Cub's Tailsman: Tools for Success

   Even at a young age, Cub didn't like managing more than whatever he needed for an extended period of time.  So, even after creating his own toolkit, he preferred to travel light and take with him only what was needed.  However, the more often Cub came home with scrapes and bruises, the more his mother, Susan, who was the village herbalist, worried for him.  She tried on multiple occasions to get her son to understand the importance of preparedness and the dangers of lacking necessary resources, but Cub paid little attention to her warnings.

   That is, until one day when Cub was fifteen and tracking and studying a particularly large Liger:  The predator caught on to Cub's scent and attempted to make a meal out of him.  Luckily, Cub managed to get away, but not without suffering a few injuries to his wings, not to mention that the Liger still had his scent.  Several times, Cub tried to rest on a tree branch and call for help, but the Liger was relentless and if it couldn't climb the tree, it would try to knock it down.

   Running out of options and feeling very afraid, Cub stared into the cold eyes of the vicious predator as he prayed for a miracle.  All of the sudden, a volley of arrows flew up and pierced the Liger's hind, drawing a sharp hiss from the big cat.  At that moment, Cub's father and two others emerged from the woods and charged at the Liger, who gave up and retreated into the forest.  Odis wasn't happy with his son, but was nevertheless glad he was safe, and together they returned to the village.

   In the following days, Cub stayed home from fear that the Liger would return if he left the village.  In that time, hs mother and father made a gift for him which they presented after he fulfilled his required punishment.  The gift was a bandolier made of thick, brown leather, had three pouches made of animal skins attached to it across the front, a dagger and sheath which rested at his hip, and a sewn in pattern made of silver thread where it rested on his shoulder that resembled a wolf's head.  The dagger itself was double-edged, the handle wrapped in leather straps, and a small hilt producing from the base of the blade.  There was even a waterskin which attached to the back of it to help spread out the weight.

   Cub took the bandolier graciously, admiring every part of it, and slung it over his right shoulder as he showed it off to his parents, who prided themselves on their son's approval.  Susan had Cub open the first pouch which contained herbs and remedies for sicknesses and minor injuries.  She also informed him that the second pouch was meant to carry food and the third pouch which was for Cub himself to decide to do with.  After filling up his new waterskin, Cub was off on adventures again in no time now that he knew that his parents supported him.

   Now, as Cub sets off on his unknown path of vengeance, he keeps his trusted bandolier close at all times.  With the herbs, tools, and other supplies it contains, this bandolier has become Cub's personal lifeline.  Without it, he'd have to start over from scratch.  But it also reminds him of the support and love that came with it; the knowledge that his parents trusted him in his endeavors and supported his decisions.  Right now, as his new journey began, the bandolier, his dagger, and his old toolkit were all Cub had left to hold on to.