The Noble Savage

To The People, I am Bloodfang, Ripper-Of-Dead.   My mother was Meets-The-Mind's-Eye, a sage of The People. My father was Thrashes-in-the-Dark, the One Who Was Corrupt.  I take no pride in this.  Mother died in birth, father said. She is with Nex. She was never given a honor rite or proper burial.  She died like an animal.  My father treated her like an animal. I take no pride in this.

My father caged me.  He hated me. I hated him back.  In Youth, I knew no better.  I have no pride in this. 
He would whip me.  He would starve me.    I do not remember what happened after that. I remember being angry.  There is nothing in those memories but red hate.  I know it now to be Rage. I know it now to be Frenzy. I remember next running.  I ran until I found Erika. I licked her wounds, she licked mine. I was happy.

We lived together in the woods, killing anything we could to eat, running from everything else. It was a long time. A long long time, until we went to find my father again. I don't know why we did. Erika wanted to. We found him dead, killed by his clan members. They hated him too. For making me into a monster. They tried to kill me, too, the ones who found us first. We killed them. Erika was good at killing.  Erika liked it.  I did it for her.  . The Rage made us soldiers. She said she needed my strength to fight The Evil. Erika taught me to fight with weapons. She was graceful. And fierce. And beautiful.  I craved her.  I yearned for her when she was away.  She was mine.

             I was taught to hit things that needed to be broken. I am good at it. The club is my weapon. I can break anything with my club. We killed many Evil in my Wood. I was happy.

We were strong even then. Very strong. We were lead into battle against a great Serpent. The Serpent killed many many soldiers when we were there. Erika said we could destroy The Evil for good. In one battle, we were lead into an ambush. It was not the first, and we fought. Erika was betrayed by her Rage, though. She fell and frothed with blood on the ground. I fought off the Evil as they tried to kill her as the rest of the soldiers ran off. I killed many, but there were more. I would have died had Menna not saved me.  A mighty bolt slew the Serpent, it's source Unseen. Erika and I survived to fight again. No others did.

The army hated us then. Erika was blamed for the soldier's deaths. I almost killed the General who said Erika should be killed.  They put a collar on me.  They called me Pet.  I have no pride in this.

They caged Erika.  In bars, and shackles.  They did not call her pet.  I was confused.  A few days later, they hung Erika from a rope.  She was graceful.  And fierce.  And Beautiful.  And dead.  I cried.  I have no pride in this.

I do not remember what happened after that.  I remember being angry.  There is nothing in those memories but red hate.  Rage.  Frenzy.  I remember running.

Now I am in South.  I do not like South.  The sun is hot.  The ground is hot.  The snow is gone.  I am alone.  I am hungry. But I am no Pet.  I am free now.  I have pride in this.