New Story!

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This is my first post on YWS! This is a start of a new story that I am working on. It does not have a title yet, and this is only the first few pages of the first chapter. Please tell me whatcha all think :) I'm open to any advise or comments! Thanks! -Z




Chapter One

He sat quietly underneath the large oak tree. The late October sun was beginning to set as his keen eyes focused on the tree line. The breeze was gentle as it swept across his face blowing his dark brown hair into his sea green eyes. His left hand tightened around his long dark bow as he saw a small shift in the green landscape.

He slowly stood up barely making a sound. His movements were fluid, not one gone to waste. His right hand quickly glided back pulling out a long arrow from its carrier and the bright blue feather floated calmly at the end. His fierce eyes focused on the spot of slight brown that froze. Ears perked sensing the danger. The large doe did not move for a few moments, as he stood perfectly still waiting for the right moment to set his arrow free from the taut string. The doe was spooked suddenly and quickly leaped to the side to run away. The only sound was the swish of an arrow as he knocked in towards the fleeing doe and a loud thumping noise in the distance.

A small smirk fell upon the young man’s face as he slowly dropped his bow. He quickly threw his bow over his shoulder as he started to run into the forest line. As he entered the tree line he slowed down looking for signs indicating which way the doe had ran after being hit. He spotted a small, bright red puddle in the distance and quickly made his way towards it. He crotched down slowly glancing every way to spot another bright red puddle. He continued on the trail until he came about the fallen doe. The man smiled brightly and he bent down making sure the doe was head. He then turned his back and whistled loudly into the air.

The once quiet forest erupted into sounds of movement and crunching leaves and snapping sticks on the ground as more men walked towards the sound of the whistle. The first man to appear at the sight laughed loudly and gripped the young man’s shoulder tightly in congratulations.

“You never miss a shot Aiden, amazing,” the older man said as he bent down inspecting the kill. Aiden laughed and leaned against a tree waiting for the rest of their hunting group to show up.

“That is the seventh kill! Leave some for the rest of us,” a young man the same age as Aiden said as he walked up. Aiden glanced over at him and did not say anything but smiled.

“I would, if any of you could keep up with me,” Aiden said with a cocky smirk. The young man with bright blonde hair and deep brown eyes punched Aiden quickly in the arm playfully as he walked pass.

“I would be careful Bryan, you know Aiden can kick your ass in sparring,” another man said as he walked into the small clearing between trees.

Aiden looked up into the treetops as the breeze picked up again. He frowned slightly as he stood up straight. “We should get the doe out of here, we should not stay in the forest too much longer,” he said with warning in his voice. The other men understood with a nod of their heads. Three of the older men quickly picked the doe up and the hunting group made their way out of the forest and into the fields where they had made camp.

There was a small fire lit in the middle of their camp. The three men that stayed behind to watch over their previous kills were all sitting by the warming fire. They stood happily and greeted their fellow hunters as they entered their camp with three more kills.

“I think we have a good haul for the coming winter so far,” Bryan said as he sat down by his father. His father who also had bright blonde hair smiled at his son and nodded his head.

“That we do. We would not have so many kills if it wasn’t for Aiden’s amazing archery skills,” the old man said nodding in approval to Aiden who sat down next to Bryan.

“Gavin, you give me too much credit. The other men from the village have made good kills also,” Aiden said trying to brush aside the compliment.

The sun had set and the moon’s slowly started to enter the night sky. The dim white light shown over the south as the brighter blue light grazed strong over the north as Aiden slowly leaned back against the log staring at the stars. He slowly closed his eyes listening to all the night sounds around him.

“You know Aiden, its been eight winters since you first arrived at our village,” Gavin said carefully in a quiet tone. “Do you not want to share with us how you came to our village?”

Aiden tensed for a few moments without saying anything to the old man. Behind his closed eyes the memories of the first day in the village flashed quickly. Aiden slowly opened his eyes to push away the images and he glanced over at the old man who had taken him into his house. Raised him like his own son. “I don’t remember,” Aiden lied softly.

Gavin’s face tensed but he did not respond just looked quietly at the fire. Bryan glanced back and forth from his father to his best friend. He sighed than quickly stood up loudly saying, “Come on.” He kicked Aiden’s foot smiling brightly; his deep brown eyes shining excitedly.

Aiden glared up at him and did not make a single move. “Come on…where…?” Aiden asked.

