I raced through the forest deeper into the fog. I drew one of my eight arrows and knocked it.

"Come out you bastard" I say under my breath.

I run toward the sound of crashing ignoring every fiber of my being screaming at me to run away. When the monster came in view stop at a tree to catch my breath for a second. My legs shook the arrow kept hitting against the bow. The Grunvold kept heading in the same direction of Aeva, lazily walking.

I drew my bow held my breath and loosed the arrow. The arrow flew through the air and hit the massive monster. The arrow didn't do much but bounced of the Grunvold but it did it's job. The head of the monster turned towards me it's six tentacled reaching out towards me.

"I wont go down without a fight!" I shout. Feeling invigorated I ran away leading the Grunvold away from Aeva. If I can lead this monster back to the village hopefully those wendigos will attack it. Once I felt like I am far away enough from the Grunvold I lay in the snow to give my burning lungs time to recover.

I was hauling a deer I had hunted. My apprentice, Sid, a young boy was the one to take it down, it was his first kill. Later I will have a knife grip made from those antlers for him, a tradition for all hunters in this village. A leather grip will be made for his bow.

We went to the butcher. A signboard with a picture of a knife and a raw steak was above the door. We walked in the wooden floors creaking under my weight.

"Oooh! That's a big one Dan"

"It's Sid's first kill"

"Really now! That's impressive Sid" Sid smiled embarrasedly at the praise. I hefted the deer off my shoulders and slapped it on the counter. The butcher, Ferran, set several silver coins on the counter. I took the coins, I trust Ferran to pay the right amount, I've known him since we were children.

"Don't reacklessly spend these" I say to Sid givng him a few silver coins. Sid nodded and left the shop.

"He's probably going to buy some sweets, for... what's that girls name? Ava? The one with the green eyes, pointed ears"

"It's Aeva, that boy's got a crush on her"

"He needs to have better picks, he deserve a pure Y'alin"

"I've told him that before, she's a good girl but she's not Y'alin"

"Young kids, too carefree these days, Ooran favors the pure blooded Y'alin they dont understand"

"I've told him that too, 'You'll gain favor with Ooran if yo choose a Y'alin girl' You know what he said after that? 'But no other girl is as pretty as her"

"Hahaha! He sure has high standards!" Ferran laughed.

Thud

What? Wheres that sound comming from?

Ferran said something but I didn't pay attention, my heart froze and I started sweating

Thud

What is going on?

Thud

I looked around, this isn't right, something is wrong, I have to get away

Crash!

I have to get away!

I opened my eyes to see a thick tentacle reaching down towards me. Reflexively I pulled out my knife and slalshed at it cutting a deep wound into it. The Grunvold roared pulling back I Jumped up sending snow flying away and ran for it. That was close, I didn't think I was so exausted. My stomach grumbled, begging for food.

It would be nice to have one last meal before my appointment with death.

The Grunvold charged through the woods howling, it was all I could to keep ahead of it.

"looks like I pissed it off" I muttered as I rush through the woods. The creeping dead looking branches fading into view from within the fog reached out scratching me. Hearing the sound of trees and branches snapping to my right I dared to look. Two long tentacles were sweeping toward me. Reacing on instinct I jump the first then immediatly upon landing I rolled letting the second sweep just above me ruffling my hair.

Rolling to my feet snapping branches and trees came from my left I looked only to see three tentacles there was no way to get away unscathed, I jumped relaxing my muscles and then pain wracked my arm and ribs just before the world rolled and rushed around disorinating me before the world went black.

"Hold up sid!"

"Betcha you can't catch me!"

Sid and Aeva were playing out in the field. This place was a favorite as the children because of the boulder that a tree had fallen over, the top of the tree was broken. The children would climb up the tree

"Dan, if a catastraphe would befall the land then where would be the best place to go?"

"Hmm? What's this comming from Laro?" Laro is Aeva's father, he once left the to east almost two decades ago, when he came back he came back with a half elf wife.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"Something a fate seer said"

"What did the seer say?"

