Part 8
Six years ago, my life was forever altered. My homeland was destroyed, my family killed, and my hopes crushed. I still recall the tragic events that lead to my downfall with startling regularity, each time the scene bloodier and more violent then the previous. Even though the images have lost most all of their truth, I still have problems determining which come from my memories and which from my own imagination. I left my homeland without a second glance, determination my only guide.
After the Sanc Kingdom fell, I found myself alone. I had yet to learn the harsh reality of the surrounding world. I once found myself complaining of my father's adamant faith in a nutritious breakfast, later I found myself surviving for days on an amount of food smaller then most breakfasts he made me eat. There were times when I wondered fro days thinking of nothing except my vow.
Three weeks after leaving Sanc, I found myself in Glentonville, a small town notorious for hoodlums and gangs. It didn't take long for a member of the Tigerfang find me. I was wondering through a back alley, trying to draw as little attention to myself as possible, when I was knocked unconscious by a brick to the base of my skull. When I woke, I fond myself at the feet of the Tigerfang leader, Rex. His demeanor radiated frigidness. Even his stance told me that I wasn't what he wanted to see. He told me to stand up, which I did. His foot connected with my stomach, the impact sending me halfway across the room. He then told me to stay on the ground or he was going to kill me. Instead of listening to him, I forced myself to my feet.
After that, Rex beat me so badly. I'm surprised he didn't end up killing me. I often questioned myself why I stood up that second time, even knowing that Rex could kill me at any moment if he so desired. yet I stood and defied him. The only conclusion that I have been able to draw is that I couldn't stay on the ground. I felt deep within me that not standing would be the same as giving up. There was no way I would give up until I fulfilled my promise.
Once Rex was done with me he had one of his girls take care of me. It took two weeks for me to recover from the beating. Once I was able to walk again, I was allowed free roam of the territory. A week after I fully recovered Rex took me aside. He told me that I had a lot of guts for a kid. He was so impressed with my will to succeed, which was why he didn't kill me before. He also confessed that if I had stayed down on the ground during that fight, he would have killed me without a second thought. After that, I was considered a part of the gang, but not a full member, which would require more then defying the leader.
I learned how to survive during the two years I spend with the Tigerfang. Each day I struggled to help get food for the ever-hungry senior members. I can't recall a day that I didn't have to fight someone; rival or ally. A fight around there could be caused by something as trivial as a wrong sidelong glance.
By the end of my second year I found myself in a disagreement with Rex. We argued bitterly for hours before he finally dismissed me from the gang. I assume he did they because he couldn't deal with teh fact that an 8 year old could prove him wrong.
Once again I was alone in the world, but this time I have acquired skills for living. I lived in barns, sheds, and any abandoned shack I could find; staying in each dwelling for a week or less. I worked odd jobs in the small towns I came across while traveling. Most jobs dealt with illegal products, but it was the only work a kid on his own could find. They never paid much, but it was enough to keep me fed.
Traveling was something I had always enjoyed, except when it became a necessity. After a couple of days in a town, people would start to suspect that I was a runaway. A few times the townspeople accused me of crimes that I had not committed (I tried to keep a low profile by not stealing much). I was the no-named kid who'd do most anything for cash.
I survived those four long years that way, running away from my past whenever it threatened to return to me. Those hard years have brought me to where I am now, the gate of my redemption. The cold iron the only thing separating my past from my future.~~
I sit on my hospital bed, a stabbing pain ripping through my abdomen. I try not to remember the past, but it keeps seeping into my brain, taking over my every thought. Whey it is coming back to me now I do not know. Previous brushes with death have never caused me to re-evaluate my life, why now?