Ira Celare (Heredis Altum is his royal real name although he doesn't know this nor did the merchant family.)
Kingdom: Hanseti-Ruska
Royal Bloodline that is being hunted to extinction.
Went to live out his days traveling by the forest.
Befriends a wolf named Umbra
"We must get out of here. They will find us." Mutters a frantic woman, obivously terrified. "We have no-where else to go. If they come, take the child and run. I will hold them off as long as I can." says a man breathing heavily, He's exhausted. His face is bruised, he has multiple wounds all over his body and with barely any energy in him left. He knows, that he won't be able to hold them for long. The woman, understanding the situation clearly. Leans in touches the mans arm. "My love Regis, I want you to know that even though it has come to this, I regret nothing in our life." Tears start to swell in her eyes. "I-I.." She pauses. The man, Regis, Turns and looks softly into her eyes. I love you too my dear Bellus." They kiss, as soon as their lips touch. A banging from outside the barn they are in sound through. "Hey you traitors! Open up! We know you are in there!" They look at each other one last time, "You look just as beautiful as the day I met you." Says Regis, turning to face the door the sound was coming from. "Farewell, my light." he whispers. Just as the front barn door bursts open Guards running in, swords in hand. He charges. Bellus sobbing, grabs the child and flees out the back entrance of the barn, hidden away by the hay bales. The child, now crying from all the commotion begins to tug at his mothers hair. "Heredis you have to stop! You are going to give us away!" Heredis, still being a baby, does not oblidge his mothers commands. Bellus now trying to hide in a nearby wheat field, covers Heredis's mouth. In the distance, she hears the clattering of swords and yelling finally stop. For a moment she is hopeful. Did her husband survive? Cheering begins from nearby peasents. "Justice to the family!" one shouts! "Bellus the traitorus bastard has fallen!". Bellus loses control and begins to sob again. She falls to her knees. Heredis at her side, begins to cry again. This alerts the nearby guards "That stupid child, sure is loud." Mutters a guard who has found them. "Let's fix that." He laughs. Bellus, once again regains her senses. Shoots to her feet and grabs Heredis, puts him on her hip and runs. "Over here boys! Let's put an end to this pathetic family!" The royal soldiers chase after them and after some time corner them on the capital bridge. An arrow pierces Bellus's leg "AH You bastards call yourself noble men!" She lays at the edge of the bridge, with Heredis still by her side. "My gods, my final prayer to you all as you have given my family this cursed life I ask of you only one thing Ple-" The guards stab her in the abdomen, sword sinking in slowly. "No gods shall have any mercy on you, you traitorous *****." She whimpers. A fatal blow. the last words escaping her mouth. "Grant him mercy." Her body goes limp, lifeless. "The renowned Altums, oh how far that name has fallen. Now it shall be wiped from history." The guard removes his sword from Bellus's lifeless body. "Sir, what shall we do with the kid?" Asks another lower ranked soldier. "What do you mean? Look at his hair. He is an Altum, kill him and be done with it." Shouts the higher rank soldier. Not wanting to anger his superiors a lower rank guard picks Heredis up, crying Heredis kicks the soldier in the head. "Ah! You little bastard!" The soldier then takes the hilt of his sword and hits Heredis over the head, knocking him out. "I don't wanna get the blood of a child on my hands. So the river shall end your miserable life." He lifts Heredis up and tosses his unconcious body over the railing.
Years Later.
