|
Post by forgottenxthreat on Jul 28, 2008 14:04:37 GMT -5
His fingertips brushed cautiously against the faint blackness of the wound with the pain of thousands of microscopic needles, as abundant as blades of grass, poking into his muscle veins. He gave a small frown as he realized that his arm wasn’t healing as quickly as he’d hoped. It had been months now since the Pluethsom had touched his skin and the three of them had set out on this unending journey towards a target River doubted even existed, or if it did, had any significance. All he knew was what would happen if the Rebellion’s plan failed. He lifted his head slowly to look at his two companions on the opposite side of the small fire that burned between them. Its light was dying out, but the heat lingered in the smoky air as it clung to their bodies. Gerand’s hazy gaze was upon the smoldering coals as he ruffed the fire idly with a branch. Specks of hot ash roused at this and floated up into the sky with haste trying to escape their presence. From beyond dark strands of River’s jet-black hair Gerand’s figure looked rigid with internal tiredness. While his body attempted to fool, giving off a look of strength and defiance against fear, River wondered what it was that corrupted him. His eyes themselves were portals to his internal worries, and although River couldn’t see much past their foggy surface he tried to feel respect towards this man that was his companion; at last catching a glimpse of Gerand’s real person, and the burden of torment he secretly bore. The fire crackled again and River looked down again at his arm. Its blackened spider web bruise looked a pale grey in the firelight. He stretched the fingers of that hand and ran them through his hair lifting pieces out of his eyes revealing his second companion to him, sitting cross-legged with her arms folded across her chest. Raine’s intense glare was much different from Gerand’s. Her eyes that stared into the fire seemed to be giving off more heat than the breathing flames in front of her. The blackness of her eyes flickered with hatred and anger that seemed contradictory to her sinuous violet tresses that tried to soothe her, caressing her face by means of the gentle wind that came around the campsite. Her arms held her body tightly and she seemed to be clenching tighter still around herself. Pale skin, stretched white like animal skin forming dream-catchers, was out of place in the darkness. She looked lost as the shadowed trees, thick air, and onyx black ground rejected her ghost-like appearance and growled, furiously at the unbalance of contrast her form brought upon the woods. The forest brandished its pointed, branch-like teeth, wishing to dispose of her. But Raine seemed not to care what anyone thought about her. She was an immovable force going one way: out. River, and he suspected that Gerand too saw that she despised being here with them. In her mind, she was alone in the world with no one- no one she’d allow, anyway- to lend her a hand. She kept closed, body and mind, keeping all her reasons and aspirations locked inside. The map never left her pocket and she often wandered away from Gerand and him, scrutinizing over it. What was so mystifying or imperatively secret about that map, River increasingly questioned. His eyes narrowed as he started at her through intrepid inquisitiveness. Her gaze intensified as she continued to glower at the dying fire and living coals. They sat there for the last hour of night, and stood up bringing destruction to their ground as the first break of light exploded into the sky like colored ink entering water. Fog had descended at their feet, they seemed to be gaining altitude. They moved as shadows, their grey silhouettes cast against the melting silver sky. It wasn’t until the 16th day since they encountered the bridge did any other considerable change occur in their surroundings. Around midday the relatively flat land started to noticeable tilt downward, and after a few more hours walking, the ground ahead seemed to disappear. The group walked a little further and looked down at where the sloping began. They were on top of a huge mountainside. Below them were many ledges, each narrower than the last, leading down the cliff in a zigzag pattern. At the very last ledge was an abrupt stop- a sheer drop off to a plummeting depth, which was the conclusion of the cliff. Matching the height of the final ledge were great aged pine trees, massive in size that stretched on filling the distant ravine. Whoa, River thought. He looked out past the cliff spying nothing but forest that dimmed from view in the fog. A single hawk soared gracefully above them and he wished that their descent would go just as smoothly. Without exchanging words or glances, the three of them made their way down the sloping peak, unintentionally kicking loose rubble as they approached the first