Well, it's happened again. I've diverged from the stories I have in
progress to something entirely new. But this... This I have the entire plot
figured out and written down (well some anyhow). I think you'll enjoy it,
but I won't know unless you review to tell me *winks*
Note: Because italics don't seem to work for me on ff.net, anything with a - before and after is like a flashback sort of thing.
Eg.
-"I am giving you a demo," she said grinning impishly.
The reviewers were not amused.-
~~~
Prologue: Beginnings
~~~
~!~
-The youth stifled the urge to scream, to whimper and beg. It would only cause more pain. He bit his lower lip, sliding limply down the wall until huddled in a tight albeit agonizing ball. If he could survive, make it to sunset, he would be free of this place forever. His father already thought him weak and worthless. It was only a matter of time before 'training' became fatal. There was no other choice, he needed to escape. Today would be the last time he had to crouch on the cold hard earth which bore stains of his blood. Tomorrow he would be free.-
~!~
A cloaked form dropped silently from the branches of a tall tree onto a path well traveled by those hoping to sell goods or make fortunes in the towns it connected; Harmenothep and Brushtown. Looking swiftly from side to side, making sure no one else was within sight; the form shook off the hood and breathed deeply. Shockingly white hair spilled free of confinement to just below shoulder length. It framed an equally pale face dominated by dark chocolate covered eyes. Taking less than a moment to recover, the youth, a boy, looked back over his shoulder at the woods he had just left. When all appeared quiet he began walking in a randomly picked direction down the path, staying directly in the middle.
~!~
-"Quickly find the boy! He can't have gotten far. Master Mur will be most unhappy if we cannot locate him soon. Hurry up!" The small boy shrank away from the loud voices that shouted and growled outside. It had been little over an hour since he'd slipped away from the practice grounds and hid in an old weapons storehouse. No one had bothered to search the grounds. Everyone thought he had headed straight into the wilderness.-
~!~
After fifteen minutes of walking he began to hear voices farther along the road, just beyond a bend. With a quick bowing motion he flipped the hood back into place. He stared at the ground so as to hide as much of his face in shadows as possible. He passed a jolly couple talking avidly about a laying hen that dangled between them in a crude wire cage. Apparently they expected a fine some for their animal in Brushtown. Once passed, the mysterious traveler did not remove his hood again. Instead he stopped and look between the path ahead of him, the forest on either side and at the sky.
~!~
-"There he is. Thought you could get away from us? Tut tut, foolish half-breed." The boy didn't bother to look behind him. He just continued running, squeezing through small places, hoping. Something sharp dug into his shoulder and held, jerking him back with force. He fell backwards with a yelp of both pain and surprise. "Nasty creature, you should know better by now."
"Leave me alone! Please...please." He struggled against the clawed hand that had a firm grip, digging into his flesh. He could feel the slight trickle of blood that flowed freely down his back, mingling with sweat and grime.
"But Master Mur said to bring you back, little vermin. We cannot disappoint the master." A feral grin slide across his captor's face as his companion laughed bitterly from just behind the boy. Thinking quickly, frantically, the small child tried to think of an escape. He fell limp. "That's better. You know you've lost don't you?"
"Yes, sir."
"Pick him up and let's get back. There's warm maidenflesh waiting for us after we bring him in."-
~!~
He stood for a long time, looking up at the sky. Anyone watching might've thought he wanted to take off, to fly through the clouds with the birds and other winged creatures. Eventually, with a heavy hearted sigh, he slipped into the shaded woods, melting into the shadows. The path remained looking as though his footsteps had never touched it.
~!~
-"Ahh my son, young Ryou. What were you thinking? You did not honestly think you could get away." A tall, lean man lounged in a high back chair sipping a dark liquid from a stone goblet. He looked amused, eyes twinkling. The small boy, Ryou, sat unmoving at his feet a few paces away. He remained silent, eyes downcast. "I see you've learned your lesson."
"No, sir."-
~!~
Flitting from tree to tree, Ryou constantly stopped to listen for unnatural noises, sounds that did not belong in the forest. Everything remained quietly melodious; birds chirped from treetops, small rodents chattered, larger predators occasionally made a noise of their own, either a screech or growl. Ryou paid them no attention. Only when he was satisfied that everything remained natural would he dart to the next tree and repeat the process. His heavy and tattered cloak chafed and itched but he would not remove it out in the open. It snapped each time he accelerated suddenly from a dead stop.
