The forest around me seemed all like one giant blur all around me, the sound of hooves beating in a thunder-like rhythm made me feel more alive than being on the ground ever had. Heaven didn't stop even though the forest around us was being much thicker, tall trees that seemed to touch the endless pale blue sky with wispy clouds thousands of feet above the forest floor seemed closer the faster my father's white quarter horse pushed herself, every time she barreled over a giant hollow log, my throat burned with the cold winter air gripping my chest like a set of burning claws drawing themselves down from my throat to the bottom of my stomach making me feel as if I could vomit.
Snow was only a few bounds away, out of the forest between it and the giant looming mountainside bordering our lands and keeping us tucked away from every other town- Human and royalleaf- for that matter. It was better that way, as the elders who almost always kept themselves tucked into the giant chamber's of the earl's castle on the far side of the town, the largest building that could be seen from miles away as a lighthouse of sorts when one of us strayed a bit too far from town boundaries, where the outskirts lay, endless hills and farms ready for the harvest was, always full of friendly hospitable people ready to lead you back to the town area.
Allowing the reins to hang loosely, the horse understood my trust in her, two joined souls, animal and human destroying everything that made them different. Both of us we very much the same. Her mane looked alot like the white hair that I ended up inheriting from my father, like the fur of a snow hare in the winter time. My family was never rich, but we always pulled through what we had,. I could feel the weight of my bow and quiver pulling down on my broad shoulder, a old hand me down dagger stuck in my boot for safe keeping and a limp bloody doe, killed with a quick and clean shot the lungs. My hunting trip were almost always fails, but tonight my family will be able to bring a feast to the great town celebration of uncountable years of the survival of our magic.
A final curtain of trees stood between and the small log cabin that I was lucky enough to call home. I could already imagine the look of shock on my older brothers face when they see the large kill that I made just for tonight. They were way more skilled than I was, old enough to join the hunting parties that the older men in town had among each other, taking out their steeds at first light, strong and muscular horses with each a different color and breed, ranging in size from huge to medium. Soon, my sixteenth year will come and I will join the parties, being able to provide and feed my family and town like a real and respectable citizen of Snow.
My mother and father don't rush the next few months to come, even though I won't be viewed as just a weak shepard kid anymore. They might even allow me to join their parties before hand once they see just what I can do on one of my first successful hunts alone.
We raced through more thick foliage of overgrowing vines and bushes that started to extend to the worn path I always took. Yellow tulips sprouted out from the green here and there around the base of the trees, refecting off the light brown bark of the oak trees that made of much of the german forest. Sunlight slanted through the thick canopy of green leaves like a giant crown of forest green. When I was younger, I dreamed of being a Earl with crown made of golden leaves like in the fall and still, as a teenager, I would love to bask in the stripes of sunlight for the rest of my youth.
Heaven burst into the clearing, a sharp tree branch snagging at the thick grey wool of my cloak, nearly pulling if free from around my neck if it wasn't the tight tieing of a knot keeping it stably in place. I chuckled, pulling my legs in as she ran with ease across the green familiar land, nothing but grass and wildflowers under her hoves. In the distance, a small cozy light brown cabin sat near a small pond, the ragged dock built by my older brother still looked like it was ready to fall into the water with just the right amount of weight persuading it to come tumbling down from the weak foundation of logs and pine wood planks left over from last winter's knedle wood.
Sheep moved around like clouds on legs that were to heavy to fly, lumbering around the closed in paster with Rock, the family dog protecting them from wolves and any other predators who wondered to close to the fence while out of my supervision, my crook resting against the old tree in the middle of the pasture with braches twisted awkwardly and inward, all the leaves which I guess had once grew from them long gone with age, probably just as old as the town of Snow itself.
Heaven, smart for the average horse redirected her straight route through the rocky path that led farther into town we I would usual be sent by my mother to pick up small household items with nothing but a few goldened coins and my father's horse after reading lessons with my mother, who's knowledge in the english and german language almost exceded her. My father, which was from the America, taught her months after they first met. He wasn't a full royalleaf, that was what made him so special. Even though he was half of what the more sophisticated royalleaves feared. They would fear me and my siblings just the same, just because they were the perfect example of fearing what they don't understand.
Maybe that is reason why the royalleaf society that was suppose to send soldiers to offer us protection had declined our proposal for a trade out of wool and corn in payment along with offering food and fine shelter in return. Some of them knew about my father's background, the ones who could feel his aura. To them, it was heavier than all the bundles of wool we collected in the spiring piled on one giant scale, but to us, it was warm and protective, the presence of it was comforting. He was more what the eyes could see, a shifter. One of the only ones I knew. It was my wish to be like him, changing the shape into the shape of a animal, the ability created by the twisting of genes of two different breeds. It wasn't the power that all hybrids of the silent crowd and royaleaves could inherit, but one of many.
