Thorn Bain Chronicles
Chapter 3
As he awoke to the chorus of the morning, Thorn sat up from his roll mat, stretched and yawned
then swung his legs over his temporary shelter. The ground felt crisp beneath his feet and the
snow crunched under foot as he adjusted his weight. Right now he felt like curling up under the
warm steaming sheet he has just emerged from, but he had a task to complete. He didn´t have
far till he reached the outpost mentioned in so many travellers stories and he wanted to see for
himself if the stories were true.
He stood carefully so as to not slip over on the icy patches of ground and stumbled to the fire he
had prepared the night before, not much but embers were left but Thorn knew how to sort that out.
He knelt close to the ground and saw a brief glow from the still warm embers. He cupped his hands
around what was left and gently blew to the embers. Suddenly warmth hit his face and a bright
flame danced from the white of the ash he breathed in the warm acrid smoke and felt comforted by
the smell. He quickly built the fire with kindling left from the night before, and in minutes he
had rebuilt the fire to the size it was the night before. he sat on a small rounded log and shut
his eyes and listened, he had always felt at home in the Shiverpeaks, the isolation made him feel
comfortable and in control. All the smells and sounds, came rushing to him. The sounds of buzzards
hunting the early morning insects, the smell of the fresh early dew on the ground, the smell of
his fire, and a dragging sound that did not sound natural, he opened his eyes suddenly and ripped
the dagger out of the sheath at his boot, but after realising what it was sat and laughed. Astreal
his pet the great white tiger had been out on a hunt of his own it dragged the lifeless corpse of
a black bear, the snow behind was churned up and mixed with the blood of the once great beast,
Astreal dropped the bear by the fire and sat and looked at Thorn with its head slightly tilted,
"I don´t know how you do it!" Thorn muttered to his best friend. He reached and
patted the tiger softly.
"I suppose we better not waste this" the ranger breathed as he skinned the bear and
primed the meat ready for cooking.
An hour later the meat turned on the spit over the fire, a wonderful crackling noise bought
memories of his childhood flooding back to him. Thorn reached forward and removed the spit, careful
as not to drop it in the snow. He tore a strip of the bronzed meat off and handed it to Astreal who
took it gently and proceeded to tear it apart on the floor.
Thorn was a little more careful with his food and savoured it with a little of the warm ale the
dwarves had given him for finding repairs for the old war catapults in one of they´re camps.
When the ranger and his companion had finished their breakfast, Thorn struck the camp and covered over the dug in areas. He was also very careful as to put out the fire and cover the pit it was in. Although the land was icy fire still spread through the trees.
On the move again, Thorn felt the chill of the wind as it picked up over one of the northern peaks,
a shiver ran down his spine and he wondered how many explorers and travellers had lost
their lives to the harsh winters and brutal snowstorms, Thorns father had never returned
home one day after a fated ettin hunting trip one day when he was young.
As the two walked and climbed through the dense frozen wastelands, the ranger listened out for any
danger, or for any other travellers along the way.
Suddenly Astreal froze and growled a low grumble that at once made Thorn freeze and check his
surroundings, he listened, suddenly the sound of chains dragging and rubbing pierced the low icy
wind and the ranger signalled for the great white companion to heel.
He crept on his belly over a mound of snow and shivered as the cold soaked in through his armour.
Ahead he spotted the source of the noise "In Melandru´s name" he whispered.
Ahead was a small Stone summit slave chain. 10 or so dishevelled slaves dragged themselves slowly
through the snow leaving whisps and trails of footprints behind them like a great snake had wormed
its way through the snow. The slaves ranged in height from Dwarves through to once great men. Five
summit dwarves pushed and whipped them through the snow their black steel armour glinted
under the morning sun. Two great yaks ploughed the snow behind them carrying rags and food from the
previously pillaged village.
Thorn quietly drew his sleek wooden bow and reached for two slender arrows from his quiver, silently he notched the two arrows and knelt, whereupon he aimed and took up the strain. He muscles tensed as he drew back the string and he released, strike the two arrows struck the two leading summit guards where the armour was soft near the throat. The guards dropped heavily their weapons falling. The slaves looked to see where the shots had arrived from and also seemed more awake.
The remaining three summit guards ran towards Thorns position and one raised his bow, thankfully
the summit were terrible shots and the arrow imbedded itself in the fine oak tree beside him. Again
Thorn notched and fired at the archer but with a arrow so fast no beast could have dodged it,
however the shot wasn´t aimed at the throat but at the bow instead the archer had no idea
what had hit him as his bow flew from his grip. Another arrow hit the archer pinning him by the
hand to into the icy ground.
Thorn watched as the archer he had just pinned down writhed with pain and anger.
Astreal flew past in a streak and grounded another summit guard who was obviously a healer. The
great beast tore at the guard until the lifeless corpse lay still.
"Why do you have to make such mess" Thorn laughed at his companion
Thorn relaxed but a noise behind him made him jump he had forgotten about the other summit guard.
The guard stepped towards the prone ranger with his staff pointed ahead. "you will make a
satisfactory minion" a snakelike voice breathed from behind the dark mask.
"Astreal" Thorn roared but his friend was too far. He closed his eyes and waited for the
strike but it never came.
A deafening roar cut through the clearing and Thorn opened his eyes to see a huge white bear bigger
then a man charge into the guard and tear the arms off the small dwarf.
Thorn raised his bow to fire but a gruff voice shouted "Hold it!"
He span to see a small dwarf behind him dressed in rags "wait…no…it cant be….can it Tarr…Tarr
is it you" the lean ranger spoke dumbstruck.
"Haha Thorn still remember your old drinking buddy then" the dwarf laughed
Tarr Embersledge had been one of Thorns oldest friends they grew up together and spent many a night in the old taverns back home attempting to charm the women.
"Its so good to see you my friend we must talk.. But first who is this bear you travel with and how did you manage to tame such a great beast.
"Quiet Human you believe you can charm all beasts" the bear grunted. As he had said this
the bear started to change his size and became less broad. The white hair retreated up his spine to
his head where it became brown and tied itself into a long Platt down what was quickly becoming a man.
The man knelt as the last of the transformation took place and he raised his head to show a tall
handsome powerful savage of a man. He stood and swung a large dark steel two handed axe over his
shoulder before reaching and grabbing a huge bronzed helm from the snow and placing it on his head
"sorry I get a bit cranky when I change" he laughed.
