Hey everybody!
Randall here. Yep. It's been a LONG while, about four months give or take, since I was in the writing game. Just had a few personal things to deal with. And no…wasn't skin shedding…heh…
Anyway. Glad to be back and hope you guys are ready for more.
The next few chapters, two I think, mainly have to deal with Strife. I get to learn a bit about him through this, and so will you guys. Of course, I'm doing my best to speed things up to get everything else of mine rolling. I believe someone asked me about the documentation of my b…Exile right? I might not get to that too fast, but I'll see what I can do.
Chapter 21 Homed and Homeless
I resorted to getting on the roof like last year. Of course, this time I had more than a reason to. I could still see that priest, or whatever the heck you would call him, looking around the church's grounds. Na. Wasn't that one that….blasted out at me. I was guessing he was the one who wanted me to stop. Faintly, I wasn't so much to the idea of waiting for the guy to come out and whack me upside the head with a staff or whatever the heck he has.
So I just stayed up there, sprawled along the top of the room where the angle was. Keeping balance was easy for me, as you know heh. It took him about twenty minutes of looking, made me wonder how mad he probably was, before he went it. Couldn't get much of a description really, my eyes aren't that good.
I gave a long stretch out on the roof, something I didn't get time to this morning, my bones were aching from a good sleep I guess. I propped my arms under my head and just watched over as things began to move. I had a few thoughts, but appreciation began heading through. The trees, grass, moving with the slight breeze. Appreciating nature wasn't something on top of my list, but I guess being in that church got me thinking. I didn't know much about my past. But something kept telling me that the earliest things we learned in History class weren't true. But then again I could never be sure. The world was always changing…just because of us. Well…not me…the others. I guess….we get too far into this world to know what it was like before. Not many would care what happened in the past. I guess I was a monster who wanted to remember…who wanted to know what this place looked like. What was once there before that building was made….what was under that road before it was paved, things like that…..
What the heck am I talking about?
I shook my head, wanting to get stupid thoughts out of my mind. It must have been boredom I was thinking, must have. But then again it did keep me c…
I stopped thinking and poked my head up, looking at the curve on the road, ahead where the small "forest" was. "(You little…)" I started to think. There he was again. That black cat, or whatever it was. He was sitting right there in front of one of the trees, looking up at me. No no, he was. I could see the eriee reflection that most cat eyes get, and believe me, I know. Anyway, he was standing there yet again, making me do the usual exchange of stares. He had jet black fur, nothing else. His eyes were probably emerlad like mine. I could never get a close look at him.
"(That's it…thanks for giving me something to do…)" I thought to myself, letting a grin come to the side of my face. I haven't even thought of trying to catch him yet. Cats were fast, I knew, but so was I. Sure, I wouldn't keep him, I just wanted to see if he would run, find out where the heck he actually lived. And besides…..I had nothing better to do.
"Your mine!" I said, out loud, which I didn't really expect. I readied myself, pulling up the middle of my body. The cat seemed to acknowlege this, so I sprang. First a few seconds across the rest of the room, then a run down the side of the building. The cat took off, and so did I heh. I pushed myself on the wall and, applying something I learned, and later heh…forgot, in science class, was propelled straight forward. I landed easily, why wouldn't I, and started off after the cat, keeping my eyes on it. Now. It may seem a bit stupid for me doing this. But hey. I don't get much excitement, and as said….I was bored.
(NS)
"Dang…where'd he go!".
I had to hand it to the feline….he WAS fast. I stayed there, my back against a tree, looking left and right at seemingly endless stretch of forest. My heart wasn't beating a mile a minute, but it was certainly gaining something. I took a moment to realize where the heck I had come from. I just used the sun, I went north, so I go back south. What? I don't lack too much survival skills.
"Shoot…" I sighed in disbelief. I knew I was faster than him, but he certainly showed me. I soon came to the conclussion he knew this place more than me, so I guess he had some advantage. I looked around to see if he was just starring at me with a chesire on him. Nope. Just me and tweating birds and the sound of a….hey wait a sec. My fronds poked up as I caught a sound. I had been in the same place for nearly twenty minutes. I still had plenty of time. But back to the noise.
"What the heck is that…". I looked about for anything, or simply trying my best to find where exactly it was coming from. It wasn't an animal, that I was sure. It sounded like….music. But then again…it didn't sound like anything I heard. Usually had a voice to go with it…not to mention a whole family of instruments to go along with it. It was just one insturment, no voice.
I got off the tree and just guess where it was coming from. I knew with my luck, I'd probably never find it, but then again, who knows. I just made my way steadily thought the untainted path, making sure my bare toes didn't get hurt. My tail got caught by one of those cursed hanging branches, took me a minute or two to get loose before going off again. I couldn't tell what the noise was. It sounded like a flute or something, but it seemed….different.
