Surefoot brushed a long strain of dark black hair from in front of this face, that the wind had blown around. The wind was a little cool on his face, but he know that the day would warm up fast as it always dose when the cloud cleared out. He sat on a small rock over looking a valley, that was full of runes of what he had been told had once been the site of a huge city, it went on for miles and miles. When the wind was right he could smell the decay, the death there had been on swift wings he was told by the Elders, and they said that death could come to any of the tribe that went in to there. There did not say that no one could go into the ruins but they would discourage any who wanted too.

There where tales in the early days of the Nation of Soleame, that told that for a few generation after the death of the city, some kind of things would come out of the city, kill and feast on them, but the Elders believed that all of them had been sent to the spirit world. He had spent many of afternoons watching the city and had never seen any thing more than a few deers dare to enter there, and that only when they when being hunted. He like to hunt for Tree Rats on the edge of the cities, they were a lot bigger there.

He stood up and took his bow off his back, fitted a arrow to the string. It was a good bow, he had made it himself, it had taken him all summer to carve the patten of snakes that twisted to each end into the elm wood, and he was proud of it. Most of the tribe thought it was the finest bow they had ever seen. He moved down the hill and in to the huge trees that grow around the ruins. It was still mostly huge areas of dark showers, but there was patches of sun light that made it easier to see. He made no noise as he moved, he had been educated in the way of hunting most his life, which was not all that long, just 16 summers.

He had been on his own from the end of his 6 summer, when his parents were kill, there home had burned down, he was saved by a neighbor, from then on the whole tribe were his parents, which seemed to suit him. He had little memory of life be for that time, but that didn't seam to matter to him. He didn't just begin learning one path of life, but many. He learned fast for his age, all ways listening to what any of the Elders would tell him.

Not far in to the trees ,the wind bore the sent of Tree Rats, and by the smell there where a few more than he would of like to meet at one time, a lone one or two was no problem but a whole clan of them could over power a man and make dinner of him instead. They where not that big, only as long as his arm, but they had a mouth full of sharp teeth and six legs that all had sharp claws, and could move as fast as a snake, so one had to be careful when hunting them, best to use bow from a distant.

He reach down and checked to see if his knife was in place, and it was, it had been a gift from the tribes healer. He stood still with his back to the trunk of one huge trees and listen for any sound of where the clan was. He was glad he was down wind of them, but the scents seamed to be getting stronger, they where coming his way, he took a quick look around the tree. They were not that far a way, and they were on the ground, that meant they were hunting for meat, and there were at lest 8 or 10 of them, he held his breath.

He stood for some time before he dare to move, and when he did he know it was a mistake. The last one in the line turned back and seen him, which let out a warning growl, but before the others could turn, there was an arrow in its neck, and he had slipped behind the tree again before the rest had seen him. He fitted the next arrow to his bow. He would only had time to shoot one more and then they would be on him, he would have to run for his life and, fight them off with his knife as he went.

There growls grow over which of them got to eat the one he had shot, this was good for him, it meant that they had not seen him, nor had they gotten closer to him. He pulled out a second arrow, just may be he would have time to hit two of them before having to run, which he had no idea of which way to go, back the way he had come into the woods was his best bet, even tho the ruin city was a lot closer.

After a few minuets the growling became lower, as all of them had got a piece of they mate. They just standing there cleaning the blood from there fur, so when he jumped from behind the tree they didn't see him till the arrow pined the second one to the ground, and the 3rd hit the ground not a foot away, he turn and ran for his life, almost tripped on a root. He looked back and seen there was 6 more of the beast after him. This was not the first time he had to run from Tree Rats, and know that after a few minuet half of them would give up the chase, after all the trees was where the spent most there lives, not running the ground, six legs or not.

