Wolfen Begins The Hero's Journey

[WolfDreamer]

While updating my profile, I realized this is my 20th challenge, and it has been two years tomorrow since my first challenge. I also realized I don't think I've ever posted a proper "Thank you" post.

 

In those two years and through those challenges, I have won some battles and lost a few, had some tragedies and some victories. But through every challenge I have felt the sincere support of every single member of this guild, as well as members of the Rebellion from other guilds. This is the absolute best place on the Internet for people who want to level up their life but need loving encouragement and accountability. I thank all of you, especially the first person to comment on my first challenge and my first NF friend who continues to support me, @Sylvaa. And lots of love and gratitude to some of those who have been with me since the beginning and who have frequented my challenges: @Tanktimus the Encourager, @annyshay, @Elastigirl, @deftona, @Dagger, @fleaball, @Butternut, @Skywalker, @Jord, @Teros, @lucky fire dragon @zenLara. I could list many, many more, and I'm sorry to those I've missed who have stopped by my posts and encouraged me, made me laugh, shared your stories and experiences with me. I freaking love this group and will be here until the end.

 

 

[Korranation]

.

[Korranation]

While updating my profile, I realized this is my 20th challenge, and it has been two years tomorrow since my first challenge. I also realized I don't think I've ever posted a proper "Thank you" post.
 
In those two years and through those challenges, I have won some battles and lost a few, had some tragedies and some victories. But through every challenge I have felt the sincere support of every single member of this guild, as well as members of the Rebellion from other guilds. This is the absolute best place on the Internet for people who want to level up their life but need loving encouragement and accountability.

Congrats on your 20th!!!
And you nailed it on the head with encouragement and accountability. And thank you so much for showing us the same

[annyshay]

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Happy Nerdiversary!

[Elastigirl]

Congratulations on the Nerdversary! I always enjoy reading your post. They inspire and encourage me in my life.

[WolfDreamer]

 

Our hero made his way through the deep woods, his head still swimming with questions and faint flashes of the image the old man had revealed to him of himself safe and sound asleep in his bed. He didn't know what was happening or what all of this meant. He could hear sounds coming from the direction of his house, groaning sounds and something that resembled fabric tearing and fluttering. The tried to run faster, but the woods were dense and thick with no trail in sight. Wolfen had to create his own path from scratch. He managed a few quick glances behind him but did not stop. There was no sign of the old man or any of those shadowy things, whatever they were. Our hero tried to ignore the burning in his legs as he tore through the woods, stepping over brush and logs, almost stumbling a few times but keeping his balance and continuing. As he was about to bring his foot down over a log he noticed something round and oddly colored, a shade of blue that was way out of place among the other more ocher colors of the forest. Wolfen leaned down and a closer look revealed that it was an egg of some sort, but it was large, too large to belong to any bird he had ever seen. It was beautiful, and as our hero looked closer he noticed that it was more than one color, and the colors seemed luminescent even in the dim light of the forest. With a bit of hesitation, Wolfen reached out, and as his fingertip touched the egg his mind flooded with the image of a great beast, scaly and winged, a dragon of the same color as the egg, standing next to him. Wolfen jumped back, panting and his heart beating. He heard sounds behind him again, and without thinking our hero picked up the egg and continued through the forest. It took some time, but after he had heard no more sounds for a while, our hero stopped in an area of the forest that would be sufficient for camping overnight. It was getting dark, and he without any kind of light to continue walking would be treacherous. Just before the light of the evening faded, our hero took out his notebook and pen and documented his daily achievements using his trademark bullet points:

• 0445 wakeup
• said the Lord's Prayer, as well as a more personal prayer
• raised my arms over my head and clenched/unclenched my hands as fast as I could; this was a hell of a lot harder than I expected, and I lasted about 1:00 before cramping up (Daily Dare)
• completed 1 minute of squats, 1 minute of calf raises, then three sets of 30 seconds squat hold and 30 seconds calf raise hold (Epic Five day 13)
• completed three sets of push-ups as part of the progression to being able to do 50 push-ups in one go (16, 6, 4)
• listened to a contemplative prayer about the Lord's Prayer using Insight Timer
• fell back to sleep while enjoying a time of silence
• woke back up around 0700 when Princess Gracelynn woke up
• took the dogs outside while shirtless and shoeless; worked through some stretches and movements
• completed the daily requirements on Duolingo
• took Princess Gracelynn to visit her great-grandparents while I completed a running workout: 3 sets of 10 minutes of running and 10 burpees (Roadwork day 19)
• read a few more pages of Between the World and Me
• visited the county library and attempted to purchase a copy of The Outpost by Jake Tapper. The girl at the front counter informed me that they were having a special: $1 for a bagful of books. I returned to the shelf of books and also picked up The Time Traveler's Wife, Under the Overpass, The Loop, Walk to Beautiful, and The Rape of Nanking (which I hear I really need to be emotionally prepared for before I read it). I also picked up used DVD copies of Dances With Wolves and Gladiator.
• had a cup of coffee with local butter, local honey, and vanilla protein at my favorite place, Bridge Cafe and Bistro.
• completed 7 sets of the following: 10 lunges, 10 jumping lunges, 20 knee strikes, 10 jumps, and 20 side lunges (Hero's Journey day 5)

