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| Breaking the Silence; Open-1-[Nether get your ass here!] | |
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| Topic Started: Nov 29 2008, 07:23 AM (206 Views) | |
| Mikai Aer'ias | Nov 29 2008, 07:23 AM Post #1 |
Without you I fall,
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Swearing and cursing the demon made her way forwards between the trees, the dim light dancing between the branches. With each heavy step that Mikai took, intentionally, she froze the ground only beneath her boots, feeling the cool air rising slowly as the ground began to thaw almost immediately. Never had she known this region, her home land, to ever reach such high temperatures. Though it would still be moderately cold for any normal human, to the ice demon it was unbearable; intolerable. She felt her temper flare dangerously as icy blue eyes scanned the surroundings in search of nothing in particular, a deep frown etched across her deceiving appearance. Things had changed since she had been here last; the forest was slightly less lush as it had been all those years ago. Letting out a sigh, Mikai turned her attention away from the forest itself and more towards the place she had always enjoyed as a youngster that was now coming into view as she walked along at the same pace as before. A small smile replaced the frown and she breathed in deeply taking in the smell of the fresh water of the huge water body. The cool mist drifted off lake, the only refreshing moister the ice demon had felt for the last few days. The sweltering heat had plagues her for long enough to drain the last of her patience with this blasted world which she was beginning to despise more with each passing day. Making her way to the shore-line, Mikai looked down at the reflection on the water, and kicked a few of the loose pebbles into the still liquid, disturbing the mirror image. With a grunt, Mikai took a step backwards and took a seat on the rough ground, pulling her one knee towards her chest and letting out a deep sigh staring out over the lake, the moon light reflecting off the water, deep in thought. "Keep reminding me of why I like it here; darn memories!" she mumbled half- heartedly to herself. |
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| Nether | Nov 29 2008, 10:56 AM Post #2 |
Commoner
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So, if I take a turn to the right here, and then go straight for another few minutes, I should find myself right.. The man lifted his dark eyes from the small, crumpled map he was holding, and looked at his surroundings. Green, luscious vegetation all around the small path he was following, with tall, ancient trees growing everywhere, dimming the light of the moon with their intricate patterns of branches and foliage. He could hear the calls of owls and other birds of prey hidden among the leaves, and the scurrying of the small critters of the land running from his footsteps. ..in the middle of yet another damn forest, of course. Next time, I'm hiring a guide. He gave yet another look to the map, with a hint of desperation this time, trying to make a sense of the jumbled lines and scribbled notes, without much luck. He grimaced and, in a moment of anger, crumpled the useless piece of paper, unceremoniously shoving it in a pocket and cursing under his breath. And it was getting cold, too.. nothing unbearable, definitely not pleasant, either.. some heavier clothes would have been a boon.. some heavier clothes, or the most basic protective magics. But whining would get him nowhere, while the path he was on was probably leading to some place. Hopefully. Of course, there was the chance that it was a boar path, but he preferred to not dwell on that thought too much, and kept walking. He walked for a few more minutes, until something caught his attention on the ground: grass, hard and broken, cold to the touch.. frozen? it was a patch not bigger than an human foot, and similar ones were waiting for him along his path, again roughly at the distance of an average walk. Now that he took the time to watch behind him, the ground was freckled with damp patches of roughly similar size.. perhaps the same thing, thawed? No way that could have been natural.. magic was probably involved, and he was still fairly defenseless. The safest move would have been simply going back to look for another path, but.. he couldn't just turn around now, he'd lose too much time. He kept walking, focused on sensing anything that might be wrong in his surroundings, until he finally managed to reach the end of the path, or so he hoped: the forest opened, making way for a rather large clearing, and what seemed to be a lake in the middle of it. No houses or people in sight. He cursed again under his breath as he scanned the area, noticing only then the lone female figure sitting on the shore, facing the lake. There were good chances that she was the cause of the frozen patches.. and that meant she had equal chances of being a dangerous enemy, or a useful ally. Let's find out And so he finally moved into the clearing to greet the woman. |
  - HorrorJULY 09 BANNER COMPETITION RUNNER UP  - Teleport, from Vensint's Auction.
