“Come with me son, I want you to see this.” It was an older man’s voice—deep and reassuring. He wore a full face of hair which masked his rough facial features: a chiseled chin rested below a friendly smile and deep eye sockets—eyes that had seen the face of battle many times. He held back a thick tree branch and sheltered his young boy in his free arm, bringing him around the brush.
A lone deer was drinking from a creek. The delicate animal, head down, slowly lapped the water with its tongue, flicking its ears up as the man moved the branch. The animal’s head darted up in their direction. The boy stood still as stone under the deer’s sweet and curious gaze for fear of frightening it. The boy’s father gestured them forward, closer to the timid animal.
Taking a step in the opposite direction, the deer readied to prance away from the intruders. The man knelt down on one knee, becoming eye level with his boy. The deer stopped, looking at the two once more, this time more interested. It licked its tiny nose with its tongue, cocking its head in the other direction.
The boy stared out in amazement—he had never seen such a wonder before. He watched the animal as it twitched its ears and twirled its tail. The boy wondered how anything so gentle could exist. He was used to the harshness of mankind. His tribe was always moving across the lands around the big tower in the sky. He knew that killing animals was essential to living; he enjoyed his helping of cooked bear every so often. He wished he could go and touch the animal.
The deer took a step toward the two. The boy’s father crept several steps forward, never changing his stature. The deer became more intrigued. It stepped closer now.
The boy took a step back. He thought he would scare it away if he proceeded forward. “Come now, son.” His father whispered to him, offering a hand. He always felt safe when his father was close. He had no reason to fear this moment. He grasped his father’s hand and took several steps closer to the animal.
Closer and closer they got. The boy felt like an eternity was passing by with each step he took. His eyes were staring at those of the deer’s; wondrous, shining black beads. Finally the deer was close enough for the boy to hear it breathing. He watched as its chest went in and out, sucking in air just as he did.
The man reached an open palm out toward the animal, never faulting or shaking. The boy was always amazed at what his father could do. The deer placed its chin in his father’s hand. The boy gasped, startling the deer enough for it to retract its head. The boy covered his mouth with both his hands, his green eyes wide.
The air filled with a feint whistling sound. The boy turned his head to see a spear soaring past him toward the deer. The boy let out a yelp. It was such a beautiful animal, why would anyone want to harm it? He yearned for the spear to stop right where it was and fall to the ground.
By the time he turned back to his father, hoping he would have done something, the deer was bouncing through the trees in the distance, the spear impaling a nearby tree. His father took his son's hand and they made their way back.
“Come on, son.” He knew the spear was of no threat; it had been one of their own. He chuckled to himself, thinking about how his son had actually saved the deer. He looked down at his boy and stared in wonder for a moment. “Remember Cade. There is always a way to cheat death.”
Cade jerked his head forward, startling himself awake, choking on the air he had just inhaled. Leaning forward, he regained his steady breathing, thinking back to the dream. Cade had always loved his father; loved him and looked up to him.
“Is everything okay, Cade?” questioned a voice. Still in a trance, he believed it to be his dad. Looking around, he realized he was still in Lork Cave. His shoulders sank and he pulled his knees inward, placing his face into them. He nodded. A queasy feeling began to emerge in the pit of his stomach. Cade wished he could see his father once more.
Lifting his head from his knees, Cade leaned against the wall, looking at Pyro. “Just a bad dream.” He inwardly smiled to himself while averting his eyes from Pyro’s gaze. He sighed, stretching out his legs. “Thanks for saving me back there. I would have been agkor meat if it wasn’t for you.”
“Don’t mention it. I figured using the last of my strength could be of use.” Pyro chuckled, giving Cade a light punch on the arm. Cade finally gave in and smiled.
There was a moment of silence as Cade ran his pointer fingers around one another. “Do you ever miss them?” he asked, looking up.
Pyro immediately knew what Cade’s dream had been about. Although Cade had never opened up to Pyro about his parents, Pyro knew this was about something similar to what he faced himself. “I do. It was only a year ago that it happened.” Pyro searched for the words. He had never sat down and really thought about any of it. He knew he needed to keep moving forward. “You can only move forward, never backward. Knowing now what destiny has in store for me, I can say those events were meant to happen. If those invaders never attacked my home, I would still be there. The world would only have one of its heroes.”
