Drat, LET ME CATCH UP! I mean, I LOVE IT! :wub: But let me catch up. Or not. I only punched through chapter 1 and now reading 2 whilst writing this . . . You've good language in your works. Metaphorical and that. I like it.

Chapter 10: The Hunting Grounds

Listen to this; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm38Ojh61lY , while you read the 10th chapter…

Sea of Ghosts 10:30pm, Morndas

Ullrik wheeled around in a flash, hand on sword, nearly capsizing the boat as he did so at the utterance of the voice right behind him…To his absolute shock he looked now upon a beautiful woman with long black hair the color of night that rose from a noble widow’s peak that gently framed pale aquiline features and eyes of wild chocolate that seemed to gaze through to his very soul, studying him with cool yet intense regard…

“Who are you!?” Ullrik inquired, half question, half demand…

“I am your guide to the realm of my Master, Ullrik Heart-Fang…My name is Sibylla…”, came the intoxicating response from the woman with the dusky sing-song voice who now laid back seductively against the bow of the lifeboat, her supple alabaster thigh casually peeking out through the black silken gown that disarmingly accentuated all of her ample charms. Ullrik momentarily taken aback by her rapacious beauty, shook himself out of this state to pose another question:

“Where is the raven?”

“Foolish Nord”, Sibylla replied with a clever smile upon rich red lips “I am the raven…”

“What!? You are a…Witch?” Ullrik drew back cautiously hand slowly making for his blade…

“There is no need of that Ullrik Heart-Fang…You are not to be harmed…Yet…And will not harm me…” With these words Ullrik felt his hands drop to his sides as if he had no control. Her words seemed to melt through his mind and body like warm honey, easing the tension in his muscles and playing his heart like a harp, plucking away the shock and discord, leaving only blind obedience and wont of her good favor…”Now, Champion of Hircine…Pick up the oars, and continue on to our destination.”, Not able to fight the command, Ullrik slowly turned back around, grabbed the oars and continued to row onward, not knowing through the density of the green haze if his course was true…

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The Hunting Grounds 5:30am, Tirdas

Ullrik’s muscles ached..And his mind, muddled and numb to the point of exhaustion had hardly registered that they had left the dense fog and the cool light of the morning sun had begun to gently kiss his weary frame…

“We are here, Ullrik Heart-Fang”

Ullrik slowly turned around as best he could muster and his fatigue was suddenly wrested from him as he looked in astonishment at what he saw before him…A beautiful and vast coastline with massive deciduous trees with leaves mixed in subtle hues every shade of orange and red mixed with towering aspens that shot up to heaven like tall white arrows with crowns of honey yellow, and farther beyond, vast plains of waist-length golden grasses that were broken by a sharp border of pine forest and evergreens that surrounded a snow-crested mountain that rose out like an angry fist above the great island…

“My master bids you welcome unto his lands…And gives you leave to hunt all the game necessary for your survival…But take care only to hunt what you require…For his wrath is quick and merciless to those who are in wont of more than they need…Stay close to camp at night and reserve your wanderings for the hours of daylight…For my master’s servants make no exception to friend or foe…The best of luck to you…Great Hunter…”

And with these parting words, the lustrous beauty stood upon the bow of the boat with arms spread wide…Ullrik watched agape in utter astonishment as feathers began to take the place of her jet-black hair, her aquiline nose distorted and grew to a massive black beak, and her arms distending, sprouted feathers and began to take the shape of wings, on which, Sibylla began to rise into the air with a farewell “Quaark!” and quickly flew away towards the island…

With camp made and a light breakfast consisting of mead, beef jerky and bread in his belly, Ullrik retired to his sleeping roll, bereft of energy, and thereupon, fell into deep slumber with the sounds of the warm crackling fire which he had made and the salty waters of the sea which ever so gently lapped the coastline of this strange and enchantingly beautiful land…

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The boy ran deftly through the forest, his breath caught in the chill night air puffed like smoke as he quickly maneuvered around the low-lying branches and bounded with the ease of an acrobat over the great rocks and dead trees that were visible under the pale moonlight that broke through the black pines in thin shafts of silver…The wolves kept close pace behind him, the sound of their panting and growls within less than ten feet as they subdued their quarry…His heart beating furiously in his chest, the boy ran up and stopped upon a large rock, gripping his homemade spear tightly, the silver light breaking upon straight locks of ghastly white hair and a pale thin sinewy muscular frame which was all but naked to the night with the exception of a crude loin-cloth of doe-skin and a hunting dagger made of steel…”Not tonight…”, said the boy under his breath as the wolves stopped close in around him, their golden eyes set aglow with the intensity of blood and the hunt…

