DarkAncient
The rising moon
This is the rough draft of my first chapter for a novel I intend to write. I would really appreciate any feedback as long as it isn't "you suck!" Because that doesn't help me improve at all.
Chapter 1 A man in chains
“When the wolves cry up at the moon, what is it they cry to? They say the moon once howled too, and answered the wolves’ cry. Why did the man in the moon go silent?”
Outside of the little village of Ester lived a farmer and his family. The man made an honest wage off of wheat and cows and they all lived together in a little cabin. The farmer had a son named Adam who often played inside the village, and that is where they boy could be found today without a care in the world playing.
“Hey Adam catch!” The shrill sound of a child’s voice rang out just as an apple hit Adam in the back of the head. He was a lanky child not quite skinny or muscular but with a good head on him and a good head of red hair as well. He stumbled a moment when the apple hit his head before laughing and turning around. In front of him stood a slightly larger boy with a rough head of black hair. He smiled a bit showing off his missing teeth and then picked up another apple. “Are you going to catch this one Adam?” He tossed it in the air a few times before it was hit out of his hand by an Apple.
“Does that count Elliot?” Adam laughed again and both boys started running around the streets of the village. Elliot continued to run after Adam as the two boys played a game of tag up and down the alley ways. Suddenly a loud voice called out.
“Calm down you two don’t you know we’re getting ready for a celebration!” The sudden halt of movement was enough to kick up a large cloud of dust which both boys coughed at before turning to face the source of the voice. Before them stood old man Milton well known around the village as being a respected elder. He was currently shaking his old branch cane at the two but the smile on his face gave away the cranky old man act.
“But gramps the silent moon festival isn’t til next month!” Adam couldn’t help but pleading he hated when celebrations happened because it meant he had to help more around the farm and couldn’t spend as much time in the village with Elliot.
“I don’t mean the silent moon festival boy! We just got word that a Shade hunter is coming through the village and we want to greet him properly! Now go home and get dressed properly, and stop calling me gramps!” Though he shook his cane and yelled old man Milton still smiled and laughed as he shook the boys away. It took a second for the boy to nod to each other and run off towards their homes Adam towards the farm house and Elliot deep into the village to where his father lived as Mayor.
“Ah there you are, we just got word a shade hunter is coming through, and we need to get you cleaned up.” The harmonious voice of a mother was always comforting, but that still didn’t stop Adam from hating baths. He didn’t like getting wet in any way and usually stayed inside even when it drizzled.
“But mom if I just put on my nice clothes won’t that be good enough?” Adam was already keeping his distance from where the bath sat ominously waiting for him filled to the brim with warm water that had been sitting over a fire previously. “Besides it’s not like the hunter is gonna look at me at all right dad?” He has resorted to his father for help who was still filthy from working in the fields and now stood in the doorway getting mud off his boots.
“Now you should really listen to your mother Adam you wouldn’t want to get your nice clothes all dirty would you. Go take your bath alright.” Cornered and with nobody to turn to Adam unhappily undressed and stepped into the warm water. Even though it was a pleasant temperature nothing could make him feel better about being forced to dip into water and sit there for a while as he washed off and he couldn’t be out fast enough. As soon as he was out of the water he jumped up and shook himself off by the fire slipping his nice tunic.
“I’m going to go meet up with Elliot!” Was all eh said before rushing outside and going straight to the city. He was at Elliot’s house before he even knew it and Elliot was standing outside in his ceremonial dress. He always hated wearing the ceremonial clothing because it was constricting and it made him look like the Mayor’s son. Elliot had nothing against his father, but he preferred looking normal rather than fancy. Just then a crowd erupted in cheers, and by the time the kids made it to the city square a crowd had already formed down the path a single man was walking. It was obvious he was a true shade hunter by the insignia of an eye with two pupils he wore as a clip for his cloak and more importantly the fact that he had no shadow. Above him flew a bat large enough that it made most of the houses seem small and with wings big enough to kick up tornados of dust from high in the air. As he passed through the town he seemed to make no notice of the welcome the folk tried to give him. Something in his eyes seemed to be missing, as if it was somewhere else watching another event happen that he found more interesting. Even so he looked around him every so often and nodded to people who said hello. Most interesting though was the fact that the giant Bat above him seemed to mimic his movements to an extent. It nodded its head to the same people he did, and yet it seemed to take notice of more than him and look around more often. Before Adam even knew it the man was gone and Elliot was jumping around in his usual fashion.
