Julius calendar 898
Month Of The Grazed Lamb
12th
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Three boisterous young children clad in dirty rags played and laughed amongst themselves in the centre of Little Willow. Ambling by was a little woman whom appeared to be rapidly reaching her later twilight years. From head to toe she was tightly wrapped in numerous animal hides. Upon her greying head was a skilfully knitted bonnet, emanating from her was a soft aura of benevolence and warmth. Her kindly elderly voice cried out to the three children who were creating a ruckus outside of a few small ramshackle wooden huts “Now now you three please do try and keep it down.”
The eldest of the three, a skinny young blonde boy who looked in his very early teens gave a toothy grin and loudly cried out in response “Sorry miss Gilda. I'll get these two to be quieter” Two indignant young voices cried out in protest to the blame that had been placed upon them by the grinning blonde boy.
“Eric what in the Axe are you talking about? you’re the loudest voice in Little Willow” Gilda gently chuckled a bemused reprimand. Grinning sheepishly Eric scratched his head innocently before nodding his head at his two little compatriots. On cue all three of them turned tail and bolted away giggling and laughing as they scampered off. Watching the exuberant display of youth Gilda couldn't help but gently smile, her eyes forming crescent moon like creases.
As she followed the three youths with her eyes she saw them run past a few fields with crop that were slowly turning golden under the ever increasing temperature of the spring sun toward the boundaries of the Great Axe. As she tracked them with her gaze a frown formed upon her brow as she saw the three youths come to a sudden abrupt halt. It looked as if they were peering into the forests depths as if they had caught sight of something.
Suddenly the oldest young blonde lad gave an unruly squawk and quickly turned tail and ran back the way he had come, directly towards Gilda. Not wanting to be left alone to face whatever it was that had spooked they're older companion the two younger children also followed suit. Frowning Gilda watched the three children all directly barrel back inside of their houses as fast as they're immature legs could carry them.
Shaking her head softly the kind ageing woman sighed to herself. She was well aware of what was approaching from within the Axe that would provoke such a fierce reaction from the children. Or more precisely whom.
Just as she predicated from out of the Axe strolled a seemingly wild young barbarian. Clad in nothing more than a animal hide loincloth he moved with a fluid grace through the densely packed trees and foliage. The man was an impressive height standing at around 6’2, his frame was perfectly proportioned and boasted of a slender powerfulness. A great mane of chestnut hair fell wildly about his face and bounced upon his strong chest in time to each of his large strides. Slung across the mans back was a dead deer of a great size, yet he moved as if he was seemingly unhindered by the large weight. As well as the deer a brace of ducks and a large rabbit swung from his right hand.
A slightly aggrieved smile played on Gilda's face. It pained her to see the children of Little Willow that she knew and loved react in such a way to the approaching man, whom she also held dear. To Gilda the man wasn't even a man he was just a slightly grown boy. She could still remember the days like they were only last week where he would sit upon her lap as a babe and bawl and bawl at the top of his lungs until he was fed. They were cherished memories of fond days.
But to the children who were only but a handful of years younger than him this man was Jasper the wild hunter. A man who lived in the Axe. Anything that lived in the Axe terrified the children. They themselves would go into the Axe of course but they made sure that Little Willow never ventured out of their sight. The outer thirty metres were all they would ever explore in their lifetimes.
Since Jasper’s father passed and he moved out of his home and into the Axe he had become something foreign and strange to many of the people of Little Willow. There was a sharp stark contrast between a denizen of Little Willow and a denizen of the Great Axe in most people's view.
Not the entirety of the sparse population of Little Willow felt this way of course. The Rockfall's and Gilda both still looked upon Jasper fondly. Gilda had near enough been his foster mother and the Rockfall's knew that the Axe wasn't really the dark twisted place the children thought it to be. At least not in the outer regions anyway.
Besides the Rockfall's and Gilda a few other individuals could put aside their misgivings because of the constant supply of fresh game Jasper provided to Little Willow entirely for free. The only request he had ever made of the hamlet in return for his hunting was that they procure him twenty cheap arrows. In the end everybody agreed it was a fair request in return for his services and all chipped in a small amount of coin, after which one of the Rockfall's underwent the journey to the Brakenborn fletchers for him.
Every other day Jasper would trounce into town for just five minutes with freshly shot game. Mostly he let the villagers divide the meat amongst themselves, however one individual he did favour a little. These days the only time anyone from Little Willow saw Jasper was when he was delivering them dead animals. Or visiting two well kept graves that sat side by side in Little Willow’s peaceful cemetery. He spent a lot of time in the cemetery.
Placing aside her musings Gilda slowly turned and made her way over to the man striding through the growing crop toward her. Gently smiling she called out to him as he came within earshot “Jasper my dear pay no heed to Eric and the bunch, just children being children”
A rare tender smile broke out onto Jaspers face as he heard Gilda’s soft crooning voice “Gilda you know I'm not one to mind children's antics.”
