A man with short ears covered in scales, fur, and feather along with black hair and light brown eyes walks through a forest filled with energy as he follows behind a beast with six legs and a set of antlers on its head signifying it as a dear despite its extra limbs.
Stalking the dear he waits until it heads towards him before he tightens the ropes on the ground and leaps out to slit its throat killing it in a single swing.
Grabbing the dear and tying it up to make it easier to carry the man walks down the mountain in the direction of the rising sun that s just breaching the horizon, as he walks for nearly five hours and the sun is fully in the sky now, he comes to a town filled with people milling around all with varying clothing and cleanliness.
This was the town of the west mountain that he hunts on to make ends meet and most people here know him to be a highly capable hunter so as they watch him approach with a large dear draped on his shoulder after having been out of the town for the past week no one bats an eye, despite being near the winter hunting mountain they don't see many visitors due to their poor placement of being far from a water source and lacking anything of worth.
He chose this town to settle in so not to see anyone who knew him from before he left his tribe, he rather not has people know he was a participant of the dragons hunting competition.
From where he is few other tribes exist and he has only interacted with the ones that also participants of the competition so it isn't until he came to a more scarce town did he realize how much prestige such a thing held in these parts, when he told the first village he had been part of it and they treated him like a elder much to his discomfort.
Entering a small shop, it smells of blood and decay thanks to the butchering done in the store, he handed the dear over and was given 50 coins enough to pay for his rented room and to fix his equipment until his next hunt in a week.
He heads back to the edge of the town and enter a older house that plays a boarding role for outsiders and travelers but he stays there and pays for the right to use it due to the fact they give them food and clean the rooms for free, dropping his leather pack that has a few mushrooms and vegetables in it along with a poisonous porcupine he heads to the back to wash clean from being out in the forest and blood of his kills from his body.
This town is subservient to a higher city so don't need to send sacrifices, but they give much of their food and crafts to their protectors, thanks to the meat I bring they could send less out and keep more for themselves making me well liked.
Sleeping through the day he wakes at night to do his watch to protect from stray beasts from getting into town and killing people, he was able to see in the dark with his abilities so was given free reign to do as he wills at night during guard duty as long as nothing gets in.
As he is about to finish his shift with the sun now beginning to rise on the horizon, he sees people headed this way in carriages, freezing up he feels worried at the people coming up.
He heads to get the town leader to deal with them so that he doesn't need to worry over any problems that may arise and think of any good towns around here he could get to without trouble if his position as a dragon competitor gets out, the town head is standing there with me as they pull up and men in metal clothing and with gems all over walk forward showing just how powerful the one in the carriage is.
"We need you to get all people to come out and stand for searches of their homes, a runaway sacrifice has come this way, and we must ensure no one is harboring them." The town head agrees without hesitation and heads off to wake the town for this purpose.
Everyone from the oldest to even newborns are outside and waiting as the men go through all of their homes and places to ensure they weren't hiding.
They get through every place by mid-day but we all just stand and let them check without moving from our places simply doing nothing as they search through everything even the boarding home and the outhouses, once we are cleared, they show us a picture of the person and it is a boy with green hair and purple eyes with a mix of bird and snake heritage.
Telling us to report if we see them, they leave with the person in the carriage never leaving it through the whole process but just before they leave a knock on its door is heard.
All people freeze at the sound and seeing the door opened by one of the men we get on our knees to show respect to the one exiting the coach and once they do, they seem to search in silence for something before walking, they head directly in my direction and my heart drops.
"Dragon competitor it has been a long time since I last sensed your energy, I thought you dead with your tribe sending others in your place." Silence follows this statement as others seem to process the words spoken and I know I will be leaving as soon as this man is gone from here, but until then it is best to remain in perfect form and show the proper respect of such a person.
"Competitor Dallan shows immense gratitude and honor at being recognized by one such as you."
"I see you where the representative of your tribe when you came until the boy replaced you a few years ago now that you are here before me and no longer tied to a tribe I offer you a position amongst my people. You where an incredible hunter and the boy you trained to take after you has more than proved his worth over the years even taking a top 50 position and earning great honor in your name."
I know if anyone else heard this it would be nothing but a guarantee to join but for me a mutant it is best to refuse on such basis, and so I do causing him to scoff but back off returning to his carriage but before he left one of his men handed me a token telling me all I need to do is find there tribesmen and show it to join them before heading with the rest.
Stolen novel; please report.
Standing the eyes of others rest heavily on my body studying me like a fascinating specimen, it looks like I was too hasty in my belief in remaining in this town.
The town head talks with me respectfully and offers a room in his home but I refuse rushing back to my room to pack my things and prepare to leave that night after some rest, and so night comes and he places the leaving note on the leaders desk before waiting until his night shift would be over to leave so as to not leave them without guard that night.
Heading into the forest he feels upset as he had spent three years in this town and now needs to leave the comfortable place, he has made for himself because of this, he heads towards a town about a week's travel from here.
Night comes and he rests since he has been up for 24 hours and walking for most of it leaving even one as advanced as him slightly off though not tired and he could easily continue for weeks like this he rather not in case of emergency where he has to.