[lucky fire dragon]

Wow that is such an impressive, consistent routine you have there! Hero's journey seems appropriate

 

I love your story! That is a very cool element with the dreaming. Also solid workouts, keep rocking

[WolfDreamer]

 

As the sun set, our hero was amazed to find that it was unnecessary to build a fire because the glow of the egg provided enough light to see. Wolfen peered closely at the egg, still enamored by the swirling glow of its shell. At times, it seemed as if the swirls formed images and shapes, but they were so fleeting he couldn't make out what they might be. He no longer needed to touch the egg's shell to feel the powerful presence of whatever was inside it. Wolfen didn't want to say it was a dragon, but something deep within him knew it was, just as he somehow knew that as soon as he touched the egg he had become somehow linked to the creature within it. A rustling sound in the forest made him stand up, his hand reaching for the hilt of the sword on his back. A few seconds later he could just barely recognize the figure of the old man working his way through the dense forest. Wolfen made eye contact with him, and the man looked concerned. "Run!" he shouted. Our hero did not hesitate but grabbed the egg and started running through the woods, away from the direction the old man was running. He glanced back and saw that the old man was following close behind him and even in the moonlit darkness he could see the shadowy figures and could see that beneath their hoods were glowing yellow eyes but no face that Wolfen could see. He turned and continued to run, feeling his body fill with energy again as adrenaline rushed through him. The egg seemed to glow brighter as our hero ran faster, and he felt it shift a bit in his arm, as if the creature inside were moving. Amazingly, the old man had caught up to him. "What's that you've got?" he asked, as they continued to run, still hearing the shadowy figures rustling and screeching behind them. "I don't know," Wolfen said, "just an egg of some kind." "My boy," the old man said, "that's a dragon egg. And by the looks of it, it's a storm dragon. Nasty things if you're on the wrong side of them. Good thing you kept it. It could prove useful." Wolfen managed to look down at the egg again as it twitched in his grip, but he couldn't look for too long as the shadowy figures seemed to be getting closer and growing in number. "Dammit," the old man said. Our hero looked ahead and saw what the old man was cursing about: their way was blocked by another group of shadowy figures. "No choice, boy," the old man said. "We have to fight." The two of them stopped, and our hero sat the egg on the ground and pulled out his sword. As he gripped it, the sword began to glow a hazy blue-white color that matched the tint of the moon above them. The old man reached into his large coat and pulled out something that resembled a glaive but a little shorter. As the shadowy figures closed in on them, they braced for a battle and were soon in the thick of it as shadowy images rushed at them in the moonlight, our hero clumsily thrusting his sword but feeling it meet solid flesh or whatever those things were made of, hearing screeches and grunts, and the old man swinging his weapon masterfully, also making contact and sending shadowy figures reeling. After some time, they had cleared out their attackers and both stood panting, their sweat shimmering in the glow of the moon and of our hero's sword. Wolfen looked down at his feet and was amazed to see that the egg had hatched and in its place was a beautiful blue dragon. "That thing's gonna grow fast," the old man said, "and we can't stay here. We need to move." They ran further ahead until they reached a mountain with a small cave. "In here," the old man said. The entrance was small, and they had to crawl low to get through. Wolfen could hear his little dragon companion crawling behind him and could see its blue glow lighting up the cavern. They finally reached an opening in which they could stand up. "We can rest here," the old man said. "I don't think they followed us in here." The old man walked over to a stone and sat down. Our hero just sat on the floor of the cavern, and the little dragon nestled next to him. Wolfen took out his notepad and wrote out his bulleted list:

• 0700 wakeup (Sunday is sleep-in day)
• said the Lord's Prayer, as well as a more personal prayer for patience and guidance
• listened to the weekend prayer from the Pray As You Go app
• completed 20 jumping lunges (Daily Dare)
• completed 5 sets of the following: 30 seconds of crunches and 30 second hollow hold (Epic Five day 14)
• as part of the progression to being able to do 50 push-ups in one go, held a push-up plank for 20 seconds 3 times
• took the dogs outside while shirtless and shoeless; worked through some stretches and movements
• completed the daily requirements on Duolingo
• ran 5k in 32:41 (pace 10:18/mi) (Roadwork day 20)
• read a few more pages of Between the World and Me and Wind River
• completed 7 sets of the following: push-ups to failure, 10 shoulder taps, 20 punches; also completed 2 sets of 2 pull-ups and 2 sets of 3 sets of chin-ups (Hero's Journey day 6)

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

I was hoping we'd get to see the Dragon. I'm very pro-dragon.

[Korranation]

Your dragon escapades is giving me flashbacks of Tamora Pierce. The series where the girl could commune with animals.

[annyshay]

DRAGON!

[WolfDreamer]

3 hours ago, annyshay said:

DRAGON!

 

I knew you'd be happy. 

[WolfDreamer]

 

As our hero rested, the blue dragon nestled against his leg, making a gentle growling sound that seemed more affectionate than threatening. It already seemed to have a grown a half a foot taller since Wolfen last looked at it. Wolfen chuckled as it nuzzled him with its head. "You're a lucky one," the old man said. Wolfen wasn't sure if he was talking to him or to the dragon. "You're not gonna like what's next," the old man said. "We need to take you to see the oracle." "The oracle?" Wolfen asked. "Nasty, nasty old bastard, but he's wise in ways even I will never understand. He can tell us what those things want from you." Wolfen nodded, and then a coughing sound next to him startled him, and as he looked down at the dragon, blue sparks that resembled electricity enveloped it for just a few seconds as it grew a few more inches right before their eyes. It was now the size of a terrier. "I told you," the old man said. "We'd better get moving." Our her stood up and the dragon looked up at him attentively. "Come on, little one," Wolfen said. The old man laughed. "You won't be calling it that much longer." They walked through the cavern as it widened even more, their way lit perfectly by the glowing blue storm dragon, which sneezed a few more times and grew to the size of a pit bull. After what seemed like hours of walking and maneuvering through puddles and strange rock formations that resembled faces, they finally reached an opening that led them onto a trail on the other end of the mountain. Our hero looked up at the trail, which led up another high mountain, winding up through a series of switchbacks that were visible through the leafless trees even in the dim light. "This way," the old man said. He led Wolfen up the rough trail, both of them slipping a few times but managing to stay on their feet. It started to rain, just a light drizzle that echoed through the forest with a soft hiss. There was a soft rumble of thunder in the distance, and the storm dragon coughed and grew again, this time only slightly smaller than a German Shepherd. "Damn," our hero said. "Yep," the old man agreed. "The storm is speeding things up a bit. Gives him power." They continued on, up and up, the rain falling a little harder, just enough to get them wet. When they finally crested the top of the mountain, Wolfen gasped as he saw a circle in the center surrounded by seven large stones that were flat on both sides, with strange markings carved on the sides of each stone facing the inside of the circle. Torches stood between each stone, and in spite of the falling rain they blazed strongly. The old man stepped to the edge of the circle. "Stay here," he said. He walked to the center, reached into his coat, and placed something on the ground. Thunder rumbled somewhere on the other side of the mountain, and again the dragon sneezed and was now about as big as a Great Dane. This