"How did it go? Something like a curse will befall the land of the west, a great curse that will cause many kingdoms to fall."

"A curse huh? Who would create such a curse and how?"

"I'm not a witch or shaman I wouldn't know"

"You're a learned man surely you must know something"

"What I do know is that no one has ever created a curse that can effect an area as large as "the land of the west" curses are ritualistic, so there is a process that must be done and something to channel the curse, a lock of hair or something from a structure or an object that has strong emmotional sentiment for someone"

"Well you seem to know a lot"

"I don't know how to curse some one or something if that's what your implying. Anyway, the seer then said "This great struggle for survival will cause the strongest hero to realize her potential, this must pass to safe the world from the Ancient One"

"Fate seers aren't always accurate, this sounds too unreal"

"Caught you!"

"Wha- how are you so fast? All you do is read books with your dad!"

"Your daughter's pretty athletic"

"She alway was, must be the elf in her"

"Why'd you turn your back on Ooran's teachings? You were one of the most devout that I knew"

"You know what they say, love blinds all"

"Race you to the top!" Aeva pointed at the tree leaned on the boulder

"I don't buy that Laro, out of everyone you were the most devout, ever since you came back you havn't even mentioned Ooran"

"Listen Dan, when we die who do we meet?"

"Death"

"Death, not Ooran"

"Death is the one who separates our soul from our bodies so we can go to Ooran's realm, if not we become undead, you know this"

"Is that how undead are made? How do you know? Undead are all over the world, yet not everyone beleives that, how do you know we are not wrong or inacurate about that?"

"Well what causes the dead to raise again? then"

"Why would Death fail at separating our bodies? If that's his job then what causes him to fail at that?"

"In the east they call Death Shinigami, they beileve that he is the one who judges us for the good and bad that we do in life, not the gods"

"So?"

"They beleive that if you have regrets or something left undone that Shinigami will let you remain in the mortal realm"

"A lot of undead cause panick and kill people, why would he let murderers remain?"

"Revenge maybe? Anyway, ever since that time I've looking for all the information I can get on death" Laro look off in the distance like he was looking at something that wasn't there.

"That time?" Laro look at me paler then he was just now. What scared you so much, Laro?

"I am Death, Shinigami, Angel of death, Reaper of souls, and the Final god" It was as if he was parroting something "That is what he said. Dan, I met Death, I saw him Reap Someone"

"Laro... Death doesn't walk amoung the living, he only comes to us when we die" I was a little worried for my friend.

"Heh! Doesn't walk amoung us?" Laro grabbed my shoulders. "A man wearing a black cloak and carrying a scythe made out of what you can only call Souls! A fear so natural that one can only call the fear of death, a fear of dying, a fear of the end of life! What else can you call him?!"

all of a sudden pain shot through my left arm and ribs and the world began spinning.

Skidding on the ground I groan as the sound of snaping trees met me as the Grunvold tried to make a sharp turn. Still dazed I stand up trying to get my barrings I saw the Grunvold charging at me like a rhino roaring with tentacles closing in on me from both sides. Trusting my gut instincts I rush at the grunvold then slid under the monster's belly. As Grunvold ran over me I noticed the plating like hide of the monster didn't cover it's underside where fog was being emmited giving me an idea.

I got up and ran, timeing my breaths with my pace holding my ribs, feeling like something's broken. "Got to make it to the village!"

Laro, If you really did see death and feared him so much, then why? Why did you go to fight that Wendigo? You knew you would die, where did that fear of death go?

I hear the chaos and havok of the Grunvolds massive body trying to turn around at top speed. Many trees fell collapsing on the Grunvold. The Grunvold raored and charged at me again.

"Not too much farther now" I tell myself.

I ran into the village edge with the grundvold hot on my heels. Rushing past the houses I run down the snow covered dirt streets to the village center. The Grunvold Came out of the woods with a roar sending a leafless tree flying into one of the houses. The sound of wreakage came from behind me as the too big Grunvold crashed through the sides of the houses.