The haze of the world slowed as she came to slower trot, dipping her head as she reached the fence that bordered our cabin, stoping to allow me to slide of back. It took me a while to adjust to the feeling of being on the ground again, even with my feet completely grounded with the grass at the toe of my boot, I felt as it I was still mounted on Heaven, feeling her power zig zag through my body like a lightning bolt from my toes to my fingers that had once held on to nothing, just allowing the wind to wisp pass my palms, tickling the tips of my fingers.
Untying the large animal strapped tightly to her back, she seemed to huff in relief as I pulled the heavy animal from off her back, swinging the heavy carcass over my left shoulder trying my best to ignore the weight. Blood from the arrow wound and from the throat where I had drew the sharpened blade across the deer's throat to drain the blood as tradition and mercy for the life of the dead beast called for, thanking the deities each for their role in the hunter. I had always been a particularly strong boy, out carrying my weight's worth of off wool bundles onto the back of the wagon going to town for trade, trying to make my brothers jealous.
"Finn! You should have been back hours ago, do you know that we have to prepare for the celebration at Sundown tonight-", Mother stormed from the wide-open door, her newly made dress flared out like a water lily, a beautiful teal blue fabric touching the veranda timbers, creaking them with each step she made.
Mother was easier to become angered, her eyes already on the doe across my shoulder, blood staining my cloak and pants that she had just finished washing this morning along with my brand new red tunic with the silver catamount emblem boldly embroidered on the left of the chest. I couldn't ask for more or complain about the way it was quite tight in the torso area where more silver cloth had been placed to make a strange wrapped decoration. My mother spent months working on it for my brothers and I. Being thankful was the least that I could do.
She had a plump roundness that she shared with my brother, Joel and the same cobalt blue eyes that resembled the stone earings hanging from her ears that she cherished from her late mother. Her tawny colored hair curved down her shoulders much like a river, stopping at her elbow in length.
"Mother, I stalked this prey for tonight's festival. My first catch alone." My voice took on a deeper pitch as I puffed out my chest with prideful emotions. I looked back at the beast on my shoulders becoming more heaver the longer I waited for approval. From the judgmental look in her eyes, I knew that was far out of the question.
She nodded, "I see. But don't you know how terrified that your brothers were for your safety! Joel and Cyrus thought that you had more sense to go hunting alone, especially when you know very well that when the full moon is setting over the Marworth shadows, all the animals seem to become bolder."
"So do the people."
"Don't talk about the town folk like that!"
A tall muscular man walked up behind my mother, a multicolored bundle of blankets cradled in his arm with my little sister inside. My father, his lips in a smirk as if he was avoiding bursting out in laughter at me. It was him who gave me permission to take his horse for a gallop with no restrictions besides coming back with Heaven in one piece before the celebration. I kept the promise.
"Elke, our boy has brought the perfect kill for tonight. It seems like he got more from my gene pool than my white hair! It takes boldness to set out a hunt on a night like tonight when the wolves are traveling closer to town in their packs, eh?"
My father's accent seemed to be the only thing that I didn't have from my father, deep with what he called a southern american accent, I had a german accent just like everyone else in the town. Rather song-like and less aggressive than Cyrus's accent which I was thankful for. Even when he was truly happy, he sounded passive aggressive. My father always sounded welcoming even when speaking out of his mother tounge.
"I hope you a going to have enough time to clean the animal, because I am not skinning it and preparing it like last time when you pretended to stack some new hay for the barn.' A twinkle of amusement glimmered in her eyes as she swatted at him, "What will I ever do with both of you, Finn and Jagger."
Father patted her on the shoulder, the eternity wedding ring sparkling in the sunlight, "I was also fixing the planks that one of your sons claimed to put in the barn to protect the air drafts." He winked his eye before she elbowed him in the stomach.
"Joel is our son and by the way, before you go off blaming him for a job you were supposed to do, the barn still has air drafts and now it floods. Good job."
Scooping Jolene out of his arm, she didn't make a sound. Sound asleep. She'll be up tonight screaming off everyone's ears. Or during the ceremony. She walked off with the baby girl, shutting the wood door behind her careful not to wake Jolene. Our cabin was just like any other on the town outskirts except from the stone engravings around the door post and the colorful glass blown windows that were created from my mother's own magic given to her at her fifteenth pool dance. Creativity was something she had a knack for, drawing her fingers across anything and turning it into a new color.
