Young Writers Society

Hope

The carriage bumped again, and I mentally screamed. I swore, if this thing bumped again someone would be getting a taste of my wrath. I crossed my arm and twisted my arms over my chest as I slumped on the seat. There weren't even any hot people here to satisfy my needs for attention.

Except maybe that Lidor'ky'ses... he was kinda hot. I felt myself getting smugger by the second. I knew that was inter-species but that's what made it so much hotter. We would look great together. I shook myself from my thoughts and plopped a berry in my mouth. I had been hiding them in my satchel, these were my berries.

"So, what's the plan mister handsome?" I asked smugly. I wasn't subtle, it just wasn't my style.

*It's short, Fisha will kill me for the shortness but I posted.*

>>>Yush, Leza :3<<<

Raeleon

Raeleon eyed the elf, face as placid as it always was. Just below those carefully etched features, however, there was already a fear poking at the very farthest regions of his eyes. Mister Handsome. What were the chances that she meant that as a compliment and nothing more?

Slim at best. This was Hope, for Eidonias' sake.

"We wait and pray that the guards at the city's gates haven't detected anything suspicious," he answered calmly, moving one hand to pull his newest scarf up to his nose. It was itchier than the last one, but that's what he got for picking it up off of an empty rooftop. Either way - he couldn't be "Mister Handsome" if his face was hidden, now could he?

He looked at Hope quickly, and then back away almost as fast. "We should be okay if we can make it to the jungle in one piece... it's the fields that I'm worried about." The cover on the fields was equal to nothing. Every single bluff of trees had been cut down to make room for stables or fertile fields for crops. No trees, and very few large rock outcroppings. "We won't be able to light any fires, which means that we'll be eating nothing but dried fruit and nuts for a while," he added quietly - more of an afterthought than anything else.

Raeleon was already working on deciding which meals would keep him going for the longest possible amount of time. They would have to travel at night and keep going until it got too light out - which meant that guarding would only be more difficult. He sighed, leaning back against the wood. At least Coro had proven true to his word - and his wallet - so far.

Elouaya

I drummed my fingers against the floor absently, pushing myself further under Ayelle's elbow. The girl would not stop moving. And quite frankly, I was craving the cover. The guard... he gave me jitters. He was so much like the man who should not be mentioned - same blonde girls, same stupid smirk. I shivered.

Ayelle moved her arm again, and I let out an agonized sigh. Melodramatic of me? I think so.

"Ayelle! Sit still, would you!" I snapped, pushing myself to my feet - it made it easier to glare at her. Then again... she was far, far larger than I am. Peace-loving and hyperactive as the Liddie was, I didn't want to be the one to make her mad. Not when she could crush my skull under one thumb.

"Y'know what? Nevermind," I muttered, flitting over to the next closest person. The old lady - Lavern. She was still enough for me. I landed lightly on my toes and slipped to the floor, jumping back up just as quickly. Her arm had been that close to flopping onto the top of my head.

Was it really that hard to just stay still? And now I was getting cold, too. Great. Too bad I couldn't start a fire in the middle of the wagon. There. Ilasiór - he looked calm enough. I stumbled over to him, cursing under my breath in Azzian each time the wagon hit even the smallest bump. Small bumps to an impish Wyng'tii - they were big bumps.

If it wasn't so crowded on this side, I would have tried flying. Finally, I made it close enough to climb up the back of his shirt and take a seat on his shoulder.

"Hey, Is? Don't move kay? I'm going to try and sleep a little." Yeah, I called him Is. Why? Well, the same reason I called Raeleon "Rainbow" whenever he got grouchy. In other words? For the heck of it.

Solomon

I couldn't help but frown. The carriage bumped along unevenly, sending vibrations throughout my body that made me shiver. Some of the occupants mouths opened sporadically and I knew they were screaming, or yelling. Idiots. I tried to wince along with the assumed noise, though. I let my eyes rake along the interior of the carriage. So many odd people. Elves, an elderly lady, one Wyng'tii I could spot, resting on a shoulder. And more, of course.

I, as per usual, quickly go back to focusing on the speaker. Enough time has passed. His mouth stopped moving and I don't think anyone is screaming anymore. And if speaking now isn't my best move--well, what I'm doing, trying to escape, is far worse.

"If you dig a pit and put prey into it, light a fire and cover it, you can have meat. You just have to pick a good place so the smoke won't be noticed," I say, slowly and enunciating as clear as I can--hoping I sound right. I can't appear too smart--then people would ask me questions, but if I act dumb, well, that won't get me anywhere either. So I figure a bit of knowledge from living in an area with all sort of beasties attracted to the scent of cooking meat and where criminals hide, looking for fires to find their next to loot, can't hurt. Hopefully.

