Solo Twilight Tumult

[Cale Valiant Fox]

13 Spring 514 Cale dove to the side, avoiding the blade by a hairs breadth and lashing out with a strike of his own, only to send his own blade through thin air. He spun around to face his opponent, clutching his bastard sword in both white-knuckled hands. His foe lunged forward, slicing down with frightening speed. Acting on instinct, could only swing his blade up, barely managing knocking the incoming sword to the side. He leapt back, narrowly evading another slash, and fell back into an offensive stance. He sprung at his opponent and swung down hard, only to have his sword knocked to the side and his legs swept out from under him. Suddenly, he found himself face first on the ground and disarmed, the rough oak of a wooden sword pressed against his neck, “Dead,” His father laughed and pulled Cale to to his feet by his collar. Cale, gasping heavily for breath, leaning against the larger man, “But that was good, probably your best session yet! A whole eleven chimes, and you could have made it twelve if you weren’t such a 'hero'” His fathered smiled down and accentuated his last words with a heavy sarcasm, receiving a push in return, “Old man!” Cale muttered and in return was shoved to the ground by the much stronger man. He pulled himself to his feet with a little effort from his sore arms and an indomitable grin, “I’m hungry, let’s get something to munch on. I’ll cook up something delicious, maybe a stew, or some venison” He laughed and took off towards their cabin located at the other side of the clearing they had been practicing in. His father, Jackric Fox, shook his head with a smile and set off at a walking pace after him, picking up their practice weapons. Jackric opened the wooden door and set the two wooden swords down onto a wooden table in the living room on which Cale’s cloak was thrown haphazardly. He walked into the kitchen where Cale was busy gathering spices in small cups from the cupboards, “Are you going to wash yourself before you cover our nice and expensive utensils and ingredients with sweat and grime?” He raised an eyebrow, to which Cale replied, “Oh… Yeah…” Cale set the ingredients down and walked into the living room and into the upstairs hallway. He opened his room’s door and grabbed his small bag of toiletries and a towel before sprinting down the stairs and out the door. Jackric, meanwhile, smiled as he watched his son run out the door. He stretched out his sore arms and fall backward onto their couch, letting out a sigh of relief at being off his tired legs. He shook his head, a wistful smile creeping across his face, “That boy is becoming nearly as good as me, bless him, my lord and lady,” He bowed his head for a moment in respect and love to Yahal and Priskil for bestowing upon him such a wonderful child. He stood up and walked up the stairs to his bedroom to prepare for the coming journey. Cale strode through the emerald grass, whistling a quiet tune. After a minute or so, he arrived at a narrow stream, it’s glistening waters flowing lazily over shimmering pebbles. Cale quickly stripped down out of his tunic and shorts and draped them acrossed a branch along with his towel. He waded into the waist high water with his bag and set it on a flat rock protruding from the lazy current. Opening the small satchel and taking out a bar of soap, he rubbed it across his hands, creating frothy bubbles up to his forearms. Cale set the soap on the rock and began lathering himself head to toe, working it into his wild white hair and along his unusually toned body, a life spent working hard and eating well provided the perfect circumstances for a very fit young body. He covered himself in the lightly scented foam before dunking his upper body into the clear stream, completely submerging himself and letting the current carry the froth downstream. Bursting out of the water, he ran a hand through his hair, letting the clear droplets drip and fly, before returning to his bag. Cale set the soap back into it’s pouch and drew from it a simple razor. He took the blade and ran it down his face, removing what little lightly toned and barely noticeable facial hair he had, nicking himself on the cheek but once. He washed off his face with a bit of water, ran the blade through the stream, and returned it to his bag. He picked the bag up and waded back out, beads of water running down and falling from his bare figure. He set the bag down and took up his towel, vigorously rubbing the excess moisture from his pale skin. Cale wrapped the cotton towel around his waist and gathering his things. Upon slipping his feet into a pair of leather moccasins he kept in his bag, he set off back to his house, his stomach empty and complaining.

