Ascent

[Ilikefooddude 430]

Thurak wrinkled his nose as he pulled himself up to the next cranny, the familiar acrid reek of dried sweat assaulting him in wafts of sickening pungency each time his arms rose and fell in the steady rhythm he’s decided upon himself this point in the climb. It was late afternoon, and the withering rays of dusk’s final sunset cast a lonely black shadow of his person across the black mountain’s stone; matching his black mood that dreary evening. All day he’d been pulling, jumping and scrambling across the harsh charred skin of this peak; the tallest one in the Fringe no less, a mountain he’d cursed himself for choosing several times in his adventure. As a cloud passed overhead and drenched the Orc in shadow, he shivered and realised how cold it would get on these giant, bleak monoliths once night fell, and reminded himself to make camp before icicles began droop from his tusks. Ascending to another foothold, Thurak could see above him, not so far away, the clouds that blocked his view of the pinnacle of his climb- grey and unsaturated blobs that Thurak mused could hold tears just as easily as rain with their melancholy appearance.
The Uruk’s ear flicked at the sound a high, sharp yip, followed by the tumble of loose rocks down a mountainside. It’s STILL following!? He scowled, glancing down for a moment to confirm his assumption. Poots, a deranged and thoroughly demonical Hyena who Thurak had found within his teachers blarg the day after she left, had taken it upon himself to plod nonchalantly behind the Orc as he’d began on his trip towards the southern mountains, and no amount of shouting or nudging would seem to deter him- who was half deaf and blind already, no doubt. Either way, Thurak was surprised he’d made it this far, and he wondered if it was because of this resilience that Kroga had chosen him as her companion for all of those years. Among the more useful things he’d been lent by his missing teacher was the small passage of text that had led him on this expedition; written not in the usual cryptic verses of the old Feuruk’s hand but instead straight and blunt, detailing his mission precisely.

"Once one understands the importance of blood, one must come to learn the importance of determination. A shaman must be able to see beyond things, to see both what is within our world and that of spirits. We as shamans must understand balance between our worlds, the precarious sway of the two forever swirling in a vortex of insurmountable power. But even within all this raw power there is fragility. Even the most virile and powerful orc must realize he too, can be struck down. He too, can succumb to weakness if he does not fight with all of himself. And it is within this, I shall send my students on a quest to test their own strength, not of body but of will and heart. I send them away to the tallest and steepest of mountains, above the clouds where the air is thin and their great size and strength shall become a painful burden. Their task is to find a star fallen to earth, nestled into the thick green leaves as it lay there upon the earth. They are to pluck this fallen star from its bed, and carry it back to the camp without its light fading. If they can succeed in this, they will come to learn more of the fragility of their own bodies and begin to strengthen their spirit for the tasks ahead.”

 

With a sudden start, Thurak realised he couldn't see. Around him was thick, blank canvas- cold enough to send static shivers down his spine and so sudden that he gripped against the rock face with renewed vigour- certain that should he move he would plummet to his doom. And just as quickly, it was gone. As tendrils of the cloud blew away into the distance the Orc released his pent up breath and resumed climbing. So preoccupied with his thinking and so used to the constant drill of lifting himself up and up he hadn't even noticed he’d reached the cloud line! Still above him was more of the insubstantial mist, but he was certain that soon he’d pass that complete and open sky would greet him.
As the hour moved on, Thurak found that, just as the verse had described, breathing up here was becoming increasingly difficult and strained, and each sip of air was less fruitful than the last in helping him catch his breath. Despite their thick skin, Orcs had little affinity to the cold, too, and as the sun finally ducked beyond the horizon Thurak could do no more than shiver uncontrollably and wince each time a cloud washed over him- drenching him from head to toe in icy condensation. He was determined, however, that just beyond the next cloud would be the peak- and if not this, the next. Each time he repeated this to himself until finally, with a bone chilling breeze that swept aside the gloom around him the early night air was exposed in all of its glory- blending with the nearby peak of the obsidian mountain in a mottled black and charcoal. Within the hour, trembling with exhaustion, Thurak collapsed against the flat stone of the mountaintop panting and shivering with the fatigue of his day’s journey. As he wearily pulled a woollen blanket from his pack then across his curled body he felt a soft, warm pressure up against him, digging its way beneath the sheet. Too tired to be annoyed, Thurak found a short smirk creeping across his features, strangely glad that Poots had managed not to kill himself on the trek upwards to the peak.
Closing his eyes, the Uruk slept throughout the night, warmed by his blanket and his companion, and content that the hardest part of his journey was done.

 

A groan poured from the Uruk’s chest as he pulled the blanket from him, followed by indignant yapping from Poots who scrambled to his feet and began to pace around in wobbly, concentric circles . Every muscle in his body ached, and his tight ligaments burned and threatened to tear as he rose trembling to his feet. It was mid-morning, and the sun was warm enough to calm most of the initial violent shivering that had overcome him at the shock of removing his sheet. Glancing around, he finally took stock of his surroundings- hard, black stone as always, with no sign of the fallen star he would supposedly find atop this steepest mountain of the Fringe; expecting as much but no less annoyed by the prospect of spending more time with the blistering winds of the mountaintop. He set out to circumnavigate the peak, leaving the deranged Hyena to his plodding and growling for the time being.
After twice doing such, the second to make sure he didn’t miss anything, a short pang of despair clawed at Thurak’s chest. He’d found no sign of anything remotely like a fallen star, and all rocks on the monolith’s pinnacle were all black, jagged and cold. Is this the wrong mountain? He found himself thinking, doubting his choice with a scowl. When he made his way back to Poots, who was pawing and sniffing at a dilapidated piece of shrubbery hanging from the side of the mountain, he nudged him angrily with then end of his boot. The Hyena cackled softly; a low, disconcerting sound, though continued his wanton fascination with the bush. Frowning, he stepped forward to examine what it was that held the pup’s such devoted attention, and furrowed his brows in through. A tiny, fragile flower grew amongst a bed of soft leaves, completely unlike the rest of the scrappy vegetation elsewhere around the mountaintop. Its petals were a soft, calm grey, adorned with a dull gold lustre across its edges which gave the plant startling outline against the dark greens of its leaves. Bending down and kneeling beside it, Thurak exhaled with a sigh and let a victorious grin spread across his face. Not the star he’d been thinking of, but every bit as precious and fleeting as that gleaming metal that chanced to fall from the heavens.

The journey back would definitely be interesting, Thurak mused, as he cupped his hands around the base of the plant and began to dig it from its sanctuary atop the mountain. 
 

 

OOC

Well! That ends the second chapter of Thurak's trip to becoming a Shaman. Apologies for the length and the time it took to write- I believe I got a bit carried away with this one! Though I won't be posting again until Thurak first connects to the spirit realm, be sure to keep an eye out for Thurak asking for companions for a trip, as he's still got a few trials to go and I enjoy, with the help of ET's, creating events for those who would like to join in. Thanks for reading, and keep watching for the next update if you're at all interested!

[hellfiazz 879]

((As always, you're writing's great. Thurak story best story.))

[Space 2335]

Fydizh wipes a tear from his eye, hiding in whatever hole he's been in for basically all of the Fringe. "Mi remembur when hi wuz juzt un all-chemizizt, zellin' hiz skah bi dah road. Oh, huw dey gruw up.

 

Good read.

[Demotheus 651]

"Woo!" Illah says, congratulating her Popo with some freshly made shara stew.

[brotherpig123 38]

+1 for Poots :D

[Raptorious 1899]

Moved to the Great Library. It shall be sorted into appropriate category shortly.