Adventure is Everywhere

While the weather hadn’t been especially awful over the past several days, Arnoc could admit that today was rather fine.

The sun was shining merrily up in the sky as it always did, content to look down upon its creations below. A few scattered clouds covered the pretty deep blue, but it did help stave off some of that uncompromising star stare. The wind was mild and pleasant, carrying a nice woodsy aroma on it, not particularly dewy or dry.

All in all, a fair-weather day.

The kind of day that any boy would decide to get up to mischief, right? Certainly, he wasn’t the only one who’d taken this to mean that it was time to have some fun, right?

It didn’t explain why he’d decided to ignore his mom’s instructions not to stray too far from camp, that sunshine and pleasant sky. Maybe if the weather had been bad for a while, it might give something resembling cause, but then, nothing ever really did, did it?

Sure, there had been that interesting bird that he’d never seen in this region before, but when he’d noticed how far he’d wandered he should have headed back. Generally, he did head back when he was able to notice in time that something was amiss, but this time he hadn’t because he’d thought it would be fine.

Mom was right, of course.

As he’d learned several times over the course of his short life, that mom usually knew what she was talking about when it came to the wildlife in the places through which they traveled. He figured that she had been to most of the places that they went through at least once in her life, so it was probably experience talking.

Previous to this situation, she’d been right about the Caterwauling Swallow Tailed Pine Bird which did not like to be chased by a small boy. And the Yellow Furred Pygmy Boar had been particularly distressed when he’d blundered into its nest in the long grass. And, the Chattering Otters, well… Okay, so there were a number more examples he could bring up, but he wasn’t going to.

The point was made.

So, whatever this bird was that he’d followed, it was not the first thing he’d disobeyed to explore and find, but this was the first time that Arnoc had gotten into something else’s business as well. Not even on purpose even, which was just rotten luck!

All loss, no gain!

“Mom!” he cried as he barreled down the hill at full speed, praying he didn’t trip. Again. “Mom!”

In a way that he was coming to expect, the tall dark skinned woman was waiting for him at the edge of the clearing she’d had them bedding down in. The ward stones shimmered subtly, and he really hoped that he reached it in time not to become the snack of whatever the thing that was chasing him was. Around his neck, his necklace hummed. Arnoc didn’t notice it for the heavy pounding of his heart in his thin chest.

Even so close to salvation, he could hear it bashing through the trees behind him, a screeching kind of hiss leaving its large maw. Yes, Arnoc had really pissed this thing off simply by existing, and he’d have apologized if he’d thought it would do anything.

He hadn’t stayed in place long enough to really get a look at it, but it was enough to know that it was big.

The sound of it was likely what had told his mom that he was returning, to be frank, and Arnoc really hated that she was always right about this.

It was, however, a relief to see that his mom had grabbed one of her throwing axes to deal with whatever it was that he’d royally pissed off this time. Usually there wasn’t the need for a weapon because once he was out of whatever territory the animal he’d bothered claimed as theirs he was generally ignored. This time it was not to be.

“Down, Arny!” his mother ordered.

As he did so, he heard the last of the trees behind him crack and groan, and then the whistled of his mom’s blade singing through the air. The familiar thwum-thwum-thwump! took some of the panic out of his bones, even as he heard the creature shriek in pained anger.

Footsteps pounded on the slight incline of the hill up towards him swiftly, and then there was more sounds of the creature’s pain. The ground shook as mom dealt with the thing, and he peeked behind himself enough to be able to see that one of its scaly limbs had been severed clean off. Whatever it was, the blood that dripped from the wound didn’t exactly drip and was strangely thick, almost jelly-like in consistency.

Mom grabbed it on either side of the head by gnarled yellow horns, not at all bothered by the number of teeth in that mouth so close to her body, and then she snapped its neck.

It thrashed for a moment longer – instinct as well as autonomic reaction, mom had told him – before it released a heavy rattling breath and went still.

It was dead, then. Arnoc always felt a bit bad when an animal – even one trying to kill him – had to die, and mom had said that the feeling was good. Some of the villages they passed through, the other children would pick on him for feeling sad about wolves and Heavy Rocs that needed to be killed to protect the flocks.

Mom dropped its head and turned towards him, absently reaching down to grab her axe as she did so, flicking off the jelly-blood with an errant spinning toss.

She just looked down at him, face blank, before he watched mirth twitch over her dark features and color her expression. Mom wasn’t very good at keeping a straight face really, even if some people called her scary.

Laughter fell heavy and rich from her lips as she leaned down to grab him by the back of his shirt and lifted him to his feet once again. The axe was hooked into one of the loops designed for it on her pants as she dusted him off, laughing all the while she picked debris out of his hair.

