Post by onyxshade on Jul 31, 2013 10:57:55 GMT -7
Hello! I am pretty new to this, and I would love any help and comments any one would be willing to give! It would mean a lot to me! my story is only six very short chapters, but I understand if you don't read it all the way through.
Thanks!
Onyx
"Far over the Misty Mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must away, ere break of day,
To find our long forgotten gold.
The pines were roaring on the height,
The winds were moaning in the night.
The fire was red, it flaming spread;
The trees like torches blazed with light.
The wind was on the withered heath,
But in the forest stirred no leaf:
There shadows lay be night or day,
And dark things silent crept beneath."
J.R.R. Tolkien
The wind howled, flinging the clouds across the starry sky, a companion to the lonely creature, running beneath it. From its’ throat came the wolf’s song, somber as its eagle eyes searched for something in the darkness. Maybe it was a ghost, hidden from the earth’s realm, or it could've been an angel, here to melt the creature’s heart of stone. Why do you hide? A whisper in her mind, the old man in the moon talking to her again. Because I am hated, thought the creature, the anger in her voice clear. The creature didn't know what to do. She had been mate-less for two years now, and if she was made to endure another mate-less year, she would not survive. Her lineage would disappear, and the creature would exist no more. She would die.
...then again, it was pointless. The creature’s heart was already dead, the only thing that kept her breathing was the fact that she could possibly be the only creature like her left. It didn't matter now. All that mattered, was the wind in her fur. The starry sky, full of wonder, with the blue moon sitting at a standstill above. The clouds, like wild white horses, floating lazily in the sky. The grassy blue plains carpeted the hills that spread over the earth, and the dark pine trees that speckled the hills. A ring of bright light surrounding the inner midnight darkness of the night sky, like the sun was trying to come up from all directions. The creature laid down, sore from running for so long. Her head on her paws, a wolfish grin appearing on her faces as she listened to the steady, deep, Heart beat that came up to her ears from the earth below.
I can hear the beating. The Mother Eartherens own heart, singing like birds, liquid like water, hard like earth.
Warmth against her paws, every tiny blade of grass warm with life. The joy it brought her made her feel like singing. High, she raised her head and let her song flow out, her vocal chords vibrating a beautiful sound, only a slight musical difference made her voice different from all others, not exactly like the wolves who her nose told her roamed these parts.
Yet this time, she got a response.
The same howl erupted. Close, maybe about three miles from her, and she could only just see the sky light up above the other glorious creature’s position, the stars twinkling down at her as if to say I am here! Come find me!
excitement brought her to her paws, her pads just barely touching the ground as she sped, wanting to see his eyes, to see his muscles ripple beneath his pelt, to taste his scent in her mouth, as if her very own life existed for it.
Through the trees, the elation making her heart run like the wings of a humming bird. Her ears never letting go of the precious sound. Through the trees, deeper and deeper into the woods she went, her ears leading her to what she was sure would bring her soul to life.
What appeared to her in the clearing was the most saddening thing she had ever seen. Abruptly she stopped, her heart still beating a mile a minute as she stared, all happiness in her howl leaving, for in front of her lay the only second most impossible thing for her world.
Bones, quite a few bigger than her own body, lay in a sick black circle on the ground. Where the grass should have lay, a dark mess of revolting death sat. Like the dirt had come alive with death itself. Sticking up from the black goo, yellow bones sat. Cracked, Nauseating things, their smell as repulsive and gut wrenching as things could get. Dark flesh sat in areas, shredded to hell. How could this thing have ever have been alive? Thoughts tumbled through her mind as she buried her nose in the ground, never taking her yellow eagle eyes from the horrifying, gruesome scene in front of her.
Her world was not like this. The planet was full of magical things, including a creature referred to as Umieranie, big hulking creatures, the harbinger of death, but even those creatures were not as vile as this massacre of life that sat in front of her. A tiny howl, matching hers from earlier, split up from the bones, which first had filled her with hope, now filled her with sheer, animal, instinct of terror.
