Across The Sea, A Vale so Vile

The Chronicles of Bamboo´Chaa - chapter II: Across The Sea, A Vale so Vile.

What I remember from My early childhood seem like daydreams, a fairytale in a perfect world, I did not know worries, sorrow, pain, disease or hunger. Well, I knew hunger but never for long. I would wake up compelled to the urge to eat and eat until I would fall asleep again. This made it easy for my father to go on hunting trips, as long as he made sure there was enough food around. The Tribe was the only existence I knew, the village was my world and I knew the loa watched over me.

Then I was marked to become a hunter, and to be a hunter you must first become a man. My Daily routine changed, I would be up before dawn, just to run or sharpen crude stones that would become arrowheads. Time passed and the tasks and training became more demanding, I cursed the elders for placing me on this endless path.

I know now my father was pushing me, he was a leading Headhunter and held great expectations to me.

Then came the day I was allowed to leave the Village along with my father and a party of other gatherers. As I passed through the village with my spear on my back I noticed a group of young trolls, those had been my playmates. They returned my stare, eyed me up and down like they had not seen me for a long time, in fact that was the truth.

Years had passed unnoticed, My father had truly been keeping me busy. Now it was time for the workout to pay off, I was to pass my first rite of the hunt, a real trial at last.

Without a Word we prepared the boats, my father pointed me to join two elder hunters in a boat and before to long we left the shores of the Isle for a long trip down south to the blessed vale of stranglethorn.

---

The silence was broken as the elder headhunter placed in front of me eased on the rowing, looked over his right shoulder and spoke.

"So you´re Bala´s boy!"

uh, yes! I replied, almost startled by him speaking. Well give us a name whelp! snarled the other one behind me. ''Bam... Bamboo'Chaa'' I stuttered with a obvious anxiety in my voice I glanced back only to see the home isle getting smaller and smaller in the distance, this was as far away from home I had ever been.

I am Moh´al! belched the one in front of me, And this is my brother Joh´al!

Moh´al was chubby and short, only a little taller than I and I was a mere whelp, his twin brother was a slimy tall figure, they looked nothing alike beside the white hair color and oddly shaped left tusks.

The sea will carry us now, the stream is good! said Moh´al as he put his oar aside and peered into the clear blue sky, he was a laid back troll and a kind spirit. Unlike his brother who always had to ruin the mood.

''It will be raining in a hour, possibly a storm! bringing whelps on the trips clearly brings bad luck'' Joh´al snarled as he glared at me. ''Be at ease brother! young Bamboo is a ´Chaa, does it not entertain you that we will be tutoring Bobo´s grandson, he was a fair master to us and we shall repay that now!''

''Fair!? Bobo´Chaa put us through hell! maybe we should leave the whelp hanging in a net in the highest tree we find above a rigged spike trap and some king snakes to keep him company, give him some taste of his grandfather´s ´training sessions´''

I was shocked, the tribe told stories of my grandfather´s adventures yet he seemed like any other hero since my father did not like speaking of him so I never felt any connection. Yet those very different trolls were making clear they knew him in person, I did not dare to speak, I was a trainee, a whelp, I speak when spoken to.  Heh, sometimes I wish we could go back to those days, back then gutting a bloodscalp was a adventure, now it´s just bother! said Moh´al

This whelp does not look any close to Bobo! snarled the other one. Again he dragged the conversation down to to his level, I had begun to feel hate towards Joh´al, specially since he was going to comment on my looks.

Hmm... uttered Moh´al taking a deep breath, -that may be he said. I grabbed tightly around my oar, I would be able to stand all of Joh´al´s nasty remarks as long as his brother would stand up for me, that was all I could hope for since I was not allowed to speak.  But the body is nothing next to the spirit and as the blood of Bobo´Chaa he will quick to prove his worth said Moh´al, finally. Joh´al glared back at him, took forth a dagger and began to sharp it while muttering something. Having to sit in front of him with my back exposed made me feel insecure, everything about Joh´al was unpleasant and it was obvious he was not going to make this easy for me.

