Prologue - (Part 2)

Upon our return to the village, we disembarked the wounded from our makeshift sleds as our appearance started to make a scene.

In a few moments, thirty people had gathered to help treat the battered militia, before Joshua finally appeared.

Joshua was a young chief of our village, taking up the position after his father died from the plague a few years back. At that time he was only twenty nine years old.

He had unkempt black hair, and a five o'clock shadow. He was lean and tall, someone who you wouldn’t expect to win against a warrior like my father.

Slowly he approached my father, before stopping as both of them slowly redirected their gaze into the distance.

Out there, past the forest and over the snow peaked mountains, a giant storm was brewing.

Chaotic flashes of light spread throughout the horizon as a blackened sky slowly crept over, devouring everything in its path.

For a moment there was a stillness in the atmosphere before Joshua addressed Lance.

“Lance, what happened during the patrol?”

“….Chief, we were ambushed by a young fiend.”

“A fiend you say?”

After a few seconds, Joshua looked back at my father before saying, “I guess that ominous storm approaching, is driving the monsters down from the mountains to us then.”

“You might be right, but we won’t figure out anything just standing here. I advise that we send out a few scouts before we make any rash decisions.”

“You’re right, but I’ll be doubling the patrol around the perimeter of the forest just in case, Lance.”

“What would you like me to do then?”

“Hm, I would like you to stay here for the night. I’m having an uneasy feeling about how silent the forest has become.”

“All right chief, I’ll keep watch in town, and howler if anything makes it past our sentries then.”

“Good.” Replied Joshua before he turned around gathering the other heads of the militia and the few soldiers that were stationed here.

After a brief announcement, everyone was advised not to enter the forest and to take up shelter before the storm approached from the horizon.

I was then pulled back by my father as he beckoned me to follow.

While walking back to our house Lance spoke up, “Dustin you did a good job out there, but don’t get over your head now. If you find one of those monsters near here, you would unfortunately find their nest or worse off, something more dangerous.”

After walking in silence, we approached our front door before I asked, “What are you going to do after this?”

“I don’t know, but for now both of us are going to stay here to keep watch over the house.”

***

As the night approached, the howling of the wind grew stronger, branches bent sideways, the house creaked, and multiple shouts echoed throughout the village.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Startled out of bed, I was shaken awake by my mother.

Looking around in the candle lit house I saw my dad readying his armor as he was peering out into the distance from the doorway.

“You awake yet son?”

“Nh, yeah I am now. What’s going on?”

“I don’t know, but it looks like the scouts encountered something out there. So hurry up and get your gear ready.”

Swiftly, I jumped up to my feet as I paced to my trunk containing my hunting gear.

While putting on my equipment, I asked, “What are we going to do father?”

“I don’t really know. First we need to talk to Joshua and get an understanding of what’s happening.”

After getting my gear on I paused for a moment to get by bearings, before addressing Lance.

“All right, I’m ready now so let’s hurry.”

In the next movement we both charged out of the house as we ran briskly to the villages’ center.

All around us, we could see people with torches heading the same way. And in the sky the moon was blanketed out by grey clouds as they were crackling with a purple hue.

In five minutes, we finally made it to where the chief was stationed at.

Once he caught sight of Lance, he hurriedly came to us before addressing my father.

“Lance! Okay, this is really bad.”

“What you mean Josh?”

“Only half of our scouts we sent out came back. And every single one of them, have reported a large movement of monsters approaching our vicinity.”

“You serious? This is truly dire then…”

“I know, and they are giving an, approximate confrontation with in the next two hours.”

“Did they at least get a good look at them?”

“No, unfortunately. But most of their encounters described animals as big as wolfs and some of them bigger than a bear.”

“If they’re telling the truth then…I’m afraid we’ll have to abandon the village right now, chief. Unless we sacrifice more than a quarter of our men.”

“That’s true and we are making preparations as we speak, but I’m afraid to ask… that we need a rear guard to pull this off.”

Quietly, Lance looked into the distance where our house was, before his face turned stern as he looked at me.

“It’s all right, I know I’m the only one with any leadership skills here.”

With a nod of approval, Joshua gave me a quick look before directing his gaze back at my father.

“Thanks Lance. I’ll have twenty bodies readied within the next hour. I need to hurry with preparations, so I need to cut this conversation short.”

As quickly as he appeared, Joshua ran back into the crowd and started giving out orders to the peasants.

Slowly the rumbling of the storm picked up as rain started to soak the ground as purple lightning started to scatter with in the woods.

After a pause, I looked up to my dad before asking, “Why are you staying behind?”

With a silent glance, he looked at me and smiled, “You see Dustin, I’m the most effective person here right now to carry this out. If someone else did this, then I’m afraid that these beast will catch up and kill Linda and you son.”

“But…”

I know my dad is the most suited, but he’s just going to get himself killed. Even I can’t talk him out of something when he sets his mind to it.

“Father, let me stay back with you.”

“Huh… Why may I ask?”

“So I can drag you back. I know if I don’t you’ll get yourself killed and die a dog’s death.”

Thinking for a moment, he grasped my head and roughed my hair up before speaking.

“Dustin, you're sixteen as of this moment. I can’t tell you what to do any longer. If you want to stay, then…” silently he stared at me for a few seconds and when a flash of lightning appeared, I noticed that he was smiling as he slammed his fist into my gut.

“I’m sorry, but you’re still not strong enough to not listen to me. This is for your own good.”

Gasping for air, Lance hit me in the back of my head before he laid me onto the wet dirt.

As my conscience waned out of existence, I heard him say, “Forgive me for being rough, but you’re just like me when I was younger, so rest for a bit.”

Then shouting echoed in the distance followed by the snapping of a branch, before all went dark.