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| Mikai Aer'ias | Nov 30 2008, 09:53 AM Post #3 |
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Without you I fall,
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Mikai sat in silence, watching the water lap up onto the shore, dampening the souls of her leather boots slightly. 'Was it right to come back? What am I supposed to achieve by coming back?' she thought, her eyebrows knitting as she let out another deep breath of the now cooling air, trying to answer her own questions, finding some difficulty in doing so. It was not even clear to Mikai what it was that had driven her back to this place. She remembered having lost herself for a short while and then this new side of her that had not shown its presence before had taken over leaving her feeling bewildered and more irritable than most other times. The woman moved her arm for her knee and reaching down picked up a small pebble and examined it for a while, running her fingers over its smooth surface and taking in the texture of it before staggering to her feet, her back smarting for a moment. Mikai's eyes widened and she breathed out ruggedly. It was no joke having to go through the pain like this each day. It was torture, and her biggest weakness; it was a blessing that she had even made it this far in her life with the injury. An uncertain moment passed before Mikai straightened again and chucked the stone with all her might and watched it fly through the air and splash into the water, sending ripples towards the shore that never reached. Mikai felt the hair on the back of her head stand on end as she stood watching the ripples and her hand immediately, as if by instinct, reached for one of her swords, her hand resting on the pommel of the frost blade. What it was that stood behind her could not tell. Slowly, Mikai turned to face the creature behind her and raised an eyebrow as she saw the man approaching, her long coat swept back to reveal the blood stained cotton shirt from recent problems as well as the sword which she grasped, still in its sheath. "Don't come any closer!" she shouted out, a tone of authority in her voice, but only loud enough so that this stranger would be able to hear her clearly. "State your business in this region! T'is my domain you roam so freely." The tone of her voice changed as she scanned the man, taking in his attire and looking for anything that would indicate him as being a direct threat to her but nothing. Bring her cold blue eyes back up, Mikai took in the man's appearance and grunted silently to herself in acknowledgement of his presence, not to fond of the idea of another being around, but then, he did not seem a threat and therefore of less worry, but then she could be wrong. Mikai stood patiently, waiting for a reply. |
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| Nether | Dec 2 2008, 04:28 AM Post #4 |
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Commoner
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He was still in mid-step when she rose to speak, slashing at him with ice-cold words. And he hadn't even started talking yet.. this was definitely not going to be his best day. He sighed inwardly, stopping in a more comfortable stance without getting closer to the woman, and opened his arms, palms outstretched and visible to show he was unarmed, his face a mask devoid of any expression. "Your domain, you say? Forgive the intrusion then, m'lady, I'm not here with malicious intent: as you can see, I have no weapons, and you have my word I mean no harm to you, your haven or your people: I am merely.. a lost traveller, following the wrong path while searching for shelter against the cold night" As he talked, he scanned carefully the girl in front of him, taking in her appearance and committing the details to memory: the dark red of her hair, in stark contrast with both the almost unnatural paleness of her skin and her eyes.. blue, deep, piercing: frozen pools of the deepest waters. All in all, a human appearance, if a bit weird.. her skin was the only quirk that really threw him off-balance in trying to define her: if this was really her dominion, she was bound to spend plenty of times in the sun, unless she lived a purely nocturnal life.. but there was absolutely no outward sign of that on her skin: she wasn't tanned or reddened by sunburns: she was so pale she almost seemed made of white alabaster. And then her clothes: a long cloak over simple shirt and pants.. travel clothes, if he ever saw any. And they were bloody. Her blood or someone else's? No way to tell, until she started moving enough to see if she was in actual pain.. he was almost sure he'd seen her wince a bit before looking at him, but that could have been a strange shadow cast by the moonlight. Armed and with access to magic, unless that wound was crippling her much worse than it seemed, he had no way of winning a direct confrontation.. so he had to convince her that no threat came from his person, and at the same time try to not look too pathetic: in that case she might just decide that dealing with him wasn't worth her time, and attack anyway. It was a gamble. Luckily, he enjoyed gambling, and had his best poker face already on. |
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- Horror JULY 09 BANNER COMPETITION RUNNER UP - Teleport, from Vensint's Auction.
