It had been two days since Mikhail had left Aldernhor village, his home. As he rode on the back of his red elk Bakule it’s massive antlers swaying to and fro as the beast stepped he remembered the night before the day he had left. It had been a night full of celebration and heavy hearts. His time had come to begin the Pilgrimage that all of the male inhabitants of the village had taken at one point in time. Gunter, a friend of his, had done it the month before him. His father puffed with pride and boasted of the great deeds that his son would accomplish while gone, even though he had no idea what would transpire. His mother, while happy and proud, sat at the feasting table sullen. She had always been a worrier and now was no different. Mikhail had enjoyed the festivities. They danced and sang songs of bravery and courage through the night until soon everyone had retreated to their homes.

Mikhail smiled, remembering the words his father had told him before mounting Bakule. He had come up to Mikhail while he was checking his supplies and the tightness of the saddle. Just busy work to occupy Mikhail's anxious nerves. “Mikhail.” his father had called out. “I want you to take this.” He said as Mikhail turned around, surprised by the tall shiny spear. Made from a special ore only found in the Aran’Shay mountains, his father had forged it himself before going on his own pilgrimage nearly twenty years ago. Over the years it had been refined and now had leather handholds in strategic spots to improve grip. The tip flared out at the bottom and tapered off to a point and both sides were razor sharp.

The sunlight glinted off of the shiny metal as Mikhail took the spear with reverence. “Thank you father. But..” Mikhail began.

“Yes I do. It aided me in my pilgrimage many times. I do not have much to give you, my son. But this I can help you with." Mikhail looked down at the spear then back at his father. He surged forward and embraced his father. The man was large and strong from many years of blacksmith work. He hugged his son back, nearly crushing the life out of him in doing so. The two pulled apart now a bit embarrassed from having been so emotional. Mikhail's mother stepped up holding a red sash in her hands. He could see the tears that she had been crying, even now the sorrow of him leaving threatened to overtake her but she took a deep breath and carried forward. “My son.” she began. “Take this sash. I hope that it helps you in a time of need.”

Mikhail reached out to grab the sash but his mother stopped him. She was a small woman with a kind face. Her black hair fluttered in the wind revealing strands of gray. Age, Mikhail realized, had begun its slow creep upon his parents. She took the sash under his left arm and tied the red garment on his bicep. Tears falling down her cheeks as she did. Once done she embraced him in a hug that made Mikhail's heart ache. “Please be careful my son.”

“I will mama. I promise.” Mikhail replied. His mother continued the embrace until his father interjected. “Tega, dear it's time for him to leave.”

Tega reluctantly ended the hug, wiping tears from her eyes. Mikhail likewise did the same. He looked around for his younger sister but he couldn’t see where she was. “Where’s Leana?” he asked.

Mikhail's mother answered. “She’s not coming.” He could hear the annoyance in her voice. Mikhail for a moment felt disheartened but sighed. “She has been a stubborn one.” he said.

Mikhail's father chuckled. “That is very true. But you also know how she has been since her incident. Very reclusive.” Mikhail thought for a second and agreed. It was something that he didn’t want to visit on a day like this. It was already bittersweet as it was.

Mikhail turned from his mother and father and mounted the red elk. Bakule had been his since he was a yearling. A dear friend and faithful companion barring mating season. The village was known for its use of Red elks. Long ago the ancestors had started to use the red elks native to the valley due to the lack of other large animals like horses for transportation and farm work. Overtime they had been successful in breeding a particular sect of Red Elks that were mild tempered and slightly larger than their wild cousins. The Elk snorted, eager to be off or eager to have the weight of the supplies off of his back. Mikhail decided it was the former as he reached up and patted the beast on the side of the neck. Bakule turned his head to look back at the blonde haired eighteen year old. He shook his head and snorted again, tamping his front right hoof. “Easy boy, we will be off soon.” The elk shook his head then lifted it skyward emitting an ear piercing bray.

“It seems that your elk is ready for adventure.” Mikhail's father said, laughing. Before Mikhail could reply his father reached up and slapped the beast on its rear end. Bakule reared back catching Mikhail by surprise and began galloping down the narrow road. Mikhail could hear his fathers deep bellowing laughter as he raced off. He looked back to see his mother waving. He returned the wave then turned back around and leaned into the elk's gallop. The world streamed by him so fast, the wind blew in his hair as he raced past the other homes in the village. Soon he was at the gates of the village, a crowd had gathered to wish him off. Mikhail urged Bakule to gallop harder and the young buck responded. He surged forward as Mikhail pulled the spear from its resting place and held it up in the air, standing in the stirrups. If they wanted a show then he would give them one. Cheers and applause erupted as he flew by them and through the gates all the while he loosed an exuberant yell.

Mikhail and Bakule rode until the elk became tired and which had turned out to be a good mile or so from the village. The elk had more in him, Mikhail had learned that the first time he had allowed him to run. It had taken the elk nearly a full day to tire out completely causing him and the animal to camp overnight in the wilderness. But such was the way things went for the young ones. His mother had still worried though. Now he had stopped at a small creek in the woods and allowed the Red elk to drink. “So you’re leaving huh?” a small quiet voice said.

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Mikhail already knew who it was. This creek was her favorite spot after all and he figured that he would find her here. He smiled. “Yeah, I've got to be going.” Mikhail answered as he stood up and crossed the short distance between them. He stopped beside the fallen tree that she sat on, leaning on it. He pulled a knife from his belt and started to whittle down a piece of wood. “I see that father gave you his spear.” Leana said. Her voice faltered a bit.

“Yeah. He said that it would serve me well. To be honest, I'm glad to have it.” Mikhail said.

