giving huffed, growling exhales as it’s speed started closing the gap between it and Jaeden. Jaeden screamed out in fear, not looking back. There was a good distance between him and the bear, but he knew it wouldn’t be enough. It was only a matter of time before the bear would catch up to him, and Jaeden’s story would come to an end. Jaeden’s eyes widened when he saw a figure stepping out from behind a tree then. To his relief, it was Olevar. To his dismay, however, he saw that his master only carried a bent tree branch in his hand, and no other weapon of any sort. The tree branch itself measured six feet long and bent crookedly it’s entire length. Could it be perhaps that Olevar planned to use it as a spear, and attempt to get the bear into a dead fall? No, that couldn’t be it, the branch itself have no pointed end to it. He thought for a moment that Olevar was about to simply hold off the bear, and give up his life so that Jaeden could live. Flashes of his own families death began to swarm in his mind as he though of this possibility, and rather than face that horror again, Jaeden found his footsteps slowing, so Olevar couldn’t. “Keep running you petching idiot!” Olevar suddenly yelled. His mentality to follow Olevar’s direction kicked in as his feet began carrying him quickly once again. His eyes widened then, as he saw Olevar reach up to the tip of the branch, pinching the end of it between his thumb and forefinger. To Jaeden’s surprise, a narrow vine began extending from the branch’s tip, seeming to come from nowhere as if it were growing specifically from the branch itself. It was pulled all the way down to the other end of the branch, were it seemed to fuse with the wood down there. The branch then began to bow, as the vine strand took up any slack, pulling itself taught. Jaeden finally came to an exhausted stop next to Olevar. The branch had somehow become a bow, it’s very string made from what looked to be vine. Jaeden quickly looked around Olevar’s body, seeing no quiver. “Where’s your arrows?” Jaeden demanded, his voice filled with panic as he slowly looked back to the bear, which was only forty yards away now. “What good is a petching weird bow without any arrows!?” “Watch your language and shut your trap, Pup!” Olevar snapped as he reached up, pinching a small twig that sprouted four leaves along the middle of the bow’s shaft. “I’m going to be aiming here.” Jaeden’s breath did a little gasp then as, like with the vine string of the bow, Olevar slowly began tugging on the twig his pinched. From the very wood of the branch bow, a long, slender strait branch was pulled out seemingly from the very branch itself. The slender shaft suddenly broke free from the branch as another twig with four leaves grew in it’s place. At the end of the grown arrow, a wooden tip quickly began to form, taking on the shape of a broad arrow head. Jaeden’s nervousness was simply gone at that point, replaced by wonder and awe as he observed this bow he never would have even imagined existed. As if that wasn’t enough, when Olevar loosed the arrow, Jaeden was shocked again. The arrow flew fast, faster than the bow should have been able to fire it as it became more than just a blur, it’s speed practically leaving after images in it’s wake. It didn’t even take a full second before it hit the charging bear, knocking the heavy beast through the air and flipping it to it’s back. It had pierced strait through the bear’s head, killing it instantly and then continued to fly until it lodged itself in a tree thirty more yards away. Most amazing of all, was that when the arrow pierced the bark of the tree, it did not break though the tree itself. Rather, the arrow stopped dead, and slowly began to curve and bend, forming leaves as it eventually became a new branch in the tree itself. Olevar waited for a long moment, his hand reaching up to the twig once more as he eyed the bear. After a few ticks, he eventually just gave a nod, slowly standing up. His fingers slid down the vine string of the bow, quickly yanking as the vine connecting to one end broke of, slowly shrinking back up into the other end. He slowly looked down to Jaeden, as his student just gawked in wonder. “Well,” Olevar said calmly, “looks like I’m going to have to teach you some form fighting for future encounters when you’re older. Lets go.” “What IS that?” Jaeden suddenly yelled. “It‘s a bear, silly. I thought you already knew that?” Olevar replied as he began walking towards the fallen beast. “No! What’s………. you know what I mean!” Jaeden interjected, following Olevar like a puppy, begging for attention. “This?” Olevar said, holding up the branch. “It’s my bow. I thought that would have been obvious to.” “Stop that!” Jaeden