[Nogrod]

Cnebba didn’t like Javan. He didn’t like him at all. He was noisy and in a way self-assured Cnebba never was. Cnebba had learned to be the underdog all his life, the one who always had to prove himself to be worthy, the one who would have to earn the respect of others. But Javan was something different, “self-assured noble-man”, as Cnebba thought of him; someone who felt like he thought it was self-evident people would grant him special treatment. Like that incident with the stables… Cnebba just knew he and his family would have been thrown away from the Mead Hall if he had been the one to burn the stables, but with Javan it was different… lord Eodwine had gone all along to make a public show for the reconciliation. There would never have been a show like that if he had been the one igniting the stables.

And what had lord Eodwine talked to them the day after! He had pointed to Javan one should not leave a fight... How about him... or Garmund? No... lord Eodwine had only thought of Javan and not Cnebba or Garmund and that was the way the world was... there were the high ones and the low ones and he had been used to his place, but anyway Javan annoyed him.

And he was most bitter about Snowstreak. Snowstreak was his best friend, it had indeed been his only friend - beside his parents - for years, but after the incident he had found it hard to control the horse. It was like the horse was not ready to play with him anymore. Cnebba didn’t understand what it could have been, but it had been already twice that Snowstreak had thrown him off the saddle when they had practised around the campfires. It felt panicky and Cnebba associated that with Javan.

But there had been other emotions as well. When they had began their practises on archery Cnebba had soon realised he had talent for it and he kept beating Garmund day after day. Javan had encouraged him and he had done his best. He had a respect for Javan’s skills with the bow and soon he felt it was him and Javan who knew the trade and Garmund was the loser who couldn’t manage it.

But after they took the horses along, everything changed. Now Garmund was the star Javan appreciated and Cnebba felt himself an outsider. He tried his best but it was never enough as he had trouble keeping Snowstreak still while he aimed. And that was the fault of Javan and his stupid fire that had upset Snowstreak, his friend being robbed from him by that arrogant wanna-be for just toying around with matches…

But today they went riding away from the construction site and the fires and Snowstreak felt like the good old Snowstreak Cnebba knew. He was full of anticipation as Javan finally gave them the instructions.

They had rode west something like a mile to the place where Stigend and his company had dragged the logs out from the swamp for use a long time ago. There were several large rocks around which reminded one of the scar but also a few left-over stumps scattered around. They lifted a few of the smaller stumps on top of the rocks and then Javan told them to ride past them shooting at the stumps as they went.

Both boys went on in at the same time. Javan realised it was not a good idea and tried to call them back but they wouldn’t listen.

“Get off the way you walker!” Garmund shouted to Cnebba who was steering Snowstreak past him.

“No way, sissy! Shoot when you can!” Cnebba yelled back encouraging Snowstreak to an even faster speed.

“You’re spoiling this you moron! Get away or I’ll shoot you!” Garmund cried aiming at the first stump but realising Cnebba was between him and his target..

Cnebba left his first arrow on the way and hit the stump into the middle. “Fore!” he shouted and continued onwards preventing Garmund a decent shot.

“I’ll shoot you in earnest at the next one!” Garmund threathened as the horses galloped forwards.

Cnebba was aiming his bow for the next mark when Snowstreak suddenly got wild and turned around rising in the end to it’s backfeet. Garmund released his arrow and it hit the stump but suddenly he also had a task to hold his horse who went on to a halt as well.

Both boys were still on horseback but they stood silent looking back first at Javan and then gazing around startled.