The First Hellhound

“Come at me!”

Yuras the Boulder doesn’t need to taunt me twice – I started sprinting towards him before he even finished! He notices immediately and his stupid, musclehead grin only widens – and I know I’m mirroring it. The blood pumps in my veins with anticipation, filling me with an immense joy. Despite my initial reservations, now I’m looking forward to our scuffle. I wonder in passing whether it is who I’ve always been and my abyssmal health served as a limiter, or if that part of me changed – and by how much if it’s true.

Alas, all of my stray, idle thoughts vaporize the moment my fist collides with the Krolsun’s arm. I momentarily understand his nickname – it feels as if I’ve just hit a rock! But there’s no time to dawdle while he does not retaliate; after all, the offence is the best defence – so I attack with a barrage of punches! And again! But he doesn’t budge, worse – he blocks each and every strike, no matter what I do.

It seems that pure strength is not enough. Especially since the Chieftain has a clear weight and size advantage over me. But that was more of a test – I doubted it would be that easy since the beginning. I still have a few aces up my metaphorical sleeves.

I notice he stands very firmly on the ground – so I start attacking his knees and feet, kicking them and stomping on them in an attempt to weaken them and eventually make him trip. However, it is ineffective as well – so I drop low and start moving to the side. He follows as I continue to relentlessly abuse his right knee and ankle – well, I try to, as he deftly deflects or parries my hits. And yet, the fact that he has yet to move, that he’s still only defending, increasingly worries me. There’s a sense of dread, slowly creeping its way from the back of my mind, preventing me from losing myself in the joy of battle; he’s planning something, I know it!

Suddenly, I notice a slight flex of his muscles and pull my arms back swiftly; I also try to jump back. Alas, I’m too slow despite my vigilance – and his fist collides with my face! Even though I managed to pull my head out at the last moment, it still feels as if I was hit by a rock. What’s worse – I literally fly off! A yelp escapes my mouth as my stomach hits a tree after I rotate mid-air; then I fall down, hurting myself further.

I feel a lot of pain, but I have no time to lay prone there; Yuras is on the offensive now. I roll out of the way and try to trip him as I stand up – but to no avail. Worse, he retaliates after my every attack – and while my punches are parried or blocked, his hit the mark more often than not! And that’s even despite the fact that at some point I started trying to imitate his moves! Still, I fail way more often than I succeed. It’s clear he’s got way more experience than I do – not that it’s a high bar to pass.

I cannot help growing frustrated as my confidence in myself and my skills wavers. I feel like he’s toying with me. He should’ve been able to gauge my abilities a long way ago – so why is he still tormenting me this way!? I feel anger and my flame responds, but I do what I can to calm it down; I don’t want to accidentally hurt the Rabbitman. Not to mention that Pola, Olka and Nugund may get caught up in a fight – and I can’t stand the thought of harming them.

Finally, my fatigue, injuries and stress get the better of me – and I slip up one too many times, Rabbitman’s powerful kick knocking the air out of my lungs and catapulting me into a tree. I fight the urge to puke – unsuccessfully. I feel weak. The taste of vomit mixes with the taste of blood in my mouth. I hate this taste, at least in part because I understand it – it’s the taste of defeat.

“Is that all you’ve got? Tsk” I can hardly believe my ears – so I look up. Yuras hasn’t moved yet after the last hit, but I take a look at his face, for the first time since the beginning. He’s no longer smiling – the look of disappointment on his face is… painful. “I was expecting more” he continues, his tone and words cutting deep and feeding my feelings of failure. “After hearing how you killed the Tyrant and about your godly powers” he shakes his head as I watch in disbelief; just what was he expecting, for fucks sake?! “It turns out you are just a little girl telling lies” I cannot believe what I'm hearing. I'm on a verge of tears – how can he say those things?! I did get swept up in the mood – and I said I was going to win – but he knew I’m an amateur! Just what did he expect?! I feel my anger rising and my flaming Aura leaking into the environment. I no longer hold it back – but the herculean Krolsun isn’t finished yet. “I thought you would help us kill the dragon – but you would be a burden. You’re just a simple girl, after all” I’m barely holding myself from lashing out – but the worst has yet to come. “It’s impressive you managed to convince Nugund of all people to believe in your lies.”