“Just come on,” Bryan said as he grabbed his bow walking away from the camp. “Bring your bow,” he yelled over his shoulder. Aiden could not help but smiling. Hunting underneath the moons’ light was difficult for most hunters, but not him. He knew exactly what Bryan was planning on doing. He quickly grabbed his bow and ambled his way towards Bryan’s quickly retreating form.

Aiden sighed softly to himself as he got away from the fire. Once Gavin had asked him, he did not miss how everyone got quiet and stared at him. Waiting for him to tell his story. A young boy waking into a village at the age of fourteen covered in blood alone was frightening. Aiden frowned deeply as he continued to walk deeper into the forest following Bryan.

“You know, you could just tell everyone…” Bryan’s voice spoke softly from the silver darkness. Aiden stood taller as he faced his best friend. He wasn’t looking at him or trying to make eye contact, he was focusing on the dense forest ahead of them.

“I enjoy listening to the rumors that everyone has started, don’t you?” Aiden said as he slowly pulled an arrow out.

“The one you being a Byari child born of the devil is my favorite by far,” Bryan said with a laugh. “With those green eyes of yours, people were bound to start talking even if you hadn’t showed up in town like you had.” Aiden didn’t respond. He knew that his green eyes set him apart from everyone. Green eyes were unheard of, only in myths and legends. Legends that always linked with demons of ancient times, the Byari. Aiden forced back a small smirk and still didn’t respond to Bryan’s rambling.

Aiden froze as his sharp senses heard a very faint shuffle of leaves to his right. He quickly readied his arrow and searched for the rabbit that made the soft sound. Bryan froze realizing Aiden had found an animal. Aiden could see clearly into the silver mixture of moonlight. He quickly found the white rabbit and let his arrow fly. Bryan shook his head loosing up.

“Its amazing how well you see at night,” Bryan said softly as they both made their way towards the dead rabbit. “You know, Leah has taken a liking to you,” Bryan stated. Aiden glared over at him narrowing his eyes and again didn’t comment. Bryan laughed softly but did not say anything more.

The pair came back to camp holding 6 hares each. Bryan smiled triumphantly when his father walked over to them. Gavin just laughed and took the hares from the boys to skin them. Gavin gave Aiden a apologetic smile before he turned his back to them and walking farther into the camp. Excitement grew throughout the small camp at the hares. They all would be eating well tonight.

Bryan fell into step beside Aiden. “You know, he is only worried about you. That’s why he asks you. You are like his other son,” he said seriously. Aiden still didn’t answer him. Bryan shook his head and remained silent as they walked to their tent. Aiden sat outside the tent leaning against the tree and stared up at the two moons high in the sky. The moon that rose the north was bigger than other.

“Did you know, that the north moon didn’t appear until about three hundred years ago?” Aiden asked calmly. Bryan paused what he was doing and glanced up at the moons. “In history it says the world went black in the middle of the day. Like the sun had just went out. After 23 days passed the sun rose again. And that night, a new moon shone brightly in the north. Shone blue,” Aiden continued.

“I think you mentioned that before,” Bryan said as he continued to unpack his rucksack. “But, isn’t that around the time when the Byari were last seen too?”

“That’s what people say.”

“The storied about those monsters are horrendous,” Bryan said. “It would have awesome to see them in battle though. Amazing creatures.” Aiden watched the blue moon silently. “Where did you learn all of that stuff?” Bryan asked.

Aiden shrugged it off quickly and bluntly lied, “I don’t remember.” Bryan stole a glance at his best friend and chose not to further the conversation. He had learned early on with Aiden that you couldn’t get him to talk about anything unless he wants to spill.

“With all of the kills we made so far, we won’t have to stay out here for much longer. The village will be able to last out the winter with out any problems this year,” Bryan said trying to start up conversation.

“It’s been a good year,” Aiden said in a monotone voice, not interested in talking. His eyes flashed to a few figures walking over towards him.
Last edited by RainStormZ on Thu Mar 25, 2010 3:44 am, edited 1 time in total.




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Firstly, I'll say: Congratulations on your first post!
Secondly: It was very good. I enjoyed reading it, especially about the first half, until they got back to the camp.

-I like Aiden's character, except that he's seems just a little too perfect. Don't take me too seriously there though, we haven't seen much of his character as of yet and I'm really not one to judge.