I stopped. I braced myself for anything that would happen, quickly on alert. The music, or whatever it was, had stopped. For all hence and purposes, or whatever the saying is, I was worried. Whomever was playing that music would have heard me. "(Thank you nature…)" I thought to myself. When I didn't hear anything for about five minutes, I started slowly down my made path again. A little naïve of me maybe, but heck, I was always curious. I neared the start of one of the trees on my left, trying to think of that noise again, as well as the cat and everything else that's happened today. I came ot the end of the tree, and boy…was it gonna surprise me…
"Gah!".
Something, more like someone, jumped out from the tree, making my heart drop down my long spin. I just stayed there in a…ugh…pathetic fedil position. What? I wasn't afraid…I was…..surprised. "Randall?". I lowered my rather unperfected guard and looked to who had freaked me out of my wits. I was really surprised this time. "David?". The monitor just looked me over with equal surprise. What the heck was Strife doing out here? I didn't expect to see him till Monday….
"What are you doing here?" he asked me. Boy. What a mind reader. I shook my head to relieve any sense of demoted courage and looked him over. Yep, it was him. I decided to play cool, after all, I had nothing really essential to hide.
"I live around here…" I said blankly, brushing my fronds back to get rid of anymore surprise gitters on me. David just looked a little baffled. "Jeez Randall….we don't live out in the words anymore…most of us anyway…" he commented. "No no! Not HERE" I quickly replied, holding up my hands to assure him he was wrong. "My….home is…around…". I let my arms drop. Another lie, that didn't surprise me.
David let a grin come to the side of his face. "Then why'd you come out here?". Finally, I can say a truth. I gave another sigh from my shock, or probably the previous running. "I was chasing a cat…yeah yeah I know…but he was always around the house so….wanted to know who he belonged too….".
Strife looked at me with interest, I saw his tail strung out a bit, but then again I didn't really know if that was a factor. "A cat huh? What'd he look like?" he asked. I gave a snortful laugh, one of those thigns you do when your out of breath, and just used my hands to describe physically. "About…this tall…this long and…black fur…green eyes….seen'em?" I asked. Heck, I wanted to know where the heck the little trickster went.
Strife placed a hand to chin, other to elbow and thought. "….Nope…never seen a cat yet…unless your talking about a lynx but they're way too big from the one your talking about…sure you…weren't mistaken?" he asked. I discarded that question and came up with one of my own. I let a moment pass before I asked.
"…What about…" I started, but noticed something from Strife's thoughtful look. Something was in his right claws. "What the heck is that?". He noticed my bewildered look as he looked at his own possession. "Oh this thing?".
I looked it over. It looked to be an oval….like a pallet for painting or something, but small enough to fit in your hand. Not to mention, it was hollow. There were several holes in the top, and one on it's protruding side. Weird thing.
"What is it?" I asked. Strife smiled. "Something they don't make in shops I'll give you that…" he started, placing his back to the tree that had gave me a good dose of shock. He took the thing in both hands and placed that protruding hole to his mouth, close his eyes and blew.
I watched as his claws, or at least the paw or whatever before, moving over the holes on the top. It was a nice sound. Really. I felt myself calming down on the spot. It sounded like a flute, but then again it sounded like someone whistling, very great in fact. Whatever the thing was, it sounded great. Strife seemed really immersed as he blew a tune on the thing. I don't know why, but it was weird. The sound was natural and….affected me somehow. It made me feel peculiar….like me and Strife were the only ones on this planet, that everyone else was gone and it was just use three…me, him, and nature. It was really weird and interesting at the same time. Jeez…he was good.
Strife stopped when it seemed appropriate. He lowered his hands against his chest and looked at me without a word. I didn't tell them to, not really, but my lower hands started to clap together, so my upper ones joined in. "Dang Strife….your good on that thing…uh…whatever it is….". Strife smiled, looking at his left hand with the hand-made instrument. He brought it up and held it in his hands.
"It's an ocarina…my…mom gave it to me" he said, looking at it like it was something he treasured more than….well himself. I just looked at him as he spoke. "I've been playing it for years…I'm pretty good I have to admit….but hardly anyone appreciates such things….". He looked at me, making my nervousness come back. "No no…I liked it really…". Strife smirked. "I know….you appreciate allot of things people take for granted Randall…that's a good trait that's dying quick…". "Umm…thanks…".
Strife just smiled. "….Want to hear another one?" he asked. I smiled this time. "Sure…". He kept his enjoyed expression as he closed his eyes and placed the ocarina to his mouth and played. I leaned against one of the trees and just watched as he blew a tune. He really was good….and the music he was making was well…like something that I myself had forgotten…did I know what he was playing? Na. Can't be. I've never heard or seen an ocarina in my life…..have I?
I kept that thought with me as Strife continued playing, without a flaw…..
Once again, great to be back, heh.
