Gnarsh late to pick up writing skills, been here many winters, not know my age or the day or the month or the year. So this is day One for saga of Gnarsh. Life of Gnarsh was tough, from earliest memories I, Gnarsh, was taught to hunt and forage by, the Hunter, the man who kept me alive. The term "raised" is a word of community and family and caring…it does not fit what the hunter did with me. I am however alive and I believe that was his goal. I first started out foraging as the hunter showed and expected me to : roots berries herbs whatever was edible or useful for hunting. As I went further afield from the hut I was tasked with checking traps, I was also trained brutally to use a knife and a spear, I believe the training session were the only time I ever saw the hunter smile. I think it was five winters when I had my fist accident, I was checking a pit trap and the creature that was caught was not dead so I was supposed to finish it with my spear, like I was taught but in its death throws it snagged the spear and pulled me into the pit with it. I felt a sharp pain and heard a crack as I landed and then the deer got the last laugh as it kicked me in the face and I blacked out. I awoke cold, stiff, in pain, and in the midnight hours in the pit. Unable to use my right arm I retrieved my spear from the deer. I was taught how to get out of the pit should I have to get into one to retrieve the catch, but I wasn't tall enough to do it on my own and now I have to do it with one arm on my own. Fortunately I had a deer carcass to step on it took a couple tries but I finally managed to climb out. I had to leave the catch in the pit but I made it home thinking that the hunter might be out looking for me. I was wrong, He was at the hut eating stew sitting in front of the fire. The broken arm was nothing compared to the beating I got for leaving a deer out in the pit. Once again that night I awoke in pain and stiff, but at least I was in the hut and the fire was going. My arm was still broken hanging uselessly at my side and my body was a bruised and bloody mess from the beating. In that condition I was incapable of taking care of myself, so I dragged myself to the corner the was my bed and waited from the hunter to return and find the time to teach me to patch myself up. Pretty much every major injury in my life followed that routine from snake bites to falls to goring's to mauling's to freezing's and all other extremes that can befall a lone hunter in the wilds. 

Whilst I recovered from that first ordeal the hunter discovered that I had a knack for smelling out specific things, quite by accident. Wityh out my knowing he tested me on it and concluded that my sense of smell was as sharp as a canines, so he just had to train his new talking bloodhound. Every single bone the man had in his body resented my existence, so needless to say the training did not go well for me.

That is enough for day 1, anymore writing right now and Gnarsh might not wake up in morning…uuuuhh..Goodbye journal.    

Saga of Gnarsh Day 2

So Gnarsh's training as bloodhound did not go well, no indeed. Many hunts were ruined by me and hunter and myself went hungry too often and I was punished very thoroughly when that happened. Then I figured it out I just had to identify the scents. So I started following the scents and tracking the creatures down to figure out what they were. The differences were (I think the word is profound) as wolf tracks became specific packs and then specific wolves. Once this clicked hunting actually became enjoyable. For the next two winters I think the hunter and I came as close as we ever could, he taught me every thing about hunting, game, track and trail, flora and fauna the seasons and survival. Everything else stayed the same of course beatings everyday, resentful looks, spiteful remarks, and absolutely no mention of my mother or anything more personal than hunting.

After this period of time comes the last two winters with the hunter. We are now two hunters living in one hut and hunting the same grounds, the first year was really easy, I dare say we ate like kings, predictably the second year game was scarce between the two of us and the three separate wolf packs that bordered our hunting grounds game was really scarce, I received a lot of beatings that last year. Then it ended, just as spring was breaking winters back the hunter gave me a pack one morning and my bow and spear and told me to leave and never return.

  

Saga of Gnarsh Day 3

With the door shut, Gnarsh hung around the hunters hut at a loss as to where to go or what to do. When the hunter came out to go hunting, he went about his business as if Gnarsh was not there and when he walked away Gnarsh just sat down and waited. It was late noon when Gnarsh got up and decided to find out where the river came from.

It was a long journey, but what else did Gnarsh have to do and where else did he have to go. Then Gnarsh came to his first community. He saw it from around the bend right on the river side opposite himself and in the middle of the river was a man on a couple pieces of wood with a long flimsy pole in his hands dangling some twine into the river…Gnarsh did not understand, sure this river was much larger than it was in the hunters forest but this guy wasn't even trying to cross it. Just standing their in the middle with his string. Even without knowing him Gnarsh felt respect for the man having had his own experience with the rivers undertow a few days prior. Gnarsh had never encountered water to deep to wade across. Gnarsh really wanted to meet the man and thought he could yell to him from the shore opposite the village so that's just what he tried doing. It did not go well.

In villagers defense the only orcs they were use to seeing was raider parties and I was about the size of a full grown human. I was lucky that the river was between me and the village. First was shouting, then came a horn, then a bunch of men carrying spears, then some more shouting, and finally a volley of arrows. So figuring that I was unwelcome I moved out of sight and continued following the river while watching my back just incase. When I made it to the mouth of the river I found a more agreeable people in the form of lizard folk.       

Saga of Gnarsh Day 4

Gnarsh did not stay long with the lizard folk, cause it was a lean year apparently. In lean years the lizard folk resort to eating the weakest members of their village and Gnarsh was uncomfortable with his status as guest (not member of village).Gnarsh did learn to fish using a spear while visiting the lizardfolk and he also learned the way to the next town. Follow the coast west and south is what the lizard wiseman said. So after four days rest, learning to spear fish, and a lot of hungry looks Gnarsh decided it was time to help his hosts out.