~Chapter 1~
~Age 988 B~
Within a valley to the north, there was a lake in the Lands of Ralosia called Lupine Lake, a place where many wolves have been known to dwell. Each wolf was significantly larger than a person, and were fearsome. Despite this, one tribe which lived off of the land managed to tame these beasts, creating a community around the lake. A group of wolf riders.
The people were tanned by the sun and wore garbs stitched together from the pelts of the animals they hunted. Their wolves were uncaged, and would come when called upon. There were many huts around the lake, one for each of the families that lived there.
At the center of the community was a floating luminescent green gem. It was believed to provide their tribe with good fortune, but every once in awhile, bandits would try to abscond with it.
A great stone bridge loomed over the lake, built by the city folk from Dialtown. The 13-year old Oopa would look up at the bridge, occasionally see those city folk pass over it, and want to meet them. But there was work to do.
Oopa had tan skin much like the rest of her tribe, and her black hair was braided behind her to keep out of the way of work. A woven necklace rested around her neck.
She and her mother Ocaha helped the other women pick berries and tend to their crops near their lakeside settlement with the other women. Others stitched together new clothing from the pelts of animals. It was tedious work, but necessary if they wanted to flourish.
The men of the tribe readied spears, bows, and their wolves for another hunt. Oopa's father Borjo, the strongest man of the tribe, slung a giant wooden bow over his back. His long black hair slid down his back and shoulders. The men mounted their wolves, they were large enough to carry two men at a time.
Oopa was curious to see what the hunt was like but her father and mother always insisted that was 'men's work'. But she was strong, as strong as many of the men.
Ocaha returned to their hut, and began stitching together more clothing. Oopa sat cross-legged beside her and was prepared to help.
"You can take a break Oopa!" Ocaha said, "I can handle this."
"Are you sure?"
"Mhmm." Ocaha said as she toiled away at her work, "Go play with the other girls for a while. I'll call for you when I need you."
Oopa nodded and headed away, but not towards the other girls. She saw an opening. She snuck away from their settlement and took after her father and the other wolf riders.
The hunting party was going after a squirrel, a large and swift creature with a single giant tooth that was known to be able gnaw through trees. Much larger than one of their wolves. The meat from one could feed the entire tribe. But they could not be underestimated.
The wolves sniffed out the squirrel and cornered it amidst a rock formation among the plains. The squirrel frantically swung its giant bushy tail about, trying to scare off the hunters.
Borjo drew his giant bow. He grabbed a sharpened log that he carried on him, and placed it alongside his bow as if it were a giant arrow. He pulled the arrow back and took aim. He released the log and it shot through the air, skewering the squirrel. The men cheered at another successful hunt.
Borjo approached the squirrel slowly, it was still barely clinging to life. It was wrong to let a living thing suffer, so he took his dagger and put the beast out of its misery.
Borjo placed his hand on the beast and said, "Thank you."
After they had netted the creature, the wolf riders headed back towards the Lake.
Oopa watched the hunt at a distance. She didn't know what she expected to see, but it was certainly more exciting than the errands she did with the other women. But seeing as her father was heading back home, she decided to do the same.
She found a dirt path created by city folk and traveled along it towards the nearby bridge, she would have to cross it to get back home. As she went by she saw a few Hyena riders charging across the grassy plains.
Hyenas were large canine beasts similar in size to their tribe’s wolves, but were far more ferocious and unruly. They were oft ridden by the bandits who traveled these parts. The young Oopa's heart quickened when they began in her direction. Her mother and father had warned her that bandits roamed the lands and instructed her to never leave the village alone.
Oopa saw a lightly wooded area nearby with a small pillar of smoke emerging from it. Probably from a bonfire. She headed towards the woods, hoping the bandits wouldn't pursue her there.
As Oopa entered the woods, she could hear people muttering to each other deeper in, followed by a few laughs. It sounded like children. Before she could investigate, three hyena riders charged into the woods after her.
One of the hyena riders circled out in front of her. It was a Mecarne with a purple tint to his metal like flesh.
"Hello little lady. Didn't you know that it's dangerous to travel alone?" He smiled and revealed his sharp teeth as he stepped off of his mount.
Oopa scowled at him, intent on not letting the man intimidate her. The Mecarne eyed the woven necklace she wore, "That ought to be worth something. Why don't you hand that necklace over?”
"No," Oopa said flatly, raising her fists.
The Mecarnes' face turned serious, "Look, we don't want to hurt you."
Oopa was ready to fight if necessary, she had been taught by her father to defend herself. But before she had to, there was a ruckus from the woods. Suddenly several children burst from the woods and attacked the bandits. Five of them. They wielded no weapons, they fought with their bare fists.
A boy with rough black hair stepped in front of the purple tinted Mecarne to defend Oopa and took a fighting stance. He appeared to be thirteen or twelve, around her age.
The black haired boy and the Mecarne began to exchange blows while the other children dealt with the other bandits. The kids were strong, quickly knocking the others unconscious. One of the bandits was kicked so hard that they were sent through the air into a nearby tree.
The black haired boy skillfully parried the Mecarnes' blows and followed up with a powerful punch which caused him to sway.
"You'll regret this kid," the Mecarne threatened as he mounted his hyena and fled. The other hyena riders followed after him.
The blacked haired boy turned to Oopa. Brown eyes and a rounded nose. Rugged clothing and a pack on his back. She could tell he wasn't from the cities, but he didn't live off the land like the people of her tribe did either. He was somewhere in the middle...
Oopa thought he was cute.
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