~!~
-"Catch him! Now!" Ryou tried to block out his father's voice and concentrate on the gruesome guards rushing toward him. He needed to get outside. Only then would he have a fighting chance. Shouldering one that was unarmed out of the way, he began to run towards the exit, bare feet slapping the smooth marble floor. A few, carrying spears, managed to scrape his exposed legs but could not stop him. They were poorly organized, too slow to block his escape. In a rush of air he made it out into the crisp night air.
"Stop right there, wretch!" A misshapen sentry fumbled with a bow, struggling to sting an arrow. The boy hesitated only a moment before stretching out his arms, which were in actuality wings, and took off, pumping strongly. He arced sharply upward, narrowly being missed by a clumsily shot arrow. Other sentries, guards and fighters began to mass and hurl projectiles at the single form sweeping across the sky. But it was too late. With a large grin, Ryou sailed over the high stone walls and out over the thick forest that surrounded it. By the time his father's forces could organize themselves and send a party after him, he would be long gone. Freedom was finally his.-
~!~
A sharp sound, that of a twig snapping, caught Ryou's attention in the middle of traveling between trees. He froze and crouched low, tilting his head to listen better. For a moment there was nothing. Then he heard it: the shifting of feet and slight clink of armor as someone or something settled into a more comfortable position. His heart sank. They had finally found him, after nearly fifteen years of running.
~!~
-"Get away you foul demon!" He dodged a few apples as they were thrown by a large woman as she hurriedly backed away, leaving her bushel where she had dropped it in surprise. Ryou didn't move, he merely watched her scramble away, running as if her life depended on it. Once she was gone, he bent over and picked up an apple with his teeth. Its sweet tang was welcomed by his taste buds and stomach. He hadn't eaten in several days being more concerned with running as far from his father's manor as possible. He straightened, apple still clenched in his mouth, when he heard shouting coming from the direction the woman had run.
She was coming back and had friends.
With a strong flap, Ryou propelled himself into a tree thick with foliage. There he huddled as close to the trunk as he was able, peering down. A few minutes later several men, armed with pitchforks and swords came into view. They prowled around, looking for him.
"He must've left Mika. Why don't you come home for a nice cup of tea and leave harvesting until tomorrow." They moved off. Ryou waited a solid ten minutes before dropping back down to the ground. There he sat and began to enjoy the meal left for him. He skillfully bit chunks of the fruit off of the core without holding the apple or letting it drop from his mouth. When he had finished, he spat it a few feet away and scooped up another one using his teeth.-
~!~
In a flurry of movement, Ryou threw himself at his pursuer, knocking the gremlin to the ground with ease. From there he pushed himself into the air, hovering and adjusting his position over the small creature. Not being terribly bright, it stood before reaching for a weapon. It was at this moment that two feet descended on either side of its head. With one swift jerking movement, its neck snapped with a muffled crack. The gremlin sank to the ground, dead. Ryou landed next to it, panting, hood thrown back. He looked paler than usual.
"No luck at all." He turned, bowing his hood back on, and continued his journey deeper into the woods.
~!~
-Ryou mused as he stargazed. He thought of all the people he had encountered in his few months of running. They all despised him because he looked different. Because he had no arms, and instead a pair of brilliantly white wings, he was shunned. Because his skin was so pale he looked permanently frostbitten, like some locals in Ice Falls, people ran away screaming. No one cared if he wasn't a threat. He hated his father, the man responsible for the way he looked. He had managed to find an old cloak that someone had thrown away. After wrestling it on, he could venture into villages and cities to find food. He had to be careful. Spies lurked everywhere. He knew, however, that his father had stopped chasing him. He was weak and had little use. No one cared if he died or not. No one cared about Ryou.-
~!~
It had been over a decade since he had last been hunted by his father's minions. It was, he assumed, because of a dormant talent that had just come to the surface. Ryou was determined not to be captured and not to give anything to the man who cared nothing about him, just the power he possessed. Fluttering his wings rapidly beneath their cover, he rose into the air, making himself lighter as he gained altitude. Another thing that had popped out during his panic flight away from home; he could make himself and other objects lighter. Ryou skimmed above the ground, just below the treetops, towards a future he was unsure of. He only knew that if he was being hunted again, he had to keep moving.
He was not a little frightened child anymore. He wasn't about to be found again so easily.
