Coming of Age
Q’Zar bent down and checked the ground. It was obvious that he was on the right track, but still he didn’t want to make any mistake. Besides, close examination gave him more information. He smelled the soil, picked a little bit and stared at it carefully. The water salf had been here mere minutes ago.
Q’Zar breathed slowly, searching for his inner spirit to guide him. He couldn’t fail. His mind flew back to this very morning, when he and his companions had been anointed with the sacred paints while the Wise Ones chanted. They had then donned the ritual attire: warrior skirt, helmet and forearm guards. And then, one by one, they had presented to the Wise Ones their two weapons of choice for their approval.
The first weapon had to be a family heirloom. Q’Zar had chosen the Glitter Boots, just like his father and his grandfather had done during their own rituals. The Boots fitted all sizes, as Q’Zar’s sister, S’Heu, had demonstrated two seasons ago when she had borrowed them and went off on her own.
The second weapon had to be hand-made. Q’Zar had decided long ago to learn the art of archery; he had thus studied under Master Archer T’Sang. That implied not only mastering the use of the bow, but also building them to perfection. Master T’Sang had guided Q’Zar through all the stages, and he had proved to be a gifted student. As the last step in his path, Q’Zar had built his own Lightning Bow, following the ages-old ceremonies.
Q’Zar’s mind wandered for a second. Nobody knew any longer how the Lightning Bows worked or, come to think of it, any of the other Relics either, such as his Glitter Boots, or the ones chosen by his companions in the ritual. All the Masters had were the ancient scrolls detailing how to build them. All they knew is that if you followed the scrolls, the Relics worked. If you didn’t, they failed. Q’Zar had always had an inquisitive brain. He wanted to know how Relics worked. He needed to know.
The wind changed. Q’Zar had been expecting it.
Q’Zar caught a whiff. The water salf, no doubt about it. In one single movement, he slid an arrow off his quiver and readied his bow; as the string reached its maximum tension, the arrow shone. The Glitter Boots gave Q’Zar his last advantage, creating a bubble of silence around him. He knew he could have done this without it, but his father would have been disappointed had he not taken them.
There. The large male quadruped stood before him, unaware of Q’Zar’s presence. Q’Zar had followed it until the cliff behind the beast made its escape impossible, in case he missed with his first arrow. He didn’t intend to, but expecting the unexpected was part of his education. Q’Zar raised his bow and took aim…
Something was wrong. The water salf raised his head and stomped. It didn’t look towards Q’Zar; something else had scared it.
Q’Zar knew it just before he heard the screech.
A Roc’h! The giant bird appeared, flapping its huge wings, soaring up right from behind the salf. It craned its neck and snapped at the salf, cutting it in two. The Roc’h ate the first half, then gulped the second one and screeched again.
Q’Zar felt rage boiling inside himself. The Roc’h had stolen his prey! How could he be declared a Man, if he didn’t return with the water salf’s tail to prove he had killed it?
Q’Zar stood and stomped one foot, deactivating the silent field. The Roc’h glared, focusing on this new intruder. Its huge yellow eyes reduced to a slit as it shrieked. Even as the giant beast charged amidst a flurry of feathers, Q’Zar invoked his inner spirit and took aim again.
He shot. Twice.
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This is my accompanying entry for the Weekly Writing Exercise: January 30–February 5, 2017 on the Writer’s Discussion Group in Google+. I am responsible for creating the prompts for the Exercise, so I don’t take part, but I still like to write a story each week.
I’m late with this story. I just couldn’t find the focus I wanted, so I let it slip. The online challenge came and went, and participants wrote great stories. But I didn’t. And I had to give them the next prompt… Then the idea hit me. I was going to link this week story with next week’S, Prophecy, and I knew how. And so Coming of Age was written.
It’s a pity that I didn’t use the exact scene depicted in the image, though.
