《The fall- outlanders tale (in progress)》 The hunt The village, next morning. A cold early spring morning a young tribes woman goes about her way. Making a meal for her two boys and hus and who are preparing for their next hunt. She hasn''t felt well since the evening before, and prays maybe she is ready to bear another one of her mates strong children. She smiles preparing the meat and porrage. Aleway, Samuel and Darzen come in setting their packs by the door of the sturdy plank shack. Building materials where s a race with the glass cities to the north taking a lot of the resources. Lilly greets her husband with a kiss on the cheek, then wave him and her two rambunctious boys to the sitting cushions "Settle down boys, be nice to have a quiet meal with your mother before your great adventure." the two boys look up to their mother and nod, merely ten months apart. Aleway and samual settle. Darzen insists on helping, Lilly giggles at his presustance. They set bowls and toasted bread in front of their two boys then sit together on the larger cushion Lilly leans on Darzen "Can you believe they are almost on their seventh summer?" Darzen chuckles and takes a bite of food chewing slow as he nods. His jaw muscles working before he swallow "They are big boys, but their mother feeds them well." Lilly laughs a bit. Small talk settles as the small family eats. The meal comes to an end, the boys get up and clean the dishes as their mom and dad get a few more moments together before the hunt. Aleway is the first back, and knowing tradition kneels by his mother. Samuel shortly follows, hands embracing they say a short prayer. Afterwards Darzen and his sons gather their gear. He watches his boys. Memories trailing his thoughts. Aleway was three when he killed his first rat with a stick. Ferocious but kind hearted, by for Aleway was commonly seen protecting the seed house with a bow. Samuel was a little slower, but the first to talk and read. Samuel was their observant, scholar type. The shaman Emry had much interest in him. An eager tug pulls him from his thoughts, looking down it''s Aleway smiling "Come on Pa, the deer won''t hunt themselves." Darzen laughs and pats his sons head then hugs Lilly. Samuel is out the door hot on his brother''s heels, Darzen follows. Lilly waves from the doorway, before closing it. Aleway walks happily south, his eyes collecting all the activity in the cool morning. People washing clothes, the smells of meat and bread, animals moving around. The farms south where his favorite, he thought the cows where rather interesting. He compared them to slow deer, but had learned their use. He wanted cows when he grew up.As they approach the end of the village, Aleway lost among his thoughts is a bit startled as Emry steps in front of them. Aleway watches Emry''s staff, knowing the unusual old man liked to test his an Samuel''s reflexes. The unusually tall old man who was born without eyes isn''t smiling. Aleway''s heart sinks a little. Aleway knows the look isn''t good, and Emry was pretty accurate. Samuel greets the shaman happily "Hey Emry, what''s going on?" Samuel doesn''t mind the look, taking it as a moment to learn more about shamanism. Darzen frowns a bit at Emry "What''s wrong?" he knew this look, it was rare, but it carried accuracy. Emry first greets each hunter feeling their faces, flashes of his dark vision charging chills through his arms. He would smile if it was possible. He enjoys Darzen and his family. Samuel being the first in many years with any remote aptitude to replace him. Emry puts his hands on Darzen''s shoulders "Boys listen close, this isn''t for just your father.. And most the village won''t listen." a vision hits him strong, he shakes his head. Tears rolling from his eye less sockets. "Something dark comes, I see cities burning. Be on gaurd, a pale horse has come." Darzen swallows, his heart skipping a beat. He understands, years before it was a burning sun. The village and forest almost died as a terrible drought came. Emry had led them to a deep cave. It was cool enough, and had enough water to keep the people from death, but the night hunts where dangerous. The boys look between their shaman and their father.Samuel and Aleway know not to ask. Emry shakingly sighs, he sighs putting a smile on. His hand produce three sweets. The small party accepts, then part ways from the shaman. Hours pass as each think on the message. Samuel knowing more than Aleway has to ask "Dad.. Do you think the pale horse is death? Like in the tales from the apocalypse and the four horsemen?" Darzen looks at Samuel, a stern tone "My son, let us not turmoil over the details. Let us watch, and be ready as we have always been. Emry is a guide, let us get our meat stock then contemplate the details." Samuel nods, by now they are edging the forest. Darzen takes the lead, leading the boys towards the low lands. Where deer and other creatures stay during the ice season. Darzen enjoys looking up at the snow caps, they also tell him where to go. The snow was getting higher, which meant they slowly had to go farther. He listens, the boys are silent in step and voice. He will encourage them when they stop for midmeal. Aleway us feeling more watchful, the old shamans words striking his mind as maybe an enemy out