The Liberty Ranger

Prologue

He felt the cold wind of the night as it stabbed his weary wounds, from mere scratches to deep perforations. None of it truly mattered: the pain, the lacerations; it was all to prove himself a man, but more importantly, to bring honor once again to his family's name.

Once an esteemed clan, the Akimo's recognition was all but gone. His father's late actions had brought shame alone unto them.

In order to be acknowledged, the Akimo lad had done something that was thought to be impossible even for a fully grown man; he took down an enormous uncommon wolf known as the gi'vraka all alone. Tednis' will and effort, although impressive, were a little too late. Nakámine's Coming of Age trial, the ideal moment to gain respect, had already transpired earlier that same day and he had failed to pass.

The test consisted in a hunting exercise. Those who proved their worth either by the quantity or the quality of their game would no longer be considered younglings, but full-fledged men. No one expected the outcome. Those who were overseeing the trials, the others who were participating, and the rest of the village desired and anticipated Tednis' success. Teroco's actions casted a gargantuan shadow on him, one which was of ponderous burden, one filled with agony and degradation. No living being should be the bearer of such things, for this, the people of Nakámine wished to see him surpass.

Hauling the colossal beast, Tednis felt that his family, as well as he, would soon find their way out of his father's shadow. As Tednis came out of the timberland with redemption in his grasp dressed as the corpse of a wolf, his eyes couldn't help witnessing such a fearful sight.

"What... what is going on down there?" he said breathless as he looked down from the high pale mountains.

In his state of shock, young Tednis had no idea of what to do. Even in the midst of the cold winter night, sweat was pouring down his face. Although he was terrified, the thought of his mother's painful cry of desperation as the flames consumed her, gave Tednis the courage he definitively lacked.

He let his redemption go, for he was about to act as the redemption of she who brought him to this world.

These were his thoughts as he rushed down unto the cloud of ash and smoke that concealed his village.