“Wasn’t that so cool! Did you see the bat he had with him!?” Just as usual excitement had gotten the best of Elliot and he was jumping around the town swinging a little stick around and drawing in the towns dirt roads. “And it’s really true that they don’t have shadows!”
“I heard that their shadows turn into monsters that they command to fight with them!” Adam was starting to get excited two and they both began their favorite game. Adam picked up a stick as well and the two began to have a fake sword fight making up stories about how the other had killed his family and that they would take their revenge. They had always loved the game but as always some adult or another came along and told them to stop before one of them got hurt. By the time that happened it was getting dark and both of them ran off to their homes with a quick farewell. As Adam came in his mother looked up from cooking and sighed.
“You got your good tunic all dirty didn’t you? I know it’s pointless to say this but why don’t you come home after the event next time and change before you go back to playing?” She was frowning slightly but after a while her smile came back and she returned to cooking. “Just put it in the pile out back and get changed for dinner, also tell your father to come in.” Adam nodded and ran to his little room. It contained a small chest for clothing and a bed with a nice window that looked out over the fields and towards the mountains. Adam threw the chest open and pulled out one of his regular tunics, a plain brown tunic that he usually wore to dinner with his favorite silk shirt. He ran outside and looked around for the pile of clothes his mother had talked about and threw his now filthy dress clothing into it before running out to where they kept the cows. His father was there feeding them their daily hay and looked up quickly and smiled.
“Is dinner almost ready Adam?” He always had a soft smile on his face when it was about time for dinner. There was only one thing his father loved more than dinner and that was his wife. He stood up and gave one of the cows a quick pat before stepping out of the fencing. “I’ll go get washed up so your mother won’t scold me so badly.” He laughed a bit and walked back towards the house. Adam stayed a second and looked around towards the mountains and smiled. He had always wanted to visit the mountains but there was never a chance and he was too scared to really do it. Finally he turned around and ran back towards the house getting inside just as his mother began to serve up dinner. It was lamb stew which he absolutely loved, and once his stomach was full he went to bed and quickly fell asleep. He dreamt of the silent moon festival one of his favorite times of the year once all the work was done. It was a festival to celebrate the mythical hero Delati. The myth says that the moon used to howl back at the wolves and that is why they still howl at it now. It also says that the howling of the moon would cause horrible nightmares. Delati who noticed that people could not sleep with the moons constant howling with the help of his powerful shadow went up into the sky and silenced the moon. Now many villages celebrate the hero Delati for his sacrifice to end the nightmares of the people. When he woke up it was time to get to work in the fields. He usually woke up with the sun to go out and milk a few of the cows making sure that he didn’t miss any. His father always told him that if the cows had too much milk in them they would spray it all over the house and his mother would be very mad. Even though Adam knew that was just a joke he still wanted to make sure he got as much milk as he could. Other than wheat milk was the main way his father made money so he was fine with having to carry about ten buckets of milk back to the house before he could go play. By the time he was done with that the rest of the village was awake and bustling and the sound of shops opening could be heard all the way from his home. Elliot was always found in the town square about this time and the two quickly continued to fight again. This time Elliot grabbed a much larger stick and Adam grabbed two smaller sticks. They fought in in an ally way pretending to be a knight and an assassin locked in epic combat over who would return home victoriously with the gold they had both found. After an hour of fighting they decided that they would both return with equal shares and go buy a sweet roll.
“Hey Elliot do you think the Silent Moon festival will be good this year. Last year gramps had a really great fireworks show.” Adam was thinking about his dream last night and what had happened in it. He had been standing in the center of town and the fireworks had just gone off. Then the moon started to howl again and it began to fall towards the earth. He had woken up shortly after and had a hard time falling asleep afterwards. Of course it didn’t worry him he was just wondering if the mayor had any plans.
