HULLO, friends! This is a work of fiction from the microwave oven of my mind. All relations to person living or dead is most likely a coincidence. If any aliens out there find my description of their being or countenance insulting or otherwise derogatory, please file a complaint with yo mama.
I am shoved along as we walk at a brisk pace. For a step, I falter and recieve a fist in my stomach. I double over, gasping for a breath. The rest of my assembled captors give chuckles at this display of weakness.
I'm yanked to my feet and they continue to drag me along. The cold wind bites into my hairless chest. This snowy forest is cold, but it's not Europa cold. Nothing yet has been that cold.
Under the hood, I smile. It'll take more than a little cold to kill this man.
Our company continues on at the same pace. We walk for another two hundred feet when it happens. A soft pressure begans to build in the air, and the company halts. A few questioning grunts sound out from the back of the group, but they are soon silenced. The forest is silent, save for the sounds of the Joute's huffing breaths. They sniff the air for threats and supposedly can smell your intent by your body's chemical levels.
Or so I've been told. They're strange folk, these Joute. Fight only for honor, but only in specific areas. Or depending on the day of the week, you can ask them to do a a certain job for money, regardless of the aforementioned honor. Which explains my presence in their company.
I fall to my knees and wait while the Joutes sniff out the area, but my rest is cut short by one of them, presumably the leader, picking me up and hauling me onto his shoulder. The rest of them break into a run, but this isn't an organized run. They're scared now. My carrier's footsteps soon fall out of pattern. His breath is now coming in short gasps. I'm heavier than most humans.
Another one of the warriors comes up alongside us and says something in their guttural language to the Joute who's carrying me. His response is laboured and he drops me to the rocky ground. I hop to my knees again, ready to go.
The hood is ripped off my head and my vision is returned. The two Joutes stand over me uncertainly, but they have nothing to worry about. I'm in no shape to fight right now. Their dried mud faces are contemplative as they study me.
I'm surprised when the taller one pulls out his knife and cuts the rope that binds my wrists. As the severed bonds fall to the snowy ground, I rub my wrists to return circulation. I look up at the two and dismiss them with a quick jerk of my head.
"Go!" I hiss.
They probably don't know what I said, but my meaning isn't lost. The shorter monster doesn't need to be told twice and takes off into the tall trees. However, my captor shows a strange amount of hesitation. After a moment, he takes off his outer layer of furs and tosses it to ground at my feet. He salutes me by slamming his fist into his chest and bowing his head.
I return the salute, not knowing exactly what I was doing. He gives a gravelly huff and throws his head back, making a strange clucking noise.
Great. I probably said that I have three testicles or something.
Our bromance is interrupted by a loud clicking noise. Both of our heads snap around towards the sound. It came from behind us and the Joute runs off before I can even turn my head back towards him. He quickly disappears, his blue skin and white furs blending into the terrain.
Shaking my head, I pick up the shirt and slip it on as I stand. Even though I'm not a small person, the shirt still brushes the ground, making it more like a cloak. It smells of Joute and several less unidentifiable odors, none of them really pleasant. But it's warm and it will do. Beggars can't be choosers and all that.
Another click rings out through the forest and I can't shake the feeling that whatever's out there has huge snapping talons, ready to gobble me up. Time to move.
I know that it's short, so please feel free to critique it in anyway you desire. Feedback is the most valuable currency and you guys are rich with it! Please leave a comment!