said, stepping in front of Olevar. “I may have never fired a bow yet, but I’m not stupid.” Olevar slowly looked down to Jaeden in silence for a moment, before releasing a sigh. “No, I don’t suppose I’ve been training you to be either.” Olevar said before holding the tree branch in plain view. “It’s called Woodland Wrath. Many years ago, when I was only in my twenty-third year of living, I came across a woman being set upon by two bandits in the forest. I did what came natural to me, and I lent this woman aid. It was only after I had felled the two bandits that I learned this woman was actually a Goddess.” Jaeden then leaned forward, shielding his mouth as holding his bow away as if someone may have been eavesdropping. “Had I known it was her in the beginning, I would have just moved along, pitying those poor shykes.” Olevar then whispered to Jaeden before standing back up strait again. “When the two bandits were felled, my eyes fell to the woman. Her name was Caiyha, goddess of nature. She was beautiful, more gorgeous than any I had seen before her, and a certain lust swelled within me. It was likely that reaction that opted her to give me this bow instead of branding me with her mark for the unnecessary assistance, though I can never be sure in the end.” Olevar then shoved Jaeden lightly aside as he began moving towards the bear once again. “The bow is easy to draw, offering no resistance, but fires with so much strength, that it’s as if a great oak itself had been strung into a bow.” Olevar continued to explain. “It is linked to me, and only by my hand can it be fired. When I die, it will wither and turn to dust. As well, any damage that comes to the bow will repair itself like a growing tree limb, but such comes with a price. It draws upon my own life as it heals.” Olevar slowly looked down at Jaeden, giving a small smile. “I suspect it’s already taken ten years from me over the times it’s had to do such, due to my own careless us of it.” Olevar said, as if such was moot in the long run. “Anyhow, come on. We’ve got a bear to skin and it’s meat to cook. Nothing goes to waste. Such pisses Caiyha off. I'll start teaching you the sword starting tomorrow."

[Jaeden Kincade]

24th Day of Winter, 493 A.V. Age 10: Passing Time Jaeden woke up to a slight tapping noise that echoed through the tent. He let out a slight groan as he rolled over to his side along his bed roll. Open his eyes, he peered through the open flaps of the tent as heat from the nearby fire lingered in. Jaeden slowly sat up as the tapping continued, he looked up to see the cloth of the tent vibrating, shaking with each tap that came. Olevar was calling, and it was time to train. “Come on, Pup.” Olevar said from outside. “It’s time to get up.” Jaeden slowly reached over, grabbing a thin cloak as he wrapped it over his frame. With a slight groan, he pushed himself from his resting place and began edging himself toward the edge of the tent, pausing for a moment to slip on his boots. He so disliked the winter. Most of the plants disappeared, their green retreating under the snow covered ground. Many of the animals went into their respective places of slumber to sleep through the cold season, giving Jaeden that slight urge of jealousy to do the same. And the cold, oh how he disliked the cold. It felt like it sapped the very energy from his body. It numbed all the strength he had gained the seasons before and slowed him, made him sluggish. Fortunately, due to lack of food and harsh weather, the winter found Olevar training Jaeden less as well. He would normally only take long runs and light physical training when the sun hovered overhead, and the winter chill would have less of a bite. On days it snowed or there was heavy cloud cover, training was done even less, to conserve what energy that wasn’t sapped on those days. They had fortunately had a good day in their hunting, as Olevar managed to bring down a young doe. It’s meat would keep longer in the cold, and would feed both Jaeden and Olevar for a couple of days. Jaeden found Olevar wasted nothing during the winter, as he collected the heart, liver and even the eyeballs of the doe. It was likely due to the dear that Jaeden was woken a little earlier today than in previous days. Slipping out of the tent, Jaeden peered around the camp. A large fire was going, reinvigorated after it died down slightly during the night. A skewer that pierced a large chunk of the deer meat hovered over the open flame, cooking for the morning meal. Their tracks from the day before were gone, suggesting either a fresh snowfall or heavy winds, Jaeden wasn’t sure at that point. His attention was then drawn to the slight sound of wood rattling as a long, slender branch