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Post by Ethereal Panda on Aug 31, 2009 10:23:03 GMT 9.5
Surprised by the knife wielding boy, Cliff turned and stepped backwards almost colliding with Larr. The unknown boy had dark eyes with brown hair and he stood to be about their height. Despite Cliff's alarm, he quickly noticed that although this boy didn't live in the village, Larr already knew who he was. It was the terms of the relationship that he couldn't immediately detect. With the immediate rush of the ambush having passed, Cliff stepped away from Larr returning him his personal space.
Looking between the two boys, Cliff tried to judge the situation based on his friend's expression. In an attempt to seem unphased by the sudden encounter, he casually tugged on the cuff of his shirt as though to shake off dirt. Nonchalantly, Cliff replied, "My name is Cliff Rammes." He spoke his name with an air of importance, as though the boy should have already known. Shifting onto his good foot, Cliff added a tilt to his posture by leaning on his walking stick. "And who might you be?"
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Post by Treijim on Aug 31, 2009 10:32:01 GMT 9.5
"Name's Selari," the boy replied. His eyes darted to his left and then back again. "But you can call me Selari. Tex tells yous are being horrid again. I'm inclined to believe and agree. You won't find him and I shant tell you where he went and hidden."
He jumped down from the rock he was standing on and walked in front of them, blocking their path. He looked from Cliff to Larr and back again several times, and then a grin broke onto his dirty face. He held up the blade and pointed it at Cliff. Larr flinched and gripped his walking stick as though contemplating its effectiveness as a club.
"You right know you can't 'urt me, Larry," Selari said, not taking his eyes off Cliff. "So you shant even try, ya hear me good son? You shant even try."
"We just... want to find Tex," Larr said, clearly nervous. "We just want to talk to him. What happened in the camp was really an accident. Nobody was trying to hurt him."
"Try or not, is what you did anyway, think that makes it good then? I don't. Don't be stupid, brother. How could you think such a thing? Gimme one good reason I should let you talk to Tex now then, aye? One good reason, if you would." He tilted back his head slightly and shifted his foot, still pointing the knife at Cliff which was less than an arm's length from the boy's face.
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Post by Ethereal Panda on Aug 31, 2009 10:49:09 GMT 9.5
"If he does not want to talk to us then I guess there is nothing more we can do. We only came out here to apologize." Cliff shrugged and turned his back to Selari. "Let us go back to camp Larr. I do not want to converse with someone who speaks with the edge of a knife." He started to walk back towards camp attempting to hide the gimp in his step. "Tex can come back when he is ready," there was a confident tone in Cliff's voice, despite his concern that he was about to get stabbed in the back. He listened, hoping for the sound of Larr's footsteps behind him.
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Post by Treijim on Sept 1, 2009 11:49:20 GMT 9.5
"Hoy! You!" There was a shuffle and then a tickling sensation on Cliff's back, as though a twig from a branch was just touching it. "Don't turn your back to me, brother. It's terribly rude, aye? We was talking, face to face, so you don't go turnin' round and leaving me with naught but your bum to talk to."
There was an awkward pause as though, unlikely as it seemed, Selari was lost for words. The birds sang and the trees whispered in the breeze blowing above them. Something small and quick rustled in the bushes nearby.
"Selari!" Larr suddenly cried, smashing the silence into tiny pieces.
"I didn't touch him!" Selari yelled back. "I swear it! Look, my knife is clean!"
"Cliff, your back is bleeding again," Larr said, grabbing Cliff's shoulder to examine his face for signs of pain.
"I didn't! I didn't!" Selari kept saying, now afraid.
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Post by Ethereal Panda on Sept 3, 2009 11:04:20 GMT 9.5
The other boy's voices became muffled to Cliff. It was as though he had been submersed in simmering water. With eyes squeezed tightly shut, he tried to scream, but instead found himself gasping for air. The brief pain that he experienced the previous night paled in comparison to the sharp pains now running down his back. It felt as though he was being slowly crushed. The boy didn't feel his friend spin him around, but he did sense the disorienting feeling of falling sideways to the ground. Even through his closed lids he could feel the sunlight leaving him.