The alpha male cautiously and quickly made his way up the rock in a loping trot, a massive hulk of a timber wolf with intensely focused golden-red eyes, shimmering white fur, and paws the size of the boy’s head slowly approached the lad and looked past him noting with a subdued growl the ever increasing distance between the pack and their prey…The boy grunted thrice in response and the pack broke off into two groups of five with the boy and the alpha male taking the middle in haste after the herd of elk that began to take shape, the sound of their panicked flight over the detritus of the dead pine needles and twigs adding hunger and speed to the pack’s approach...The wolves on the boy’s left flank, gaining ground, quickly split the herd into half, with the slower members of the herd quickly wheeling right into the wolves that were awaiting them on the other side…With lightening fast reflexes, the boy quickly took aim at the old bull who had faltered, sensing the trap. With his spear in hand, the boy leapt into the air, his glinting spear point held above in both hands for a killing thrust which struck easily, but viciously down through the creature’s heart bringing the great beast to the ground with a great thud and mournful cry as if in final word to the others to run for their lives…The pack quickly closed in and ferociously finished the beast off, ripping through its jugular, its mournful cry now a submissive gurgled whimper as blood gushed from the open wound like a river of black in the moonlight, soaking into the forest floor…

The boy now stood tall above the pack, wrenching his spear from the body of the old bull as he silently knelt and unsheathed the steel dagger from his loin-cloth…”We thank you for the gift of your flesh…Old Father…” , said the boy quietly, slicing quickly through its belly and carefully reaching in to sever the ventricles of the heart which was removed with ease…It felt warm and weighty in his right hand as he held it aloft to the moon while he gently closed the eyes of the old bull with his blood-stained left hand…With a grunt, the boy looked back and signaled the rest of the pack to move in and get theirs as he took a large heaping bite from the heart, the warm blood, steaming in the cool night air, ran dripping down his chin…The boy looked back at the wolves, who in his astonishment just sat there whimpering…Even the alpha who would normally have first rights to the kill just sat focused on the bluff above the kill, his sharp gaze attuned to something troubling…The boy wheeled around in a flash surprised to see a tall figure around eight foot tall bathed in silhouette against the moon with the head of a deer skull looking down on them, deftly playing with the massive spear almost the size of a lodge pole…The figure then spoke:

“I have groomed and watched over you since birth, Ullrik Heart-Fang…You see now even in the events of your childhood that this has always been so...Come my son…Stand at my side…”

The boy stood motionless as the wolves around him began to howl. A sharp, agonizing paroxysm of pain then shot through the boy’s body as he fell to the ground, convulsing, spitting out, screaming in horror, and sweating as the bolts of pain turned to torturous living fire inside of his entire body…Hiding his face inside his hands the boy looked now upon them with utter horror as he noticed them distorting, growing, the sound of the bones cracking, joints lengthening into monstrous claws…

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Ullrik awoke with a start, the sweat and moonlight glistening off of his pale features as he looked down quickly to take study of his hands, which aside from the calluses born of the journey from ship to shore, retained their appearance…Ullrik sighed deeply laying back into his bedroll, but suddenly arose with the sound of an ungodly howl off in the distance…

Awesome! I like it. Some action has risen! I thought the boy was another person until I realized it was a flashback. And the witch part was pretty good. I recognize the woman's name from Bloodmoon. A fellow witch from Glenmoril. Keep writing man! Hircine's realm!

Excellent. I like how the raven turned out to be a witch. And I loved the addition of the flashback... Chosen by Hircine--should Ullrik be honored or afraid? I am looking forward to seeing the Realm of Hircine through your eyes.

Glad you like it...I want to be sure to include Ullrik's back story...I hope the choice of musical artist didn't put you off as it blended so seamlessly with the story...

Oh...There is much more to Ullrik than just being chosen...I look forward to writing the next few chapters...

BURN THE WITCH :ahhh: I mean, a job well done mate

Thank you Mr. Buncis...

You say there is more to it??? Now I'm ever more curious.... Gaaaahhhhh! I can't wait to find out what you've got in store!



To this, I say a whopping big NAY! :meh: Try to burn me and I'll...wait, you weren't... Oh, you were talking about the witch in the story! *laughs uncomfortably* Of course, I knew that. I mean, I'm not a witch.... :ermm:

Regardless, no witch burnings, no book burnings, and no marshmallow burnings allowed! :flamed:

If we burned the witches, there would be a hella lot of Lycanthropes in Tamriel.

Apologies for the delay in response my friends...Wolves and 2 year old boys demand a lot of attention...I look forward to composing my next chapters...Thanks to all of you...