Defeating Obsession
The grizzled man awoke with the sun, as he did every morning. He rolled off his rough bed of grass and rocks, and began to poke at the smoldering camp fire with a stick. As he watched the small wisps of smoke float through the air he remembered that day so long ago that changed his life forever.
As a toddler his mother hurriedly stuffed him into a fallen log. The small boy felt her anxiety and knew something was wrong. �Stay put.� She said firmly, and he knew he should listen to her. Something frightened her, but he did not know what. His father stepped into the clearing and called to her. As she walked away she gave him a stern, yet tender, look. He scooted back farther into the log, with chills running down his back. He found a small crack in the log which he could peek out and see most of the clearing.
As he spotted his mother, she turned to look at the forest behind her. The little boy couldn�t see what she saw, but he could see the look in her eyes. They held the reflection of fear and power, mingled with pity perhaps. He could not hear all the sounds in the stifling, muffled log, but he could feel a slight rumble beneath his body.
Within the next few moments, the small boy saw his life fall apart. He felt each rip shock through his own body as he watched his parents mauled by a huge black form. His father fought the beast with the only weapon he had, a small chit knife. With little or no hope, his parents fought back. But in the end the many ferocious teeth could not be deflected by one small knife. His parents did not scream out, in order to spare their son what horrors they could. But he heard their pain, their agony in his soul. He carried that picture and horror in his heart at all times. Even as a full grown man, seeking his revenge, he thought only of his parents struggle, and demise.
On the cold, bitter morning, the man remembered his goals, and fondly remembered each detail of his plan. He planned to capture and destroy this awful creature that ruined his parents and his own life. So many other lives had been destroyed by this beast also, and he wandered the lands searching for this creature that no one has lived to identify. No one other than this one solitary man, who had made it his life�s duty to destroy this loathsome creature.
After years of contemplating his nemesis, the hunter had concluded the beast was a demon-god. From his memories as a young child he knew it was a wolf of some sort. A wolf like he, nor anyone else, had never seen before. Townspeople he had met along his journeys had all named this beast something very similar, all the names meaning Throat-ripper. It was much larger than most wolves, and traveled alone. One thing that astonished our hero was that this wolf traveled very far. Much farther than a normal wolves� territory, this beast had led his hunter many, many miles and through many adventures. Nothing distracted the hunter from his prey though; he always searched for signs of the terrible beast and continued to search, no matter the distance.
On this morning he awoke, the man did not know his obsession would come to a full bloom this very day. After his quick breakfast he smothered his fire and spread out his leaves he had used as bedding. He tossed his small bag over his shoulder and began his days� journey.
Just before setting camp the night before, he had spotted prints and markings from his nemesis, heading towards the vast forest to the east. For the past few weeks they had been traversing the hills and duns that covered the northern lands of the man�s home. The trees seemed menacing and contrasting to what they both were used to.
After a few hours of crawling through the rough woodland, the man stopped to eat his stale bread and dried meats. As he sat beside a small, sparkling stream he ate in silence, listening to the sounds of the forest. Suddenly the birds stopped chirping and it seemed as though time had actually stopped. The man slowly rose and turned around to see the presence he felt behind him. He knew that presence; it was his long time nemesis and un-cherished companion.
As the man looked into the black gnarled face he noticed the ear of the beast that was shorn to almost non-existence. He recalled his father�s chit knife and knew it was a mark left by one of the creatures� many victims, his father. As he reached for his long hunting dirk, the demon leapt into the air, high above the man�s head. He felt the wolf�s weight fall upon his chest, and he fell backwards into the creek.
For a while all he could remember was a searing pain. The man felt as though he had been burnt with a mighty flame, his skin tingled and felt numb in between moments of immense pain. For a while he thought he was dead, finally being defeated by his most loathsome enemy. But then he felt the pain as his lungs took in air, and dimly realized he was unfortunately still alive.
It most likely was days later when he bothered to try and open his eyes. When he did, he was surprised by a light from a fireplace nearby. As his eyes glazed with the heat of the fire, a dim figure came between him and the flames. The figure bent down to whisper to the hunter, and he thought perhaps it was the beast, come to finish him off.
�You are well.� A tender voice said. �You are alive.� The man backed slightly away and the hunter could fully see him now. He was an older man, with faded grey robes on his lanky, wrinkled body. The cleric explained to the man that he found him faced down in the creek and that he was very near death, and he had been sure he was not going to survive. �Certainly the gods must have something grand planned for you.� He had said in a scholarly manner.
The hunter turned his face away at that comment. �It is nothing grand to live knowing unbearable suffering. I seek to kill the beast that did this to me and my kin.� The elderly healer widened his blue eyes slightly, then observed the hunter and knew his stubbornness. �I�m sure my words will not fall upon your ears, that you should give up this obsession and not waste this life the gods have given back to you. That beast will surely be the death of you.� The hunters� rescuer continued to care for him and spoke of forgiveness, and the nature of creatures, and the many flaws of humanity. �This obsession,� he said, �will surely be the death of you.� The cleric was right in that these words did not change the hunters mind. He was determined to either kill or be killed by the beast Throat-Ripper. Perhaps even both.
Before leaving for the evening, the cleric told the hunter, �I will aid you on your quest, however I can. Let me come with you.� The hunter objected, knowing that the cleric would not listen to him. But, the druid was wise of the world and perhaps could be of some use after all. Later, as the hunter healed he began to think the scholar was perhaps he was sent by the gods to help him in his journey, his epic adventure. Throat-ripper would one day be defeated, and his parents avenged, maybe this druid�s secret earth magic would be of some use. The hunter saw a strength in the cleric that no one else had ever noticed, not even the cleric himself. It was something enlightening, something that could help him defeat his obsession.