Luckily these people are as odd as me if they want to escape. Doesn't mean I want them knowing about my, ahem, issue.

Eirik

A huge bee flew past me, the tip of its left wing touching my hair like a swift breeze in the times of spring. It felt like a good sign among all these things happening at that very moment. There are guards searching for the group all over the city and we were like the most wanted people.

Everyone else on the wagon, they are almost ten times larger than me. Some are even more than ten times. Some scare me like the girl who has no patience. I guess her name is, Hope! Or is it Ayelle? I am confused.

Everything on the wagon is quite and calm, except for the bumps which are like earthquakes to a tiny creature like myself. I was trying to spot a Wyng’tii like me but I wasn’t sure that there are any onboard the wagon. There is a huge human sitting just in front of me. Her name is Everia. Everyone calls her Ev. She has been good and quiet till now. She gives me a smile whenever I look at her as if to make me feel comfortable on this bumpy wagon.

There is nothing to do on the carriage and thanks to my shyness I cannot even start a conversation. It’s better to be doing something than sitting idle. I start to carve drawings on the wood situated underneath where I am seated. Ev looked at the carving and smiled at me again and I couldn't help but smile back.

Athalus

It was a jerky ride but strangely that made Athalus feel more comfortable. At least he had the sense that they were moving and that something was happening; it was good to feel that they were finally leaving this cess pit of a place. He was sitting with his staff across his lap, much to the annoyance of those either side of him whose bodies he could feel through its proximity. The person on the left wriggled in an attempt to get more comfortable but the one on the right didn't move at all, instead seeming to adopt the end of the pole as another object to lean against, although an uncomfortable one. It was the old one, Lavern. Her breathing was ragged, it sounded like death to him.

"If you dig a pit and put prey into it, light a fire and cover it, you can have meat. You just have to pick a good place so the smoke won't be noticed," Solomon said. Athalus turned his head in the direction of the human's voice and nodded eagerly.

"Yes, that might work," he said, his tone quiet and thoughtful. He was starting to like Solomon who seemed to be a slow and steady kind of guy by the way he talked at a snail's pace but sounding every word clearly and carefully. It seemed to Athalus that his words were game pieces which he handled and touched before setting them down on the board and a man who knew his pieces knew what he was talking about.

Athalus was building faces in his spare time. He'd given each of his travelling companions an estimated appearance to begin with, using the wind to judge their height and the rough size of their figure and selecting colours based on instinct. His ears were always open for any detail that might allow him to alter his cariactures though, such as Hope's earlier suggestion that Raeleon was handsome. He'd gained smoother skin for that and a pouting, rather smouldering expression. Athalus had heard that was what girls were into these days.

Raeleon

It took a moment for Raeleon to come up with a negative end of that situation. He had nodded thougtfully only seconds earlier, but doubts were starting to find their way to him. "But where would the smoke not be noticed? These aren't the hilly fields north of the city," he muttered, frowning.

If they could keep a fire big enough, there wouldn't be as much smoke. But then if they weren't careful, somebody might notice the flame. Especially if it was at night. And what of when they went to put it out? All fires smoked after they had water dumped all over them. The Wyng'tii could probably help with the size... but they couldn't control the smoke that came after.

"In my opinion," he continued quietly, "we're better off eating the fruit and the dried meats we packed. There will be plenty of oppertunities to hunt once we hit the trees."

Raeleon risked eyeing Hope, looking quickly away when their gaze met. He found Ayelle instead, shaking his head at her impatience. His fingers moved to the floor beside him and started to drum. He had been sitting completely still for just a little too long.

SIanta Zipporah
I pressed against the side of the wagon pulling my cloak closer to me enjoying the warmth and comfort it carried. " If you dig a pit and put prey into it, light a fire and cover it, you can have meat. You just have to pick a good place so the smoke won't be noticed." Someone said. I squeaked surprised as the wagon pitched slamming me into one of the poles. "That could work but there is always the problem of it getting out of control." I muttered in reply concentrating on moving myself back into my spot trying to become as comfortable as I could. I pressed against the side of the wagon once again bringing my cloak closer to me once again. I felt the wagon pitch once again but this time I managed to slam into the person next to me. I muttered under my breath moving back into my spot hugging one of the poles. I knew I looked ridculous but I didn't really care I wanted to stay in one spot for more then a few seconds. "Having problems?" I heard someone ask. I turned around and saw the guard smirking at me and I just narrowed my eyes into a glare. "Not compared to what you could be going through." I replied calmly and his smirk slid off his face. "Watch it." He growled. I smirked in reply. "Why don't you take your own advice?" I asked sweetly.

