A boy named xanth-part 1 (standard:fantasy, 1844 words)
Author: Finn Younger	Added: Dec 14 2005	Views/Reads: 3019/1943	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
xanth's dad falls ill, so xanth has to travell to the city to get a job, his attempts are tested by were-wolves, vampires, and monsters, as he travels throughj this harsh world.

The Traveller 

I poised my white ink stained quill over a piece of rugged parchment,
the parchment end curled inwards uselessly as I began to write a letter 
to my sick father. The horse drawn wooden cart I was messily sitting on 
swayed back and forth as the white stallion tugged the cart along the 
windy country lane. Tall proud trees as green as the greenest meadow 
towered an either side of the cart. In the magnificent woods birds sung 
their sweet songs as the other woodland animals went around their daily 
business. ‘So where are you travelling to?' I turned my attention to 
the pale looking man who lay in the corner of the cart; the man wore 
rags on his legs and chest which supposedly acted as clothing, his hair 
was grey and he was missing several teeth. ‘Are you going to answer me 
or just look at me lady?' The man said with an aggressive tone in his 
hoarse voice. I immediately replied to this man. ‘I am headed to the 
city of Phloden, where I am going to seek a job to earn some money; I 
used to live on the other side of these woods in a small one room hut,  
My father is terribly  ill, I fear he is near deaths demanding hands, 
he gave me what money we had left and told me to go  and live my life, 
it was the hardest decision to  leave him, but its what he wanted, so I 
got on this coach and here I am...' The man looked at me as if it was 
the first time he noticed me; he opened his grotesque mouth and 
displayed a mass of flesh and bone where his teeth should have been. 
‘And what of your mum?'  He enquired ‘My mum, well I don't really 
remember her, dad never mentions anything and gets angry when I ask, 
but I think she was taken into the woods or something, but  the last 
time I saw her was when I was 5 years old, but that was 11 years ago, 
its all in the past now' Several sad moments passed as I reflected over 
the memories; my joyful dad teaching me to use a sword, my mum letting 
me to help her make a red berry pie, it was so nice then. I looked up 
at the driver of the cart; he sat wearily on the front, holding a long 
whip in his thick hands humming to a tune I did not recognize. ‘Where 
are you heading to?'   I asked the man. ‘Oh me, well I am heading to 
the vast blue ocean to live my life onboard a trading ship my cousin 
owns, I have no home on the mainland so  I  plan to live my life at 
sea' I looked around at the surrounding woods; the birds had stopped 
singing, all I could hear were the 3 of us and the horse breathing 
slowly and silently. Before I knew it had happened the white horse 
stood up on its old hind legs, and tipped the cart over, the three of 
us fell to the dusty trial, the frightened horse galloped off down the 
trail into the woods. The cart driver cursed and wiped the dirt off his 
long coat, and attempted to turn the battered cart upright. The weak 
man failed so I joined him at the cart side and eventually we heaved 
the cart upright. Meanwhile the other passenger sat at one side nursing 
his cut arm. The cart driver spoke, his hollow voice was full of 
uncertainty. ‘Do not worry friends, she will be back soon and as soon 
as she does we will continue our journey' A spine tinkling howl sounded 
in the surrounding woods, followed by another one, then another and yet 
another petrifying howls. Our eyes met, fear showing in the wide alert 
eyes, we all stood rooted to the spot with fear beyond what we had ever 
experienced before. Finally after what seemed hours the cart driver 
walked over to a wooden crate stored in the cart. He prized the lid off 
and plunged his hands inside the box. What he withdrew confirmed my 
worries, from the dusty box the cart driver removed an old looking 
crossbow accompanied by a pouch of bolts, he also withdrew a shiny 
broadsword which he through to the ground, and it hit the ground with a 
thud and sent a dust cloud into the dense air. ‘Arm your selves' the 
cart driver instructed us. I picked up the crossbow, it was heavy, and 
the pouch only contained six bolts. I hastily dropped the crossbow and 
picked up the broadsword, slowly the pale and whimpering passenger 
knelt down and picked up the old wooden crossbow, he place a bolt in it 
and took position behind the cart. Meanwhile the cart driver who was 
only just starting to show his nervousness had found and axe from  
somewhere inside the cart, he stood on top of the cart, determination 
showing on his angry face. There was another high pitched howl, closer 
this time, I swallowed nervously, my body was soaked in sweat, and I 
suddenly saw it! Movement at the edge of the trees where the forest met 
the path!  I wasn't sure if the others had seen it, the creature took a 
step out of the undergrowth onto the path, a hiss sounded as my 
companion let off a crossbow bolt, and a yell of agony sounded from the 
creature, the bolt had found its mark!  I heard as a body slumped to 
the ground in the bushes, but cries of agony still went into my ears, 
the creature was still alive! The cart driver leapt off the cart, he 
signalled to me and my companion and we slowly moved towards the 
wounded creature, not once letting our guard slip. Slowly we edged our 


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