Chapter 1
The sun shrank slowly over the mountains to the west, taking with it warmth, and leaving behind a streak of crimson. The air was cool, cooler now without the direct sunlight to warm the forest below. Winter was coming sooner than most hoped it would come, and apparently it was coming with a vengeance. The atmosphere of the treed canopy changed almost subconsciously as insects began to buzz and nocturnal predators began to stir. The wind blew cold, wistfully down the mountain slopes as breath turned to crystals, and day turned to night.
Seth tracked the beast stealthily through the forest carefully deciding each footfall. The rains had begun a week earlier softening the loam and fallen leaves cushioning each step. Occasionally he would lose sight of the crafty creature behind brush or a large tree, though tracking it thus far had been easy enough. Several times he had believed he had a shot, but unwilling to take it and miss, had not yet drawn his bow. Thus he crept silently stalking the beast, arrow knocked waiting for the perfect shot that he feared would never come. Though it was late in the fall and leaves carpeted the forest floor, the canopy above him was vast and still blocked out much of the light. The scent of rain was heavy in the air and from time to time he could see a glimpse of the cloud covered sky above. Darkness was nearing and with it came yet another storm.
The beast sprang from the brush ahead and darted to a small clearing only twenty yards from Seth’s own cover. This may be the last opportunity for a clear shot he would get, and thus far the best vantage Seth had received to take the beast down cleanly. Taking a deep breath Seth drew his bow to the full, tightening his abdominal muscles as he did to assure himself a steady shot. He drew down on the beast aiming just behind the head hoping to sever the spinal cord and spare himself from following yet another blood trail. He exhaled and just before releasing the arrow he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth.
Seth couldn’t bring himself to actually witness the death blow of his prey, and instead just listened the fraction of the second that it took for his arrow to reach its mark. Within an instant Seth heard the familiar shink of metal meeting bone, followed by the thud of his arrow driving through the beast into the soft earth beneath it. Opening his eyes Seth surveyed the carnage. Approaching the beast Seth realized that he had made a clean kill as he had hoped, and the hare didn't even bother to twitch let alone breathe or squeal.
Grabbing the tail end of his arrow Seth gave a single tug dislodging it and the hare impaled upon it from the soil below. Careful not to shower himself in blood, he pulled the arrow from his catch and placed it back in his quiver. Seth dropped the beast into the leather sack tied to his belt and pulling his head and one arm through his short bow slung it on his back. He had spent the entire day in the woods and had only bagged four of the small hares, but he knew his brother would easily make up for it with his own catch. Seth turned and strode back the way he had come, no longer bothering to be quiet. After nearly a mile he approached the trail where he hoped to meet his brother, at least he was pretty sure this was the trail. In the forest with the light beginning to fail, Seth wasn't certain, even though he had hunted these trails nearly his whole life.
Walking alone in the quiet forest gave Seth ample time to think throughout the day, yet no matter how hard he tried to avoid it, the same thoughts assailed him time and time again. Tomorrow he would leave home, and though he wouldn't be going alone the thought of leaving behind his life terrified him. The uncertainty of the future weighed upon his heart and he feared the days ahead. He had no idea what the future held, but felt certain that it would not be easy. Seth not only feared for himself though, he also feared for his family. Seth’s father would be alone, forced to handle all the chores that Seth and his brother now did, on top of his normal daily routine, and Seth feared that it would be too much to handle for his father. Sure, when Seth and his brother were young, their father handled it all on his own. However, Seth’s father wasn't getting any younger, and things that were easy in his youth may prove more difficult now, and Seth was afraid that all the extra responsibilities might take a toll on him. Seth tried to reason that the neighbors would chip in to fill the void the boys left when they were gone, but rationalizing the situation didn't make him feel any better for he had so many worries; his father was just one of the many. Seth also feared for himself and his brother. Though Seth’s brother had designs for his future, Seth didn't share his ambitions. In fact Seth didn't have any ambitions of a grand future at all. All he wanted was to spend the rest of his days in Vineleaf, eventually take over for his father, and live a long quiet life. Seth had imagined himself many times simply shirking his duties to the realm and just staying home to do just that, but he didn't want to disappoint his father, and didn't want his brother to face the world alone. Thus were his thoughts as he heard the snap of a twig up ahead and better safe than sorry Seth altered his course into the deepening shadows of the trees and crept ahead silently as death.
Only an hour of light remained in the forest valley, and being stuck in the forest, in the cold dark, was not what Garret would consider an enjoyable last night at home. His decision to head home made, he rose from the fallen tree he rested on, picking up his bow and the rabbits he had bagged, slung them across his shoulder. He tramped through the underbrush to the familiar trail he had walked many times in his years living in Vineleaf, and hunting in these forests. He continued down the path, always downhill, listening to the small mountain river that ran parallel to the trail deeper within the trees. It was not long before he came to the fork in the path where he and his brother had separated. Looking around for any sign of his brother Garret couldn’t help but hope that Seth had been watching the time. Unsure how far his brother had followed the trail to hunt, he decided to see if Seth was close.
“Seth you coming?” Garret shouted in no direction in particular.
“Of course” The nearly whispered response from directly behind Garret startled him.
“Wouldn’t want to keep dad waiting.” Seth finished. A mocking smile on his lips. Pleased he was able to catch his brother unaware.
Garret stared at his brother, so much like himself, and wondered silently how he hadn’t heard him coming. It was true, Seth was more agile than he, leaner, but what gave him the advantage? They were both tall. Both muscled from hard work, though Garret obviously the stronger, bulkier. Both had Chestnut hair, brown eyes. So very much the same, but in their entire lives together, Garret could not remember a single time he had ever caught Seth off guard. It was irritating.
Being twins, it was somehow hard to surprise each other, as if their minds, like their bodies, were so much alike they could anticipate each other’s thoughts. It was kind of creepy to think about, yet familiar and comfortable. Seth couldn’t help but wonder how strained their bond might be if they were separated in the days to come. He could only hope that fate keep them together, as they had been from birth. Being so much alike, he could not imagine them being chosen for different paths. They turned together, and walked down the winding path towards home.
“Still worried huh?” Garret stated more than asked with feigned nonchalance.
“I wish I could be as sure as you are that all will just magically fall into place and our lives won’t change.” Replied Seth. “It’s just all the possibilities, all the change, all so quickly. It’s like it’s utterly out of our control, what if something goes wrong?”
“Stop being such a pessimist Seth.” Garret said. “It's not like the world is coming to an abrupt halt, it’s just another chapter in our lives.”
“Yeah, a chapter someone else is writing for us.”
“Oh cut it out, everyone has to go to the Choosing, it’s not like we are the first ones.” Garret couldn’t help but be optimistic, even excited.
The thought of being a soldier, maybe even fighting in the wars to the south, the romanticized glory of won battles, all the tales told to him over the fires at the inn had struck a chord in his soul. He longed for adventure. He had been told once by a retired soldier that nearly two thirds of the people who had gathered for The Choosing went to the vast armies of Valdadore to train as soldiers. Two thirds, damn good odds.
Seth had no notions of glory however. He knew all too well the stories of the great wars and battles won by the immense armies of Valdadore. Always the pessimist however, or perhaps just a realist, he remembered the stories of the fallen, and often forgotten comrades that the story tellers always mentioned with misty eyes, but never dwelt upon in their tales of adventure. Blood, death, destruction, families broken, and love destroyed; hope
