Dawn of The Open Circle
an excerpt

Tamson’s knuckles were white as the bone beneath his skin as he clenched onto his utility knife. He ran through the forest without looking back. He was sobbing as he ran and he didn’t realize he was being chased. He didn’t realize until he saw the wyld beast rear up in front of him. It was really fast with those six legs. It was faster than he was. Through his tear drenched eyes Tamson could see bits of flesh and blood on the antlers. Father… Mother… gone… dead… He turned back the other way not wanting to share the same fate. Tamson tripped and the beast ran over him and was standing above him while Tamson lay under it on his back. He then felt a tingle in his brain and a voice intruded into his thoughts like the way the sun intrudes the sky to give light to a dark world.
“Tamson. Do you want to live?”
“Who is that?”
“Answer my question which I will ask you again. Tamson, do you want to live?”
“Yes.”
“Only one of you may live. It is up to you who that is.”
This happened in about 4 seconds. The voice left his mind but the light in his mind that he felt stayed. Tamson then felt a sudden determination wash over him, as it was still seconds before the beast could realize where its prey had gone. Tamson took his knife and shoved it into the belly of the beast. The beast screamed and rolled onto its back allowing for Tamson to stand up. His crude makeshift weapon dripped with blood. Tamson faced the beast as it got itself upright. He was furious with anger and still a little fear. Regardless of the odds he had to try to win. Just like the anathema man that he saw die, he still had to give it his all. He wouldn’t be easy to kill if he did lose. But Tamson did not plan on losing. He didn’t know how yet but he was determined to win. If he had gone insane by thinking this it was a good kind of insane.
The beast snarled at Tamson.
“I am going to kill you.” Tamson said a lot more boldly than he thought he’d be able to. He felt energized in a way he never felt before. It felt like a new kind of blood was flowing through him. The beast lunged toward him with an outstretched forepaw but Tamson dodged it. With deft agility Tamson jumped back two feet to dodge another lunging forepaw attack. Now Tamson attacked by swiping his blade catching the beast across the nose drawing more blood. It wasn’t a lot but enough to satisfy Tamson into a grin. The beast roared again. Tamson imagined it was out of frustration because here was a kid the size of a dinner morsel having the upper hand in a battle to the death.
It now charged at him with those bloody antlers. Tamson jumped into the air and used the beast’s head as a stepping-stone, jumped over its antlers, ran along its back and then landed behind it. He took no time to be amazed at his actions but rather and quickly grabbed the lion like tail and cut it off at the base before it could turn around. The beast cried out in pain and spun around soon after on its hind fours and nailed Tamson in the chest with a forepaw. Tamson slid back several feet and the worst he got was the wind knocked out of him. He expected worse as he gasped for his air back. He saw the beast ready another charge. In one hand he held the tail of the beast dripping with blood. In his other hand he held his knife, dripping with blood. As this battle continued for an ultimate victor there was no denying that Tamson was changed. Something incredible had happened to him. He felt stronger, faster, and more capable. He was performing actions that should be impossible.
“That’s right come and get me. But I am not your dinner.”
The thing made its charge and Tamson being quite a bit smaller than it he was able to slide under it barely being missed by the antlers. Tamson once again lay below the beast on his back but this time intentionally.
“I am your death!” Shouted Tamson and with an unfathomable amount of speed and strength he slammed his knife into the bottom of the beast’s chin. His blade left his hand and went up through the skull of the beast and out the top of its head. Blood spewed up like a fountain as his blade shot up out of the top of its head. The Wyld beast that killed Tamson’s parents then moaned a gurgling and weak moan of demise and its body slumped down on top of Tamson. It was dead and Tamson now had vindicated his dead parents. It would not make him that much happier but at least he’d done what he had said he would do. Tamson shoved the beast off of him, which alone was a feat of strength since he was just a boy and the beast weighed close to a half a ton. All of that was not the most surprising thing though. The most surprising thing of all was what he had become. His body glowed a golden yellow. He had an aura just like the man who was an anathema. It then occurred to Tamson as to what had happened to him and what he had become.