“It’s gonna be even better this year! My father gave gramps some money to buy more fireworks than last year so it will be even brighter!” Elliot seemed pretty excited about it, and so it became very easy for Adam to forget about his dream. After they made it to the market and bought a sweet roll each the two sat down in a corner that had little traffic and ate silently. Even though it was more than two weeks away they were both excited about the festival and could barely hold in their anticipation. Before they knew it nightfall came and Elliot invited Adam over to have dinner at the Mayor’s house. He ran home and told his mom who insisted he changed into a nicer red tunic with a cleaner silk shirt. He groaned but obliged and soon he was off to Elliot’s house. It was always fun to have dinner at Elliot’s house because the mayor liked Adam too and they were allowed to play in the yard before they had to go in to eat. He also liked how the butler would always make a funny comment about what they were going to eat. Apparently the butler had grown up with Elliot’s father and the two had been friends before their current relationship. Tonight it was “A little green foothill with a brown giant sitting on top.” Once the meal was served it turned out to be a salad with cooked salmon on top. As the butler walked around he made sure that everyone had a full glass of tea and would occasionally make jokes with Elliot’s father about their childhood and how they used to be. His father would laugh and the whole room would shake with his huge laughter. Adam and Elliot scarfed down their food and went back into the yard playing together with the wooden swords they had fashioned and stashed in one of the trees years ago and still used every time they had a chance. By the time it was dark both of them were exhausted and Adam headed home. That night he dreamed of the festival again. This time he dreamed that the great hero Delati was chained to the moon and that it wasn’t the moon howling but it was the pained screams of the trapped hero that the wolves responded too and that had caused nightmares for centuries. He dreamed that the moon had never howled but that the pained screams of a tortured man had reached the earth and then one day just stopped. He woke up in a cold sweat and instantly lit a candle to make himself feel better. Even then he dared not look outside at the moon or even at the stars in the sky for fear that he would see the chained man Delati.
Chapter 1 A man in chains
“When the wolves cry up at the moon, what is it they cry to? They say the moon once howled too, and answered the wolves’ cry. Why did the man in the moon go silent?”
Outside of the little village of Ester lived a farmer and his family. The man made an honest wage off of wheat and cows and they all lived together in a little cabin. The farmer had a son named Adam who often played inside the village, and that is where they boy could be found today without a care in the world playing.
“Hey Adam catch!” The shrill sound of a child’s voice rang out just as an apple hit Adam in the back of the head. He was a lanky child not quite skinny or muscular but with a good head on him and a good head of red hair as well. He stumbled a moment when the apple hit his head before laughing and turning around. In front of him stood a slightly larger boy with a rough head of black hair. He smiled a bit showing off his missing teeth and then picked up another apple. “Are you going to catch this one Adam?” He tossed it in the air a few times before it was hit out of his hand by an Apple.
“Does that count Elliot?” Adam laughed again and both boys started running around the streets of the village. Elliot continued to run after Adam as the two boys played a game of tag up and down the alley ways. Suddenly a loud voice called out.
“Calm down you two don’t you know we’re getting ready for a celebration!” The sudden halt of movement was enough to kick up a large cloud of dust which both boys coughed at before turning to face the source of the voice. Before them stood old man Milton well known around the village as being a respected elder. He was currently shaking his old branch cane at the two but the smile on his face gave away the cranky old man act.
“But gramps the silent moon festival isn’t til next month!” Adam couldn’t help but pleading he hated when celebrations happened because it meant he had to help more around the farm and couldn’t spend as much time in the village with Elliot.
“I don’t mean the silent moon festival boy! We just got word that a Shade hunter is coming through the village and we want to greet him properly! Now go home and get dressed properly, and stop calling me gramps!” Though he shook his cane and yelled old man Milton still smiled and laughed as he shook the boys away. It took a second for the boy to nod to each other and run off towards their homes Adam towards the farm house and Elliot deep into the village to where his father lived as Mayor.
