As the waves receded from the shore, it washed away the foot prints of the young children. They enjoyed taking their steps along the beach, their feet sinking in the sand as it rushed through their toes. The two were from the Nether’On clan, a clan of hunters, fishers, and naturists. Though a small race, they were strong and what they lacked they gained in speed and wit. The small village stretched out along the beach and small clouds of smoke drifted up into the cloudy and cold heavens from the fires placed near all the homes of the people. The houses’ weren’t much, but logs and whale skin and it kept those inside warm.

The children were walking away from the village, one of them humming an old Nether’On lullaby that her mother used to sing to her when she was just a babe. The boy that was walking with her was carrying a sharpened stick and poking at dead fish and animals that were rested upon the beach. The girl brought her right hand to her necklace, it was a new necklace that her mother had made for her for her ninth birthday. She loved it with all her heart, and since her mother had recently gotten sick she held onto tightly wishing that her mum would get health before the winter.

The boy made a loud yell before stabbing a jellyfish and picked it up. The girl laughed as he dropped it from stinging him upon the hand. He gave her the brotherly glance and kept walking. They both began to struggle as they came to a rocky hill. With a grunt the girl lifted herself up next to her brother who was motionless and going pale.

“What’s wrong. Natz?” the girl asked and waved her hand in front of his staring eyes. “That stinger fish poisonous? Do I need to carry you back to the medicine man?”

“Enra, we have to tell Da,” her brother replied, yet his eyes still fixed upon something in the distance. “Hurry! Run back to Da! Now!”

The young girl startled hurled her weight down the rocks and began to rush back to the village. Natz watched out in the distance as a trail of horsemen walked their way towards the village like a snake creeping on its prey. He wasn’t old in age, but in mind sake he knew this wasn’t good and that there wasn’t enough time for the villagers to escape. He turned and followed after his younger sister.

As they reached the village all of the people smiled at them seeing the wonder in their youth, but after awhile they could sense something wasn’t right. They began to leave their work to find out the problem, was it their mother or something far different they all wondered inside. The two children reached a tent and went in.

Both panting their father looked at them in the eyes and then asked, “What is it my beautify blessed?”

“Father, riders from the east,” Natz said as he gained his breath back. “A war party of forty at the least. From the looks of it they aren’t here for food and there isn’t enough time for us to escape by sea or forest. By the color of the flag they carried, its Rethtor.”

“Stay here you two,” their father said and walked out of the tent to address the others. “People of the Nether’On, we face a danger we have out run for years, but we will have to confront it now. My son has just informed me that a war party from Rethtor has marched this way, now whether their here for us or not they will still come through our village. Lets try to get them on our good side for either case. We have extra food so if they need food we can spare some, we have unused tents for lodging their wounded if they need it, and we have weapons if they need some. Whatever it takes, don’t let this be a tragedy. Go tell the other villagers what I have told you all here, and prepare for the worse if need be.”

All the villagers shot out into different directions to tell the urgent news. After the word was spread all of the villagers gathered in the middle of the village. The chief stood in the center and looked over all of his people. He took in a deep breathe and had the leader of hunting and leader of fishing (Natz’s father) come up to his sides. With a sigh he began, “People of Nether’On, we have a dilemma. We all have received word that we have invaders coming our way. We must prepare for a fight if that is what it comes down to. Women and children go to the north side of the village and if this goes wrong head for the woods. Men gather your hunting tools and head to the eastern side.”

The crowd was dismissed and the people went to their respective locations. Men grabbed their harpoons, knives, and other tools and weapons. Natz’s father walked up to him and kneeled before him.

“Son, if this doesn’t go the way we want it to. I want you to take your sister and get supplies that will last you a week, then take our canoe and head for triangle island. Stay there until I come, and I promise I will come,” the greatly prided man said and took a knife and harpoon that was leaning against their tent. “I love you two.”

“Jertz, you must come now,” the voice of the chief came from behind Natz and his father. “They are here and they are the from Rethtor.”

Natz stood back and his father followed the chief out to the skirts of the village. A strong force of fifty men on horses were waiting for someone. They all had a weapon of some sort and wore black armor with red capes. Their helmets gave them the presumption of demons and evil, with jagged teeth and horns. The chief, leader of hunting, and Natz’s father walked out to confront them and one man came to them. He carried a wicked scythe with blood stains that couldn’t be more than a day old. His horse looked as if it had been tortured and beaten until it was a mount worth a tough man.

“Welcome, visitors,” the chief said and bowed to the man. “We have anything you need here, rest, food, or weaponry. We hope you have a good stay here if that is what you need.”

“Old man, give us food and your youngest, strongest men for fighting,” the man said through his demonic helmet.

“Sir, it is almost the winter time and we need our men so that we can hunt and fish, I beg you sir, anything but that,” the chief pleaded.

“Ah, I see,” the man said and took a deep breathe in.

With a swift movement, the man’s scythe came swinging up through the chief’s chest. With a grunt the old man fell face down in the ground. With a crack all of the horsemen ran through the village slashing and cutting at people. The villagers fought back sending their fishing and hunting tools through the chest of their foes. Fires were lit upon the tents and onto the food stocks. Jertz ran back to his tent and his children.

“Go now,” the caring father rushed and gave them food, fishing and hunting tools, and then rushed them to their canoe. “Stay safe. Natz you know how to navigate to the island. I love you two with all my heart and I will get your mother and meet you at the island. Natz take care of your sister and do everything you know to survive. Remember I love you with all my heart.” 

The two got in the canoe and their father pushed them off into the waters. They watched as their father got father away and just as they couldn’t see him and the sea fog was beginning to engulf them, they saw their beloved father fall to his knees with a spear lodged in his back. The two siblings cuddled together and cried in pain and agony.

As the day dragged on the two didn’t talk and Natz navigated his way to the island he had been to only once. It was silent and cold on the open sea. The fog made it hard to determine which way to go. Natz took in a deep breath and watched the water. A large body came out as a whale took a breath.

It was calming to Natz as the family of whales accompanied his and her sister’s voyage.