Que-Gnarra : Liam Ch. Two February 26, 2012

Ch. Two

–

After what seemed like an eternity, Liam thought he would go mad. He thought that his life was over and that he was going to have to deal with his shortcomings and his unfinished life for all of eternity in the blankness of the hell that he still hung in. Hours more passed as Liam wrestled with the details of his life, which seemed to remain fresh in his mind no matter how he tried not to focus on them. Liam felt as if he were wrestling with madness itself, on the precipice of all of existence – the slightest slip could send him over the edge and out into nothingness.

Liam, Que-Gnarra through design and rite, rise your ears, and open your eyes.

Liam opened his eyes and he was crouched before a great throne, next to which was another single treasure chest. He looked around more, as the throne was empty, but Liam did not have to look far before he saw what had been speaking to him – what he assumed brought the details of his life before him and what also left him in the hell of open space for so long. A great shape, the only similarities of which were in the myths and legends of a dragon.

Liam stood and stepped back, to which the voice responded, as before, Do not fear.

He relaxed.The voice was quite calm. The presence of the mind that somehow conversed with his own seemed to echo serenity and peacefulness. Liam truly relaxed for the first time in months, as the fear of the graduation destroying him finally melted away.

You are strong, to have wrestled both with fate and madness at once. Yours is not an easy destiny, but it is yours and yours alone to have chosen, and to continue to choose – as I am sure you will, now that you have known the worth of your mistakes in this life. Go to the chest and don the Claws of the Gnarra as only one before you has. Also take with you the egg that lays within the chest, as it is the one thing that can truly know you on your journey.

The voice stopped talking and Liam slowly walked up to the chest to open it. Inside was another claw apparatus, as well as a white egg with red spots nearly the length of his forearm. Liam fixed the claw to his arm hesitantly, waiting for the burning. But there was none. The fur melted away without the horrible scent as before, and it seemed his very bones reshaped themselves to match the weapon. Then Liam picked up the egg, and walked back toward the large presence.

“Who are you? How can you know that I will need these things on my journey?” he asked, but the consciousness had no intention of answering his questions directly.

You will have need of my skills as well, the presence leaned toward Liam and touched his chest, leaving a detailed scar/tattoo behind without causing him any pain, you are very important to the world as you do not even know. If you are to overthrow the evil that has come to taint this land into what you now experience, you will have to be stronger than any Gnarra. You will face me in the end – though not of free will. If you are to overcome the evil that will wield me like a sword to strike at you, you will need all the help you can get.





“What are you saying, I’m afraid I don’t understand.” Liam said nearly hysterical, “who are you and how could someone wield you like a sword against me?”

You are the first and last to wield the Claws of Gnarra in the natural realm, and only the second to wield them here, in this most ancient of worlds. With those, and other help, you can defeat the evil that threatens –



The voice stopped talking as a great crash was heard outside where they now spoke. The room shook and the voice spoke but once more in a hurried tone.

Search out my brothers, from them you will receive the last gifts my era can offer the future! With their help, and the help of everyone close to you, you can and will overcome this evil – all you have to do is continue to choose the correct path! the voice was growing increasingly panicked as the loud crash was repeated with greater volume, slamming through a wall behind the being speaking, I will send you away from this place, graduated as every Que-Gnarra before you but blessed beyond any before or after you.

A large figure floated through the hole in the wall, and latched onto the back of the great being. Liam didn’t get a good look, but he could tell this was no Gnarra – the being didn’t have any fur on his face or neck… he had… wings!! Almost pure white wings. The being’s face was twisted into the sickest of triumphant grins.

With a whirling sensation, Liam became aware that he was still speaking the lines of the incantation, only now in his lap was the egg that had been in the chest. Liam finished the incantation and sat up, looking around as only the Quan-Gnarra was present – he sat in his high-backed chair near the fireplace. Liam realized that he was no longer wearing the Claws of the Gnarra, and with little more than a frown, he glanced around the room.

Books lined the walls around Liam, as well as various magical objects – this was the mage master Quan-Gnarra’s private quarters, a place Liam had grown to know well over the past 16 years of his apprenticeship.

“I told you I saw it.” the Quan-Gnarra said simply from the tall chair that faced the fire and away from Liam.

