He trembled in his sleep dreaming about what had happened over a fortnight ago. The Ritual. It was supposed to be a time of celebration as he had passed the last of his tribeÂ’s shamanistic trials, but unfortunately for him, the Tribunal had chosen him, and the time of celebration become a disaster. He was sweating and he trembled in his sleep as the dream completely took over his mind.
He was back in his village, surrounded by the Elders all chanting as they danced around him. As their chanting became louder and louder the rest of the tribe took up the chant as well. Everyone was dancing around him and finally he took up the chant as well. Just as the Ritual came to its climax, disaster struck. Lighting came down from the perfectly clear sky, striking him, choosing him. He collapsed to his knees under the force of the other worldly lightning, letting out only a small whimper, but the power began to increase within him, until he could not control it. He began to yell with all he had inside of him, the chanting around him stopped as he continued to yell, not noticing what was happening around him.
Everyone around him stared dumbstruck as lightning raced its way over his muscular frame, sometimes a small jolt would jump out at anyone who stepped too close to him. They slowly started to back away from him, though his mother wanted dearly to run to him, to protect him. It took three of the strongest hunters of the tribe to hold her back. She wept as she watched what was happening to her beloved son. As she wept, others began to cry out to the Tribunal wanting to know what would happen and why Turgor must bare the title. No one knew what would happen next.
Turgor sat in the middle, unable to control his muscles from the pain of the lightning yet somehow still up on his knees. He continued to yell out at the pain, denying what was happening to him. Then without warning the pain stopped and the lightning shot out towards his tribe. Everyone was yelling and panicking , some shouts being cut down before they could even be let out. It was madness, what was happening, all around him as he sat on his knees, unable to do anything for anyone. His eyes searched out for his loved ones, he could not hear them, or see them. It was becoming unbearable, he must think of something to do to save those who lived. The lightning was like a plague killing all in its path, but then as quick as it had come about, it had ended.
The screams of pain had become wails for lost ones, they cried over their dead, unable to anything else. After what seemed an eternity of mourning and caring for those who had somehow survived, all sets of eyes looked over at Turgor, the cause of it all. There was nothing he could do, or say that would help the pain of what he had caused, he wished he would just fall over dead. Slowly the Tribe began to clear out the dead and wounded, staring at him, watching him the entire time. Turgor could do nothing, he still sat there in disbelief at what had happened, how drastically his life had changed in a spilt second. He couldnÂ’t think he couldnÂ’t move, he had killed so many in his tribe, so many he had held dear all his life, all those who had helped him throughout his training which lead to this very day.
Turgor sat there and stared straight ahead the entire night, not knowing what he should do, not being able to come to terms with himself. He wasnÂ’t seeing what was in front of him though he was seeing the death and chaos he caused. He replayed the Ritual over and over again in his mind, trying to find and answer a reason he had been chosen. He did not want to be the Son of Thunder, he begged the Tribunal to take back their wishes, but he never got an answer, at least none that he could figure out.
It was the next morning before he realized he was surrounded by people from his Tribe again. He knew what he had to do now. He slowly got to his feet, looked around at the people around him, what was left of the hunters and the elders of his Tribe. He looked each and everyone of them in the eyes until each nodded slightly. Then he turned and headed straight for the forest, he knew he could not live with the way everyone looked at him now, he must leave or die. He thought he had to do both. He would listen to no one on his way out of the village, nothing could stop him, though he knew if they tried to stop him he would not resist them.
No one did try to stop him, they knew what he must do, even if he did not. Only one man said something to Turgor as he left the village; Look for the one with the sword of Lightning for the one who travels with him, that is your guide. Turgor wanted to think that this was some crazy talk of a babbling idiot who had lost his sense after the Ritual, but knew better then to doubt any of the Elders of his Tribe even after horrible incidents like what had happened at his Ritual.
He finally woke up to the sounds of some unnatural screech from the woods, shaking with the cold sweat which had been caused by his nightmare. He needed sleep, every night he woke either from sounds in the woods or from his nightmare. He tried everything he could to get his mind off the ritual, finally his mind settled, on his wife to be, she was among those whom he had killed, but he thought of the times before that. Thinking of all the ways she had helped him though his shamanistic trials, how she stood next him instead of behind him, every little thing he could remember about her, he thought of. With a smile on his face, he found his first peaceful sleep in a fortnight.