Clearing his throat, my father strolled forward in the sun light and out of the shadow of the overhanging porch, folding his arms across his chest, "You act just like me before I gained my catamount powers. It took the pool to bring them out of me when I got separated from my parents at fifteen too."
I allowed the doe to side of my shoulders, hitting the ground with an awkward thump, "But what if I don't get powers like yours? My royalleaf abilities aren't even that strong. Not like Cyrus and Joel's anyway." Disheartened, I dragged the animal closer to the barn, acknowledging the fact that I was too heavy for me to carry alone no matter how hard I wanted to impress father. He grabbed the reigns of his horse, guiding her alone without protest.
"Son, do you think that I would be any less proud of you? Never have I compared any of your siblings to you or them to you.", Father cuffed me on the shoulder with his free hand playfully, "Even though that was a dangerous feat you pulled off, your mother is undoubtedly right."
"I'm sorry Father. She was such as fine animal and thought that it was would make a fine meal to offer tonight to the town feast right after my first drink at the pool."
His hazel colored gaze searched the animal's body as I dragged it along, "Clean shot, just like I taught you! Your great grandfather taught me how to hunt years ago when we were still living in upstate montana. It was such a strange place for me but my parents were moving all the time because of their relationship. America wasn't the place for them, it was practically a sin for the royalleaves there."
Chickpea gnawed hungrily at a candy apple he stole from the feast beforehand, his shoes dug deep into the roof of an unknowing town person's house, avoiding my annoyed gaze as he took another hungry bite at the glazed apple, smacking louder than a mad cow. My friend, a town bum was only two years older than me and a year younger than my second oldest brother Joel.
He lived with his grandmother but spent most of his time swindling money from the pockets of the wealthy without them batting a eye. He was a Robin Hood type guy but instead of giving the money to the poor and needy, he donated it to his own pockets and occasionally brought his caregiver gifts. I wasn't sure if she knew it was stolen, but everytime she questioned just how could he afford such fine gifts and foods he only shrugged and claimed it was payment for a good deed.
"Must you slop so loudly! You are are scaring the birds off the roof.", Smacking him on the back of the head lightly as so not to inflict any pain, he jumped back losing his foothold in the gutter, yelping like a small dog in pain, but still griping the shinny red fruit on a long popsicle stick.
"Little idiot!, I outta push you down that drop!"
An eyepatch covers his right eye from an accident he never talks about, though every time someone brings it up, he flinches and uses his charming personality to talk the conversation into a brand new direction. He was taller in height, but his wiry frame made him seem weak. Most people felt sorry for him because he was practically a skeleton, but it wasn't that he didn't have enough to eat, it was the fact that no matter what he ate, the boy just didn't seem to gain any weight, if anything, he only lost.
Chickpea pulled himself up, twisting like an otter out of the water and landing closer to me, just far enough to smack in my ear, "I'll fix you, Kid!"
He ran his fingers through his thin blond hair, his look of amusement replaced with one of deep worry, "What's wrong kid, you've been quiet ever since you came to join me up here. Most nights you spend your time chatting away! Someone special on your mind?"
"No, nothing is wrong. Just a bit nervous, I'll shake it off.", I muttered.
"Are you sure?"
"Haven't been more sure in my entire life."
My gaze swept over the huge turn up in the town square, people from all over the sleepy inhabitant came bringing handmade banners in assortment of colors, dressed to the nines in fine handmade clothing, few I recognized as my own mother's designs and patterns of swirl sunflowers and morning glories.
The night carried the warm scents of peanuts and an accountable number of regional cuisines that could only be found in this side of the country. My mind wandered away from the thought of the pool of Marworth shadows west of the town square and hidden in the small courtyard of the Earl's stone castle onto almost feeling my teeth sink into a giant helping of black forest gateau served alongside a glass of apple cider. My brothers and rest of my family were probably enjoying the rest of the party, my mother probably gossiping with the town's women, my father finding better company in the men while Cyrus and Joel were searching out to ladies in the ballroom of the castle a few blocks down the street for courting since they were both adults, close enough to the age to settle down in either the town area or find a farm near the outskirts of town.
Hauling myself to a higher rafter, I turned around to look over the city in the moonlight's gentle gleam. Chickpea looked up before returning to his candy apple, "Think yer got what it takes to fill your veins with magic, boy?
His accent is deepened with russian roots, more so than german. Grey eye like a cold stone stared back at me in the darkness. "Finn, I knew you were scared. Terrified that you won't like live to your father's name in this town, eh?"
