Solo A Wolf among Hunters

[Alex Cromwell]

Season of Winter, Day 2, 512AV

The Wildlands were a welcome sight after the few days among civilization. The air was crisp and still, the sun was warm and welcoming, just barely coming over the horizon, illuminating the vast expanse of the wild. Alex smiled, he was home again. I never would have imagined that I would be coming back here, Alex thought to himself as he walked up the stone steps to the small wooden cottage that he grew up in. It had fallen into disrepair since his father died several months back. He barely made it back for the funeral. Alex tried the handle, then jumped back as the door fell right off of its hinges with a resounding “thump” into the atrium of the house. He took a few tentative steps, making sure that the rest of the house was stable. After crossing the threshold, he made his way into the atrium, and made a sharp left, into his old bedroom.

Everything was as exactly as he had left it, albeit a little more dusty than usual. Alex shrugged off his backpack, and tossed it unceremoniously into the corner of the room, disturbing a rather large pile of dust. The cloud it made was suffocating, so he moved out of the room, and made his way back to the front step. A small gust of wind made Alex shiver. He pulled his fur cloak tighter around his shoulders. Sometimes I regret not buying those fur-lined leather gauntlets and spaulders when I had the chance. Alex turned and went back inside the cottage, stopping to pick up the fallen door and slam it back into frame. With his stomach empty and his head beginning to ache, Alex decided to go hunting.

As he stalked the woods around the cottage, Alex took the time for some introspection. It had been several days since Alex had left the shining city of Zeltiva. He had learned much about himself during that time. His life had become something like the story his father had told him when he was less than a year old. His father had spoken of a great hero, one that would bring order and balance to an unstable world. He would be hindered at every turn by those who would see the world to ruin once again. The hero would overcome each and every obstacle, in order to achieve his goal of preserving balance and order, no matter the cost. Alex smiled. “Wishful thinking, nothing more.” He told himself as he tossed one of the silver knives he had at a deer not far from him. He had picked these up off of the two hunters that had attacked him in Zeltiva. However, they were no match for him. The knife buried itself in the deer’s neck. “Hello breakfast.” Alex grinned as he yanked the knife free.

Throughout the day, Alex made sure to keep up with his sword and hand-to-hand combat skills. He set up a line of wooden stakes that he had found by the wood shed. He stood in front of them for hours, practicing his thrusts, slashes, and parry’s. He would then switch to punching and kicking the stakes till his knuckles and feet were bloody from the impact. He took time to rest and fill his stomach, all the while planning his route to Sunberth. As he finished yet another round of punches and kicks against the stakes, he dropped to the ground and collapsed against the side of the cottage. Enough for today. Tomorrow, I will set out for Sunberth. Alex forced himself up off the dirt and into the house, where he walked three steps into his room, and promptly collapsed onto his bed.

[Alex Cromwell]

Season of Winter, Day 4, 512AV

As the sun began to rise over the vast expanse of the Wildlands, and the birds began chirping, Alex lazily opened his eyes, rolled over, and promptly fell off of his bed and onto the wooden floor with a resounding “thud”. “That is the last time I sleep on this thing.” Alex grumbled as he peeled himself off of the floor. As he went into the kitchen to wash up, he pondered the events of the last few weeks. He had traveled all the way to Zeltiva, following a semi-decent lead, and all he got was a couple of silver daggers, and a new lead.

As he finished washing and shaving, Alex jumped slightly at the sound of a hawk screeching close by, causing him to slash his cheek with the razor. Alex cursed as he grabbed one of the knives from his belt. He ran over to the smoldering fireplace that he had lit the day before. He had decided to stay one more night at his old house. Alex tossed some of the dried branches on the floor into the fire. A few seconds later, the fire was roaring, giving of tremendous heat. Becoming dizzy, Alex thrust the knife into the flames, holding it there even though his hand was beginning to smolder. He pulled the knife out a few moments later, just before he thought his hand was going to catch fire. Alex gritted his teeth and placed the white-hot knife against his wound. He howled as searing pain enveloped his features. He peeled away the knife and thrust it back into his belt.

After a few moments, Alex collected himself and staggered towards the sink. He turned the handle all the way to cold, and thrust his cheek under the flow of water. The burning pain slowly ebbed to a dull throb after a while, so Alex turned off the water and made his way to his room. He grabbed the linen shirt he had been wearing, and tore it into strips. He wrapped on around his cheek to cover the burn. He then pulled on his linen pants, wrapped his fur cloak around his shoulders, and slung his backpack over his shoulder.

As he stepped off of the porch onto the dirt, Alex felt that he had gained something. Knowledge maybe? Or had he simply put old memories to rest in this final visit? It didn’t matter anyway. As Alex set out from the house and made his way towards Sunberth, he listened until the sound of crackling flames was gone.

[Paragon]

Alex Cromwell

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Hunting	1
Medicine	1
Philosophy	1

Lores

•	Lore Earned
•	Comfort of Returning Home
•	Putting the Past to Rest?

Legend Becomes Reality

Make sure not to overplay your hunting skill in future, though your character is a wolf Kelvic, he only has 10 points in hunting. I would have given you more xp if you had been more descriptive about it and made it into more of a challenge. I didn't give you any weapon xp because there was too little explanation/description. Beautiful ending to the thread though, I enjoy those introspective acceptances of what came before. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can work from there.