The Immortal Man (Na Ruærda Dáv)
Summary
Over ten thousand years ago, before the Chealan Empire, a young warrior left on a solo hunting trip into the eastern woods. He’d been hunting for a week but had seen no prey, not even the smallest squirrel. So determined to bring something back, he swore to himself that he would not return until he’d caught something for the fire. Another week passed, then, as he was about to give up, he saw a white stag and he let chase after it. For days it led him farther and farther away from lands he knew, until one morning he found himself on the other side of the eastern mountains in a strange forest.
The man was on the other side of the mountains and for a year he lived on that side. But, as time went on he began to miss his tribe and family and so he sought to cross the mountains again. But days passed and he couldn’t find the trail he’d come on. In desperation he cried out to the mountains, cursing them for standing in his way. And as he fell to his knees and felt despair well up, he heard something approaching. Looking up he saw the white stag which he’d followed over the mountains and lost in the forest. The stag stopped before him and spoke, ‘Why do you curse the mountains so?’
‘I curse the mountains because they stand in my way,’ the man replied.
‘And what way would that be?’
‘The way to my home and hearth.’
‘Is not the forest here your home and hearth now? You’ve lived here for a year.’
‘It is where I have lived but I wish now to return to my tribe.’
‘Ah, it is not the place but the people you wish to see,’ the stag said wistfully, ‘but I fear that it is too late for you to return now.’
‘What do you mean?’ the man asked.
‘This forest, these mountains, this land, and the animals here, we are all blessed by the Land, herself. And no mortal man may step foot here without accepting the consequences.’
‘And what would those be?’
‘You would not believe them if I told you. But, I will show you the way over the mountains so that you may see for yourself,’ and with that the stag took off, up the mountain. He showed the man a hidden path over them. Once on the other side, the man thanked the stag for helping him.
‘I fear I have not helped you. If you chose to return to the forest beyond the mountains, I will wait for you here for three days and three nights,’ said the stag.
‘I thank you for your offer, but I doubt I will take it up.’
‘We shall see,’ and with that it turned and paced away.
The man returned to his tribe but he soon discovered what the stag had meant. Though it had been only a year for him, ten had passed for his tribe. His parents had passed away, his brother had two children, and his sweetheart had married into another tribe and had a son now. The man felt like a stranger in his own home and, as the third day drew to a close, he made up his mind to return to the forest beyond the mountains. Before he left he shared his story with the village elder so that others would be warned to never cross the mountains without knowing what they faced. And he left, never to come back again. Thought, whether he is still alive or not is a matter of debate.
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