"Welcome to MY territory monster!" running to the village center I take a sharp turn to my left, my broken and bruised side complaining to the stress. Running to the feild run past a hole dug to throw bodies in, we had taken out the bodies to bait the wendigos. I run past the boulder and stop a good distance past it.

"Come on you bastard, can't have lagged behind that much!" I panted. Soon enough the grunvold smashed through a house sending boards and planks flying away it look at me with it's red eyes and roared.

"I'm a slippery one aren't I? You just can't get me can you, and that just pisses you off. Well here I am come and get me!"

I started running at the Grunvold as it past the boulder and slid under it's belly again. The grunvold roared in anger having trouble turning around with it's momentum and sliding in the snow. I run past the fallen tree on the boulder. The grunvold turned, the tree perpendicular between me and the grunvold. The grunvold glared at me. Don't look at me like that monster, you should be awear of your surrounding more you dumb brute! Perhap you need to see how you're lined up with the tree and the hole that was dug.

"I hope this works" I prayed. "Ooran, if you really haven't forsaken me then let this work!"

the grunvold began it's charge I hid behind the boulder trying cover as much snow over me as I can after letting the Gruvold take a look at me. The Grunvold ramed the tree and boulder walking right over me. The ground shook and a roar met my ears as the grunvold let out his dissapointment at my dissappearance. I sat up and see that my plan almost worked, the grunvold threw the tree close the the hole, now all I have to do is give it one more nudge and the trap will be set.

The grunvold was looking around confused, taking advantage of this i run over to the hole and pushed with all my might to the tree the broken splintered top was just in the right position. I heaved with all my might. "Come on! Come ON!" I yell trying to roll the tree into place. The grunvold turned toward me and still the tree didn't budge. "RAAAAAHHHHH!" I yell putting all my power and strength into the tree and slowly I rolled over the hole one end hanging over nothing.

Thud, thud, thud.

So close!

Thud, thud, thud.

"Almost there!" I grunted through gritted teeth.

Thud, thud, thud.

"Got it!" just in time I jump down the hole. One of the mossive trunk like legs came down into the hole sending the splintered end of the tree ramming into the soft belly of the grunvold. Blood fell on me like a waterfall the grunvold let out a painful roar as it's momentum carried it further. Pain shot through my right side as I landed i screamed out in pain. What did i land on?! Feeling the area i noticed something had stabbed into me. A peice of bone, right we use this hole to put bodies in some of them was from three years ago and we took out the freash bodies.

I climbed out of the hole my lungs burning, begging for the cool air of winter. I walked over to the Grunvolds neck pulling out my knife I look at the handle made from the deer anters of my first kill.

"The knife made from my first kill will end my last!" I knew I wasn't getting out of this village alive. Ah I can already see them. A bipedal monster with hooved feet and the head of an elk came from the village slowly approching. I walked over to the neck of the Grunvold, it's breath ragged it looked at me with hatred raising a tentacle. I quickly plunged my knife into it's throat and slashed it open. The grunvold gave one last gurgle and it's tentacle fell.

"Now, how am I going to get out of this one" four wendigos walked cautiously toward me. "I really wanted this brute to take you all out but there was no way it was going to let me go" I fell to my knees my legs giving out. "Going into shock huh, seems like this bone stabed me in the liver" I fell onto the snow. Couldn't keep going, oh well, at least Ooran let me kill the Grunvold. I though as the world around turned black.

"Daddy!" I heared a familure voice.

"Dan, welcome home"

the world was black, a void, nothingness. Is this the afterlife?

"Wake up" I heared an unfamilure voice, am I still alive? Wasn't I killed by the wendigos?

"I said wake up!" something hit me. I opened my eyes and my world was golden. A face I could never forget was over me.

"Vera!"

"That's right, dan" I looked around and I saw my son and daughter.

"Amy and Van is here too" I was in a feild of flowers in the sky several worlds hang, massive the closest one taking up a good size of the sky. The mountains on the distance with white peaks matched well with the white flowers of this feild. Stand over me holding a scythe and dark robes with a swirling material was a man with a scultped face. A man wearing what one can only call a robe made of soul stuff. Death.