~~~
Well there you are. The start to something that slapped me in the face until I wrote it down. Kinda like Hearts Change. *shrugs* Let me know what you think. R&R!
Note: Because italics don't seem to work for me on ff.net, anything with a - before and after is like a flashback sort of thing.
Eg.
-"I am giving you a demo," she said grinning impishly.
The reviewers were not amused.-
~~~
Prologue: Beginnings
~~~
~!~
-The youth stifled the urge to scream, to whimper and beg. It would only cause more pain. He bit his lower lip, sliding limply down the wall until huddled in a tight albeit agonizing ball. If he could survive, make it to sunset, he would be free of this place forever. His father already thought him weak and worthless. It was only a matter of time before 'training' became fatal. There was no other choice, he needed to escape. Today would be the last time he had to crouch on the cold hard earth which bore stains of his blood. Tomorrow he would be free.-
~!~
A cloaked form dropped silently from the branches of a tall tree onto a path well traveled by those hoping to sell goods or make fortunes in the towns it connected; Harmenothep and Brushtown. Looking swiftly from side to side, making sure no one else was within sight; the form shook off the hood and breathed deeply. Shockingly white hair spilled free of confinement to just below shoulder length. It framed an equally pale face dominated by dark chocolate covered eyes. Taking less than a moment to recover, the youth, a boy, looked back over his shoulder at the woods he had just left. When all appeared quiet he began walking in a randomly picked direction down the path, staying directly in the middle.
~!~
-"Quickly find the boy! He can't have gotten far. Master Mur will be most unhappy if we cannot locate him soon. Hurry up!" The small boy shrank away from the loud voices that shouted and growled outside. It had been little over an hour since he'd slipped away from the practice grounds and hid in an old weapons storehouse. No one had bothered to search the grounds. Everyone thought he had headed straight into the wilderness.-
~!~
After fifteen minutes of walking he began to hear voices farther along the road, just beyond a bend. With a quick bowing motion he flipped the hood back into place. He stared at the ground so as to hide as much of his face in shadows as possible. He passed a jolly couple talking avidly about a laying hen that dangled between them in a crude wire cage. Apparently they expected a fine some for their animal in Brushtown. Once passed, the mysterious traveler did not remove his hood again. Instead he stopped and look between the path ahead of him, the forest on either side and at the sky.
~!~
-"There he is. Thought you could get away from us? Tut tut, foolish half-breed." The boy didn't bother to look behind him. He just continued running, squeezing through small places, hoping. Something sharp dug into his shoulder and held, jerking him back with force. He fell backwards with a yelp of both pain and surprise. "Nasty creature, you should know better by now."
"Leave me alone! Please...please." He struggled against the clawed hand that had a firm grip, digging into his flesh. He could feel the slight trickle of blood that flowed freely down his back, mingling with sweat and grime.
"But Master Mur said to bring you back, little vermin. We cannot disappoint the master." A feral grin slide across his captor's face as his companion laughed bitterly from just behind the boy. Thinking quickly, frantically, the small child tried to think of an escape. He fell limp. "That's better. You know you've lost don't you?"
"Yes, sir."
"Pick him up and let's get back. There's warm maidenflesh waiting for us after we bring him in."-
~!~
He stood for a long time, looking up at the sky. Anyone watching might've thought he wanted to take off, to fly through the clouds with the birds and other winged creatures. Eventually, with a heavy hearted sigh, he slipped into the shaded woods, melting into the shadows. The path remained looking as though his footsteps had never touched it.
~!~
-"Ahh my son, young Ryou. What were you thinking? You did not honestly think you could get away." A tall, lean man lounged in a high back chair sipping a dark liquid from a stone goblet. He looked amused, eyes twinkling. The small boy, Ryou, sat unmoving at his feet a few paces away. He remained silent, eyes downcast. "I see you've learned your lesson."
"No, sir."-
~!~
Flitting from tree to tree, Ryou constantly stopped to listen for unnatural noises, sounds that did not belong in the forest. Everything remained quietly melodious; birds chirped from treetops, small rodents chattered, larger predators occasionally made a noise of their own, either a screech or growl. Ryou paid them no attention. Only when he was satisfied that everything remained natural would he dart to the next tree and repeat the process. His heavy and tattered cloak chafed and itched but he would not remove it out in the open. It snapped each time he accelerated suddenly from a dead stop.