“Only you would find a Raccaback Wyvern in the Dell Hills,” even though she was still chuckling, her voice was fond. “Poor thing must have gotten caught up in that last Big Storm and decided to settle here instead of a mountain. Not like it’d know how to get home, all this way away.”

Considering that Raccaback was several thousand miles from the Dell Hills, yes, that was indeed quite a surprise and quite a distance. The only real explanation – other than someone bringing one there – was that a Big Storm had carried it on the magical currents and spat it out here.

Big Storms were just like that.

“Mom,” he whined, stepping back to straighten his shirt and try to tidy himself himself. “I didn’t even run into a den or anything this time!”

“No?”

“No!”

“Hmm. Well, that’s a new record then.”

The tall woman smiled warmly, settling a hand on his shoulder where he just reached her waist and turning him back towards the camp. Even if his mom picked on him once the danger had passed, Arnoc was always reassured by her presence, at the nonchalant way she reacted to all of his misadventures.

Most children, he’d learned over the course of their journey, were not as blessed with easy going parents.

“I didn’t even get to see what the nest of that bird looked like –”

Complaining now that it was safe, he left behind the terror that had fueled his sprint across the hills and let his mom clean him up. He shivered a little as the magic of the ward stones washed over him, a strange and yet familiar sensation all the same. On his neck, the necklace hummed, signaling their return to the safety of the ward’s embrace.

As she was wiping dirt off his face and looking over the cuts on his palms from stumbling and catching himself several times in his mad dash, his collar moved and hissed at him in displeasure. The little pocket had thankfully not been too jostled in his awful run away from the wyvern, and the creature inside was intact.

“Oh, Pepper!”

Experience kept him from pulling his hands from mom’s grasp as he craned his neck to look down at the little lizard that crawled onto his shoulder. Bright blue eyes glared up at him with all the expression of disdain and judgement that a Stone Carving Lizard could manage.

Which was actually quite a lot.

I told you not to go into that glade, Pepper spat at him, skinny tail twitching back and forth in agitation. I told you that something big lived near there!

“I know, I know! I thought it would be a bear at worst or something. Not a wyvern!” he assured his little friend. “Admit it, you didn’t expect a wyvern either.”

You almost squished me!

“But I didn’t!”

Twice! Arny, twice you almost squished me! What kind of friend squishes their friend? What kind of friend doesn’t listen to the advice and worries of their friend?

Well, he did feel kind of bad about it, now that Pepper had brought it up. Arnoc’s expression fell into one of apology, and he frowned. Dirt was still smeared on his chin, painting his wet sand colored skin brown as his mom picked debris out of his hands before slathering salve on them.

She was listening to one half of the conversation as always, not able to understand animals like Arnoc could, though she had her own talents. Despite all of his trying, he’d never managed to throw an axe through something like that, and he’d tried a lot.

Axes were just cool. Mom said he’d probably be better at archery but wouldn’t teach him until he could sit still for more than ten minutes at a time.

“I’m sorry,” he said solemnly. “I’ll catch you a dragonfly as an apology gift. And I’ll listen to you more.”

Hmph! The little gray lizard swayed a little in place, blue eyes softening into a more sedate expression on scaly features. I suppose that will do.

“I really am sorry, Pepper.”

I know you are, Arny.

~*~

Arnoc may or may not have been vibrating in place in excitement that he just couldn’t explain.

But only just a bit.

Maybe he could explain it, too, but still.

Okay, okay, he was definitely fidgeting in ways that made his mom look back at him where he was seated on the fence with amusement. Of course, most of the things that he did made his mom amused with him, but this was different because they were waiting for someone to come meet them in town. This, despite all the traveling they’d done, was a new experience for Arnoc.

Simply because before they’d started traveling, they hadn’t exactly had company over much. Or at all.

But, but! He’d made one more friend – other than Pepper – on their journey and he was going to be there soon, if the Wind Message was to be believed.

“Pulling at your clothes doesn’t actually make time go by faster, Arny,” she told him not unkindly, reaching up to ruffle his hair. “Despite what you seem to think.”

“Yes, yes, I know and ‘a watched pot never boils’ and all that wise old stuff –”

“Hi, Arnoc.”

Oh!

Practically falling off of the fence he was perched on in excitement, Arnoc twisted to beam in delight at Devan, whose quiet voice had interrupted him.

“Devan!”

Now he did fall off the fence in his haste to greet his friend, barely dusting himself off after getting back to his feet.

Blatantly ignoring the start of a hand being held up to him for a greeting, Arnoc flung himself at the slightly taller boy. Devan took a moment to get with the program, but he patted Arnoc’s back a bit awkwardly in answer to the impromptu hug.

Pulling back, he grinned widely at the pale skinned boy with the tattoos that spread across the bridge of his nose from cheekbone to cheekbone.

