by Mark Baggett
thoughts: who was this stranger?
An instant later the young lady had made a mad dash elsewhere, bellowing wildly for her parents. This of course left Dmitri very concerned for his own safety. He was in someone else’ home after all and entirely unsure how he got here.
Within moments a crowd had gathered at the doorway, the lovely youngster that had begun the ruckus right there in the forefront.
An elderly gent, balding and a tad on the round side, managed to press his way through the throng of mostly young people and into the room. Here he offered an awkward, overly dramatic handshake to the recuperating teen and Dmitri finally was capable of relaxing. No one was out to have his hide. At least not yet.
The fellow with the sweaty palms and overlong handshake was Marat and this was his home, he proudly informed the overwhelmed young man. He and his wife had much to be thankful for in life so they had made an ongoing effort to help others. Due to their kindness half a dozen other young, homeless or otherwise disposed young people of various ages now had a place to live and grown.
Amid the growing din of voices outside the room Marat had in time been forced to close the door completely simply to continue the conversation. At this time he divulged, briefly, the circumstances leading to Dmitri’s arrival and the youngster was not all too surprised to hear that a ‘mysterious’ traveler had sent a local clergyman to check on the boy. Such a coincidence.
An unknown traveler? At his home? Bah! Doubtless it been the Golden Stag yet again?
The question on Marat’s mind, considering Dmitri’s rapid recovery, was if there was family somewhere that they might contact. Or would he wish to perhaps stay here with Marat and family?
Almost blurting out in laughter Dmitri rolled his stiff neck and stared out the window into the bright sun. Family? It had been ages since he had had the support of a real family. Not since his brother Grigory had died in an effort to protect the wayward boy.
A well-worn and familiar sadness rose up in the newcomer’s heart. It had been years since the image of Grigory’s death had been dredged up from the morass of Dmitri’s broken soul. It stung just as fiercely now as on that frightening, fateful day.
But then suddenly a second vision filled his mind to dispel the gloom. This was of the bright face of the young woman in the hall. Her pale skin and luminous eyes captured him, held him in place.
“Yes,” he answered in time, his voice cracking awkwardly. “Yes, I would like to stay.”
Having quickly accepted his ‘gift’, as Dmitri came to refer to his landing in a welcoming environment, a home at last, the boy tried his best to be more than the sullen loner he had become over the years. No one here knew him. Or of him. Somehow he was able to be simple Dmitri Kovtun for the very first time in his life and not the boy who had seen the Golden Stag.
Better yet was the fact that no one really cared who he had been in his past life. All they cared about was that he was healthy. And happy.
Something odd began to happen about this time as well. And it centered upon his face. He began to smile. Something he hardly knew how to do. Yet now he was beaming broadly, ear to ear, from sun up to sun down and beyond. From glum child to grinning young man he had become in a matter of mere days.
Dmitri never realized that he might actually find peace and happiness in life. But he had.
His hand healed rapidly from being cut. Yet the spur was never noticed even once by his caretakers. Somehow only he could see the evidence left by the hateful cricket. Destiny’s revenge. Doubtfully he would never try to remove it again.
There was also another change taking place. This one was hereditary. He was growing into a man, at last, and with that followed his wolfen heritage. Even now he could feel it roiling beneath the surface, wanting to be free. Curiously he no longer yearned for that ability anymore. It was a major component of him, part of what would make him complete, yet not so important at this time.
What he did find important was there, just across the wide expanse of grass from where he stood. Framed by the blue sky behind her and the billowing white sheets she hung with care to dry stood Viktoriya. The girl from the hallway, his first sight upon waking that initial day here with Marat and family.
His heart spiraled out of control each time he caught sight of her. Or heard her tiny little laugh. Or wandered too close to her heavenly perfumed room. Everything and anything did this to him. He was clearly smitten.
As everyday he collected kindling for the fire and everyday he watched her hang the clothes. Rarely did he get much accomplished with her in sight. Happiness, he now considered, was much more important than picking up sticks.
“Yes, you are entirely right, young pup.”
