Limited Vengeance

Prologue

Winter in the plains of Alesia makes life harsh and nearly unbearable for most people. The cold air seems to suck the life from every plant and animal that calls this place home. Mountain ranges developed around the landscape providing shelter from the devilish wind. As the small delicate flakes of snow covers the ground, the wind whistles through the patches of pine trees that are scattered throughout the land and life endures as it always has. In this world there are creatures of various sizes. Some as small as the snowflakes themselves. Some as large as the vast castle home to the wealthiest of kings.  Although the temperature drops to unimaginable extremes, there is plenty of game to be found even during the harshest of seasons. The golden age of joyous songs and preposterous meals rule all.

The people who have found this place a suitable home have become one with the elements and thrive in groups of villages scattered throughout the lands like the trees. Smiles can be seen on all the tanned faces of the children and the wisdom of the long lived elders flow with purpose to each and every ear.  Everyone has a part to play to keep the wheels of life turning and keeping peace. Though the good natures of these people harbor no ill will, there are others whose part to play is among the more insidious.

Night has come and the sky is showered in stars. Their light reflects off the white engulfing the huts that made the homes to a small village far from the rest. A beautiful note floated into the air from a flute followed by the slowly rising beat of a drum.  The deep and hollow rhythm matched the solo lead flute magnificently. The tune made your feelings rise with excitement as the rhythm began to move faster and faster. With each beat of the drum a story thread was woven by dancers to create a picture perfect tale of a hunting expedition. As the music reached the climax of the story, the dancers told of a victorious arrow that had reached its mark.

The notes danced through the night air and was washed away from the village soaring into the nearby grove of trees.  Wrestling over each leaf and hopping over stem until they finally reached the branch high in the trees.  

The notes fell from the trees like the leaves themselves onto seven deadly sets of ears. The sharp snap of a twig disrupted the flow of music.

"Quiet you!" screamed a raspy voiced woman.

A man emerged from behind one of the huts."Who's there?!" He called, pounding the butt of his spear into the snow.

"Not I." a small man's voice replied. A hollow knocking sound followed by a cry of pain, which was then followed by a whispered "Shut up!", disrupted the scene.

"Said the fly." a deep voiced man replied. This also was followed by a hollow knocking sound and a seemingly indifferent "Ouch".

"Show yourselves!" called the man beside the hut.

"What is it Gin?" said a second man as he came from behind the hut.

"Behind there." he said, spear pointed at the trees. Whispered arguing erupted from the treeline startling the two men who in response readied themselves for the unknown.  The characters behind the trees continued to bicker amongst themselves for a few moments until it was all disrupted when an abrupt slapping sound clapped into the air.

"I make the rules around here and not you!" screamed the scorched voiced woman. "Now lets get our heads straight and be on our way, shall we?" she asked with a sinister tone.

The men stared at each other for a moment confused and completely caught off guard.

"What in the world is going on?" Gin mumbled. The man shrugged his shoulders and walked forward.

"Whatever this is, can we at least move this along?" Gin said getting tired or what he thought was a silly game.

"A silly game?" cooed the voice of a woman, much different from the rusty grinding of the other. The two men swiftly turned, suddenly drawn by eagerness to see what magnificent beauty would belong to such an angelic voice.