Devan was a Northern Fade, which was partially a race and partially some kind of creed that Arnoc honestly hadn’t quite understood. He was quiet and kind of awkward but considering the fact that he was awkward as well – Pepper told him this all the time – he’d taken to him like a duck to water.

While he hadn’t had many interactions with other children, it just felt like even if he’d had a whole bushel of friends that Devan would always be his best friend.

Pepper didn’t count. Pepper was practically family, so he could be a friend but not a best friend.

They’d already had the argument to clear the air when his mom had received the Wind Message in the first place, and now they had an understanding on that front. Pepper was his scaly little big brother friend, and that was now that.

“Hello, Harrowhaft,” the thin voice of a man spoke up. “Good journeys?”

“Hello, Carver. We’ve been well, how about yourselves?” was his mother’s amused response. “Please, I tell you to call me Dannika every time.”

“We, too, have been well. However, I couldn’t possibly be so familiar, Harrowhaft.”

Mom laughed.

Glancing up at Carver, Devan’s Master, he gave a wave of greeting before beginning to drag the boy away from the adults. Devan managed to get out a stammered farewell to his Master before they were too far away to be heard, and he had to turn or be bowled over by Arnoc’s enthusiasm.

Not that Arnoc didn’t like Master Carver, but Devan didn’t relax around him, since he was in something like an apprenticeship with the man. It was another Northern Fade thing that was culturally significant, and while they weren’t related or anything the man had the same tattoos on his face too. Arnoc vaguely remembered them mentioning it being an indication of their trade or something, but he’d honestly been a bit distracted at the time.

They’d been playing a strategy game, Siege, and he’d been winning.

He never won against mom, so it had been quite an experience for him. That’s not to say that he won all the time against Devan, though, because he was very good at Siege as well. It was what had made it fun in the first place.

It was no fun winning or losing all the time, there had to be both to make it interesting. Besides, mom said it built character.

Mom was usually right in that too.

“How have you been?” he nattered on energetically, one hand holding Devan’s pale one tight, the other reaching up to steady Pepper. “Did you do that Wind thing you were talking about last time?”

For a moment the quiet boy still seemed stunned, before he offered his own smile and answered.

“My Trial of Initiate Wind went well. Master says in another few years I should be able to take my next Trial.”

“That means your officially, um,” he squinted, glancing down at Pepper. “What was it again?”

How should I know? Something about being a Blade, I think?

“Oh, a Blade of Wind, wasn’t it?” glancing up at Devan again for confirmation, he smiled brighter at the nod he received. “A Beginner Blade or something?”

They’d slowed down some and were far enough away that Arnoc didn’t worry about his mom getting embarrassing again, that he released the other boy’s hand. Companionably, they walked to the edge of a field until Pepper told them they should stop, that they’d gone far enough.

And they did, because Arnoc had promised to listen to his friends more.

He’d never purposefully break a promise!

Mom said they were important.

“Did you and the Harrowhaft have a productive time as well?”

Arnoc grimaced at the title that most people called his mom, and sat down abruptly in the grass, letting Pepper scuttle down to the ground as well. Beside him, Devan easily seated himself as well, shifting his robes accordingly so that they didn’t get bunched up beneath him.

“Do you have to call her that?”

“It’s her title. It would be rude not to.”

Ugh.

“At least you leave off the General, unlike most people,” he allowed, not at all content but not willing to argue further. “That gets so old after a while. Especially with all the weird ways that people try and get her to do stuff for them but also act like they’re scared of her.”

“Fame is a double edged sword pointed towards the one who holds it,” Devan said as if he were quoting something; he probably was. “I’m sure it does get to be a bit much, Arnoc. It's still simple courtesy, however, to call her as such.”

“Well, could you at least call me by my nickname? Arnoc’s a mouthful.”

This time, Devan made a face.

“Calling you Arny is silly.”

“What, why?!”

Maybe because you’re silly.

“I’m not silly, Pepper!”

The lizard shot him a look before climbing up a fall of green cloth to sit on Devan’s knee, the boy lifting a hand to pet over his scales gently. He used two fingers, just like Arnoc had explained to him was best before, and he couldn’t help but beam at the fact that his friend had remembered. They’d only spent a brief time together when they’d first met – a couple of weeks, while Carver and mom did some stuff about a local lord – but he was glad that they’d become friends.

“You’re a bit silly, Arnoc,” Devan agreed with the lizard, which seemed unfair. “But I think that’s fine.”

“Arny! Come on, it’s not a hard name!”

“No, but it means wrist in my language.”

It meant what?

“… Wrist, really?”

“Yeah, I guess I could call you arny aloc, which is a broken wrist, if you want.”

