The Elder's Path (2 page)

“Now I’
m suddenly interesting again?” she cried with fervor. This time, however, the raptor showed no surprise at her voice and continued to ostensibly look at everything but her. Exasperated, Lyn turned back and continued on her way, muttering to herself, “Great, what a waste of time. I am supposed to start my journey soon, and I can’t even get out of the forest yet. What if I never leave? The embarrassment! I couldn’t live the rest of my life here with everyone knowing I failed.”

Turning back to look over her shoulder, she saw that the bird had indeed followed her again to a nearby branch and again seemed to pay her no mind. Lyn refused to stop this time, however, and continued for
ward, determined not to look back again.

But as is the case with many brash youths, she soon regretted her anger and turned to see if her erstwhile acquaintance still followed. Her heart dropped as she saw that the trees were devoid of his presence, and s
he felt sadness coming over her.

“I will never be able to find someone who understands this burden,” she whispered to herself. Lyn turned forward once more, nearly yelling as she saw the hawk sitting on a branch within arm’s reach, this time looking direc
tly at her. Surprise turned to frustration, but remembering her regret at her previous anger, she suppressed it quickly and squared her shoulders to face her avian comrade.

“Please,” she said softly
, “I am sorry about before. You live in this forest, you must know of the Sage Tree?” She sat down heavily on a nearby stump and continued to address the hawk. “I’ve been selected to take the journey and become an Elder. No one has been chosen in hundreds of years, and suddenly, it picks me. Why? I don’t even fit in around here. I know nothing! Why wouldn’t it have picked Nana when she was younger?”

She began to cry softly, the burden of her responsibility weighing upon her. The hawk made a small noise and fluttered to a closer branch. Sidling awkwardly over, i
t came close to her and squawked quietly. Lyn looked up from her tears and couldn’t help but manage a small smile at the hawk.

“Thanks,” she said, “I guess that breakdown was a little while in coming.”  The hawk inched closer and sat companionably with he
r as she dried her tears. Calming herself, Lyn took a deep breath and looked about her. The peace of the forest brought stillness to her heart, and she felt better. She looked over to find the hawk still gazing at her. “You know,” she said in an offhand manner, “you are the first one I’ve cried in front of. Better not tell anyone else.” She winked at him and began to make her way back home once more.

She started as a heavy weight dropped to her shoulder, and she looked to see the bird coming to rest on her
. She adjusted to support him. “Decided you wanted company after all, huh?” She joked, but despite her lighthearted words, she was aflutter. What are the chances that now, of all times, she would suddenly find a potential companion when she had failed so many times before? Could this be what she was looking for?

            
 
But Lyn resolved not to seem desperate and ruin the moment, so she pointedly maintained her cool demeanor and strode on casually despite the load on her shoulder. Despite her intentions, her worries returned; was this what having a companion was? While she liked the bird well enough, it didn’t seem like much of a bonding in comparison to the stories of Walker and companion acting as one, sharing mind and soul. She had the overwhelming sense she was running out of time, that if she did not set out soon she wouldn’t ever. Thinking about leaving was a scary thought; after all, the forest was all she really knew. But not leaving was a worse one.

The burden of the Sage Tree pressed upon her mind again,
and she felt her heart become heavy once more
.
             

“I feel so young, suddenly,” she said to the bird, “unprepared to handle the world all on my own. I truly have no idea what it’s even about outside the wood. All of my life I’ve been taught about how to live
with the forest, not without it. But I suppose that’s part of why the Elders had companions, right? To keep them connected to a piece of home…”

She let the thought wander, becoming lost in her contemplations once more. Unnoticed, a tear rolled down her c
heek in the silence. A small cry from the hawk shook her from her reverie and she wiped her face with her free hand, embarrassed to be caught crying twice in one day. The great raptor bumped her face gently, and she felt the smallest nudge in the corner of her mind, like a presence making itself known. It whispered to her, “Alir”.

Chapter 2

30
th
day, 7
th
lunar cycle, 700
th
age of Arc

“Hawks…such magnificent creatures; to me they have always seemed to have a feeling of aloofness and solitude, and with good reason. Other than the occasional show like the one Nana and I witnessed, most hawks are solitary hunters who spend their time on their own terms, so above everything else both literally and figuratively. And now, much to my immense pleasure, and relief, I have the privilege of taking my journey with one. His name is Alir, and he and I have bonded as Walker and companion. Like me, he is young and an outsider in his community, and I can feel his urge to explore and taste freedom. Perhaps that is why we bonded; we feel the same deep need to move forward on our own terms and define our existence outside the one we’ve always known. But, now that I have bonded, I have taken the last step necessary before the journey. I leave tomorrow, and despite my best intent I must wonder if I am truly ready for what the world will impress upon me.”

The
next morning Lyn stood facing the entire village, Alir on her arm and her belongings packed on her back. Nana had said her bond with her companion would grow with time and exercise of it, so for the time being their presence in each other’s mind was small. Still, Lyn could feel that Alir shared her excitement and trepidation both. But having even the small reassurance of his presence solidified her resolve, and his weight on her already seemed familiar. Incredible, she thought, that the day before had yielded such a large change. Strange that before this day, she had been more alone than she had ever known, and had thought it would always be so.

As per tradition, she and her co
mpanion would begin their journey after being presented to the community, and they would see her off as the very first World-Walker in ages. She had been gifted tools to help her along her way. Simple, but strong and reliable just like her people. With her she carried her bow and knife, a new pack, her sleeping provisions, extra clothes, and food. Nana had even been kind enough to provide a glove and shoulder pad for Alir to use. She was also provided with tough and light leather armor to aid her in her struggles to come. Lyn had resisted the armor at first, refusing the idea of needing it more than the armor itself, but had acquiesced when her mother had begun crying. Ah, Lyn thought, the lengths children go to for their parents’ peace of mind.