Kei

There are Wyng'tii here, there are Wyng'tii here, Kei thought to himself continuously, eying both of them. One was awkwardly stretched on someone's shoulders, the other drifting about. Probably planning his next fire or something. Whenever one flew close to him or even looked in his direction, he closed his eyes. He didn't want to cringe at the little thing, and definitely didn't want the rest of the wagon to think he was a wimp, but they were so damn frightening.

Kei folded his hands together, trying to listen to the conversation and stop himself from saying something stupid. Sure, he had traveled alone before, but he had had no reason to hide that time. This time was different, but he couldn't help but thinking something about their fire solution was wrong. In order to cook meat on flameless heat, that means one batch of energy, not one that renews itself, they would need a lot more fire than they expected. Plus, they had to gather the right kind of branches that didn't make black smoke, preferabbly not wet branches, and they definitely couldn't use grass or moss to start it since that caused a lot of smoke.

"We don't have the proper knowledge to start the kind of fire we need," he voiced aloud, a statement he wanted to take back as soon as he said it. But all attention was on him and he had to continue. "We need to know the right kind of wood, we need to make sure there's enough water nearby, which I don't think we know. Before we do so we should talk to someone in a nearby town... Wherever we stop. I'm pretty sure we're not the only ones who want to escape this place. Don't you think someone out there will help us?"

Everia

Ev eyed the other passengers nervously. When she saw a face that looked more reassuring than the last, her expression loosened a little. Now and then she even gave the smallest smile. Her mother had always told her that this was the key to meeting others. Looking happy. Ev wouldn't know, after having spent so many years coming out only at night when none were around. She'd had one friend, other than her older brothers...Jyssen. She'd probably never see him again.

And it was for the better, right?

Strangely, she missed the little room she'd been imprisoned to all her life. She'd spent all her days painting, or writing, and now it seemed ironic but she'd been dreaming of the outside world a lot of the time too. She missed her mom, and brothers.

This would all go well. It had to go well. But her fellow passengers already seemed to be getting tense....

Ayelle

I couldn't stop bouncing my feet. I felt bad for hurting little Hope, but I couldn't help it! I thunked my head against the boards behind me and resisted the urge to make a whining noise.

Just as I looked to Raeleon to ask how much longer it would take, the carriage swerved. I threw my arm against the wall, one hand gripping Slashy just to make sure she would stay put, and shot a pointed look at Raeleon. Is this supposed to happen? A shrug from him. Just go with it.

The wheels settled back down, finding some sort of solid ground in the grass that we'd reached. I found my breath again and let my arm drop to the wall. I kept on thumbing the hilt of Slashy, though, just for comfort. Familiar grooves, familiar dents and scrapes, familiar areas that were worn down from my hands.

I was too nervous to say anything. I kept staring at the wall, trying to imagine the scene on the other side. I missed the forest- I missed grass and stars and the moon hanging over me like the mother I had lost. I closed my eyes and tried to picture it. It was scarily difficult.

I felt the carriage slow but didn't pay much attention to it. That was a normal thing for carriages to do, right? It was when it completely stopped that I looked up. The intention was obvious.

This is where we got out.

Watch out world, the outlaws are coming.

--

Raeleon

I cringed as the wagon stopped and looked up at the sliding door. This was where we got off, and the very thought of it made my stomach twist uneasily. The guard - Coro was his name - pulled back a slide and arched his eyebrows. He wanted us out almost as badly as I didn't want to move.

I sighed and forced myself up, ignoring the stiffness in my legs. The only thing that would fix that was walking. Slowly, I pulled back the sliding door and stuck my head out, chuckling when Ayelle wiggled her way under my arm to see. Not that there was much to look at. A whole lot of who-knew-which-crop, a fence a ways ahead (one with some sort of livestock grazing on the inside), and... well that was about it. A few hills, a stream that lead somwhere that was too far away to see... No trees, not a single boulder-sized rock. No cover.

At least the sun was starting to go down. No farmer or rancher with a half of a functioning mind would come out here this late, would he? No, the animals should be keeping any of them inside.

Animals. I made a quick mental note to watch out for those more than people and hopped out and onto the ground next to Ayelle. The others were piled around me soon enough, and Coro was suddenly in my face, arm extended, fingers wiggling. I absently pulled out a pouch of money and pressed it into his hand, waiting right where I was until he was moving away with the wagon again.

"Well," I muttered, "Kei's already settled it. No fires - not a single one." I turned around, startled to see Hope so... ridiculously close. I cleared my throat and ignored her as best I could. "Who's ready to walk?"

Elouaya

I propped myself up on the heels of my hands, squinting at the sunset. So much for a nap - I hadn't gotten two minutes of sleep.

