(Disclaimer: I didn't create the Ra'zac) Please R&R
I stood, crouched in the darkness, watching carefully for any disturbance that might indicate either danger, or prey. The silence continued, and not one smell met my nose. I carefully crept out of my still and dark hiding place.
As I left the tight space between the trees, the cold, stiff winter air met my skin, but I stood, unaffected. I listened carefully. I even slowed my breathing to minimal capacity so that my sensitive ears could pick up any sound, any sound at all.
I pivoted my ears back and forth, side to side, listening intently for what I longed to hear, a sound that would keep me alive for the rest of the winter, or at least a little longer.
No one else but me depended on my findings, but a couple people, and this I was thankful for. Right now, I wasn't hunting for myself; I was hunting for a couple people and animals that depended solely on me.
A strange noise met my ears. A high pitched whistling noise slipped through the air, like a metal ribbon, falling fast. It was like nothing I'd ever heard before. I looked around for the source of the strange noise, but it didn't seem to be coming from my level.
Curiosity grasped me tight, and I couldn't escape.
I stepped back a couple of paces, feeling my bare feet gently compounding the soft snow below. The noise became louder and nearer, and in seconds, an explosion went off right in front of me.
The ground shook, and dirt shot up in all directions. I lost my balance and fell backwards. My back met a small tree in which I used to help myself up in a hurry.
Once the dirt settled, and I found my way to my feet, got my bearings, and stood up once again, I inspected the hole left by the impact in the center of the clearing.
I carefully took three steps towards the concave space, and inspected the dirt that was lifted from underneath the ground. As I messed with the dirt, and cautiously made my way around the hole, a glimmer caught my eye.
In the center of the hole, a silver and blue figure shone.
I carefully approached the hole, and slid down the side. Dirt from beneath my feet met the object, and covered it a little more, but I brushed it away, cautiously, with a gentle swipe. I poked the strange thing, and then jumped back a little.
When I had finally convinced myself that it was safe, I approached the figure once more. I gently lifted the thing, and brushed the remaining dirt away.
A silver blue stone shimmered beautifully in the moonlight. I found myself utterly awestruck by the stone's beauty. I had never seen anything like it before in my life, and I found myself drawn to it, somehow.
An owl cooed overhead, and startled me right into dropping the precious stone. I gasped as the smooth surface of the stone slipped from my grasp. I grabbed for it, and caught it once more.
I sighed in relief, and clutched the stone in my fingers.
"I'm not gonna drop you!" I whispered as I gazed down at the stone, before tucking it in my leather bag which hung from my right shoulder, to my left hip.
I carefully wrapped the stone in a large piece of fir, and secured it in the corner of my bag, for safekeeping.
I heard another whistling noise, but this one seemed further off. I listened for another impact, which soon came, followed by a rumble of the ground, again.
Soon after, a small herd of deer pranced nervously past, about twelve feet from where I stood. I was not going to let this opportunity pass.
As fast as lightning, I pulled a bone dagger from its place, against my leg, and chucked it towards a young buck. It caught his neck; he lost balance and came to a sliding halt.
Before I could fetch my prize, a stirring of feet in the distance grasped my attention, like a field mouse in the talons of a Great Eagle.
I decided to leave the buck where he lay, because it was late, and not many besides me hunted at this hour or this place. I raced away from the clearing, and into the dense forest. I dodged trees, fallen stumps, and large rocks, as I shot through the forest.
The moon weaved thin lines of silver light through the forest, and the night was alive with the glares of nocturnal animals. I remained in the shadows, hiding from any Urgals or Kull that might have been lurking in the night.
After I had run for a couple of miles, and a couple of minutes, I came to a dirt road. I stopped, glanced around, listened, and then sniffed for the smell of roused dirt.
I heard more foot steps that matched the ones which I had heard before, and I started off towards them again. I soon reached another clearing. But what I found, I quickly wished I hadn't.
I peaked out into the open, while still remaining hidden among the pine and fir trees. A series of hissing and snarling escaped from under black cloaks.
'Ra'zac' I whispered in disgust.
One of the black cloaked menaces hissed and pointed it's covered hand down at the black dirt. I guessed that the site was where the impact I had heard before had happened. But the Ra'zac seemed extremely angry about it, and this I didn't understand. But soon, the enraged creature I had been watching abruptly stopped and turned toward the human city off in the distance. In seconds, it seemed, they where on their ways, away from the clearing.
When they where finally gone, and out of range of my hearing, and nose, I crept out into the clearing. I took two steps, and brought myself to an upright position. I stood just out of my hiding place, as I carefully looked around. I prepared myself to dart off into the darkness of the wood again, at any sign of Ra'zac. But none came, so I crept further out into the open space. I peered into the hole, and carefully surveyed it. I even jumped into the hole, and kicked the dirt around until I was satisfied that there was no stone.
'Someone must have already found it.' I thought to myself as I peered off into the direction that the Ra'zac had gone in. 'Hopefully not those wretched beasts.' I hissed in my mind as I turned and faced home. I darted as fast as my feet would carry me, off into the forest. It took me about a minute and twelve seconds to cross the yards between the landing site for my stone, and the place where the Ra'zac where. I quickly passed it up as I shot through the trees and dense bush. But I stopped so fast, I almost ran out of my skin. I snatched up the fifty pound buck (that I had killed earlier), and raced off with it weightlessly.
Minutes later, I approached the gate of my hidden city. The entrance was vast and beautiful, like nothing anyone had ever seen, built, or even imagined before. It was huge, at least twenty feet high, so even the giants could pass through it easily. It was primarily made of two giant pine trees that where pulled together, and tied where they met, so the entrance came to a point. The inside, where people walk through was trimmed originally, but after about fifty years, it just stopped growing down, and all the branches grew upwards, making the entrance virtually invisible. Two stone guards stood at the entrance. They where lions with wings, standing on two feet. Each held a torch in the hand closest to the gate, and a sword in the other. On ten foot pillars next to them sat gargoyles that peered down at all who passed between them and hissed through the ages. I wondered if these stone protectors ever got tired of standing and hissing. I admired the vines of pink, purple, and blue flowers that grew up and down the sides of the entrance. These where the only flowers in all the land that bloomed year round. I had always thought that they where under a spell.
Soon, I was through the gate, and the normal looking forest faded into a huge city. I ran through the streets until I could see my small cottage tucked neatly between the other buildings. I pressed my lips together, and whistled as loud as I could. A dark brown flash shot out from the side of the house, almost slipped at the turn, and came straight for me. It jumped on me, and almost clobbered me to the ground.
"Humph! Rain get off of me!" I screeched as the giant coon hound licked my face until it sparkled. "Ew, yuck, blech!" I whipped the dog spit as good off my face as I could. I caught a glimpse of a small pale face appear and disappear in the window, and before I knew it, there was a little girl racing out of the front door, screaming.
"Teivah!" She screeched as she raced out to me. She threw her arms up at me as I stood, and jumped up and down like a two month old ware pup. I scooped her up, and set her against my hip. The deer had already slipped from my grasp, and was laying lip on the floor.
"I hungry." She gave me the best puppy dog pout she could make and stared me straight in the eye. I admired her innocence.
"Well good, because we're gonna have a feast, tonight!" I stared back into her bright blue eyes and smiled. I put her back down, on the ground and looked up at the house.
"Sadri, go tell Sister that I'm home, ok?" I looked down at her again.
"Aki." She answered before racing up the steps, and on the door. I hoisted the dead weight up, onto my shoulder again, and looked around.
'Man, it's good to be home.' I heaved a sigh before setting off for my last duties of the day.