shelf. Once they reached it, the ground became smoother. The ledges that became their path were flat enough, save for occasional small boulders and loose pebbles that lay near the inside jagged wall of the mountain. When they had walked down along the path for about an hour, the trail curved, and descended now going towards the opposite direction. The sun blazed, now fully out of its foggy cover, and the hanging shadow of mist evaporated. By noon, the group had been walking for a couple of hours now, every so often following the trail curve downward and arrive on a lower ledge. The sun was right over them now and hissed its fiery air towards them. The searing screech of the heat hurled itself at the three making them weary and dehydrated. River raised his arm to wipe the sweat from his brow and acknowledged the strange sensation of being so hot that he was thoroughly convinced the earth was melting. His black hair that once hid him in the gloom of the city nights and obscured his tired eyes in the shadowy prison was now unwelcome as it stuck to his forehead as though trying to smuggle him. River looked around for water but knew they only had three half empty canteens, and looking over the ridge they were traveling down, something told him that he should refrain from drinking. Once the replenishing water entered his body, his mind would rage in protest for more, and his thirst would become an obsession- an addiction he wouldn’t be able to satisfy. For now, he licked his lips and pushed his hair back, trying to fill his mind with thoughts of cold and ignore the warmth that threatened to consume him.
|
|
|
Post by kangaroo cry on Aug 4, 2008 18:30:34 GMT -5
The giant rock-- Raine thought with a scoff, as there was no better word for it-- before the group was completely pointless. Walk to the edge of one side, just so they could then walk to the other side, and then repeat the process. She suppoused the rock could be called a cliff, but then that made it seem like it was merely up and down, straight-forward. There had to be a better way to do this, a shortcut. Raine frowned, but kept walking without hesitation. Like it or not, easy or hard, shortcut or long way, it had to be done.
As the group wandered down the rock-cliff, Raine fell to the back of the group. She didn’t care now who led when they all knew where they were going- which was to the bottom. Raine eyed everything, out of habit, though it appeared all the same. Her eyes traced over boulder and rock and more rock, until suddenly they were met with silver and metal.
Silver and metal? Raine thought she would never see those again. She stepped closer and squatted by it to examine the difference in this monotone setting. It appeared to be a grate, a drain, a hole…but with metal. It looked like it had materialized out of nothing, for absolutely no purpose. But it must have a purpose, Raine thought. It could have been for sewage, or to prevent floods from rain water… if there had been any kind of human life to use or create it. But maybe there once had been. Where did it lead…? Raine’s eyes looked up and raked across the continuous rock settings until she saw it- another drain, matching the one in front of her exactly. Except the matching drain clone was on flat surface, far ahead of them, past even the conclusion of this rock-cliff. A smile flickered across her face, and her lips twitched. This was it! The better way to do this: the shortcut!
Raine didn’t realize that while she was busy reflecting and then rejoicing over the out-of-place sewage drain, she had paused and the others had continued. When she did realize this, however, she didn’t say anything. She let them walk as she yanked the cover off the sewage drain and heard it clatter beside her as she threw it out of the way. Surely her small frame would fit within the hole easily. Of course the others would agree to take the sewer-route, where it was cool and out of the sun. Easy.
|
|
|
Post by forgottenxthreat on Aug 11, 2008 14:05:50 GMT -5
A loud clanging noise echoed abruptly through the muggy air behind him. River whipped around, not sure what he was expecting. Raine sat crouched on the ground examining what looked like a manhole that had been deserted for decades. River couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen one of those, maybe in a textbook, since that kind of plumbing hasn’t been used in years. She continued to scrutinize it, as though getting ready to descend it and leave them here. “Where are you escaping off to?” He questioned, his eyes narrowing dangerously.
|
|
|
Post by kangaroo cry on Aug 11, 2008 14:30:19 GMT -5
Looking up from her spot on the ground, Raine narrowed her eyes at the irritating voice. She hadn’t even said anything yet, and already her shortcut idea was being questioned. Her eyes remained on River for a long, silent while, before she decided to explain herself.
