Rise of a Warrior Excerpt - Father and Son

(It's been over four years since I last uploaded something from my in progress book- it's been a slow project, and life is busy- but this is one relatively short scene I decided it was worth posting. I figured, perhaps knowing this is here will encourage me to continue the project at a steadier pace, but also, I like the scene.

This is a flashback during Jon's senior year, spending quality time with his father in the mountains. Jon's cockiness costs him in a challenge against his father, and the two take some time to discuss Jon's future, much to his dismay.)

Technical Info:

Pages: 4

Words: ~1600

Reading Time (estimated): ~8 minutes

Excerpt from Rise of a Warrior

Father and Son

A cool breeze swept across Jon and Steve’s faces. Although not yet the cold part of autumn, it did still get at least slightly chilly at the top of a mountain. The trees had just begun to change into their beautiful fall colors, with reds, oranges, and yellows dotting the hilltops alongside the evergreen pines. Jonathan lived in a small valley between the three great mountain ranges that bordered the state. To the west lay the Catskills; to the east, the Berkshires, and to the north stood the greatest of them all, the mighty Adirondacks. This was the perfect time of year to be out enjoying the wonders of nature, something both Jon and his father enjoyed immensely, exploring forests as the leaves crunched beneath them and smelling fresh pine needles and sap from the trees. That was, between the stench of horses.

            The two had gone riding as a treat for Jon’s birthday, albeit a late one, considering his was actually two months earlier. Still, the two loved to spend time together like this.

            “Gorgeous, isn’t it?” Jon asked.

            “Absolutely,” his father replied. “Only so many perfect fall days like this.” A flock of geese shouted honks as they floated through the skies above. “Before too long it’ll be winter again.”

            “Hopefully we’ve got a fair amount of time before then. Get to make the most of it.” It didn’t really matter what season or what the weather, there was always some appeal to being out and getting fresh air, and especially so if his father was there. There was a whole world for Jon to escape to, and out here, he was a king at the top of his world. “I’ve always wanted to try horseback riding in the winter though. Seems like something calmly romantic.”

“I don’t think I’ve got the skills for that,” his father hesitated. “Can you imagine riding through snow and ice? It’s hard enough to drive in. I’ve barely got the skills for this.” While his son was a more comfortable and skilled horseback rider, Steve had only been once or twice before, and his daughter, who hadn’t even shown, was much more comfortable with her feet on the ground.

“Care to put those skills to the test?” Jon asked, intriguing his dad. “How about a race, down to the stream, by that fallen tree?”

“I don’t know if that’s a great idea…” he hesitated. “Isn’t that a little far?”

“What, you’re afraid I’ll beat you?” Jon smirked. Steve hardened his gaze and turned his horse. He couldn’t back down from a challenge like this— not to be beaten by his son. “To the stream on three. One… two…” Before Jon had even finished counting, Steve was already off, hoping to gain an advantage.

Jon kicked his horse and followed in pursuit. Although Steve had taken off without him, his lead wouldn’t last long if Jon had anything to say about it. “Come on boy, hyah!” His horse steadily picked up speed as he approached his father. Steve could pick up a fair amount of speed, but he was cautious more than he was careless. As he looked back at his son, Jon’s horse had matched his own, and now began to outdo him. Jon held on as he sped toward his father, lining up with him side by side. He gave a quick grin and a nod acknowledging his father, and then began to overtake him.

As the two approached the woods, Jon kept his speed. Despite the branches and bushes serving as potential obstacles, he focused only on one thing— the thrill of the chase. Gliding past the trees, the only thing that mattered was winning. With every thump of the hooves on the ground he drew closer to his target, every kick of the thigh his heart beat faster. He’d glance back at his father every so often to gloat, all the while recklessly charging forward.

“Jon!” Steve cried out.

He turned his head back in front of him, but not quite quick enough. As the horse came to a short rock wall, it tucked its front legs in as it began to jump it. But while the horse was prepared to make the jump, Jon was not. As quickly as the two were in the air, they came back down with a crash that sent an unprepared Jon completely off his horse and down into the leaves and mud. He moaned— half from pain and half from embarrassment, as his father slowed and approached him. Steve quickly dismounted to aid his now muddy and bruised son. Luckily Jon was young and not badly hurt, and the mud had broken the fall quite a bit, but still, he wasn’t at all comfortable. He tried to wash off in the cold stream.

