"What's the difference, I bet my mother would scare off even a cave bear if it tried to come into camp." Zarath laughed to himself while in his mind he was actual nervous of the idea, he could see his mother despite her soft features hunting down and killing a cave bear even while pregnant. As they walked a little way out of the camp Zarath stopped and turned.
"Oh, hold on a second almost forgot." Zarath brought both his pinky fingers to his mouth and stuck them into the sides of his muzzle letting out two quick sharp bursts of air a whistle to call something to him. Tharon rolled his eyes, Zarath always waited to the last minute to call his bond. Suddenly like a fur missile shot from the gap in the cloth fence of the camp slamming directly into Zarath. It was a white furred Brakkron (Dire wolf). The beast was about the size of a Great Dane but was still only two years old, it had yet to reach its full size or get to the point one could ride it yet. The beast was fiercely licking Zarath's face who was trying to calm the beast.
"Down Hura (Snow), Down girl it's not play time it's time to hunt come on, come on girl lets go." Hura the Brakkron rushed off ahead of the two boys who quickly followed behind running through the tail grass of the plains. Though Tharon was on the heavier side he was still easily able to keep up with Zarath as they went to find their prey for the day. The boys were hoping to find a plain grazer, a large buffalo type creature or maybe even a woodland elk has ventured way from the forest, a simple deer would suffice for their Jura'Rahl but they wanted something that would impress the whole tribe. They wanted to be known by the tribe, the first Krellar's to hunt down a wyvern since the times of their grandfathers or something like that as long as it was big they didn't care what it was or so they thought unaware of how today would change both of them forever.
Zarath and Tharon had traveled a few miles into the plains of the Heartlands about an hour or so from the camp. Taking a quick rest the two sat amongst the high grass. Tharon dug through the small pouch he had tied to his waist, pulling out some thin hard biscuits and handing one to Zarath.
"Do you really think we can take down something big I've heard the adults saying that they haven't been finding a lot of big game lately they were even saying your grandfather might decide to move the camp farther north before the winter set in." Tharon asked before biting down on his biscuit the sound of him chewing filled the air around him.
"Hmm it's possible that the herds have migrated already but there should still be some loners that stayed behind even and older grazer would be ideal for what we want to do." Zarath sniffed and took a bite of the biscuit he was handed as he gentle scratched behind Hura ears. "I mean we only really need a deer but come one if we really want to impress people, we have to go big." The words were muffled as Zarath spoke with his mouthful. He and Tharon had trained to hunt and fight since they could remember and they always had a plan Tharon with his bigger size and skill with a spear was the frontline even other wolfkin had a hard time getting through the fat on him but he hit just as hard if not harder than most of the boys his age, and Zarath was skilled with a bow his eyes and sense of smell where unmatched amongst all of the tribes youth, he could fight well with a sword as well but his aim was always true Tharon still remembers their first hunt with all the other youths of the tribe no one caught a thing and then for no reason Zarath fired a single arrow into some tail grass and out flow a flock of pheasants and Zarath had managed to hit one and shared his kill with Tharon and a few others that was the start of their friendship years ago since then the two have always been by each other's side getting into trouble or just causing mischief for the adults of the tribe. But today, today they would become men in a symbolic manner of speaking even if they managed to catch anything and pass the Jura'Rahl they still wouldn't start training to be full Krellar until their fifteenth birthday.
"You know what I hope we catch some pheasants; I mean not to present for our Jura'Rahl just it will be lunchtime soon and pheasants are a great source of protein." Tharon leaned back and rubbed his belly like he usually did, head tilted back.
"Stop thinking with your stomach for once Tharon our you're going to make me hungry too then we won't get anywhere with this hunt." Both boys laughed when suddenly Hura's head shot up from Zarath's lap and both boys quickly grabbed their weapons. Zarath sniffed at the air and got up into a crotched position. His tail flicked behind him as he held his hand up palm open. Tharon moved slowly in front of Zarath, bringing his wyvern bone spear to bare, acting as Zarath's shield.
"Smells like a wyvern but at the same time it smells wrong." Zarath lowered his hand to the ground a signal Hura had been trained to recognize. The once docile dire wolf was now crouched fur standing on end and fangs bared, ready to pounce at her master's command. Zarath slowly moved, getting right behind Tharon.
"Smells wrong what does that mean, could it just be one that's not native to the area." Tharon looked back at Zarath over his shoulder keeping his spear pointed forward just in case. A look of nervousness on his face.
"I don't know it just doesn't smell right to me but hey wyvern would make a great kill to present." Zarath smiled a nervous smile as he looked at his friend. A wyvern would be a great hunt to pass their Jura'Rahl but both boys knew even a young wyvern was dangerous, fully grown ones took six or eight fully trained Krellar to take down and that usual ended up with one or two dead or severely injured and after all a wyvern was just a small dragon that couldn't breathe fire. Their hides were thick, all Zarath's bronze sword would do was piss it off and he would have to be extremely accurate for his maple arrows to pierce the gaps between its scales. No both boys knew the weapon that would land the killing blow would be Tharon's wyvern bone spear but that would mean he would have to get close enough for a kill shot. Both boys, nervous but determined to do this slowly moved in the direction of the scent Hura following right beside Zarath. The boys moved as slowly as they could, making sure to only step on soft dirt a wyvern's sense of hearing and smell where its greatest advantages here if they were found out before they got a chance to attack the wyvern would either take off or attack and, in this situation, he who attacks first lives. Each step they took felt like a hundred as every muscle in their bodies was screaming to pounce. This was something the wolfkin referred to as the call of the hunt. Zarath could feel his blood boiling and his heart racing the closer they got to their prey. Tharon was doing everything in his will to suppress a predatory growl.
As they approached both boys could smell the blood of a fresh kill, perfect they had caught it while it was enjoying a freshly hunted meal it wouldn't be expecting an attack. As they approached Zarath and Tharon nodded to each other. Zarath grabbed an arrow from his quiver, nocked it and drew his bow string back slightly, he would make the first move and draw their prey in close Tharon would stay low in the grass and when the wyvern was close enough strike its heart with his spear. A sound plane or so they thought. Zarath sprang up from the tall grass and drawing his bow back. As he caught sight of his target he froze. It was a wyvern alright, but it wasn't one he had seen or heard of. Instead of bright blue scales they were gray and blackish. Its powerful frame was skeletal, malnourished and sickly, its wings tattered and boney, and its eyes, something that was often described as being gem-like, were dull milky white, and that's when things went wrong because Zarath had hesitated the beast had noticed him. It let out an ear-piercing screech that had both Zarath and Tharon covering their ears. It turned towards Zarath its maw still dripping with the fresh blood of its kill and charged.
Just as the beast was upon Zarath, Tharon threw himself into his friend pushing both of them away from the beast. Hura positioned herself between the wyvern and her master as Zarath and Tharon stood and readied themselves this was now a fight to the death for these three.
"Fuck that hurt my ears." Zarath's ears were still lying flat against his head as he nocked another arrow, having lost the one he had when Tharon knocked him out of the way.
"What the hell is that thing Zarath? It doesn't look like anything I've every seen in the Heartlands." Tharon fur stood on end he was clearly nervous, but he kept his spear pointed at the strange wyvern.
"I honestly don't know Tharon but regardless its not going to just let us walk away now." The fur on the back of his neck stood up every instinct was telling him to run to get away from this creature. Zarath gritted his teeth and drew his bow back.