“Be aware,” her mentor had warned her when instructing her on care for her leather, “that the world has not seen us for some time. In ages past, it was a privilege to assist a Walker on her journey, but the minds of people are fickle and tradition is easily forgotten when out of practice.” 

Equipped thus, she was prepared to begin her journey in earnest. At least, she was physically prepared. Her stomach churned unpleasantly and she felt her eyes moisten as she looked out to her people for what could be the last time
.

“No,” she steeled herself, and straightened her back, “I cannot afford not to return.” She blinked away the impending tears, forcing a smile to her face. Weakly, she raised a hand in farewell, and a great cheer erupted from the gathered folk. As she loo
ked among them she marked each face well, for she knew them of old and would need the strength of her memories to guide her. As she stepped forward, Alir spread his wings grandly and let out a cry. The cheer rose, and the crowd split in half to allow her to walk among them. She touched hands and shared smiles with her family and friends, and before she knew it she was to the edge of the village ready to depart. She looked back once more, and left her home behind.

--

It took Lyn and Alir two days to leave the forest entirely. Not because they were lost by any means, but Lyn wanted to take her time before delving head-first into the outside world, and she suspected Alir would also appreciate roaming his familiar grounds before their departure. As they approached the edge of the forest and the trees begin to thin, Lyn steadied herself and decided to take her first steps running.

“Ready?” s
he prompted Alir, and with a heartfelt cry she lunged forward. Alir took flight and raced above her, circling the open air and letting the sunlight soak into his wings. Watching him as she ran, she felt that she too was flying high, and for a moment it was almost as if she could see the wide world through his eyes; her awareness unfurled and stretched to the rolling fields before them, the snowy mountains in the north, the plains in the west, even to the crashing waves in the southern ports.

Abruptly, she was back on the ground again as she ran headlong into thick brush and tripped into it. Alir let out a stuttered call as he c
ircled above, watching as Lyn tried to disentangle herself from the mess she had fallen in to.

“Oh quit laughing,
” she muttered as she finally regained her footing. Brushing herself off, she took a look at the now setting sun. “Well…time to find a place to make camp, anyway.”

They made good progress the next few days, finding their way eventually to a walled city that seemed large indeed to the inexperienced Lyn, but in reality was rather small. After all, the East was a place of forests and fields and ra
ther little else; there was small need for much civilization in such a wild and empty place. None the less, the city was a marvel to Lyn, who had never seen such walls or establishments made of stone and glass. Cities and the people therein were as foreign to her as she must have been to them. In spite of her awe, Lyn was not yet ready to spend time within the confines of such a strange place; as such she took refuge in her own camp outside the city, only just in view of its walls.

As she was preparing a m
odest meal of dried fruit and bread, she heard something of a commotion. Alerted to it as well, Alir ruffled his feathers and jerked his head about. Unprepared for what could possibly be a regular source of such noise outside the wood, Lyn was not ready to take chances. She drew her bow and nocked an arrow, staying low. She may have been unfamiliar with Arc as a whole but she knew how to take care of herself in some capacity, and she was not about to simply stand down to the world at large.

As it turned ou
t, the commotion was a group of horsemen making their way rather noisily towards her position. She waited patiently until they came nearer, and with subtlety, put her bow down but in reach. No need to appear aggressive, after all, she thought. The horsemen drew up a polite distance away, one man in particular stopping in front of the rest.

“This must be their leader,” Lyn surmised to herself, still not knowing what to expect.

“Ho,” he called out, “ho, there.” He dismounted and signaled for the other men to do the same. Only, Lyn suspected they were men; they were dressed rather peculiarly, even to one such as Lyn who had no experience with standards of fashion. Each being wore dark clothing that was rather tight, and each had multitudes of bags and pouches about their person. Additionally, each individual had what appeared to be a tight piece of black cloth tied about half their face, obscuring their identities. As such, it was rather difficult to decipher who was male or female, and while Lyn could not see any outward weapons there was no telling what the outfits concealed.

The apparent leader stepped forward a few paces, coming within range of the firelight. Accustomed to the dense forest, Lyn’s vision in dark was much more acute than that of a regular in
dividual and she was able to make out details from the man. What she saw surprised her, indeed. He was a tall man, slim of profile, with a grace in the way he moved. His hair was brown and longer than she had seen men in the woods wear it, but none of this was what surprised her; it was his eyes. Bright green, they twinkled with merriment and good humor, and she could practically see the outline of a smile beneath the mask. Why would such a man feel the need to go about concealing his face, Lyn could not help but wonder? Alir made no sounds at the fellow’s approach, but watched intently with the fire reflecting in his eyes.

Seeing no immediate reaction from either Lyn or the bird, the man took a couple steps more, seeming very at ease.

“Well,” he began, his voice melodious and amused, “what have we here? They told me pretty girls grew like wildflowers in the Eastern province but I didn’t think they meant literally sprouting up all around. What are you doing out here all by your lonesome, hey?”

Lyn raised a
n eyebrow and nodded towards her companion, “I’m not alone; he’s with me.”

The man chuckled slightly and replied
, “Yes, yes he would be, wouldn’t he? But where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself.” With grandiose movements he bowed and said dramatically, “Satora, bandit extraordinaire, at your service my lady.”