K'ger: Woo! I'm on a roll! This came out of a major power session! It just came right onto the page, I had ABSOLUTELY no trouble with this chapter at all. It was actually really fun to write!
I hope you all enjoy this chapter!
Out Of Balance
A thick layer of early morning fog coated the high northern mountains, sparkling dew adorning every blade of grass that grew on the rolling mountain field. The altitude gave the air a chilly feel, despite it being the middle of summer, and as a small, sturdy pony of shaggy brown fur trotted across the field on strong little hooves, the rider took in a heavy breath.
He was a young man, perhaps in his very early twenties, clothed in thick leathers and sashes of bright reds and yellows. The pony's gait shifted ever so slightly beneath him, and to his well-attuned connection with the animal, it felt like the pony had tensed, as if it had sensed something it did not like.
He strained his ears, listening to the sounds of nature around him. It was very quiet, which was not unusual for this time of morning. Only a few birds twittered and cooed, and the crickets had quieted down hours ago.
But one sound pierced the stillness, cutting through the silence like a knife. It was a long, low cry, mourning and pained. He pulled his pony to a stop, and looked all around, squinting to see through the thick fog.
Looking down to the grassy ground beside his pony's hooves, a strange, glitter caught his attention. He leaned low from the pony's back, and as he drew near, saw that it was a strange, thick blue liquid, spreading across the grass and leading out of sight. It smelled metallic, like blood, and as he pulled himself upright, another painful, gut-wrenching moan met the young man's ears.
He pulled the pony around, following both his ears and the trail of bluish liquid. The pony carried him swiftly, and as he rode, the sound became louder, more desperate. He rode far from the direction he had been heading, into one of the thick pine forests that stood tall and lush in the mountains. The pony heaved a soft sigh as another moan came through the fog, and the young man ruffled the pony's thick black mane reassuringly.
With some struggle, the pony managed to break through a thick bit of undergrowth, and let loose a frightened squeal as its hooves fell out from beneath it. Both pony and rider tumbled down a steep decline, the rider pushing away so that the pony did not land on him as they rolled across the grass and bramble.
The young man gasped as he came to a stop, and laid flat on his back for a moment, breathing heavily as pain and adrenaline flushed through his body. The brambles that covered the hill had cut him in several places, small trickles of red blood coming from the wounds. He sat up after a moment, and stiffened when his eyes came into focus on a strange silhouette laying a few feet away.
They had stumbled upon a strange little glen. The creature that was lying there was lying on the bank of a shimmering turquoise pond. Cattails and lily pads decorated the shallow waters, and all around the glen, beautiful flowers were blooming, dewdrops resting on the delicate, colorful petals.
The creature lifted its wolf-like head, shuddering, and looked at him with pale yellow eyes. He gave a soft cry as the pony suddenly reared up, and bolted, charging through the brambles and leaving him behind.
Giving a low, guttural moan, the creature pushed up onto its dark slender legs. Its legs shook beneath its weight, threatening to give out. But the creature approached him anyway, breath coming in slow, shallow gasps.
He staggered back away from the creature, and cried out when his heel caught on the root of one of the willow trees that stood on the waters' edge, and fell backward.
The creature stopped a few feet away from him, and lowered its head slightly. Suddenly, it threw its head back, opening its maw and letting a venomous roar rip from its throat. The young man watched in wide eyed horror, not believing what he was seeing, as the creature's fur slowly turned black. Its eyes, once pale amber with silver pupils, drained color, turning to nothing but lifeless white holes.
Its slender legs widened, thickening, becoming sturdier. Its hooves morphed together, transforming into enormous paws, jagged, deadly claws protruding from each toe. With a final, ear-splitting shriek, the creature shook its head, small black particles floated down from its fur, and a singeing, crackling sound met the young man's ears.
He looked to the ground, and his eyes widened even further. Where the strange black particles had landed, the grass was withering, turning brown and dying beneath its touch. The creature had transformed into a demon.
