Kieran landed hard on the earth, his ankle snagged by a hook of root jutting out of the path with vines tangling around his feet. “Cadence, wait up!” He could hear the laughter of his older brother while he was busy fumbling with the vines trying to free himself, eventually he resorted to just using his old hunting knife to cut the vines.

“We're never going to catch any game with you making so much noise, Kieran.” Cadence said.

“Well, it’s been a while since I’ve been out here. I thought you said it was too dangerous to leave town for hunting? Kieran said, rushing back up next to Cadence. His eyes kept a constant watch on the forest surrounding them. He glanced back at the patch of the black and red two-headed eagle on the shoulder of Cadence’s scouts uniform. This was the Brigalian symbol that represented them as the prime protectors of the region. Even though he was nervous, he was comforted by his brother's presence.

Cadence slapped his hand on his brother's shoulder.

“Don’t worry! The war between Draesil and Brigalia is in the process of some sort of peace treaty. So, we have nothing to worry about for now. Anyways, I saw you practicing with the bow last night. You seem to have become a decent shot with that thing. I think we will work on some trapping today instead. You can’t always depend on that bow of yours when it comes to catching quarry. Also, you’re going to scare away everything anyways stomping around the forest like you do.” Kieran rolled his eyes at his brother who laughed.

As they ventured deeper into the forest, the trees blocked out most of the sun, as it was still morning and the sun was not at its peak yet. They found a good clearing after walking a couple miles. Cadence pointed towards two tracks on the ground. “See here? These tracks are from two hares. See how it forms a rough T shape? The hind feet land forward of the front making the top of the T. You can use this to see which way they are traveling. This looks like a suitable place to set up a few snares.”

Cadence spent the next few minutes showing Kieran the basics of setting up a simple snare. He showed him how to place the noose at the correct height, and how to block the surroundings forcing a path through the trap. After a few failed attempts, Kieran became frustrated. Though, with some assistance from his brother, he started to get the hang of it. Finally, when setting up a couple of successful snares, Kieran's stomach rumbled. It had taken him longer than expected to figure out how to set a proper snare, and he was growing hungry.

“Now that these are set can we take a break to eat?” Kieran said.

“Do you ever stop thinking about food?” Cadence ruffled Kieran’s hair. “I spotted a small ravine not too far back from here. We could rest there and come check the snares after a while.”

Kieran stood up and stretched. “Sounds good to me.”

“There are some holly berry bushes nearby. I’ll go gather some while you stay here and pack up.” Cadence slipped away before Kieran could object.

“Always leaving me to finish up the cleaning.” He better bring back more than just berries, Kieran thought.

He sighed while he had to gather all the supplies they used for snaring by himself and started off towards the ravine. After arriving at the ravine, he sat on a nearby rock close to the water. Tired from the work, he unloaded his pack and boots and placed them nearby. The cool water felt relaxing on his feet. There was a large clearing in the trees above that let the water gather just enough sun, so it wasn’t too cold. Alone, he took the chance to lay back to stare up at the clouds for a while. Right before drifting off to sleep, his stomach started growling again.

“What is taking Cadence so long? Surely those holly berry bushes weren’t very far.”

Kieran grew worried. He pulled his feet out of the water, and hopped over to a rock that was a little higher up to get a better vantage to see over the nearby brush.

“Cadence! Are you there?” he shouted, looking around but unable to see anything. From the brush nearby a rustling could be heard. Kieran jumped at the noise, crouched down and began walking slowly towards it. As he attempted to step quietly, he inched ever closer. A twig snapped beneath his feet and he stopped in place staring at the bush. The rustling stopped.

“Boo!” Cadence yelled, jumping out of the bushes to scare his brother. Kieran scrambled backwards with his heart pounding. “You know, you’re never going to sneak up on anything when you make so much noise,” Cadence said with a look of amusement on his face.

Kieran glared at his brother. “What took you so long? I’ve been waiting here forever. I thought I was going to starve to death.” He walked back towards the rock he was resting on earlier to place his feet back in the cool water.

Cadence walked towards his brother and handed him some apples stuck to an arrow. “I found these on my way here. The ripe ones were rather high, so it took me a minute to get them down.” Cadence sat down next to his brother on another rock and pulled out some bread. The bread they had was usually stale since Cadence worked late and couldn’t make it to the bakery in time, but this seemed fresher than they normally had. The smell of the fresh bread set Kieran’s mouth watering. Kieran looked surprised when Cadence pulled out some Jerky as well.

“Fresh bread and jerky? Is it my birthday or something?”

Cadence looked at him with a smile. “I’ve been doing extra work around the village lately to save up some more money. The bread and jerky are just a small celebration. I have another surprise for you.”

Kieran brightened. “Did you get me a new bow?”