Cade looked at Pyro, studying him. Pyro wasn’t looking at him, but instead was blankly staring at the cave wall. The wind blowing into the cave sent a shiver down Cade’s spine as he listened to Pyro. Cade always found assurance in the words of others he trusted. Now was no different.
The two had not eaten since they left the old woman’s home hours ago. Cade decided it would be best to cook up a quick meal. He held out a hand, making it glow, and a sapling began to sprout through the floor of the cave. The tree grew and began to age at an accelerated rate as Cade pumped more magic into it. Eventually, the tree grew old and dried out. He cut the tree down with his sword in one quick swipe and sliced it into smaller logs that Pyro lit with his Vulcan magic.
Cade took out a tiny iron pot and several metal rods from his pack. He assembled the rods over the fire and hung the black pot over the fire. Cade used his magic to force the tree’s roots out of the ground. Cade threw them into the pot while Pyro took out two potatoes from his backpack, sliced them up, and added them to the mix. Cade gathered snow from outside the cave to throw in, creating a stew. It wasn’t much, but at least they could eat something.
“So what happened to you? I told you my story, so what is yours?” Pyro inquired. He shifted so he was facing his friend, legs crossed. Cade opened his mouth but no words came at first. Pyro sat patiently, ready to listen.
“In my dream,” Cade began, “me and my dad were watching a deer in the woods. My dad always showed me around the wilderness, teaching me how to travel and how to track animals. My tribe and I were wonderers. We travelled the lands, always exploring new areas to settle. I don’t think I was ever in the same place for more than a few months at a time.
“We did always come back to the Great Tower of Fauna, however. I remember seeing those lands many times. I suppose that is why I am aligned with the Fauna element. But my mother passed on when I was very young, I can barely remember her.” Cade’s voice seemed to trail off, the words floating in his head. He shifted his body, bringing his knees in close with both arms.
“I remember travelling everywhere with my father though. He taught me everything: How to survive in harsh environments, how to hunt, and how to travel the lands. I always wondered how he knew where he was going when I was younger. I always just followed him. It always seemed that we were just wondering, without a purpose, but now I can see that he was doing it to teach me about the world.
“As I grew up he would have me lead hunts in the darkest of woods, and I was good at it. My father had a lot of faith in my abilities. He taught me how to wield a blade when I was younger.” Cade huffed a small laugh. “If you were watching me fight the agkors back there…all of that I learned from him. He always taught me to use the environment to fight for me.”
Cade stood up, taking his short sword from its scabbard. “This was his sword. He entrusted it to me the day he died.” He used one arm to lean his weight against the wet cave wall. The sun had set and the dark cave swallowed the popping and cracking of the fire. It felt empty, filled with blackness and loneliness.
“We were attacked one night, a year or so ago. No one in my tribe was prepared for what had happened. It all happened so quickly. They came out of the darkness killing many of the ones I loved in their sleep. For some reason, I wasn’t able to sleep that night, something in my mind kept bugging me. Little did I know what was happening outside my small tent. I remember rolling over to see my father’s bed empty.
“Outside I heard movement. Moving toward the entrance of the tent, I peeked out thinking it was an animal looking for food.” Cade pushed himself off the stone wall, turning toward the fire, his back to Pyro who sat listening. “I saw my father die. There were several bodies lying on the ground around him, some people I knew, and some I had never seen before.
“My father was stabbed; the sword went through his entire body. I wasn’t able to see his killer. If he was there, he was as dark as the night. I waited in my tent for several more moments, hoping his attacker didn’t see me watching. I remember holding my breath for what seemed like forever.
“Then I ran. I grabbed my father’s sword, trying not to look down at his dead body, and ran toward the woods. All I remember seeing was the safety of the dark trees. I made it and kept running, away from the Great Tower.” Cade turned to face Pyro, “That was the last time I saw anyone from my tribe.”
Pyro sat silent with his eyes directed toward the ground. Cade returned his sword to its sheath and took a seat next to Pyro, allowing his back to slide down the slick cavern wall. Beams of sunlight began to splash their way into the cave, fending back the darkness. Further down, the cave was lined with torches trapped in magical spells so they would never burn out.
Pyro leaned forward, smelling the boiling potatoes and sweet roots. He took two bowls and two spoons out of his pack and fished some of the stew into each bowl. Leaning back, he handed Cade a bowl and the two sat their eating in silence.