-I had a passing thought that perhaps their names were a little boring. You've got an exciting, and somewhat medieval story going, and their names seemed to bring it down a little. Just think about that a bit.

-I liked the idea of the Byari. (spelling?) They seemed very mysterious and powerful and I did enjoy how well established they were right from the start, I always struggle with such things.

Anyway, I would love to read more! PM me when/if you put more up?
"With all due respect, sir. I distrust your hat entirely."-- Jae Marquis




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I agree with everything jokeless said, the biggest one being with the names. I understand it's set a long time ago but boring names bring down the relationship between the character and your audience. A couple names looked like you just punched your keyboard and stuck with it! :P I do like the story though, my only grammatical problem is you have a whole lot of periods. I think maybe look at some of your sentences and try combining them? I look forward to more :)
Simply Crazed.

Once you see death up close, then you know what the value of life is. - SAW VI




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Thanks guys! I am working right now on the names. I think I really like Aiden as the main character's name, but all the other names are in the process of being changed. One of the hardest issues I have is selecting the right names for characters. Another issue, I've been having with Aiden is that right now he is coming off a little too perfect even for my liking. I am working on that!

I always seem to have short sentences, I will go back and try to edit some! Thanks so much! :) I am very happy that you both enjoyed it so far! :D

-Z




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No problem, I also like Aiden, even though I keep getting flashbacks to A Door Within By Thomas Baston (I think that that is the Author's name) :)
Last edited by Amnien on Thu Mar 25, 2010 6:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
Simply Crazed.

Once you see death up close, then you know what the value of life is. - SAW VI




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Hmm I've never heard of it. lol




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Haha it's cool, I wasn't saying you copied that or anything. Anyways, fell free to send me a PM when you post the next part or a reedit, if you do one! Also fell free to review my first chapter of my short story. :P You'll probably find it by looking under Read/write and under new additions :P
Simply Crazed.

Once you see death up close, then you know what the value of life is. - SAW VI




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Hm.... before anything else, I would like to say congratulations on your first post! I like the story a lot. Love the names! Really cool. ^^ Anyway, I found a few things you could fix up.

He kicked Aiden’s foot(,) smiling brightly; his deep brown eyes shining excitedly.

A young boy wa(l)king into a village at the age of fourteen covered in blood alone was frightening. -- this sounds a bit weird at the end, you should rephrase it.

Aiden [frowned deeply] as he continued to walk deeper into the forest following Bryan. -- sounds kind of awkward.

He quickly found the white rabbit and let his arrow fly. Bryan shook his head loos[en]ing up.

Gavin gave Aiden a(n) apologetic smile...

In the first few paragraphs, I thought your descriptions were a bit of overkill. It makes reading draggy. But all in all, loved it. PM me please for the next chapters!
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Thanks so much! I didn't catch those while I was rereading it through for mistakes! Its a good thing, because I am entering this piece into a contest at my school, as a short story. I am finishing it up today (hopefully). Thanks so much for your input! I really really appreciate it!

-Z




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First, I want to say I liked the actual story. I love the mystery surrounding your MC and I was excited to finally find a story that uses archery! The writing flows well and I didn't notice many spelling errors. Although, many sentences start to run on, and it's distracting after a while.

His father, who also had bright blonde hair, smiled at his son and nodded his head.
the old man said, nodding in approval to Aiden, who sat down next to Bryan.
Gavin’s face tensed, but he did not respond- just looked quietly at the fire.
Bryan said softly, as they both made their way towards the dead rabbit

There are other places that really could use a pause, but these were the ones that jumped out at me the most. As a general rule, the easiest way to decide where you need comas is to read your story out loud- even if you get some strange looks. Wherever you need to pause and grab a breath or just find yourself pausing because it feels natural, there's a good chance you need a coma or semicolon or something there.

A note on the archery- in case you didn't already know, the arrow carrier is a quiver. Also, I have trouble with the first paragraph because holding a bow at full draw for any length of time is very hard, let alone holding it steady. But these are just technical nit-picks and, since it's fantasy, you really don't have to bother with it if you don't want to.
If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.~Toni Morrison

It is written in m life-blood, such as that is, thick or thin; I can do no other~ Tolkien




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I am very glad that you enjoyed it! :) Thanks so much about the commas, I noticed that this morning when I was proofreading it. I really need to work on that.