was dropped in front of him. “Pick it up, time for practice.” Olevar said as he began stepping over towards a small clearing in the camp. “Can’t I sleep in for another chime of the bell?” Jaeden requested, reaching up to rub his eyes. “Newp.” Olevar simply answered as he now stood in the clearing, tapping a branch of his own along his shoulder. “Now get to, we haven’t go all day. There’s some more traps to set and check.” “Why? We’ve got the deer.” Jaeden questioned. “Stop questioning me and do as I instruct, boy.” Olevar snapped lightly, realizing it was the only thing that would rouse Jaeden’s weary state. “Besides, complacency kills in the wild during the winter season. You can never have enough food.” Jaeden gave a slow sigh as he bent over, picking up the branch. Dragging his feet, he then made his way over towards Olevar, who stood at the ready. Jaeden raised his own branch, his eyes still heavy as his cloak draped lightly along his frame. He had wished so often that Olevar would let him wear one of the skins for warmth. However, Olevar didn’t, and so Jaeden wouldn’t. He claimed it was good for Jaeden, building a tolerance for the cold. A couple more seasons of such, and he wouldn’t feel so sluggish as he did. Which in part, was true. Jaeden did notice, with each passing winter, that it was becoming less and less difficult to leave the comfort and warmth of the winter blankets inside the tent. Such wasn’t the time for contemplation, however, as Jaeden found the tip of his branch being swatted aside by Olevar’s own. He then quickly raised his own branch, blocking Olevar’s as he swung it strait down. Jaeden felt his whole body buckling under the force of the strike, and yet he still knew that Olevar was holding back. Jaeden tried to shove the Olevar’s branch back upward, before thinking he would move in for and strike his mentor along his midsection. It turned out to be a futile attempt in the long run. Olevar’s branch tip only rose about a few inches from the shove, even when Jaeden used all of his strength. As such, when Jaeden moved in to make a strike of his own, he felt the sting of Olevar’s branch tapping him along the top of the head. “If you know someone is stronger than you, don’t ever try overpowering techniques.” Olevar explained. “It will only get you killed. Deflect and then move in for your attack. You should have just side stepped that first attack.” Jaeden simply replied by letting out a hiss of pain and rubbing the sting away out of the top of his head. Olevar took such as a reply of understanding. “Okay, let’s continue.” Olevar said as he went with the same attack again. This time Jaeden did step to the side as he swung his own branch around, aiming it for Olevar’s leg. The hunter proved to be took quick with his own branch, however, as his own stick crashed along Jaeden’s, blocking it completely. Jaeden quickly hopped back as Olevar brought his branch swinging up, right from blocking Jaeden’s own strike. The tip almost grazed Jaeden by his chin as he felt the rush of air left in it’s wake. It was then that Jaeden actually spotted an opening, and lunged his branch towards Olevar’s ribs. Olevar’s response was simply practicing what he preached, as he stepped the side, avoiding the attack. His free hand snatched down, grasping Jaeden by his wrist as he looked down at him with a smirk. “Good, an intelligent counter.” Olevar praised as he slipped the branch along his shoulder again. “Had it been anyone of moderate to low skill, you likely would have succeeded in that attack. However, don’t overextend your thrusts or lunges. It leaves you open, and off balance.” Olevar then raised his leg, pressing his knee along Jaeden’s shoulder. With the slightest nudge, Jaeden found his center of gravity off, and he fell to the ground with an inelegant thud. He grunted slightly, sprawled out over the ground. Looking up, he found Olevar standing over him with a smirk. “Still, a good move in the end.” Olevar simply said before tossing the branch near the tent. “You’ve showed me you’ve improved some more, and I’ve given you advice to take it further. That should suffice for today. Get some of the meat in your belly, then we’ll go out and check the traps from last night.” Jaeden slowly looked over towards the fire, noticing that the meat that had been cooking was ready to eat. Glancing back at Olevar, he sometimes wondered if these impromptu lessons were nothing more than passing time. Overall, Jaeden still felt he knew very little about the hunter, save for his mannerisms. The curiosity caused him no small frustration, but in the end, he figured if his mentor wanted to tell him something aside from things he needed to know in order to survive, he would.