“No, no, Arnoc is fine!” he assured, vaguely bewildered. “My mom named me this, after all. I suppose I’ll just have to live with it.”

“For the rest of your life, even.”

The boys laughed and then decided to explore a bit more around the outskirts of the field to see if there was anything interesting. It wasn’t anything fantastic, the town that they were meeting in, but Carver had asked them to come along Westward, a bit off course from how they’d been heading North since leaving home. Mom had said something about paying a visit to an old friend, but Arnoc had mostly been excited about seeing his friend again.

Mom had plenty of friends and acquaintances and even a few enemies she was on good terms with – which was weird, but he didn’t question it – but Arnoc only had the two.

They were a fantastic two, his two friends, but they were still just two.

So, they gamboled about the field, playing tag, and telling stories about the many and varied things that they had been doing since they’d last parted. Devan looked wide eyed at the most recent mishap with the wyvern, but after going briefly paler he had agreed that Arnoc couldn’t have known.

He also, however, had agreed with Pepper about making sure to listen to the advice of others, even if he didn’t choose to follow it.

“Consideration is a compassion,” was quoted. “And compassion carries us.”

Two against one, again! No fair!

Still, Arnoc grinned and agreed, mentioning his agreement with Pepper, the lizard still seated comfortably in the folds of Devan’s robes. Apparently Arnoc ran hotter than the other boy, but Devan’s clothing was nicer to snuggle in, by lizard standards.

And for a lizard, Pepper had a lot of standards to live by, apparently.

After they talked about the difference between listening and hearing – Arnoc still wasn’t quite sure he understood – they decided to head back towards the village proper again. On the way, he felt his necklace vibrate momentarily, but was confused when he couldn’t see any ward stones. He dismissed it as his imagination and continued towards the inn that they had booked two room in advance within.

“Mom said that we can share a room if we want,” he told Devan excitedly. “I’ve never spent the night with a friend before! Would you want to? It doesn’t have to be right away, she said we’d be here for a week at least.”

“I wouldn’t mind.”

Between the three of them, they planned out playing Siege, some storytelling – not personal stories, but legends – and how late they would stay up. They passed several villagers on the way, looking a bit more downtrodden than Arnoc had come to expect, but he didn’t think much on it as the three chatted.

When they got up to their rooms it was getting dark, and Arnoc noticed that his mom had put on her full armor, her giant war axe on her back. The thing was as big as he was, it seemed like. She usually kept it hidden away in a magic satchel designed specifically for the thing. Mom said his dad had made it for her because walking around with it on her at all time was a bit attention grabbing, and also kind of scary.

Mom had thought that was funny, even years later as she told him the story, and he honestly wondered about who could really find her scary.

“What’s going on, mom?” he asked curiously, noting with vague interest that Carver was also wearing more gear and weapons. “You never take out Harry.”

The large war axe’s actual name – gifted by someone Arnoc couldn’t remember the name of – was The Harrowing, which was what gave her the title Harrowhaft. Which was stupid, to name a person after a weapon, but whatever.

Nobles were weird.

“We’ve got a bit of cleanup to do,” she told him, kneeling down to face him with a smile, her dark eyes warm. “You two stay here and watch our stuff, alright? We’ll be back no later than dawn.”

He squinted at her. Whatever it was, it was probably stupid greedy adult stuff.

“Promise?”

“Promise,” she swore, and ruffled his hair. “Pepper is in charge.”

Obviously.

“Wh – hey!”

As Carver said his partings to Devan, Arnoc bickered with Pepper, glancing at the way the ward stones had been set up in the room. His necklace hummed and he sighed, aggrieved as the door shut behind the adults.

She was probably going to intimidate nobles again, so they stopped asking for higher taxes. Or to take care of bandits.

The two boys played a couple games of Siege before the innkeeper brought up their dinner, and they decided to take a break.

“Hey, Arnoc,” Devan asked as he dipped his bread in his stew. “Do you know your father?”

“My dad? No, not really. I’ve never met him, but mom says he’s nice, if kind of dumb.”

“Is he dead then?” he seemed a bit nervous asking, but Arnoc didn’t mind.

“No, not yet.”

“… yet?”

“Yeah, we’re gonna go save him. That’s why we’re adventuring!”

“What – what do you mean?”

“Mom said he’s playing princess in a tower, and that the evil General trapped him. So, we have to go and save him.”

“Arnoc.”

Arny!

“Hm?”

“Arnoc.”

Arnoc, no!

“What?”

“Is your father King Jinadrum, who’s being held hostage by General Clevereye?”

“Oh, yeah, I guess.”

Devan’s eyes were wide.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Are you… supposed to tell me that?”

Oh, crap. Mom was gonna kill him.

I told you not to!