Forgotten Son: The Dark Asgard Saga

To Hunt A Boar (Part 1)

For milenia, the passage into adulthood for young males in the Frisii tribe was found on two different ends of a hunting spear. Not only did the act of the hunt cement the status of a new adult within this warrior society if he or she was successful, but it also provided much needed food stuffs for the upcoming winter.

Liulfr was no different than any of the other youth stuck on the border of being seen as  a child and finally being considered a man after his fourteen winters. Even though his mother had convinced his father that he had to be fifteen before he should perform the solo hunt rite of passage, there was a boiling of the blood that couldn't be ignored anymore. And more than anything else, he hated being called young pup by the elders of the tribe.

The other side of the spear belonged to the Jorr. A large, wild boar that had a famously horrible temper and depending on the age of the beast, the ability to control elemental forces to protect itself. Liulfr had been on countless hunts with his father, Sigurd, and never once had a pig gotten the better of them!

But, his father was the the supreme swordsman of the Frisii and it was his duty to be the first to attack and the last to retreat for the protection of the people that depended on his strength to survive in the harsh lands of the Raven Woods. This was both a source of pride and of eternal ridicule for Liulfr. For he, at least up until this point, had neither hope with a sword or the skill with shield to make his father proud.

He was considered a trickster among the elders of the village. He had a knack for mischief and for finding a way out of any serious reprecisions for the harmless fun. But he was starting to grow both in body and mind. The young man he was becoming suddenly began to desire things like respect and admiration, both still somewhat foreign ideas to his inquisitive mind. 

A few of the young girls around his age also had started to point and giggle in a secretive way when he walked by lately. While he had heard the older men talk of this serving wench or that fine looking women from a different village,  he was still not quite sure what all the fuss was about. There was adventure to be had, riches to be gotten by fair means or foul, and... well, he knew there was more to this life then being encircled by the oaks and pines of this damn boring forest until he was an old man like the elders.

***

Sigh, thought a lean shadow hiding by the armory of the his father. I can't hunt a stupid sow with my bare hands, now can I? But mother has also made it clear she thinks I'd cleave myself in two if I had my own actual long sword. So, that really.only leaves borrowing a spear from the weapons house and pray to whatever gods may watch over me I grab a decent Jorr or mother may not let me back into the house without losing her temper. 

Morning will be here soon. I had better grab my things and head out or I'll never hear the end of it from mama if she catches me with a geirr in my hands. Here's to hoping no one will miss me too soon...

As the young man so desperately wanting to be an adult then disappeared into the bush, a pair of eyes filled with multiple emotions stares at the place Liulfr was just lost in thought. "That boy will be the death of me yet. If he isn't everything you saw him to be for you to place all of your hopes in, I hope your mead is sour within the halls of Valhalla, my Lord."

***

Within the Ravens Woods, the deeper Liulfr traveled, the more untouched terrain he began to see in all of its ancient splendor. Only one other time had he been so deep into unfamiliar territory and that was by the side of his father. But he had paid attention well to the stories and lessons taught to him by the camp fires and teachers of his youth. 

If I'm not mistaken, that's the stream I heard some of the traders talking about. I should start looking for scat or trails that those stupid boars would make going to and from the stream for water. The sooner I get this over with the better. 

Snap! 

Did I luck into one coming already?! I'm not even set up yet. Damn my luck. Calm down, get the spear out and let's pass this antiquated right of passage before I scream like momma seeing a spider in the hut. The snapping of a twig slowly turned into a rustle from a bush a few feet further up the path. A low, soft growl was emitted, by the soon to bust out creature, that seemed odd and not all that menacing. 

And instead of the sought after dirty face with gouging tusks lined with crusty blood, a small, furry face with silver glowing eyes, a jet black coat, and signs of not being away from its den for very long, small wolf cub came spilling out of the brush. While not big in size, and obviously still young, there was an aire to this wolf that spoke to somewhere deep inside of Liulfr that this small furry club was not simple and should be respected.

"Oh, what do we have here? It seems I have a hunting rival for my trophy catch now I see." And for reasons he couldn't quite explain, Liulfr felt a look of understanding and contempt coming from the small cub. "Hey, hey. Don't give me that look! Even if you could really comprehend what I'm saying, that look on your face looks an awful lot like the elders when I tell them I will be a legend some day." 

And though the thought of some canine creature laughing had never really crossed his mind before, he suddenly felt as if this young wolf club would be a good example of such behavior and directed at him as well. "Ay, you, go back to your den! I have enough to be worried about without you laughing at my face." With an almost unnoticeable smile, the pup turned to apparently do just that and ran off, dissappearing without a trace.

When not very far away, a scream of rage and broken pride shattered the relative peace of the forest. It was a sound that Liulfr knew all too well. It was the war cry of a Jorr. But something was amiss. The bloodlust these creatures gave off was never this intense. Rushing quickly like a silent arrow shot from a bow, Liulfr ran towards where the fighting declarations were coming from.

Just before breaking into the clearing were things seemed to be center within, he stopped to look through a break in the forest's dark barked trees. And to his amazement was a scene he wasn't sure how to process. Before him were two massive beasts facing off against each other. One, a huge Jorr, looking for a fight and opposite it, an abnormally large black timber wolf staring at each other with wariness and anticipation. 

"By the lord's hairy arse, I have no idea what is going on here, but I'm willing to bet, this is one fight I don't want to miss..."