"No, well maybe. Neither of my brothers have either, they've just been more royalleaf than fireleaf and I don't know if I'm the perfect balance of both like father."
My mind wasn't pressed on a relationship, but more on my own future in this town. The Earl himself didn't have a living son or any family meaning it was up to him to anoint a person in his place when it was time for him to pass on. It was a slim chance of him choosing someone like me even when I came of age, but if I had the right strengths to give it the perfect push in his choice. I had spent my share of time in the Earl's company, shaping his feelings about me when necessary.
"Well, you've got a stronger aura than Cyrus, dunno about the other one, he's kinda got a stick stuck up his behind if you ask me.", He took the remaining stick and threw it in the gutter, probably for eternity at this point.
"Joel is a bit shy, he's not a snob and I thought you knew that!" Sighing in animosity, I pulled out my father's gift he gave me in the privacy of the barn during the cleaning, letting the moonlight cast a light on the sliver blade. The wooden pommel was in the shape of a catamount's head just like father when he took shape.
Oddly, it was the town's animal, appointed years before by the first Earl who had been the product of an American maiden and a German nobelman from the north who made his expedition in North America. I guess he found beauty in the big cat and ended up running away from the judgment of his relationship back in the bigger cities where royalleaves stayed in their status and rarely strayed.
This was where he started his village.
A group of children probably half my age ran pass waving tiny red and silver flags in one hand with a basket filled to the brim with multicolored candy canes was in the other.
"You gonna cut somebody with that, I know blood is thicker than water but I meant-"
"Why would I use such a perfect blade on you?"I chucked, teasing my friend as I had since when we were younger, "I just want to know if I'm worthy of this."
A seriousness took on his voice as he stood up from the roof, balancing himself, "All I wanted was a night to reflect on the last time you'd be a kid and I would be the bigger friend you looked up to even though everyone else thinks of me just like they think of chewed up snuff!"
Towering me, his shadow almost covered mine in a dark cast. His fancy clothes were neat, much better than even on his fifteenth pool dance which seemed so long ago. We didn't speak about his nervousness, even though he wasn't pressured into a legacy by his own standards, he had every right to be worried about his advanced abilities. His tunic was ruffled at the chest to his button-down coat the color of the starlit sky.
"I'm sorry! It's just-"
Chickpea turned back, a weak forced smile on his face, "I guess I'm overacting about this whole thing. You won't forget about our friendship after this, will you?
It's a somber look I never imagined seeing on the face of Chickpea, the biggest pickpocket in town who acted alone in almost ever one of his heists from the biggest to the smallest. Never would I disregard him no matter what was to happen tonight or any other night. He might have been a thief but he was the most honest and loyal young man I knew- to me if not anyone else.
"Our friendship is eternal, bud. No powers, no ceremony or relationship will break us apart and that's a promise that I make to you from the deepness of my heart."
He closed our distance, patting me on the shoulder in a friendly expression, "I guess I will leave you alone with your thoughts, polar bear.
It was more in those cold grey eyes of his. A sadness maybe that he just couldn't shake even after I made the promise to him and something else I didn't want to admit. Something that I won't.
Chickpea walked across the roof, throwing his feet over while straddling the pillar on the side of stone house, pushing himself off almost effortlessly. No matter how many fine clothes Chickpea put on he was truly made for the life of a city bandit, quick and clever, taking for either survival or out of habit. No respect for the law unlike me, two true misfits depending on each other for company. With a quick thump, he landed on the ground, the sound of a deep-throated dog from inside the house let out his barks of hostility followed by the yelling of it's owner.
Either it was the apple he stole or the fact he was on top of their roof. Probably both. He walked away ignoring the female homeowner, his blond head disappear in the wave of the crowd like one of many.
A trumpet sounded in the distance farther inward towards the heart of the town where the castle's tall tower stood, the grey stones sticking out among every wood or brick building in the town that flanked the town road.
The first trumpet. First warning of the ceremony.
Dusting off my trousers, I picked myself up before taking a more discreet route I normally took when the two of us met up on the city rooftops to share news and let out worries with the sound of farmers transporting their buggies full of corn, grain, fruit and cotton into the town square to set up small street vendors or just trading for household items and new tools.
I ran, afraid of nothing, not even the few feet long drop that would soon be underneath my feet, ready for me reach a faux foothold and come tumbling back to the ground, nearly crumpled from the fall. Reaching the end of the pale auburn roof, I pushed off with all the strength in my leg muscles, keeping my eyes on the next roof with was only a about two feet over but shorter than the current one.