“As much as I wish I could escape, I wouldn’t. It’s a shortcut.” She lowered her eyes to the drain in front of her as if that said it all.
|
|
|
Post by forgottenxthreat on Aug 11, 2008 14:41:07 GMT -5
River’s hardened expression changed to one of twisted triumph as though her response had become justification for verbal loathing; yet this triumph seemed to make his blood boil in temper even more. “A shortcut that none of us can fit through, save for you.” His voice was very low and quiet. A threat appeared in his flashing eyes as he stepped back towards her, his loud boots kicking up dry dust at his feet and the sun screeching in his ears above him.
|
|
|
Post by kangaroo cry on Aug 11, 2008 14:54:38 GMT -5
There was another long pause as Raine thought about this. “Yeah, save for me.” She mumbled to herself, looking down. “That’s beginning to be a problem.” How many times had Raine endured going the long way for these two people? How many times had she sacrificed an easy journey, a known-safe route, just for the sake of “partnership” with her two companions? It seems that when Raine started this trip, that decision paved a road in front of her. A long, hard road that she needn’t had traveled. But here she was.
That thought angered Raine, and she rose to her feet. “At least I’m trying to make this easier. It’s a shortcut. I don’t know about you," Raine accused, "but I don’t enjoy walking in this heat for hours.” She scoffed, stepping closer to River. “A shortcut seems like a good choice, aye?”
|
|
|
Post by forgottenxthreat on Aug 11, 2008 15:03:20 GMT -5
River’s mouth opened in disbelief as he gawked at her. Then he regained momentum as great dislike flooded through him, seeming to make the heat even hotter, as he yelled at her, "Oh, well you see the thing is, I LOVE walking endlessly in this heat!!! What i DON'T like is having to be here with YOU!" His fists clenched at his side as his expression of hate mirrored hers.
|
|
|
Post by kangaroo cry on Aug 11, 2008 15:12:32 GMT -5
Raine stepped closer, as close as she could get to River. She was a full two heads shorter than him, at least, but she didn’t think about it. Instead, she focused on her anger, and there was plenty of that. “And of COURSE, I LOVE being here with YOU.” She shouted at him, grimacing at her words, slightly ruining the sarcasm. “Because you are my FAVORITE PERSON IN THE WHOLE WORLD.”
|
|
|
Post by forgottenxthreat on Aug 11, 2008 15:44:05 GMT -5
What he would give to not have to be dealing with this. "Oh, give it a rest,” he said fed up with her; he shook his head trying to suppress rage and turned away. He began to walk forwards but a new wave came over him and then he was shouting again, “Like it would matter if I were anyone else! You hate all people!” His black hair jostled messily in front of his face as he gestured angrily at her. “And that’s too bad for you, miss revolution, ‘cause guess what? THEY WORSHIP YOU BACK THERE.” A sick smile came over his face as his mouth curved, sneering. His voice was quiet and deadly again, “And they're gonna want you to lead them. While you can’t even stand being here in the presence of two people who don't care whether you're war turns out right!” His voice rose as the last sentence came out of his mouth and he turned around and stomped forward, his breathing noticeable as his chest heaved up and down, anger distorting his face.
|
|
|
Post by kangaroo cry on Aug 11, 2008 15:54:37 GMT -5
For a short moment, Raine was speechless and motionless, her teeth grinding silently together as River marched forward. She didn’t know what to think about this turn in the argument. All she knew was that it had directed its attention to herself, and Raine didn’t want it there. “Hey!” She shouted, as she looked up, her eyes blazing fire. River was a few long strides in front of her, and Raine ran to catch up, and then she kept pace with him, her head turned in his direction as she yelled. “We are NOT talking about me, okay?” She said simply. This argument was not over.
|
|