That’s too much. I can stand insults being thrown my way – but insulting my loved ones is not something I can ignore. I roar, putting all my unbridled fury into it, enhancing my Aura with the full power of my flame. Some trees start burning – but I ignore that, fully focusing on my opponent; he’s smiling, no doubt mockingly – and I’m fed up with it. I’m so fed up with it.

I pounce at the prey before me, covering the distance nigh instantly. With some satisfaction I see a glimpse of a surprise in the eye of my quarry. I swipe my claws at him – and finally, after so many attempts – I find some purchase! It’s just one of his floppy ears and the wound itself is very shallow – barely a scratch – but it still is a clean hit! What’s more, the follow up is much more effective – and I leave a mark on his left forearm after he tried to block my strike. Triumphant feelings wash over me. It seems this boulder of a man can get hurt! This knowledge makes me more energised and I go on a wild offensive, unleashing a flurry of blindingly fast attacks. I can do it!

However, turns out that my triumphalism was premature. I continue overwhelming my opponent and push him into a deep defence, yet fail to break his block. Even though I am faster, stronger, more unpredictable – he somehow manages to parry, block, or even evade my every attack! Worse, he even occasionally counters! And he does that with small movements, so it seems he can still go for a long, long time – and it’s infuriating

! I’m starting to lose patience, so I increase the pace of the attacks even further… and yet, I barely scratch him as a result. I pause for a second, panting and glaring at him. He’s breathing heavily too, but… there’s a mocking smile on his face!

The rage consumes me. I crouch and roar with pure hostility, unleashing my rage-powered Aura in full. My soul burns brightly and brilliantly, blasting everything with waves of scorching heat; even the air feels like pure fire. Surprisingly, I can breath quite easily. And with my internal flame fully manifested – the victory is mine! Standing up I gather energy from my whole body and gather it in my mouth. I’m gonna blast off with style!

But I never get to blast off. Yuras, who up till now has been mostly standing in place like a boulder – moves. And what move it is! Before I can react he’s by me, swinging his massive fist overhead, accompanied by a cackling sound of lightning! Then it connects with my skull –  and the electricity hits along with it! I lost count how many times this has happened today – and I might not learn it, as the darkness envelops me rapidly and the fire in my mouth dissipates.

---

I wake up much, much later; I don’t open my eyes yet, trying to calm down my massive, splitting headache. To my surprise, I feel and smell Olka, Pola and Nugund, snuggling by me. Especially the Risitha is a surprise. A warm feeling spreads throughout my whole body… but the pain and numbness do not let go for long. I let out a quiet groan.

“Hey! You finally awake? How are you feeling?” I hear from a bit further away. I open my eyes and look towards the source – Chieftain Yuras, sitting by the fire. I attempt to sit up, but he stops me. “Don’t push yourself! I think I’ve gone overboard during our sparring and I provoked you unnecessarily… I’m sorry for that!” I throw a glance at him – he seems genuine, the same as he sounds; I want to ask him why, but he explains himself on his own. “It’s just… I was getting frustrated. I told you to fight with your full power, but you were holding back – and you wanted to give up” I cannot refute that. Alas, the Rabbitman is still not finished – and this time he takes a deep breath before continuing. “I shouldn’t have accused you of lying, especially. That was really, really rude of me. I’m sorry” he bows. “I’m really, sincerely sorry.”

“It’s alright” I tell him, as I can tell he means each and every word of his apology. “It’s partially on me too; you told me to not hold back from the beginning. I should’ve listen to you” Pola stirs in her sleep, making me realise something. “Wait, what's with them?” I gesture towards the trio, feeling a knot in my stomach. “Did I… did I… harm them? When I was in that… frenzy?”