A quiver! Thanks! I sat at my computer for a while trying to think of what it was called and it never came to me! Thanks so much! And I am really happy you like my MC. He is by far of my favorite characters that I have come up with in awhile. Thanks for reviewing!

-Z




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Hey there! I was just browsing like that and saw this was a first chapter, so I've decided to review :lol: Here I go...

RainStormZ wrote:He slowly stood up, barely making a sound.


RainStormZ wrote:As he entered the tree line he slowed down looking for signs indicating which way the doe had ran after being hit.

*run

RainStormZ wrote:He crotched down slowly glancing every way to spot another bright red puddle. He continued on the trail until he came about the fallen doe.

*crouched

RainStormZ wrote:The man smiled brightly and he bent down making sure the doe was head.

I think you meant dead, lol

RainStormZ wrote:The man smiled brightly and he bent down making sure the doe was head. He then turned his back and whistled loudly into the air.

You might want to be careful, since you mentioned twice that he's a young man, and here that he's a man...

RainStormZ wrote:Aiden glanced over at him and did not say anything but smiled.

“I would, if any of you could keep up with me,” Aiden said with a cocky smirk. The young man with bright blonde hair and deep brown eyes punched Aiden quickly in the arm playfully as he walked pass.

Okay, here you say Aiden doesn't say anything and smiles, but then he actually does say something. You might want to add that he doesn't speak for a moment and then talks.

RainStormZ wrote:The sun had set and the moon’s slowly started to enter the night sky.


RainStormZ wrote:“Bring your bow,” he yelled over his shoulder. Aiden could not help but smiling.

*smile

RainStormZ wrote:A young boy walking into a village at the age of fourteen covered in blood alone was frightening.


RainStormZ wrote:Aiden glared over at him, narrowing his eyes, and again didn’t comment.


RainStormZ wrote: Gavin gave Aiden an apologetic smile before he turned his back to them and walking ed farther into the camp.


RainStormZ wrote:The moon that rose the north was bigger than the other.


RainStormZ wrote:“The stories about those monsters are horrendous,” Bryan said, “It would have been awesome to see them in battle though. Amazing creatures.”


RainStormZ wrote:The village will be able to last out the winter without any problems this year,” Bryan said trying to start up conversation.


Alright, so that was my nitpicking. 'Tis over. As for the story, I thought it was really interesting. Thw whole mysterious guy who's different than everybody is always a good story for me!

Also, I like the whole Byari thing, it sounds really cool. I think that if those things are a big part of your story, you could make that your title. It's a cool enough name to pull off for a title. Only a suggestion though.

So, I gotta give you two thumbs up!! PM me for the rest :wink:
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Punctuation is the difference between "Let's eat, Grandma" and "Let's eat Grandma".




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Well, I must say that you are a very talented writer! You describe things clearly in a way that not only you, but others can see it.
Please write more this is an outstanding story.
:smt023

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I really loved it, RainStorm! J I loved all your characters, and the idea of the Byari. Even though this is only your first installment, I can tell the plot is going to be very good! The only thing I’m having trouble with is your phrasing.

I agree with all the other reviews, but if I could add a few more things I would say to just add more descriptive details into a sentence.

The “tranquil” forest sounds a little better than “The once quiet” forest to me.

“That is the seventh kill! Leave some for the rest of us,” a young man the same age as Aiden said as he walked up. Aiden glanced over at him and did not say anything but smiled.  

“That’s your seventh kill! Leave some for the rest of us,” another man (teased, chuckled). Aiden smiled towards him, but didn’t say anything.

Aiden looked up into the treetops as the breeze picked up again. He frowned slightly as he stood up straight. “We should get the doe out of here, we should not stay in the forest too much longer,” he said with warning in his voice. The other men understood with a nod of their heads. Three of the older men quickly picked the doe up and the hunting group made their way out of the forest and into the fields where they had made camp.  


Aiden looked up into the treetops and frowned as the breeze picked up again.

“We should get the doe out of here. We shouldn’t stay in the forest too much longer,” said a man with warning in his voice. The rest of the hunting part nodded their heads, and three men stayed behind to carry the deer as the rest headed back toward camp.

Just a few ideas; the things that I would fix are minor enough that you don’t really have to go over and fix them, but it would really make reading this a little more fluid.

All in all, I really loved this. If you make any more chapters or revisions, please send me a PM so I can read more! :D
The bad news is we don't have any control.
The good news is we can't make any mistakes.
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