I sat in silence and prepared bait, I noticed the other boats turn east. We will meet up with them once were done on the reef said Moh´al, like he could read my mind. Why don´t you prepare some bait? No brother, the storm is getting closer and we better start rowing if we are to reach shore.

So we rowed until the sky was darkened by clouds who roared with thunder before casting the rain heavily upon us, the wind blew with great force but thankfully towards shore.

The Reef! shouted Moh´al, we barely heard him over the storm, ''The Reef! we must slow down! we will crush into it and face certain death if we don´t loose the sail!'' he shouted. Joh´al raised himself up to cut the sail, the ocean began to hurl greater waves at us, just as Joh´al finished to cut the sail he was thrown overboard. Moh´al shouted his brother´s name in desperation as he tried to reach him, but another grate wave struck and Joh´al was gone. The heavyset troll sat in silent sorrow, and even though I tried to speak to him he did not respond, so much was his grief. Looking ahead I could see the reef, in a matter of seconds the boat was torn asunder on the sharp rocks, hurling me and Moh´al into the deep.

Darkness.

---

Moh´Al was sitting next to me When I woke up on the golden shoreline of west Stranglethorn the storm had calmed and what remained of our boar lay scattered around us

About time you wake up he said in a deep heavy voice, I knew instantly his brother was not with us. I tried to raise myself up, the sun was blinding me, suddenly I felt a pain in my right leg.

You were lucky whelp, few get out of a storm like that with only a sprained ankle. I nodded back at the heavyset troll, his eyes were fixed on the horizon. In silence he passed me a stick who would serve well as a clutch, this was a trial and I was to help me to my feet myself.

I felt weak all over, I was tired, beaten, sore and the worst of all, hungry. Moh´al stood up as I did, glaring at the sea.

Wait here whelp, I must go see if anything useful has drifted on shore and try to find some food. he took forth a hatchet from his belt and handed it to me. In case you have to fend for yourself, you never know what´s creeping around here.

I nodded and watched as Moh´al turned his back and walked away, I knew he did not care for any wreckage nor my hunger, he was simply looking for his twin brother´s body. I could not help but to feel sorry for him. As Moh´al walked further and further away I began to scout around for a shadow, the sun was to much for me. There were some tall rocks scattered around the beach but they were all so close to the ocean and I felt dread towards it.

The Jungle border would be perfect, the trees would shelter me from the sun and I would be able to see all over the shore if I could stumble there. I felt better in my leg already and was quick to reach the spot I had picked out from a far, a large fallen tree just inside the first small tree´s and few bushes that marked the beginning of what seemed a endless Jungle.

I scouted around, Moh´al was nowhere to be seen, hopefully he could be back soon with some supplies. I climbed up on the fallen tree, I could only wait, the hunger was most unpleasant so I peered up to the nearby trees hoping for to spot a eatable fruit but as I turned my head I stared right into the dark, mystic Jungle. I had never felt such power, I felt taken in by my very surroundings, called.

In later years I would understand this would be how the spirits would talk to me but being exposed to it for the first time scared me. I turned away, frightened, sure some invisible death would leap at me yet I was scared to run. Opening my eyes towards the Oceanside I saw a large ship, steady on the calm infinitive waters in front of me. From in a smaller boat came sailing fast towards shore.

I was curious, my father had crude drawings of such large ships (Troll Destroyers) but that one was different. Glaring towards the smaller boat, I saw those were no trolls. Father had explained the other tribes were hostile but there were many worse creatures out there than other trolls, monsters such as those, Humans. I raced to hide behind the fallen tree, the end that still held the massive roots would shelter me yet allow me to watch the invaders.

The lifeboat was now at the shoreline, it held three figures, two who were dressed in red leaped off the boat to drag it on shore. The one left in the boat was dressed in black, obviously the leader. Once the boat was safely on shore the henchmen began to remove a large chest from it, the leader did not take his eyes off it. they carried it towards one of the larger rocks who stood out of the beach, they were quick to move and seemed to have a destination, I guessed they were hiding it. In my mind I could only imagine what I treasured most of all, food, hopefully those ugly creatures would be gone as fast s they came so me and Moh´Al could feast on their precious supply.