The Militant Family/Stories/Childhood

Childhood

Birth of the Goat and Snake

On a cold February evening the first of three sons was born. The son of a war hero and a noble wife had seen the world for the first time. Family rumors say that when the child was born his eyes opened clearly, and gazed at all that surrounded him studying all before him. Shortly after the birthing of one, another was due for arrival. However, no matter how hard their mother tried the child would not be birthed. It remained a mystery which was followed by another rumor that the child would not come out in spite of the first born. For four days the child relented on it's birth, but in the early morning of the fourth day the child was finally born. Two sons now blessed the family, and with the birthing of the second child they could now return to their home in the mountains of Drenga.

The couple had traveled all the way to Giblot city for the occasion. The land was still densely populated and skilled doctors could only be found in the large gathering in cities, which today compare to the size of a small rural area. During the trip, the mother carried her two sons while the father supported her. Every few hours they would have to stop and take a rest as she fed the children. The travel was tremendously long, and it took days to finally reach the center of what is now Ammersfield. They stopped in at a small village to rest. The inhabitants were not pleasant, and very blood thirsty. They were often seen by the couple engaging in taboo arts and the drinking of blood.

To even enter the small village the visitors had to drink at least a small amount of blood, even the young ones. With two newborns in toe it was best not to anger the villagers. All of the four drank a small bit of blood. None of them truly liked the taste, although the infant Gander was seen licking his lips after drinking this foreign fluid. After a day of rest the father of the children asked to borrow a cart so that they could reach their mountain top home quicker. The locals refused since he had nothing to offer in exchange for the cart. Instead he offered them land in the mountains to claim as their own. Since Drenga was sparsely populated the couple had claimed a large part of it as their own, and while still in his youth the husband could claim the land and uphold the right with his swordsmanship. A few villagers accepted this deal and a small caravan formed out of what was just four travelers.

In just under a week they finally made it to their home in Drenga.

The Bear is Born

Within five months the wife was in labor again. A third child born within five months of the last? That was indeed an odd occurrence. The wife swore that no man had violated her, and suggested it must be a child of one of the gods. There was no time to rush to the city this time due to the surprise pregnancy, and the child was born in Drenga. Local medicine was of poor quality and not much of medical use grew in the high mountains of Drenga. The child was born without any troubles on a warm July afternoon. The third son of the family, and the baby was deemed healthy.

This was later proven false. Without the accumulated knowledge of the doctors within the city the disease that was spreading through the young ones body wasn't known ahead of time. It was already deemed too late for the child and for the family not to expect it to live beyond the age of five. Woe and sorrow filled the mother with grief at the thought of losing one of her children. All day she would just sit in bed holding the child close to her and was said to never sleep.

Fatigue showed wear on her body and mind. She was often seen weeping heavily then a moment later was looking down at the child as if nothing happened. She was also found rocking the child in her arms while praying to any of the gods and goddess' to save her child. One day it became too much for the husband, and he took the child from her grasp and gave him to one of the nurse maids. When this happened the mother was screaming "They've taken my baby, death is taking my precious baby boy!"

With her child no longer in her arms her spirit seemed crushed. She still lay in bed praying to the gods and crying profusely. The father finally got her to get out of bed and everyday at noon they would go for a stroll into the mountains. She eventually got better physically, but her mind was still a wreck. She was allowed to see her other children unattended, but not their youngest. When she was with the boys alone she would whisper to them while she fed and cradled them "Death is taking my baby, it won’t be long now. Death will come for him by tomorrow and I'll be forced to throw myself at death's feet so that my baby doesn't go to the underworld alone."

The infants couldn't understand a word she said, but it is believed it had an effect on each of them. That their natural sense of emotion guided their tiny brains to understand their mother’s pain and sorrow although the moment would never register with their memory.

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and months into year. The boys had all reached age 2, and the oldest was already speaking and understanding what others had said. Gander had not learned to talk yet, but would often crawl into dark places to hide, under tables, under beds, in a closet, behind a door. His mother was always yelling and looking for him. Once she found him she had to grab hold of him tightly, for once he was out of her sight she would go searching again.

