Howl lay in his bed, gasping for breath. He closed his eyes against the pain that pounded throughout his body. With a violent jerk the pain intensified, centering in his chest. He rolled to his side, his body now curled into a little ball, as if to keep out whatever was attacking him. He writhed in pain as another convulsion racked his body yet again. And then, as quickly as it had come, it subsided.
Howl lay, sweating and still in the fetal position. his body shook. He was freezing. Quickly he glanced around, looking for his blanket, which he had kicked off during that freak attack. He found it and curled inside, trying to warm his insides. There was still a dull pounding in his chest, the only sign that what had just happened was real. Reluctantly, he fell back to sleep, exhausted from such an episode.
A/N
Okie day, I hope you've liked it so far, just giving you a little taste of what it's going to be like. If you want to skip this that's fine as well. This idea just sortah popped into my head while I was reading other Howl's Moving Castle fanfics. I don't know how it's going to end. I don't even know if I'm going to finish it, I have a horrible habit of starting one and not finishing it. So, just keep bugging me about it and I just might finish it!
Disclaimer- I DO NOT OWN Howl's Moving Castle, the characters places, et cetera. All I own is this little idea (I hope no one's thought of it before)
BACK TO THE STORY!
Markl ran down the stairs, a stack of dirty sheets in his hands.
"Where do you want this Sophie?" he asked, struggling to see over the pile.
"Oh just set it down in the basket, I'll get to it later."
"Yes Sophie!"
From upstairs, Howl could hear the sounds of sizzling bacon, and an aroma of more delectable things. Taking a deep breath he bounded down the stairs, landing with a thud at the landing.
"What do you think?!" he shouted, prancing around. "I bought it this morning! Isn't it wonderful?!" He spread his arms wide, waiting for approval. It was a white jacket. The collar and cuffs were embroidered with a rich red color. A chain hung from a pocket going to the inside of the jacket.
"Well?!"
"It's wonderful!" Sophie said, giggling at the ecstatic young man.
Howl raced down the stairs, making it seem as though he was floating, rather than making contact with the ground.
"I saw it on the rack and thought, 'I just have to have this!' what do you think Calcifer?!" there was a muffled reply from the fireplace, where a pan sat over the fire, cooking the still sizzling bacon.
Howl laughed, and lifted the pan from the fire. The flames flared up in rejuvenated energy.
"Oh thanks… I thought I was going to die! I don't think I can take much more of this cooking thing! Why can't we go back to what we used to do?" the flame sparked as the words were spoken. There was a space within it, almost like a mouth, where the words seemed to be coming from. Eyes stared at them with a questioning look.
Howl laughed again, a clear sound ringing through the air. "Sorry Calcifer, there's not much I can do, Sophie's the one in charge here!" a groan came from the fire as it settled down.
"May I ask what the big occasion is?" Sophie asked.
"Occasion? Oh no, I'm just going out to see an old friend, I need their help with something."
"I see, and what time will you be coming back." Sophie said indifferently, she was used to him disappearing, for almost days at a time.
"Oh I'm not sure this time, I'll try to be home at midnight, I can't guarantee anything though."
"That's all right, when will you be leaving?"
"As soon as I get something before I leave." Gracefully he swooped down and planted a kiss on Sophie's smooth cheek. She looked away, trying to hide the blush forming on her face.
"Alright you've had your fun, now go! You don't want to be late!"
"You're right, I'll see you later then!" and with that, he turned the handle to black, then disappeared through the door.
The terrain was flat. A few rocks were scattered here and there, there was no life among this desert. The wind was still and clouds covered the sun. There was no way to tell which way you were going unless you had a compass, otherwise you would get hopelessly lost. But despite these circumstances, Howl knew exactly where he was going.
He was making good time, before long he would get to his destination. He walked on for another twenty minutes, the land had not changed a bit, nor had the weather.
Suddenly Howl stopped. He breathed in, bracing himself. He whispered, almost inaudibly, "Aguentuhm". Suddenly the world around him began to spin, the rocks and ground warping shape, and as quickly as it had begun, it ended.
He was now standing in the middle of a room, it was elegant, filled with reds and golds. It was warm, and had a most comfortable atmosphere. A fire burned in an oversized hearth. The whole room was embroidered in elaborate gold bas relief. Rugs covered the entire floor. Everything was mismatched, but still had a tidy feel to it.
"You called?" Howl looked behind him to see a large silver she-wolf. She laughed and padded her way toward the young man, she was almost as tall as he was.
"Aguentuhm…" he sighed, smiling.
"Please! How many times must I tell you not to call me by my whole name? It's Agu, if you please!"
"Ah yes, I'm sorry, I must have forgotten. How are things getting along here? Are the boars causing much trouble anymore?"
"It's alright" she made a gesture which Howl assumed was a shrug. "They haven't made contact in a few months so really I have no idea. But knowing you, you didn't come here to chat. You're a busy man, and it's quite a ways to get here no matter where you are. What's on your mind that would make you go to the trouble of traveling here?"
"I see you haven't changed, you've always wanted to get to the core of things right away. You never stop and take a chance to relax and just enjoy my company." Howl smiled, but Agu could tell it was fake. She twitched her tail impatiently, waiting for an explanation. Howl sighed and sunk into an overly stuffed chair by the fireplace. She sat next to him, as he told her of his troubles.
Many hours had passed since Howl left, and as soon as he had left the door Sophie decided they needed groceries. So now she and Markl were in the Marketplace, looking at various items such as tomatoes or carrots. Sophie had just sent Markl to get some potatoes (though he complained bitterly about it) when someone stepped up behind her.
"I believe you dropped this ma'am." The voice was unfamiliar, and at that, indistinctable. She couldn't tell whether it was a man or a woman, but nonetheless, she turned around.
"Why thank you, I – "she was interrupted by a sharp pain in the back of her neck, and before she knew it she was sinking into darkness.
A/N!
That's it for the first chapter! I'm so sorry it was so short, I've never been good at extending chapters! Remind me to finish k? bye, please comment!