“I’m sure it will.” she said as she jumped down from the tree. Her dress billowed for a moment as her blonde curls bounced. Her face was beautiful and fair with freckles that dotted her cheeks. Her eye’s though betrayed her. They held a terrible story, one that Mikhail knew all too well. He hated to see those gray and blue orbs full of anguish. The young woman walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him. The top of her head only came to the middle of his chest. He was tall, standing at six feet. Mikhail bent down and wrapped his arms around her in return. He picked her up and spun her around fast. Both giggling as they spun. Soon the world itself seemed to be spinning as the two of them stopped, leaning on one another to keep their balance. “That’s the last one sister. I hope you enjoyed it.” Mikhail said as he laughed.

Leana wasn’t laughing though. Her smile was now a frown as tears fell from her eyes. Mikhail had expected this and stepped up to her, grabbing her and pulling her into a strong embrace. He stroked her head as she sobbed into his chest. “There, there lee, It’s only going to be seven years.” Mikhail told her. “That’s not that long if you don’t think about it.”

Leana looked up at him and smiled. “It already feels like forever.” she said.

Mikhail smiled, wiping a tear from her face. He kissed her forehead. “Look. i promise that I won’t be gone forever.” he told her as he squatted down, coming eye level with her. “After all, who’s gonna keep you out of trouble if I don't come back?” He told her, lightly punching her right arm. Leana stood there, the tears streaming down her cheeks. “This isn’t goodbye kid, it's just see you later.”

That was one of the last things he had told her before mounting Bakule and leaving. Telling her to get home soon. The rest of the day was almost a blur as he had Bakule trotted at a decent pace. He wanted to get further away from the valley as quickly as he could. Figuring that the further away that he got the easier it would be. He had been wrong though. Now as the serene wilderness passed by him and he studied the majesty of the Aran’Shay mountains he thought about the village and his family even more. Tall trees surrounded him on either side of the road that led to Anora’s pass. A pass that had been carved in the mountains by the king of Greland millennia ago. Animals scurried about. Squirrels ran up and down the trees and across his path. The birds chirped and hooted and cawed as Bakules hooves beat against the stony path. He could tell that he was moving higher up in elevation as his ears had popped several times. A sensation that wasn’t all too nice. The first night he had slept just off the road next to a campfire. In the distance in the bottom of the valley he could faintly see the lights of fires coming from the village of Aldernhor.

The weather was good. Not too hot and not too cold. As the day wore on, he and Bakule were climbing ever higher. Soon night came once again and the two camped not far from the road. Nighttime in the upper reaches of the valley differed little than the bottom. He could hear panthers scream as they hunted and looked for mates. Goats brayed on the mountain cliffs. Mikhail kept close to Bakule. The red elk had far better hearing than he did and he knew that if something tried to sneak up on them then the elk would alert him. So after eating a meal of dried meat and bread that his mother had made the day before he left Mikhail laid against the elk and stared at the stars through the tall pines as they swayed in the wind.

Mikhail arose the next morning, the sun hitting his eyes as it shined through the tree’s. The air was cool, which Mikhail liked. Wearing the leather armor over his tunic was a hot affair in the summer but right now it was comfortable. After relieving himself and getting a quick breakfast he resaddled Bakule and they started on their journey once again. By today's end he planned to be in Anoras pass where he would camp once again until he reached Arendale at the foot of the mountains by nightfall the next day. The day went by much the same as it had the day before. The wind blew quietly and the animals went about their business. Mikhail half wished something would happen to change the scene. Maybe a storm, although he didn’t wish to get wet. Or maybe a bandit or two would pop out of the brush and give him a chance to use the spear. Aran knew he wanted to test it out. “Bah.” he said out loud. “Bandits would be a bad thing.” He told himself. They usually traveled in groups. Two he could handle but normally if there were two then there were more. They were a lot like roaches in that regard.

Mikhail blew as his boredom overtook him and he did his best to lose himself in the surroundings. After what felt like an eternity he reached the mouth of the pass. Carved from the very mountain, the opening stretched up both sides a hundred feet. The opening felt ominous to him as he continued into it. A gaping mouth that sought to devour all that entered. Mikhail shivered, reaching down to the spear and pulling it from its holding place. It had been late afternoon when he entered the pass but now it felt like early evening as the shadows of the pass darkened the road before him. Bakule walked for a few hours more before they finally came to a wide spot in the pass that had a small pine growing in it along with some grass. Mikhail dismounted and went about taking the saddle off of Bakule after which he tied him to the tree. As the Elk grazed on the pine needles of the tree Mikhail leaned the spear against the stone wall and gathered what wood he could find and lit a small campfire. Sitting down he looked up at the sky as it had begun to darken. He smiled to himself as he leaned back against the cold stone. He had made it to the pass and by his figuring he was almost halfway through it. His father had told him that it would take an entire day to travel the pass if one wasn’t galloping on elk back. The accomplishment felt good to him as he crossed his arms and closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of the fire. But the reprieve was short lived. A scream pierced the evening and at first he thought that it was a panther. He knew the large cats preferred the rocky areas at times.

Then he heard it again followed by what sounded like a man yell. Mikhail jumped up, grabbing the spear, expecting someone to charge at him from the encroaching darkness. He heard some more yells and a bit of laughter that seemed to be coming from his right. Walking forward He followed the sound to a small passage in the stone wall that he could slip through. Another scream but this time he was sure that it was a woman. He looked back at Bakule whose ears were twitching as he stamped his hooves. “Wait here,” he told the Elk. As if it had a choice and stepped into the passage breaking into a run then into a sprint as it opened up a bit. He ran for a short distance as the passage bent around the stone. Soon he came upon a small cleared area. Three figures in front of him.