Three days and near the center of the forest he is resting in a cave eating one of the things he hunted when a rustling is heard from nearby causing him to look through his unique vision, but he sees nothing.
He wonders how it is possible as although he sees energy he usually sees a faint heat signature from things even if they lack energy though it may be a snake it is rare for him to not be able to sense it as it has a slight off heat signature, but whatever caused the sound didn't.
Waiting in the cave as he ate his dinner, he looked around trying to find any hint of something, but nothing was around him no matter how he used his energy to sense his surroundings.
He lays down on the fur roll he has for this reason he closes his eyes and slows his breathing but makes sure to remain awake and listening for any little noise or changes in the air flow, time passed with him simply lying there waiting for an attack but nothing even as the morning came nothing occurred.
So, he continued his journey but at night stopped to lay and wait to see if the thing was following and soon after the second night it struck.
He laid down a mere two days from his intended destination with his eyes closed and breathing slowed when a rustle of a bush let him in on something nearby but he remained still when soft foot steps walked up to him letting him know it was a elf like him not a beast, he waits and hears the person go through his bag and finally as they go to get the food near him he grabbed the hand and looked to the face next to him.
A boy around thirteen years old with green hair and purple with soft features and a scraggly look to him, this boy is the escaped sacrifice they were searching for earlier.
He began to struggle but I kept my grip tight though not so tight to cause anything more than a bruise looking him over and it is clear he is thin and small for his age with dirt obscuring a lot of him though he is still recognizable thanks to his more recognizable looks from his mutant blood line and the beautiful features making him stand out from others.
Holding tight I reach to my pouch and bring out some food causing him to freeze and hold it out for him to take he slowly reaches out to take it but yanks back once it is in his hands.
Bit by bit the boy eats and after he seems to calm so I release the hand and immediately he runs into the forest once more causing a small smile to come to my own face, I had no intention to report him or hand him in as it could have easily been me in his position.
So, I decide looking at the way the boy ran to, I begin to set myself up in this cave and slowly I make a small camp here using some logs and ropes.
A small hut is built by the end, and I cook my own dinner cooked as well as a small amount of extra for the boy when he comes again, he is two days from a town in any one direction but a small tribe is around a half day travel east so if need be he can trade with them for any needs he can't procure himself.
The following night is like the first with the boy coming for food then running once he is done but slowly, he stayed for longer each day have the boy hanging around longer and longer, until one day he is cooking, and the boy comes to him.
He just sits there looking at him cooking food and staring at me every now and then in question as though trying to understand something but in all our interactions not a sound leaves him, finally I begin to teach the boy how to do small things like skinning animals and making traps which he seems to already have some knowledge on only lacking experience.
In the two months he and the boy spend set up here alone together no one bothers them, and he feels freer than he has in a long time always following others orders and rules and now he can do things however he wants to with no one to dispute it.
Teaching the boy basics he quickly realizes the boy is highly intelligent and picks everything up quickly even the basic fighting techniques are picked up till he is on the same ground of others his age in only two months, but not a word ever leaves him, and it is clear to me he is most likely a mute unable to even speak.
I begin to show him how to write when this is realized and he falls in love with this new means of communicating, he has a clay tablet on him at all times and often asks hundreds of questions on every detail.
Answering what I can and telling him to find the answers himself if I can't I make as many clay tablets as possible for him to save the information he learns on it and allow him to venture how he wants, at the six months mark he is able to become a half form which he lacked till now.
I show him how to use his energy to sense the world, but he can only sense the heat of his surroundings like this and not more than his immediate area making it clear only those blinds will be able to truly use the method I made to see.
He didn't seem to upset though as he begins to hunt with me finally and we both learn hand signals to know what to do when during the hunt and how each will distribute the work making it so neither of us feel over reliant or dependent on the other, but the biggest change came when the first year of our cohabitation arrives.
"Thank you" A soft melodious sound is heard from the boy who has to this point made no noise, I feel the bowl slip from my fingers as I stare at him who has tears streaming down his face and a bright smile.
"How are you speaking, I thought you mute."
"Your method to see seems to also apply to other parts that are mutated like my throat, I have been trying to learn on my own to show you." His voice is still soft and slightly hard to hear but the words carry a weight to them.
Each day from then we would have small conversations and talk of our own lives though I leave out my unique species and status as a high elf and dragon competitor still learning of my original position as a sacrifice like him seems to make him relax as he knows I will not pity him for this.
I turn 40 years old with him and soon the boy will leave as he has already reached 16 and is more than able to take care of himself but nothing is said on it so far.
I teach him all I know from runes and transformation, how to advance past the partial form and how to become a high elf.
But soon I begin to feel bored here as I left my tribe to not remain in one place for long and so as the boys 18th birthday passes I tell him it time for him to go out on his own and make a name for himself, he seems upset when I tell him but most people want to rise in power and make a family of their own.
That night we spend in silence we haven't had since our first year together, I slip out that night in silence taking a weeks' worth of food and water along with two sets of clothes and my fur sleeping mat.
Heading east I head towards the hunting mountains to continue living in solitude while not having to worry on settling down for any long time as the range is so large it would take years to completely explore even for more powerful creatures, traveling now I feel relaxed having helped someone in a similar position as myself.