Dueljewl: This whole thing actually stemmed from a character bio I was
making up for an online RPG so I really have no idea how it's going to turn
out. I really don't think this turned out all that bad, but then, what do I
know.
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A shudder ran through Ayina as she gazed up at the White Tower, dwarfing buildings large and small that surrounded it. The wind blew fiercely, pushing her long, tawny hair into eyes impossibly blue. Tears stung her eyes as she forced herself forward, one careful step after the other. This was her only choice. Especially after what happened to Dameon. She could still see his frightened face right before it had happened.
********************************
She carried the small wicker basket by her side, casually strolling through the street leading to the small village found a few miles from her family's farm. It wasn't often that she could go about town for leisure and she wanted to enjoy it as long as possible. Dameon, her little brother of nine years, trailed behind her, idly thwapping the ground with a stick he had picked up as they walked.
"I'm hungry Ayina." He complained loudly, stopping in his tracks and crossing his arms stubbornly.
"We'll eat when I'm done with the shopping." She had replied irritably, swinging around to hurry her brother along.
"I wanna eat *now*." He demanded, stomping his foot to add emphasis to his order.
Ayina stepped forward, reaching to grab him by his shoulder and drag him bodily to the village. Three shapes sprang up before her, suddenly coming into view as they turned one of the many corners of the twisting country road. A frightened look passed across her face and she reached for Dameon fearfully, anxiously grabbing his arm and pulling him back with her. Dameon looked up at her in utter confusion, running a hand through his tawny curls.
"Whatsa matter Ayina?" he asked, puzzlement flashing across his face. He turned to look back at what had frightened his older sister, stopping suddenly.
Behind him loomed the tall, bulky figures of three rough looking men, all very obviously drunk from the slight stumble as they walked. All three wore a leering grin as they peered at Ayina. They advanced menacingly; seemingly unaware of Dameon backed into Ayina, gripping the stick in front of him like someone would when holding a sword.
"What do we have here?" one of them drawled, his words slurred together drunkenly.
"Pretty girlie. Come closer, we don't bite." The middle quipped, his words somewhat less slurred than his companion's.
The remaining man stood silently, his eyes burning hungrily. He advanced quicker than his friends, striding hurriedly to reach her faster. As he came closer, Dameon lashed out with his thin stick, smacking the man's outstretched hand. He cried out in pain, quickly bringing his hand back to his face. A small trickle of blood leaked from a knuckle, working its way down the back of his hand in a small, crimson river. At this his companions laughed loudly, stumbling into each other in their drunken mirth.
He growled loudly, wiping the blood from his hand. "I'll teach you to strike me boy." He spat.
He reached out and grabbed Dameon; his movements surprisingly fast for such a large man. Easily he lifted Dameon, yanking the stick from his little hands and tossing it aside just as easily as he tossed Dameon. Dameon flew through the air, only stopping when he crashed into the trunk of a nearby tree. He slid down the tree, a faint red trail following behind his head.
Ayina shrieked as Dameon fell, starting to run towards him when a large, sweaty hand engulfed her arm, the grip iron tight. The large man swung her around to face him, pressing her against him as his friends laughed stupidly. She pulled against his grip as hard as she could, twisting in his hairy arms.
"Stop moving girl, and it'll all be over before you now it." He growled down at her, his lips pulled back in a toothy snarl and hungered eyes burning though her skin.
"Don't touch her!" came Dameon's childish shout, his voice weak and distant sounding.
Ayina turned her head to face her younger brother, still twisting in the man's arms. His face was drawn tight in a grimace of pain and bright, sticky blood shinning against his golden curls. His bright green eyes seemed faded in color as he stood there weakly, challenging the three much older and stronger men.
One of the men, the smallest of the three, laughed out loud -- head thrown back and chest heaving -- at such a ridiculous scene. He advanced on Dameon slowly, taking his time about reaching the small, wounded boy.
A look of utter fear passed over Dameon's face; but not from the older man. His green eyes seemed to be seeing something no one else could. A strange mixture of complete joy and revulsion passed over his face. He bent double sharply and then straightened just as suddenly, his eyes unfocusing and the pupil receding into the iris. A strangled howl was ripped from his boyish throat, cutting Ayina deeply as Dameon suffered. Jolting tremors wracked his small body as he slowly sank to his knees, his shoulders twitching from an unknown source of pain.
The man who had been approaching Dameon so confidently only moments before stopped suddenly at Dameon's unusual and unnerving display. As he stepped backward the ground beneath his feet suddenly shot upward in a fountain of compacted dirt. He yelped and lunged to the side, trying desperately to avoid the blast of earth. Another spike of earth shot up to his side and another and another, each spiking as he moved and surrounding him in a cage made of bars of earth.
