Forsaken
OK, first story in a LONG time.
I have written a few others, but they were bad, so they're staying off here. XD
This is the first chapter of a series I'm starting up. The second chapter is already underway.
Harsh critique would be appreciated, and even not so harsh comments would be nice too.
Enjoy!
/*** Chapter One: Forsaken ***/
The young adventurer struggled over yet another densely-packed snow drift, as he gazed into the distance, seeing nothing but white. He glanced down, and couldn't tell whether or not there was ground there at all, all he could see were his large grey paws, and the footprints that were quickly filling in beneath him.
Villas, a purely grayscale snow leopard, had lived in the Arctic his whole life, so he was used to not seeing where he was going, but rather, just knowing.
It was customary for the male cubs of his tribe to be left on their own at the age of 6 with only basic supplies. These cubs would be expected to fend for themselves, and survive for 7 days, without any aid.
The ones that made it back were given honorary titles and garments, as well as an arranged mate, for later in life. Those who disobeyed the rules of this judgement, however, were banished forever. Never allowed to return, under penalty of death.
Had it not been for his selfishness, Villas would be safe at home, with his fellow felines, back at the village. Despite frequent talks with the Elders, Villas never came to understand the importance of respecting and caring for others, and instead looked out for only himself.
**********
Only a few weeks earlier, Villas had been faced with a tempting decision. To take, or not to take. The hunters had left a fresh seal in one of the huts, unattended, as they investigated a report of an intruder. The maids who normally cleaned, separated and cooked the meals, had not arrived, and there was a large knife on the table beside the creature.
How much each member of the tribe received at meal-time was dependant mainly on age, and how much was available. Seeing as though the first meal of the day was light, Villas with feeling particularly hungry, and seeing as no one was around to see....
He grabbed the sharpened stone, and quickly chopped off a few thin but large portions of the seal, and stowed them away in his bag as he left the hut. Had it not been for the small child peeking through a gap in the hut, he would have been able to get away with it too.
*****
The next day, Villas awoke to three armed enforcers standing in his sleeping quarters, all staring directly at him, but none spoke.
Villas glanced at all of them with fuzzy vision, and after a long silence, spoke:
"Can I help you?"
The smallest of the three enforcers took two steps forward, and recited a message from the Elders, "The Elders have learned that you, Villas of the Birchsoul family, have disobeyed one of our tribe's most sacred orders. You, Villas, have stolen."
Shocked, dazed, and confused, Villas responded in disbelief, "What? I've done no such thing! Who has accused me of stealing?"
"I'm afraid, dear boy," said the largest of the three enforcers, stepping forward to match the first to speak, "That we cannot reveal that information to you. You are expected to meet with the Elders upon sundown. They, will decide what is to be done with you."
Two of the enforcers turned and left. The last one produced a scroll of parchment, and threw it at Villas, before leaving his hut, and, with a laugh, kicking over a stool on his way out.
Villas sat. Nothing more. Not sure what to think.
Who had seen him? How had they found out?
Would he be banished? Or forced to work to pay off his spiritual debt to the tribe?
He only wished someone could have answered these questions for him, but unfortunately, no one would. For now Villas was an accused thief, and whether it had been proved or not, the people of his tribe would look down on him in shame.
Feeling he had no where else to go, Villas dressed and walked to the dwelling of his arranged mate. Though they had not yet been forced to join, they had become good friends, and had excepted their inevitable fate.
A soft knock on the wall of her room, and Xanphia emerged. Her soft feline curves were complemented by her scarcely noticeable spots, and her slight tinge of a pale tan than ran throughout her limbs. Villas glanced lovingly at her, tail swaying happily behind him. He looked her up and down, enjoying her sight, as he always did. Until, that is, he happened to see the expression on her face.
"How could you, Vil?" Xanphia asked, leaning toward him, and staring with a look of mild contempt, and deep worry.
"Xan," Villas pleaded, "You know I would nev--"
"Don't you realise what they do those who steal?"