A Ghost howl.
Move! Run! Fear pricked at her pelt, and she finally tore her eyes away, turned tail, and ran. Faster than before, faster than she ever had, away from the pile and to the safety of the forest. After an hour of straight out terror filled sprinting, she dropped, exhausted. Fear still pricked her, bounding through her every nerve, but no longer could she keep her eyes open. the nightmare images of earlier followed her into her unconsciousness, creating a dream in which she did not wish to see.
Bones. Sickened and yellow. Slowly, oh so slowly at first, only just rumbling, gently bumping into another. Yet, as she watched, they started to form. A body, some four legged animal. On the ground it lay, thrashing and trying to howl, its voice strangled into a guttural sound, clipped and full of blood. Red, black... black and red everywhere. Covering the dead thing in what she could only be sure was raw muscle, sinew and pelt. After the snapping and bubbling noises subsided, the hulking mammoth of a creature rose up. There were no words to describe it... its paws were twisted, its claws part of its bones, long and finger-like, only still an animals. Mutated muscles sat beneath its grey holey pelt, its tail hanging limply behind it, dead. its head... the thing look like it had been split in two and then sown back together, only the stitches had failed to work, and from the creatures skull, another head was growing. The face of a wolf stared at her, instilling fear and terror into her very soul, into her brain, through her eyes.... the thing had no eyes. Bloody pits, dark as night, flesh hanging from the holes, and in far back, two pinpoints of light, like something had driven the light through its skull, like the points were what had made the pits themselves. Its maw of a mouth opened wide, sharpened bones had been shoved into the creature’s gums, and from the teeth hung flesh and blood dripping and hanging everywhere.
The thing lunged for her.
2 ~ Running
her eyes flew open, dread filling her soul to the brim. where am I? she knew the dark thing was not far behind her, and she stared up at the never-moving moon in the middle of the sky. with nothing else to do, she pushed her heavy body to her paws, claws digging into the dirt. A howl of frustration left her, and off she took. She ran through the forest, the pines tugging her pelt, thorns digging in, tiny shards of rock shredding her pads. Her heart skipped a beat as thoughts that were not hers entered into her mind.
Faster, faster, Neverwhere. you can not run from me, can not hide from me, for I am every where. the evil hiding in the night, even your soul bright can not keep me from taking life.
She bristled at his mental touch, the black wolf's thoughts moving around in her mind, making space for them to sit and stare at her, instilling the fear even deeper. at the edge of the trees she stood, staring down into a valley of bright glowing blue grass, trembling. The fact that he could send his thoughts to her, that he could even speak her language, made everything all the worse.
where do i go? her thoughts and fear making her shake.
his response terrified her. no where. I am here.
A slight brush against the back of her tail. twisting around, she stared at the darkness of the forest, deciding the safety of the glow, in the open field in front of her, was better than the unknown behind her. she had awoken the beast, and there was no where she could go that he wouldn't be. His consciousness surrounded her like a thick black cloud, his presence as dense and heavy as concrete. swiftly, she padded down the slope, light fingers of uncertainty traveling down her spine.
Am I safe here? the wonder made her stomach churn.
Pain seared up her tail, reverberating through her spine as rabid teeth dug into her tail, taking fur, flesh, and muscle with them. Barking, she tried to turn to meet her attacker, only to slip and tumble down center field, glowing grass surrounding her as she sat, catching her bearings. All around her, the darkness of the forest stood waiting for her to renter. The only safety coming from the surrounding blue-green light.
she could feel his smile in her brain. Never, my beauty.
Out of the trees he stepped, his body thicker than the trees themselves. his tail lay dead, blood dripping from his snarling jaws a he stared at her, his tiny white eyes noting her trembling. A heart stopping realization made her whimper. The fact that what she had seen in her dream was real, and the fact that her peaceful little world, so full of magic, was no longer safe.
his jowls drew back in a snarl of deep hatred. your soul magik is mine.