here. He has his bow close and partially knocked.The day passes to midmeal, Darzen has noticed Aleway''s tense posture. He smiles softly as he hands them some dried fruit. The boys take it with a nod, Darzen reaches out and pats each boys shoulder ''You two are doing well.'' His eyes going to Samuel ''I know you are a scholar, I know this frustrates you at heart. There will be a day the skill of forging your food will be needed.'' Samuel nods and smiles swallowing his bite of food ''Yes dad..'' he hesitates and sighs softly ''It is frustrating, but as a scholar and possible shaman I must learn every path to understand those I might lead some day.'' Darzen chuckles and teasingly ruffles Samuel''s hair ''Just don''t grow up too fast my son.'' Darzen looks over to Aleway who is sile tly observing as usual. Aleway greets his dads gaze with a soft smile. Darzen chuckles ''My great warrior, I''ve noticed you are tense, maybe jumpy. What weigs on you?'' Aleway chews a bit of jerky and swallows slow. Young but Co templative ''Just the talk of death and shadows.. I''m a bit scared.. Wanting to protect us if it''s a creature that stalks.'' Darzen muses a bit ''Well, I''m sure we are safe with you covering us, my watchful warrior.'' Darzen leans in close, resting a hand in Aleway''s shoulder ''But my son, remember as you are thought. Flow like a river. Deep and unstoppable. Calm on the surface, but leathe below.'' Aleway relaxes and nods ''Yes father.'' Aleway closes his eyes, a deep breath in and let''s it out slowly. Relaxing. Darzen moves his hand away and smiles softly ''You boys are doing good. I can barely hear you. We should get a deer or something soon.''If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Smoke to the north Darzen watches his boys as they finish up the meal in thoughtful silence. As far as he hoped, he as a father was just nouturing his plants. They pack up, the day gets late. Coming into the gravel bench, an odd formation littered with dead machines. Darzen figured it may have been a mine from the prior civilization. Seven deer, and a mutated stag wander the small spring that leaks from the stone face near a collapsed tunnel. Darzen looks to his boys, Aleway is already gone, Samuel nods pointing to a tracked rusted hulk. Alway''s silhouette can be seen under it, worming close. Darzen folds his arms watching, making a motion to Samuel. It is their hunt after all. Samuel moves just south of Aleway cutting off escape. Darzen watches hand signs pass, then a finger count. One arrow thuds into a fat young doe. It pieces her lungs. The herd panics, running west away from Darzen, the doe in panic staggers south. Blood drips from her muzzle, Samuel steps out putting a final arrow into her chest. The doe falls, a couple twitches. The boys are on her, Aleway slitting her throat with the ivory steel blade he got for his birthday from the Smith. Samuel guards as Aleway bleeds the doe and preps her to hang and pack. Darzen chuckles walking up "Good team work my son''s, and good pick." He pats both on the head. Aleway says his thanks, then kneels by Samuel to say thanks to the doe for her life and nourishment. Darzen helps the boys hang the doe from a outcrop of a rusted hulk. He steps back. Watching as Samuel and Aleway skin and part the deer out. Holding his spear close, feeling uneasy. He won''t show it for his boys sake. Night is starting to come as the boys finish filling the meat packs. All three are brimming with fresh meat, a good but dangerous thing. Darzen picks up his meat pack, glancing to the north then scanning west, it''s dusk. He looks at the boys "Going to be a moonless night my sons. Where should we set camp?" he asks testing them. Samuel looks at his brother Aleway who nods. Samuel answers "We should camp away from the kill 8ncase of predictors, and hang the meat high away from the camp as well dad." Darzen smiles nodding "Good idea." he replies letting the doe down and recovering his rope "I know just the spot, come on." Samuel and Aleway had never spent a night in the shelf, they follow their dad. Samuel nudges Aleway, then points at a rust heap "Hey, look at that." Aleway looks at the heap, a big wide front followed by a long flat bed behind it. Aleway shrugs "Yeah, it''s something old world." a light sigh, still annoyed with his dreamer brother. He loved Samuel, but the whole smarts thing ground his nerves. Samuel looks at Aleway unphased "It''s a truck, the old world and the domes use them for supply delivery." An excited look "We could be rich merchants if we had one.. Imagine what we could haul." Aleway gives his brother''s starstruck look a side glance, and a light shake of his head. Darzen Shakes his head, for barely seven they have quite the mind and attitude. Yet he reminds himself they get that from Lilly. The boys are quiet following him, it''s an old warehouse he leads them to. There''s a silent shoving match as they race in to explore. Here the rust heaps are actually recognizable. Darzen watches Samuel inspect each one, seeing gears turning in his head. Glancing over he watches Aleway strateguzing, looking at ins and outs, perches, and a place to rest. Darzen knows they will need a fire, he calls his sons to him "Come here boys, we need to set up camp." Aleway is there 8n moments, Samuel arrives playing with some device that flickers. A hand crank lamp, Darzen watches. Samuel holds it close looking between his dad and brother for instruction. Darzen looks at Aleway "What''s your opinion?" Aleway points up some ramps "High, windows, and one way in one way out." Darzen nods to his son "Good thinking, let''s hang the meat and set up for the night." Aleway sets his device by where they set their bed rolls. The family hangs the meat high, then gathers wood. Soon a fire is burning and the boys are in their beds. Darzen tells them the grand and sad stories about his childhood, the storms, and plagues. Aleway and his dad take turns on watch, something samuel wasn''t able to do.