[Jaeden Kincade]

80th Day of Spring, 494 A.V. 11 years old: Awkward Situations Jaeden stood along a high cliff, basking in the sun's rays as he closed his eyes. His body was slowly starting to take form of what it would one day become as he wore nothing but a loin cloth about his waist. A smooth line formed down the center of his stomach, small curves around his shoulders and arms disillusioned his age of a child. Most children his age were skinny, having little pot bellies and smooth strait arms. Jaeden’s body was more toned, conditioned from his years of constantly running, pushing and lifting himself off the ground as well as lugging around things nearly his own body weight. A slow gaze was then given to the waters below as Jaeden suddenly leapt from the cliff, soaring down to the waters twenty feet below him. His hand gripped a carved spear in his right hand tightly as his feet first plunged into the deep waters of the pond below, sending ripples gliding along it’s surface. Jaeden spent the next few ticks diving below the surface and then coming back up for air as he would swim to the bottom of the pond, trying desperately to jab the spear through a fish that passed by. Eventually, he gave in, paddling his way towards the shore as gasps of air were taken in. When he was in shallow enough water for his feet to touch, he simply planted his feet along the soft mud floor of the pond, taking in deep breaths. His gaze then slowly rose as he heard something plunge into the water. There, along the shore, Olevar had just thrust a wooden spear of his own into the pond’s surface, pulling out a fish from beneath clear liquid. “It’s a lot harder than it looks.” Jaeden as he looked to his own spear. “I knew it wouldn’t work.” Olevar said with a smirk, spearing another fish as he did so. “The fish react to the disturbances in the water you made when you jumped in and then swam around. There’s no way you would be able to spear one like that.” Jaeden frowned slightly, casting a gaze to Olevar. “Then why did you let me do it?” Jaeden said in an almost angered tone, suspecting he already knew the answer. “Because you scared a lot of the fish towards me.” Olevar said with a smirk. “What was our bet? Oh yeah. Whoever catches the least fish, does the gutting and cleaning of the fish. Gotta say, I don’t envy you that task. Fish always tend to get a little slimy when you’re cutting into them.” “Fine, I’ll go get the knife and get started then.” Jaeden grumbled as he began walking out of the water. He paused along shore, noticed Olevar staring oddly at him. “What?” Jaeden said. “Where’s your loin cloth?” Olevar replied, his eyes not trying to look south, but at the same instance, not being able to simply due to the fact that something was developing a little better than he remembered his to be at Jaeden’s age. Jaeden looked down, seeing that he was completely naked now, a surprised expression appearing on his face. “Oh,” Jaeden said as he looked back to the pond, “it must have slipped off when I jumped in the water.” Jaeden then slowly looked back to Olevar, noticing that odd expression was still on his face. The skin under Olevar’s right eye and the corresponding eyebrow twitched, as if seeing something monstrous. “What?” Jaeden said as he reached up, scratching his head. Olevar then just suddenly threw his spear into the pond and reached down, picking up the fish. “Nothing, go get your clothes on, I’ll start cleaning the fish.” Olevar said in a disgruntled tone. “Why, I thought I lost our bet?” Jaeden said, confusion filling his voice. “No, this day you seemed to win in the end Pup.” Olevar replied. “But, but…..how?” Jaeden asked, completely oblivious to the sudden turn of events. “Just get your petching clothes on and fetch some water for dinner.” Olevar then said more sternly, almost to the point of yelling. Jaeden then scratched his head again. He wasn’t sure exactly what was going on, but in the end, he felt Olevar annoyed over something, almost as if he were jealous. He thought it best, at that time, to simply do as Olevar instructed as Jaeden began making his way towards the cliff, where he had left his clothing. Fish seemed like it would be a particularly good meal tonight.

