So a big thanks to everyone who encouraged me to give this a try..
I hope you enjoy it.
Chapter 1 Journey
Kyy awoke shortly before dawn. His room was dark and quiet and for a moment he lay between two worlds, without mental noise and in peace. Then his thoughts returned, rushing in like leaves being blown in a strong breeze, swirling and dancing in every direction. He was aware of them, yet they were out of focus and he was unable for the briefest moment to think clearly. Emerging from this illusory dream state with myriad images he grasped at one, catching it, feeling its shape and texture and at once his day began.
The wait was over; he would be leaving shortly. His mind was roused quicker than his body, still heavy and sedate. He swung round so that his feet touched the rug by his bed. His toes scratched and slid over the texture of the fabric as if the sensation would bring his body further awake. It was also more reassurance that he was no longer dreaming, for such banal endeavours rarely occupy the realm of the dream-world. Still drowsy, he lit a candle, sending shapes and shadows to play on the walls. Now his eyes opened fully.
They were the drivers in a kinetic process so beautifully complex that Kyy seldom considered it. Awake now, his attention turned to packing the last of his things for the journey ahead. In the past, his time had been divided between the forest cottage and his grandfather’s stables. During the summer months of his childhood, he stayed with his grandfather, Ealdar Thoria, and his grandmother, Narua, at the stables. There he was much loved and cared for, and, despite having lost both parents by the age of five, he wanted for nothing. Life at the stables showed him a world outside the forest and gave him a set of skills not available to the other children of Greywood. He learned much under the tutelage of his grandparents, but his focus was always guided towards the horses - how to ride and care for these noble animals of superlative grace and condition. Horses were his grandfather’s passion and this passion was passed down to Kyy. Under the guidance of his grandmother, who had a great affinity for nature, Kyy came to look upon the natural world as an entity unto itself, something to be treated with respect. It was the essence of everything we see and touch and so to be detached from it, as so many are, is to be detached from one’s self. Narua always believed that life within the natural world should not be a struggle, but a harmonious existence of balance and joy.
The people of the forest treated their home well, but also, often took it for granted. Narua never grew negligent in that respect and always reminded Kyy of the wonders that constantly surrounded him. Kyy and his grandmother would stay in the cottage during much of the autumn, winter and spring so that Kyy could attend school in Greywood village. Ealdar would visit often as the distance between the cottage and the stables was only a morning’s ride away. The life of a horseman was a full time job however, so he could not remain with them for too long at any one time. As Kyy pondered what else he would need to bring with him, he knew that he would miss the forest greatly.
Equally, the thought of what he would experience at the stables this time gave him a real sense of excitement. With an energized flourish he flung the last of his things into his rucksack. It would be a long walk to his Grandfather’s farm on the upper plains, north-east of Greywood forest. Kyy packed some food, enough for two or three meals and then sat down to his final breakfast at the cottage. Afterwards, he took a last look around the small house, ensuring all the windows were tightly closed and the latches fastened on the doors.
He then gathered up his rucksack and stepped out into the fresh air. It was late spring and the day would be bright and pleasant. As yet the sun had barely awoken, but overhead in this small clearing the first hazy tendrils of light stretched across the sky, softening the ultra-marine morning as they reflected off the light, wispy clouds. A lone hawk sailed quietly above; its view of the sunrise was not obscured by the great trees and in the distance the sun had just begun to rise from the dusky red horizon.
The thin semicircle of intense crimson illuminated the ambient atmosphere in shades of orange and yellow. In the small clearing where the house stood, the light had not yet penetrated fully. The morning was suffused with a blue-grey hue, mirroring the sky. All the flowers and trees reflected the morning’s mood, the atmosphere was tinged in half-light, and everything was still. Kyy felt calm and peaceful and so at first was reluctant to set off along the forest path. He took one last look back at the house he had grown up in. The small cottage looked serene and beautiful as it welcomed in the dawn. The thatched roof was in slight disrepair and dwarfed completely by the massive grey trees which rose up behind for over a hundred feet to the canopies covered with leaves. The walls were partially covered in ivy, which grew up to, and between the windows.
The long flowerpots on the windowsills that once had been so beautifully filled now sat empty. Kyy had not wanted to fill them since his grandmother had died. Kyy turned back to the path and carried on. Although he was a little uneasy about leaving the familiarity and security of the forest he was very much looking forward to seeing his Grandfather again. It had been several months since Ealdar had last visited, at which time he had only stayed for three days, most of which was spent travelling to and from the forest village as he always had much business to attend to with the Forest Council.