[Cale Valiant Fox]

[frametrans=black,4]13 Spring 514 Cale Fox, now wearing a clean shirt and trouser, stood in the kitchen, gathering ingredients of all kinds together from cupboards and boxes scattered across his tiny kingdom of flavors. When ready, he set the small containers down on the counter and pulled a large steel pot out from a cupboard by the oven. He lit the oven and the set the pot atop it, pouring a few tablespoons of vegetable oil and letting it begin to heat up. As he waited, he took out his miniature butcher’s style cleaver and began to chop a hunk of beef down into somewhat even sized chunks. He set the knife down and plopped the meat into the now hot pot, enjoying the satisfying sizzle as the meat began to cook immediately, the fat beginning to melt. As he let the meat cook, he took out onions, carrots, and mushrooms and began to cut them methodically into smaller pieces. He tossed them into the nearly cooked beef and then went to work on his spices, tossing bits of rosemary, thyme, and salt into the mix. As he took out a spoon and began to mix the savory smelling concoction, it’s wonderful scent spread throughout their house. He stood back for a moment and let the stew simmer and cook as he placing a loaf of bread he had baked in the morning to heat up. He took plates, bowls, forks, and cups out of their respective cupboards and set them on the small table. He went back to his stew and picked up the scalding pot using worn, but clean, leather gloves, setting it down on a small mat on the table, and repeating the process with the bread. He took out a bottle of red wine and poured a sizable amount into both glasses before calling, “Father! Dinner’s ready!” And with that, he filled the two bowls with the delicious chunky stew and placed a slice of warm bread on either plates. Jackric, taking the wonderful scent in, walked into the kitchen grinning, “Something smells pretty good” He sat down across from Cale and bowed his head, Cale followed as his father began a prayer, “My lord and lady, may you bless this meal, and may you bless my son. May you both live on into eternity and may your benevolence never end,” He finished, and flashed his son a grin, “Let’s dig in” They zealously dug into the steaming food, eating in silence, for there is no room for words among good food and empty stomachs. As they were finishing their stew, Jackric turned his gaze from his meal to his son, “So, when you’re done eating, go and pack your things, we leave for Nyka before sundown tomorrow” To which Cale replied, “Awesome! How long did you want to stay again?” “Perhaps a week or so, I have some errands to run and we haven’t stayed their for any sustained time in a while” Cale beamed with excitement and gulped down the rest of his wine “I’ll go prep Brazen and take him for his daily run” And with that, he set his dishes in the sink and walked out the door. Upon entering their small wooden stable house, which contained Cale’s fiery Sungold, Brazen and Jackric’s good old war horse, Gordon, Cale received an whinney from excitement Brazen and a snort of acknowledgement from Gordon. Cale smiled and walked up to Brazen, pressing his head to Brazen’s and patting his neck. He turned and patted Gordon too as he collected his saddle from it’s chest. He led Brazen out and began strapping on his riding saddle. After a moment, he had the saddle securely fashioned, and he pulled himself up. Patting Brazen’s neck, Cale cried “Yeah!” and they were off, flying down a hill through the forest and fields. Cale leaned forward and let Brazen take him for a ride, weaving through trees and leaping over bushes at full speed. Taking control, he flicked the reins and drove Brazen out of the forest and onto the grassy slopes of a sea of hills. He leaned back and, again, let Brazen wander, enjoy the crisp air, and stretch his legs. After a while, Cale drove him back to their cabin near Nyka, hopping off and leading Brazen back onto the stable house. He took up his saddle pack and attached it to Brazen’s saddle, “We leave tomorrow boy, I’ll just leave this on you for now” He smiled and strolled out into the dusk, taking in the blackening sky. Entering their house again, he went up the stairs and cried down to his father, “I’m going to rest! Good night! May Yahal and Priskil bless” and received a likewise reply as he entered his humble room. He leapt onto his bed and was promptly asleep within 5 minutes.[/frametrans]