[Jaeden Kincade]

79th Day of Summer, 495 A.V. 12 years old: Wrath of the Hunter Jaeden had wondered how he had got into this situation. His hands were tied, and his feet dragged along the ground. Looking up slowly, he saw the back of the man who dragged him along. Three others walking in front of him. “The kid looks to be in good shape.” One of them noted. “How much do you think we can get for him?” “He’s still just a kid.” Another one replied. “Unless we find some noble with secret desires towards handsome young boys, we’ll just get the standard fee from a laborer.” “Yeah, I suppose.” Replied the man, looking back to Jaeden. Jaeden turned away his gaze as he watched the ground he was dragged along. He kept his ankles firmly planted along the ground as they dug up pieces of earth as they were dragged along. It was a trail that Olevar would have no problems following. Still, it had been three chimes of the bell since Jaeden was set upon by the four humans. He was scared, he was so scared. He was so used to being alone in the forest that he neglected his lessons that Olevar had taught to him about keeping his back upwind, and listening for sounds other than the wild. The sweat from these men were stagnant, and they likely hadn’t bathed in over a week. Jaeden should have been able to smell them coming, and avoided them completely, but he was so caught up in looking at clouds passing overhead, that he had become oblivious to what was around him. Olevar may be able to follow the tracks with ease, but Jaeden still had to do his part in slowing the men down. As his feet dragged along, they suddenly spread out, one of them finally hooking a passing tree. He then yanked down with his arms, as much as he could. The slaver who dragged him, found himself in mid step, unready for the sudden force that Jaeden gave, and stumbled backwards, off balance. He fell to the ground, using his arms to break his fall. “Shyke, this kid is strong.” The slaver said as the others turned back and began laughing at the site. “You want some help?” One of them said, as another round of laughter was heard. “Shut up, he caught me in mid step is all.” The slaver snapped, only to be laughed at again. “Alright, try getting him on his feet again.” The slaver in the lead said, as he began moving towards Jaeden. When the slaver reached down to grab Jaeden by the front of his shirt, Jaeden’s arms quickly rose as tiny little fist went rushing to the slaver’s face. The slaver didn’t expect this, especially from a child. More than that, he didn’t realize that the first slaver wasn’t lying when he said Jaeden was strong. Both of Jaeden’s tiny fists slammed into the slaver’s nose as a quick cracking sound could be heard. The slaver yelled out, his head jerking back as blood began pouring from his nostrils. The other men reacted with winced looks and gasped reactions. “Gah! Petch the damned gold!” The slaver said, grabbing his nose with one hand while drawing his sword with the other. “This little shyke just broke my nose!” Jaeden’s eyes widened, his heart racing as he came to a sudden realization that he had just pressed his luck to far. His hands began to rise in defense as he saw the slaver raise his sword, intent on ending Jaeden’s life. He felt this was it, that all his training under Olevar would be for naught, and that his life would soon be over. Then, a familiar whisper of a sound, something familiar, gave him sudden relief from his fear. It wasn’t a God or Goddess that spoke to him, nor any chant of a spell. Instead, it was an arrow, zipping through the air, faster than almost any eye could see. The slaver, who was intent on killing Jaeden, definitely felt it’s sting, however, as the arrow went flying through his shoulder. So strong was the force of the arrow, and so quick was it to hit it’s target, that as the Slaver leaned forward in his swing, the arrow tore his arm clean from his body when it hit him along his shoulder. “Oh, thank Gods.” Jaeden whispered under his breath as the slaver slowly stumbled back, screaming in a mix of pain and horror. The other three slavers suddenly began looking for the source of the sudden attack, all of them drawing weapons. “He was protecting the kid!” One of them yelled, as he began moving towards Jaeden. “Use him as a shield!” The slaver’s idea, while good, was never to be fulfilled as the next arrow that came hit him square in the chest, sending him flying back through the air. Jaeden could see, with a slight mix of both delight and horror, a large spray of blood exiting the Slaver’s back, and the shredded remains of his heart trailing along the shaft of the arrow fired by Woodland Wrath. The slaver finally landed along the ground dead nearly ten feet away from where he had been