Ayina was suddenly released as her captor threw her away from himself. He fell to the ground, twisting and jerking as his body hit, hands grasping his head and a roar pulsing in his throat. He fell over backwards; his body curled into a fetal position, jerking into positions the human body was never meant to be twisted into.
The third man was running down the road frantically, trying to outrun whatever had befallen his comrades. Dameon's head had lolled to one side and he raised an arm as if he didn't control his body anymore, just a puppet someone was using. A blinding bar of pure white fire shot through the air, striking the man in the back. The man froze as the light hit him, slumping lifelessly to the ground.
Ayina rose to her feet shakily, not wanting to believe what she had just saw. A purple bar still flashed across her vision as she took slow steps towards her baby brother, a hand reached in front of her hesitantly. Almost unconsciously she noticed the end to her captors thrashing and the fact that no more spikes of earth shot from the ground. Both men lay slumped on the ground, unmoving even to breathe.
"I didn't mean to."
Ayina jerked her hand back at her brother's sudden vocalization. His eyes seemed more faded in color than before, almost a watery color fading into nothing. He looked up as she continued to come forward and a choked sop escaped his pale lips. His head rolled back and forth, stopping suddenly with chin to chest.
"I'm so sorry."
Just as she was about to say something more, his body seemed to fill with light. Ayina flung a hand up to protect her eyes from the brilliance of it and stumbled, falling onto her back. Just as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. As the light faded, he was no longer on his knees, sobbing into his chest.
"NOOOOO!"
The strangled cry was ripped from her throat as she looked at where her younger brother lay his body completely lifeless. Tears streaked across her dirt stained cheeks in rivulets of crystal water. She scrambled to his little body, not bothering to lift herself from the ground. She picked his head from the ground, cradling it in her arms as she rocked back and forth.
********************************
Ayina wiped the fallen tears aside as she continued to force herself to the Tower; they would not help her now, not where she was going.
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Dueljewl: That wasn't *too* bad . was it? R&R and tell me what you think plz. Even if you hated it, I still want to know what you didn't like. Helps me out with my writing skills (if you can call the garbage I keep posting on this site *writing*).
~#~$~#~$~#~$~#~$~#~$~#~$~#~$~#~$~#~$~#~$~#~$~#~$~#~$~#~
A shudder ran through Ayina as she gazed up at the White Tower, dwarfing buildings large and small that surrounded it. The wind blew fiercely, pushing her long, tawny hair into eyes impossibly blue. Tears stung her eyes as she forced herself forward, one careful step after the other. This was her only choice. Especially after what happened to Dameon. She could still see his frightened face right before it had happened.
********************************
She carried the small wicker basket by her side, casually strolling through the street leading to the small village found a few miles from her family's farm. It wasn't often that she could go about town for leisure and she wanted to enjoy it as long as possible. Dameon, her little brother of nine years, trailed behind her, idly thwapping the ground with a stick he had picked up as they walked.
"I'm hungry Ayina." He complained loudly, stopping in his tracks and crossing his arms stubbornly.
"We'll eat when I'm done with the shopping." She had replied irritably, swinging around to hurry her brother along.
"I wanna eat *now*." He demanded, stomping his foot to add emphasis to his order.
Ayina stepped forward, reaching to grab him by his shoulder and drag him bodily to the village. Three shapes sprang up before her, suddenly coming into view as they turned one of the many corners of the twisting country road. A frightened look passed across her face and she reached for Dameon fearfully, anxiously grabbing his arm and pulling him back with her. Dameon looked up at her in utter confusion, running a hand through his tawny curls.
"Whatsa matter Ayina?" he asked, puzzlement flashing across his face. He turned to look back at what had frightened his older sister, stopping suddenly.
Behind him loomed the tall, bulky figures of three rough looking men, all very obviously drunk from the slight stumble as they walked. All three wore a leering grin as they peered at Ayina. They advanced menacingly; seemingly unaware of Dameon backed into Ayina, gripping the stick in front of him like someone would when holding a sword.
"What do we have here?" one of them drawled, his words slurred together drunkenly.
"Pretty girlie. Come closer, we don't bite." The middle quipped, his words somewhat less slurred than his companion's.
The remaining man stood silently, his eyes burning hungrily. He advanced quicker than his friends, striding hurriedly to reach her faster. As he came closer, Dameon lashed out with his thin stick, smacking the man's outstretched hand. He cried out in pain, quickly bringing his hand back to his face. A small trickle of blood leaked from a knuckle, working its way down the back of his hand in a small, crimson river. At this his companions laughed loudly, stumbling into each other in their drunken mirth.