The deep voice startled him from his revelry. Had he heard correctly? The stag was here?
Dmitri spun about in a rush, dropping his small collection of limbs in his haste. Then his eyes widened in wonder. Yes, he had been right. It was the Golden Stag. After all these years…
“Where have you been? I have not seen you for…”
“Do not worry, young ward. I have never been far.”
A warm smile creased his face. He was glad to see the beast again. Then his smile began to wane and his brow creased.
“This is not bad news, is it? You have not come to harm anyone I now care for have you, Fate?”
The shock on the stag’s face was clearly discernible.
“Those that you care for,” repeated the great animal with deep seriousness as it trudged through the saplings toward him. “Ah, how long I have yearned to hear such from you, youngster. Far, far too long, I must say.”
Unable to help himself Dmitri began to grin again. Admitting that he cared warmed his heart. It was a good feeling.
“As to your question, no. I am not here to cause anyone harm.”
Breathing a sigh of relief the boy turned back to gaze on star of his attention. Viktoriya.
“Beautiful, isn’t she, Stag?” Dmitri asked and immediately blushed a formidable red. It was very much unlike him to profess such things. Even to an animal that likely had already read his mind.
“Most definitely, young prince.”
Turning Dmitri sought out the stag’s attention. Questions burned within him and now was the time to finally be rid of them.
“You have often made remarks such as that. Prince. King. Why? What are you up to, Fate?”
The animal laughed heartily, but not at him so Dmitri was not insulted by the act. Curious, but not angry. He noticed the embers, the tiny sparks of yellow, orange and gold, were circling the great antlers in a frenzy.
“Yes, I have, haven’t I? Yet I should not speak of this further, ward. Lest I uproot the tree of your second life.”
“Second life? That sounds mysterious, and a bit ominous.”
“Perhaps, but it is more than I should allow. Destiny. Fate. One’s lot in life takes many turns. Like a river. It meanders. The more that is known prior shall disrupt the decisions one might make at a later date.”
“I can understand that,” Dmitri said as he watched his heart’s desire doing her mundane chores. But then everything she did was special, at least to him.
“I am glad for I must allow one more transgression on my part, young wolf.”
“Oh,” the boy frowned. He knew that there would be bad tidings to this visit. “Is it entirely necessary then? Can I not find out in my own due time?”
“Perhaps,” admitted the great animal as it bowed its head low. “But I fear you must know that my brother has tampered with your destiny. In his zeal to teach you a final lesson your tree may be split asunder and I worry…”
“Do not worry, Fate.” Dmitri lifted his gaze from the stricken beast and turned back the one who made his heart race. “Tell me or not, I am ready for the next step in life.”
“That is exactly why I am here, prince of wolves. This is the moment where your future begins. There are only two options set forth by Destiny. One…”
The Golden Stag lifted
its massive head to gaze out over the grassy field to where Viktoriya was finishing up.
“Or to follow your river elsewhere. Alone. This is your true calling, the one that I did interfere with long ago.”
“Yet you made it right.”
“Yes, of a sorts. But it has been tampered with by…”
“As I said, Fate, do not worry. I am a man now. My choices will be mine and mine alone. And I have already made this one.”
“I feared that you might, young ward. I had only hoped to protect you from a life of hardship and pain. It was my only wish.”
“Your brother will not ruin my life. I will not allow that to happen, stag. What happens will happen, but I will be with the one I care for the most. That is all that matters now.”
“Hmmm, spoken like the man I knew you would become. Dmitri Kovtun when we meet again, and it will be a lifetime from now, you and I will at last do battle. It is a battle I will wait for with great expectation.”
“Battle? Why would we battle?” Dmitri asked nervously. He had seen what happened when men fought the Golden Stag.
“It is a King duty to conquer, young wolf.”
With that last mysterious remark the stag turned and entered the forest behind him. In moments it was completely gone, not a hint of it having ever been there at all.
Dmitri smiled, his gaze catching Viktoriya waving at him from the terrace of the huge home place. Whatever awaited him would happen as ordained. There was little that he could do to change that and less that he was willing to alter at all. His future was