The impact with the ground was disorienting, for it felt as though he landed into a pile of feathers. When he was turned over onto his back, the pain subdued to a dull throbbing ache that ran throughout his entire body. When he tried to move, his body refused to respond with anything but a weak shake. It was as though the event had robbed him of all his energy. Slowly, the light around him seemed to grow warm. Opening his eyes slightly the world around him appeared as a familiar blur. The muffled creaks and cracks of an old building brought back soothing memories to his mind.
The sun shown down on him through a small window near the roof. The room smelled of old books and it had a warmth to it that Cliff could identify with no other place than this. Although he didn't understand how, he was definitely in the Chapel. "Have I come back," Cliff thought to himself. Still unable to move, he lazily scanned his peripheral. To his side, in a large burgundy chair, sat a blurry figure who seemed to be asleep. Although he couldn't make out the man's features, the boy was convinced it was Velisies. Along all the walls were shelves lined from floor to ceiling with books.
Cliff tried to call out to him but only managed a weak whimper. He tried again, this time throwing all his energy into trying to sit up, but again the attempt was futile. Although he couldn't see, there was a soft sound of feet shuffling at the door. A voice called out causing Velisies to jerk up. Although Cliff tried, he couldn't understand the words. The world around him had been muffled to a whisper. In a rush, Velisies moved to Cliff's side. As though fate was trying to rob him of understanding, the boy found himself without energy. He tried to remain awake, and understand the man's words. In a last effortful struggle Cliff focused on the man's eyes so intently. He heard the words, "Do not be afraid, child." His lids fell and his world returned to darkness.
The soft touch of a breeze blowing across his cheek stirred him from what felt like a restful slumber. The pain had left him and the boy stretched out with a groan. Still groggy, Cliff rubbed his eyes and questioned the air, "Was I dreaming?"
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Post by Treijim on Sept 3, 2009 23:20:37 GMT 9.5
Most notable was the coldness of where they were. The sun didn't reach them though there was enough light to see. They were in a large groove in the ground which sloped gently down at one end. Logs and branches crossed over the top and some thick bushes blocked the entrance, so that, were one a mere passerby, the hideout would go completely unnoticed. Larr was kneeling over Cliff and Tex was seated nearby, frowning. Selari was grinding something with a mortar and pestle but he looked across when Cliff spoke.
"Easy. Rest," Larr instructed, gently pushing Cliff back down. "Selari is making you something to help with the pain. You... you bled again."
There was a short silence and then Selari shuffled across and offered Cliff some dark green paste of some kind. "Be chompin' this aye. What did ya dream about then, brother?"
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Post by Ethereal Panda on Sept 4, 2009 7:17:30 GMT 9.5
Cliff looked down at the paste uneasily. The last thing he could remember was Selary holding a knife to his back. "No, I am alright," Cliff insisted, but when he tried to sit up, he felt another sharp twinge that sent him back down. The pain wasn't actually that bad this time. It was definitely not as devastating as before, but he still grimaced anyways in anticipation of another episode. When the pain faded once more, he found the gesture to be an overreaction and slowly started to relax again.
This time, Cliff took some of the green paste and began to chew slowly. He looked over to Larr with uncertainty and stated, "I was back home, at the chapel I mean. At first, I thought I was really there and that this was the dream. " The boy let out a nervous chuckle. "I was in Velisies bed, and no matter how hard I tried, I could not move or say anything." He paused, allowing Selary to put some more paste into his mouth. "It was strange... so very real, but dreams are like that sometimes, I suppose. Anyways, it is not important. It was just a dream."