They where gaining on him faster than he thought they would, he would have no choice but to run for the ruin city, it was half as far as the end of the woods, and it was the only way he could out run them now he thought, there where the fastest Tree Rats he had ever seen, almost as if they were mad with hunger. He reached the ruins, but it was a wall 3 times as tall as he was. He needed to fine a place that he could climb over, He was sure if he made it in side he would be safe from them, he had never seen them in the city before.

Soon he came to a point in the wall where it was cracked down far enough that he could jump and get a hand hold. He jumped up, garbed the crack and began pulling himself throw when he felt one of the rats claws on his leg. As he fell throw the crack it was pulled to the other side with him. He pull his knife as he rolled across the ground, and stood to face it. He had never heard of a lone Tree Rat that would stand and fight by it self, but this one was not going to back down and run. It had landed not far from him, and it stood growling at him.

At least the rest were still on the other side of the wall, but he could still hear them growling, and scratching at the wall. He let his bow slid down to the ground and moved slowly away from it, he didn't want any thing to happen to it. He began to circle the rodent, who stood with its tail twitching back and forth. The look in its eyes made him fell uneasy, it was as if it had no spirit, only angry remained, with the need to kill. He was prepared when it jumped at him, knocking it away with his fore arm, not striking with the knife, he wanted a clean draw across its neck.. It rolled across the ground and was back on it six legs.

He was confused by the beasts actions, why had it not run from him, it was not normal. It had little or no chance of killing him by it self, it just made no scents to him. An ebb of wind brought with it the smell of decay, and thoughts of where he was. He had never meet anyone that had entered the city before, he had only heard stores as a kid, that where mainly told to keep the young from going in, and getting lost. The rodent smelled it too, there was a look of panicked in its eyes for a moment as it looked back and forth, but when again it looked at him, the rage returned.

The 2ND rush was not fast as the first, and he was able to side step it. That give him time to look around, they were in a small garden, 20 passes by 20 passes, with only one way in and out of it, and now he was between the opening and the beast. There were still deep shadows along the one wall where the beast was, but he had no trouble see it.

On the next rush he would kill the beast, he tightened the grip on the knife, but he was not ready for what happen next, the Rat let out a loud growl and instead of jumping at him it rushed at his feet, but he was still able to give it a swift kick, that sent it flying as he himself fell backwards. He hit the ground hard, his head bounced on a small block of stone, which send flashes of light across his minds eye. He tried to get back up but was unable too.

The Rat recovered first, turned and jumped on to his chest, at that moment there was a flash of green light from behind him, it blinded him, and when he moved his knife there was nothing where the rodent had been. He spun to a sitting potion, knife at that the ready, but he could not see yet, the light had been bright. He sat still, there was no sound at all, not even from the ones on the other side of the wall. He noticed a lite smell of burned fur.

It took some time before he could see enough to look around. The Rat was laying on the ground dead, and there was a little smoke rising from its fur still. He rubbed his head, it hurt but he would be ok, there was no blood. He stood and looked around, there was nothing that could have been the source of the green light. He look out of the open in the wall, as far as he could see were ruins a long the street sides, they were empty as always. He went back to the rodent, to have a closer look.

It had stopped smoking, so he reached down and turned it over. He was amazed by what he seen, there was a hole all the way throw the beasts body. Right throw its heart, as if an magic fire arrow had past throw, but there was no arrow anywhere, nor was there any blood. He had never seen, or heard of any thing like it before. He decided not to let the meat go to waste, he could not jump back over the wall to get the others, he was sure the other Rats had devoured there fallen companions.

While he worked, he heard no sound from the woods, not even the birds. He could not remember a time that he had not heard there crys. It did not take lone to dress the small beast, with the hide rolled up and stuff in his belt, and the meat in a pouch hanging from it , he stood and looked the garden over again. He decided to fellow the street for a time, then find a way back over. As he walked he be gain to get the felling he was being watched, but he never seen a thing. After a little while he came to a place where the wall had almost falling completely down, and he had little trouble putting space between him and the city.

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