Author: Ari
E-Mail: AnimeFoxx@aol.com
Notes: It's a short one, but action packed. . . I think. Oh well, I'll let YOU be the judge. My Muse has awakened once more. I wonder how long I can keep it alive THIS time. Hopefully long enough to finish this fic- my brain is working overtime on the sequal. Yes, I'm already planning ANOTHER Esca fic. I'm a nut-case, so there!
Selena watched Aristae sleep for hours, studying every movement the girl made, trying to unlock the secret housed within. But no sound, no breath, nothing was given away through her sleeping form. Still, Selena watched.
It was nearing morning as the horizon lightened. Pinks and golds played along the cusp of the mountains, pausing in the predawn to let early risers wonder at its subtle beauty. The air was coldest then, after the night had ended but before true dawn broke. In that hour, breath came in little puffs of white and dew threatened to freeze.
::Heat, so warm. . .:: The morning chill didn't reach Selena where she sat, though the window was to her immediate left. She shivered anyway, fear making her breath short. Beads of sweat ran down her face and tears threatened to add to the flow. Her skin tingled uncomfortably, and her thin nightgown seemed stifling. ::Too hot. I can't breathe.::
Zongi smiled in malicious delight as everything burned a bright crimson. Flames licked at the blood red sky even as the billowy smoke choked out the air itself. The tree Selena had been sitting under lay in a large pile of hot embers, burned to the ground. Burnt and sooty, Selena had fled across the burning field when the tree cried in pain and fell. The field arose with similar sounds, loud and thick. Zongi watched her retreating silhouette, tasting her fear on the tip of his tongue. The wait would be shorter than he expected, victory sweeter than honey.
Aristae walked in a world of mists, surrounded by moist, grey clouds. It was cool and damp, like the mountain trials in the early morning. She wasn't sure where she was or how she got there, but it was peaceful and quiet. She walked without purpose or direction, looking around at the varying shades of grey in mild admiration. ::What sort of place is this? A formless beauty hangs here, without time to shape it.::
She strolled a bit more, making a series of wide turns and backtracks. No two places looked alike, but nothing was ever familiar. It was that strange feeling of space only found in a dream. ::Am I dreaming?::
A shape formed in the distance, thin and vague, but solid. Without a better place to go, Aristae headed for it. There was a tension in the air that wasn't there before, telling her to hurry. She ran through the mists, footfalls heavy and wet against the indistinct ground. An uncontrollable fear caught her chest and she sped faster, unable to stop or look back. The figure ahead did not get closer as she ran, always through the mist, indistinct and elusive. "Don't go! Stay where you are!"
The figure didn't move or acknowledge her words. Stoic in the quiet surroundings. Aristae yelled some other things which made no sense to even her. Words which had no meanings, whose origins were alien to her. As they passed her lips everything changed. The figure was longer shrouded in mist. Aristae stood still, breath coming in hard pants. She had run a marathon in the course of a few minutes and was scared on top of that. She was only inches away from him.
He was tall and lean, with a slender neck and pale silver-tinged hair. Wide shoulder held squarely at attention, face looking straight ahead, away from Aristae. From hr close vantage she could just see the edge of his thin, straight nose and curve of his gaunt cheek. She opened her mouth to say something, perhaps to ask his name. She wasn't sure. Whatever it was died on her lips, as his shoulder slumped and he turned unsteadily to look into her eyes.
Lost, he was lost. His eyes were beautiful, sad gems that gazed through her soul. They asked for help, for forgiveness, but also for solitude. She took a step back in uncertainty, afraid of him and for him at the same time. Every thought she had was at odds with another, no one direction to follow. A step forward followed by a hurried stumble back. What should she do? Where should she go? ::I'm lost, I'm here. I'm scared, but he needs help.::
The decision was made for her as he took a step toward her. His breath caught and he paused, eyes wide and frightened. There was a moment of absolute stillness where thought stopped and the air froze. With something akin to a moan, those sad eyes slid shut and he fell heavily forward, into her awaiting arms.
Notes: That was REALLY short. I'm sorry. What do you expect for a half-hour's work?