The Hunter's Apprentice (5 page)

Aerys grabbed his pen in expectation. Erasmus was definitely a great teacher.

He was free every afternoon after his morning lessons. Usually he spent most of the time in the clearing with the dogs which adored him now. He loved to play with them. But he always looked at the forest with desire. He wanted nothing more than to walk under the shades of the big trees that towered in it. It reminded him of Dimes which was surrounded by a small forest where he used to roam every day. He knew each and every part of it and he wished the same thing about this forest.

He had asked the hunter for his permission the first day but the latter had refused vehemently. He had said that it was too dangerous for him and that he should stay within the barriers until he was told differently. This frustrated Aerys. He liked to stay with the dogs within the clearing but he felt like a prisoner. He would wander nearly every day to the furthest point of the property and watch for hours the forest that lay in front of him. It was so close yet so far. The forest was unlike the one in Dimes. This one seemed ageless. A tense and powerful aura emanated from it. Erasmus had explained to him that this forest was a sold as the world. It had been bigger but after centuries of existence, it was slowly shrinking. However it was still large enough to cover a substantial area that extended towards the large river of Elayim on the north and to the high hills of Barad-Zim on the east.

Few actually could say that they had one day wandered in it for it was reputed to accommodate an amazing amount of creatures. No one dared to venture near it and anyone who wanted to cross it had to go north and cross the Elayim river or go south where they had to go across the blue mountains. Either way, the travelers had to cover twice or more the grounds they would normally have to if they had cut right through the forest. Even the hunters hesitated to enter it.

Erasmus had told all this to Aerys naturally but instead of frightening him off as he had meant to, it only fuelled his desire to venture in it. It attracted him. Something in it attracted him. He could not say what but when he would stay for hours by the barriers, he would feel a force pulling him and a voice would talk smoothly in his ear. The first time he heard it, he shuddered frightened and looked all around him but and when he realized that there was no one, he ran towards the house as fast as he could.

However, he came back the next day pulled by an irresistible force. It was stronger than him and he again heard the voice. It was like a melody that echoed in his head. He would then stay till dusk everyday jus t listening to it while he watched the forest wanting nothing more than to disobey the hunter and walk in it. It was nearly after a whole week that he finally succumbed. He finished his morning studies with Erasmus and he strolled off as always to the northern side of the fence. He had verified that the hunter was still in the study room and satisfied that there was no danger of being caught, he stepped across the barriers. He found himself on the other side and he nearly retreated back into the property. However the melody resounded again and all thoughts of returning were washed away from his mind. The dogs remained inside though and whined frightened. Aerys ignore them and strolled away towards the forest. It was most welcoming and unusually lively. The trees seem to move apart from each other and a sort of passage appeared welcoming him in.

He walked on mesmerized. The sun appeared from behind the clouds and it illuminated the whole area. The scenery was so enchanting that Aerys walked more quickly. He stepped inside the forest mesmerized. The birds sang joyfully and little shiny creatures flew all round him. He knew what they were; forest spirits. They were pretty inoffensive and they their whole round bodies glowed day and night. He had encountered them many times in Dimes. He felt completely peaceful and safe. He had the certainty that nothing could harm him now. The voice continued to whisper in his ears saying incomprehensible words in a dreamy melody. It seemed to be a language of old times and he wondered whether it was the forest itself which was talking to him.

He walked on and found more and more amazing things. The trees moved on their own crating the path as he walked in. The thought that he was being led down to something dangerous crossed his mind but the voice quickly eased away his fear. He knew that he could not trust it but he sensed that it was the truth. More and more creatures appeared as he ventured deeper. He saw pixies who wore bright dresses and who flew around leaving a trail of light behind them as they did so. They giggled uncontrollably as they flew around him. They talked in a language that he could not understand. They were mischievous creatures and soon they were ruffling his hair and teasing him. They did not seem at all dangerous and Aerys laughed with them as they tried to do acrobatics in the air.

Finally the trees opened into a clearing and he stepped inside it. He was not alone in the clearing. There was a huge bear with its cubs. It roared loudly at him but the voice reassured him. He knew that it would not hurt him. He watched the bear unsure of what he was meant to do. It was then that he saw the arrows. There were two in its back and it was bleeding. So this was the reason why he had been brought here? The voice encouraged him forward as did the other creatures which flew joyfully towards the bear which softened. Aerys looked at it with concern though. He did not fancy that much walking towards a bear unarmed despite what the voice said. He hesitated.

It was then that he heard the barks of a dog behind him. He turned and saw Mirsca hurrying towards him all fangs out. The melody stopped and the creatures disappeared instantly. Aerys could not hear the voice anymore. He knelt down to pat Mirsca but she ignored him and ran past him. He heard her growled as she faced the bear which moved forward to protect its cubs. It roared threateningly and stood on its hind legs.

The bear was truly terrifying and Aerys stood where he was unable to move. Mirsca growled at it but Aerys knew that the bear would crush her easily. However much to his surprise, the bear seemed wary of her and kept its distance. Its cubs were hiding behind her frightened. If the bear had been alone, it might have walked away but the presence of its cubs gave it no choice but to stand its ground in front of the intruders. There was some blood coming out from its hind legs and Aerys noticed that there was a broken arrow in her back. She was probably suffering a lot.

The realization of this helped him edge out of his torpor and he managed to move again. He did not want it to suffer. He knew that it only wanted to protect its cubs and saw them as threats. Aerys grabbed Mirsca and tried to calm her down but in vain. He could still not command her yet. The bear roared more and more loudly. Aerys knew that he had little time and that they had to move back but Mirsca was getting more and more aggressive.