time, it extended its wings and shook the rain from it scaly body. Wolfen laughed and then looked back at the old man. There was a cloaked figure standing in front of the old man that Wolfen was certain wasn't there before. The torches blazed brighter, and Wolfen could see a face wrinkled to the point of deformity beneath the hood of the cloak. "Step forward, boy," the cloaked figure said. Its voice was raspy and came out as more of a moan that a real voice. Our hero stepped into the circle, and as he did so the dragon stayed outside of it. Wolfen walked to the old man and the cloaked figure, which our hero now assumed was the oracle. Up closer, the face more closely resembled a rotting corpse with just enough flesh still on it to not be a full skeleton, but wrinkled and horrifying. Wolfen could not tell if it was a man or a woman. He wondered if it even mattered. The oracle stared at him for a while, and then made a huffing sound. "You are not a hero," it said, "and never will be." The oracle turned from him and stepped back to the old man. "You wasted my time." "Now wait just a minute," Wolfen said. "Don't," the old man said. "No," our hero protested, "who the hell is this? You don't even know me." "Boy," the old man warned again. "Stop calling me boy. Look, you brought me here. You're the one who said those things were after me for some reason, so we came here to find out why. So what the hell?" "You are not ready," the oracle said. "So how do I become ready?" our hero asked. "Is there a test or something?" The old man shook his head. "Oh," the oracle said, "so you wish you prove yourself?" "Yes," Wolfen said, "hell yes I do." "Very well," the oracle said. Then it lifted its arms and immediately large crags of rock rose behind it. The sky boomed with thunder and flashes of lightning. Wolfen heard the dragon sneeze again, but he did not have to look back to know that it had grown. Streaks of lightning flashed along the crags. "If you make it to the top and back alive," the oracle said, "there may be something of promise in you." The old man put his hand on Wolfen's shoulder. "You don't have to do this," he said. "Yes, I do," our hero said. "Leave your sword," the oracle said. Wolfen walked to the edge of the circle to the dragon, which was now the size of a grizzly bear. Wolfen slid the sword and scabbard from his shoulders and placed it next to the dragon. "Watch this for me, will you?" The dragon rumbled and bowed its head in an understanding nod. Our hero touched the dragon's nose, and he felt a zap in his fingertips. Then our hero turned and made his way to the crags of rock. He had to step high to climb each one, and after the first few steps he felt a buzzing in his head that grew stronger as they sky lit up, and he had to duck to avoid a streak of lightning. He didn't know or care how much time passed, but he became immersed in the flow of climb, duck, dodge, climb, duck, dodge. He dropped to his chest a few times, but this was to avoid much stronger streaks of lightning. He finally made it to the top and had to return, once again leaping, climbing, ducking, dodging, dropping until he finally found his feet back on the ground right in front of the oracle. "Very well," the oracle said. "There may be hope for you. But I will not give you the answers you seek." "Ummm... what?" the old man asked. In spite of his exhaustion, our hero chuckled and shook his head to show that he wasn't surprised. "I do not answer to you, Son of Beithioc." The old man turned away from the oracle and looked at Wolfen. "There is a path at the other end of the circle," the old man said. "You and the dragon continue on, and let me speak to this fiend from hell. I will meet up with you on the other side of the mountain." Wolfen nodded and obeyed. He walked with the dragon around the circle and to the other side, and as they started on the trail, Wolfen did not look back but heard punching sounds and what sounded like the oracle crying out in pain. It didn't take long to reach the bottom of the mountain. Wolfen sat on a stump, as the dragon settled next to him, and our hero took out his notepad and jotted some notes:

• 0445 wakeup
• said the Lord's Prayer, as well as a more personal prayer of gratitude and for my wife and daughters
• listened to the weekend prayer from the Pray As You Go app
• worked through three Wim Hof Movement breath rotations (1:40, 1:57, 2:20), as well as a reversed balance and a cold shower (2 minutes warm, 4 minutes cold)
• completed 15 plank walkouts (Daily Dare)
• completed 5 minutes worth of jumping jacks (Epic Five day 15)
• as part of the progression to being able to do 50 push-ups in one go, completed three sets of push-ups (16, 8, 5) with 60 second rest between each
• took the dogs outside while shirtless and shoeless; worked through some stretches and movements
• completed the daily requirements on Duolingo
• ran jog/sprint intervals around campus (Roadwork day 21)
• completed 7 sets of the following: 20 high knees, one push-up, 2 plank jump-ins (5x) (Hero's Journey day 7)

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Cantankerous old farts never explain things the first time.

[Terah]

When I was looking for your thread, I noticed we have the same birthday!

 

Anyway, following

[WolfDreamer]

 

After what seemed like a long time, Wolfen started to get concerned about the old man. He watched the dragon rustle around in the dust and leaves until it uncovered a small critter and huffed at it. The tiny critter squeaked and ran away. "What do you think?" our hero asked. "Think we should go back and check on him?" The dragon stood tall and peered at Wolfen and then shook its head rapidly as if shaking off water. "Do you understand me?" Wolfen asked. In response, the dragon sneezed again, sparks seeming to pull from the ground to travel around its scaly body as it grew a few more inches. "Well, understand me or not, I can't wait any longer. I'm going back up to check on him." The dragon made a groaning sound and swiftly leapt at Wolfen, knocking him to the ground and then pinning him down with one of it's taloned feet. "Woah, hey!" our hero cried. He struggled and squirmed. He even tried rolling over onto his chest and wriggling free that way, but it was no use. The dragon was holding him firm to the ground, not hurting him but pinning him down so he couldn't get free. "Seriously, what is your deal? You expect me to just sit here and wait?" The dragon huffed and groaned again and continued to hold our hero down. Wolfen lifted his upper body, wriggled his legs, twisted his body, kicked at air, but he was unable to get free. Our hero looked closer at the storm dragon, and he could see that its eyes swirled with the exact same shade of blue as its egg. It was indeed a magnificent creature, but also a very powerful creature that could kill him if it wanted to. But he was certain it didn't want to, maybe not ever. But it definitely wasn't going to let him to after the old man. "Fine, okay, you win," Wolfen said. "Just let me up." The dragon lifted its great foot from Wolfen's chest, and our hero stood up, shaking the dirt and dust from his legs and back. "I'm going to get some rest," he said. Before finding a cozy spot on the ground, however, Wolfen took out his notebook and jotted down another bulleted list.

• 0430 wakeup
• said the Lord's Prayer, as well as a more personal prayer of gratitude and for my wife and daughters
• listened to the weekend prayer from the Pray As You Go app
• two rotations of WHM breathing and meditation (breath holds 1:00, 2:06) as well as a forward bend and a cold shower (2 minutes warm, 4 minutes cold)
• completed 20 shrimp squats (10 each leg); I can do them without holding onto anything, but I can't go all the way down (Daily Dare)
• took the dogs outside while shirtless and shoeless; worked through some stretches and movements
• completed the daily requirements for Duolingo
• ran 2.5 miles in 25:01 at 9:47/mi average pace (Roadwork day 22)
• completed 1 minute high knees, 1 minute burpees, 1 minute climbers, 1 minute plank hold, and 1 minute climber taps (Epic Five day 16)
• as part of the progression to being able to do 50 push-ups in one go, completed three sets of push-ups (16, 10, 5) with 60 second rest between each
• completed 3 sets of 10 reps of each of the following: sit-ups, sitting twists, reverse crunches, crunch kicks, leg raises, and raised leg circles (2 minutes rest between each set) and 3 sets of 10 superman stretches (Hero's Journey day 8)

[Korranation]

When I read him dodging up the mountain I automatically thought of the five D’s of dodgeball
http://

[WolfDreamer]

 

Sorry for the delay. I worked late last night. This is my story and update for Wednesday, January 9, 2019:

 

 

As our hero was resting once more, he was startled by a gentle rumbling sound and at first thought it was the dragon again, but the sound was coming from the top of the mountain where the oracle's circle was located. Wolfen looked up, and he could see clouds swirling and forming around the mountain, with blue sparks streaking through the sky. The dragon stood up and made a sound somewhere between a growl and a whine. Wolfen thought maybe it would give off another of its sneezes again or grow, but instead it peered in the direction of the storm and seemed concerned about something. Wolfen looked closer, and in the dim light he could see a familiar figure sprinting down the mountain towards them. It was the old man. The rumbling sound grew louder, and now our hero could actually feel the ground shake with the sound. The trees seemed to bend in their direction just behind the old man, and as Wolfen looked closer he could see that the top of the mountain seemed to be bending, as well. "Run!" the old man was screaming. "Oh shit!" Wolfen said as he stood up and grabbed the sword. The old man caught up to him as the two of them and the dragon ran as quickly as they could, hearing and feeling the falling trees and rolling boulders and rocks behind them. The wind was whipping behind them, as well, pelting them with pebbles and debris. "Can't we just fly?" Wolfen asked. "We have a dragon!" "Too risky," the old man said, his voice rattled from his heavy sprinting. "With all this wind, we'd be knocked out of the sky. Don't let his size fool you. He's still a baby. Now shut up and run!" They continued to run until they reached raging river with a long stone bridge stretched across it. They bounded for the bridge, which was already cracking and threatening to collapse under their feet. The old man shoved our hero ahead of him, as Wolfen bounced and jumped across the collapsing bridge. He did not look back but darted across to the end of the bridge. When his feet were on firm ground, he turned around just as the bridge collapsed. The dragon had taken flight and was soaring clumsily at him until it landed on the ground next to him. The storm had eased back, but there was nothing left of the mountain except debris, downed trees, and fallen boulders and rocks. There was also no sign of the old man. The dragon whined again. "Old man!" our hero called out. "Old man!" No answer except the wind, rushing water, and leftover sounds of breaking wood and falling rock. Our hero sighed and knelt next to the edge of the river. Now what? As if through some strange impulse, Wolfen took out his notepad and made another list of bullet points:

• 0430 wakeup
• said the Lord's Prayer, as well as a more personal prayer
• listened to the daily prayer using the Pray As You Go app
• two rotations of WHM breathing and meditation (hold times, 1:45, 2:10, 2:15) <--- got a deal going with @Terah to stay consistent; if I miss a day I have to change my profile photo to a yak.
• completed 20 raised leg crunches (Daily Dare)
• took the dogs outside while shirtless and shoeless and worked through some stretches and movements
• completed daily requirements for Duolingo
• ran 25 minutes with 20 seconds of backwards running every 5 minutes; distance: 2.51 miles, pace: 9:57/mile (Roadwork day 23)
• completed 5 sets of 30 seconds of pushups and 30 seconds of standing shoulder taps (Epic Five day 17)
• as part of the progression to being able to do 50 push-ups in one go, completed three sets of push-ups (18, 12, 5) with 60 second rest between each
• completed 7 sets of the following: 12 toe-tap hops, 12 side-to-side jumps, 12 cimbers (Hero's Journey day 9)

[WolfDreamer]

Update for Thursday 1/10/19

 

 

As our hero stared at the rubble and wake of destruction caused by the storm and the collapsing mountain, he saw black shapes arising from the debris. At first, they were incorporeal, resembling black smoke, but one by one they formed a familiar shape: the shadowy figures. And there were hundreds of them. As he watched them, feeling panic and unsure of what to do, he felt something touch the toe of his foot. He looked down, and it was the old man crawling up the ravine just where the bridge had collapsed. Wolfen reached down, grabbed the old man's arm, and pulled him up. "This...," the old man grunted, "isn't over yet." Our hero heard a roar and turned to the dragon, who was standing with his hind legs braced, prepared for battle. Blue sparks formed around its body, and its eyes lit up. "They're coming, and we won't be able to get away," the old man said. "You have to fight." Wolfen took a deep breath as he removed he sword from its scabbard. The mountain (or what was left of it) rumbled again, shaking the ground beneath them, and the sky once again swirled with storm clouds and bursts of lightning. The shadowy figures came in swarms as our hero swung and jabbed with his sword, as the old man swung his weapon, as well. Our hero had a brief moment of wondering how the old man had not lost it when the mountain collapsed, but it did not last as more shadowy figures closed in on them. The dragon alternated between tearing at the shadowy figures with its great claws, stomping on a few of them, swatting them with its tail, and coughing our bursts of electric blue fire. Wolfen felt sears of pain in his back and arms as several of the figures landed blows of their own. At one point, four of them rushed him at once and nearly tackled him to the ground, but he twisted his body as hard as he could and slung them off of him then thrust his sword at them, hearing them screech and then dissipate into black smoke again. Our hero could no longer keep track of how many were coming at them, nor could he focus on the old man or the dragon, other than to hear both of them in their struggle with the figures, as well. He just fought as hard and as effectively as he could, feeling the pain of their blows but not letting them overcome him. Finally, he thrust at one final shadowy figure, and then looked around. The dragon was breathing heavily, and it peered back at him. The old man was stabbing his weapon through one last shadowy figure, and then he turned to Wolfen with a look of concern. "Are you alright?" the old man asked. His voice sounded as if it were coming through a tunnel. "I don't know," our hero said. He felt faint and nauseous. "I think so." "You'd better sit," the old man said. Wolfen took a step back and then started to fall backwards. He felt the dragon's weight behind him as he fell onto it and then slid easily to the ground. "My... notebook," Wolfen said. "Hand me my notebook. It's in... my pocket." The old man reached into Wolfen's pocket and took out the small notepad. "Okay," the old man said, "but you're going to need to explain to me what that thing is and why you keep writing in it." Wolfen nodded and then slid the pencil out of the notebook and made another list:

• 0430 wakeup
• said The Lord's Prayer, as well as a more personal prayer
• listened to the daily prayer on the Pray As You Go app
• completed three WHM breath/meditation rotations (breath holds: 2:17, 2:19, 2:39) and took a cold shower (2 minutes warm, 3 minutes cold)
• completed 40 prone reverse flyes (Daily Dare)
• took the dogs outside while shirtless and shoeless in spite of the 26F temperatures and snow on the ground; worked through some stretches and movements to keep my body warm
• completed daily requirements for Duolingo
• ran 25 minutes at steady pace: Distance: 2.56 miles, Average Pace: 9:51/mile (Roadwork Day 24)
• alternated 1 minute of crunches, 1 minute of flutter kicks, 1 minute of crunches, 1 minute of flutter kicks, and 1 minute of crunches with no rest (Epic Five day 19)
• as part of the progression to being able to do 50 push-ups in one go, I held a push-up plank for 20 seconds three times, with 60 seconds of rest between each
• completed 7 sets of the following: push-ups to failure, 40 punches, wide-grip push-ups to failure; also completed three sets of pull-ups to failure (only three pull-ups before failure) (Hero's Journey Day 10)
• my arms hurt...

