Mages of the North: The Adventure Begins

Chapter 12

Since the threat of the Swamp Eagle had been taken care of, life in the village returned to normal. Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months until the seasons changed. With the Cold Season (winter) rapidly approaching, the villagers were busy preparing their houses for the hard months ahead. Though the swamp never really became unbearably cold, the colder months did bring a new challenge for the village. Many animals moved south to warmer climates and others went into hibernation. However, there were other animals that strived during the winter but were rarely seen at any other time of the year. Some of these animals were ferocious carnivores that rivaled Swamp Eagles for their place on the food chain. Others were large herbivores that were peaceful so long as nothing provoked them. The biggest threat from the wildlife came from the dreaded Stalker Owles: gigantic birds that grew to be two or three times the size of a Swamp Eagle and had the attitude to match their enormous size. Stalker Owles hunted solely at night during the winter when the nights were long and the days were short. When these massive predators came out to play, the Swamp Eagles were no longer at the top of the food chain.

While no one had ever seen one, who at least lived to tell the tale, their calls eerily haunted the swamp at night and the screams of their unfortunate victims could be heard from far away. It was unknown where these creatures lived or came from, but no one in the village ever hoped to lay eyes on one.

Since the days were getting shorter, it meant less time for hunting. Alvis spent the vast majority of his time tracking down deer and other animals to bring back to the village to stock up the food supply. It was at this time of year that Floris was primarily focused on making potions that helped the villagers resist the cold better, so he had little time to go hunting since these particular potions required constant supervision while being brewed. 

While Alvis preferred to hunt with Floris, he understood Floris had his own role in the village. After all, were it not for him, the village wouldn't even be a distant memory to the outside world anymore. Everyone would have either passed due to sickness or disease or died of old age. Floris was the lifeblood of the village and everyone's' lives rested on his shoulders. However, he would occasionally find some time to step out of his room and spend a little time hunting whenever he had a free moment. 

So far, Alvis had been on a lucky streak. He had bagged four does, seven raccoons, eight squirrels, two bucks, multiple birds of varying species, and even caught an injured female swamp boar off guard. He had made some good progress throughout the week, but his job was never over throughout the Cold Season. It was better to have too much food than not enough. However, it was important to keep the balance of nature in mind. Overhunting could have extremely devastating effects on the ecosystem, thus dooming the village since they relied on the local wildlife for food, tools, clothing, and housing. 

There were some plant species Alvis knew about, primarily berries and other plants that could be used for food, but he knew little to nothing about actual herbs. He primarily left that to Floris since he was the one who knew their uses and dealt with them on a daily basis. However, as he was walking along, he spotted something out of the ordinary.

"Hey...what's that?" Alvis thought curiously.

He approached the trunk of an ancient towering swamp tree and found a withering and decaying plant. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before and there was something about it that seemed strange. The plant was a dead Swamp Rose: extremely beautiful flowers that grew commonly throughout the swamp in a large variety of different colors and would even have multiple colors displayed during certain times of the year. According to Floris, they were useless unless used as decoratives. 

Alvis picked the flower and held it in his hands. As he held it, he got an eerie feeling. Something bad was in this area and it made him extremely uncomfortable. It was a feeling he couldn't explain. Dark...mysterious...ancient...evil. A shiver ran down his spine and his hair stood on end. He felt as if there was another presence with him, making him look around in a panic. He quickly stood up and started to pace away from the area as quick as his feet would carry him, but as he walked, he saw something that truly terrified him. He gripped the plant as tight as he could and started sprinting as fast as he could back to the village. 

Alvis busted through the door of Floris and Ajenna's house and rushed past Ajenna before she could get a word in. He slid around the corner to Floris' room and caught Floris staring at him, obviously caught a little off guard.

"Alvis? What the heck has gotten into you? You know not to rush blindly into my room like this!" Floris states as he returns his attention to what he was doing a moment ago. He was in the middle of dissecting one of his rats after testing how it reacted to a new poison he had brewed.

Alvis panted heavily as he rested on his knees, which meant he had been running for quite some time. Both he and Floris were in top physical shape and it was uncommon for either of them to run out of breath that easily. After taking some time to collect himself, Alvis looked up at Floris and handed him the plant he found.

"Floris...I found...I found this...while I was out hunting." Alvis said as he breathed heavily, "I thought...you might want to take a...take a look at it."

Floris took the plant from Alvis and observed it for a moment, then laid it on his table. "It's a withered swamp rose. What's so strange about it?"

Alvis took in a deep breath and slowly stood to his feet, "I found it like that near Deadwood Creek. I've seen these plants wither and die, Floris. It isn't natural."

Floris looked down at the plant again, then looked at Alvis, "I don't see how you mean. Times are changing, Alvis. The Cold Season is approaching; it's perfectly natural for plants to do this around this time of year."

"Is it common for swamp roses to be that dark when they wither?" Alvis asked.

Floris looked down at the plant and held it up for a closer look, "Hmmm...it is interesting that it is that shade of color. It must've died a long time ago...or was burnt...by...something."

Alvis swallowed nervously as he started to see a hint of confusion appear in Floris' eyes as well. "Okay...is it also common for the ground around them to be dying for as far as the eye can see as well?"

Floris focused his entire attention on Alvis and replied with a simple, "No."

Alvis stood quietly, his entire body starting to shake as the color drained from his face as if he'd seen a ghost...or something worse.

Getting the hint, Floris stood from his seat, "Alvis, what is going on?! What have you found?!" 

Alvis swallowed nervously and responded with a shaky voice, "I...I think it's best if I just show you."