Yare Mountain

A chill was filling the air. It was Autumn, but the leaves had not yet fallen entirely. Wesley's steps following these kinds of days quickened as the temperature steadily dropped. With no money, and no notable skills to his name, finding work wouldn't be easy, but more importantly, finding work would delay his march to Alrendais. His only option was to hope that he could move fast enough to get there before the first snow of winter.

Back in Ivayla, the first real snow always started to fall a little after all the leaves had fallen which was about three weeks out he figured. Wesley was wrong. The next day there was a thin layer of snow on the ground with thick dark clouds in the horizon.

"Is this how early it snows in the mountains?" he asked himself.

He had but one choice, and that was to continue on and find some sort of shelter. Traveling through the woods provided him with some shelter from the wind, but as the weather grew worse, so did his shield start to falter. Wesley panicked and started running, frantically trying to search for somewhere or something to protect him from the dangerous foe that now beat against him. His skin turned blue, and his muscles started to clamp. He had no idea how much longer he could last in these conditions or if turning back would be any kind of effective solution.

Wesley then tripped and fell to the ground filling his face with snow. He looked up and saw a squirrel scurrying through the snow. The squirrel then dug into the ground and dug out a nut from it and held it in his mouth. At that moment, Wesley felt a connection with the squirrel as it shook from the cold. Wesley's eyes began to grow dark and his face started to fade, when a bare foot came out of nowhere and trampled the squirrel under it.

Wesley then watched with shock as he saw a shirtless man dancing through the woods without a care in the world. He showed no signs of being cold and he looked happy as could be.

"Here I am on the brink of death, and here is this man, dancing shirtless as if it were a hot summer day! Am I weak for faltering under these conditions, or is this man just insane?!" Wesley thought to himself.

After the man left out of sight, Wesley didn't feel quite as weak. It was as if the shock of seeing the man gave him jolt he needed to continue his hunt for shelter. He picked himself up and continued walking through storm. After a while he saw something in the distance and moved towards it, but the snow was getting more intense. He could almost make out a figure so he put his hand close to his eyes to block the snow and clear his vision.

Blood spurt out everywhere as an arrow went through his hand, and he fell to the ground shouting. The figure came close to him with another smaller figure right behind him. Wesley could now make out that it was a man pointing a loaded bow at him, and that there was a child behind him.

"You must be pretty desperate to try and rob me bandit."

Wesley groaned intensely and looked up at the man with tears streaming down his eyes. The man's face sank, and he lowered his bow slowly. He looked back at the child then back at Wesley.

"Holy crap! You're just a kid! Not only that, but you clearly came unprepared seeing the way you dressed!"

The man then hastily fell down and wrapped Wesley's hand in cloth.

"Runin! Come and help me carry him back to the house! He needs to get out of this storm!"

The child nodded and helped the man carry Wesley in the direction they came from. Wesley passed out soon afterwards. When Wesley opened his eyes he quickly sat up and looked around at his surroundings. He was in a log cabin, and he sat beside a warm fireplace that's heat returned feeling into his body. He tried to stand up but fell back down.

"Guess all that walking made my legs pretty sore." he said aloud.

"What were you even doing out there in the first place?!" said a voice from behind him. Wesley turned around quickly to see where it came from to see a boy that was a little younger than him.

"Greetings!" the boy said. "I know we haven't met yet, but I'm Runin and this is my house just so you know!"

"You mean this house is yours?..."

"Well not exactly..."

"It's actually mine." said the man as he walked into the room. "I built this place when I was 19. It's been 20 years since then."

"It looks like a good house."

"Aye. It has been. My name is Uhraigis. Uhraigis Yare."

"Thank you for saving me from that blizzard mister Yare. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come along."

"You would have died that's what, though I don't suppose I made matters any better."

Wesley was confused but then a thought came to his mind and he immediately looked at his right hand.

"Oh wow... I forgot..."

"You forgot that I lodged an arrow in your hand?! Boy, you need to get your priorities straight or you won't last long out here!"

"I... I can't feel my hand very well..."

"I was afraid something like that might happen."

"Wait! I can still move it though, it just hurts like hell."

"I'm sorry I was so hasty. If I had known that you were just a boy, I would have never dreamt of doing something like that to you. I thought you might be a bandit of some sort, but when I saw your face, and saw how little clothes you wore that's when I figured out that you were just some foolish kid and that you posed no threat to me or my family, not in this weather at least."

"Where exactly am I? In Halvor that is."

"Everyone knows this place as Yare mountain, because my ancestors, the Yare family, were the first to settle it and the only ones to tame it. You're lucky I came along when I did. Not many people have survived that got caught in a storm on this mountain."

"Yeah, the snow was nearly the death of me."

"If anything you should be glad it was snow this time, because if it was any other kind of storm you would be dead."

"I suppose you have quite a few tales to tell regarding that don't you?"

"Don't you dare get that old man started on more of his tall tales young man!" shouted the voice of a woman stomping into the room. She was slightly younger than the man in appearance and had an expression almost as dark as her black hair.