“No” he answers and I lie down, releasing a breath of relieve. “They expected it and were prepared” there’s a tinge of pride in his tone, making him sound like a grandfather bragging about his grandkids; it makes me curious.

“How old are you?” I cannot stop myself from asking; at the same time, I realise I don’t know the exact age of my friends. I panic a little: what if it is considered rude or worse – a taboo? “Y-you don’t need to answer if you don’t want to!”

“Hah! Don’t worry about it” Chieftain seems to be amused. “I’m 69” a small laugh escapes my mouth before I can stop it. “What’s so funny?” The Krolsun tilts his head quizzically.

“Oh! It’s a…” I trail off as I realise it’s funny in English – but not necessarily in Kolokolan!

Heck – I don’t know their alphabet – or if there even is one! “Umm… it’s something from my past life” I wave my hand and decide to change the topic... as a wave of exhaustion sweeps through me. “So… errr… is there a way to write down Kolokolan or Tamaran?” I manage to squeeze out.

“Hoho, I assume the joke has something to do in the language nobody but you speaks” I blush, embarrassed despite his humorous tone. “Well, usually you would use Zheryman alphabet, or, for more specific reasons – like in magic rituals – ancient Vyennic runes” he seems to be pondering something. “I have to admit that Vyennic runes are much more commonly used among Kolokolans, but they don’t write if it is not necessary” he shakes his head. “Well, most Tamarans – unless they deal in magic or something – will use Zheryman” he cringes a little and I ask him why. He smiles bitter-sweetly. “Eh, it’s just that I hated learning those things as a kid… I preferred to play outside, by a river, wrestling with older kids” he smiles nostalgically and mischievously. “Heh, even as a snot-nosed brat I could easily beat kids 3-4 years older!”

“Do you miss it? Your home village, that is” I ask, curious.

“Sometimes” Yuras looks into a fire with a subtle look of melancholy on his face. “But I’ve left a long time ago – and Kolokolan way of life suits me way better”

“What are the differences?” I do have some first impressions based purely on languages and what little the others have told me, but… “You’re the first Tamaran I’ve ever met – are you saying you aren’t a typical one?” The Chieftain falls silent for a while, deep in thoughts and I battle my tiredness.

“I will tell it like this” he speaks up, his tone serious. “Various groups value different things. Kolokolans value their clan, tribe, and freedom. Tamarans, on the other hand, value their land, close relatives and neighbours. Thus, it’s considered ungrateful to leave your village – and your parents – on your own, without their approval, or that of others” he sounds bitter. He sighs deeply and shakes his head, as if to get rid of a sour memory – it's not hard to guess of what, considering what I’ve just learnt. “Another thing is how we relate to the Dead – those who stay on the other side, and those who return” I feel exhaustion starts to quickly creep back in – but I need to listen, this topic is so fascinating! “For Kolokolans, the Deceased stay a part of their clan and tribe – at least until they are born again. It makes them a natural part of life, and thus – not scary” he smiles a beautiful, bitter-sweet smile. “You can take comfort in the knowledge of how they’re doing, and if it’s needed – you are even encouraged to interact with them – well, have Witches interact with them, but you get the point. Tamarans, tho…” Yuras shakes his head and his smile wavers. “The Dead are feared, not loved.”

The Rabbitman pauses his lecture, noticing I’ve been struggling to remain conscious. I feel bad about this – it started getting really deep and I really appreciate his perspective on Kolokolan culture as a fellow outsider, but it seems I’m in a dire need of sleep. “I’m sorry – your condition is my fault” I dismiss his concerns with a wave of hand, but he’s not finished. “I should’ve been more direct and precise – but first and foremost, I shouldn’t have been so rude to you. For that you have my sincerest apologies. But now – get a rest. You need it. We can always talk later” I try, weakly, to protest, but to no avail. I’m losing that battle and I know it – heck, I can hear and see Yuras still talking, but my brain is shutting off. And even I cannot defy nature – so instead of fighting, I embrace the dreams, as I slip into the oblivion.