The wind seemed to carry me forward, but I knew no wind as calm as tonight's had any power over me. Natural born talent and learned agility near feline-like was backing me. The smooth bright red tin cooled my hand as I landed with a thud, my weight getting the best of me. Landing on my feet, catching my breath, I sprinted to the end of the roof, leaping the next short distance and landing with ease and without catching any roaming eyes. Adrenaline was already started to flow from head to toe in a cool rush.
Rushing to the dusty grey pillar, I grabbed on to the cement swing down from the handhold at the top by letting my body do the rest of the work of slipping down like a snake letting go of the stone at the just the right distance from the grass.
Cold mud still wet from last night's was the first thing I felt on my left knee, sinking right through the fabric of my trouser. Guilt snagged at me as soon as I pulled myself up and saw the brown mess on the light-colored pants, still the darkness seemed to keep it hidden just enough. I could already see my mother's disappointed eyes. As worried as I was, the next trumpet from beyond the castle walls sounded through the city streets.
The groups of people didn't disburst just yet, it would be at least a half a hour until they would be allowed into the castle walls after all the fifteen years gathered at the pond in the castle courtyard to take their first drink. As far as I knew, I would be joined by only one person, the town seamstress, Madam April's only daughter Blossom. I didn't know anything about her besides her name which my mother called out, speaking about her skill.
Elementist stood in the middle of the cleared out passageway to the kingdom, blowing their magic from their lips, their clothes depicting just what elements they controlled, snow crystals floating from the lip of a tall native woman in a beautiful light blue dress and matching white and blue-dyed fur shaw hanging from off her shoulders while beside her, a tall handsome man in a blazing orange tunic held his hand out allowing tiny flares to glow at his fingertips, his eyes completely covered with a curtain of dirty blonde hair.
More followed in the line, water, harvest and the line went on to not only elementist putting on quite the show with light flares and orbs of neon colors for the crowds watching.
"Little brother! Good luck, even though I hope you get the ability to eat all of Auntie's horrid chicken pot pie.", Hearing the voice of Cyrus from across the square, hanging in the shade of a pine tree at the edge of the road, with a half eaten apple floating in the air by nothing but his own will and the green circlets made me turn around and push the thought of the ceremony from my mind for less than a few moments.
I waved at Cyrus from the roadway, then childishly sticking my tongue out at him. He pressed his hand to his chest, a look of utter shock crossing his face before he returned the kid like jester. For a twenty-year-old, he acted more like twelve and didn't care. His black hair glimmered in the moonlight, with muscles from hard labor on the farm showing from under his tight tunic the same color as mine.
I returned my silent journey to the castles that loomed in front of me like it was about to cave in. Flags hung from the old stone overhanging, green moss attached to the rock.
The final trumpet. A tall guard with a spear taller than he was came out nowhere, faceless, hidden by his tin face shield, gripping me by the shoulder tight with no questions asked. The smell off food wafered from the open windows of the high up dinning room of the monstrous castle, the maids of the Earl rushing pass the window like shadows in the dim golden yellow light.
I didn't know him, but instinctively I knew to trust anyone the Earl let handle the children that would be the future of Snow. The faceless guard didn't say a word as he lead me through another underhanging under the castle that led straight to the courtyard which seemed to glow by the magic energies floating through the place bouncing lazily off the near teal surface of Marworth shadows that barely look up one eight of space in the huge courtyard.
Hanging gardens floated above my head like giant perching crows, green vines covered in exotic flowers hung freely from the chunks of earth with nothing but the pond's abilities keeping them afloat. It was a sight like no other, everything in this area felt as if it was proving to the contrary of gravity as a whole.
Four silhouettes stood around the small body of water, a girl dressed in a nicely made power pink dress hovered his hand over the water, watching her reflection move in different disoriented shapes. Beside her, the stargazer watched me enter through wise eyes, nodding in approval despite the mud stain on my pants. Her dress was a deep dark blue with star like swirls on the stomach area while feathers were braided into two lengthy brunette braids. An ibex stood farther to the edge, nervously glancing around through marble-like eyes. The stargazer's "familiar".
The Earl greeted me with a warm smile, dressed in quite simple apparel, a feathered hat covering his balding head, a red and black colored overcoat nearly covering a dark grey tunic with a gold pendant of a Catamount right below his throat. It take long for me to see the giant glintimg sabor at his side.
"You've made it, Finn Wolfgang, the youngest son of Jagger and Elke Wolfgang has come to stand before the moonlit pool Marworth shadows, the single thing that unites us all!"