"Allow me to introduce myself and allow me to introduce my husband who has been insufferable enough to have forgotten to announce me to you. I am Orcia, the keeper of this home. I have three young ones running around so let me know if they give you any trouble. I wouldn't want you to feel uncomfortable on account of them! You can stay here as long as you need to in order to recover, after all, it's the least we can do after my husband made the mistake he made. What I want to know is why you were out in that storm in the first place?! It was probably for something stupid wasn't it?"

"I don't know if going out to find my place in the world is all that stupid, but I'm on my way to Alrendais to find the vampire hunters."

"So you need someone to hunt vampires for you? With what money pray tell?" said Uhraigis.

"No no. I want to find them so they can teach me to become one."

"So it was something stupid after all."

"So that's how it is? People who become vampire hunters are fools? That's something you wouldn't be saying if everyone you loved was killed by them like I have. If not people like I, then who shall defend your innocents when the vampires set their sights on them. My village never hurt anyone. My family never wished ill upon anyone or abandoned those in need. What justice is served by their deaths, and what debt is paid by the suffering of my neighbors? If seeking the power to prevent things like this from happening makes me a fool then I gladly bear it."

"Now, now, I didn't mean any harm by what I said. So maybe you have a good reason to do it, but that doesn't mean you have to be the one to do it."

"I have nothing left but my youth. Should I expect those with more to lose than me to take up the mantle before me, or do I accept the path before me to protect people like you from every having to worry about something so terrible it haunts you to your very core?"

"You're quite the interesting boy. I would have never thought you to be that kind of person when I brought you back here. What is your name boy?"

"Wesley. It's Wesley Erestine."

"Erestine is it? Well it's a pleasure to meet you. If there is anything you need just ask. Any information, any skills, I can teach you whatever you need to know. You have a long journey ahead of you so you're going to need all the help you can get."

"You grew up on this mountain didn't you? Would it be bold to assume you know how to tame it?"

"Indeed I have."

"Would you teach me how to survive in this place, when I can walk again that is?"

"Hmm, not only are you decisive, but it seems you might be wise as well, at least for someone your age. How old are you?"

"I'm fourteen years old."

"I was fourteen when my father set me out on this mountain and tested me to see if I could survive the elements on my own. Since you asked, I'll do it. As an apology for that wound on your hand. I'll teach you what I can for the next three months if that is sufficient enough time for you that is."

About a weeks passed before Wesley was recovered enough to start helping with the mundane things such as housework and chores. Orcia and Uhraigis insisted he recover himself but Wesley would not yield. After a month his right hand still wasn't working properly, but he could bend all the joints in it if he put his mind to it. It was clear to him at this point that his hand was probably never going to be the same, so he made up his mind to start making his left hand his dominant hand.

Wesley stepped outside the house and onto a balcony. He looked upon the mountain before him seeing that the snow had almost melted. It was September when it fell, and it was now October with warm breezes, but that wasn't to be for long. Dark clouds hung in the distance casting shadows over the tree tops down below. It wouldn't be long before the mountain was once again covered in a white sheet of snow.

It was a peaceful place, one Wesley wished he had stayed in. Had he been older he might have, but the fidgety youth of a fourteen year old boy was still coursing through him, which meant he had a subtle eagerness to continue on his quest. Wesley was finally ready to learn, and so he began his training.

Runin was Uhraigis' son, and so he was far more learned than Wesley in the ways of the mountain, and so when Wesley was left to practice what he learned on his own, Runin was there to observe. Being just four years younger than Wesley the two became fast friends. For the next three months Wesley learned all the skills that Uhraigis had to offer, and became like a big brother to all the children there, Runin, his younger sister Fay, and her younger brother Billy.

When February 7th came, Wesley stood out in the snow wearing the fur coat he had learned to make and was equipped with various tools. He had a warm feeling inside, one that he had long forgotten. What was this feeling again? He wondered. Confidence! That's what it was. He was feeling confident in his newly acquired knowledge and skills.

"I wish there was something I could say to change your mind Wesley. It's a dangerous world... but... I think you'll manage. After all, that wouldn't look very good if you didn't seeing how I'm the one who taught you everything you know going forward."

"Words can never express my gratitude towards you mister Yare." Wesley bowed. "I'll never forget what you've done for me, and when I become a vampire hunter, I promise to make sure your family is safe. Being out there alone, and with no help... it makes you question the goodness of people... you start to forget that there's a force inside of everyone that wants them to do good. You kind people have reminded me of that force and the power it creates."

"Gee Wes, you humble me with your words. I've always thought myself to be a pretty decent person, but you make me sound to be a saint! It's kind of demeaning in a way. Listen Wesley, if you ever decide that being a vampire hunter isn't for you, just know that you have a home here that you can come back to."

Uhraigis then stepped forward and hugged the lad tightly.

"Take care mister Yare. If my road ever takes me this way again, I'll be sure to stop by."

With that, Wesley set off with his back to Yare mountain and his eyes pointed towards Alrendais where his future awaited as a vampire hunter. In his hand he had a compass. Uhraigis gave it to him, and Wesley remembered the words he said to him when he gave it.

"This is a compass Wesley. It always points north. Whenever you get lost you can use it to find your way again. It's a tool that you can either use constantly, or a tool that you can use in your most dire need. It works anyway you use it and will help guide you to where you need to go. Don't lose your compass. If you lose it, you will lose your way."