3 ~Bone Magyk and Her Glowing Soul
With a shiver of its great body, the creatures pelt parted along its spine. blades, as thick as bones and about as tall as her, grew from his back. his monstrosity of a tail moved, swishing back and forth as his fur slickened, growing brittle and hard until he was waving around a blade, rusted over red with his own blood. With an ugly howl, his claws extended, and he leaped towards her. his bloody teeth made contact with her ear, claws digging into her side, bladed tail wrapped around her front left fore-paw.
Snarling, she jerked backward and twisted around, ignoring the pain as she tossed the nasty creature off her back and into the nearest tree, sending her thoughts of disgust with him.
how dare you touch me with your rotten flesh.
Closing her eyes, she dug all claws into the ground, her buzzing thoughts going silent. She felt the beautiful life well up in her, happiness and soul leaving her throat in a powerful song. wind brushed around her, swirling the scent of earth and leaves up into her nostrils, sending goosebumps rising on her skin. Her pelt tickled with the magyk as lightning crackled through her fur. The other creature had gotten up, and was circling her, looking for the best entrance to his next attack.
Again, the creature lunged for her. In mid air the flattened glowing grass around him swerved up, glowing all the brighter, as it reached for him, catching his rotting body in an airtight grip. She smiled a wolfsih grin as her eyes opened, her body tingling and glowing with the thrum of life magyk her soul was doling out.
His bladed club of a tail slashed right through the plants, her happy moment of magyk disappearing quick as she realized this would not be an easy fight, and she would have to do the one thing her body had never let her do.
she would have to kill.
he instantly picked up on her thoughts, her fear of killing him. you can not kill me, life caster. I am the end of your world, the end of this planet. a black festering pit of death that sucks anything and everything into it. That includes you, My beautiful Neverwhere.
her retort was sharp. Keep your dirty thoughts out of my mind, you nelegitim.
His deep chuckle seared through her mind like his piercing eyes did her pelt. Nelegitim? Fatherless, I am Hardly, Neverwhere.
her chops drew back in a snarl, and she threw burning life force into his face, burning away the flesh in front of his eyes. She did not know why he called her Neverwhere, but she was tired of hearing a pet name from a creature, no... A Thing, As disgusting and despicable as him.
They tangeled, dancing back and forth for a couple of minutes; Her hurling burning life force at him a thousand miles a minute, and him throwing his claws and blades into her pelt, just waiting for her defenses to fail.
..and when they did, it shoudlve been for her death.
Just think of what all the life power I will get when I suck it out of you, all the power that I will have to destroy this beautiful world with. you are me biggest vise, yet your are my best source of power, my glorious Neverwhere.
She faltered, only for a moment, but it was enough. His blade of a tail wrapped around her neck, bones crackling and snapping as she was thrown to the ground, the impact of it making her muscles ripple. Her consciousness snapped off instantly as she lay bleeding out, the presence of her blood spattered across the earth killing the grass and everything around her.
4 ~ Umieranie
Shuffling noises, like something large was being drug across dirt. clethunk...clethunk.... clethunk.... stomping. Warmth flowed up into her cold body, life force still seeping out of her at will, attracting all sorts of creatures to her, she was sure. light brushing across her pelt, finally unwillingly bringing her to consciousness.
Life? Do I still contain it?
Shuddering, she opened her eyes to a horrid sight. Surrounding her, brushing her with their body seeking roots, were big, green, hulking creatures. Sadness swept over her as she stared at them, her tongue lolling out to the side as if she was dead. Long fluffy green moss hung down from their frowning faces, their pupiless yellow eyes staring straight ahead. Their bodies were made of life green plants, roots swirling into the arms and legs, and long wooden claws stuck from their three fingered hands. they stood hunched over, their arms swinging slightly as they walked, tiny flame-burst flowers growing up out of the creatures, quivering slightly.
