Short story Intro

So i'm always talking about wanting to write a short story or something. I tend to read more of the sci-fi/fantasy type so it was more of what I felt the urge to write about. I will not take it the least bit personal if you aren't interested. As soon as I post this, I'm going to do an actual blog for the day. But I just felt like I needed to write something from outside of me. So I did! You can read it, or not. This is actually taking a much longer short story that I wrote MANY MANY years ago and taking it a different direction...if you do read it, feel free to comment. Some people might even recognize a character. :-)


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Heart pounding, she broke free of the woods into a small clearing. Her shirt was damp and clung to her back and her pants felt sticky from the blood oozing from dozens of scrapes. Her flight through the forest had been folly, she feared. Thorns had torn at her and dense thickets of rhododendron had hindered her. Her face was wet from dew and perspiration. The pale round moon illuminated her surroundings with a starkness that made everything feel like a dream.

She pressed her hands into the stitch in her side and tried to get her bearings, fighting against the feeling of panic that threatened to overwhelm her. Taking a deep breath she listened behind her for the sounds of pursuit. She knew she was being hunted. And she knew that before the night was over she would be forced to face her pursuers. She could not outrun them indefinitely.

Gnawing her lip in nervous thought, she debated her options. Head north towards the open plains at the base of the mountain range that made up the heart of the island or head west through the dense woods towards the ocean. With concentration she could just barely hear the steady whoosh of the waves crashing over and over against the sand. The forest was unnaturally silent. Not even the crickets would dare to make a noise tonight. Not while those creatures stalked the darkness.

A branch popped in the forest to her right. In the silence it sounded like a gun shot. Instinctively her hands went to the worn leather holsters on her hips. The cold steel calmed her heart and steadied her mind. She would head north, attempt to escape the dark, foreboding forest, and make her stand in the plains. She checked both pistols, then reached over her shoulder to check the short sword secured there. The hilt felt warm to her hand and comforted her further.

Pushing errant strands of mahogany hair away from her face, she plunged back into the forest, racing through thickets and brambles as if they weren't there. Her life depended on her speed. And she wasn't sure if she would make it to sunrise. But she felt she had to try.

Only moments had passed when she heard the cry ring out behind her. A shrill scream tore across the forest and sent a flock of crows cawing and flapping up into the night. It soon was joined by two brethren, and the girl knew her time was nearly up. They had caught her scent and once the three were together they truly be after her.

Even with the miles she had put between them, she heard her hunters breaking through the forest in pursuit. As trained as she was, a cry tore from her as she attempted to go faster. Not only her life, but others, depended on her this night.

When she thought she couldn't run any further she found herself surrounded by open plains instead of the close trees. A smile flickered across her face. She was going to make it! In the open, she felt confident that she could best the blind beasts. Even three to one, the liked her odds now that she was from the confines of the trees. Hope filled her chest and gave her a new surge of energy, she began to slow and turn, calculating the best offense.

Reaching down to unholster her weapons, she suddenly realized that she hadn't heard the noise of their pursuit since before she had escaped the forest. A flicker of fear crossed her face and her eyes lit with terror and realization. As she turned she raised her face and locked eyes with one of her hunters. Leathery claws closed around her neck and cut off her air before she could scream. She felt another set of claws in her abdomen and then the darkness closed in she felt no more on this earth.

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Sorenya wiped the tears from his cheeks and stood. He tightened his grip on the small silver necklace that he had removed from the bloody mass. His eyes burned with the grief and loss. He felt like a deep hole had opened inside of him. That perhaps he had been the one so brutally treated.

His little sister. Dead. How on earth could he ever face his mother? How could he tell their family?

The early morning was full of the sounds of summer. Birds chirping, cicadas singing. The day itself seemed to hum. The wind tickled through his ash blonde hair and ruffled open his shirt, exposing the numerous scars that years of fighting accumulated. He stared absently across the open plains towards the distant mountain range.

Hearing footsteps behind him, he turned. His hand went to the sword at his side and he drew his blade. He wasn't expecting anyone and while his people weren't usually hunted during the day he had learned long ago to expect the unexpected. He dropped back into a defensive position and waited.

She stumbled from the forest, short and slender, her blue jeans torn and dirty, and mud coating her hands. There were sticks and leaves tangled in her long dark hair. She had a long scratch across one cheek and the sleeve of her leather jacket was ripped from the elbow down. Freckles covered her nose and her bright green eyes surveyed the body behind him with horror before looking up at Sorenya.

He knew strange when he saw it. The confusion and terror mixed on her face and he didn't know if she was going to run, scream or faint. After a moment's hesitation, she straightened up and glared at him. Swallowing loudly she placed her hands on her hips.

"I don't know who you are or what is going on. But dammit, I am tired of this place already. Where the hell am I?" she demanded. Her voice broke at the end and he could tell she was fighting the urge to cry.

One dark eyebrow cocked up at her and in spite of everything that had happened the last few months, Sorenya wanted to laugh. Whoever she was, Sorenya had a feeling she was going to change everything. Maybe even for the better.