Kraven Amberwood (Part 2)

(Part 2)

           Kraven awoke from his sleep. He brushed his fingers through his thick, shiny, black hair and wiped the sweat from his forehead. It had been 16 years since his adoptive father, Feros, took him under his wing. Kraven now was around 6 feet tall with a slim, but muscular figure. He had rough hands and feet, and a dark tan from working outdoors everyday. His most distinguishable feature, however, was his eyes; the iris was just as black as the pupil. 
           Light was pouring into the room and Kraven just sat there enjoying the sunrise. Kraven’s eyes soon widened and he quickly jumped out of bed. He was late. He had to finish his chores before he went down to town to fix a roof for Drake Forreson; the father of his friend John. He slipped on his clothes and ran out the door. There was no time for breakfast that morning despite his growling stomach. At least he thought his stomach was growling.

            On his way to open the gate, so that the cattle could graze, a large wolf, almost twice the size of Kraven, jumped off the roof and landed gracefully in front of him. It had a sleek, silvery black coat and large golden eyes. Kraven stopped in his tracks. The wolf got lower to the ground, and Kraven braced himself. The wolf pounced, knocking Kraven down to the ground. The wolf slowly inched himself closer to Kraven’s head until they were face to face. And then the wolf wagged his tail and licked Kraven’s nose with his large red tongue.

Kraven smiled and laughed, “Tabris, stop, you’re too heavy!” Tabris stopped licking and jumped off of Kraven and sat patiently and innocently as if he had done nothing at all. Kraven dusted himself off and said, “Now are you going to help me herd the cattle this morning or are you going to make me run again?” Tabris looked at the cattle and then back at Kraven and then lay down. Kraven was desperate to make up for lost time, so he tried to bribe Tabris, “You know, if you had helped me herd the cattle, I would have taken you to the sea tomorrow to chase the fish.” Tabris perked his ears, and Kraven knew he had him in the palm of his hand, “But I guess since you don’t want to help, I could always take Marren.” Tabris growled at the name and quickly got to his feet and began running towards the gate. Marren was another pet of Kraven’s although it was not a wolf, but a small raven with a white dot on its beak. Marren and Tabris constantly tormented each other, but never to the point of actually causing the other harm. At least, not too much harm. However, while Kraven and Tabris opened the gate, two pairs of eyes watched them from afar.

Feros and Drake stood at the entrance of Feros’s house. Drake spoke first, “You have a fine son there. I am very pleased that my son enjoys his company. He is the first person I believe, that actually likes my son for who he is and not for the money and title that we posses. I also hope, that perhaps your son would inspire John to become more like a scholar like me.” Feros nodded his head and responded, “I am forever in your debt for teaching John about the world and how to read and write. He has always wanted to study, and when you came along and offered a helping hand, how could I refuse to let him. From what Kraven has told me, your son loves the books you write and the experiments you do, however, he doesn't feel that it is the life for him. He wants adventure. I also must request that you not tempt Kraven with your science. I would hate for him to learn the art that causes the destruction of the nature that he loves so much.” Drake shifted his glasses and said, “Yes, I understand, I will not lure him to the world of science. It’s a shame though, for he has the magnificent gift of being able to understand animals to such a level that he can communicate with them, and I would so love to understand how this power came to be.” “I am again, thankful,” said Feros, “that you, John, and I all see his power as a gift unlike most of the townspeople who view it as a curse.” Drake had a look of remorse on his face, for he knew that the village boys tormented Kraven on a daily basis, so he spoke comforting words to Feros, “Don’t let the town get on your nerves, for most of the people here will believe anything you tell them. They would even believe ludicrous rumors such as witchcraft. Now before I leave, please tell Kraven that he does not have to fix the roof today; he can do that tomorrow. I would much rather that he spend a beautiful day like today outside with my son, John, rather than hammering the top of a roof.”

Drake tipped his hat and walked down the path to his manor in his own private sector of the town. About an hour later, Kraven returned with Marren perched on his shoulder and Tabris at his side. After Feros told him about how his day was to be spent, Kraven said goodbye and ran out of the house. It was about 5 miles to John’s house, and he was exhausted from running around herding the cattle. Kraven looked at Tabris, “What do you say Tabris, do you want to help me out here again?” Tabris growled and then said, “Fine. Get on my back. You are just lucky that you and I are such great friends otherwise the answer would be no.” Marren then chimed in, “You shouldn’t help because Kraven is your friend; you should help because you want to help.” Tabris barked and Marren flapped his wings. Kraven intervened, “Stop it! Both of you! Now let’s go.” Kraven jumped onto Tabris’s back and as soon as Marren took flight, Tabris galloped away at full speed.