A loud, malicious growl come from above him, and as he whipped his head up, found himself staring directly into the wide-open mouth of the creature. Frothy saliva dripped from its lower jaw, landing on his chest, and before he could make a move, the creature lunged.
A frightening scream echoed across the mountainside, piercing the morning silence…
Link panted softly, the air was so thin, and he was exhausted from an entire night of travel without rest. His lungs felt like they were on fire, and as he stumbled on the rocky path they were now taking, he couldn't hold back a string of curses as he tipped forward, landing hands, arms and chest on the sharp rocky ground.
"Are you ok?" An unfamiliar, feminine voice asked. He felt a gentle hand take a hold of his shoulder. He stood up, and found that a young woman was the one holding onto his shoulder. She was very young, sixteen at most, with long, straight brown hair that was tied into place in the back by ways of a simple red ribbon. Her dress was shapeless, and a simple shade of white, with splotches of dirt on the skirt and sleeves.
"Fine." He growled, brushing himself off and wincing as he rubbed a fresh cut. He started walking again, the ropes around his wrists pulling along as the wagon moved further away and drawing the rope tight.
He walked in silence, not acknowledging the girl as he walked, and shot her a warning glance when she got closer to his side. She stayed silent too, and merely walked alongside him, hands clasped nonchalantly behind her back, looking at the high cliff walls that kept their path rather thin.
"I'm not like them, you know," she said finally, not even looking at him, saying it more to herself than to anyone else. "She's my aunt, Mistress Eshana. My parents sent me out here to get some fresh air. My name's Charise, by the way," she talked on, her tone was bubbly and new like a fresh mountain stream. "You look different. What's with your ears, they're all…pointy, except that one is shaped funny. Did you get in a swordfight? Ooh! Does that mean you're a knight? A warrior? Oh, even better! A traveling mercenary traveling the world looking for his true love who got kidnapped from his loving arms by an evil sorcerer?"
Her words became faster and faster as she got more excited. Link looked briefly toward her, and put up his hands.
"No, no. I'm just a rancher. I breed-well, I bred horses for a living. Nothing special."
Her face fell, and she returned her attention to the road that they were forced to follow. He kept his mouth shut, not looking at her, not realizing that the girl was stealing glances at him.
The wagon creaked beside them, the metal that was kept inside it clanked as they horses pulled it over large rocks and stones. The only sounds that met their ears were the soft shuffling sounds that the horses made, the clink of harnesses fastened to the horses' frames.
"Your parents were nobles, but you raised yourself from a young age. You have an innate distrust of other people, intensified by recent events. You've been injured in numerous places all over your body, the most intense being damage to the joint in your left shoulder, which also happens to be your dominant hand." She said suddenly, startling him. He jerked his head toward the young girl, eyes widening at her.
She smirked, a soft laugh greeting his ears.
"You're features are more finely shaped than most people here, which tells me you're of noble blood. But you walk with purpose, and have sharp jerk to your stride. I'd say you were probably a criminal of some kind. Your body language is reserved, but there are subtle tells that are pointing toward discomfort and even distress. You have scars, and you ever so slightly favor your left arm, the way you're holding it keeps pressure off of the injured joint."
"How can you tell?!" He asked, voice rising slightly in shock, and an edge of curiosity working into his tone. The girl's smile faded, and her head tilted forward a bit, shadows playing over her eyes like shields to the rest of the world.
"I…uh…I've had a lot of time to watch people. A lot of time to learn the subtle hints that betray what people say."
He raised an eyebrow, urging to her to delve deeper into her personal memories.
"My parents are nobles too. I'm their second-oldest daughter. But, well, I've never really gotten to be a kid. I was born sick, and I'm still not any healthier than the day I was born. The doctors say I've actually gotten worse. They say I won't last the winter." She said boldly, incredible amounts of bravery for a girl of such a tender age.