Umieranie.
but how? Umieranie were Mother Eartherens way of cleaning up. long spindly roots grew from their arms and attached to what ever fortunate thing The Mother had decided to call to be her soul food, and slowly, they ate the creatures remains. They then continued their journey to The Mother, and fed her through their newly nourished roots. nothing ever truly died in her world, but just became part of the earth, part of The Mother, part of everything, their bodies going limp and cold when they could no longer live. The Umieranie were in a way a part of her, just as they were a part of every other creature in this world too... therefore something must have died to draw the Umieranie here.
Fear struck her hard as the creatures seemed to notice her consciousness. Slowly, so slowly she wondered if they were actually heading towards her, they wandered over to her body. Long finger like roots spread down from them, sliding into her at all angels, covering her body in a live mask of roots. eyes growing wide, she tried to howl, to move, to struggle and break free from these things, to show them that she was still alive.
Yet, as hard as she tried, no movement or feeling came to her. she lay as still as if she was dead. Frustrated energy built up in her mind, an intense feeling of anger clouding her thoughts. The Mother must of known she was alive, as The Eartheren Mother could always feel the creatures roaming her body.
Then what were the Umieranie doing, attaching their life taking roots to her white-and-honey colored pelt?
A glorious god-like emotion swirled into her, pushed and shoved into her soul by some unknown force. Warmer she grew, her muscles flexing and moving of their own accord. she could feel her life force soul reserves growing, pushing the boundaries that they were contained in. Looking into the eyes if the nearest Umieranie, she realized what was happening. They were Healing her, fixing her and giving her the power and life to continue on.
For a split second, her eyes glazed over, and she stood in a different world. The herculean, elephantine face of a woman, purple in color and as vast as the sky itself, was held against a dazzling marble-diamond wall by a network of millions and millions of differently colored tree roots. Everything glowed and pulsated with the light of life, the air thrumming and crackling with energy.
The Eartheren Mother herself.
The Mother stared into her eyes, many different emotions playing over her wooden features all at once. A glorious voice flowered in Neverwheres mind, singing with millions of vioces and souls.
Neverwhere, my child. Become my slave, my bringer of life, and take away the evil that you have brought here in your own selfishness.
Neverwhere is my true name.
Back into her own soul, she opened her golden yellow eagle eyes to find herself alone, her newly replenished body standing in the field of the fight she had last had with the evil black creature from earlier.
The effects were horrid. The originally blue green glowing field had been tarnished in places. Black festering blotches of pure death and evil staining the grass. everything had been flattened, and was a dull lifeless color. the surrounding forest still glowered with darkness, but she knew that she could hide from it no longer. Center field she walked, sitting down with her tail curled around her own body. Dipping her head down, she pushed her muzzle into the earth, smelling the sweet scent of dirt and life and the tiny creatures that crawled around underneath.
Again, that beautiful feeling welled up inside her, her soul glowing and buzzing, thrumming to The Eartheren Mother's own heart beat. The corners of her jowls drew up in what could only be a smile, her eyes closed as she purred, healing the land around her. Her paws glowed as her eyes opened, and she padded over to the nearest dark spot. gently, she laid a glowing paw into the black dead goo, the plants coming alive again, growing tall and pulsing with blue-green life. She took the evilness into her own self, instead it became a black splotch on her pelt.
By the time she finished healing the field, long bright green ribbons of light swirled around in the never-lightening dark sky, informing her that it was now sleep-time for most of the creatures. The Aurora colors were the Eartheren Mothers way of keeping track of time.
"Neverwhere, my child. Become my slave, my bringer of life, and take away the evil that you have brought here in your own selfishness."
Neverwhere understood. Her own selfish thoughts of finding a mate had brought that evil dark wolf-creature into the world, and now The Mother had made it Neverwhere's responsibility to take it out.
She stared into the dark forest, fear tingling inside her.
How?
5 ~ Call Upon My Death
Into the depths, the darkness of the forest, she went. Fear timidly stepped into her mind, not enough to set her sprinting, but just enough to make her jumpy. "Beware" it said, Its companionship making her pelt pickle. Unease and discomfort spread through her blood like freezing water. The moonlight filtered down through the trees at odd intervals, creating isolated shadows that swayed and moved with strange, jerky gestures. Pop! the snapping noise behind her made her jump, a fractured howl splitting her chops as she lurched around, her eyes wide with sudden terror.
