The Morningstar

Chapter 12

Shaxx walked all through out the morning and finally reached the opening in the dean Forrest where Scott and he had met the day before, under rather violent circumstances.

"Sky?" Shaxx looked around the ruined fire and saw no trace of pale mare "ha knew she'd escape" he looked down at the extinguished fire and noted that the carcass of the deer was missing.

"Strange" shaxx looked around the Forrest and noted the corpses of the draugr were missing as well as well as the stag borns robe and skull.

In the distance shaxx heard the rustling of leaves and Drew his long sword in a haste. He stood guard on top of the dead fire wearing nothing in terms of armour "death protect me" he put the face of his sword against his nose and closed his eye

"Argh" shaxx spun around and deflected an arrow however he never anticipated more than one archer and two more arrows flew his way. An arrow pierced his back and the other one his left side, shaxx growled in pain "COWARDS" he yelled fighting through the pain

This time three arrows flew his way but he was too slow to deflect them. One hit the back of his right leg the other his left shoulder and the final his stomach

"ASSASSIN SCUM" shaxx roared and fell to his left knee, blood began to pour from his mouth and his breath became ragged. The last arrow flew and struck his chest exactly where his heart was. Shaxx fell back snapping any arrows that struck his back and the one that pierced his leg

Shaxx laid there defeated and broken, a pool of his own blood began to turn the dirt soft and muddy. He looked up at the afternoon sky and began to laugh. His laugh was cruel and foul sounding as he gargled on the blood in his mouth.

As shaxx lay their awaiting the arms of some god or goddess he began to realise that after all he had done to ensure the safety of people and the respect he had shown the dead was all for nothing. At the end of the day he was going to die as no one and die a dishonourable death. Shaxx clenched his swords hilt and his laugh turned into groaning "death...forgive me" he rolled over on his stomach snapping the reaming arrows "ARGHHHHH" he bellowed out in agony. He got up on one knee and stabbed his sword into the mud "BUT NOT TODAY" he stood up using his sword as support and roared in pain as he stood up straight and began limping west ward to lupin city.

He walked for hours almost falling over every ten steps but the steel demon still continued his hike as the blood poured from his wounds and stained his clothes.

Shaxx stopped and fell to his knees "not.....to....day" he hung his head low in disappointment "not even.....you" he used his sword as support and stood again but was shaking "can....kill.....MEEEEE" shaxx roared out in pure anger.

Shaxx heard the sound of galloping hooves behind him, he swung around half expecting his would be assassins coming to finish their miserable attempt of a murder, but much to his surprise he was the pale coat of sky. Sky stood beside him and lowered herself for shaxx to get on her back.

"Atta girl" shaxx mounted the mare and collapsed on her back, however sky knew her task. She rode as fast as the wind and headed westward and by the time the sun had set she arrived at the entrance of lupin city.

"Hey Scott, shaxx is....." evaline let out a scream of shock and ran over to sky and helped a dying shaxx of the loyal mares back "SCOTT" she yelled out

Scott ran to shaxxs aid and helped him up "come on we need to get him to the villa ana will help"

Evaline and Scott carried shaxx down the road towards the villa. They kept talking to him about everything trying to make him talk but the world all but nature itself had gone quiet. Shaxx enjoyed the peace and tranquility of this as he heard the night birds of norsia sing their songs and he heard the gentle waves of the western coast wash up on the shore. But the sound shaxx enjoyed the most was one he could not hear, he only wished to hear his sister and mother speak once more and hear their I love yous'

When shaxxs hearing had finally come back to him, he was anas bed surrounded by apothecary's and holy woman adorned in wolf head gear and shirts that were stained with blood of previous patients

"My queen the boy should be dead only the wolf knows how he survived" an older man spoke this was a grand apothecary, his hair was fine and grey and his brown robes were far to large for him

Ana scowled at the apothecary's statement "I do not care for how I only care about fixing him" she turned and looked at shaxx laying on the bed. His skin was as pale as an odium dog and his purple eye had no light behind it.

Shaxx turned his head to the window leading to the balcony of the bedroom and in the doorway was a figure clad in long blacked robe with his hood covering his face and a pair of wings made from pure fire attached to his back. "Death?" He fell asleep his whole body in pain but his resolve and will remained unbroken

The apothecary's stayed with the Morningstar all night administering care when need be and constantly noting down the many scars shaxx had on his body from whip marks on his back, to the scar that blinded his left eye and to scars not even he knew about, for no other reason other than the legend surrounding shaxx.