A cool wind blew gently through the trees carrying with it the strong and thick smell of woodsmoke. The spiny needled limbs of the trees glistened with cold-hard cakes of ice and snow. A newly fallen snow blanketed softly over the harder and settled ice of days past. Jone began to rise as I moved further through the now darkening forest. In the clearing ahead I could make out the shapes of the stone buildings that the Ooinn hunters used for homes. Smoke poured from their tops and through the windows I could see the light and heat of their burning fires. This is the first time I had ever been beyond the runes. It was a strange and somewhat uncomfortable feeling knowing that I was beyond the sight of the elders. Still this was my test and I knew the others would not be far off. I kept telling myself that I could do this. I had been trained by the best that lived in Tes'rack afterall. I was eager to see a Ooinn with my own eyes so that I may see why the stories told us to fear them so.
I approached the nearest dwelling with all of the skill I had learned. Glancing quickly back I smiled seeing that I had left no identifiable tracks. Sliding forward along the wall, I was careful not to be seen by those inside whose loud voices echoed through the walls of stone. I kept my weapons at the ready for as curious as I was to see inside, I was not allowed to be caught off guard. My heart pounded with excitement, so much so, that I was fearful it might give me away. A tall figure flashed by the glassed covered opening and I pressed myself back into the shadows against the wall. I did not see it clearly, but it was truly a massive creature.
I breathed in deeply, recognizing many of the scents the air held in its icy grasp. The scent of the pine was always present, the living wood as well as the ash that bellowed from the stone chimney. Livestock must be housed not far away as well. I let pass the obvious scents and focused again on the subtle with a deeper breath. Fermented grains, meat that had been cooked upon the fire some hours earlier, and a sharp sickly odor that could only be the Ooinn themselves. A necessity of survival to remember that smell, the smell of those that would hunt you.
I longed for another glimpse of them so that I would not mistake their visage when I cross their path again. Carefully peering again through the opening, I saw them sitting around a wooden table. Three extemely large creatures with pale skins and painted faces. Two males looked much like each other though one seemed to be more aged then the other. Perhaps the younger was his offspring. A female too was there, at least, I presume it to be, though she was almost as large as the males themselves. They drank from large metal cups that were twice the size of their hands, each time spilling a bit of the liquid down their face. Loud and raucous were there voices interspersed with booms of laughter. I could not help but wonder what they might be saying. Their seemingly jovial attitude made it hard to believe they were so monsterous and fierce. I knew now the faces of my enemies. Content with my new knowledge, I had other tasks that were necessary before I could again go home.
The test for my coming of age had many parts to it. The first of which I felt relieved to have just completed. My next task would be to create some misfortune for the Ooinn that might help inspire them to leave these lands and travel back to their great cities. The elders felt that this settlement was far too close to our boundary stones and its hunters often crossed into our territory. Remembering the smell of the stock animals, I decided perhaps that would be a good place to strike.
I moved away from the home toward a wooden structure in the distance. I kept my senses sharp for detection would be the ultimate failure. When I reached the door I found it closed but with only a simple latch. I slid the door open quietly so as not to frighten the animals within. Slipping inside I waited as my eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness. I approached the hooved animals slowly. Their heavy breaths and snorts showed they were uneasy with the presence of someone unknown to them. I stroked the animals snout softly to help calm it and I silently apologize to it for what I had to do next.
I pulled from my tunic a small vial that had been given to me by my trainer. Removing the stopper quickly filled the building with a pungent smell. They animals within produced a few sounds of distress. Within the vial was deer blood mixed with several other ingredients meant to amplify its smell and the speed at which its smell would spread and linger. I poured a bit of the fluid on the backs of each of the animals in turn. I left the door to each animals stall wide open and turned my attention to the dried grass and straw that was scattered everywhere throughout the building. Taking two small firestones from my tunic's pocket, I placed them on the ground. After moving several handfuls of the straw close to them, I then smashed the stones with the flat of my blade. The sharp sound reverberated inside the wooden structure. The crushed stones sparked a bit as the air interacted with the metal within. The sparks caught on the grass and small flames began to spread. Snatching the clumps up, I tossed them into the larger piles that were stacked up near the back. Then slipped quickly back out the door, pausing only to open it a bit wider to give the animals enough room to pass through.
I made my way toward the tree line again, quickly, but taking care to leave no trace of my passing. Once in the safety of the trees I turned and watched with great interest. The light of the fire flickered within and small amounts of smoke could now be seen finding its way between the cracks in the wooden roof. The animals within began to panic and one of the stronger and faster animals made its way out the door. It made a loud and fearful noise as it galloped out into the night. The other animals began to call out in unison. Soon the Ooinn began to appear outside their homes trying to discover the cause of the commotion. They soon spotted the now burning structure. More animals had made their way free and the Ooinn shouted to the others for aid. The blaze grew stronger even as they attempted to quell its flames. Others tried to stop the animals from fleeing, but panicked as they were the beasts would not be stopped easily. Those animals that were strong and fast might run far beyond the Ooinn's ability to find them the next morning. The slower and heavier feed animals would probably tire not far into the forest, but the blood that I had tainted them with would soon draw the attention of the wolves that lived within. No, the Ooinn shall not recover many of their animals and shall have no place safe now to house them. Confident of my success I slipped deeper into the forest. I had accomplished the first few task of my coming of age. Soon I would have another name and not be simply the child Nyarra.