Hearing his reply Gilda's smile became wider and she wryly responded “You say that like you aren't a child yourself Jasper.”
Hearing her belittling response Jasper chuckled slightly “In your old eyes there aren't many people in Little Willow who are still children”
Gilda’s eyes widened slightly as she was taken aback by Jaspers cutting reply. Her eyes quickly narrowed again back to slits and she snatched the brace of ducks out of Jaspers strong grasp, giving him a brisk pinch on the back of his hand when he resisted. Turning around on her heel’s she walked ahead of him through the small fields back to Little Willow grumbling to herself “Same as all the bloody others round here. No respect for their elders”
Gently chuckling to himself Jasper easily followed the now slightly grouchy little Gilda with long strides. Turning her head back slightly the greying lady eyed the now smiling man behind her. Turning her head back round a small glimpse of a tender smile could be seen playing at the corners of her mouth. After a moment she spoke up again “You've missed out on a fair bit of excitement these past few days. Boric spotted two riders over the western fields, bandits he reckons. And obviously you don't know that Janice finally popped early hours this morn”
Jaspers brows lifted, with traces of concern in his voice he replied “Did everything go alright?”
Chucking dryly Gilda couldn't help but let a hint of pride seep into her voice “Of course, I was helping her deliver. Although my goodness was I shocked when the second one started coming out.”
Jaspers response was dripping with surprise “Twins?”
Smugly Gilda responded “Aye two Grace’s, one boy and one little girl. First twins in Little Willow since, well who knows. Old Gareth reckons last twins we had were the Cleary’s nearly a hundred and fifty years ago. But well I don't know about that. Gareth likes to pretend he knows a lot more than he really does.”
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Nodding Jasper helplessly smiled at the harmless old lady chattering away in front of him “I best go give my congratulations.”
Pausing mid stride Gilda hesitated before nodding, speaking in a softer tone she gave her agreement “Indeed you best.”
A touch of warmth slipped into Jaspers eyes as he turned away from the ambling little lady ahead of him who was making a bee line for her house in the centre of the hamlet. He was now heading in another direction “Goodbye Gilda.”
Gilda glanced at the young man striding away from her out the corner of her eye before shortly shaking her head and carrying on her way “Goodbye Jasper.”
Listening to the somewhat downtrodden tone of the little lady's voice Jaspers footsteps paused. Turning back he called out “Gilda.” The little bonnet stopped bobbing up and down as she stopped and looked back at the wild young man. Smiling at her Jasper carried on “The season for ducks been good this year. I'll come drop some more off to you next time” The one individual he favoured a little, Gilda.
Swiftly a gentle smile blossomed on the little lady's face. “I'd like that very much my dear.” With a smile and a nod Jasper turned about and headed towards the Grace household. The gentle smile hung on Gilda's face as she watched the broad back of the man walking away from her. Buried within her eyes was a slither of sadness strongly contrasting with her still smiling face. The mans back looked so strong from the little lady's view, he carried the large deer carcass across his back so effortlessly. But to Gilda's mellow eyes that had seen many a tough painful year it seemed ever so lonely.
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Julius Calendar 898
Month Of The Grazed Lamb 12th
Grace twins are born
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Julius Calendar 898
Month Of The Weakest Solaris
29th
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Weak sunlight filtered through the thick green canopy of foliage overhead. It did little to illuminate the dank gloomy floor of the Axe where Jasper was currently crouched. His eyes roamed over the decaying leafy ground underneath him, a deep frown creased his slightly damp brow. Despite the little available light Jasper could easily make out the sinister prints that vandalised the hard ground before him.
The print consisted of six splayed toes each one sporting a savagely elongated claw. The lethal weaponry concerned Jasper however what truly captured his attention and worry was the depth and size of the print. Judging from the area of the four prints, the depth of the indentation and the firmness of the earth Jasper’s twelve years of experience hunting led him to a worrying conclusion. Whatever the creature was that had left this print it was a good portion heavier than even himself.
Since Jasper moved into the glade he had only once ventured further into the heart of the Axe. He had only done so after he unlocked the fourth gate and felt relatively confident in his ability to preserve his life against whatever ferocious creatures lurked in the Axe’s depths. Of course as a hunter the entire time he was plunging deeper into the Axe he was closely observing the surrounding forested environment for indications of any of the monstrous beasts that were rumoured to reside within the deep Axe. He wasn't disappointed. After cautiously advancing from the glade for nearly an hour he occasionally started seeing tracks identical to the one he was currently crouched over.
In addition to the six pawed prints he also frequently came across hoof prints the size of his head, their depth indicated the animal was of a gargantuan size. Along the hoofed animals tracks Jasper found branches that had been snapped from trees three yards high. Further evidence of the exaggerated size of the beasts in the deep Axe.
