“Well, it was bound to happen eventually”, Brice thought as he looked around at the gathered council of Old Women getting ready to pass judgment on him. He still remembered the day that set these events in motion.

He was finally deemed old enough to go with the men on a hunting party. It seemed like he had been waiting for this day forever. The hunting party he was with came across a hunting party of humans. He had heard of humans before, but this was the first time he actually saw one. At first he was filled with revulsion, their short hairless bodies with the sickly looking pink skin looked unnatural. While the leaders of the two hunting parties talked he noticed some of the humans were carrying what looked like a curved stick with a cord connecting the ends together. Some were plain, others very ornate. While he was trying to figure out their use there was a commotion in the brush nearby. Two fat game birds rolled out into the open fighting each other. The birds then noticed the two hunting parties and took to flight to get away. Quickly one of the humans took his curved stick with cord and held a straight stick against the center of the cord and the curve. He pulled the cord back with the straight stick and then let loose with a thrumming sound. The straight stick flew up in the air and went thru one of the birds which then fell out of the sky. Brice was amazed. The straight stick was thrown a lot farther and more accurately than our best warrior could never hope to match with his sling. He was about to congratulate the human on his skill and question him about the type weapon he used when he noticed the look of revulsion on his fellow tribe members, so he wisely kept his mouth shut. Shortly afterwards the two hunting parties went their own ways.

Later that night after the evening meal, he was sitting alone with his father and told him what he had witnessed that day. He asked his father what was the weapon the human had used. His father told him the curved stick is called a bow and the straight stick an arrow. His father said to never mention it again because not only is it forbidden for their tribe to use such a cowardly weapon, it is even more forbidden for him to use one since he has chosen the path to be a protector of Nature. But he could not forget what he had seen.

His curiosity being great, he secretly made his own bow and arrows. They were very crudely built, but serviceable. He kept them hidden outside of the camp and would practice with them in private whenever he had a chance to sneak away. To his great delight he discovered he had great skill using it. With time his accuracy and distance would get better and better. He liked the thrumming sound the cord made when he released the arrow. He liked the sense of power and strength the weapon imbibed him with. He even managed to do what he saw the human do that fateful day and knock some birds out of the sky.

But then it happened. It was bound to happen anyway. He was discovered practicing one day. And here he is, getting ready to have judgment passed on him from the council. The Head Councilwomen stood. “Not only have you been caught with a weapon forbidden by tribe edict, but also forbidden for use by your class of Druids”, she spoke. “You bring dishonor to the whole tribe”, she continued, “You leave us no choice but to ban you from the tribe and the forbidden weapons be destroyed. Only then can our honor be restored. “ Before your shocked mind can fully comprehend what is happening, guards come forth and grab you. They escort you to the edge of the tribe’s lands and watch you till you wander away.

“I’ll show them “, you mutter to yourself as you walk away, “I’ll show them all. I’ll start my own tribe. A tribe of archers, the greatest archers in the land!”

And so the journey begins.