Sending a quick prayer to the heavens, in the small chance someone would be listening to a small farm boy in the mountains, Rajin knocked his bow and, really quite slowly, took aim. He told himself it was because he didn't want to startle the small deer, but in reality, the bow didn't sit comfortably in his hands. He blamed his clumsy movements on the bow. It was too big. The wood too straight and the string too taut. His arrows weren't anything to admire either as he hadn't mastered knapping yet. He found it quite tedious. His arrows today were decorated with mottled black and brown feathers, taken from a small sparrow. As Rajin blew a breath down the cracked wooden shaft, he hoped the arrow was suitably swift and sharp. He let go and, with a twang, the arrow shot towards the deer. Unlike the arrow, it darted off in silence, leaving the arrow to thunk into a tree trunk. 

Shrugging to no one in particular, Rajin plodded over to the tree to tug out the arrow. After a brief struggle, it was clear it was not going to budge. He sighed. At least my arrows are stronger, Rajin thought, admiring his handiwork. Despite  His feather guide flapped hypnotically in the soft breeze and, despite the hairpin crack down the centre of the bamboo shaft, his arrow remained in one piece. Nor had the obsidian tip snapped or shattered.

The shadows had extended fully the sky had begun to darken. Rajin decided to abandon the arrow, making a mental note that he would have to make some more later. While he wasn't great at knapping, he found the monotony of it quite soothing. On the contrary, arrow making was bothersome. Bamboo rarely stayed straight during the crafting process but was free and readily obtainable. To gather the obsidian, however, required a hike to the spluttering mountain. Something Rajin enjoyed, but Ma wouldn't allow him to do the trip unless his big brother went with him and Alejo was always busy these days. 

Glancing back at the stuck arrow, he allowed himself to glow with a little pride. It was clear he was making great progress in making his hunting equipment. Maybe Alejo would be willing to show him how to use a sword. Particularly, the rust-coloured one that Ma kept under her mattress. Unfortunately, Rajin wasn't supposed to know about that sword and so probably would never get to hold it. Or swing it around/ It would likely shatter upon use if it's rusty, thought Rajin. He concluded that this was likely why he wasn't allowed to play with it. Ma had always noted his clumsiness.

It would seem that the gods who watch over the Iskal Forest felt they had not tortured him enough today, for just as he thought about his mother chiding him for knocking over another stew pot, Rajin tripped on a winding root and fell face-first into the mud. Although, it didn't smell like mud. Its texture wasn't like mud either. 

"Wait 'til I tell Ma that the reason you can't eat her wonderful homecooked dinner is that you've stuffed yourself up on shit!" a voice called, before releasing a burst of booming laughter. 

Rajin groaned. Of course, Alejo would witness this moment of weakness. He would no doubt notice the lack of rabbit or deer, too. As Rajin was pulling his face from the floor, big hands swept under his armpits and hoisted him to an upright position. He wiped his face with the sleeves of his cloak and threw a glare at his brother. Andre grinned in return, a smile so bright, the sun felt dimmer.

Oh, no... the sun is just going down. Rajin chuckled softly at his own, private joke. Which, of course, Andre picked up on. 

"It's good you can find humour, even when stinking like a sewer!" He turned his back and followed the trail towards their home. Rajin didn't know what a sewer was, but he wasn't going to correct him. Then he'd have to explain the real reason why he had been laughing. He decided to change the subject.

"When can we train again, Andre?" 

"When I can get away from this new job, Ra." His response lacked enthusiasm and he refused to meet his little brothers' eye. 

"When will that be?"

"I don't know."

They continued walking in silence. 

They reached the cliff-top clearing that granted panoramic views of Iskal Forrest and the spluttering mountain to the south. Smoke slowly drifted to the sky from its' gaping mouth, as it had always done. The sun was starting to dip below the horizon to the west, shimmering as it sunk, scattering golden light across the canopy. The leaves of the taller trees whispered to each other through the wind, which gently tugged its way through the dense forest. The same breeze brought the smell of spring flowers to the cliff-top and snatched away the smell that Rajin was emitting. The sea to the east sparkled but seemed calm. The small number of clouds seemed to glow a variation of colours. The boys stopped to admire the pastel pinks and purples and to gawk at the blazing orange of the sunset. 

For a moment, the sun basked in Andres golden hair, illuminating the golden strands weaved in its tussled waves and his eyes sparked the purest of greens. The wind tugged at his cloak and Raji, rather begrudgingly, admitted silently that his brother looked rather regal, despite the torn, dirty hunting attire. One day, Raji would be a tough woodland warrior, just as Ma and Alejo assured him. Looking across the Iskalian landscape, a sense of calm determination settled over him and knew that, if he worked hard and looked after the land, his dreams would become reality.

However, there was something wrong with this picture of tranquillity. Something Rajin couldn't put his finger on. He was about to ask his brother when realisation dawned. There was no evening bird song. The only noise he could hear was the distant barking of dogs. Dogs were not a natural predator around here and were usually accompanied by people. His eyes scanned the forest, seeking the source of the disturbance. Andre pointed, clearly having spotted it first.

The Iskal Peninsula was not visited by outsiders often, but when they did, they remained on the road or camp in the designated locations. The Forest was known for its sun-blocking density, mysterious animal noises and disappearing travellers. However, someone had clearly broken the unwritten rules of Iskal and wandered away from the road and sparked a campfire, evidenced by the thin plume of black smoke that breached the tree line to snake towards the sky.

Raji frowned. A small camp with a few loud dogs shouldn’t be affecting the whole forest, why are the birds so quiet? Their distance from the main towns of Iskal, while being positioned at a relatively high elevation, ensured that bird call was a consistent noise and bird songs foretold of the coming seasons or storms. He couldn’t remember a time that the twitters had turned silent, not in his whole life. 

Just as he was contemplating what this terrible omen was trying to warn him about, Rajin was thrown to the floor by his brother. Andre squished his sibling into the ground, despite Rajin squirming in protest. His weight was almost suffocating and Rajin was sure his ribs would soon snap. His arms were pinned uselessly at his side and his legs lacked the power to do anything from the floor. Panic began to rise as he wondered what his brother was doing. Had he been shot with an arrow? Rajin had heard that some arrows were almost magical in their capability to hit a target. 

"Ra, we need to be discreet," whispered Alejo, who shifted his weight so he could look Rajin in the eye. His face was an ashen mask of grisly determination. They waited until the shadow had replaced the sun on their clifftop before moving. Twigs snapped as Rajin stood on them and he grimaced, despite knowing the unwelcome campers wouldn't hear it. However, the silence of the forest was disturbed by a low rumble, followed by an ear-splitting crack. The brothers whirled round to face the mountain, who had gone from gently spluttering to choking on its' orange liquid that Ma called 'lava'. Alejo grabbed his brother's wrist and, seemingly forgetting about being discreet, dragged him through the undergrowth towards their home. His voice sounded strained as he spoke between breaths.

"We need to get home, to Ma, right now."