Arjun - The Nara Incarnation

Chapter 14

Arjun walked on the thorny pathways. It was late. The moon was spreading it's light making everything illuminated with its white glow. But today it felt dull.

He looked towards it and sighed. The Soma God always interested him. It always felt like that he had something that was meant to belong to Arjun. He always felt a different presence there while he gazed at the moon. It looked like someone looked at him the same way he looked at his father. With interest. With awe. With love.

Arjun shook his thoughts away. He was going to turn fourteen tomorrow. He was just a child. But everyone has told him in the past including his father that he looked at the moon same way Pandu looked at him. Did he? Arjun always questioned himself. He just know that it was an involuntary action.

He heard a loud thunder. And for the first time in his life thunders scared him. It didn't brought solace, like a lullaby spreading it's melody in the deepest chambers of the sky. It was harsh. Like a fantasy that got hit by a reality.

And suddenly the rain poured down. Unlike other times it didn't brought warmth to his body.

The water droplets didn't shone on his body. They damped him with its coldness.

Ice cold.

Enough to make his heart freeze.

The animals started howling in agony. And Arjun felt the pain within.

Can he sleep? He questioned himself.

Can he sleep and not face the unknown thing that was scaring him. It would be easy for him if he just closed his eyes. Right? He thought.

His eyes wandered around . Nature never felt so gloomy. His thoughts broke down with a hard painful cry. It was a cry of an animal. A stag to be most precise.

He ran towards it and the sight made his heart sink.

An older stag shot by an arrow. And a younger stag, maybe his child looking at him with his tearful gaze.

Arjun rushed towards them. The older stag was just wounded. He could save him. He reached near them and tried to get the arrow out of his body. He looked at the younger stag who took his few steps back. His eyes held fear while gazing at Arjun.

Arjun started mending the older stag wounds. He tried to heal it with water and other medicinal leaves. But it didn't worked out. He died leaving blood on Arjun's hand.The stag was bleeding for a long period of time.

No.

No.

No. No.No. Arjun mind screamed.

This couldn't happen. Arjun looked at the younger stag who looked at him in defeat. The younger stag came towards the older stag. He laid down on the ground and slept besides his dead father.

Arjun heart couldn't take it anymore. The medicinal leaves fell from his hands . He got up and ran from there.

He reached his hut with tears in his eyes.

"ARJUN. Is this a time to come home? Where were you? " His mother concern laced angry voice reached his ears.

" Why are you shouting on him? My young Rajkumar was practising to be a brilliant warrior? " His father said, successfully safeguarding him from his mother's anger.

"Pitashree " Arjun whimpered.

His whimpering got the attention of everyone in the house. His father and his mothers looked at him with concern. Nakul and Sehdev eyes turned teary looking at their elder brother. His eyes always held warmth, not tears and desperation.