A squethique stared back at her, its large bushy tail frizzed out to cover its tiny quivering body, a cracked nut sitting in its paws as it stared, Its terror of being her next meal evident. She sighed, a slight churring of air. Her quest was making her jumpy, and images of the nightmare wolf kept flashing through her mind.
Cracked, yellow bones.
Neverwhere shook the image out of her head, deciding some rest might do her good.
Padding up to the nearest Vază tree, she gingerly climbed up its twisted branches, clawing her way to its center. The old wood groaned as it shifted, its branches curling around her, its soft, hair like leaves twisting and grasping at her fur, covering her in warm Eartheren safety.
two pinpoints of light followed her into her subconscious, yellow teeth bared.
you call upon my death, Neverwhere, and the souls of worldly destruction will follow.
6 ~ Shaktra Souls and Two-legged beings
Neverwhere blinked open her eyes as warmth slinked across her pelt. Silver and blue.... Colored streaks of glowing light slid through the cracks of the protective branches of her cocoon. Beautiful creatures, like the Aurora colors themselves had come down from the sky and were swimming around her, dancing in the air. She churred gleefully, a slight purr building up in her throat.
Shaktra souls. Free, pure spirits embodied in little ribbons of light, their bodies so thin, their auras so full of happiness, that they glowed with the light of the Eartheren Mother. Their tiny little eyes sparkled at her as they dove through her fur, somersaulting through the air. Hundreds of tiny little creatures floated around her, just another expression of the precious world she lived in. their glowing light danced around the branches of her tree as the Shaktra souls settled themselves into her fur, squealing softly as their contagious joy rippled through them and seeped into her.
A bright red soul twirled on the tip of her muzzle. Slowing to a stop, it floated right up between her eyes, putting its two minuscule front paws on her face as it stared at her. Bright thoughts appeared in her mind, an Image being transferred from the shaktra souls mind into hers.
A ball of blazing light hung in a bright blue sky, the light burning her eyes as heat seared the skin underneath her pelt. hard, prickly material sat underneath her paws, pricking at her pads. monstrous, see through structures shot up towards the sky, taller than the tallest trees of her forest, higher than she could see. Harsh lights and sounds stabbed at her ears, her head swimming with the chaos. elephantine multicolored creatures sped past her across a black path, spewing foul smells and loud, squeaking sounds. Not a speck of grass was seen anywhere.
Horrid feelings filled the air, tears threatening to fall from her eyes as she sat, helpless. Hate, anger, envy and fear surrounded her like a thick black cloth, choking and gagging her. Slim creatures of multiple sizes wandered around all around her, swarming the ground and tall clear structures. Their skin varied from a light creme color to the the dark mahogany color of dirt. They had fur at what only could be the top of their heads, some on what must have been their odd, flat faces. tiny muzzles sat in the middle of their heads, with flappy things that stuck out funny at their sides. Some wore dark round things that covered their small eyes. they had four legs, two that hung strangely at their sides, and two that they walked on. Over their weird pink skin, covering both sets of legs, were many different oddly colored pelts. whining, Neverwhere pushed her nose into the hard ground, trying to feel the comforting magic that should have been there.
....Nothing appeared to her. No comforting feeling of magic swelled into her breast, no happiness or joy came to greet her. This place was magic-less. A howl of anguish and fear split her jowls, and screams of terror came from the odd creatures around her. they ran from her, two or three of them pulling out odd black little sticks. A pop, and Neverwhere hit the ground, the vision seeping away from her as pain seared up her side.
She opened her eyes to tree bark, her mind and body back in the tree she had woken up in this morning. the glorious Shaktra souls had all dissapated.
A small voice spoke in her mind.
Destroy him, Neverwhere, or let the hate, anger, fear, and envy rule with the humans of a planet called earth.