“Better!” said Cadence and handed Kieran a piece of paper. “I finally saved up enough money for your tuition to join the Brigalia Guard Academy. You’ll be thirteen soon which means you will be eligible to enroll. This is the enrollment form.”

Kieran looked at his brother. “Are you serious? That’s amazing! I’ve always wanted to join the Academy. I can’t believe this!”

Cadence smiled and ruffled Kieran’s hair again. “Don’t get too excited yet little brother. It’s still a lot of work.”

Kieran brushed his brother’s arm away. “I know, I know. I just can’t wait till I can join the guard like you!”

“One step at a time. Let’s focus on the academy first,” Cadence said.

They relaxed for the rest of the evening at the ravine eating and swimming. Eventually they decided it was getting rather late and to pack up and go check the snares they set. Upon returning Kieran was met with disappointment by finding the snares empty.

“Ah man, not even one bite!” Kieran kicked one of the snares over.

“Huh, that’s odd.” Cadence walked over inspecting the area. Even though they had baited around the traps, there were no new tracks. It was as if the forest was empty. He stood up with a sigh. “Well, sometimes you just get unlucky. Lets cleanup these traps and head back.

On their way back to the village Kieran excitedly talked nonstop about joining the academy.

“Cadence, is that smoke?” he said as he pointed to a slowly rising black cloud in the sky.

“That’s not good,” replied Cadence. “Let’s hurry back to the village. It’s too early in the year for the farmers to start burning fields yet.” Cadence retrieved his bow from his back and withdrew three arrows. Holding two in his hand he knocked the third arrow and started running back. Kieran picked up the pace trying to keep up with his brother. As they started coming closer to the clearing in the forest, they could see the smoke billowing high in the air. Two horses sprinted past them trying to gain distance from the chaos ahead. As soon as they made it to the edge of the trees, they could see the dire situation that had unfolded.

Smoke billowed into the air from the center of Lanercost Village. The sound of screams and metal on metal could be heard from within. Farm animals knocked over fences fleeing from the burning pastures. Some people could be seen fleeing, though most were only met with an arrow to the back.

“What’s going on Cadence? I thought you said we were safe.” Kieran said.

“Not anymore.” replied Cadence. Cadence turned to his brother, his face calm but intent. “Kieran, I need you to listen very closely now. Those horses that just ran past us. One of them was wearing a saddle. I need you to catch it and ride as fast as you can to Tamworth. Let the guards know you have an urgent message for Captain Colestein and that I sent you. He owes me a favor and will know what to do.”

Kieran nodded and then looked back towards the burning village. “You’re not coming with me?”

Cadence shook his head. “I’m needed here. If anyone is still alive, I have to try to help them. Now go quic…” Two men burst from the brush nearby shouting. Cadence spun around letting loose his first arrow straight at the first man dropping him. The second closed in, sword held high in the air, poised to strike down on Kieran. Cadence, barely reacting in time, shoved his brother aside and parried the attack with his bow causing it to crack and both of them to stumble. Two more men also rushed out of the bushes. One moved towards the fallen Kieran, and the other for Cadence. Taking advantage of Cadence being off balance, the soldier closed the distance only to be blinded mid swing by dirt and gravel. This caused the soldier to drop his sword wiping at his eyes.

The other man had regained balance and was swinging again. Fortunately Cadence was faster. Stepping inside the man’s swing he slammed two of the arrows still in his hand into the man's neck. He immediately crumpled to the ground. Then, Cadence turned towards the other man that had recently been blinded finding his eyes red with irritation and rage. The man charged towards him weaponless. Cadence drew his short sword and drove it into the man’s side, ending him as well.

Meanwhile, the other soldier dragged Kieran to his feet, an arm around his neck, squeezing tight. The soldier was momentarily distracted by how his comrades were facing off against Cadence. Kieran used this distraction to stretch his arm out just enough to slip the dagger from his sheath and jammed it into the man's thigh. The soldier reeled in pain causing him to loosen his grip. Kieran tried to break free, but the man was able to keep hold of his shirt. Angry now, he struck Kieran across the forehead with the pommel of his sword causing Kieran to fall backwards slamming into a nearby tree.

By then Cadence had finished the last of the three soldiers he was fighting. Kieran's eyes swam from both the blow and hitting the tree. He looked up to see a blurry image of his brother charging towards the man ready to strike. Right before he reached him there was a blinding light, the size of a doorway that appeared between the soldier and his brother. As soon as the light had appeared it was gone, along with his brother. Upon recovering from the blinding light and realizing his foe had vanished, the soldier turned back towards Kieran. Kieran’s heart pounded furiously in his chest now as the man limped closer. He brought his sword back and thrust it towards Kieran as another bright flashing light appeared.