Liam walked over to the chair next to the Quan-Gnarra’s – his chosen spot while they had spent countless a night round the fire discussing politics and philosophy. Liam waited until the Quan-Gnarra inquired about his journey through the magical realm. After he explained everything, leaving out a lot of the personal details about his character, the Quan-Gnarra stood slowly, and paced back and forth for a while.

“Liam…” the Quan-Gnarra struggled for words, something that Liam had almost never seen him do before, “Liam, you have been given, or chosen rather, a fate much greater than this forest could hold. You are quite aware that now you must venture into the outer lands in order to complete the independent part of your journey?” Liam nodded in response to the Quan-Gnarra. “And you are also aware that the magical realm and this one are tied to one another. If one should fall then the other would follow… I do not know who or what that being was that spoke to you, but his power is far beyond anything I can teach… I think that you should take up the task he’s set before you, for the sake of the magical realm as well as our own. You noticed, I assume, how tainted the magical world has become? You may not have experienced it before, but the magical world used to be bright and shining, more beautiful than anything our world was capable of producing…”

Liam was unsure why, but he felt a great pressure to leap to his feet at the defense of the world he and his family inhabited – as if they were in mortal danger at this very second. The Quan-Gnarra continued somberly.

“You cannot hope to do it alone, though what grows in that egg will surely be of assistance. Yes, you need help, the likes of which are far outside our boarders. There are temples, outside of our forest, that are dedicated to the purification of the magical world and those who travel or even dwell there. I beseech you, Liam! Go to these temples in search of the help that the being from the magical world spoke of. It is surely in those temples that you will find the help you will need.”

“Master, do you know who or what the other being was? The smaller one that attacked the larger being after it gave me the claws? And what about when the being in the throne room marked my chest?” Liam spoke curiously, but cautiously – hoping not to aggravate the Quan-Gnarra.

“That Liam, was a Falcar. Falcar are like us, though their back paws are shaped differently, and their fur is only on their head and more coarse. Though the most obvious of differences is the pair of wings that sprout from their backs. Their life-span is shorter than ours, and they are usually of shallower beliefs, though their ambition is nearly unrivaled. They are but one of the races of our world, and you will meet quite of few of the others on your journey. Do not think more of this man for now, it would only distract you. This mark that your received on your chest though… I’ve seen it before, on a temple in the very southern parts of the outerlands… I don’t know why he marked you with it, but I assume that it is his intent for you to go there first.”

“But master,” Liam said as he shook his massive head out of habit, “it seems all I am is distracted. Not only will I be traversing lands that I’ve no map to nor any knowledge of their workings, but I also don’t have the faintest idea on where to find the temple – what help will they even be able to offer? What do you think of the Claws of the Gnarra? Why do I not have them still? The egg came with me from the magical world…”

“Liam my cub,” The Quan-Gnarra spoke softly with great kindness, “you will forever carry the claws with you, they are there now,” The Quan-Gnarra took Liam’s wrist and showed him the gaps in his fur, “they are just not visible unless you need them. You are still young. Do not let your eyes get in the way of what is around you, nor from experiencing that which your curiosity would have you see and hear. Though still, do not let your curiosity lead you into a situation where you might lose your tail,” the Quan-Gnarra laughed and added, “but, if anyone could lose inches from their tail it would be you, as you would still have one of the longest in the city. Now go, your family and friends have been awaiting your return most impatiently for the last day and night.”

Liam stood suddenly, “have I really taken that long, master?”

“That you have, Liam Que-Gnarra.” the Quan-Gnarra smiled as he proudly addressed Liam with his due title, and rose, “you have tarried far too long already. Only those truly devoted have accepted my hospitality as they awaited your return to our realm.”

Liam almost ran to the door where he knew his family to be, and wrenched the door open, nearly knocking the Quan-Gnarra – he had kept pace with Liam with apparent ease despite his advanced age. Liam was greeted by his father, wife, cubs, and two friends. Liam only had eyes for Reggie as he rushed forward.

Reggie ran forward ahead of the others who also approached with elation. Liam swept Reggie up into his arms and spun her round. When Liam placed her feet back upon the ground, the two rubbed the length of their faces against one another, and Reggie accented the customary intimate exchange with a slow lick to the side of Liam’s face. He smiled brightly as his eyes still saw only Reggie.