“Ah there you are, we just got word a shade hunter is coming through, and we need to get you cleaned up.” The harmonious voice of a mother was always comforting, but that still didn’t stop Adam from hating baths. He didn’t like getting wet in any way and usually stayed inside even when it drizzled.
“But mom if I just put on my nice clothes won’t that be good enough?” Adam was already keeping his distance from where the bath sat ominously waiting for him filled to the brim with warm water that had been sitting over a fire previously. “Besides it’s not like the hunter is gonna look at me at all right dad?” He has resorted to his father for help who was still filthy from working in the fields and now stood in the doorway getting mud off his boots.
“Now you should really listen to your mother Adam you wouldn’t want to get your nice clothes all dirty would you. Go take your bath alright.” Cornered and with nobody to turn to Adam unhappily undressed and stepped into the warm water. Even though it was a pleasant temperature nothing could make him feel better about being forced to dip into water and sit there for a while as he washed off and he couldn’t be out fast enough. As soon as he was out of the water he jumped up and shook himself off by the fire slipping his nice tunic.
“I’m going to go meet up with Elliot!” Was all eh said before rushing outside and going straight to the city. He was at Elliot’s house before he even knew it and Elliot was standing outside in his ceremonial dress. He always hated wearing the ceremonial clothing because it was constricting and it made him look like the Mayor’s son. Elliot had nothing against his father, but he preferred looking normal rather than fancy. Just then a crowd erupted in cheers, and by the time the kids made it to the city square a crowd had already formed down the path a single man was walking. It was obvious he was a true shade hunter by the insignia of an eye with two pupils he wore as a clip for his cloak and more importantly the fact that he had no shadow. Above him flew a bat large enough that it made most of the houses seem small and with wings big enough to kick up tornados of dust from high in the air. As he passed through the town he seemed to make no notice of the welcome the folk tried to give him. Something in his eyes seemed to be missing, as if it was somewhere else watching another event happen that he found more interesting. Even so he looked around him every so often and nodded to people who said hello. Most interesting though was the fact that the giant Bat above him seemed to mimic his movements to an extent. It nodded its head to the same people he did, and yet it seemed to take notice of more than him and look around more often. Before Adam even knew it the man was gone and Elliot was jumping around in his usual fashion.
“Wasn’t that so cool! Did you see the bat he had with him!?” Just as usual excitement had gotten the best of Elliot and he was jumping around the town swinging a little stick around and drawing in the towns dirt roads. “And it’s really true that they don’t have shadows!”
“I heard that their shadows turn into monsters that they command to fight with them!” Adam was starting to get excited two and they both began their favorite game. Adam picked up a stick as well and the two began to have a fake sword fight making up stories about how the other had killed his family and that they would take their revenge. They had always loved the game but as always some adult or another came along and told them to stop before one of them got hurt. By the time that happened it was getting dark and both of them ran off to their homes with a quick farewell. As Adam came in his mother looked up from cooking and sighed.
“You got your good tunic all dirty didn’t you? I know it’s pointless to say this but why don’t you come home after the event next time and change before you go back to playing?” She was frowning slightly but after a while her smile came back and she returned to cooking. “Just put it in the pile out back and get changed for dinner, also tell your father to come in.” Adam nodded and ran to his little room. It contained a small chest for clothing and a bed with a nice window that looked out over the fields and towards the mountains. Adam threw the chest open and pulled out one of his regular tunics, a plain brown tunic that he usually wore to dinner with his favorite silk shirt. He ran outside and looked around for the pile of clothes his mother had talked about and threw his now filthy dress clothing into it before running out to where they kept the cows. His father was there feeding them their daily hay and looked up quickly and smiled.
