[Flashback] A Shadow Cast on Darkness

[Nero Czan]

17th day of Spring, 507 AV. Nightfall These trees and brush which have been standing for years upon years have stood watch over a myriad of creatures and vermin. The woods outside of Syrilas were not the coziest of places, and most definitely not the most welcoming. However, there was a certain quality in the peace that nature brings, that had attracted time and time again a creature of size not too often seen in the dangerous brush, let alone at night, when every breaking leaf could signal death's arrival. But none of this had frightened this young lad, not even reaching adulthood, who had come for the fourth time back to this small break in the heavy brush. Here he had setup what vaguely resembled a camp, with an area set aside as a bed, cushioned with smooth leaves picked from the trees, and a fire-pit, dug out and marked off by stones. This little slice of freedom was in essence the only home the child had. He had never even considered thinking of the lavish house in the city, occupied by sins incarnate, as his home. The only true home he had was engulfed by flames, and he had come to accept that as simply a part of nature's cycle. He revered nature, as only someone with a deep grasp of the subject could. He knew first-hand the beauty and simplistic being that it could be, but he also knew how quickly the elements can strike against you, when one moment the rain falling through the trees, gracefully sliding down bark and cooling the earth itself, quickly gives way to a strike of lightning, intimidating and swift, which in an instant kills whatever it touches. Despite all this spiritualism and reverence, Nero had never been a religious person. He found trying to define the elements of our mortal world as dull and irrelevant. Why would you want to name each sect of being as an over-reaching deity, instead of giving respect and prayer to all at once? He preferred to focus within himself, and often that was exactly what he did. Hours upon hours he would lay in this brush, semi-consciously observing all around him at once. He felt at peace here, a peace he had so desired to repay him for the eternity of turmoil he felt. However, true to his character, this child was not the luckiest of men, and that night would not be the first time his casual and relaxed mentality got him in trouble. It would be the most memorable though... By far. The night had always been the best time to come out. The critters were casually crawling around, and the creatures were generally more exciting. Added to that, it was exponentially easier to run off to this secret hideout in the middle of the night. But perhaps that was not the best idea this time around... What was that..? Nero casually sat up as his carefully sculpted peace had been nudged by some unusual noise. He had come to recognize almost all the woodland creatures of that particular spot, but not this one. There was something in the tone that gave off an eerie feel as well... One of foreboding events. This only heightened his curiosity, but sent his youthful heart beating slightly faster. He had noticed that the fire had also gone out, depriving him of any means of effectively scaring off whatever is lurking in that darkness. His courage steeled by blind curiosity and teenage arrogance, he rose to his feet and carefully started towards the sound, making sure not to make any quick movements or noise. As he approached an unusually thick bush, the sound changed tone, loudly pronouncing a yell akin to a warrior's battle cry. Nero's false courage quickly fell in as he scrambled back towards his own den, seeking refuge in his peaceful break in the woods. That was also not the best idea. The beat of quick feet and breaking twigs arose from the brush, and the young man's courage redoubled as he turned himself around to face whatever creature dare challenge him. The child's uncannily deep sense of logic and of the world around him often clashed with his youthful instincts, and more often than not the battles inside his mind were more intense than the ones in reality. The only issue was it was still dark. Very, Very Dark. Despite continuous romps out into the woods, his above-average night-vision was no match for a beast perfectly adapted to this darkness. Nevertheless, with his cocky sense of perseverance, and with a smirk across his face, he crouched on one knee as he peered down the lane, as a hunter stalking his prey. The only difference was that in reality, the roles were reversed. But as always, Nature can drastically change in an instant, as almost by a work of a Guardian from above, a slight breeze had blown through the woods, shaking the trees, and as the dark clouds of night parted, they allowed a small sliver of moonlight to slide in through the thick canopy above, revealing the hunter in it's vicious glory. It was definitely a beast, it's eyes, shimmering in the light, spoke only of the hunt, and it's definitive snout resembled something of a wolf, but he had never seen one in his hideaway. A wolf is a disruption, a breaker of peace. Heh. If you insist, I'll be happy to oblige you. The wolf leaped into the air, ready to pounce on his seemingly vulnerable prey. But as he fell down, his teeth and claws bared, he found himself flying in an entirely different direction, panting for breath through a broken jaw. The beast's claws had tasted blood, but this prey was not one to be taken lightly. As the moon-light continued to shine down through the trees, the supposed "prey" was standing a few feet away, gripping a scratch on his arm, and smirking with the same professional look in his eyes as the beast's. This was no hunt. This was a duel between hunters. Each fighting for what they called home, and each unfortunately unable to contemplate peace without conflict. The beast made another charge, sprinting rapidly, and launched a set of claws at the man's legs. However when the swipe was made, the beast quickly found himself on the recieving end of those legs, as they crashed down with a mighty axe kick, one belonging to someone who had quickly learned that the only true way to ensure piece, is by quick conflict. Blood dripping from it's mouth, and consciousness fading, the poor beast became a wounded dog, fading gently into it's own darkness...