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Morning comes and a wolf is sniffing around in the room they Hung the meat in, they sit and watch. Aleway watches, his bow knocked. Darzen puts his son at ease. The wolf soon leaves, stopping to give them a curious look before scurrying off. Samuel notes it''s a rather fat female "It was a girl wolf dad." Darzen nods "It was, and she was carrying pups. Wolves help and hurt us." The boys nod. Soon they have the meat down and are headed home. Samuel playing with the crank that makes the light come on, after a look from Aleway he hangs it on his pack. Samuel hates this part, packing. He was strong, but it hurt his feet and annoyed him, but he bit his tongue under the lesson of every man can be good at one thing, but a man good at many things can survive. Samuel looks at Aleway, a bit of guilt knowing his brother took the heavier of their packs. The family marches on, afternoon comes and they are approaching home. Darzen looks up, a oddly dark cloud in the north, followed by a harsh thundering noise. A storm maybe? His heart stops, it''s smoke. One of the domes is openly burning as its glass shell has imploded. Darzen having froze checks on his boys. Aleway and Samuel stand side by side on a rock watching, pale with fear. Samuel has pulled his looking glass, but puts it away. Darzen moves close to them "Let''s move boys, this isn''t good." Both boys nod and double time wordlessly. Upon reaching the village things are in a state of alarm. Darzen sends the boys home and meets with the counsel of leaders. It''s decided they should move towards the mountains incase it is war. Up in the hut above the village Emry gathers his things. He heard the boom, the air smells of fire and decay. The songs of the dead ringing in his ears, he slings his most important items in a pack over his shoulder. A look to the north "God have mercy on our souls." before he heads down to join the evacuation. The Evacuation Aleway is in their hut first. Lilly greets him with a hug, he does his best to hide his fear. Hugging back, he moves as Samuel scamper in. Samuel is spooked and hugs his moms legs. Aleway takes the moment to go get the little bit of money he has saved up over the last year, now old enough he was able to do odd jobs. He counts the odd alloy chips, almost two hundred of them. He slips them in his travel pack having left the meat in the eating room. He checks his knife, bow, hatchet and bedroll. He is ready to go as Samuel comes in. Aleway grabs his brother in a tight hug "We will be OK, need any help?" Samuel hugs back and shakes his head "No thank you, I just want a few things. I''ll find new books." Aleway nods letting Samuel go, watching his brother pack his weapons, a reading glass, a few scrolls, his savings, and a few of his lighter trinquets. They come back to the main room, seeing their dad they hurry over hugging his legs. He looks distressed, Darzen looks between Lilly and his boys. A sigh "These people still won''t listen to Emry. And I was hoping it wouldn''t be this severe, I don''t know weather to travel with them south to Tith or to go somewhere I know is safe till we know what is going on." Lilith nods, holding her words as Emry appears in their doorway. A soft smile" Watch the traders, they carry death. And know not that they do." Lilith nods looking to Darzen who replies" Hence why my plan feels safer. We don''t know what is going on up north, and there has been fewer traders over the past little bit." The family agrees on their plan, and head out. Emry sticking with the boys, slipping them a sweet. Darzen and his family are the fourth on the rutty road south, one of the other village leaders catches up to him. Darzen gives him a glance" How can I help you Mace?" The man, a survivor of a war sighs" I can already tell that you aren''t with us on this." Darzen nods, glancing at the smoke to the north. It drifts east, with the current air movement" This, I feel isn''t war. And as I pled to you and the others, I still feel we should break contact till we know what is happening for sure." Mace flexes his jaw, but understands and knows Darzen well." Do what you feel needs done. I trust your gut, but I have a conscious." Darzen shakes his head" It''s been too long since I heard of any merchant''s from Tith? Or the northerners. Something is very wrong." Mace thinks on that, and nods. His pregnant wife comes up, Mace excuses himself and helps her. Darzen hugs Lilly to him, kissing her forehead. The boys guide Emry and giggle, one whispering Eew playfully. It was Aleway, trying to help