The medicine seemed to be working, or at least it was functioning well as a placebo. Cliff unsuccessfully tried to feel under his back. "Did I have marks this time?" Before he allowed Larr to answer, his gaze quickly shifted to Tex and then back to Selary. Remembering the day's earlier events, he inquired, "Wait, who are you exactly?"
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Post by Treijim on Sept 4, 2009 22:17:51 GMT 9.5
They all seemed relieved that Cliff was now so coherent and conscious, and they all listened carefully to his recollection of the dream. When he concluded with a small wave of questions, Larr and Selari both tried to answer at the same time, but their words were tangled and they gave one another fierce looks.
"Exactly?" Selari repeated, his voice easily more powerful than Larr's. "Who be I, vaguely? Or remotely? Or any less accurate? I could be a lil big one for all ye know."
"But he's not," Larr said. "He was one of us, but now he's..."
"I still am," Selari said, frowning.
"I didn't mean like that."
"Then how? I aint different 'cept in that I don't live in a herd. How's that makin' me not liken you anymores?"
Larr sighed loudly. "You can probably see why he doesn't live with us."
Selari smacked Larr over the head, and quite hard, too, as the boy almost toppled onto Cliff but he quickly saved himself. Selari had slid to the very back of the hideout, his legs splayed out carelessly. He had begun reading a tattered book. Along the spine, its title could be discerned, 'The Life of Adwa'.
"Your dream seems weird," Larr mused. "But don't worry; it seems like one of those things that just doesn't make sense, to me..."
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Post by Ethereal Panda on Sept 10, 2009 9:02:08 GMT 9.5
"Hey!" Cliff cried at the assault on his friend. Despite still being somewhat puzzled by the exchange, he stared at Selari coldly. Although Selari seemed to be feigning indifference towards them, Cliff reasoned that it wouldn't take much to set him off again, and in his current condition, he had no desire to do that. Thinking for a moment, he turned to Tex who still wore a deeply engraved frown.
Determined to try to get up again, Cliff slowly propped himself up with his elbows. The pain in his body seemed to have subsided for now. When he stubbornly tried to stand, Larr came to his side offering assistance. "I feel like I am falling apart," Cliff complained. With a grunt, they stood him upright, which caused his back to let out another unnerving crack. Although there was no pain, the two exchanged uneasy glances.
Cliff hobbled over to Tex's side. Nearly forgetting about his injured foot, he stumbled gracelessly over an exposed root. Once his balance was regained, he placed a hand on Tex's shoulder and empathetically said, "You know, we came out here to check on you. No one was trying to hurt your feelings. It is not that we do not like you, right Larr?" Larr gave they boy a nod, "You are just too young to lead." Selari looked up. For a moment, he and Larr seemed to have an unspoken conversation.
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Post by Treijim on Sept 12, 2009 18:25:08 GMT 9.5
Tex spent a moment considering Cliff's words. He was staring intently at his book and Larr didn't add any comments.
"I lost my place now," Tex murmured into the pages. "Thanks."
Selari got up into a half-crouch, peering skyward and with the knife suddenly in his hand. Larr went to speak but was silenced by Selari holding up his hand. Larr obliged. Then they could all hear a noise outside. It sounded as though there was somebody walking noisily nearby, dragging through plants and kicking leaves as though wanting to be heard. Then they stopped and there was only quietness. Even the birds stopped.
"Cliff," said a familiar voice. "I know you're here somewhere."
Selari shot Cliff with a glare and shook his head slowly. Larr looked worriedly around but there was no time for silent conversation.
"If you're not out here by the time I count to ten, I'll pretend they didn't ask me to bring you peacefully," the voice added, and it began to countdown.
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Post by Ethereal Panda on Sept 13, 2009 7:40:45 GMT 9.5
Cliff let out a surprised gasp and spun towards the voice. Wearing a perplexed expression on his face, he turned back to Larr as though seeking direction. With the start of the countdown, Cliff only took a moment to try to peer through the thick foliage covering the roof. The boy released a heavy sigh and accepted there was little choice in the matter.
