The Chronicles of Lescoban Volume 1

“MAGGIE!” I yelled. “Where the heck are you, you stupid cow?” The icy wind blew across my face as I trudged through the mud that was getting more and more prominent.  The incoming storm was going to be bad, and it was coming fast.  Already the rain was starting to come down fairly well.  I had to find Maggie. And fast.     We had purchased Maggie a few years ago after our previous milk cow had died unexpectedly from a wolf attack.  It was awful.  My parents had adored that cow.  Maggie was purchased after her previous owners lost their farm could not care for her properly.  It took most of my parents’ money but we couldn’t afford to be without a milk cow.  We needed to have milk to sell to make it by during our off season. Luckily Maggie made more than enough for us.    Life in Lescoban wasn’t easy.  Especially for us peasants. We did all the work, growing food and making things to sell just to be able to survive, while the Royals got to sit in their castle all warm and cozy. Not caring about anything in the world. If there was anything I hated more than going out, in the dark and the cold, to fetch our stupid cow who wouldn’t stay put, it was Royals.     The Royals of Lescoban were stuck up, pompous, conceited, jerks. They didn’t care about us “low lifes”. They always stayed in the castle. Only time I had ever seen one of them come out was when the Nobles came to do the yearly census and collect our, or “their”, taxes. Leaving us with barely anything to survive.     According to my parents, though, it didn’t used to be like this. Back in the day, supposedly, there used to be grand balls and events that the Royals opened to the townsfolk.  They would even give money to us arounds the Holidays to help get us through the cold months.  We could go to the King and Queen and voice our concerns and they would do what they could to help us.      That all changed, though, when Sauron the Deceiver attacked.  Many were killed, innocent people slaughtered by his Orcs for fun. Crops were destroyed, animals killed and stolen.  It was awful. Sauron wasn’t just a deceiver.  He was a destroyer. The attacks even caused the death of the King and Queen.     They had fled the castle, taking with them only their newborn daughter.  They had almost made it to the Border when Sauron’s Orcs found them.  No one survived.  After that horrible day, my parents told me that Sauron stopped attacking and returned to Mordor. The castle was sealed shut to all outsiders and no one left the castle.  Only recently in the last few years did the Nobles come out to collect taxes.     The Royals turned their backs on us. And I hated them for it.   “Maggie!” I yelled again. Where was that stupid cow? I was growing incredibly angry. The storm was getting worse and I did not want to be out here when it reached its peak. My hair and clothes were already soaked from the torrenting rain. I was two seconds away from calling it quits and leaving that stupid cow to fend for herself. “Maggie!” I yelled one last time.  To my surprise, I heard her moo in front of me. It was faint and to anyone else, probably unnoticeable. Luckily for me, though, my hearing was practically supernatural, according to my mother.              The big brown heifer stood next to a tree, hiding under the branches, trying to stay dry. “That’s not working out too well for you, huh girl?” I told her as I grabbed the rope around her neck. “Come on, let’s get home and dry.” I gently gave the rope a tug and started heading home.             The storm steadily grew worse as we trudged along. How that cow had gotten so far away from home, I had no clue. She must’ve gotten spooked while she was tied up to the fence around our property and took off, breaking the fence and taking the rope with her. Lightning lit up the sky, meaning the peak of the storm was getting close. Very close. I had to get home. Fast.             “Come on Maggie!” I yelled and started running as best as I could. Lescobanian storms were no joke.  Many peasants were killed from being unable to find shelter during a storm. I wasn’t about to be one of them. Suddenly Maggie slid to a stop, jerking me back. “What are you doing, you stupid cow?” I yelled. “We have to get home!” I jerked on her rope, but she wouldn’t budge. She stared dead ahead, her eyes wide, breathing heavily. Something was scaring her. “What is it girl? What do you see?” I asked, trying to see what it was. I strained my eyes and ears, trying to see or hear what could possibly be ahead.             That’s when I heard it. A low snarl. Slowly, I reached down and searched for a stick, not taking my eyes off of where I heard the snarl. Wolves weren’t uncommon around Lescoban, though hunting in the middle of a storm was unheard of. My hand felt a fairly thick stick and I picked it up, ready to protect myself and Maggie should the wolf attack.             Right at that moment, lightning flashed and lit up the sky and I was able to finally see our wolf. The dark grey fur was matted by the rain, golden eyes staring angrily at me, lips curled back in a snarl, white teeth glowing in the dark and dripping saliva and rain. My heart stopped. That wasn’t a wolf. It was a Lescobanian Loup Garou. The Lescobanian Loup Garou were wolf-like beasts that served as the protectors of Lescoban. They hunted anyone found near the Border, Lescobanian or not. Many people were killed by the beasts. Children, women, elderly; the beasts didn’t discriminate. They only answered to the Royals. Their job was to protect the Border…and kill anyone who strayed too close.             I stomach clenched in knots as I stared at the beast. Surely I wasn’t that close to the Border? My family’s farm was fairly close to the Border but I thought I had been going away from the Border to fetch Maggie. The beast snarled at me, spooking Maggie even more. She gave a terrified bellow and bolted away, jerking the rope out of my hand and knocking me back into the mud, dropping my stick and causing me to turn my back on the Loup Garou.             I quickly snatched the stick and whipped back around to face the beast. It stared at me for a moment, recognition almost seen in its eyes. It was gone as fast as it appeared, leaving me a bit confused. The beast snarled at me again and crouched low, ready to pounce at me. My eyes widened in fear and I dropped my stick, raising my arms to try to protect myself. I closed my eyes just as the beast attacked.             I sat there for what felt like forever, waiting to feel the burning pain as the beast sunk its teeth into my flesh. Nothing. Slowly, I opened my eyes. The beast was gone, as well as the storm. The lightning was gone, the wind dying down, and the rain just a trickle now. It was almost as if the storm was attached to the appearance of the Loup Garou.             I slowly stood up and just stared into the darkness. After a moment, I blinked, completely confused. “What the heck just happened?” I asked out loud.