The youngest had finally been brought back to her, and her mind seemed at ease now that her youngest was still alive. Their mother would still hold him and cradle him and say prayers for him, but he would cry and when she put him down he would go and chase his older brother Gander around, who was often found stalking Goergyboy. This little train they had going made it easier for her to keep her eye on all three, although Cheveyo received most of her attention. Whenever he bumped his head or fell she was right there picking him up then kissing and snuggling him.

Five Years Are Up

The boys had reached age 5. Now talking, walking, and fighting everything seemed normal although Cheveyo was often a far distance behind the other two, still being followed by the ever present eyes of their mother. Despite her protests their father had already begun teaching them how to use the sword. Gander and Cheveyo took to it well, but the concept never interested Goergyboy none. He often skipped practice and hid in the very small library in the house. The few books that were in the overly exaggerated storage room were gifts from the old days when their father was a warrior in the great wars of some far off place in Elarea. Rational thought, science, history, math, philosophy, and religious books were available to him despite the small collection. He began looking at the world as more of a why and how approach rather then the common 'the gods wills it so' explanation.

The two younger brothers were developing their swordsmanship nicely, while their brother was busy developing his mind. They learned a variety of techniques from their father, and in their spares learned how to observe the strengths and weaknesses of their opponent. Cheveyo never bested Gander despite how hard he tried.

Finally the day of grand importance for the family arrived. Cheveyo's fifth birthday had come and he was healthier then ever. Their mother cried and praised the gods and slowly regained her senses. No longer was the disease a threat, and the boys could live normal lives.

From Childhood to Manhood

The years seemed to pass in a flash. Their children had grown from whiney meat sacks to able young men. The test for manhood finally came when they reached sixteen. As in family tradition the child must rise to the rank of manhood by overcoming a ritual challenge. A simple hunt would do for their trial. A nearby cave was infested by what the locals saw as hideous demons. Swarms of them would arise in the night and fly through the air terrorizing the people. Their task was to catch 100 bats each.

When the three reached the cave , the opening was just about big enough for two people to walk side by side into but not much wider. The height of the opening was tall enough for an average male to walk through without risk of hitting his head. Gander and Cheveyo brandished their swords and began to walk into the cave in single file then looked back at their brother. They asked if he was coming or not, but he just told them he would wait until they were done. The two shrugged it off, wanting to complete the task early, and entered the cave.

When they were deep inside the cave numerous bats were on the roof of the cave. If it weren't for the solid rock the bats themselves would have been so tightly packed together that no sunlight would shine through. The smell was unbearable, and the two covered their faces while swinging their swords at the bats. The bats scattered and flew around. Ten, Twenty, Thirty, slowly they were making progress, but that was combined and the bats were attacking back. The two picked up the bats and shook their hand in disgust after feeling the bug infested floors which was also covered in bat droppings. They regrabbed the corpses of the few bats they managed to kill and ran out of the cave.

Their brother was gone, so they piled up the bats and rested. Later just before night fall their brother returned. They asked where he had been, and he simply replied he had been out shopping. They were baffled to say the least and asked if he even wanted to become a man. Goergyboy noticed their small pile of bats, and laughed replying that he'd be done before they were. The two younger brothers laughed in unison, which soon turned into silence and jaw dropped expressions.

Just as night was setting Goergyboy produced a net he bought off of a local fisherman, and threw it over the cave entrance. Once dusk fell the bats flew towards the entrance, but were caught into a net instead of being out into the open air. Within minutes he had hundreds of bats, and returned home with the large net thrown over his shoulder. Although not the usual way the contest is won Goergyboy was pronounced a man. He set the bats free after he was proclaimed a man. As for his brothers they continued hacking away at bats for three days until they had one hundred each.

However, despite all of them making it to man hood not everyone was celebrating. Some of the darker villagers from Ammersfield worshipped the bats and saw them as a sacred creature. They prayed to their patron god to avenge the sacred creatures. The god heard their prayers and cursed the three brothers to be torn apart from that day. Cheveyo left for a new land completely, while the remaining two fought amongst each other.

And that is the story of the raising of the Goat, the Snake, and the Bear.