SABIS the SURVIVOR

Chapter 1: Warrior Rage

Chapter 1: Warrior Rage

"Ravis, you poor excuse for a son, get your lazy rear end over here to help your Mother clean this shit hole you call your room!" his Father hollered.

"Muallis, try not to be so harsh with your spoken words!" Mother responded. "He is a boy and you know how boys are. You were once a boy too, remember?"

"Harsh does not begin to describe what I will do to that boy if he does not get over here, right now!"

Ravis trotted over to his Mother without looking at his Father. With his head and neck aimed at the floor, he began to sweep around his hammock and stone sink.

"You see Marcis? All the imp needs is a stern warning to motivate him."

"Did you just call me a chimp, Daddya?" Ravis mumbled with his gaze still directed downward.

"No, you trained monkey. I did not."

Muallis blinked firmly then clenched his jaw so tightly that his chewing muscles must have thought they were taking on the tough meat of the bearded beast. How would his only son Ravis ever become a solid warrior that he and others could be proud of if he did not learn discipline at home? Home is where true warriors were made. Not in the Hall of the Ancients and definitely not from those stick-in-the-mud Elders or their weak and worthless instructors.

After Ravis had cleaned his room to Father's satisfaction, he kissed his Mother.

"Thank you for your help, Mamya."

"You're welcome, my son."

Then he grabbed his gold-plated helmet and warrior vest, his stone blade and sheath, and slung his wartis across his back. He advanced two steps towards his home cave's arch but was waylaid by his Father.

"They are sounding the call for the warrior game, not the Bonsai game. You are like a little Bonsai tree being groomed by those Elder know-it-alls to be something that you're not. Why even bother showing up to the game? You will only make a fool out of yourself and this family."

"Get out of my way, Daddya! Your words don't mean anything to me. I see your lips flapping back and forth like a snake's tongue probing the air for movement. Too bad, the only thing that wags around here other than your venomous tongue, is your short and stubby tail that has no use other than to stir my morning acorn meal."

Then he stepped past his Father with his left foot forward. As he reached the keystone that completed the cave's front arch entrance, there crashed down on his right upper sleeve a heavy stone that was dislodged by his Father's unexpected wartis stone launch.

The wartis is a simple but effective weapon: its wood shaft is four feet long and at the butt end, it can have a sharp steel tip for thrusting or slashing. At its top, there is webbing, usually made of animal sinew, woven tightly together to cradle a stone. A warrior with dexterity and precision can launch a stone either a short or long distance. The result can be devastating to a skull or other body part, depending on the type of stone used.

"That is what I expect of you, Ravis. To score a hit as I just did. Let the warrior in you come out and then you can return home. If you lose this game, then I will take all of your runner-up trophies to sell on the plateau for warrior boots that I will then use to kick your keester every steam cycle until you reach the age of eighteen or leave this home cave for good."

Ravis looked past his Father's snarly and contorted mouth and eyes, to his Mother, who remained silent.

Did he see tears on her cheeks?

Then he picked up the fallen stone in his left hand, spun around quickly while kicking up dust in his father's face, and left for the Stone Arena, carrying his pride and the heavy stone that had almost maimed him.