Chapter 3: Mike

Unknown savior. Is he friend or foe?

Just as Hawkeye was raising his sword to finish Will off an arrow flew past his head. "What the hell?" he said as he spun around trying to find this new threat but all he could see were trees. Suddenly another arrow buried itself in Hawkeye's cloak just to the left of his heart as he dove for cover. If I stay here I'll be a sitting duck! I have to retreat. A quick glance over at Will showed him trying to get up. I should have finished him off quickly instead of playing with him. He gave a sharp but short whistle and within seconds a large black stallion came charging out of the trees where he had left it as he sneaked up on Will. As it charged up to him he quickly swung up onto its back keeping low to avoid more arrows. I should have been with the group instead of hanging back trying to see if we had been followed. If I had this hunter would be dead and we would be long gone.

Will was struggling to push himself up off the floor when Hawkeye came riding past. "Why don't you just die already?" Hawkeye asked drawing an knife from among his cloak. He threw the knife at Will aiming for his heart. Will saw it coming and with the last of his fading strength lurched to the side causing the knife to bury itself in his shoulder. The woods fell silent except for Will's moans. I am losing way too much blood! There was a growing pool of blood forming under and around him but he couldn't get his limbs to obey his command and move. He was starting to become dizzy and cold. The last thing that he saw before he blacked out was a large man walking toward him holding a bow.

When Will slowly woke up he found himself lying on a soft bunk. He looked down at his wounds and noticed that they had been tended and bandages were wrapped around him. He also was surprised to find that he didn't hurt nearly as badly as he had before. Looking around he found that he was in a cabin. Where am I? Sunlight filtered through the only window in the cabin. The open window allowed a cool breeze to blow through the cabin. A fire was crackling merrily beneath a pot filled with stew. At the smell of food his stomach growled. Just as he was contemplating how best to get out of bed to get some of the tasty smelling stew the door opened and the man he had seen before he had passed out walked in.

The man had black hair, brown eyes, long beard and was over six feet tall. The man had the bearing of a trained soldier, but the man's most striking feature was that he looked like a carnival strongman. The man looked over at Will as he came in and seeing him awake and sitting up, smiled.

"How are you doing?" he asked.

"I am doing okay. I am a little hungry and sore though." Just then Will's stomach gave a loud growl and both Will and the stranger laughed.

"Lets get you some stew then." The big man walked over and checking the stew pronounced it good enough to eat. Something about the man made Will just want to relax. I feel safe, which was weird considering that I was just almost killed and he is a complete stranger. Pouring some for them both, he handed Will a bowl as he took his own to a nearby table. After they had eaten Will asked, "What's your name? How long have I been here? Where are we? What....?"

The man threw his head back and laughed. "Slow down. I know you have a lot of questions but I can only answer one at a time." he said smiling. He continued, "My name is Mike Travon but you can call me Mike."

Will smiled and stuck out his hand. "My name is Will Hunter. You can call me Will."

Mike's hand was so big it engulfed Will's when he shook it. "You have been unconscious for about four days. It is a miracle you are even alive. You lost a lot of blood. As to where you are. You are still in Ford's Way. Just deeper in then where you fought those guys."

Will was just starting to relax now that he had some food in his belly and he was starting to feel sleepy. "Thanks for your help. Without it I would have either been killed by Hawkeye or I would have bleed to death."

"Wait did you say Hawkeye?"

"Yes I did."

"The Hawkeye? One of the three legendary commanders of the Great One. That Hawkeye?"

"Yeah."

"You are lucky to be alive." Mike said.

Mike looked curious rather than afraid. Which puzzled Will a great deal. Who is this guy. Why is he not scared? Shouldn't he be worried about why Hawkeye was here. I know I am.

"Why did he attack you?"

"Well he... uh... didn't attack me not at first anyway."

Frowning Mike said, "Please explain what happened then."

Taking a deep breath Will told him, "Well a band of raiders had been stealing cattle and sheep from isolated ranches and farms as well as attacking and pillaging them. So they and a neighboring village hired me to track down and stop the raiders."

"That is a lot to expect from one man."

"Not if that one man knows what he is doing." Will said angrily.

Mike nodded his head in agreement and motioned for Will to continue. "Well I found their camp and waited for them to return. That's when I found out that the raiders were Dark Elves. After I ambushed them, we had a brief fight and I was able to kill them. Then Hawkeye arrived and attacked. We fought and I lost."

"You should be proud. You not only ambushed and killed several Dark Elves, you also crossed blades with one of the Great One's elite commanders and lived to tell about it. Very few if any can say that." Why was Hawkeye here of all places? It is not very close to the Black Lands. So why here? Why now? Mike was worried but didn't want Will to see as he needed all the rest and relaxation he could get to heal.

Will smiled. Looking over at Mike, Will asked, "So now you know what I was doing there but why were you there? Their camp was far from the main road so why were you there?"

"Well I had actually planned to camp there." Mike explained. "But then I found you and had to take you here to this hunter's cabin."

"I owe you for saving my life. Thank you."

"Your welcome. And you don't owe me a thing."

A silence ensued in which both Will and Mike thought about what they had learned. Getting uncomfortable with the silence Will said, "You're pretty good with that bow Mike."

