Lets see...I own pretty much everything except for the fact that the world its set in is the Dungeons and Dragons world me and my pals play in...
1. Dreaming of Paradise
It hurts so badly. I don't want to move. It hurts too much to move.
I had to pretend to be dead so anyone looking for survivors would pass over me, unless it was someone I could trust to getme off this forsaken, blood worn battlefield.
It is terribly blurry, not only my eyesight but my memory too. It's not amnesia, just facts blending themselves together. My mouth is dry and my leg won't stop bleeding. I don't think I can remember being this hungry ever before.
I do remember more than I give myself credit. I remember seeing and learning too much in the army. I realized too much. Elves aren't the kind, fair heroes I had thought so long ago. They are exactly like humans. Our blood runs the same. I wouldn't be able to recognize my friend's blood from an elfin enemy's any more than I could tell a man's from a woman's, a traitor's from an honest man's.
After all the elves do, enslaving any other race, thinking them impure, the gods still favor them. Perhaps it is their priests, convincing the elves to do their deeds while pleasing the gods with sacrifices I can only imagine. Elves are the fair fold of ancient times. They are now known as Stragata, or bad blood, a name more fitting, even though an improper meaning.
Why don't the human favoring gods do something? Why can't they take over their King Crayerl of Creation, who favored Elves, and help their race before it dies; before we die?
My sister often spoke of gods, gods' hierarchy and of sprites. I'm not sure if I can remember it at all. Major gods are mostly of an element, if I remember right. Only they can be King or Queen, but minor gods, who I cannot recall what they are for the most part, can become Major if they do somthing...I'm fairly sure they have to create an element to make them Major. They are not usually as powerful as the first Major gods. I suppose Dream must be one of them.
They say Dream favors me because of my purple eyes. I think that's nonsense. I'm not keen on day dreaming and I rarely remember my dreams when I wake in the morning. But not to get distracted, sprites are under gods. They control certain branches of an element or whatever minor gods are gods of.
Then there are demons. They have something to do with an element only...bad.
I'm so hungry, so thirsty. Will this suffering ever end?
I sleep most of the day to awaken to my gnawing stomach not to mention pain in my leg. i do have a small amount of water and food in my pack if it hasn't been stolen in my sleep. For that I am thankful, even if I can only savour and ration it for so long.
I wake from one of my afternoon naps realizing that I had slept all through the night. The sun was barely visible in the horizon.
I eat the last of the food and drink the last of my water on this third morning. having found the strength to rummage thruough my pack I found some bandages which I now wrap tightly around my wounded leg. It will slowly heal.
This tree I'm under is lovely and shades me throughout most of the day, though I haven't really spent time to recognize its beauty.
Something suddenly hits my shoulder quite hard. I barely resisted yelping. A sort of fruit had fallen on me. Others were falling quite close to me. I held one that had fallen on me and took a bite. If it was poisonous and killed me it would hardly be a loss.
It was good. At least it wasn't bad. A lot of seeds, but who am I to complain about food? I reach for more of the fruits thinking, "My feast."
Feasting on these strange fruits is not enough. I need water. I keep sleeping to avoid the constant headaches. I dream of a river streaked with blood. In my dream I don't care and drink anyway. Suddenly I see a head with the expression still fixed in pain. It's floating down the river and I don't prevent myself from screaming in sheer horror-
I awaken feeling ready to vomit, but I can't remember why. I hear a noise like angels singing- water! I scramble to my knees with renewed strenght ignoring my injured leg. I just drink until I'm full. I end up vomitting after all but I don't care.
Looking around I notice three carcasses of a bird of some sort, like a chicken, placed next to a tree's giant roots. Whoever moved me chose a perfect place.
It is strange though. It seems I remember this place. It's hazy though as if in a dream. Yes, the river, roots, chickens, I remember it.
I shouldn't be stupid. I've never been here before unless my memory is playing its games. I look back at the river but quickly turn away. The waters are streaked with blood. I look back and the apparition is gone.
My energy burst is gone as well and I struggle back up the bank to my seat against the tree roots. Looking behind the tree I see dead humans and Stregata. There must have been a battle. I fall asleep.
I dream of spite. I see nothing but I feel. I feel my friends dying I feel the Stregata killing. I feel the Stregata dying. I feel the unheard screams in my throat. I feel myself not caring, wanting to kill. As I awaken I feel the pain in my leg and the gumbling of my stomach.
It is night. Looking up at the sky i start to think. I do love the sky. It has a majestic beauty above all esle. If covers this evil world with a beautiful blanket despite its evil, despite it's wrong.
I crawl down to the river side painfully. My mind again insists on its blue black waters being stained with red, though I could not see if it was indeed true. Not able to make myself drink, I stumble back to the tree.
I dream of wondering pointlessly through the water. I can feel the sand under my feet and the water comes to my waist. i just calmly meander in one direction or the next as if being led by an invisable rope. As I see land, I wake up.
Whoever moved me here stole my pack, not that there was anything left inside save maybe my canteen. My leg needs rebandaging, so I manage to get up and rewrap it with the cleaner cloth on the bottom and the bloodied on top. I do have to thank my army training for that.
After that I devoured an entire chicken carcass. Now I regret it. I stumble down to the waters edge and take a long slow drink. After getting back up, I decide there is nothing quite better for me to do than sleep. Tomarrow, maybe I'll have the strength to explore the vicinity. I allow myself to drift off.
My dream of last night continues. The land is paradise. I walk up the sandy banks with no pain at all. Right above the bank there is grass growing and palm trees everywhere.
I wander through the palm forest to a small pool with water a pure crystal blue. Is water meant to be that blue?
I dip a finger into its waters and suddenly a horrific shriek fills the silence. A shriek that shakes my waking blood.
so what did you think? terrible? great? too long? too short?
review and tell me perhaps?
Fang Palmtree
