we ran, we hid, we stood obscured in silence, they found us every time
Mike chuckled bitterly. He knew this kid was a good one, for him to say such things meant he was truly hurt, to say the least. But what could Mike do? He had to follow his orders, even though he didn't truly understand them.
"Seeing as you've made up your mind about your name, I guess we have to move on to the baptism itself. Unlike the baptism you're familiar with in your priest lineage, where you choose a scroll you feel the most connection with, as a Shepherd, you have to tame an animal in the wilderness... Be careful, though. Should you choose an animal that's too compatible with you, it will most likely try to kill you"
Mike paused to check if what he was saying was sinking in, but all he found was a stoic young man staring at him with indifference. Realizing this wasn't going anywhere, he decided to send the boy off. If he survived out there, it would mean he really was supposed to be a Shepherd. Everyone knew no one ever completed baptisms that weren't meant for them, one way or another, you would die. Even the supposed safest baptism of the priests could end with thunder rumbling and lightning striking you down if you dared challenge the Heavens like that, yet here was Luca, doing exactly that.
"Off you go, kid. Just choose the weakest animal out there. This is only for the sake of a baptism. You'll have plenty of time to choose a proper spiritual animal that suits you in the future."
Simon left the shack without asking a single question. He didn't even ask how he was supposed to tame the said weak animal, if he found one. How was he supposed to know which animals were weak to begin with? In this age, it wasn't as simple as knowing rabbits were harmless creatures. No, every animal could fight back if it felt you were weaker than it. You had to know the weaknesses of a given animal to tame it.
Other kids who went through this were taught all of this from the age of four, but Simon had no such knowledge. He had been studying to become a high priest. Yet here he was, without a weapon, without knowledge, and still no fear could be seen in his eyes.
One had to understand that this was far into the future, so far that the Armageddon of all religions had come and gone. In fact, people of this age had no idea there had ever been such a thing as different religions or an Armageddon. But that's a topic for another time...
The point is: animals of this age were all dangerous in their own way. Even a fish could kill a human being if they were careless. So how was Simon supposed to find a weak animal?
This thought hit Mike half an hour after the boy had left. Cold sweat immediately soaked his back. What was he going to tell his old friend? It wasn't like he could go after Simon and fix his mistake. The moment the boy left the shack, his baptism had started and no one could intervene unless they were asking to die.
Realizing he couldn't do anything, Mike put his hands together in a prayer-like fashion and said in a low voice, "May the will of the Heavens be done."
Thinking about it more deeply, one could see Simon really stood no chance. Whether he succeeded in taming an animal or not, it would likely end in his death. If the Heavens didn't strike him down for succeeding, the animals surely would.
Simon reached the banks of the river that separated the village from the jungle, finding the boatman lazily lying on a patch of grass nearby. Without even greeting the man, he got into the boat and began rowing to the best of his ability, or at least how he understood it from a book he once read. Before the man could shout at Simon, he felt a firm grip on his shoulder. Looking back, he found Mike smiling gently at him. The boatman immediately understood: it was an ongoing baptism.
"I hope he doesn't try to catch any water animals. Those things are vicious. Never seen anyone tame one without sustaining crippling or fatal injuries," Mike said, still smiling.
"You mean to say that boy has no basic training in animal handling...? What were you thinking? He'll die!" the boatman shouted.
"I have no say in the matter. He's Luca's kid. I have no idea what he was thinking, bringing him to me. There's no way the boy will survive even if he manages to come back with an animal. Unless…"
As Mike trailed off, both men looked at each other, as if coming to the same realization.
"I need to talk to Luca about this. Gabriel, this cannot be happening," Mike said, turning to leave.
"Leave it be. It's not like he has any choice in the matter. He's probably anguished more than anyone can imagine," the boatman known as Gabriel, or Gab replied, standing to watch Simon reach the other side. "These are affairs we need not involve ourselves in. The tides of time and fate are turning. Punishment will be much steeper for those who interfere in times like these. Even a simple act of asking too much about these events may earn you the ire of the Heavens more so with the amount of grace and favor you carry."
Mike stood there in a daze, not knowing what to do.
What grace and favor is he talking about? I'm a Shepherd, for crying out loud!
He respected Gab from the bottom of his heart, though for reasons unknown even to himself. Come to think of it, everyone respected Gab even though he barely interacted with them. It was almost the same respect they gave Luca. The only difference was that while Luca was loved and respected, Gab was feared and respected. Where the fear came from, nobody knew maybe not even Gab himself. But that didn't matter now.
Mike, Luca, and Gab would soon understand why they commanded such indifference, love, and fear respectively.
Even with all that respect, Gab's words were absolute nonsense to Mike. He had never been favored, nor did he have any grace. He had worked and clawed through terrible hardships to earn the title of Head Shepherd. Not that he minded the little to no respect he got in fact, he preferred it that way. He preferred animals to people, if he was being honest. At least with animals, once tamed, they were loyal without question.
This wasn't to say he hated people he just had a select few he loved and cared for. The rest, he could not be bothered with. William rather, Simon was one of the few people who inspired such feelings in him. But to say he was favored and full of grace? That was madness. Saying things like that had consequences Mike could not bear.
Thinking this, his eyes reddened with fury toward the boatman. It felt like the fires of rage were literally burning in his gut.
Is this boatman trying to have me cursed by the Heavens?
Then he exhaled a cold, steamy breath that seemed to freeze the air. Though the breath came hot from his mouth, the moisture in the air froze on contact. An air of calm came over him. His body loosened. Muscles he didn't know were tensed relaxed. And finally, he felt a weight he hadn't noticed lifting just a little bit.
So what if he's trying to curse me? I'll find a way out of it, he thought, then turned and left.
Unbeknownst to him, a seal on his grace had loosened.
The boatman sat at a distance with an amused expression on his face. He didn't know why he had said such a thing himself, but unlike Mike, he believed every word. He also had enough faith that if his statement weren't true, a curse would not be placed on Mike so easily.
The man reeked of Heaven's favor.