“Is dinner almost ready Adam?” He always had a soft smile on his face when it was about time for dinner. There was only one thing his father loved more than dinner and that was his wife. He stood up and gave one of the cows a quick pat before stepping out of the fencing. “I’ll go get washed up so your mother won’t scold me so badly.” He laughed a bit and walked back towards the house. Adam stayed a second and looked around towards the mountains and smiled. He had always wanted to visit the mountains but there was never a chance and he was too scared to really do it. Finally he turned around and ran back towards the house getting inside just as his mother began to serve up dinner. It was lamb stew which he absolutely loved, and once his stomach was full he went to bed and quickly fell asleep. He dreamt of the silent moon festival one of his favorite times of the year once all the work was done. It was a festival to celebrate the mythical hero Delati. The myth says that the moon used to howl back at the wolves and that is why they still howl at it now. It also says that the howling of the moon would cause horrible nightmares. Delati who noticed that people could not sleep with the moons constant howling with the help of his powerful shadow went up into the sky and silenced the moon. Now many villages celebrate the hero Delati for his sacrifice to end the nightmares of the people. When he woke up it was time to get to work in the fields. He usually woke up with the sun to go out and milk a few of the cows making sure that he didn’t miss any. His father always told him that if the cows had too much milk in them they would spray it all over the house and his mother would be very mad. Even though Adam knew that was just a joke he still wanted to make sure he got as much milk as he could. Other than wheat milk was the main way his father made money so he was fine with having to carry about ten buckets of milk back to the house before he could go play. By the time he was done with that the rest of the village was awake and bustling and the sound of shops opening could be heard all the way from his home. Elliot was always found in the town square about this time and the two quickly continued to fight again. This time Elliot grabbed a much larger stick and Adam grabbed two smaller sticks. They fought in in an ally way pretending to be a knight and an assassin locked in epic combat over who would return home victoriously with the gold they had both found. After an hour of fighting they decided that they would both return with equal shares and go buy a sweet roll.
“Hey Elliot do you think the Silent Moon festival will be good this year. Last year gramps had a really great fireworks show.” Adam was thinking about his dream last night and what had happened in it. He had been standing in the center of town and the fireworks had just gone off. Then the moon started to howl again and it began to fall towards the earth. He had woken up shortly after and had a hard time falling asleep afterwards. Of course it didn’t worry him he was just wondering if the mayor had any plans.
“It’s gonna be even better this year! My father gave gramps some money to buy more fireworks than last year so it will be even brighter!” Elliot seemed pretty excited about it, and so it became very easy for Adam to forget about his dream. After they made it to the market and bought a sweet roll each the two sat down in a corner that had little traffic and ate silently. Even though it was more than two weeks away they were both excited about the festival and could barely hold in their anticipation. Before they knew it nightfall came and Elliot invited Adam over to have dinner at the Mayor’s house. He ran home and told his mom who insisted he changed into a nicer red tunic with a cleaner silk shirt. He groaned but obliged and soon he was off to Elliot’s house. It was always fun to have dinner at Elliot’s house because the mayor liked Adam too and they were allowed to play in the yard before they had to go in to eat. He also liked how the butler would always make a funny comment about what they were going to eat. Apparently the butler had grown up with Elliot’s father and the two had been friends before their current relationship. Tonight it was “A little green foothill with a brown giant sitting on top.” Once the meal was served it turned out to be a salad with cooked salmon on top. As the butler walked around he made sure that everyone had a full glass of tea and would occasionally make jokes with Elliot’s father about their childhood and how they used to be. His father would laugh and the whole room would shake with his huge laughter. Adam and Elliot scarfed down their food and went back into the yard playing together with the wooden swords they had fashioned and stashed in one of the trees years ago and still used every time they had a chance. By the time it was dark both of them were exhausted and Adam headed home. That night he dreamed of the festival again. This time he dreamed that the great hero Delati was chained to the moon and that it wasn’t the moon howling but it was the pained screams of the trapped hero that the wolves responded too and that had caused nightmares for centuries. He dreamed that the moon had never howled but that the pained screams of a tortured man had reached the earth and then one day just stopped. He woke up in a cold sweat and instantly lit a candle to make himself feel better. Even then he dared not look outside at the moon or even at the stars in the sky for fear that he would see the chained man Delati.