He growled loudly, wiping the blood from his hand. "I'll teach you to strike me boy." He spat.
He reached out and grabbed Dameon; his movements surprisingly fast for such a large man. Easily he lifted Dameon, yanking the stick from his little hands and tossing it aside just as easily as he tossed Dameon. Dameon flew through the air, only stopping when he crashed into the trunk of a nearby tree. He slid down the tree, a faint red trail following behind his head.
Ayina shrieked as Dameon fell, starting to run towards him when a large, sweaty hand engulfed her arm, the grip iron tight. The large man swung her around to face him, pressing her against him as his friends laughed stupidly. She pulled against his grip as hard as she could, twisting in his hairy arms.
"Stop moving girl, and it'll all be over before you now it." He growled down at her, his lips pulled back in a toothy snarl and hungered eyes burning though her skin.
"Don't touch her!" came Dameon's childish shout, his voice weak and distant sounding.
Ayina turned her head to face her younger brother, still twisting in the man's arms. His face was drawn tight in a grimace of pain and bright, sticky blood shinning against his golden curls. His bright green eyes seemed faded in color as he stood there weakly, challenging the three much older and stronger men.
One of the men, the smallest of the three, laughed out loud -- head thrown back and chest heaving -- at such a ridiculous scene. He advanced on Dameon slowly, taking his time about reaching the small, wounded boy.
A look of utter fear passed over Dameon's face; but not from the older man. His green eyes seemed to be seeing something no one else could. A strange mixture of complete joy and revulsion passed over his face. He bent double sharply and then straightened just as suddenly, his eyes unfocusing and the pupil receding into the iris. A strangled howl was ripped from his boyish throat, cutting Ayina deeply as Dameon suffered. Jolting tremors wracked his small body as he slowly sank to his knees, his shoulders twitching from an unknown source of pain.
The man who had been approaching Dameon so confidently only moments before stopped suddenly at Dameon's unusual and unnerving display. As he stepped backward the ground beneath his feet suddenly shot upward in a fountain of compacted dirt. He yelped and lunged to the side, trying desperately to avoid the blast of earth. Another spike of earth shot up to his side and another and another, each spiking as he moved and surrounding him in a cage made of bars of earth.
Ayina was suddenly released as her captor threw her away from himself. He fell to the ground, twisting and jerking as his body hit, hands grasping his head and a roar pulsing in his throat. He fell over backwards; his body curled into a fetal position, jerking into positions the human body was never meant to be twisted into.
The third man was running down the road frantically, trying to outrun whatever had befallen his comrades. Dameon's head had lolled to one side and he raised an arm as if he didn't control his body anymore, just a puppet someone was using. A blinding bar of pure white fire shot through the air, striking the man in the back. The man froze as the light hit him, slumping lifelessly to the ground.
Ayina rose to her feet shakily, not wanting to believe what she had just saw. A purple bar still flashed across her vision as she took slow steps towards her baby brother, a hand reached in front of her hesitantly. Almost unconsciously she noticed the end to her captors thrashing and the fact that no more spikes of earth shot from the ground. Both men lay slumped on the ground, unmoving even to breathe.
"I didn't mean to."
Ayina jerked her hand back at her brother's sudden vocalization. His eyes seemed more faded in color than before, almost a watery color fading into nothing. He looked up as she continued to come forward and a choked sop escaped his pale lips. His head rolled back and forth, stopping suddenly with chin to chest.
"I'm so sorry."
Just as she was about to say something more, his body seemed to fill with light. Ayina flung a hand up to protect her eyes from the brilliance of it and stumbled, falling onto her back. Just as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. As the light faded, he was no longer on his knees, sobbing into his chest.
"NOOOOO!"
The strangled cry was ripped from her throat as she looked at where her younger brother lay his body completely lifeless. Tears streaked across her dirt stained cheeks in rivulets of crystal water. She scrambled to his little body, not bothering to lift herself from the ground. She picked his head from the ground, cradling it in her arms as she rocked back and forth.
********************************
Ayina wiped the fallen tears aside as she continued to force herself to the Tower; they would not help her now, not where she was going.
~#~$~#~$~#~$~#~$~#~$~#~$~#~$~#~$~#~$~#~$~#~$~#~$~#~$~#~
Dueljewl: That wasn't *too* bad . was it? R&R and tell me what you think plz. Even if you hated it, I still want to know what you didn't like. Helps me out with my writing skills (if you can call the garbage I keep posting on this site *writing*).