The Semideus

Chapter 2

Flashback

Stephen rolled his eyes as he watched Te, once again, miss his target. They had been practicing on hours on end  to no avail. His younger brother simply didn't have the skill of hunting. It was either that or Stephen was  lethargic in his denominations.  No, it was definitely the former, he had been a good, no, exceptional teacher to that little prick. It was not his fault that his brother's  eye and hand coordination was completely discorded.

The sun was almost setting; the hue of orange and yellow settling his petulance. Perhaps he was being a tad hard on the little boy. After all, it had taken Bob a whole three months to hit a target; an immobile target at that.

“I think I nicked it! I nicked it Stevey! Wait till I tell Howard about this!”

Stephen let out a slow strained breath, Te had not “nicked” anything. He had watched the arrow fly way over the oblivious deer’s head. The deer had sprinted off shortly afterwards probably awed by his luck. The deer would probably relate this tale to his friends who will profusely praise mother luck.  If only they knew that the reason the deer had lived was due to his brother's horrendous aiming. Maybe the deer would throw a feast in honor of his good fortune. Stephen wondered whether the deer would devour anything but green delicacies at this party.

 Stephen stood there, licking his dry lips while using the back of his hand to soothe the burning sensation riling up his nose. They had been in the sun for hours.

“You see? I told you I was as good as you!”

Again he wondered whether he should indulge this “feat” or simply embrace candor. The former meant tolerating hyperbolic stories of Te’s hunting skills while the latter meant another hour of hunting. He nervously raked his eyes over the eerily quiet before them. Apart from the deer they had just spotted, nothing else seemed to be out there. He reckoned that there should be at least one soldier from the kingdom on a look out. What if they were attacked there and then? They would probably die, the look out soldier would too considering he didn't have any form of fighting experience. At least Stephen knew how to wield a sword,  throw a decent punch and deliver a fiery kick. But still, what good would that do in the event of an actual brawl?

 He suddenly felt exposed,  naked even. The sun had vanished taking its warmth with it. Stephen let out an involuntary shaky breath as the cold began to gnaw at his skin. He would have to settle for the tales of his brother who was still giddy from his “nicking”.

Stephen trailed his eyes to Terrance. His brother resembled their mother impeccably with his delicate  elongated  limbs, curly hair and blue eyes that always seemed to hold a spark. His face suddenly fell, his heart becoming instantly heavy. The pang in his chest was poignant and demanding. It was as if his mother refused for him to remember her with such moroseness. It made sense,  the woman had always been  a mirth bubble. Stephen often wondered how she, a perfectly delightful kindred spirit, had ended up with their father, a sour  man with a mind that was made of unassailable iron. Stephen often concluded that opposite poles actually did attract. He just wished that his father could see through his eyes for once, just for one single moment.

“Can we not go home immediately?”

Stephen regarded his brother for a long time before simply shrugging. He knew that Te was slowly entering the rebellious phase, their father could be a self entitled prick anyway. Still, he did not want Te and his father to have an estranged relationship. Lately,  Stephen and his father could barely stand to be in the same room. He couldn't help but feel responsible for the wedge between Te and his father. Could it be that he was setting a bad example for Te? No, Te was becoming a man,  he needed to pick a side and his father would just have to come to terms with whichever direction Te took. Besides,  Howard had just recently recruited Te for the illicit army that was actually growing in numbers with every sunrise. Te had already chosen a side. Stephen couldn't help the pride that was currently swelling in his belly.

He thought of how Te and Howard seemed to always know something he didn't. They would always be laughing whole heartedly; the kind of laugh that shook their bellies and reddened their faces. They would blink away the blissful tears before breaking into guffaws again. Stephen would often try to listen in so as to decipher their reason for gaiety but he never succeeded. He guessed that some things were simply privy even though he sometimes felt a weensy teensy jealousy at their obvious closeness.

As they packed their gear, their quiver and arrows,  and swung them over their shoulders, Terrance looked up to his big brother with a contented smile on his face. Yes, Stephen didn't at all mind the frivolous valiant hunting tales of his little brother as long as he was happy. He suddenly felt a deep passion for the little boy as he watched him leap mid air and knock the side of his boots together. A chain of chortles followed thereafter and Stephen found himself laughing along with Te. It was then that he knew he would protect the little boy with his life.

“Hurry Stevey! I want to tell Bob that I am a better shooter than him.”

Stephen let out a snort, well in truth, Te would soon become a better hunter than Bob.

“And maybe we can bring Howard here when we come to hunt again…you two are always halting at that huge tree…why can't he come with us anyway?”

“Because his father will have our heads on a platter  and I don't know about yours but mine is too pretty to be on a platter…”

“Are you saying mine is ugly? Because that isn't what Bob was saying the other day…”

Stephen’s face morphed into a scowl which caused Terrance to laugh. Stephen ruffled Terrance’s hair who in turn made a groaning sound in protest before sprinting off towards the secret door that lead to the kingdom. Stephen took after him.