In a short story of survival, “Family and Fury" follows Riven, his injured wife, and three daughters as they rebuild their lives in the remote, deep woods, far from the horrors that destroyed their village.
Riven dedicates himself to building a new home, forging weapons, and training to protect his loved ones while his daughters nurse their mother back to health.
Journey into these mystical woods and see for yourself if they are as safe as Riven hopes.
In a short story of survival, “Family and Fury" follows Riven, his injured wife, and three daughters as they rebuild their lives in the remote, deep woods, far from the horrors that destroyed their village.
Riven dedicates himself to building a new home, forging weapons, and training to protect his loved ones while his daughters nurse their mother back to health.
Journey into these mystical woods and see for yourself if they are as safe as Riven hopes.
If their old home wasn’t burned to the ground, it was infested by evil, forever lost, and nothing more than a memory — a happy memory that ended the night their village was invaded. Any sadness was overcome by gratitude for narrowly making it out alive.
Their new home was quaint. It seemed safe and was off the map, tucked below the foothills of mountains far away from their last home. It didn’t have a river or neighbors or crop fields, but it had heart. It was exactly the place Riven needed to raise his three daughters and nurse his wife back to health after she was nearly killed the night they fled. Fortunately, spring was just beginning, bringing a fresh start to his family in these deep woods.
Day after day, from before dawn until after dusk, Riven worked, cutting down trees and moving boulders for their new home. During this time, he gave his daughters one responsibility: to care for their mother. They would forage for food and hike to a nearby stream for fresh water from the mountaintop. Over time, his wife recovered, and their new home was completed. After a night of surprise festivities curated by his daughters, an evening of dancing and singing and games with a woodland feast fit for a king, Riven did what he had not done since they left their old village — he rested.
And the next morning, he went back to work as early as the day before, chiseling arrowheads from stone and carving arrows made from ash trees. When he had enough arrows, he forged blades of all sizes, just as his father had taught him when they worked together as blacksmiths years earlier. His arsenal was soon completed. He could hunt and, if needed, protect his family from outside forces. As skilled as a hunter as he was, he found no animals to hunt during the day, so he resorted to trapping — and this worked quite well. Each morning, his family would wager berries on what new animal had been caught.
For the first time since they arrived, Riven now had free time, or better put, he had options on how best to utilize his days. They didn’t need more shelter, food, or weapons, so it only made sense to focus on the next most important task: becoming a warrior. He nearly lost his wife when his village was attacked. Never again would he allow that to happen.
After a lifetime of forging, his hands were like padded gloves. He could grab a smoldering log with his bare hands without so much as a grimace. This meant he could train harder than most thought was possible. He rose with the sun, and by the time the dew peaked, he’d be at the base of the mountain, where he’d begin his daily routine.
He’d find a boulder large enough to barely wrap his arms around and carry it up the mountain. From there, he’d stack it at the overlook. Then, he’d cut down a tree and roll it back down the mountain. Over time, one boulder turned into a pile, and one tree turned into his armory, filled with enough weapons to arm every person, small and large, in a small village.
The next stage was his favorite. Each day, he would perfect a new attack. If he wasn’t sword-fighting trees in the nearby grotto, he was spear-throwing, shooting arrows, mastering hatchets — or punching decaying trees. After he trained, he would swim below a waterfall in icy water that, a short time ago, had been snow at the summit.
His daughters begged him to let them tag along for the day, but he said no. This is his duty. Never will they have to be afraid as long as he was there.
After a grueling day of training, Riven would finally rest. Each evening was spent sharing a meal, telling stories of magical lands, and playing whatever games his daughters spent their day creating. It was a good life, and they were happy.
As the sun started to set, Riven would prepare the traps around their cabin. Once those were set, he would retire for the evening, kissing his daughters goodnight then wishing his wife sweet dreams before placing his sharpest hatchet at the base of his bed.
What happened next happened quickly.
The short story's opening segment speaks of the family starting over in a place that was "off the map." Why? The family had to flee their former home because evil entities overran it. But what evil took hold of the family's old home? What had nearly ended his wife's life? The synopsis states this is a survival book, and it absolutely is. The family of five had to start fresh with no neighbors to call upon for help, no river, and no crop fields. They only had themselves and a will to survive.
Riven, husband and father, worked hard to protect and provide for his family. He chopped trees, moved boulders, hunted, and set traps. He trained daily, perfecting new forms of attack. Spear-throwing, mastering hatchets, shooting arrows, and hand-to-hand combat, he had one goal: to protect his family, and his training came into play sooner than expected.
Riven knew something was amiss when the volume of animals increased tenfold around their new home. One might think good fortune was finally upon us. Riven wanted to believe they caught a break, but his gut told him something was wrong. Woodland animals had triggered every trap, and that was very suspicious.
When the author wrote that the family's former town was infested with evil, I envisioned possible hellish suspects. Vampires. Werewolves. Demons. Hell hounds. I pictured many more supernatural beings, but I never imagined what Riven would see when he stepped out into the night. I won't divulge what he faced because this would ruin the big holy crap moment Riven and readers will experience together. But I will say from the moment Riven realized he wasn't alone in the dark, things heated up! Riven fought to protect his family, ready to sacrifice himself. This wasn't just a story about a single man fighting for his life. No, this story was about a family banding together to take back the night, protecting their home and each other.
I love a good fight scene, and Family and Fury did not disappoint. Readers will watch as Riven defies all odds. They'll hold their breaths multiple times as he fights against the horde. And readers will cheer when the tide turns in favor of the family.
As much as I adored the battle, I wondered why these creatures targeted this family. What attacked the mother, and what was the extent of her injuries? Was this battle just the prelude to a bigger fight? Was what he faced outside his new home the same evil he faced at his old one? These questions and more left me wanting, well, more. More clarity. More connection between events of the past and what was happening in the present. A flashback to the family's first encounter with the evil beings would've helped me feel more connected to the danger they were about to face.
Family and Fury did have its shining moments, mainly the fight for your life scenes. However, a lack of connection to the characters and their life-and-death predicament caused me to score the story a three. A flashback to the old village and what occurred there would've made all the difference.
Do you love supernatural stories? Short stories filled with action and suspense? If so, check out Family and Fury. With only a handful of pages, this story could be read in a flash!