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| Mikai Aer'ias | Dec 4 2008, 03:01 AM Post #5 |
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Without you I fall,
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Mikai watched the man with the same intense stare as his feet came to rest a distance from where she stood. It was not in her nature to be so protective of herself, but the appearance of the man who now stood before her warned her otherwise, though she knew it wrong to judge by appearance alone. Her eyes swept him quickly once again, before she let her eyes wander once again to the surroundings, searching before the image of Marc came to mind and she shook her head. She did not know where he was anymore or if he had met his fate; she hoped not. A blank expression replaced her current one as she looked at this stranger and let out a sigh as he began to speak, grateful for his words. They cleared her mind and brought her back to her senses. "A lost traveller, you say?" Mikai started easing up slightly, her hand slipping from the hilt of her sword as she looked the man over once more. He did not look like he belonged in the forest, and being the sort of person she was, decided that it would be best to help rather than just walk away. "If it is shelter you seek, then you're going the wrong way. Presuming, as most who pass through here, that you used a map; those simple pieces of parchment lead you astray here, and once you loose your way, your corpse is dinner for the wolves. There is a small village about ten and five miles north west of here that should have lodging for you, but I warn you the place is crawling with cut-throats and thieves. It's not a place for a stranger to just waltz into." A serious, yet genuine look came to her face as she spoke these words. Having had first hand experience with such bastards she knew what they were capable of, but also that some could easily be influenced into helping instead of hindering. Marc had/was a perfect example of this. A smile teased at her lips at the thought of her friend and a hope that she would see him again one day. Mikai let herself relax completely now. “If you wish of it, I would be more than willing to lead you to the small town.” Edited by Mikai Aer'ias, Dec 4 2008, 03:24 AM.
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| Nether | Dec 11 2008, 12:26 PM Post #6 |
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Commoner
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"Maps are useless, you say? I guess that's why mine came off so cheap.. and why it looked like it was drawn by a four years old too, I guess.. as for the wolves, my meat is stringy and poor tasting, and I would hate to curse these poor animals to feed on it, so your offer for help is much welcome, kind lady. How far are we from that settlement? I'd hate to see myself weeks off-target.. again. I'm not lucky with forests, it seems." On his lips briefly danced the hint of a smile, even if it was a smile that didn't reach for his eyes. He relaxed as well, as he saw the girl dropping the aggressive stance she had just a second before. Cut-throats and thieves, eh? Not that he had anything worth stealing, but he wasn't really in the right mood to be left for dead in a dark alley with a knife between his shoulders.. he had plans, and dying would seriously jeopardize them in both the short and long run. Then again.. desperate thieves, thugs and street urchins made really useful pawns to those able to make use of them... their needs were obvious, and the ability to fulfill them ensured their loyalty.. the ability, to fulfill their needs, or the ability to look like it: it was exactly the same, in the end. Money, power.. nothing more than conjuring tricks.. games of smoke, mirrors and sleightness of hand. Human weaknesses to be exploited. "Then again, unless the place is really just behind a turn, I'm afraid I'm a bit too tired to keep walking this late at night.. will you allow me to make a stop in your domain? A warm fire and a few hours of sleep are beginning to sound.. refreshing." Now that the mindless, monotone walking pace had ended and the adrenaline burst of the sudden encounter was settling down, he was beginning to feel all the sore muscles and tiredness that he managed to ignore for the whole trip there.. it wasn't a pleasant experience: he still wasn't used to long walks, and yet it seemed he did nothing but walk since he got here. He slumped against a tree, resting his back against the rough trunk and sighing softly, the hint of an amused smile still on his lips.. he'd never take teleportation spells for granted anymore. And food. How come that the damn food always seems to be finished whenever he needed it? |
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- Horror JULY 09 BANNER COMPETITION RUNNER UP - Teleport, from Vensint's Auction.
