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Post by laurabeth on Feb 23, 2008 15:39:03 GMT 9.5
[Continued from: landofriiga.proboards59.com/index.cgi?board=completethread&action=display&thread=1201066732 ] She watched as he stood from his makeshift-bed, making no noise yet being the faintest silhouette against the rest of her hut. Kuvre laid motionless a while longer, until he had gathered the rest of his belongings. After Jakim had left the hut, she slid out of her cot and walked across the room to the doorway. She stepped out and into a crisp night art, catching a glimpse of a fleeing boy. Kuvre gave chase. Her feet made a soft padding as they hit the hard ground, soft and smooth from much trampling. "Jakim!" She called, her voice breathy from running and her sleepless night. She quickened her pace, now almost at his heels. Each new step felt heavier, and made her work harder to keep up, let alone catch up. "Please, do not run away from me," She panted, "I just wish to help you." She reached out and grabbed his elbow. |
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Post by darkfoxprime on Feb 28, 2008 0:13:56 GMT 9.5
Jakim jerked to the side at the touch on his elbow. Stumbling, then regaining his footing, he glanced over at Kuvre with wide, white eyes. Seeing her, his face turned into an unrecognizable snarl, and he lashed his arm out to knock hers away. "You! Go away! Why are you following me? You can't help me, leave me alone!"
[sorry for the lame short addition]
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Post by laurabeth on Mar 1, 2008 5:41:52 GMT 9.5
His outburst froze her to the spot. Her eyes were on Jakim's face, taking in his expression unknown to her. He might as well had stabbed her than react to her kindness like that. She didn't make a move to approach him. Kuvre stood, staring at him for a long while in silence, waiting for him to either attack or run away.
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Post by darkfoxprime on Mar 1, 2008 7:09:06 GMT 9.5
His wild eyes met hers for a long moment, waiting for another movement from her, then he spun in place and dashed away from Kuvre again, disappearing through the gap between two buildings. As true morning light began to bathe the stone-and-wood city, and its inhabitants began to filter into the streets, he kept moving. After random turnings and long runs, he finally half-collapsed in a stone nook formed by a low wall jutting out from one of the larger buildings. He curled up, panting heavily from his exertions. As he lay against the stone building, a sense of calm finally came over him, and he drifted into a restful sleep, while on the other side of the low stone wall, the temple caretakers began arriving to their duties.
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Post by laurabeth on Mar 6, 2008 13:28:16 GMT 9.5
She dropped to her knees as both her willpower and strength were stomped to the ground by Jakim's fleeing feet. Sinking even lower to the ground and closing her eyes, she assured herself that he could not leave the city. Her breath was heavy from the running, and her arms and legs weak with exhaustion. For a moment she remained still while catching her breath. Soon, Kuvre laboriously raised herself to standing, and then slowly picked her way back to her hut. There she lay down on her bed, asleep almost immediately.
A bright light was in her eyes, and she couldn't get it to stop. She lifted her hand to cover her face. A temporary relief came, but then something else began to annoy her. It was a memory, one of someone she had met. Her eyes flashed open and she darted off her bed and across the room. She had disappeared even before the cloth over her door had stilled. Finding where she had lost him from view, she began looking in every crevice after the first small alley off the main route. For many tedious minutes she searched, and soon the time evolved to hours.
A stubbornness resided in her, one that propelled her through most of all the streets of Shuptalxia. Ignoring the odd gazes, she bent over and looked underneath any odd object or dark shadow. About midday she had come to the temple, though before she began looking about the area she sat in the shadow of a nook. The place was cool and the ground smooth and soft. She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes, enjoying the steep change in temperatures.
A soft sound from the right startled her, and she jumped back, her hand, almost instantly, pulling her knife from its sheath. She broke out in breathy laughs as she recognized Jakim, asleep in the unlit corner. Kuvre covered her mouth with her hand to stifle her relief and joy, not making a move nearer to him.
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Post by darkfoxprime on Mar 6, 2008 15:51:35 GMT 9.5
The entire morning passed with Jakim deep in his exhausted sleep. He finally stirred when the moving sun finally shone its light directly on his face. He shifted his arm first, covering his eyes with his forearm and wrist, but he was already well on his way to waking. When the feeling of the cool stone against his back broke through his consciousness, the sudden awareness of being someplace he didn't expect brought him abruptly awake, and he sat up with a jerk.
He looked around rapidly, his hand groping along the ground for his knife. He took in the busy street, full of Keid making their way to or from errands; he heard the sounds from inside the temple entrance just behind the wall he sat against; and his turning gaze finally fell upon the girl from yesterday.
He tensed for a moment, having caught her eyes on him, then relaxed all at once. He pulled his hand back away from the knife resting a foot away, matching her gaze with his; then he dropped his eyes to the ground and hugged his arms around his torso. "Oh. Mm... hi." A short pause was followed by, "I'm sorry 'bout.. about before."