“The water’s freezing!” Jon complained.

“Just stick to your face and arms for now,” Steve cautioned him. “Wouldn’t want to get pneumonia. Besides, the mud’s an improvement on your face,” he joked. Once all washed up, and having taken a couple minutes to recompose and make sure there weren’t any serious injuries, they climbed on their horses again and began to ride back for the stables. After their high-speed race, everything was once again calm with birds chirping and a cool waterfall dripping beside. “Gotta love a good waterfall,” Steve commented as he took a quick picture. “You know what I’ve always wanted to do, ever since I moved up here? Go to Niagara Falls. I’ve lived in this state for twenty years, never been. Perhaps we should go sometime. Maybe visit the college up at Buffalo while we’re at it, do a tour.”

“Why would I want to do that?” Jon groaned, holding his sides.

“You’ve never been on a college tour. It’d be good to see what it looks like. Being on campus, seeing what it’s like to be away from home.”

Jon rolled his eyes. “I know what a college looks like. I don’t need some snub-nosed dean to show me a bunch of buildings named after some wealthy philanthropist. Besides, we both know you’d want me at home next year.”

“Doesn’t have to be Buffalo. I don’t care where you go to school. Well, maybe a little, maybe I would prefer you be home. That’s just because I’m your dad and I like having you around.” He returned his focus to the matter at hand. “But you should care. Look at different options, where you want to go, what you want to do. Make a list, visit a couple schools. I’m happy to go with you. Time’s ticking.”

“It’s a long way til June, even longer until college.”

“Not as long as you think. I don’t want you to miss out because you waited too long.”

“I know, I just… I have a hard time thinking that the next four or five years are literally going to make the rest of my life. I go to a college I’m not sure about to study for degree I pretend to understand for a job I don’t know that I want. Suddenly forty years go by, and I realize it all came down to a single decision I made at the end of high school.”

“But you can’t make it that big,” Steve cautioned him. “It’s not like you’re going to be deciding the fate of the world here.”

“No, but I’m deciding my fate. Locking myself in, sealing my future as this. It’s like I choose a name from a list and I’m stuck being that forever. What if I end up going on the wrong path?”

“Well, you always end up where you’re supposed to be. That’s why I’m here. But you’re smart. You know what’s right and wrong, and honestly, I don’t think you could choose the wrong path. I have confidence in you.”

“Well, that makes one of us,” Jon joked.

“You’ve got to trust yourself, Jon. Work for it too, but trust yourself. If you want to make the right choice for college, be confident, and do your research. You want a job, be confident and start applying. If you want your driver’s license, be confident you can drive, and do it. If you want that girl to go to the dance with you, be confident she’ll say yes, and ask her.”

Jon immediately turned his head to him in shock. He had no idea how his father knew about that. “I was also confident I could ride a horse.”

“There’s a difference between confidence and arrogance. There’s also a difference between a comfortable focused gallop and looking over your shoulder while jumping a four foot stone wall.”

“Ahh, more like three feet,” he chuckled, before wincing in pain again. “I just want to make sure I end up where I’m meant to be.”

“Oh you will. You always end up where you’re meant to be. Sometimes you have to guess where that is. Sometimes though, you just have to react to life and do what needs to get done,” his dad explained. “What you need to grow, to move forward. Do I want my job? No. I don’t wanna go back tomorrow. Especially after an awesome day hanging out with my boy. But I need it because having it means I can take care of you and Jenny. And that’s what I do want. If I didn’t I couldn’t do stuff like this. I don’t want to have mortgage payments or electric bills or credit card debt. But I do want a home, electricity, and money to spend on food and vacations and such. I didn’t want to lose your mom. I especially didn’t want to lose her. But I did. And I don’t understand it yet, but maybe it had to happen so we could grow. You’ll get where you’re meant to be. I know that. And so does your mother.”

©Jonathan Kline. Please don't steal.