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| Mikai Aer'ias | Dec 14 2008, 01:01 PM Post #7 |
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Without you I fall,
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The demon took heed to his words, noting the humour in his situation as keen blue eyes noticed the change in body expression of the lost stranger before her. "Not weeks but hours, friend." she murmured quietly, realizing that she was speaking as though only to herself now. Her gaze slipped from man, and to the ground before him and she found herself staring blankly at the sand and grass stalks once again going into a sort of trans state though no thoughts lingered in her mind for long before being sifted out. "Then again, unless the place is really just behind a turn, I'm afraid I'm a bit too tired to keep walking this late at night... Will you allow me to make a stop in your domain? A warm fire and a few hours of sleep are beginning to sound... Refreshing." Once again words brought her round and she looked up to the stranger, her expression having returned to the emotionless one but she felt herself pale further, if it were even possible. 'Fire?' she thought, the word ringing in her ears for a moment, her eyes widening and a horrified look crossing her face. Humans; they were all the same! None could take the cold well, always trying to control the environment around them. Mikai pushed that last thought away, it was not entirely true; after all, she manipulated nature as well so it couldn't be used against any particular person. Mikai looked over to this seeming human now resting on the ground, his back to one of the great trees; an irritable look on her face. Fire did more destruction that could oft be repaired even by those who could control the environmental cycles and stages; Mikai's conscious bit at her as she ran his request through her mind one last time. She couldn't stop him from doing so. "If you must..." she murmured through gritted teeth; deciding it would be best to leave it there. 'Firewood' the word sprang to mind and she acted on it, determined to not let some small fire get to her nerves; besides, she didn't have to sit there by the flame and torture herself. Mikai twitched slightly at the though of being trapped in flame. She didn't understand humans, even though she was partly one from her mothers’ side. "... Return shortly." she stated, making her way into the dense forest and leaving the man by the water side. The woman smiled at a sudden though that flashed in her mind; a huge wolf emerging from the wood and stalking the man who sprang to his feet and fled or better yet, he didn't even wake. The woman giggled at the thoughts. At least then she wouldn't have to deal with him. He was as much use as her scar; a hindrance that only slowed her down and weakened her. Mikai considered just leaving and not returning to the lake side, but she couldn't do that; it was in her nature to help those in need of it not leave them to their own devices. The man would be able to look after himself though. Mikai shook her head in frustration, scolding herself for having such horrid thoughts. "No... T'is wrong. You were taught better than to do such; especially to one who needs help... or so it seems. Crazy to wander these woods alone..." she murmured to herself, her voice low and stern. Pushing aside her thoughts, Mikai began gathering dried logs; twigs and dried grass until she felt it would be enough to keep this stranger satisfied. Why she was doing this still puzzled her. Voices in her head questioned her continuously, prodding her and diverting her mind from helping the man. This was new for Mikai; she had only gained the voices since meeting Marcus; he had the same problems, a similar background and mental issues, but together they had been able to destroy such disturbances, even if it had cost them both. Slowly the demon made her way back to the lake, wondering on what she would find; if the man was asleep or still just resting, awake. Her boots crunching the broken twigs and dried leaves as she approached the clearing, breaking the deathly silence. Edited by Mikai Aer'ias, Dec 16 2008, 07:32 AM.