Years later at an archery field two arrows whiz into a target, perfect bullseyes. A third goes by and hits the outer circle of the target. "Aw man! I was so close, you would have had to play with me!" Remarks a young boy wielding a bow. Another, named Domin, sat their agazed. He told his younger brother Ira, that he would play with him if he hit all three bullseyes jokingly. Even skilled archers can barely hit one from this distance. He regains his composure. "Close doesn't count. Better luck next time kiddo." "But Domin that's not fair. Come on please?" Ira complains. "No we need to get back to the shop or else mother will skin our hides." He rubs Ira on the head. They head back to the family owned shop. The renowned Celare family, known throughout the kingdom as a diligent merchant family always having a fair price. They make a pretty penny. Which is dangerous and odd for a family that lives on the outskirts of the kingdom. They walk into the shop and are welcomed with a smell of fresh stew and the aroma of home. "Welcome back boys, how did the practice go?" Domin reaches to his back, unstraps three rabbit hides and lays them on the table. "It went well, Ira is still hesitant to kill animals though, which lost us some hide." His mother looks at Ira, a warm smile forms. Ira looks down to avoid her gaze. "Ira, my child. Everything in this world has a cycle of life and death. And we humans, are part of this cycle too." She pats Iras head. "Even though the death of any creature is sad. It's passing will directly benefit everything around it." She finishes. Ira looks up at her. "A cycle?" He murmurs. "Yes." She replies. "A cycle." She Pauses. "You being only eleven years old will grow used to it over age and accept it." Domin then interupts the moment. Scruffs Iras hair and says "You did good today. One of these days you will get to go on a hunt on your own." Ira annoyed at his brother, Fixes his hair. "I wish you'd stop doing that to my hair." He punches Domin in his arm. Domin winces, then tries to hide the pain, acting tough. "Let me show you how to punch someone." He says winding his arm back and wailing his younger brother in the arm. Ira yelps, and starts to cry. "Domin! You are much older than Ira, don't be so rough with him!" Scolds their mother. "You are almost a young man at 14. You could hurt him!" This was a normal day in the Celare household. With their father long gone. The mother Calid, had to do the heavy lifting. Domin was getting to the age where he could help alot around the shop. And Ira looked up to him. Three years pass. The boys have grown up, Their mother, now more retired has let Domin take over the shop. Ira, was sent out to hunt. He has been gone for three days And is almost home to his village. As he heads up the dirt road, with six rabbit pelts around his waist. He starts to notice smoke rising from the distance. This was usually normal as in the cold months they would keep the fire lit at all time just to warm up the house a bit. But the amount of smoke was unusual. Ira picked up his pace. He makes it up the hillside and cannot believe his eyes. His home was in smolders. Dropping the pelts by his side, he frantically runs into the ashe ruins he once called home. His brother was nowhere to be seen, unfortunately their mother wasn't that lucky. Burnt almost to ash, clutching the only thing that identified her to Ira, her wedding band that she never took off. He'd lost everything. Searching further around, Ira found one thing not touched by fire, something he'd never seen before standing above the ashes, a flag marked with red and gold. Left by whoever did this as if it were some sort of.. achievement. The mere thought of that, his home, his family and their lives.. just someone's trophy.. It almost drove Ira mad. He broke down, sobbing. At just 14 years old, Ira had lost everyone. Everything. Hours passed, Ira buried his mother and said his last farewells. His brother, nowhere to be seen, Ira, assumed that he just couldn't find the body under all the rubble. He packed what little he had took one last look back and hit the road.
A few weeks later
With no other real option, Ira was surviving pretty well in the forest. His previous skills taught by his older brother and Mother, had come in pretty handy. One day, on his travels Ira came across a young wolf, he couldn't have been atleast a few months old. Trapped within a crevice in the ground. Ira looked around and couldn't find any other tracks of a pack of wolves. This one had been abandoned by his pack and was all alone. He looked as if he hadn't eaten in weeks, and Ira, although he was trying to survive aswell, related to the pup, he was all alone, all his loved ones gone, fighting to survive. So he set up camp that night next to the pup, who was very visible and audibly not happy about that, growling and snapping everytime he peered down at him. There was no way Ira could get him out without the wolf trying to mawl him. So he did all he could do, and gave it food and water. a few days go by and Ira finally decides to try to get the trapped wolf who he has now determined is a male out of the crevice. The same usual snaps and snarls, Ira throws a rope down in the hole, and climbs down. He finally gets down, and the wolf pup goes silent, staring intently at Ira, slowly circling him. Ira, holds up his hands saying. "I don't wanna hurt you buddy. I wanna help." the wolf growles, Ira steps forward towards him. And as he does the wolf lunges forward barking, and biting down on Iras hand. Ira doesn't react. He looks straight at the wolf, and begins to lift him out of the pit. Making sure the pup has a good grip on his hand. He finally gets out, and the wolf scampers off. Ira, feeling accomplished, yet somewhat saddened, bandages his wounds and begins to packup his camp to continue his travels.
Weeks pass, Ira notices that his food is going missing, every morning he awakes, there is less and less food. So one day he decides to stay up all night to see whats eating his food. To his surprise, it's the wolf he saved. It's been following him, and stalking him. Eventually, Ira befriends this wolf, and names him Umbra. They become family, Umbra always sticking by Iras side no matter what.
Years pass, and Ira learns more about the world, going from city to city never staying for too long, asking about a red and gold flag in hopes of finding out who caused him to lost everything.