He had called an abrupt end to his expedition a year ago upon finding a certain large print. The print of a snake. The detail that bought a cold sweat to Jasper’s brow just reminiscing about it was that the track the snake left was a metre wide. When he first came across the print he thought he was looking at a small dried up stream, wondering where the water originated from in the Axe he followed it uphill. It was only upon finding a reptilian scale the size of his palm further along the track he had realised his disastrous error of judgement. Remembering the size of the track brings him out into a cold sweat to this day and thinking of the fact he was foolhardily following the track still sends a violent shiver down his spine. After realising what he had been unwittingly tracking he had hastily backtracked to the glade.
Presently the sinister tracks Jasper knelt over caused him far more concern than the tracks found deep in the Axe. The reason being this set of prints lay in between Little Willow and the glade. A week ago he found the exact same prints twenty minutes from his hunting trails. Jasper was only mildly concerned at first, he knew most animals were migratory in nature and liked to roam although it was rather odd for this creature to venture so far out of the depths of the Axe. However he did start to monitor the area closely due to his cautious nature. Because of this monitoring he quickly noticed a second set of prints just half an hour from Little Willow two days ago. Today the set of prints he was crouched over was but a mere ten minute walk to the edges of the golden fields of Little Willow.
Flicking away a small forming bead of sweat from his brow Jasper intently stared at the prints, pondering. His mind strayed to his father whom had often told him tale of a particular summer month when he was just a young boy. During that hot month three children went missing from their beds in the middle of three successive hot nights, the only reason the parents knew they hadn't run away was the bloodstained sheets. Along with the morbid story his father would softly whisper to him an old lullaby, but it had been long ago and all he could recall of it was a soft melody. Lyrics evaded the reaches of his memories grasp.
Deciding that the creature was moving closer to Little Willow with what appeared to be purpose, whilst remembering the old tragic horror tale his father would whisper to him as a young boy Jasper decided he had sufficient reason to be concerned.
Gritting his teeth and furrowing his brows he clenched the bow in his hand tightly and drew a well worn arrow from his wicker quiver. Once his arrow familiarly sat upon the string of his bow he felt somewhat more reassured. With his trusted weapon loaded and in hand he set off after the distinct tracks. He knew as a certainty that the prints he were currently following could be no more than half an hour old.
When an animal leaves its print it breaks through the dry topsoil of the earth leaving an indentation in the moist soil below. In dry hot conditions like the weather presently that moist soil below will quickly dry and crack becoming just like the crusty top soil above. The entire print will become dry and cracked. Fresh tracks however will retain some moisture from the soil below that was damp. It because his father had taught him this logic that Jasper had readied his bow. The tracks he currently tracked were still moist.
Steadying his slightly tense nerves Jasper steeled his resolve. If the creature had stayed well away from Little Willow Jasper most assuredly wouldn't be stalking its tracks like he was presently. Provoking the notoriously savage creatures of the Axe was something he didn't relish doing. Although he had unlocked the fourth gate he was still at most a secluded strong hunter. His expertise lay in shooting unsuspecting ducks and deer. Not battling with the dangerous denizens of the Axe. However this creature was potentially seeking to feed on the corpses of the children of Little Willow. The last thing his dad had asked of him still rung clearly in his mind.
“Look after Little Willow for me won't ya?”
It was because of his father that Jasper forged ahead after this predators tracks. Ever since he had stepped upon the daises eight years ago he had never once used the strength it had given him for anything great or profound. He just ambled onward wth his own life only hunting and seeking to unlock the next gate, merely to satisfy himself. Jasper knew this was his chance to change that. This was his chance to keep his promise to his father. To make his dead dad proud. He knew that if his father was in his position now even if he didn't know of the existence of the gates and was just a mere normal man he would set after this beast that threatened the sanctity of his beloved hamlet.
Thinking of the kindly face of his father and the great love he had had for Little Willow Jasper reaffirmed his resolve and picked up his pace. His jaw set with grim determination, eyes sparkling with a proud feeling of justice.
Slowly he broke from a trot to a walk before he came to a complete halt as his eyes flooded with attentiveness and alertness. The tracks in front of him had come to an abrupt stop. Slowly sweeping his gaze left and right about the undergrowth around him Jasper’s nervous heart started pounding marginally louder. Slightly unsteady he crept over to the last set of four prints viable. Removing the arrow from the bows string he hooked his weapon across his shoulder before cautiously crouching down, he kept each of his senses strained to their limit as he observed the tracks.
Placing his hand in the shallow front tracks he paused. Then placed his hands in the slightly displaced deeper back tracks. Puzzlement flashed through his eyes. The animal clearly was in motion when it left the tracks but why such the disparity in weight displacement? Raising his gaze his bright eyes came to rest on the oaken tree only three yards in front of him. Realisation hit him like a heavy hammer. His heartbeat quickened, sweat began beading on his brow and his breathing grew heavier. Those sickle like elongated claws have more uses than just tearing at flesh he realised.
Ever so softly it would've passed his notice had he not been straining his ears a noise that solidified his dreaded suspicions softly echoed out. The sound of a twig snapping in the shining green canopy above.
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Julius Calendar 898
Month Of The Weakest Solaris 29th
Jasper Valour tracks a stray Aroncole
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