The IRE of Winter

Chapter 1: THE RAVEN

S.R.
F.A. 1471

'Keep still or you'll make a murderer out of me,' I japed as my right hand fitfully pulled the bowsting harder, it's dusking and the cool autumn wind blew soft and crisp, whispering words of little encouragement such as "don't release the arrow".

'That's it,' Flinn urged behind me. 'There's no better target than an apple sitting on your head laddie. Come on, Kit! You can do it! Just avoid the spot between his brows.' Flinn clapped his hands grinning like a mad dog.

'T--This is a terrible idea...indeed foolish if not insane,' Janos wailed. Standing ten strides away, his knees trembled, sweat running down his snubby nose. He stood unmoving under a silver birch tree with both hands tucked behind him. 'Oh, blimey! Safirah, if you kill me, I will hunt you in your dreams, all the nights and all the days for the rest of your ----'

'Oh, shut up! Hit it!' Flinn retorted.

'Wait!' Janos blinked, his chest sinking in and out as his eyes pleaded for mercy.

'Let's get this over with,' I raised my shoulders a little higher, held my breath and when I was ready to make my mark, I ----

'Safirah!' Grandma bellowed from a distance, her yell startled me and the arrow sailed straight to where Janos' head was (if he didn't duck to evade certain death). Sharp chuck brought him jumpy as the arrow landed on the tree behind him. He cursed as Flinn and I bursted into laughter. Soon, they were locked in one another's arms fighting like puppies and calling each other fairly true names.

'Coming, grandmother,' I trotted back to the house dumping the fun (if you had the same idea of fun as mine). Janos cursed some more realising he could've had an arrow on his forehead while Flinn chortled seeing how our little mischief got the better of him.

We're supposed to gather berries and mushrooms in the wild when a boar caught my attention. I had a clear shot, if only Janos didn't spoil my timing, and I spent the rest of my day chasing an illusive swine until tiredness drained us.

Down the grassy slope and under the slanting old burkewood tree, I saw grandma's frown as clear as the setting sun, on her long worn out dull brown and blue dress beneath her dirty apron, her wrinkled forehead dotted with sweat. I know she's going to nag at me again, like the usual times, even with the slightest thing I do wrong.

'There's your old woman, Kit, fuming and growling,' Flinn teased following me closely. 'I bet she'll be angrier after finding out you've spent four hours hunting the spirit of the forest, your supper will surely be very satisfying tonight,' he laughed.

'Arghh...'

'Yep! No doubts,' he trotted faster behind.

'Yah! That boar was certainly a wandering spirit, lurking deep in the woods,'Janos added with a smug smirk on his face. 'I've heard of that mysterious hog before, hunters from Bree said no arrow could pierce its hide, its tusks made of the hardest stone and when the moon is full, it transforms into a strong and good looking man.'

'Stupid!' Flinn exclaimed. 'Say something worth a laugh, Jan. You're spoiling the fun.'

'A swine? Seriously? A hideous mystical creature living in the woods? That would be a one ugly spirit of nature, an embarrassment, don't you think?' I said playfully. And we all shared a laugh as we ran back to our village.