Chapter 1

Lorcan came slowly awake, as his mind cleared of sleep, the significance of the day brought a building excitement. Today he turned 14 summers. Today, he entered adulthood in the custom of his people. As his thoughts became clearer he began to sense a peculiar difference in his mind. Opening his eyes brought another difference. He could see within the dark room as if it were daylight, despite sunrise being more than an hour away and neither of the moons shining. Startled, he sprang from his sleeping mat only to be nearly overwhelmed by the sensations coursing through him. The startled shout he meant to make sounded more like the roar of a manticore than a young mans surprise, confusing him even more. The new ... something ... within him mistook his surprise as an approaching threat and instantly sought to eliminate it. Only the discipline gained through the Arts of Battle, taught to every child from the time they take their first steps, kept his mind from being overwhelmed by the animalistic response.

As his mind settled more, he became aware of sounds he should not be hearing. Many in the village had been jolted awake by the startled roar he had made and he could hear their frantic preparations all over the village. His father and mothers, at the other end of their lodge, hurrying to his room to check on him, sounded like a herd of oxen to his, now, over-sensitive hearing. He could smell fear from many in the village as they sought safe haven until the threat passed, and could smell the adrenalin on those who were preparing to protect the village.

As the door to his room slammed open and his family rushed into his room, Lorcan sprang back into the corner farthest from the door and crouched into a defensive pose. As his father brought up the fey lights in his room, Lorcan, expecting to feel the pain from the, suddenly, too bright light, was surprised when his eyes adjusted before the light could become a problem. Wondering if he could do the same for his senses of hearing and smell, he was surprised when they settled back to normal. As his father scanned the room, crossbow aimed and ready, his mothers had already located him. The look of confused shock on their faces let him know that the changes he felt within, also showed without.

"Lorcan?" They asked together. At his mothers shocked voices his father spun to check on him, only to stop with the same look of confused shock. "What in the name of all the Gods?" Was his fathers shocked exclamation. Lorcan, knowing something needed to be said, could only think of, "Good morning Father, Mothers. Sleep well?"

His father, Solon, slowly lowered his crossbow and stared as the import of what he was seeing sank in. His son, the boy he had raised from birth and been so proud of, had not only become a young man, but, also a Berserker.

Berserkers among the enkidu were rare. Maybe one in every billion males born on Arawn were born with the Berserkergang gene. It was a random occurrence and the reason all children were taught self discipline from a very young age. Any male that turned without the training became a danger to everyone around him as the beast overwhelmed the man and rampaged. Being extremely difficult to kill made them even more dangerous.

Seeing his son standing calmly after the change brought both a sense of relief and wonder. Yesterday Lorcan had been a boy on the cusp of manhood, taking his deep brown eyes from his mother and his own sandy blonde hair. Before them now stood a young man whose hair was now a black so deep as to reflect blue when struck by light and eyes that looked like liquid gold. A striking combination that made him look every bit the predatory berserker.

The oldest memory of the enkidu tells of how the gods came from the sky and settled in the Holy Mountain, the only access being the Cave of Ancients. The legend tells of how they brought knowledge to the people, how the gods spoke directly to the peoples hearts with images and how they had fathered children with some of the enkidu women. From these matings berserkers were born. Still enkidu, but also vastly more. They became faster, stronger, and more agile than the next ten closest men. Extremely difficult to kill, a lifetime measured in millennia, and the ability of telepathy learned from the gods, made berserkers natural leaders of the enkidu.

All of this flashed through Solons mind in seconds as he got his first look at the changes in Lorcan. Sadness also flashed through his mind as he realised that, although Lorcan would always be his son, he belonged as much or more to the people now than to his village or clan.

Briana, Lorcans' birth mother, and Cassandra, his second mother, stood in shock as they took in the changes in their son. They took note of the physical changes in Lorcan. Already tall for his age at 2.2 meters, he seemed to have grown overnight. He looked taller, wider, and heavier than when he went to bed the night before. His eyes also appeared more intense, as if they saw more ... or maybe ... deeper, than others. But, they could also see the Lorcan they had raised when he grinned and asked, "When's first meal? I'm starved!"

That seemed to break the tension in the room as Solon left, chuckling, to let the village know that there was not a threat within the walls.

"First meal will be on the table once we get calmed down enough to make it" laughed Briana. "Your new roar was quite a startling way to wake up" she continued.

"Sorry about that. I didn't expect it either. It scared me more than a little also" Lorcan said.

Briana could see the apprehension in Lorcans eyes as the extent of his changes finally began to sink in. She hugged him in an attempt to comfort him, but, she was also apprehensive. And now Lorcan could sense it like never before. She knew he would have to leave today in order to present himself to Beorn, the ruling berserker in the capital city. The party she had planned for this evening was no longer possible, because, after he presented himself to Beorn, he would have to travel to the Cave of Ancients to be instructed by the Gods. No one could help him do this, only berserkers could enter the cave and then only once. He would spend several months in the cave being instructed and, when he emerged, he would scarce resemble the young man she now held. He would be Awakened. A leader with abilities far beyond normal men.