The Horns of a Dilemma

~Prologue~

I was in the barn preparing to take the sheep into the field when I heard the small wail of my year old child. The sound stopped me in my tracks for a moment and unwillingly brought back the memory of what the village healer had said two days ago. 

***** 

"Can't you do something, anything at all?" I asked her, tired and frustrated from trying to help my wife, Angela, with the child. 

I looked down at my son, Nicolas, and gently stroked the wisp of brown hair on his head while he stared up at me with my wife Angela's striking green eyes and I had the thought of how handsome he would be if he grew older. 

The old healer Isabelle just sadly shook her head and said. "I am sorry but I have done all that I can. I have used all the herbs I know that will help but still this fever refuses to break. If we had some ice it would be easier but it's the wrong season for that around here. I'm sorry Alan but unless a miracle happens your son's time in this world will soon end." And with that said she left. 

I had looked at Angela and found she had silently started to cry after the door closed. She had just seemed so small and fragile that I just had to go over and pull her close, trying to provide some form of comfort however small.  

After a few moments she sniffed a bit and pushed herself out of my grasp. She wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her dress, looked up at me with determination in her eyes and said. "If it is to be his last days then the least we can do is make him comfortable. Now you go out and make yourself useful and take care of the sheep while I fix dinner." 

I couldn't resist smiling at the thought of how wonderful my wife is as she shoved me out the door when I didn't move right away. 

***** 

The memory did not last long before another cry brought me back to the present task at hand. I busied myself with getting the sheep into one group outside the barn with Geb my sheep dog. After that we set off to the rolling grassy hills for the sheep to graze. It was a little after mid-day when I brought the herd to the spot I wanted. It was one of my favorite spots where I could sit on a rock and overlook the fields to keep an eye on the sheep and have the shade of the forest at my back. Got out my small lunch of bread, cheese, dried meat, and water and ate it while enjoying the peace I could feel from the world around me. I was jolted out of my relaxing by the roar of one of the resident dragons in the distance. About a year ago two dragons had flown overhead to the mountain a mile or two to the north-east past the hill where I had lunch and after that we had heard a roar from them every now and then but we hadn't seen them since. So despite the fearsome reputation dragons have I was inclined to think they were decent neighbors. 

It took a while before the birds and other animals relaxed but soon the chirp of the birds returned. 

**** 

It was a few hours after that that I decided that it was time to head in. I rounded the sheep together with a few whistled commands to Geb and drove the herd towards home. 

I had barely taken ten steps before I saw a group of men from my village carrying torches coming towards me with a large man in front leading them. I brought the herd to a stop and waited for the men to arrive. It was not long before I stood before a group of about fifteen angry men carrying torches, a few pitchforks and axes, and one man with a rusted sword and led by Martin, the village blacksmith. 

"What are these men doing here so far from the village Martin?" I ask. 

"We are on our way to kill a beast that has been plaguing us for far too long." He said with a few mumbled words of 'yeah' from the men behind him.