She broke free from him then and launched herself upon the bear. Aerys thought that it would be the end of her and he fell on his knees. But miraculously she did not die. She avoided the bear’s attack and jumped towards its neck. The bite made the bear let out a deafening roar of pain and furry. It latched its claws at Mirsca who dodged again surprisingly and backed away with bloody fangs. She licked them appreciatively and one look at her made Aerys realize that she wanted more now.

The hunter had warned him about that. His dogs loved blood and its taste unleashed their furry. It was too late now. She growled and prepared to attack again. The bear was in a sad state. She could barely stand up for Mirsca’s bite was deep and blood was coming out alarmingly. Out of this battle between dog and bear, the dog was surprisingly coming out victorious. Aerys then noticed the cubs behind the bear. They were panicking and shrieking loudly at their mother. He had to do something for he was sure that Mirsca would attack them afterwards. He ran towards her to try to stop her but she growled back at him. He backed a bit surprised. The blood was affecting her more than he had thought. But still he had to do something and so he grabbed her with his arms and pulled her back despite her growls. He let out a cry of pain. She had bitten him but not at full force for if she had he would have lost both arms to her powerful jaws. But nevertheless he was bleeding and hurt.

Aerys did not give up though despite the pain and kept moving her away from the bear. She resisted and scratched his hands with her long claws. The pain was becoming more and more unbearable but he knew that he had to resist at all cost. He had nearly succeeded in pulling her out of the clearing when she snapped and tore away from him. To his horror, she rushed towards the struggling bear and prepared to launch a fatal attack. Aerys cried after her she ignore his desperate calls and she jumped for the kill.

A loud whistle then reverberated all around the forest and Mirsca stopped in her tracks with her tail down. The hunter emerged from the thick bushes with Max and Moon following him closely behind. He did not even cast a look towards me but walked towards the bear serenely. Mirsca barked timidly at her master and he took out his stick. Aerys knew what was coming and he shouted after him.

He did not listen and the stick fell and so did Mirsca. She barked in pain as she received the blow. It was cruel. She was not to be blamed. How could he beat her down like that? Was she not his dog? I rushed to her side and protected her from further blows. The hunter looked at me angrily.

-Move lad. She deserved this for losing control.

-She’s just a dog for god sake, he retorted with tears in my eyes.

-I have trained them to obey since birth. Failure is not admissible. So move out or I’ll have to beat you too.

Aerys did not move and looked at him with defiant eyes. If he wanted to beat him, he could but he would not let him hurt the poor dog again. Drake watched him for a split second indecisively and then walked away towards the bear. Aerys breathed again and caressed Mirsca tenderly. She barked back tentatively and began licking his injuries with a sad look in her eyes. Aerys knew that she was sorry for what she had done and he held no grudge against her. He looked towards the bear. Drake approached it without any fear. He talked to her while he moved closer and the bear relaxed. Aerys could not understand what he was saying for he was talking too softly but he marveled at how he managed to calm the bear.

Drake walked up to it and examined its injuries. The bear did not move or make any movement while he touched its fur. He examined the injuries in its leg and back and then knelt down and opened his bag. He took some things out of it and began to take care of the beast. It sat down quietly while the hunter began to clean its injuries and bandaged them with long plasters. The only time, the bear growled was when the hunter pulled out the broken arrow from her back. But he said some reassuring words again quickly and it felt silent again. Aerys watched in pain as the hunter finished his business. The bear growled its gratitude and went away followed by its cubs.

The hunter than came to Aerys side and examined his injuries while casting a cold look at Mirsca who retreated behind him. He cleaned the injuries which were minor ones and bandaged him thoroughly. Once he was satisfied he walked out of the clearing with the other two dogs without a word. Aerys remained for a while in the clearing with Mirsca. Finally he stood up painfully and followed him with Mirsca on his heels. He had the feeling that her loyalty had changed now. This made him feel a lot better.

Later that day he told Erasmus about what had happened in the forest and the latter just nodded comprehensively.

-What was that voice I heard? He asked puzzled.

Erasmus snapped his fingers and the door of Aerys room closed.

-This is something which is really peculiar, he said seating himself besides Aerys. If you remember clearly, I have told you all about this forest and about how ancient it is. It is probably as old as the world is and no one has ever fully explored it. There are many who tried the deeper lands of the forest remained unexplored. It is too dangerous and it has been some time now since someone last decided to explore it.

-And what happened to the last one?, asked Aerys.

-Dead, said Erasmus grimly. Most of them usually die there and they never come back to tell what they have seen but trust me lad, it is better this way for there are things that should not be disturbed.

-But what was that voice?, said Aerys. I have never experienced something like that.

-I’m coming to this lad, said Erasmus gravely. There is a reason why the hunter warned you not to approach the forest. It’s because of that voice.

-But it was not dangerous. It only wanted me to help the bear.

Erasmus nodded.

-That’s right. The voice you heard was benevolent. But if you noticed, I spoke of voices. There is not just one.

-You mean that there are other voices like the one I heard?

-Yes. How many? I cannot tell. But it is a proven facts that there are at least three voices. I have spent a lot of time studying the subject and gathering information on it thanks to the hunter. I have written everything I know about it in a book.

-Is it that book named Voices of the nether? Said Aerys remembering the name of one book he had seen in the study room.

-Yes. It’s that one. You have an excellent memory lad. I have written everything I know in there and you should take a look at it when you have some time. You may not be able to understand everything as it is a complex book but  you may grasp the general idea.

-I’d prefer if you tell me about it rather than read it, said Aerys.

Erasmus laughed but quickly regained his seriousness.