[WhiteGhost]

6 hours ago, Wolfen said:

my arms hurt...

Yeah, no kidding!

[WolfDreamer]

 

Update for 1/11/19

 

Our hero heard another rumbling sound, and as he looked behind the old man, he groaned. It was as if the ground where the mountain once stood was opening up and sucking everything into it. The old man followed our hero's gaze and turned. "Ah, dammit," he said. He looked back at Wolfen. "How badly are you hurt?" he asked. Our hero tried to stand, using the dragon for support. "It's bad," Wolfen said, "but not that bad." "Good," the old man said, "because we need to run now!" The old man reached out and took Wolfen's arm, nearly dragging him the rest of the way to his feet, and they once again started running. Wolfen could see the ground quickly being swallowed not far behind them as the earth seemed to be getting pulled into the raging river, which sloshed and grew as the water seemed to be coming from beneath the ground. The storm swelled above them again, but our hero did not turn to look any longer. He ran and ran, hearing the thud of the dragon's feet to his left and the old man's breathing to his right. As the noise of the collapsing earth grew louder, Wolfen could see and feel stones raining down around them. They had to duck and weave to avoid a few that fell straight out of the sky. They ran and ran until they reached the base of another mountain. "Get to high ground!" the old man shouted. Our hero glanced back, and was amazed to see that the storm and the collapsing debris behind them was getting closer and would overtake them soon. Wolfen climbed and climbed, the dragon close to his side, but no matter how fast he ran, the sounds of collapsing earth and falling stones grew deafening as it got closer and closer. Then, something hard struck him in the back of the head and our hero dropped to the ground. He heard a loud crash to his right and just before losing consciousness he felt something heavy fall against his back and everything went dark. He saw flashes in his mind of himself safe at home, his wife on the couch next to him and his younger daughters sitting on the floor playing with toys. In his dream, our hero opened up a computer, clicked on a website called Nerd Fitness, and typed up a bulleted list of achieved goals for the day:

• 0430 wakeup
• said The Lord's Prayer, as well as a more personal prayer for guidance, forgiveness, and for my wife and daughters
• listened to the daily prayer on the Pray As You Go app
• completed two WHM breathing/meditation rotations (holds: 2:00, 2:22), as well as a forward bend and a 3:30 cold shower (2 minutes warm, 3:30 cold)
• completed 80 flutter kicks (Daily Dare)
• took the dogs outside while shirtless and shoeless; worked through some stretches and movements to keep my body warm
• completed the daily requirements on Duolingo
• completed 5 minute reverse lunges with 2 side lunges every 30 seconds (Epic Five)
• felt really weak in the afternoon, so I only ran 1.5 miles around campus; no Roadwork running workout
• as part of the progression to being able to do 50 push-ups in one go, I completed 3 sets of push-ups (20, 10, 5) with 60 seconds of rest between each
• took a family trip to Huntington to the mall (bought a new pair of Adidas Rockadia Trail shoes), had sushi for dinner, and took my oldest daughter back to Marshall University.
• later in the evening, I felt a little better, so I worked through 7 sets of the following: 10 high knees, 10 half-jacks, 10 squats, 20 high knees, 20 half-jacks, 20 squats (Hero's Journey Day 11)

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

I haven't said much lately but the narrative is really engaging. I like the dragon.

[WolfDreamer]

10 hours ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

I haven't said much lately but the narrative is really engaging. I like the dragon.

 

Thank you. It's tougher than I thought to match a narrative with the workouts, but I'm pleased with it so far.

