Day One - Part 2

[Strazio Rockwell]

My rest didn’t last long. Between the constant pain of my shattered arm and the grumble of my stomach. Stiff and sore I rolled over onto my good side, and stretched out across the warm white sand. This would have been a wonderful vacation spot if not for the threat of marauding primes. Exhaustion mixed with starvation did more than a number on the willpower. My broken arm was swollen and red, the ever-present pain was close to unbearable and the thought to amputate crossed my mind more than once. Almost absentmindedly I clutched the Darkshire crest that hung faithfully around my neck. In their darkest times I was supposed to be their light, but it seemed that our situation had been reversed. I imagined Dmitri was watching me right now, urging me to push forward.

I grinned.

I gritted my teeth and grinned through the pain and exhaustion and hopelessness. What a sorry sight, the Defender of Darkshire actually on the verge of surrender I thought and chuckled softly. With sluggish movements I managed to crawl back to my feet. “I need food” I groaned weakly, looking out towards the ocean. Fortunately I was raised in a fishing village and I knew how to tap into the great bounty of the sea. Unfortunately I had no fishing pool or net. Slowly I bent down and untied my boots, kicking them and my socks off into the sand. With rolled up pant-legs I wad out into the shallow water and kneeled down in a small inlet. The salt water stung at my wounds, but the gentle ebb and flow of the tide kept my calm through the pain. Slowly but surely fish began to swim by me, thinking of me as no more than a rock in the tide. My breathing was controlled and shallow, everything around me melted away until only I and the fish remained.

My father had taught me how to fish with my bare hands and I spent many summers perfecting the technique. Incredible amounts of focus and bodily control was needed to snag a fish from the water and fortunately I had ample amounts of both. Slowly I raised my good arm to my chest and tracked a silvery fish with my eyes. Faster than lightning I struck, and in a splash I had snagged the large fish and held it tight to my chest. Before it could slip out of my grip I ran onto the beach and smacked it hard against a rock, killing the poor creature.

Night was coming soon and I still needed to make a fire. Up the coast I saw a nice alcove to hide behind and cook my freshly caught meal. With a spring in my step I grabbed my boots and began to walk up the coast. Finally after so many setbacks I had finally succeeded. It was a small success, but a small success was large enough to fill my belly for the upcoming fights.