An Original by MJB. Hope you all like it!!! :) : Part I

Tammelo slammed his hands and feet against the weighted bag again and again. Black rage ran through him like molten iron. "Why?" he snarled under his breath, "Why did it have to happen this way?" Tammelo, or Tam as he was called by his friends, stood six feet and two inches tall and weighed two hundred pounds. Now he stood, punching, kicking, kneeing, striking the bag as hard as he possibly could. A layer of thick, oily sweat covered his lean, muscular frame and dripped from his fiery red hair into his startling blue eyes. After several hours, Tam's tortured body could take no more of the rigorous activity. He sank into an awkward sitting position, gasping like a fish out of water. As he sat there, he looked over himself and noticed the blood oozing from the black and blue cuts and bruises that covered his hands, feet, knees, elbows, shins and forearms. There was even a nice red bruise on his forehead from slamming it straight into the rock filled bag. As Tam reviewed the self-inflicted damage, the barrack-room door opened and in stepped Merrick. Merrick was a giant of a man, standing seven and a half feet tall and four hundred pounds of iron hard muscle. His entire body, from his head to his ankles was covered in brown hair. He took one look at Tam and shook his head. With a few long strides, he walked over to Tam and lifted him effortlessly of the floor, saying in his deep voice, "Tam, beating yourself to death helps nothing. Whatever happened could not have been your fault." Tam slowly began to hobble around, spitting out through clenched teeth, "Did you hear what happened, Merrick? Have you any idea what I caused?" The giant shook his head slowly. "I only heard that the hunting trip did not go well." he said softly. Tam began to walk in a circle, testing the strength of his battered legs as he spoke, "We had a large group of wild boars surrounded in a large clearing. It would have been simple just to shoot them there. We had them dead to rights." As he spoke, his voice increased in volume, until it was a wrath-filled roar, "But I, being the idiot I am, wanted to get slightly closer, and I stepped on a twig, snapping it. The boars began to run, and Turgan, the son of Thire, was killed by one of the stampeding boar." Merrick stood silently for a few moments, and then said in a soft rumble, "Even so, it cannot be your fault entirely, Tam."
Tam blurted, "I was the one put in charge of this hunt. I was the one who stepped on the twig. It was one of my men who died. I failed in every possible way." Merrick lost his patience. He strode over and grabbed the seething young man by his shoulders. With a growl like that of a bear, he spoke, "Listen to me, Tam. Whatever happened, happened. Staying in here, beating yourself like is not the way a man would take his failure and helps nothing. Now put some clothes on. The Council wants to see you." Tam sat there, glaring at Merrick, but then hobbled over and got into his tunic and breaches. Tam knew that his older friend was right. Five minutes later, the barrack room was empty.
The council lodge stood near the center of the fairly large mountain town. It was a long house, lit only by a large fire on one side of the lodge, crackling gloomily in the fireplace. Inside the lodge was a dais with a crescent shaped table sitting on a dais. At the table were seven chairs, six of which had men sitting in them and their wives standing behind them. Six large timber wolves, which had been raised from pups, prowled around the lodge. A knock sounded on the large, oaken doors of the building. "Come." said Galaar, spokesman and representative of the council, said in his booming voice. The doors creaked open and Tammelo, son of Thracken entered the room. He slowly, half strode, half hobbled to the dais and stood in the arch of the table. After a few moments, Galaar spoke, "Tammelo, son of Thracken, you have been called before us to answer for your failures on the hunt. They are twofold. One: You failed to bring back meat for town stores. Two: One of the men, Turgan, son of Thire, was slain under your command. You failed in your responsibility to protect him." Tam stood there, blinking back the tears of both shame and sorrow at the loss of his friend. After a pause, Galaar continued, "Under the laws of our town, you would be given a single chance to redeem yourself for the failure on the hunt, but the death of your man complicates the issue. For that, you would be stripped of all rank and privilege and confined to a place where you would be tutored by your father until he thought that you were ready to regain your rank." Tam nodded. Thracken, Tam's father, was the minister of war, whose now seat stood empty at the council table. The man had been slain in a raid on enemy Carthonites who were invading the kingdom of Sappia, the mountains and southern border of which, Tam's people guarded. Tam had been eight years old at the time and stood eighteen in front of the council now. Galaar continued, "Seeing as how your father is no longer with us, you pose a unique issue." Galaar went silent and looked at his fellow councilors. Each one, in turn, looked first at Galaar, and then at Tam. After what seemed like an eternity, Galaar turned to Tam and asked the one question Tam did not want to hear, "What do you think should be done for your actions, young Tammelo?" Tam gulped and then bowed deeply. He spoke in a trembling voice, "I plea for the chance to redeem myself for the failure to provide meat. For the death of Turgan-" and he turned towards Thire, the Minister of Education and the current Minister of War, "-I offer my life such as it is. Do with it what you will." and he took one knee and bowed, head down. A few wayward tears dripped on the the carpet. The council began to mutter together. Their wives spoke as much as the men did. At length, Thire stood up and began to pace the dais as if giving a lecture, "We will consider your suggestion, Tammelo. In regards to your opportunity to redeem yourself, I believe that you should be given this chance." Thire turned his attention back to the other councilors and said, "There is news of a Kyborite caravan coming through our section of the mountains. They will be here in two weeks. I suggest that we allow Tam to lead the mission to investigate." The councilors all looked at each other silently.
Tam walked out of the lodge and met Merrick, who had been waiting for him. the big man asked eagerly, "Well, what is going to happen." Tam looked at his large friend and grinned, "Do you want to go on a raid with me?" Merrick just grinned.