originally hit by the arrow. The two who now remained, suddenly looked to the direction the shot had come from, picking up on such by from the direction the last slaver had fallen back after getting shot. “There he is!” One of them shouted before both began to charge, screaming in a fit of revenge. Jaeden slowly looked in the direction they ran, as he saw Olevar walking casually towards them, his face contorted in a look of rage. It was a look Jaeden had never seen on Olevar’s face. Olevar raised his bow, slipping it over his back as vines slowly began to grow out, wrapping over his chest. His hand then slowly reached down to the hilt of his long sword, pulling it free front it’s sheath. It was actually the first time he had seen the sword, and it gleamed with a brilliance that Jaeden failed to see in the swords that the other slaver’s wielded in their own hands. Jaeden couldn’t be sure, but he could have swore he also saw something etched into the blade of Olevar’s sword, and he recalled him mentioning that the blade was a keepsake from his father, something that had been passed down over the generations. Olevar then demonstrated it’s effectiveness as the slavers came into melee range. With a slash that went beyond speeds Jaeden had yet to see during their practice spars, the tip of Olevar’s sword cutting cleanly through the first slaver’s neck as the slaver stumbled forward, both hands grasping at his wound before falling to the ground. Olevar then ducked down as the second slaver swung his sword at Olevar’s head. Olevar replied to the slaver’s attack by lunging forward and plunging his sword through the slaver’s chest as the tip came poking out of his back. Olevar gave a couple twists of his blade before finally throwing the slaver to the ground. Jaeden’s gaze slowly shifted to the first slaver to be hit. Weaponless and more to the point, missing one arm, the slaver thought nothing of fleeing at this point as he turned and began to run, his feet stumbling along the ground as he did so. Olevar plunged his sword into the ground, reaching over his shoulder, his hand once again grasping Woodland Wrath. The vines that had secured the bow to his back, snapped as he pulled it free. With patience, Olevar slowly reached out, pulling slowly on the four leaved twig at the center of the bow until an arrow was once again formed. The slaver, though in shock, was thirty yards away by then. Such mattered little to Olevar in the end, as he loosed the arrow. His shot caught up with the slaver in the blink of an eye, and like with his first shot, it found it’s mark. Jaeden could only jump in reaction, as the slaver’s head was shot cleanly off his shoulders, the arrow carrying it to a nearby tree. There, the arrow once again grew into a new branch along the tree, the slaver’s head now it’s permanent ornament. Jaeden slowly stood up, the danger now passed. He looked to Olevar as he began approaching. An expression of sadness slowly crossed over Jaeden’s face, feeling he had somehow let down his master, forcing him to come to his aid like he had done so when he first found him, as well as with the bear. The frown that remained on Olevar’s face as he stepped in front of Jaeden, simply reinforced that belief as he stared down at Jaeden in silence. To Jaeden’s surprise, however, Olevar simply dropped down to his knees, setting Woodland Wrath along the ground. He wrapped his arms around Jaeden, embracing him in a hug. “No one harms my disciple. No one.” Olevar simply said, giving Jaeden light pats along his back with one hand. “You did good leaving the trail, Pup.” Jaeden suddenly felt something he hadn’t felt in so long as he raising both his hands, still bound, gripping them along one of Olevar’s arm. He felt as though he had a family once again. In this man, this hunter, Jaeden found a love that was lost with the death of his mother. He found a fun that was lost with the death of his sister. Finally, he had found the fierce determination to protect that was lost with the death of his father. Olevar’s own past was nothing more than an enigma to Jaeden, one that he had wanted to unravel for so long, but now, it no longer mattered. Past could be let go, and futures could be realized. ~Fin

[Dusk]

XP Award! Jaeden XP Award Running: 4 XP Bodybuilding: 1 XP Tracking: 2 XP Wilderness Survival: 3 XP Reading: 1 XP Trapping: 1 XP Fleeing: 1 XP Longsword: 1 XP Fishing: 1 XP Unarmed Combat: 1 XP Lore Award Flora of Syliras Physical Conditioning Regimens Pornography Woodland Wrath Surviving Winter in the Wild Male Rivalry Finding a Family Additional Note A truly excellent training thread - the more I read about Olevar, the more I want to know! XD Seriously, though, what happened to Olevar? Write it. Do it. I need it.