"Xan, I didn't do it, I swear!"
"You'll be banished! The Elders have never really approved of you...."
"I'll be fine, a little slap on the paw, that's all."
"No, Vil, that's not all. They've been looking for an excuse to get rid of you ever since you single-handedly destroyed the village's nursery."
Villas' white cheeks showed a slight hint of red forming beneath his fur, his tail had stopped swaying, and was now firmly in place, between his legs. "I didn't think the stampede would head towards me, I was trying to scare them away...."
"I've heard it before Vil, don't tell me again." Villas smiled slightly, trying to hide his playful memory of chasing the elk. "This is not funny! Why do I even bother?" And with that, Xanphia slammed her door shut, leaving Villas out in the cold.
"C'mon Xan!" Villas pleaded.
"Just go away!" Xan shouted, fed up with Villas' nonsense.
Villas glanced over his shoulder, and saw an enforcer watching him, his hand firmly gripped on his spear. So, using his better judgement, Villas slowly walked away, head down, tail in the snow, dragging his feet as he went. Where he was going, he wasn't sure.
*****
Villas soon found himself sitting high in one of the few trees that you found, this far North. Eyes closed, his tail gently swaying as the breeze washed over his fur, the smell of pine swallowing his senses, Villas sat. Awaiting sunset.
He narrowly opened one eye, glancing West, toward the mountain range, Villas drew his attention to the setting sun. It was not but half a paw's width away from disappearing behind the massive peaks. And with that, Villas climbed down the tree, and strolled toward the Elder's tent, which was just out of the village boundaries.
As was customary, Villas stopped outside the large tent, and removed any garments that he had on. He then knelt, and took a handful of soft snow from the ground. Into this snow, he whispered, "Spirits, do not hate me. I have done wrong, and I look to be forgiven. May these Elders have mercy on me, and I will never do wrong again." And with that, he blew the small flakes out of his hands, watching them drift away in the wind.
Villas stood, wiped off his hind legs, stood up straight, took a deep breath, and prepared himself. He slowly pushed aside the elk-skin flap hanging in the doorway as he hesitantly stepped inside the tent. Villas had never been inside this tent before, for his previous offence was as a minor, so his parents were made to come in, in his place.
Villas glanced around the large tent in awe. The walls were covered with drawings, symbols, and large sections of writing, that Villas could not understand, for it was written in an ancient tongue. Villas struggled to put one paw in-front of the other, his heart pounding in his ears, which were pulled back, showing his remorse for what he had done.
On the far side of the tent, 7 Elders sat, none speaking, none moving. Legend has it, these Elders had been around since the discovery of the North, over 5 centuries ago. Each of them represented a virtue that was respected in society, and each was a prime example of that which they embodied. Starting from the left, the Elders were ordered as such; Courage, Honesty, Empathy, Wisdom, Rationality, Patience, and Generosity.
The first to speak was Wisdom. He sat in the middle of the long row of throne-like seats that had been hand-carved for the Elders. Wisdom looked as though he had walked around the entire world, without stopping, and had just this afternoon returned, only to have to attend this hearing. He stood, his long, grey cloak billowing as he did so, and he placed a hand on the podium before he began to speak.
"Young Villas Birchsoul, you have been accused of stealing from our village's food stores. As you are well aware, no doubt, those who chose to disobey our village's rules do not go unpunished."
"Yes, sir, but you see--"
"Silence!" Courage stood swiftly and glared at Villas as he shouted and raised an arm to point at the young leopard.
"Come now, Courage, don't be so harsh on the poor boy..." Empathy spoke in her gentle voice, motioning for Courage to be seated. "Dear boy, please do not speak until it is requested of you." She finished with a welcoming smile, directed as Villas.
"Thank you Empathy. Now, as I was saying, these wrong-doers do not go unpunished. You have been accused and found guilty before, as a youth, but guilty none the less. Do you remember this offence?"
Villas opened his mouth to speak, but thought back to his previous attempt to voice his opinion, and glanced toward Empathy. She nodded, so he answered Wisdom. "Yes, sir. I do remember it, sir."