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| Nether | Dec 18 2008, 03:19 AM Post #8 |
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Commoner
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The eyes of the man lit up as he heard the answer of the pale girl, his smile becoming more genuine as he began imagining the pleasures so easily taken for granted. A warm, comfy bed in an inn.. a meal different from roasted squirrels and random berries.. those thoughts were more than enough to get him up again and face a few hours of march. His mind started spacing out, fervently beginning to consider possible plan after possible plan. He needed a stable base of operations, he needed to find out what happened to his followers.. even that thrice-damned, completely useless mess of an imp would have been an asset in this condition.. More than everything, he needed a spellbook and time to record a few experiments on the magical matrices he could manipulate in this new world and in this new form.. he was almost ready to understand fully and weave again a few cantrip-level incantations, but battle magic of any sort was still beyond his grasp.. he'd probably blow up together with his target if he tried it.. that is, if he was lucky. Leaning back with his head against the tree, arms crossed around his knees, hands hidden in his sleeves to save warmth, eyes closed to shield his mind from useless considerations and focus better on the thoughts at hand, he completely missed registering the pale girl's shocked expression at the mention of a fire, and only half-heard her full answer, relegating it to the back of his mind. He saw her start getting away, and didn't bother to call her back for the moment.. after all, she gave him permission for staying, and didn't look like the sort of person who'd just leave and forget him there. If only because he was apparently sitting in a place she held dear. He was going to get up and call her back in a second, just the time to rest his legs another minute, he could still walk for a few hours today, and reach the city.. just.. another.. second.. of rest.. And thinking that, Nether fell asleep against the tree, almost curled into a ball to save warmth, his chin resting against his chest. And just as soon as he fell in the comfortable blackness of sleep, he felt a snicker, and a mocking whisper right behind his right ear. When he turned, he found himself alone, but faint trail of smoke had begun circling around him from the ground. "Pathetic, aren't we?" The smoke had coalesced in a more definite form, now a huge snake with scales of black and gray, firmly coiled around Nether's whole body, the oversized serpentine face locking eyes with him. The animal's eyes were unnerving, but oddly familiar.. twin snakes, biting their own tails. "Deceit. If you really are just a trick of my mind as you claim, why the hell don't you let me sleep in peace?" The snake hissed, the voice changing to suit the form it assumed, as always. "I would.. but you know thiss iss not time for resst.. and sso, I know too.. Besidess, here'ss another reason for you.. wakey wakey, sssunshine.. The snake hissed even louder, opening its huge mouth right in front of the man's face.. wide enough to swallow him whole, the creature just shot its forked tongue against the man's face.. ..and suddenly Nether was wide awake, jolting up from his sitting position as if hit by a burst of lighting, his surroundings once again luscious green forest instead of uniform black nothingness. A wolf howled in the distance, and the man could feel sheer panic creep up his spine. That wasn't a wolf.. he knew it, he was sure of it. The Hounds had finally caught his track, and he had to run. He could have sworn he heard a snicker at the back at his mind as he thought that. See? I told you.. All the tiredness temporarily suppressed, he started talking before even turning to see if the girl was anywhere to be seen. "Girl! I don't know where you are, but I must depart NOW!" |
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- Horror JULY 09 BANNER COMPETITION RUNNER UP - Teleport, from Vensint's Auction.
