Tales of the Lost and the Wilds [on hold]

Strange Fate

My life had always been a strange one. Where others were either happy to tend to the grove or strong and poised to be hunters from a young age, I was neither. I lacked the natural strength and talent to wield a bow or sword, but I also couldn't seem to be content farming like my sister and the others.

This princeling, Malte, wasn't the test of valour I'd hoped for. If I could choose, I would've single-handedly defeated a dangerous beast or, even better, a human, and won the admiration of my village. Playing warden in an old barn was worse than mucking out the cow shit. At least the shit served a purpose, fertilising the land. 

There was no clear ending to my 'test' either. Who knew when the temple of the thunder god or the human palace decided to come negotiate for their missing prince? I feared they wouldn't at all, given what the human himself had said. 

I wished they wouldn't have left him to me. I wished they wouldn't leave any prisoner to me. Even proving my skill in the fighting pit by taking a beating from a hunter and remaining standing would've been a more palatable test. But no, like always, my life had to stay a strange one. With a strange task.

Looking at the barn doors, I sighed. The hunters and Elder Ariste had left, leaving me to handle the situation on my own. Also part of the test I needed to pass. It served a purpose: if I couldn't make decisions on my own, I couldn't be a hunter. Every decision they made in the blink of an eye could mean life or death for them and others.

Be that as it may, the knowledge I had to act with confidence still didn't give me any more of a clue about what I was supposed to do with a prisoner. I'd spent my days in the field, or with my eyes closed on the Listening Rocks, dreaming of being among the hunters who fought our wars. I guessed I had to make sure the human was fed and had water? I couldn't take him to the village, however. He'd have to stay tied up in the barn, and I'd bring everything to him.

I sighed deeply. Time to get started on my unsavoury task. My new orders only involved keeping the human alive and in captivity. But  I knew if I could make him provide any useful information... I could impress Rhadaron and Ariste. Though, it was more likely the human would end up pissing me off again. 

As I walked to the well to retrieve fresh water, I asked the tree spirits for calm and balance when handling the human. By the time I returned to the barn, however, my skin was already crawling. Nerves and disgust in equal measure.

I took a deep breath and stepped inside. Water sloshed in my bucket. The human jolted up in a sitting position at the sound immediately.

"Welcome back," he said. "That was fast. I figured you'd be arguing about what to do with me much longer, Sage."

I narrowed my eyes at the mention of my name. "How did you know?" I asked. "You can't see through that hood, can you?"

"Merely an educated guess," the human replied. "And it seems I was correct. These warriors of yours wouldn't be given the lowly task of providing the prisoner with water."

I sniffed derisively. "I may just change my mind about giving you water too, human." 

"Oh no, my humblest apologies," the human said, though every word was mocking. "Naturally, you are an important part of your community as well."

"More important than you," I sneered. "At least my people would search for me if I'd been taken prisoner."

The human chuckled. "My. If your blades are as sharp as your tongue, maybe I am in trouble after all."

With a growl, I yanked the hood off the human's head so I could glare at him properly. "You are lucky to still be breathing at all. Don't make me change my mind about that."