For most of his life Ealdar had lived on his farm where he bred and trained horses. These animals were highly sought after as they were regarded as the most finely trained horses in Calbura. Kyy, apart from his Grandfather’s position, had little interest in the politics and for the most part Ealdar never troubled him with such issues. Kyy’s main interests were forged out of his experiences growing up and through the influence of his grandparents. His grandmother especially had instilled a love of nature in him and always favoured a more holistic approach to education, choosing not to cloud Kyy’s mind with the current politics and bureaucracy that existed in Calbura.
The history and geography of the world, however, did spark Kyy’s enthusiasm for learning and he had a great many books detailing the history and legends of Calbura and many other lands. He also had a large number of maps and although he had never travelled past Ogia, a fortified town about a league from his Grandfather’s farm, Kyy thought that maybe on this visit he would get the opportunity to venture further. The day drew on, bright but temperate at first, especially within the forest.
The huge silver trunks held abundant canopies in a hundred shades of green. This multitude of colour was made even more dazzling by the sunlight, which affected the surface of every leaf. Some were illuminated and others partially shaded, but each one contributed to the sea of green that swayed and rustled gently overhead and kept the heat of the sun at bay. Columns of light pierced through all around as if Kyy were walking in a great spider’s web constructed of sunshine.
The old forest road was well worn but kept in relatively good condition. Woodsmen regularly cleared the fallen trees and cut branches which encroached too far onto the road and might cause problems for passing wagons and coaches. Many small flowers and shrubs flourished by the roadside as much more light filtered down there than in the deeper forest. An aisle of colour and vibrancy guided travellers through Greywood. The procession of flowers was rich and diverse and was in constant flux depending on the season. Now foxglove, wild tulip, bluebells and poppies were but a few of the many flowers present. By the road-side was a wilderness just under control; wild flowers abounded as if nature’s imagination overpowered man’s attempt to constrain it. Kyy enjoyed walking this road by the flowers in the sunshine but he preferred to wander off the path and follow it roughly from inside the forest where he would half lose himself in fantasy and daydream.
He would pass trees quietly, step over rotting logs trying to disturb nothing and leaving as few tracks as he knew how. Kyy would imagine himself on some great journey or important task doing his best to remain concealed within the forest. Staying in the shade, he sometimes let his fingers pass slowly through beams of light as they shone through the dense forest, watching as in the haze the particles of dust and light swirled perfectly around his fingers.
The slight breeze made by his hand would create beautiful tiny whirlwinds and he would be lost for moments and eternities in their splendour, then he would close his hand and move on. He had played these games of imaginary adventures with his friends when he was younger, pretending to be Forest Scouts patrolling for wolves, enemy soldiers or goblins.
It had always been Kyy’s ambition to join the Forest Scouts and to maybe one day become a Wind Scout, or even a Storm Scout like his father Quaid. However, as one needed to be an Amalgam in order to be chosen as a Storm Scout, that was an almost impossible feat to emulate. He often thought of his father and his mother as he ventured through the forest. Kyy was very young when his parents left. He was told later, when he was old enough to understand such things, that Quaid and Ari had left during the Iron Wars and had never returned. Anything Kyy remembered about his parents seemed to have faded, leaving a vague shadow of a memory. From his grandparents’ descriptions he felt he had an accurate impression of them, but it was not the same as a memory, which troubled him occasionally. All the information he had about his mother was that her name was Ari Vedwin and that she was from the land of Toa, a country that lay far to the east. According to his grandfather it was a very beautiful land, and one of the great kingdoms. Narua was always upfront and open with him and even though Kyy was a small child he knew his mother had died.
His grandmother’s love lessened the negative effect of his mother’s absence. With regards Quaid he did, however, have one overriding memory that had stayed with him from his time with his father. He remembered walking in the forest with him when he was very small, slowly exploring his surroundings with the energy and tenacity of a small child, struggling over the vegetation and completely absorbed in everything he saw and touched. It was during these excursions, when they would try to keep as quiet as possible, that Kyy would hear his father’s voice, ‘Every step a whisper.’
It was these words now which echoed in Kyy’s mind as he continued his journey.