He stayed silent, her words sinking in and sending a small shiver down his spine. He sent a silent prayer to the Goddesses above that his children would never meet the same fate as the girl that was walking beside him. How such a young woman could possess the amount of grace ad serenity in the face of her own demise was beyond him.
"You know, you say you're enslaved? Well, so what?" she said suddenly, drawing his attention again. "So's the whole damn world. My aunt is crazy. She's throwing the whole world out of balance."
Charise pointed over to the side of the path, toward a few sparse bushes.
A small gray rabbit was sitting hunched under the brambles, staring intently with its liquid brown eyes at the group. Charise dug into the pocket of her dress, and produced a shriveled brown…something. She showed it to him, murmuring. "Chicken leg."
She flung it toward the rabbit, and Link gave a soft gasp as the rabbit leapt at the chicken leg, biting into it viciously and devouring the cooked flesh. Never before had Link even heard of, let alone seen, a rabbit interested in eating the flesh of another creature.
The group emerged from the valley. Just ahead of them, a small village stood, houses with simple thatched roofs and paddocks of sheep and goats lining the pathways.
He pulled his head back slightly, turning his shoulder toward the girls as they rounded a bend and entered the village. Standing about fifty feet away, blocking their path, the whole village seemed to be gathered, defiant looks on ever villager's face.
Some were holding pitchforks, while others merely stood, glaring at the wagon.
A middle aged woman pushed through the crowd, wearing simple village clothes but carrying herself with a confident stride that told Link she was more than just a average villager.
"So you come yet again? Are you here for more tax money? Or would you like to take our best lambs, just like last year?" The woman called, voice laced with poisonous hatred. The woman, Mistress Eshana, stepped easily from the wagon's seat, moving to stand directly across from the other woman.
"Such harsh words you speak. Can't a woman just transport her most recent purchases to her home?" Mistress Eshana said innocently.
"Of course, if that was true. You've bought more metal. When are you finally going to realize the errors of your ways and stop this madness?" The village woman retorted, placing both hands on her hips.
"Let us pass, Selia. Or I won't hesitate to set my men on you." Eshana growled.
"Oh? What men? Do you have them hidden somewhere? Or do you mean one of your metal demons? Someday, the Great Goddess will come to your doorstep, and you will regret ever setting foot in this kingdom."
"You still believe that ruddy old fairytale? Ha! You imbeciles, the era of gods and goddesses will soon come to pass, we are on the very cusp of a revolution, and when that time comes, the flames of my guns will burn you all!"
The village woman did not back down, she moved instead to cross her arms across her chest, a fierce expression settling on her face.
"The Great Goddess gives life, and takes life away. Life and death are her's alone, or have you heathens forgotten that?"
Mistress Eshana turned her back on the village woman, and mounted her wagon once again. Seconds later, the wagon surged forward again, the horses quickly being urged to trot, barreling toward the group of villagers. The ropes that held him quickly dragged him forward, and he nearly fell flat on his face as he staggered to follow after.
The villagers parted, allowing the wagon through seconds before the wagon trampled them, and the last Link saw of the village was a glance over his shoulder.
Selia, the village woman that had stood up to Mistress Eshana, was looking at him with intense interest. The wagon shuddered forward, horses breaking into smooth, swift canters, and he had to move into an all out sprint to keep up.
"Lady Selia, is everything ok?" One of the village men asked, coming over to stand beside her. Selia looked in the direction that Mistress Eshana had left in.
"That man, the one she had tied to her wagon. He's been touched by the Great Goddess, Termia…"
K'ger: Ok, more and more characters! I can't help it! All these characters just pop into my head. Charise wasn't planned at all! She just showed up as I wrote!
And I lied, the Jack antics will be in the NEXT chapter.
Also, there were two lines in this chapter that I modified from a great movie called "Princess Mononoke" that I thought fit this story perfectly. Does anyone know which ones these lines were?