"I have to be if I want to eat." Mike replied smiling.

"Are you a mercenary?" Seeing Mike's frown Will hurried to add, "I only ask because of your weapons. They are high quality and seem to have been well kept. Also you carry your sword as if it is an extension of yourself. You carry enough weapons on you to outfit a small army and the way you carry yourself indicates to me that you are always aware of your surroundings. Almost like you are constantly looking for danger. You couldn't be a soldier because you don't wear an emblem that shows that you are in either King Bundike or King Dundike's army."

Mike was impressed. Not many people who weren't soldiers themselves could have guessed that he was a trained soldier. He is very observant. He almost got it right. "You are almost right. I used to be a member of King Bundike's elite force The Homeguards. I am not and will never be a mercenary."

"Why are you no longer a Homeguard." Will asked curious. He doesn't look old enough to retire. So why is he not still in Bundike's service?

"I was discharged for excessive fighting. Due to my size my comrades always wanted to fight me to prove how tough they were. I always beat them and afterwards I always got the blame."

"That wasn't your fault though. If anything they were to blame, not you. They were the ones who started the fight!" Will exclaimed.

"Well I could have refused to fight but I never could turn down a challenge." Mike said shrugging.

"Still it wasn't your fault you got challenged so much." Will grumbled.

Mike smiled, "You are the first person I have met that was upset on my behalf. Thank you. You are a good man."

Will shrugged slightly embarrassed and quickly changed the subject. "How much longer do you think it will take for my wounds to heal enough for me to leave this cabin?"

"That is kind of hard to say. Ordinarily I would say about two months but you are healing very well so maybe a month." He shouldn't even be awake let alone able to move. Not after so short of a time and the type of wounds he sustained. He doesn't even seem to be in all that much pain. This young man isn't like anyone I have ever met before. And to top it all off that sword.....

"I have a question for you Will."

"Okay. What is it?"

"Well I want to know where you got your sword from. I have rarely seen such fine craftsmanship. It is a weapon I would expect a lord to own. It isn't a weapon you would expect a common hunter to own, no offense. You couldn't have bought it, not just by hunting. Unless I am mistaken those are Elven runes carved into the blade as well as on the scabbard. Since the Elves haven't traded with humans, or anyone else, since the Great War, your sword had to have been forged either before or during the Great War. Either way it has to be worth a small fortune. So like I was saying how did you get it?"

Will looked at his sword which lay at the foot of his bed where Mike had set it while he had been tending to Will's injuries. Wow I didn't know that my sword was so valuable a weapon. Doesn't matter though. "It was given to me by my father. He once told me that the sword had been a gift to his great great grandfather and ever since then has always been passed down from generation to generation from father to son. It is a family heirloom."

Mike nodded and as the silence stretched out Will fell asleep.

Author's Note

I would like your opinion on what I did well and what I need to improve on thank you for your input it is appreciated.

Reviews

[S. von Glaubitz]

The dialogue is pretty good in this chapter. It’s easy and natural. It’s also great way to fit in some world-building and backstory, and you handle that part of it nicely.

Where was Hawkeye during the initial fight? Can you have Hawkeye look back on this? If I’m going to get to read some of the tale from his perspective, I’d love to read more.

Why isn’t Will in more pain? Based on what Mike says, I presume this will be revealed later. I'm intrigued by the mystery of it!

My biggest concern for this chapter is Will’s propensity to have, for lack of a better phrase, a big mouth. This is similar to my comment in the previous chapter about him telling so much to Hawkeye. I understand that Mike saved Will’s life, and that the cabin clearly feels safe to Will, but they’re still strangers. Should he laugh so easily with a stranger? He reveals the sensitive information of Hawkeye’s existence and his whole situation before knowing anything about Mike, other than his name. The fact that this isn’t even Mike’s cabin would also give me pause if I was in Will’s shoes.

Again, these are just things to think about. It would all be just fine if you meant for it to be part of Will’s character, and would actually make him rather endearing in my opinion. Just find a way to make it clearer. For example, Will might have always been told he told talks too much, and can regret saying something after he’s said it.

Also, you mentioned in the last chapter about this being teen or adult fiction. Given the current pacing, I would say it fits better for teens. Otherwise, I will always encourage taking your time. The more sentences you write, the more you develop story and character. You can always cut things down later.

[Redwarrior123]

I thank you for your comments and by the time you read this I will have corrected a few so please let me know how I did and if what I did made it worse or better. Thank you and please keep the reviews coming.

[yuriko]

Things are getting interesting for Will isn't it. I wonder why Mike's so interested in the sword. This chapter has a hint of mystery to it and I think it works because it keeps the reader guessing. But I have a few things I want you to look at its just a suggestion on my point of view. You can add a break between the paragraph when Will fainted and when he woke up.So the readers won't get confused what's happening because the scene changes quickly. And before the sentence "Sunlight filtered through the only window in the cabin" you can write that he started to noticed that he's in a cabin. Because he just woken up an he doesn't know where he is. But overall I'm looking forward to found out what happens next and it's good that you've brought in a new character.:) keep at it.

[Tsubaki Kuro]

Very Good. There are great details and the dialogue is smooth. Great work Redwarrior123.