Atourse rising

Chapter Two: Lion Dude Makes Me Throw a Tree

I expected the inside to be bigger. We walked into a moderately sized room, the walls were made from hardware store plywood, which was strange because I thought the world had been reshaped. There were wooden rafters above me with cobwebs strung across them. The makeshift walls had two torches for each wall, which equaled up to 12 torches. There was two windows which gave sight to the courtyard and the forest surrounding the castle. There was a door at the other end of the wall. It was big and made of a dark wood, with an iron knocker and a metal hoop to pull open. There was also a big lock. I looked to the right side of the room. There was another door that didn't look so big and foreboding. I looked to the left side of the room. There was what I assumed was a man over there. He was tall, about six foot, burly too, with big arms and a large body. He was bent over a table with a welding mask on. Sparks were flying from below him. Scattered on the table he was working on were scraps of metal and trinkets, the occasional blade and a couple of tools.

Tarslen walked over to the the small door with Haven and came back out without Haven in his arms. He walked back over to me.

"Your sister is resting. Let's go say hello to Samuel. He'll want to meet you." I nodded. I had began to trust Tarslen. We walked over to the man that was working over the table. "Samuel?" Tarslen said. Samuel seemed not to hear him.

"Samuel we have someone here to see you." Tarslen tapped Samuels shoulder. Samuel turned his head and looked at Tarslen. I noticed he was wearing goggles. I probably noticed it before but my brain had tuned it out as unnecessary.

"Huh?" Said Samuel. His voice was deep and smooth. He saw me out of the corner of his eye and turned his head. He smiled a big smile. His face was... Well it was... I didn't know how to explain it but I liked it. He had messy brown hair and a soft looking face He opened his arms wide. At first I didn't know what he was doing but then he hugged me. I was frozen. I think I might have blushed even. Samuel was laughing.

"Haha! This is great!" He moved back, still holding my shoulders with his large calloused hands.

"A son of Ursalane AND Ursalanus? This is incredible! I knew I felt something strong near me! Wow! I can't get over how amazing this is! I feel like I'm going to burst!" He hugged me again. I was hesitant about it at first but I hugged back, my arms under his and around to his back. It felt comforting to hug someone other than the people I grew up around. He leaned out again.

"You don't understand how amazing this is! You must have so many questions! Also, that's a really high ranking weapon! It shrinks! Do you have like a telepathic command for it or did you whisper it?" Samuel chuckled. I didn't even notice that when Samuel hugged me the hammer shrunk and fell on the ground. I looked down. The hammer was now the size of my index finger. Samuel bent down and picked it up, putting it in the palm of his hand and reaching out to me.

"I believe this is yours.... uh.... what was it?" I picked the hammer out of his hand and dropped it into mine, watching as it grew back to normal size.

"Oh, uh, my name is Kan. My little sister, Haven is sleeping in the room over there. I had no idea the hammer could do this."

"Well it responds to your touch. Must be a weapon from the Usanicus faction. Where did you get this?" Tarslen spoke up.

"He said he found it brother." Samuel looked at Tarslen and looked back at me when he was done, crossing his arms thoughtfully.

