Flee to Horashnu Chapter One!

                                                      Prologue

Survival of the fittest… that is the rule of the land. In the view of the predator, the prey’s only purpose is to be hunted. That’s how it’s worked… But my young nephew… that cycle has challenged. Your father and the others will try and tell you differently and tell you this letter is lies. But M’Katesh, I know you are different from the rest of them. You see the beauty in life. There is a way to preserve it. There is a way to save all the preyed creatures. The mage is real. No matter what they tell you, my boy, the mage is real. The stories that your clan has told as fables are true. Ten years ago, one of the most fearsome of these predators had an encounter with an old mage who revealed to him the beauty and sacredness of life. The young predator was changed and became the old mages apprentice. But after a few years the old mages health started to wear thin, so the young apprentice took on the mantle of being the mage. He immediately set about building a refuge for the scared and preyed on creatures of the land. When he was finished he went about the land seeking any predator that was worthy of joining him and made them his apprentices. Together their mission is to bring as many creatures possible to the city of Horashnu. I can only hope that by the time you read this… you realize the error in the ways of your father and his brothers and flee. Flee fast M’Katesh, for if you choose to seek the city of Horashnu… YOU will be the hunted, just as I was.

                                    With love, your uncle C’hana

                                   

                                                Chapter 1

M’Katesh closed the letter from his uncle and put it into his knapsack. He really loved his uncle a lot. C’hana was like his best friend, who had done everything together before he disappeared. However his family didn’t like C’hana. They disliked all of his radical stories about the stories he had heard on his travels. They disliked his gentle nature, which they all knew M’Katesh also possessed. They even disliked the fact that he pursued learning instead of hunting, and that he wanted to pass those skills he had learned to M’Katesh. But when he ran off in pursuit of the stories that he himself had heard, his family furiously sent out several hunting parties to bring him back. M’Katesh secretly hoped that they wouldn’t find him. That way when M’Katesh had the blessing from his pack’s leaders to leave, he could go meet up with him. But he could not let his parents see the letter.

He walked along the path back to his village. He whistled for his feral white fox, Mya, to follow as he ran home. As he reached the end of the path and approached the village, he slowed and picked Mya up from the ground. He wanted to be safe because though they said they were kidding, most of his uncles said they wanted to eat Mya… and as much as he wanted to believe that they were joking, he wanted to keep Mya close so that they wouldn’t have the opportunity to even try.

He walked through the village to the hut his dad lived in. “Dad! I am home!”

He heard his father grunt. “Ah… back from prancing through the daisies like you usually do…” His father looked up from his stool with eyes filled with accusation.

His mother gave his father a look as she placed a wood box in front of her son. “Don’t you have something you wanted to tell your son?” She said sternly.

M’Katesh put down Mya down on his lap and gently stroked her fur with has paw as he listened and waited for what his father had to say.

His father glared at Mya for a little while, then lifted his eyes to look at his son. “You are of age today.”

M’Katesh nodded, “Yes. I am eighteen years today. What of it?”

His father gave him a small smile. “You are of age to go hunting with the pack. We are going tonight to get more meat for the pack.”

M’Katesh cocked his head. “But I usually watch the sunset at night with Mya.”

His father growled and turned to his wife. “You see! He is no wolf! He takes enjoyment in everything around him except what we want him to! I didn’t even want him keeping that thing!” He gestured to Mya, which only made M’katesh hold her closer to him. His father turned back to him. “You will go on this hunt with us, and you will put this silly pursuit of life behind you, or you will be cast out of the pack like your uncle.”

M’Katesh stood up and ran back outside. “At least he cares about me.”

His father put a hand on his shoulder before he got outside. “Wait… son… I am sorry… I just don’t think the road you are going down is the one a grown wolf like you should be walking… I don’t want to lose you to senseless fairy tales like I lost C’hana. Will you come on the hunt with us tonight?”

M’Katesh nodded and turned. “I will come on the hunt with you tonight.” He went to sit back down. Mya jumped back onto his lap, and he stroked her fur.

His father put a paw on the box in front of his son. “This has been in our family for years, it has been passed down from generation to generation of great hunters. In giving this to you, I hope that you join your proper place in our family as the great hunter I know you can be.”

M’Katesh opened up the box and picked up a silver hunting knife. He shuddered. The tip looked razor sharp and the hilt was wrapped in some kind of fabric. He tried to focus on the beauty of the knife, as his uncle taught him. The silver did look nice and clean and there was also a belt with a hilt on it so he wouldn’t cut himself on the blade.

His dad smiled. “Put the belt on.”

M’Katesh faked a smiled and stood up slowly so Mya could jump off. He fastened the belt around his waist. The belt fit nicely and it wasn’t loose which meant it wouldn’t fall off. He put the knife in its sheathe, and looked down. “Wow.” He honestly meant it. He probably wouldn’t use it though… only if he needed to protect himself. But he respected his father, and actually did like the knife. He hugged his father. “Thank you Dad! I love it!”

His dad admired his son’s new belt. “You look like a true wolf now son.”

M’Katesh smiled at his dad. As long as he made his dad happy, he was alright with anything… Or so he thought…