~!~
-"Catch him! Now!" Ryou tried to block out his father's voice and concentrate on the gruesome guards rushing toward him. He needed to get outside. Only then would he have a fighting chance. Shouldering one that was unarmed out of the way, he began to run towards the exit, bare feet slapping the smooth marble floor. A few, carrying spears, managed to scrape his exposed legs but could not stop him. They were poorly organized, too slow to block his escape. In a rush of air he made it out into the crisp night air.
"Stop right there, wretch!" A misshapen sentry fumbled with a bow, struggling to sting an arrow. The boy hesitated only a moment before stretching out his arms, which were in actuality wings, and took off, pumping strongly. He arced sharply upward, narrowly being missed by a clumsily shot arrow. Other sentries, guards and fighters began to mass and hurl projectiles at the single form sweeping across the sky. But it was too late. With a large grin, Ryou sailed over the high stone walls and out over the thick forest that surrounded it. By the time his father's forces could organize themselves and send a party after him, he would be long gone. Freedom was finally his.-
~!~
A sharp sound, that of a twig snapping, caught Ryou's attention in the middle of traveling between trees. He froze and crouched low, tilting his head to listen better. For a moment there was nothing. Then he heard it: the shifting of feet and slight clink of armor as someone or something settled into a more comfortable position. His heart sank. They had finally found him, after nearly fifteen years of running.
~!~
-"Get away you foul demon!" He dodged a few apples as they were thrown by a large woman as she hurriedly backed away, leaving her bushel where she had dropped it in surprise. Ryou didn't move, he merely watched her scramble away, running as if her life depended on it. Once she was gone, he bent over and picked up an apple with his teeth. Its sweet tang was welcomed by his taste buds and stomach. He hadn't eaten in several days being more concerned with running as far from his father's manor as possible. He straightened, apple still clenched in his mouth, when he heard shouting coming from the direction the woman had run.
She was coming back and had friends.
With a strong flap, Ryou propelled himself into a tree thick with foliage. There he huddled as close to the trunk as he was able, peering down. A few minutes later several men, armed with pitchforks and swords came into view. They prowled around, looking for him.
"He must've left Mika. Why don't you come home for a nice cup of tea and leave harvesting until tomorrow." They moved off. Ryou waited a solid ten minutes before dropping back down to the ground. There he sat and began to enjoy the meal left for him. He skillfully bit chunks of the fruit off of the core without holding the apple or letting it drop from his mouth. When he had finished, he spat it a few feet away and scooped up another one using his teeth.-
~!~
In a flurry of movement, Ryou threw himself at his pursuer, knocking the gremlin to the ground with ease. From there he pushed himself into the air, hovering and adjusting his position over the small creature. Not being terribly bright, it stood before reaching for a weapon. It was at this moment that two feet descended on either side of its head. With one swift jerking movement, its neck snapped with a muffled crack. The gremlin sank to the ground, dead. Ryou landed next to it, panting, hood thrown back. He looked paler than usual.
"No luck at all." He turned, bowing his hood back on, and continued his journey deeper into the woods.
~!~
-Ryou mused as he stargazed. He thought of all the people he had encountered in his few months of running. They all despised him because he looked different. Because he had no arms, and instead a pair of brilliantly white wings, he was shunned. Because his skin was so pale he looked permanently frostbitten, like some locals in Ice Falls, people ran away screaming. No one cared if he wasn't a threat. He hated his father, the man responsible for the way he looked. He had managed to find an old cloak that someone had thrown away. After wrestling it on, he could venture into villages and cities to find food. He had to be careful. Spies lurked everywhere. He knew, however, that his father had stopped chasing him. He was weak and had little use. No one cared if he died or not. No one cared about Ryou.-
~!~
It had been over a decade since he had last been hunted by his father's minions. It was, he assumed, because of a dormant talent that had just come to the surface. Ryou was determined not to be captured and not to give anything to the man who cared nothing about him, just the power he possessed. Fluttering his wings rapidly beneath their cover, he rose into the air, making himself lighter as he gained altitude. Another thing that had popped out during his panic flight away from home; he could make himself and other objects lighter. Ryou skimmed above the ground, just below the treetops, towards a future he was unsure of. He only knew that if he was being hunted again, he had to keep moving.
He was not a little frightened child anymore. He wasn't about to be found again so easily.
~~~
Well there you are. The start to something that slapped me in the face until I wrote it down. Kinda like Hearts Change. *shrugs* Let me know what you think. R&R!