No fires? Well, that drained every ounce of my amusement from my part of the trip. I didn't say anything of course - I was stressed out as happy old Rainbow over there, and snarky comments just didn't seem necessary right now. At least Is was being a good sport about things so far - flying all that way would be impossible.

There was something fluttering behind me - an extremely light flitting of wings. Which could only be that other Wyng'tii - Eirik. The "tall" one. (In comparison to myself, anyways). I scooted over to make room for him on Is' shoulder if he wanted to sit, but almost hoped that he wouldn't - Ilasiór's shoulder wasn't that big.

Oh well. If it proved to be too squishy, I could always move to somebody else's shoulder. Or... you know, Is's other shoulder would work, too. Depends on how much Eirik irritated me - I hadn't really talked to the poor guy all that much yet.

Solomon

I just nodded, maybe a bit too late, deciding not to argue. Probably right. It might be too big of a risk. If he'd gone off on his own he might've, but he wouldn't risk others like that--others made the risk greater by themselves.
I look out as everyone suddenly crowds the carriage doors. I notice it's open and squeeze around as people stumble out, move around to get a view. There's nothing but sky, cattle, and grape vines growing up poles, left unprotected. Out here I suppose they assume few would try anything. Everyone probably knows everyone else and they protect each other, rather like how my old village had been--unless it came to me.

I let out a long breath and clamber out, sure to keep my bag close. I force myself to keep looking from face to face, mouth to mouth, looking for movement, even when it feels like the openness of this place is going to crush me.

There are no trees and no buildings to pretend muted someone's voice, or blocked the noise, or whatever poor excuse I've used over the year. There's no reason why I shouldn't be able to hear everyone.

I almost start shaking before I remember I can't draw attention to myself. I really shouldn't. Keeping to myself was my best option; not getting attached or anything. If I did and someone turned on me, would I have the guts to stick them with the knife in my bag?

Probably not.

I was always bad at hurting people to begin with.

I just sigh and move away from the carriage. Taking in the landscape would probably be an acceptable use of my time.

In other news, no; fires won't work here.

Ilasiór Nazar | Farmland:

I stood to the side, Cyanea half-hidden behind me. I tried to move smoothly so that the little Wyng'tii didn't fall off my shoulder. I felt Cyanea's hand on my arm as I watched the others, hand on the hilt of my sword. As her grip tightened, I turned my head slightly.

"Now what are we going to do, Ilasiór?" she whispered, eyes searching our surroundings.

I sighed. "I don't know, Cyanea."

A moment of silence, and then Cyanea was closer. She moved so silently, even I didn't catch her movements. "Ilasiór, how much longer do we wait?" she asked, letting her hand drop away from my arm.

"I told you," I muttered, shaking my head. "I don't know. And I won't know." I turned to face her, conscious of the Wyng'tii on my shoulder. "I'm not the one leading this party, am I?"

Cyanea sighed and shook her head. "If that is how it must be...." she muttered, turning away. I sighed again and turned back to the group. For some reason, I was itchnig to use my fire bending, but that had been forbidden--at least, for now it had. But Fire was like that. It consumed and consumed and never grew tired--at least, until there was nothing more to burn and then it died. I was a little like that. Restless and almost never tired. My blood burned with hidden fire, and I was ever consumed by it.

But like the fire, I would find nothing mroe to burn one day, and then I would die. Just like all things, in the end.

Eirik


The bumps have finally ended. I think that the farmlands are finally here. And now, we have to face the problem of fire and food, and more or less everything. There is no ending to our problems yet. Everyone’s trying have a peek of the farmland as if it were the first time they were seeing such a thing and it might even be the first time seeing farms, it is the first time for me. The people seem scared. If you have a glimpse at their faces just once, you’ll be able to know what fear can do to a person, but even in these troubled times they have the power and strength to fight back the troublesome ruler.

I could feel the fresh breeze on my tiny body. It was a new experience for me, as I was held captive for the past nineteen years. There was moisture in the winds and I could smell the earth, it seemed as if it had rained in the far distant. All these made me totally forget that I haven’t had food for the past two days. I also wanted to have a peek of the world outside the wagon so I made my way towards the door ignoring everyone else on the wagon except for one. Yes, it was another Wying’tii, unless my eyes were cheated by some spell. She was there on the wagon all along and I couldn’t even see her, it may have because of her size, she was smaller than me. It felt good to finally see another of my kind after a long time since I escaped from the souvenir shop.

I enquired about her to Ev. Her name is Elouaya, some call her Ellow. She looks younger to me but her condition is a bit ill maintained. It looked as if she had just come out of some war. Well, the life of us outlaws was no more different from a war. She was seated on one of Ilasiór shoulders. And as I was on my way to the door, she made room for me on the shoulder on which she was seated. But I flew to the door thinking to come back and get seated on Ilasiór’s shoulder.