Then Wesley was there at Reggie’s side, and a moment later Aiden attempted to push his taller brother out-of-the-way with his greater bulk. Wesley hissed darkly at his brother and shoved him with a low stance – knocking him back several paces. Aiden growled and moved into a pouncing stance but Liam intercepted with great though necessary strength as he separated the two before drawing them both up into a hug.

The boys were twins, though they were far from identical. Their coats were of equal quality, though Wesley was red, like his late grandfather and Aiden cherished the blue of his coat that was so much like his father’s. Wesley was taller and leaner, also more agile and graceful, while Aiden was stockier with a firm build and a somewhat clumsy gait when standing on his hind legs. While their physical selves couldn’t be much different, their mentalities were almost a perfect match. Aiden and Wesley were two olives of the same vine, and they had been since they fought over the same teat in their infancy. The rivalry between the two was immense and all-encompassing, though it still did not stop the two from being the closest of companions in every venture they undertook.

Liam licked the tops of their heads affectionately, halting their squabble as quickly and easily as his body’s physical barrier. Liam smiled – they were nothing if not complimentary as well as contradictory. Liam loved his sons with all his heart, just as much if not more than their mother Reggie.

During the 16 years of their life, the twins only saw Liam and Reggie as the perfect match and the closest of partners. While there was no truer statement about their relationship, it was not always so. The best women of the village chose their mates from the available males.

Liam had been chosen by many of the females in his younger years, but he denied them all because Reggie was the single female who expressed no interest (honestly, she’d had the most, though she hid it well – utilizing the ironic game of cat and mouse which Liam was more than willing to play). When all was said and done, it was the low-standing simple farmer’s daughter, Reggie, who had somehow gotten to choose the most eligible male in the village – Liam was almost through with his guard apprenticeship at the time and was planning on taking the master mage Quan-Gnarra’s next; few had ever taken both. Since disagreeing during their very first conversation, they had been inseparable. Proof of that being that Liam was the sole person Reggie called upon during her labor with the twins – something that was often more dangerous than carrying only a dagger against an enemy with a cross-bow (the large babies of the Gnarra were usually only able to survive in solitude within the womb of Gnarran women).

Liam then greeted his father, who commented that he knew that Liam would not only pass his graduation but also return to rule over the Gnarran city. Liam’s best friend during his guard apprenticeship, Anubis, was there with a firm handshake and congratulations, though he was unaccompanied by his wife and single cub of 10. Also Liam’s mentor during his guard apprenticeship, Amun, was there with a congratulatory embrace – his wife and seven cubs (ranging from 2 to 70) had gone to their homes. Amun had already passed three of his milestones in his Gnarran life, at 156, but he was still swift and strong. Liam adored him, seeing Amun’s life as exemplary for his own.

The fact that Amun had personally waited so long to hear news of Liam’s graduation showed that their friendship meant a lot to Amun as well – especially considering Amun’s family had left him to wait alone. Liam could feel his large eyes begin to glisten as he looked at everyone who cared so much for him. The thought of leaving them all made Liam’s heart ache.

He thanked everyone who had waited for him, and they were all leaving as Reggie pulled at Liam’s hand gently. The rest continued, debating over who had won the bet as to how long it had taken Liam to pass his graduation (none of them believed he would perish, but their bets went down to minutes and none of them were even close to the actual time it had taken). Liam let Reggie lead him to a spot behind the Quan-Gnarra’s home where no one could see – it was there that Reggie licked Liam’s face and neck many times; it truly showed how glad she was that he survived. Liam returned the intimate advance with a light nibble at the base of Reggie’s ears, followed closely by tender licks of his large, thick tongue.

“I’m not sure that I am totally glad you passed your graduation,” Reggie said as she dipped her head in sadness.

Liam took her meaning immediately, “I know you don’t want me to leave,” Liam pulled her chin up so their eyes met, “I don’t want to leave either.”

The two embraced affectionately for a long while, enjoying the perfect silence of their love. They remained, hidden from the world amidst the green of their forest and their home, letting the inaudible love they had for each other speak the words they had dreaded to speak for the past 16 years. With a warm embrace, the two inexplicably expressed the feelings that they felt right down to their very soul. It did not need words or actions, it simply was, in the quiet closeness that was the perfect inactive consummation of their love. The two stood, together, for an eternity in a moment – elated by the experienced eternity though equally disparaged by the actual shortness of the true serenity.



To Be Continued in Ch. Three.