"As I'm sure many others do, and I think we need not dwell on the past, but it must be cast into the pot when we decide what is to be done with you." Wisdom returned to his seat, and a silence erupted in the tent, only to be interrupted by Honesty.
"Son, do you acknowledge what you have done?" He asked, stepping forward to the podium.
"Well, sir. I suppose... I.... It's kind of complicated." Villas was barely speaking. The presence of the Elders making him feel tiny, standing alone in the giant tent.
"Perhaps I should ask you once more, Villas, do you deny or accept what you have done?" Honesty asked, glancing down at Villas. He already knew the answer, for Honesty could read anyone, and he knew before Villas spoke that he was avoiding the answer he knew he had to give.
"I accept it, sir. I stole from the stores." Villas dropped his head in shame, he did not dare look at the Elders, fearful of what they may not think of him.
"You are honest, Villas, and I, of all people, respect that. However, that does not change what you have done. With your confession, we may now proceed to the vote. Rationality, if you please." He finished, returning to his seat.
Rationality did not stand when he spoke, like the others had, but his voice was just as commanding as the rest. "All in favour of releasing this villager, free of all charges."
None of them raised a hand. Not even empathy. This was not looking good.
"All in favour of service to our village, allowing the spiritual cleansing to take place as the boy repays his debt to the villagers."
Two hands were raised, Honesty and Generosity.
"Finally, all in favour of banishment. Under which no conditions may he return, under penalty of death."
Villas couldn't breathe. His chest was being consumed by his rapidly-beating heart. He felt like his chest was about to explode, as he watched the hands emerge. Rationality, Courage, he felt slightly nauseous. Empathy, Patience, his legs felt weak. And finally, with the raising of the final hand, Wisdom, Villas fainted, right there in the tent. And he drifted away into a world of dreams, none of which were particularly pleasing.
*****
Villas awoke to the gentle touch of Xanphia, kneeling beside him, in the healer's tent. "Are you alright Vil?"
Villas blinked repeatedly, glanced quickly around, and answered. "What do you think?"
"This is no time to be like that, Vil. Come, I've packed my things, they say you can only stay until sunrise, before you're thrown out."
"Wait, you've packed your things?" Villas sat up, so that he could speak with Xanphia face-to-face. "You're not leaving."
"Yes," Xanphia corrected, "I am."
"Come now, Xan, you can't leave. You've got a great life here, don't let me drag you down." Villas spoke softly, gazing into her eyes.
"But, I can't leave you Vil, I just can't...." her eyes were beginning to water. She raised a paw to wipe her eyes, as she began to speak, "I can't leave you Vil, because, well...."
"Because?" Villas questioned her. He was not sure why she would do this for him.
"Because, Vil. Well, if I have to say it, then maybe I should just sta--" But she couldn't finish, for Villas had taken her softly with his paws on both sides of her teary-eyed face, and kissed her gently.
Villas sat back, and stared Xanphia in the eye. She looked back longingly, and began to lean back in toward Villas. Just then, a healer came in, to check in Villas. And seeing his condition, promptly shoved him out of the tent, where three enforcers were waiting to escort him to the village outskirts.
Villas looked over his shoulder as he was dragged away from his village, and his dear Xanphia could only stand and watch as he dropped his glance to the ground, and disappeared into the never-ending white.
**********
And here he was. Wandering the North, with nowhere to go.
Villas tried to distract his thoughts, keep them away from his village, and from Xanphia. Maybe he could sneak back in, and then she could come with him.
"No," he said to himself aloud, "don't be stupid Vil, you can't go back now."
As he continued on his un-plotted trail to nowhere, Villas found a small inlet in a large boulder to his left. It was large enough for him to use as shelter until morning, and after that, he would do what he had been doing for weeks now. Walking.
"I guess this is what I'm stuck with," Villas thought to himself, "Wandering alone forever in this place."
Little did he know, he was wrong.