Throne and Revenge

Prepare for the Hunt

John

In my imagination, I was a hero and he crowd's cheers was so loud as I lifted the warthog above my shoulders.

 My parents were standing proud and the entire pack bowed before me and acknowledging my greatness. 

My hunting crew where also happy and part of the victory. It was epic but then reality knocked because in truth, I hadn't hunted anything, I had not even stepped outside yet. 

I was still in bed, under my blanket like frightened and staring up at the ceiling as though it could give me an answer to my questions. 

The Hunt was tomorrow and I was far from prepared. My stomach was tight and mind would not slow down even sleeping was impossible.

All I thought about was negative and I was just asking myself questions. "What if I mess up, what if I get lost, what if I get eaten and what if I am one of those who needs rescuing?"

No matter how I tried to calm myself down, nothing seemed to work. The panic was real and loud that nothing I did could calm it down.

I got out of bed as I began to walk round the room to see if that could be of any help to me but all I imagined was a wild beast with bared teeth dragging a little boy through the woods and I guess that was so much for peace.

All I knew that could help me was someone to talk to, maybe that could pull me out of the ongoing spiral.

My first stop was Ukaria's room even though she might have been stubborn and unpredictable, she was reasonable and if anyone could calm me down, it should be her.

I knocked gently but there was no answer but I didn't stop. The second time was louder and still nothing. I hesitated then pushed the door and it wasn't locked which was a good sign but the room was empty.

I sighed besides, it wasn't the first time she had gone missing at nights. Ukaria always had her and secrets of sneaking out but either way, I wasn't in the mood to play detective tonight.

I shut her door and moved on to my backup plan who was uncle Josh, Uncle Josh was such a character. He had a voice like gravel and jokes that were never really jokes. 

I was thinking sure if he would offer comfort or scare the life out of me, but I had to try. Anything that was going to happen was better than being alone with my thoughts.

As I reached his door, I heard the sharp sound of metal scraping stone. That was definitely classic Uncle Josh, always sharpening something which is probably his favorite knife.

I knocked on the door and he immediately responded to me.

"Come in John," he called out before I could even say a word.

That was Uncle Josh for me, he was always one step ahead. It used to freak me out, how he always seemed to know what I was about to do before I even did it.

I stepped into his room and there he was hunched over and filing his blade.

"You ready to be sacrificed to the gods?" he asked with a grin, raising the knife like some kind of ritual priest.

Normally, I would laugh but not tonight because I was too wired for jokes.

"I came to talk," I said keeping my tone serious.

He raised one eyebrow but sat back and nodded as he gave me his full attention which was rare. 

So I poured out everything including my doubts and my fears. I tried my best to sound older and more mature like a man asking another man for guidance.

Uncle Josh listened to me calmly but then burst out laughing and it wasn't funny at all

"I'm not joking," I said with a sharp voice.

"I know and that's why it's funny." he replied, still chuckling. I nearly walked out as I felt so embarrassed but he stopped me.

"The hunt's not easy, you will be scared, you'll probably stumble but you’ll survive because that's what we do, we learn to survive." he said to me.

He stared at me for a second, then added, "Go get it." That was it and it was enough. No big speech, no stories, just three words.

I thanked him because I was trained well but inside, I was swearing never to come to him for advice again. The man had crushed my confidence, then tossed me three words like breadcrumbs.

I walked back to my room, muttering the three words under my breath and in my head like a broken spell. 

I tried to act brave as I went into my room. My chin was up and my chest out but the second I hit the bed, my doubts came rushing back. 

Immediately I felt down, I replayed his words over and over again in my head but my fear of failure was still there.

I did what I would have done earlier, I went back to Ukaria’s room and this time, she was finally in.

I didn't waste time and said as soon as I walked in "I need your help".

She looked tired but she was not surprised at all  "Let me guess, panic setting in?"she guessed right and I nodded.

She sighed and said to me. "John, I'm really not in the mood to lecture anyone tonight."

As she said that, my shoulders slumped because that was another dead end.

But just as I was turning to leave, she said something that stopped me cold. "Go talk to Dad."

I blinked and she nodded then continued. "You need confidence and not comfort. Go ask the man who knows what real fear feels like."

 She looked me straight in the eyes and said, "You can do it and I believe in you even when I act like I don't."

Her words made my heart swell because she had just given me the one thing I didn't know I needed which was belief.

I smiled genuinely for the first time that night and whispered thanks to her.

"Don't mention it," she replied, already turning over to sleep and then I walked out of her room with my chest a little higher than before.

The final stop was my father's room. I reached his door then I knocked and the door swung open almost immediately. He stood there smiling like he had been waiting for me all along.