Samuel stay calm. Darzen chuckles and shakes hid head. The day creeps into afternoon Darzen gathers his boys and heads west. He had planned for if a day had come like this, he had a spot up in the mountains. Another rust shelf, but this one was different. Darzen had preserved knowlage books and devices up here for his boys. He had been waiting to bring them up here, but fate had pushed the hand. There is a loud popping of an engine, several look to the sky. Big war choppers and armored air choppers head from the south. The purities choppers, the south city must be sending aid. A couple drones pass at high speed not far above the villagers heads. Those cities had preserved what was known as modern technologies. Dez watches the village people try to hide among the brush, leery eyes to the sky. Darzen feels a light tug on his tunic. He looks down, finding Samuel looking up. Teary eyes, fear quivering lips "Daddy, are we going to die?" This takes Darzen back to his boys where still kids. Strong, learning, but still little boys in a really fucked up world. He bends scooping Samuel up and hugging him "No son, we are strong like our predicessors. We will be just fine." Lilly nods, looking pale. Darzen breaks up the trail, hearing another engine from the north. This one is one he knows, a man named Mack. A trader, a seven foot tall jolly black gentleman. The rest of the village has continued onward. Emry and a family of three has continued to follow him, seeing his logic. The three where Greth, Mary, and their daughter Beth who had just turned eight. Beth had a thing for Aleway and Samuel, which made the boys shy. Mack rolls to a stop, almost falling from his truck. He is wounded, a gunshot wound to his shoulder. Lilly races up to him. He smiles "Ahh my angel." Mack pulls himself to a sit, weak from blood loss. Darzen knows the man''s lingo and asks the boys to stay with Emry. A no questions obedience, they sit and catch up with Beth. Darzen walks up to Mack, looking him over "You look like shit. What''s the shake down out north." Mack looks up as he is washed and stitched up, light cringes. Mack sighs "It''s fucked, all fucked. Those dome sitters went ballistic, massive exodus. People running with their skin boiling, I was getting away from that area." Darzen nods, sounds like a sick ess "How''d you get shot boss?" Mack frowns "Some fucker tried to steal my truck, so few have guns u was a bit shocked." Darzen nods, watching his wife and the other woman finish up. The woman scamper off to catch back up to the rest of the village. Lilly stands, going to get a water skin. She returns and let''s Mack during, looking up at her husband" That doesn''t sound good at all, we need to move in case of other problem people." Darzen nods in reply, then he looks at Mack" Not bleeding to death any more, can you make it? " Mack looks thoughtful, but nods" Yeah Darzen, if you can help me back in.. I''m bailing as far south as I can go.. That shit ain''t cool up north." Darzen helps the big man up, Mack does his part. He looks from the cab of the old truck "Whatever God you pray to, may he watch over you and your family." Darzen nods "God speed my friend, hope to see you again." Mack nods starting the old truck, closing the door. Darzen watches him stop and load as many villagers as he can and he''d south. Darzen gathers his family and heads west.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. The day passes, Darzen watching his boys and Beth talk. And choppers heading north. Lilly staying at his side, she had been to the emergency place he set up. She was a bit eager today, light suggestive gripes. Darzen understands, it has been a few ays since they caressed. He chuckles kissing her cheek whispering "Tonight my love. Stone carries no sound." He watches her blush knowing what he is thinking. It is night fall When they reach the old mine. Darzen takes several minutes grunting to move the heavy steel door, Greth helping him. They eventually get the old door worked open, Samuel finding some oil among the rusted hulks. Samuel smiles proudly that he was able to help through knowlage. Darzen steps as side letting the boys, and others in. Him and Greth pull the door closed and bar it. Lilly lights torches leading everyone down to the main chamber, it''s about a quarter mile of downward slope. Once there, Darzen had a fire pit set up. Everyone helps getting wood and materials together, and soon a fire is burning. Beth, Lilly, and Mary get dinner cooking, the meat Darzen and the boys got, vegetables, and herbs. Darzen takes the boys back and shows them their rooms he had set up. Samuel sets his torch in the holder and stares in awe at all the books, trinquets, and tools. Darzen smiles waving Aleway to his room, Aleway looks over the traps and weapon making tools. He hugs his dad "Thank you." Darzen nods patting him on the head, they sit down to sharpen spear and knife together. Soon dinner is called, they join the rest of the group in the main room. It''s warm, and the meal gets quite jovial. Emry and Darzen singing old songs, Gareth playing his harmonica he found. Soon everyone is tired and heads to bed, Darzen pulls Lilly into their room and hugs her close. Just wanting her company, before the next several hours of passionate love making.