I feel the familiar irritation of a straw bed as I awake. My cell however, this is not. Its far to cold. The only things providing me warmth are a threadbare blanket and a little girl sleeping next to me. Getting up I feel as if I am much shorter. My awakening rouses the girl.
"Is it morning already, brother?"
She's wearing dirty rags and so am I. Even the cloth stuff we got in our cells was better than this. Hmm she called me brother, but I was an only child. A man enters the room.
"Ah you two are up! Your father has made breakfast so lets eat."
The meal is meager and the taste is only slightly better than the meal paste we ate in the mines. There's no windows, but Sunlight filters through cracks in the walls. I haven't seen natural light like this in years. My "family" seem like nice enough folk so far, but I don't feel any kind of connection to them. No memories to run off of either. I've only figured out that the little girl's name is Wresty. They seem to refer to me by my name, Cole, though. This is weird. That cave in should've been lethal and it doesn't look like this "family" has the ability to put food on the table, much less cough up the dough to rent out the gear necessary to resuscitate me.
"Son, now that you've turned eleven, it's time that you start taking on some responsibility."
Eleven? Am I in a new body or something? Was there water from the fountain of youth in this cup. Humanity would've killed for stuff like that. Something is definitely off.
The man stands up and grabs a bow and quiver hung over the door frame that I'm just now noticing. Its yet another oddity. The only people still practicing archery are enthusiasts. Guns are pretty cheap these days and much more efficient for hunting.
"I know its winter time but today I'm going to teach you how to hunt!"
---
Outside the small hut is a frozen forest. Still green trees lie trapped in ice as a white powder squeezes through the gaps. Clouds form in the air after every breath. Proof of my small body's rebellion against the unrelenting chill.The trip has been dead silent so far, or it would've been had the man in front of me not been giving constant pointers.
"Make sure that whatever you do, don't get your feet wet. At this temperature, by the time we get home we'd have to cut off a few toes at the very least. It's why I had you put on those shoes I made."
He's referring to the wide wire mesh on our feet. It reminds me of the fence they put around the mine's entrance. It looks somewhat shotty, but its been doing its job of keeping our feet above the snow.
"Also make sure to not get too close to trees. The area around the trunk gets less snow because of the branches, creating a pit deep enough that its almost impossible to get out of. However the trap also catches some of the few active animals. If you're lucky you can sometimes find a free meal. We use this tool to fish out the corpses."
He points to the long rod with a loop of twine around the end. It looks like something animal control would use. The thought of scavenging off animal corpses is off putting, but I suppose the frigid weather would do a decent job of preserving the meat.
He suddenly stops me with his hand and puts his finger to his lips. This guy clearly knows more than I do so I follow his commands despite not knowing why he gives them. He hands me the bow and points to a direction. I barely make out a black dot in the area he points two. Its the eye of a very well camouflaged animal, but I can't make out what kind. Before I even realize he moved, the man is already helping me aim the bow. He whispers into my ear,
"Draw in a slow, deep breath and hold it. Relax, it doesn't know we're here yet. With your bow drawn, line up the shot. "
I aim the bow where I think the arrow will be a surefire hit and release the arrow and the breath I was holding. A thwap sound reverberates in the once silent forest as the arrow decides to fly with no regard to my intended direction. The arrow wants to hit a random tree trunk so it does so. The resulting thump scares away the animal that I can now see is a white rabbit. How disappointing...
"Oooh too bad. You definitely have enough power behind the arrow, but you need some more practice aiming. Your old man used to struggle with that too. You'll get a feel for it as you familiarize yourself with the bow."
We continued our hunt for about another hour and came back home with two carcasses. One from a trap the man set up and one found trapped in a snow pit next to a tree.
---
The next morning there is a knock on our door. The man that calls himself my father goes to answer it. Soldiers in chainmail were on the other side.
"We have come under the word of baron Ylic regarding your unpaid grain tax."
"What do you mean our unpaid grain tax? We're not farmers! We grow no crops!"
"Under the newly revised code of law section 8-d all residents of any village under Ylic barony are required to grow at least 1/4th of an acre of some form of grain and pay 60% of it as tax. All who refuse to comply shall be charged with a felony."
"Do we look like we live in a village? Me and my family live alone in these woods!"
Its a situation I'm all to familiar with. A ominous feeling overtakes me. Tax evasion in my old world was enough to get me stuck in the mines, what would be the punishment here? The soldier talking to the man looks to his partner and nods his head. Soldier number 2 responds with a similar gesture. Their hands move to their hips. There lies leather that holds back the fangs of their steel tools. In one fluid motion, those fangs are bared against the man. In one fluid motion the man who called himself my father was slain.
Cowardice was a trait that has benefitted me in the past. I turn to dash, but with my little legs the speed is insufficient. I'm pinned and beaten. Screams of a woman come from the other room. Mother or sister? Impossible to tell. Unbearable cruelty is imparted onto me. They rip off my lower jaw. Merciful darkness ensues...
---
I barrel down a monochrome river. The rapids hurl me around with reckless abandon. I thrash against the current in a desperate bid to keep afloat. I barely make out a figure on the river bank. I'd call out for help were my mouth not filled with water. As I pass by the stranger I feel something metallic and sharp sink into my flesh. It hurts, but my body is already sore all over. I feel a tug and I am fished out of the river.
---
I feel the familiar irritation of a straw bed as I awake. Heaven this is not. A familiar blanket and little girl give me warmth. I feel my lower jaw and find its still there. Same hut, same meal, same nice enough people, same hunt. I still lack the skill to hit the rabbit. At the end the same soldiers come and the same tragedy occurs, despite my warnings. Once more I am thrown into the river and fished out. Once more I awake to the irritation of straw. It seems that I am in a loop.
