A Tale That Began With Winter (2)

The sound of dull metal clanging could be heard throughout the garden.

"Push harder with your foot, I barely feel any force behind your strike", Brad instructed, pushing me back with his sword.

"That's rich coming from you who's basically 3 times my size", I retorted.

Brad hit me over the head with his sword which mind you, with my metal helm, made my head rock side to side. And did I tell you he's massive.

"Your clumsier than usual, what's on your mind?", Brad looked towards my shaking head.

"So you're saying I'm clumsy in general?", I joked.

"Stop dodging the question", Brad looked me dead in the eye. I really had been spending too much time with him. He could see right through me.

"Father isn't going to take me hunting this week", I kicked a rock on the ground.

"That's it?".

"That's it? That's it?!", I looked at Brad, shock on my face.

"Listen kid, just cuz your dad ain't taking you on this hunting trip filled with flowers and rainbows, doesn't mean you have to pretend like it's the end of the fucking world", he shook his head as if he were dealing with an idiot.

"These kids complaining about little things even with their youth, just be patient, you've got your whole life ahead of you, just wait till the next weekend", he shrugged.

"All I do is keep waiting, All I've been is patient!" I lashed out. "What if he doesn't take me the next week, and the week after that, and the week after that? What then? I... just want him to see me as I see him".

I turned around, clenching my fists and biting my lip.

Brad didn't say anything, scratching his head, he put out his hand to rest on my shoulder, but decided against it.

I walked away. Leaves crunching beneath my feet as my steps grew further and further from Brad, yet he didn't call out to me, not once. A part of me wishes he did. The last leaves of autumn had fallen, the dry cold air of winter seemed ever closer.

- - - - -

A tall woman with her hair tied in a neat bun, looked to the large chalkboard at the end of the room. Writing large paragraphs of text and drawing diagrams, she explained the concepts as we went along. She was Miss Shelby, my tutor.

Almost in an instant, a piece of chalk entered into my peripheral, soon accompanied by a stinging sensation in my forehead.

"Is the outside more interesting than my lectures?", she asked, threateningly holding up another piece of chalk.

"Nonono, I thought I just saw something, it's nothing though!", I pulled out a random excuse, hoping to avoid the hellfire she would otherwise inflict on me.

"You're not usually this quiet, something happen?", she asked, looking back to the blackboard.

Though she was strict and quite overbearing, she was still a kind and thoughtful person.

"No, I'm fine", I put on a tone as if I didn't know what she was talking about.

Another piece of chalk hit my head. I take back what I said about her being "kind and thoughtful".

"You think I can't tell if something is on your mind, even after all these years?", she weighed her head on her palm looking disappointed.

I chuckled a little, but that soon turned into a frown as I mentioned what happened.

"Huh?!", her face constricted, anger clear on her face.

"Please don't mention any of this to father, I don't want him-", I hurriedly replied, hoping she wouldn't take this matter up with him.

She lined her fingers across her lips and smiled, "My lips are sealed".

Letting out a small sigh, I laid back in my chair smiling back, the lesson continued for a little longer, but was still cut shorter than usual. Leaving the room, I waved goodbye to Miss Shelby.

"That idiot, I've got to give him a piece of my mind", she sighed. "But it's for the boy I guess, he's got a soft side for him".

- - - - -

The day I had been waiting for had arrived, yet it was now just another repeated cycle like every other one.

However, I wasn't going to let myself fall into routine once again. I planned to follow my father into the woods, an amazing plan, I know...

The day seemed to flash by within a second, if that second lasted forever. I was excited but also anxious and afraid of what might happen if I'm found out.

Brad noticed my odd behaviour in the afternoon, but decided not to pry this time, simply training me as usual.

Darkness took over the sky, as the night drew in. 5 people rode in from the distance on horseback. Father along with some other older looking men, loaded off the supplies from their horses, gearing themselves. Each now looking almost as if they were going out for war rather than just some deer hunting. Their figures soon started crossing the gravel roads, leaving me behind.

I wondered why they chose to abandon their horses, but in the end, it was more of a blessing than anything. I doubt I could follow them without revealing myself on horseback. Pulling a sword I had nabbed from the shed, I followed them. Keeping my distance, I ran behind bush, tree and rock. I couldn't let them see me.

The wind grew stronger as my limbs felt numb.

Torches from the group in front seemed to lose their lustre. Where are we going, I wondered. How much longer till we arrive? I couldn't even feel my hands anymore, let alone walk for another hour.

"Stop!", my father commanded.

The hairs on my neck stood up. Had they perhaps noticed me? Was this it?

The group halted their steps. Or are we here? Wherever here is...

A rumbling as if the world had decided to erupt and fold in on itself, rattled my ears. Growls that sounded like death and steps that inched ever closer, filled the atmosphere with an eerie and ominous danger.

Wolves? I thought to myself. I readied my sword, pulling it out of its sheath. I had no source of light and so I simply stared, trying to focus my eyes on places where the moon's glow shined bright.

My fathers group had also armed themselves, pulling out their swords and muskets.

Eyes that seemed to glow in the dark, revealed themselves. Yet for some reason, they began to float higher, and higher, and higher.

"Werewolves!", my father shouted as he pointed his sword at one set of eyes.

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Werewolves huh? Now that's different right? You've definitely never read a story which involved those right? Right???