[ WP ] A man is knighted that does not rightly deserve the honor

Today was of great importance to the families. Their food supplies dwindled as they consumed 
 and had no method of replenishing. A great war had only recently ravaged their economy, and the terrible droughts ruined the already poor soil. The village ’ s only chance was to hunt afar, for no food could arise from such accursed lands. So it was told that whoever shall bring nourishment shall be blessed in spirit by the Father One and, in time, replace him. Sons of families, together with fathers of children, ventured to distant lands. Most died from the scorching heat or from dangerous creatures. Most, but not all. A father and son took part in their journey, bidding their family good-bye, believing that they would never see them again. 
 
 
 The father was short, but well built. His grayed hair rested above his shoulders that slouched and his beard, unkempt, dangled wildly below his chin as he walked. In all his years, the father never practiced violence or war, being a strong man, but mostly a man of intelligence. It was his job to write the story of the people, and his to preserve the culture of the families. 
 
 
 The son was very different from the father. He was tall and very strong. It was only recently that he came back to his family. For many years he was separated, serving as a warrior in the recent battles. His face was toughened by the memories of many horrible atrocities. He was sixteen, an old man to come back from war. This earned him respect among the families. He was a kind of war elder, wiser about war than most were because he had served the longest and killed the most. No emotions leaked to the surface of his face if he felt any at all, and this desolate world looked as if it was a direct reflection of his mind. 
 
 
 They left in haste, followed closely by the hopes of the families back home. Many cold moons and overwhelmingly hot suns loomed in their future. To a normal member of the families this task was impossible. However, this father and son were not ordinary. Their combined abilities, intellect and merciless strength, built upon each other. They found water were they could, sometimes in dirty puddles and other times by locating deep roots in the ground. The father, who carefully developed a plan to keep them alive, rationed the few provisions for as long as they could. 
 
 
 After some time they found a herd of wandering creatures. The creatures were grand, weighing much more than the two men did together. The father studied them for two suns and found a key weakness: their sleep. The creatures slept with their backs to the ground, revealing their neck and belly. He told his son this, and the son prepared himself for the moon. When the moon came, the son grabbed a sharp knife and approached the giant creature. With a swift motion, he slammed the blade into the throat of the beast. It caught in one of the bones, and as the son tried to pull it out, the creature awoke, shrieking in pain. It kicked its front legs up and sent the son flying into the air. He landed with a thud, and the impact had broken both legs with a crunch. The beast ran in circles, all the while screeching that terrible sound. It soon dropped and panted, finally losing its grasp on life. The blood tainted the dry soil, perhaps watering a deep seed with ambitions to grow. The son cried out in pain too, his cries resembling in volume that of the beast ’ s. His father ran to him and cried. He knew the son could no longer make it. “ Kill me father ”, said the boy. “ I can not bear this pain! ”, he screamed. The father sobbed for the child, and took the knife. He killed his son, quickly as he could. He wiped the tears away, and stumbled to the corpse of the corpse of the slain beast. He dissected it, pulling the meatiest chunks he could find. When he finished he turned his back to the beast, and walked back towards the realm of the families. As he did so, he threw to the ground herbs. These herbs could stop pain, but they did not. These precious herbs could save a life, but they did not. The father smiled, thinking of the glory he would receive. All on his own, he had slain the beast and brought home food to save the families. That story would be told in all the traditional tellings of the families. 
 
 
 The families greeted him, cheering at the sight of preserved meat. They celebrated him because they would live, at least for now. It was enough to get by, surely. And so it was, that the father of the son became blessed and knighted by the Father One. At first joy filled the families with hope. Talks of a new era of prosperity emerged Eventually the mother lost this happiness and wept for her son. The other families held a ceremony of respect for him. They all wept, some for days. The father, attending the final day of the ceremony looked down at his hands. All he saw was the blood of his kin, earned by his greed for respect. He cried once more, but this time he did so genuinely. He cried louder than the others. The mother screamed. The knife that had ended the life of the son had just ended the life of the father. 
 
 
 
 [ OT ]: Formatting is hard.