"You found it? In the woods? Just laying there?" Samuel pursed his lips. "No. There was a metal bar sticking out of the ground and I felt kind of compelled to pick it up. Its really light for how big it is." Samuel chuckled again. "The Ursanicians did always make good weapons. That's actually my specialty. See like you I'm a Narlit, just a grade below you. A Slentrak. My father is the Ursanicus Knight. Skanok." Samuel turned his head towards Tarslen. "It's funny that you've never seen this on your explorations through the islands Tarslen. How did you find Kan?" Tarslen looked away, seemingly shameful. "I saw him walking across the bridge of the first island to the second with a little girl. Wouldn't you have done something if you saw a strange looking Ursane with a little girl, not even old enough for me to know her faction by her Krarkenslod?" I was confused. "Whats a Krarkenslod?" Samuel looked back at me. "A Krakernslod is the aura of an Atourse that tells other Atourse your faction. We usually develop it at the age of twelve." He turned back to Tarslen. "Tarslen, tell me, why is Kan so unfamiliar with his culture?" Tarslen nodded. "Kan was sent four years forward by Oborg. It's perplexing though. Why didn't he kill Kan then? He's a Strardlein, which means he's a threat to Osborg's chances at the High Kings throne. It's even more perplexing that he has a sister that is younger than him... Do you really think Ursalane and Ursalanus would go through all that to have a better chance at keeping the throne? Why were they sent to the human world? This is all so confusing." Samuel nodded and put his hand to his chin thoughtfully. "I'm sorry Kan. This all must be terribly confusing to you. Do you want to tell me the details of what happened before you were sent here?" I nodded and told Samuel and Tarslen about the church and what happened. "and then I woke up here on that island" I finished. Samuel pursed his lips. "You have a very good memory Kan. You're definitely Ursalanuses son. You must have a lot of questions. Well now's the time to ask." I thought for a moment. "Why do you have a human born name and Tarslen an Atourse born name? Also, why does Tarslen look so much different from you?" Samuel smiled. "Well Kan, the reason for that is I'm a Slentrak, except my Father was a human. My other dad, the Ursanicus Knight, fell in love with a human man and they had a child. That was me. My brother on the other hand was the product of a minor Atourse and my human father. He looks different because of the animal he was born under. All Atourse have certain characteristics from an animal they are born under. Some are small changes in their physique and some are big changes. He, sadly, didn't become a Narlit. But he is still my brother and I love him very much." I was confused. "How did two men have a child?" My father had always ranted about how same sex relationships were "The work of the devil" but I had never really cared since love interest was not something in my mind at the time. Samuel smiled and spoke again. He smiled a lot. "Atourse can have children if they have same sex relationship because they way children are born in their world is a lot different than the human. It's a long process that I don't feel like getting into right now. Anymore questions?" "What animal are you born under? What about me? Or Haven?" Samuel chuckled. "I was born under the lion." Samuel put his fingers in his bottom lips and pulled down, turning his head slightly to show large sharp teeth. He took his fingers out and turned back towards me, smiling. "You however were born under the... hmmm" Samuel moved closer to me and put his hand on my shoulder, thinking for a second. "I think you were born under the wolverine. You have a lot of strength Kan. I know why Osborg didn't kill you. He couldn't. You're too strong." I looked down at my forearms and flexed. The muscles in my arms hardened and bulged. I looked back at Samuel. "I was too strong for him to kill? But... Isn't he some crazy giant squid god? Couldn't he have just hit me and make me fly across the country?" Samuel shook his head. "You underestimate yourself Kan. I want to see what you can do. Let's go outside." I nodded nervously. I didn't want to disappoint Samuel. He seemed really great. Maybe he could be... a friend? I'd never had one of those. All the kids in school were scared of me. Probably because then, I had talked in monotone voice and had previously beaten up kids for bullying Haven. Recently I had learned how to use sarcasm to try and emulate normal socialization. But sometimes it was hard to care enough to try. I was too deep in thought before I noticed Samuel pulling me outside. We walked out the door, Tarslen following,down to the edge of the forest. There was a large pine tree that had fallen. It was about eight feet in diameter and thirty-five feet tall. We walked to it. "Kan. I want you to pick that up." I looked at him for a second with a blank expression. After a moment I nodded and walked over to the tree and put my arms around the trunk as much as I could. I wanted to impress Samuel. I didn't know why but doing that seemed important. Samuel watched patiently. "The wolverine has a remarkable strength and endurance for it's size. It can fend off wild bears, wolves and various other predators. It's a rare and special sign to be born under Kan. I've never met someone born under it. Now, if you would be so kind, lift the tree." I nodded and held onto the tree tight. I tried to lift, using my knees, my arms wobbling slightly. I tried harder. I was beginning to sweat. My knees started to shake. "You can do it Kan. You have it in you." I was breathing heavily now, lifting the trunk as hard as I could. Strange thoughts started to flood my mind. Why wasn't I questioning all of this so much more? Is Haven alright? I shook my head. Unnecessary thoughts. I strained against the tree, my heart pounding and my chest heaving. I felt the ground shift slightly. "That's it Kan! Keep going! You've got the hardest part done, just a little more!" My arms felt like they were on fire. Why did I keep doing this? Why did I feel such a strange need to stay here with Samuel and Tarslen and not just leave with Haven? But where would I go? I shook my head again. My brain was coming up with excuses to try and make me stop straining my body so hard. I focused on lifting. The tree lifted higher as I pulled back, trying to put it above me, like I was holding a big pillow. I couldn't feel my arms anymore. I just felt the need to lift the tree. That and protect Haven. I made myself think that if I didn't lift up this tree Haven would stay asleep forever. That set something off in me. I lifted up the tree so quick and hard that it flew out of my arms and through the sky. I looked back up and felt a moment of pride before taking a deep breath and collapsing on the ground, falling unconscious.