Steeds of Hell

The glowing gem-Chapter one

Steeds Of Hell 

Chapter one

(The glowing gem)

“We should turn back.” The young prince, Isaac, tried to begin an argument while he shivered, the words were pushed from his mouth by fear, rather than him saying them. He usually never dared to show rebellion when his brother wanted him to do something, but today was different.

“You will die out here before you return to your chambers anything other than a man. Those are the rules.”  Bryce stated, with all the blood in his face frozen and pale.

The Alards had been hunting wolves for thousands of years, each boy was to kill a gold wolf in order to enter into manhood, and Isaac and his brother were Alards. To own lands, and get any inheritance was the allowance of becoming a man, in any decent house, Isaac always thought, but now that it was his turn to become one, he pushed his courage and pride aside.

Bryce placed the frozen wooden shaft of his spear on his shoulder; he looked upon Isaac, and his frown covered and pale face, while they both walked through the cold woods. The trees stayed high and frozen, as the blast of cracking sounds echoed when the large evergreens blew in the wind that bit Isaac’s ears “You will become a man today.” The older brother said, therefore binding Isaac to follow him through the cold woods. Isaac, out of anger, took the dagger he held in his cold, frozen, hand and swung it at an icicle. Small pieces shot at his face and he flinched. When they hit, he didn’t feel anything because of the numb that the cold gave him. Instead of melting from his warmth they just stuck to his face, like his face was any other frozen thing. Somewhere in the woods the howling of the gold wolf sounded off, loud, scratchy and almost as frozen and dead as the glittering ice of the trees. That howl told the two princes their journey was coming to an end, for Isaac would face the beast and henceforth forth shall end their hunt one way or another. "You don’t want to anger me, I’ll thrust you into an icicle as you did with your steel, brother." Bryce said with a stare at his brother. Isaac chuckled and they began heading toward the howl they both had heard, just after a shove from his brother made him almost trip in the snow. As the two went deeper into the wood’s darkness, the young prince spotted a paw, which was printed deep within the frozen snow. “Pssst!” he whispered for Bryce’s attention. A puddle soaked in its deep frozen shape that stayed larger than Isaac’s face. He stood knowing he would have to face the large beast that made it, and then the only fearing prince yet among them no longer feared. Instead Isaac became amused at the size, he now knew that this story would be one of the good ones that he’d brag about to the girls back at the black cliff, he smiled, and the ice cracked and fell from the whiskers of a beard he had.

The sound of a growl made Isaac unsheathe his dagger, the short noise of steel lingered yet among them while his brother did the same with his long sword. Isaac locked his eyes on the beast while he positioned his spear for battle; he watched the eyes that were sharp and sapphire blue appear from behind one of many frozen trees. The gem colored eyes gave a glow and its yellow teeth covered in a layer of sparkling ice that became frozen every time it opened its mouth to growl. The frost on his blade sparkled in the faint sunlight. While the snow crunched beneath his feet, he circled the wolf, and the wolf circled he, with not a single thought in his head, without a single feeling in his body, his spear was buried into the beast’s left eye, so fast was the blade that he, Isaac, didn’t see it coming. “Instinct,” he thought, gratefully. The gold wolves’ cries grew loud; the sharp moans were just like a layer of ice cracking over the frozen lake, it fell beneath the proud prince and into the snow, as he removed the spearhead. Before he knew it the deed was done and he was now a man. He no longer felt the cold that bit at his fingers and face, only his heart beating his ribs fiercely, then the breeze that combed through his brown hair. “Aye, no hardship.” He bragged to his brother, while digging his frozen dagger into the beasts golden fur. It laid, white and black dots rattled its fur, but it was mostly a gold that almost glowed when the sun beamed on it. The warmth of its flesh melted the ice, which clung to his black-steeled dagger. The golden fur became red with its blood and began to clot quickly in the frost air. “I now realize why they call it the red wolf.” Isaac said, he caused the woods to echo with laughter. ”It’s called the gold wolf,” Bryce told him while returning his long sword into his sheath. Isaac twisted his face up, “I ‘am a man!” Isaac said just before the woods echoed with his laughter, for the second time. The beast slumped in death as the white snow drank its blood. Isaac pried one of its teeth out “This’ll do well for a necklace, I shall remember this day till my last.”