A cold autumn night

Once upon a cold rainy night, in a little house barely able to hold up against the winds, there was a boy and his father. Unable to protect his only son and give him the life that he deserved, Kieth Lafer died in the ruins of their cabin. Only accompanied by the coals of the fireplace and the seven winds of the world

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Three days ago

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"Boy come here." He heard as he was walking into the kitchen to get some water from the well. Walking into the kitchen he saw his father furiously writing on a struggling piece of parchment paper. Laughing to himself he asks "Yeah, dad?" His father, without even looking up from his writing, says "Boy, get some wood. The weather isn't going to get any better and we need the warmth." As he slowly got up to stoke the fire.

"Why do I have to be the one to get it… ugh, I always do everything." The boy said as he got up. "Go before I kick your sorry behind out the door" "YES FATHER!" The boy yelled slightly annoyed. "AND GET SOME FOOD WHILE YOUR OUT WE'RE ALMOST OUT" His father yelled at the boy as he walked out the door.

"I always do everything why doesn't father get stuff sometimes. He's always sitting on his ass drinking that weird smelling coffee… stupid old man."

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"Damn it there isn't enough time… what am I supposed to do carol… there isn't enough time" Keith mutters as he frantically starts looking through pages. "This backwater village was supposed to be safe from them. You said that it would take them years to track us down in this small town on the opposite side of the empire. But just the other day I sensed His presence. If he's here, then his master is sure to send more men to track us down and kill us." He said as he starts talking to the moon outside. It's cold, uncaring glare staring right back into his tired and teary eyes. "Our son isn't ready for the world. You left me alone to raise him for 17 years and I still don't understand why he must carry this burden you spoke so dangerously about." He says as his eyes notice the paper he was looking for on the wooden floor. "It doesn't matter if he's ready or not… it'll be too late to do anything if we wait. I'll see you again soon dear."

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"When will he let me see what he's been working on… it's his life work and I'm his son." The boy picks up more and more sticks and places them into his pack. The corpses of dead rabbits hanging from the straps. "Atleast my birthday is coming soon. That old man better have gotten me something this time. Last time he just gave me this stupid tattoo when he knocked me out with a bat to the back of the head… AND IT STILL HURTS… but his cough is getting worse and worse. Why can't we just go to a hospital in the village down the road."

The boy walks down the pebble road that leads to their house. The cold wind starts picking up while the sun starts to set. "Damn it winter is going to suck this year. Do we even have enough wood to survive the cold." Wondering as he walks and talks. Staring out into the cold void of space he lets his mind wander. Thinking about hot food… and nice cold beers.

Wandering back into the village he passed on his way here he watched as the sun finally started setting into the mountains far away. "HEY, get inside boy the wolves that come out at night are scary" an old woman yells from her second-floor window. "YEAH YEAH… I'm going" The boy grumbles. He starts running realizing he's later than his father likes him being out. "That old man better not scold me again. Last time he didn't have any mercy."

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"I'M HOME OLD MAN" the boy yells at he walks in the door. His old man walking out of the basement with an angry look on his face. "Where were you, good for nothing son, you could have gotten killed by the wolves or taken by slave traders… why do you torture me like this" Kieth says with an annoyed expression on his face. Coughing uncontrollably until he ends it with one last loud one.

"Why do you care so much old man. If I was gone then the only thing you would lose is a beer gatherer because your too scared to walk to the village" The boy says as he storms off to his room in the back hallway. 'Damn it old man. All of this stress is making your health worse. Oh, I still have the wood and rabbit meat on me'. He walked back to the main room and dumped the meat on the cutting board and the wood in the log holder.

Thinking about his father he decides to stay out and help him. Whenever he cooks his father always calls it trash, even if it tasted like a culinary master made it. The two often fought but still cared for each other. One's health slowly declined while the other fears for the future. Both knowing that they won't survive this incoming winter. At least not here in their little cabin they wouldn't. Winter would pass soon enough for the both of them.