<No title yet>

[Rob-hin]

Gravel cracked under the heals of his boots as Niahatan reluctantly walked up Old man’s Hill. He looked down at Hillyard, the small village below him. The inhabitants were getting up after a long night, most windows were still closed and here and there smoke started to rise up from chimneys. He knew many of the people there well. Probably better then he knew himself, he thought sarcastically.
Focussing on what’s ahead, he picked up the pass until he reached the top of Old Man’s Hill. The hill was named after and old man who lived in the village long ago. Niahatan didn’t know the exact story but it came down to the old man climbing the hill every day to pick apples from the tree growing there. When he came down, he gave all the apples away to the village children. Or something like that.
Unintentionally, he had came to and halt on top of the hill, the apple-tree didn’t grow there anymore. He thought about looking back one final time but decided against it. Determined, he started to decent from the hill, leaving Hillyard and everyone in it behind.
From now on, his life was in his own hands. He’d be master of his own destiny, after he found what he was looking for that is. He grinned at the thought of many young “adventurers” setting out in search of gold, fame and women. No, he didn’t know much but he wasn’t searching for any of those things.
Lost in his thoughts, he had walked further then he thought. Niahatan had reached a small wooden bridge crossing a shallow ditch. The bridge that marked the end of the village’s borders. He crossed it without hesitation, but with a tear in his eyes. “I will not cry.” He said to himself. “I’m an adult and I will not cry.” He couldn’t help but thinking of his mother, father and sister. Especially his mother.
She cried when he told them he was leaving, even though he clearly explained the reason why he simply had to leave. Saying goodbye had been hard and nor his mother nor his sister understood why he wanted to leave. Only his father seemed to understand. His father had been a pioneer in his younger years, he came from across the impassable mountain range so lovingly called Dark Spire mountains. Dark Spire separated The Shallowland’s on this side from the rough Wildridge on the other side. Humans tried to populate Wildridge many years ago. Wilderness, harsh weather and native creatures made it hard to live and prosper there though, but some had made it work somehow. Niahatan’s father, Gillian was among the first explorers to try and build up a settlement there. After a few dozens of years of hard work, his heart longed back to The Shallowlands and so he moved back. Alone, the trip across the mountains was hard and dangerous but he made it. Gillian settled down here in Hillyard where he met his future wife; Bettina. They had lived there ever since.