[Nero Czan]

18th day of Spring, 507 AV. Morning It was a few hours before the beast woke up, it's jaw bound by vines. It awoke in a startled rage, thrashing about until it felt the exhaustion overtake him. Nero had just sneaked yet again, (As if his 'parents' ever really noticed him), out to check on this peculiar catch, his arm bandaged and visibly favoring his left leg, and was sitting a few feet away, staring intently at a beetle crawling it's way across a branch, ever so slowly. About half an hour later, the beetle was eaten by a lizard, and Nero felt content with this little demonstration of his central philosophies about Nature, (Big words make everything sound smarter). He then walked over to his wounded prey and gently stroked its fur. Even in daylight it was hard to tell what this was. It was built like a typical wolf, it's legs slender and powerful but it's fur was long and silky, almost like a horse's mane, covering the entire body. It's ears were as foxes, stiff and long, an exotic twist to a seemingly lethal creature. Nero chuckled with excitement, for this is exactly why he loved nature, Mysteries are Everywhere. Afternoon Over the next few hours, Nero and his new pet would spend time alternating between nice, friendly play time, and vicious 'Get-the-hell-away-from-me' time... Nevertheless, he grew extremely attached to this thing, which not even 24 hours ago, had tried to chew him up for dinner. It took a lot of self-persuasion, and an empty stomach, in order to go back home, and as expected, got scolded and locked up again, despising every moment of it. However, this night would be special. He had managed to sneak some of the night's dinner out wrapped in a handkerchief, and with that, crawled his way through the heavy brush once more and into his secret hideout. With a broad smile, he opened his package and started feeding bits of everything to this beastie, whom he named Garm. Things were looking up, and it seemed life had stopped throwing devastating events his way, and that this was all somehow repentance for his terrible childhood. However, as the poor child would learn later in life, things like this were only Feints, to raise hopes, in order to subsequently squash them.

[Nero Czan]

26th day of Spring, 507 AV. It had been almost two weeks since young Nero and Garm met, and the bond between them could not be greater. There was something in the way the majestic beast strode across the meadows during their play that just arose an envy of noble sorts from Nero. To be free was something he once knew as a child. That sensation had been long-forgotten. Inside the caring nature of this inevitably docile creature, arose an equally forgotten emotion. When he would spend an afternoon, laying against the soft and long fur of the wolf-like pet, Nero felt his mother's embrace, reaching out from the plane beyond this world, her soft and warm arms stretching around every inch of his being. Life had become tolerable. It was here that Nero decided he would leave the bustling city which had grudgingly called home for the past few years. As soon as he was able, he would make his home wherever his feet took him. The wilderness would be his companion, Nature his all-consuming guide, and Garm as his Knight and Protector. But in his youthful naivety, he had failed to understand a crucial rule of nature. Despite endless study of his little ecosystem, he could not truly understand how Nature works. He understood death, more than a child should, but all he saw time and time again was a bug being eaten by lizard, and believed, in false-sagacity, that there were exceptions to the rules, who were conveniently anyone or anything he wished. Even on the verge of adulthood, such thoughts came naturally to a boy without a true childhood. As mature as he may be, and may act, it was an imperfect state, and one which would be solved, through pain or passion. Mid-Afternoon Nero was sprinting across the brush outside the mighty walls. He had managed to take a back route this time, and was excited that he had managed to remember his orientation. 'He was attuning himself to the layout of the world' he told himself, his ego inflated by the assumed knowledge from the past few days. He broke through the now beaten and abolished brush, the path becoming worn and defined over the past weeks. He took casual pauses in his strides, each one increasing the doubt over the efficiency of this 'shortcut.' Why am I always taking the long way... I might not even make it before Nightfall at this rate! He did however make it, his breath shallow and chest heaving, and there, in the radiant golden glow of the setting sun, was his companion and friend, atop a small hill, staring off into the distant pastures. A smile just as radiant as the glowing ball in the sky erupted across Nero's face, as he sprinted up the hill, ramming himself into the soft and delightfully warm fur of the mysterious beast. After a few moments of playful romping, the young lad, an unusual smirk across his face, gave a small pat on the beast's head, which it playfully accepted with a small 'bark,' (If it can be called that...) As the night encroached slowly on the duo, the sun's retreat being almost complete, there lay the adolescent Nero on the side of the hill, his body embraced by the soft grass, and his mind gazing off to the distant horizon. Forests, Oceans, Lakes, Plains, Caves, Mountains, Nature was the definition as the world itself. He could not keep this 'forbidden love' a secret indefinitely, and had already come to terms with the inevitability of releasing his companion. During last night's sleep, or lack there-of, he had decided that holding onto childish dreams and adolescent fantasies was not fitting, nor wanted. His childhood died years ago, and as he stared into the unknown, the increasingly-familiar smirk returned to his lips, and it felt good. Ever since he had forcefully "domesticated" this beast, he had begun to slowly plan to murder a part of himself, and out of this was borne a new incarnation of his psyche. With a slap on the rear, and a series of yells, the beast shyly ran down the hill, stopping every few meters, as if to check the certainty, or sanity, of his new friend. Nero stood on that hill for an hour until a despairing howl accompanied the quieting shuffle of the forest. Nero, a playful smirk across his face, started to quietly chuckle to himself, as tears ran down his face. He had killed the remainder of his childhood, as if killing a wounded game, and had gone through his own pseudo-"coming of age" ritual. Nature gives and takes, and as with his original family, so was it with what resembled it this time around. A man who cannot conquer his inner self is not worthy of controlling the outer shell. I see... There wasn't truly conquering a beast in this escapade, but merely conquering one's self. And in that battle, You technically can't Lose. So, his new smirk fitting nicely on his fresh expression, and with a light pop in his step, he started his way back. Life had found itself a simple answer in all this, with no help from Nero. Live. There's nothing more necessary than to simply Keep Moving. And he intended to keep moving, despite anyone's best efforts. Bring it On World, you have a few years of Boredom to make up for.

[Kelpie]

Nero: +1 Stealth, +2 Unarmed Combat, +1 Land Navigation Lore: Garm, Letting Go, What Nature Gives and Takes Mod Note: Beautifully written, Nero. Garm was so stupidly cute, why must you let him go!