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| Mikai Aer'ias | Dec 20 2008, 11:50 AM Post #9 |
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Without you I fall,
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Mikai slowed down dramatically as she approached the lake side. Any second now she would have to get used to the company another, not something that was generally welcomed with the demon. 'Who says I have to always be so unfriendly? I have problems, but I can't keep living in the past...' she thought. A howl in the night brought a shiver down Mikai's spin, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end. It was hard to get her to react like such, but now the adrenaline as beginning to flow freely, her pulse quickening. She regretted having such monstrous thoughts as she had had before, not that they had anything to do with what was happening... it had to be irony... sweet irony coming to play once more, but for some reason the Demon doubted that. The wolves in these regions were, there was only one word to describe them, monstrous beasts almost the same size of a horse. Their mangled, usually black fur, matted sometimes with dried blood or mud, intensely fierce golden eyes that seemed to flash a dangerous red, coupled with the long, dagger like teeth; they seemed as though brought forth straight from depths of hell itself. Just one swipe of a paw could take out an adult human, killing them almost instantly, and those who did survive didn't for much longer before the beast would be on top of them again. Often times she found herself in wonder as to whether or not it was one of these beasts that had maimed her for life, but had never taken such thoughts seriously. As rare as it was for her to feel fear for herself as she was now, she felt more fear for the stranger that had found himself in these lands. It was a caring feeling that came almost instinctively to her; a lesson she had learned about sacrifice, something that her mother had taught her but making such a drastic measure to save the life of her daughter and thus being tortured and abused before literally being ripped to shreds by those who now occupied and ran the village she had grown up in, the same one she would have led this stranger to. Dropping the firewood she held in her arms, the demon sprinted the remaining distance between herself and the clearing, her back tightening with each long stride she took. Mikai heard the man's words shouted and felt the urgency in his voice. She slowed down as the mirror like surface of the lake came into view. Mikai came to a halt in the clearing and looked around for the man, the shadows of the trees hiding him form view for a moment before the demon finally spotted him. She felt irritation come back, accompanied by anger. His shouting as he had was not doing anything for their situation. She cautiously made her way over to him and pushed him rather roughly on the shoulder, scowling as she did so. "Keep your mouth shut! Is it your intention to be their next meal?!" she scolded through gritted teeth, her voice low and menacing. The woman looked away quickly and around the surrounding area, searching the shadows for signs of danger. "We leave now! I'm taking you to the village, you'll be safe there. I must ask, are you capable of any sort of defence, it might come in handy, though I do hope that it is not necessary?" she said, her hand wrapping firmly about the pommel of her sword, drawing on her own energy in the case of having to use magic very quickly. "Follow." Edited by Mikai Aer'ias, Dec 21 2008, 06:25 AM.
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| Nether | Dec 23 2008, 10:41 PM Post #10 |
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Commoner
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Shouting didn't help, of course.. then again, if his fears were correct, it didn't harm too much, either.. the Hounds were almost legends on their own: creatures of shadow and magic, relentless trackers, cunning hunters and merciless killers, they wouldn't have howled if they hadn't pinpointed their prey.. they liked the taste of fear. Of course, he grimaced, in his current conditions, a fierce enough natural beast was more than enough to pose just the same kind of threat.. He cursed under his breath in his native demonic tongue. What if they all but forgot about him, and he was being paranoid? What if this was just a normal pack of wolves, without a supernatural compulsion to rip his throat to ribbons? Surprisingly, the idea upset him just as much as it relieved him. Assassination attempts meant he was at least a possible threat.. being ignored, instead.. he lacked words to describe it, it just left a sour taste in the back of his mouth. Still thinking, he barely noticed the pale girl talking again.. it was something that had already sparked his curiosity.. perhaps it was due to the inability of this human mind to process more than one line of thought at the same time, but he was finding himself daydreaming much more than he did before.. damn, he had to focus. There was time for this sort of things later, if he survived. He cursed again, as he counted his options at her question, this time slightly louder. He hated being like this. "..defense?" He locked eyes with her, a forced half-smile twisting his lips as he shook his head. "I'm a man of many talents, many of them great for defense. Sadly, the most I can do right now is grab a sturdy branch, and whack whatever comes too close on the muzzle.. not that it would help, I believe.." While talking, he had already started moving, tailing the girl closely, going as fast as possible, the pain and tiredness already long forgotten. A mouse in a labyrinth.. was this how they felt? A mouse trapped in a labyrinth of trees, with no cheese, but cats at every corner. |
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- Horror JULY 09 BANNER COMPETITION RUNNER UP - Teleport, from Vensint's Auction.
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