Motioning the others to stay where they were for the time being, the blond child turned and started making his way out of the hideout. After grabbing his walking stick, he pushed the foliage blocking the entrance out of the way. He half-heartedly moved some of the branches back to obscure the hideouts contents, while still leaving enough room for the others to rush out if need be.
He stepped out from under the cover and announced, "I am here." When the boy didn't immediately seeing anyone, he asked with an edge of annoyance in his voice, "What do you want?" When he spotted the giant, he again had to resist the urge to turn and run. There was something about them that terrified him, although he wasn't certain what exactly. He tried to say something, but found himself with a lack of words. He instead stood there with his mouth half open.
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Post by Treijim on Sept 17, 2009 11:05:59 GMT 9.5
There was only children for such a long time that it was completely understandable how anyone taller could be deemed a giant. The one that stood near Cliff was a massive man, twice the boy's height, with arms and hands like a gorilla. He wore a large hood pulled over his head and covering all but his grizzly mouth and wiry beard. He stood silently and stared ahead. There was a peculiar long weapon attached to his back, which was almost three times as tall as Cliff.
"You are to come with me at once to Gianthands where you will be questioned and judged," the man said, his voice hissing like leaves and groaning like old trees. "Any form of retaliation or attempt to escape will be viewed as criminal and you will be punished for your cowardice and ridiculous behaviour. Should you wish not to undergo walking the distance, you will be made unconscious and carried. If you cooperate, no foreseeable harm will come to you."
By now, Selari and Larr were outside, moving near to Cliff to back him up, but the giant didn't seem to care or even acknowledge they were there.
"Do you understand? Choose now."
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Post by Ethereal Panda on Sept 17, 2009 11:20:27 GMT 9.5
Cliff looked to the other boys and then back to the giant. Although he was confident in Larr's abilities and overall intimidated by Selari, he doubted either boy could do anything to help him now. He scanned the perimeter for any other guests. Seeing no one else, he didn't reason that it was the giants style to lie in wait. He briefly considered making a run for it but that fantasy was slashed when remembered his foot. He might have had a chance to escape in a normal circumstance, but this man could most certainly catch him in his current state.
With a sigh, Cliff resigned, "Alright. It doesn't look like I have much choice. I cannot walk very well however."
Pausing to consider what little options he had, he tugged his clothes to straighten them from their wrinkled slumber. He wasn't quite sure how long he had slept after the dream, and the trees did an adequate job of obscuring the sun.
"Can one of them come with us?"
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Post by Treijim on Sept 17, 2009 11:33:58 GMT 9.5
"Certainly not," the giant replied. "If you cannot walk, you will sleep."
He stopped and at first nothing happened. Larr went to Cliff's side to ask what that meant, but Cliff's eyes were closed. A heavy slumber was overtaking the boy's body faster than any of them could comprehend. As Cliff fell forward, the giant was suddenly there to pick him up and place him over his shoulder.
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The sound of people talking echoed loudly. The floor was stone, the walls were stone, and the ceiling was too high and dark to see. There was a low window to one side where sunlight beamed into the small round room. Cliff was leaning against a crate, seated on the floor. A man in white was standing in front of a door. When he saw that Cliff was awakening, he left the room and returned with a woman. She stood in the middle of the room and addressed Cliff.
"Do you realise what is happening?"
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Post by Ethereal Panda on Sept 17, 2009 11:43:09 GMT 9.5
Cliff tried to stand up, but in his disorientation, slumped quickly back down. Whatever magic was used on him left him groggy. "I am tired of sleeping," he mumbled. Slowly he parsed the woman's question and tried to find an answer. He laughed a soft chuckle while standing up a second time. Bracing against the crate, the boy managed to stay upright despite a wobble in his knees.
"Nothing makes sense here. I do not know why anything is happening. Are you going to throw me out?" His head was hung down, not meeting the eyes of the woman.
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