The World Pillars: Ravenreach

Chapter One: The Foxen Hunters

     Saigeh left his small village early one breezy summer morning to do as he did many times before, to hunt. He strapped a wooden bow and a large quiver of arrows to his back and out the gates he strolled down the road a ways, singing to himself an old hunting song his father once taught him. Over small stone wall he jumped and crossed onto the dewed morning grass and into the ancient wood near the edge of the village. The trees were green and damp, "It must've rained last night." Saigeh said to himself. After not too much walking he entered a clearing in the old wood and sat on a wooden box near the far end. After looking around for a minute or two, he took a long wooden pipe from his worn coat and a small box of grasses from his backpack. He lit the pipe with a match and puffed smoke through his mouth and nose to pass the time. Not too much time passed however before he heard a voice call out to him from the other side of the clearing, "You'll scare all the deer off with that awful smell Saigeh!" a figure emerged through the thicket, his "Bogah! You old fool, they'd sooner run if they caught a smell of your dirty arse!" Saigeh said back to him.

     Bogah sat down across from Saigeh as the old friends often had, on a log positioned as a bench in front of a long-extinguished campfire. They talked endlessly about this and that, what they had for breakfast, the traveler staying in the millworks, and their wives and children. Bogah, was clearly the eldest of the two with his coat greying with age, the thick fur on his tail clumping and knotting, and his face clearly weathered by time and a hard life. He and his wife lived in a small cabin near the southern end of the forest, both his children were grown, two daughters he married off long ago. Saigeh was a much younger man however, no more than thirty-three, he had a fine, glossy coat of red fur and wore a hat with a large brim. He, his wife, and small child lived in a village, the southernmost village in all of Farrohs called Ódhas where he provided the folks there with fresh game and sometimes wild mushrooms that grew near the rocks on the forest's floor. After an hour or two they stood up. "I'm thinking we aught to try the lake first, to see if we can catch any of 'em thirsty." said Saigeh. "Always a fine idea, let's go." replied Bogah.

     The two quietly walked along a winding path through the wood, they kept their sensitive ears up and listened carefully for any sound made by the creatures of the forest, sounds of prey, and possibly even predators. They kept their feet silent, weary of twigs and leaves and stepping from rock to rock. For the deadly insect folk; the Tiik were known to hunt in the forests of Farrohs from time to time and they were not picky about the type of game they brought back to their hives, and it was not uncommon for a traveler to disappear in these woods. The two Foxfolk stopped in tandem, their ears twitched, and heads swung around, they both looked deep into the forest, a shadow scurrying around on all fours, very low to the ground. They looked intently for a moment unsure if the creature had seen them and if it were friend or foe. Bogah glanced at Saigeh, and he nodded, Saigeh drew his bow and knocked an arrow, Boga carefully knelt down and picked up a small stone from the forest floor and threw it in the direction of the shadow. The impact of the rock with the leaves startled the creature, and it scurried off. The hunters looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief. "It was probably just a Liizaar, it moved like one at least, and I saw what looked like a long tail, they're not at all deadly to us." said Saigeh, "If it were a Tiik, it would have stood up and looked after the noise I think." Said Bogah. They looked around once more and moved on along the path.

     They reached the edge of the forest quickly and looked out to behold the small the lake not too far in the distance. They saw the old ruined tower that laid the hill, they saw a hawk fly above them carrying twigs for a nest, and they saw the mid-morning sun glistening off the still waters of the lake but they didn't see the thirsty deer they had hoped for. "Ah, looks like lady luck ain't on our side today my friend." Said Bogah, scratching his ear. Saigeh squinted and looked around at the hills around them and sighed; "A shame, we could wait and see if any turn up, set up perch in the tower." Bogah turned and said; "These old bones are stiff lad, sitting and waiting'll just make 'em stiffer, besides I have an idea of were we might catch a few of 'em." "Ah, is this your secret hunting spot you keep hollerin' about? Finally going to show it to me old man?" said Saigeh. "I'd never tell, ya scoundrel." Bogah laughed back. "Now listen lad, I was out gathering mulberries for the misses and I remembered a story my gran once told me about a spring with these great big bushes that grew around it. She said that they bore mulberries the size of a man's fist. I remembered her saying that it was far to the south near the edge of the forest, where the eastern sea was visible from the trees. So, I follow her directions and I do find the spring she described, and the bushes there too. The fruit was large, however it looked nothing like a mulberry, but it did look good to eat, so I took a bite, from it. The taste was similar to a mulberry but not as tart. I-"