[WolfDreamer]

Update for 1/12/19

 

 

Our hero awoke to the feel of something damp touching his face. He gasped and opened his eyes to see a large wolf nuzzling him with its nose. It stood tall and peered down at him but did not move from its place. It was large even for a wolf, and as white as deep winter snow. Wolfen tried to back away, but every part of his body ached. He saw a second wolf at his feet, sniffing. As he looked around him, he spotted at least three more wolves, but he did not feel afraid. He felt calmed, as if his mind was eased and cleared of fear. He looked closer at the wolf that had nuzzled him as it dipped his head lower as if nodding at him. Then it raised its head and howled. The other four wolves joined it, and they howled for a good while until the one next to Wolfen stopped and the others stopped, as well. Then the fur one one next to Wolfen bristled and it braced itself, then ran off, and the rest of the pack followed it. Wolfen almost called for them to come back, but he felt weak again and lay back on the ground. His eyes felt heavy and he closed them. He woke again an undetermined time later to the feeling of someone touching his leg. He gasped as he felt pain and tried to sit up. "Easy there," a voice spoke from behind him. Wolfen saw a young girl with dark hair and dark eyes also peering down at him. She looked to be about 15 and wore a red hooded cloak. "You're still pretty hurt," she said. For the first time since he awoke, our hero noticed the bandages: one wrapped around his left knee and another covering a wound at his side. He felt a stinging pain in his head and reached up to feel that his forehead was bandaged, as well. "Where are the wolves?" he asked. "What?" the girl asked, confused. "Where's the old man?" Wolfen asked. "I... don't know who you mean...," the girl said. "I just found you and your dragon." She pointed and Wolfen turned to see the blue dragon unconscious. "Is it okay?" Wolfen asked. "I think so," the girl said. "I don't see any bleeding or anything, but I haven't gotten close enough to see if it has any broken bones. I'm afraid of dragons." Wolfen laughed and winced as he felt some of his pain returning. "You don't have to worry about that one, unless you're here to harm me." "No," the girl said, "I just found you and the dragon laying out by the river. You were really banged up. What happened to you?" "I'm not sure," Wolfen said. "I mean... it's hard to explain it... like a dream you struggle to remember. Does that make sense?" he said. "Yes," she said. Wolfen grunted. "There was an old man with me. You didn't see him?" "No," she said, "just you and the dragon." Wolfen sat up as much as he could and looked around. He saw none of the collapsed boulders or trees or anything to even indicate that there had been a storm or that a mountain had collapsed on them. The forest was calm and as beautiful as before. He could even hear the rush of the river, even though he could not see it. "Can you stand up?" the girl asked. "I think so," Wolfen said. He tried to rise, and even though he could feel pain all over he was strong enough to stand up. As he stood, as if on instinct the dragon woke up and then stood up, as well. "I need to get my strength back," Wolfen said. After standing, our hero worked through some movements and stretches, working through the pain he felt all through his body. He could feel the blood pumping in his veins his muscles and tendons trying to work. The girl watched him, raising an eyebrow and smiling. When he was finished, our hero had a thought and he suddenly realized he no longer had his sword. He looked at the girl. "My sword," he said, "did you see it?" "Yeah," she said. She walked over to a rock sitting next to a tree, reached behind the rock, and took out the sword, still in its scabbard, and Wolfen's notebook with the pen. "Thank you," Wolfen said, smiling. He took them both, slinging the sword and scabbard over his shoulders and holding the notepad in his hand. "What do you need that for?" the girl asked. "It's hard to explain," Wolfen said, "but I need to write something down." The girl watched curiously as he opened the notepad and made another bulleted list:

• 0430 wakeup
• said the Lord's Prayer, as well as a more personal prayer
• listened to a contemplative prayer/meditation using Insight Timer
• two WHM breathing/meditation sessions (hold times: 1:57, 2:15); also cold shower (2 minutes warm, 4 minutes cold)
• completed 40 lunge step-ups (20 for each leg) (Daily Dare)
• took the dogs outside while shirtless and shoeless in spite of the lightly falling snow (which ended quickly and didn't accumulate much); worked through some stretches and movements
• worked for my mentor, helping him remove discarded pieces of drywall from the house he is building; I also gave his chickens fresh food and water
• completed 5 minutes of bicep extensions (Epic Five day 20)
• completed the daily requirements on Duolingo
• no running today; I started feeling weak and getting a headache again, almost as if my body was fighting off illness, so I rested
• as part of the progression to being able to do 50 push-ups in one go, I completed 3 sets of push-ups (22, 10, 5) with 60 seconds of rest between each
• worked through some yoga poses; held each of the following poses for 10 seconds and repeated the sequence again, focusing on the other side: Warrior I, Warrior II, deep lunge, downward dog, pigeon pose (really, really like this one), lunge with twist, bow pose, child pose, and reclining hero (Hero's Journey Day 12)