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Post by laurabeth on Mar 7, 2008 10:57:20 GMT 9.5
She smiled at him from behind her hand. "It is alright, I'm glad you're safe." She didn't take her eyes off of him as she lowered her hand and leaned back against the cool wall. Everything seemed suddenly a less urgent. For a while she remained speechless, still catching her breath. She shifted her position to face him, tilting her head to the side before asking, "How are you? Are you all right?"
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Post by darkfoxprime on Mar 11, 2008 8:19:20 GMT 9.5
Jakim shrugged, unconsciously matching her pose by pushing himself back against the wall as well; as he did so, his arms dropped to his lap, his hands sort of fiddling with each other.
"Okay," he answered finally. "Not tired or hungry."
After that admission-of-sorts, his eyes raised back up to Kuvre's again, then glanced around at the street and surrounding buildings. "Um... where am I? This is still Shuptalxia, right?"
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Post by laurabeth on Mar 12, 2008 1:28:39 GMT 9.5
She looked up at the large walls in front of her. "That's the temple, at least part of it." She said, pulling up her leg and hugging it, her eyes following the lines of the structure. She had been inside it only once, and in the presence of Buroba. Though the experience was magnificent, she would not like to go through it again. The temple was much too sacred for her to feel comfortable around. She closed her eyes and let the muscles relax before opening them again and gazing towards Jakim.
He looked so small in comparison of the stone temple. He seemed even thinner now than he had before. She assumed it was because she now realized how malnourished he truly was. Kuvre tilted her head before resting her chin on her knee, her lips slightly parted in thought as she focused her attention upon the boy. "Why did you run away last night?" She asked him, sounding curious and not reprimanding.
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Post by darkfoxprime on Mar 14, 2008 5:39:51 GMT 9.5
Eyes widening, Jakim scooted forward, away from the stone wall behind him, and twisted his head around to look up at it, then back at Kuvre. "The temple? Buroba? Wow.." His face wore the look of one not sure whether to feel awestruck or terrified.
He focused on Kuvre again when she asked her question. "Oh.." he started to answer, before dipping his head down to rest against his knees, looking into the distance with his mouth partially covered. "I .. needed to get outside." His eyes flicked to hers, then away again. "I told you why already. I didn't wanna get caught inside."
He paused for a few moments, then continued as if he hadn't stopped. "They're gone, for now. I know they'll be back, though, so I should leave soon. They're easier to get away from when I'm in the trees."
Then he looked at her again, lifting his head. "Besides, I still need to practice getting feathers from the kiwaa birds, so I can go after my koatl feather soon. You scared 'em all away." The last, he said with a wide, teasing grin.
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Post by laurabeth on Mar 15, 2008 3:55:04 GMT 9.5
She narrowed her eyes once again in confusion, "Who are 'they'?" She asked, turning her whole body to face him, shifting her weight to her heels as she moved to a crouching position. "You never explained that part. I will feel much more at ease letting you leave once you explain." She paused for a moment, twirling her loose hair at the end of the braid over her shoulder. If she let him go, she wanted to be assured that he would return. She held her tongue for now, not wanting to pressure him with more questions.
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Post by darkfoxprime on Mar 18, 2008 3:13:27 GMT 9.5
His grin disappeared when his attempt to change the subject failed. When Kuvre asked her question, his face blanked of emotion; he gazed back at her with that empty look, then he turned his head away again.
"Niiya," his voice finally came, almost a whisper on the wind. "Trebik. Maia. Huri. Kabotan. Alnea." The litany of names continued, a dozen or so more.
Then his eyes returned to hers, dark and guarded, as his body tensed up. "All the tokorun, all the spirits from my village. Everyone who died. Ev--" A small choking sound escaped him, then he finished, "Everyone."
Then he looked away again, scooped his knife up from the ground beside him, and stood.
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Post by laurabeth on Mar 25, 2008 11:00:17 GMT 9.5
Her assumptions were verified and her thoughts more clouded at his statement. She stood at the same time he did, her mouth moving over the words she wanted to say. Her brows furrowed slightly, and her eyes were caught on the small Keid's face. "I do not think it could have been your fault. No, I know it was not your fault." She looked down at her dusty feet and spoke again, "And you never said if you would come back to me now and then." Looking up, she smiled awkwardly at him. "I just met you, toban, and you still mean much to me." Once again, she looked away toward the direction of the temple. She grinned. Kuvre's thoughts toppled over one another in haste of realization. "Buroba, He could--should know--well He does know--because He is Him--I mean, He is the leader of our people!" She said, her voice shaking. "Maybe we could be granted the ability to ask Him, maybe He will know about how to stop this, Jakim!" She had thrown out her arms in a vivid gesture, smacking her hand upon the stone wall she was standing near. Sucking her knuckles, she stared up at Jakim with questioning and eager eyes. [Took me a while to figure out just how to reply, and I think I'm morphing my character too much but I'm too tired to care  ] |
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