This is a small introduction of some of the main characters in the first of the books, which I hope will entice people into wanting to read more. I want to see the appeal it has to people outside my personal friends, so comment away -- and let me know if you want more! This is from when the characters are younger, but I'm also trying to figure out which parts are best for teaser trailers, if that makes sense. Anyway, without more babbling ...
The young man stumbled out of the dark cave, his hair matted to his forehead with sweat. His eyes were so wide with fear that there was more white than blue. The blood trickling from a gash on his forehead created a stark contrast to the color of his skin. Pausing against the ice slick wall to catch his breath, his head jerked back the way he had come to stare into the darkness as the creature's dying screams reached his ears. With a renewed since of terror, he realized that if he could hear the wail, so could more of the horrible monsters. A ghastly wind blew from deep inside the cave as if summoned by the creatures screams, carrying the stink of blood and long rotten meat. The memories of the short time he spent in that hell were enough to urge his battered body into movement, compelling him to get as far from here as possible.
White puffs of his breath preceded him as he stumbled from the nightmare he was putting behind him. He held clutched in a white-knuckled grip the splintered shaft of bone he had used to kill his tormentor. Almost laboriously he came came to a stop in the lightly falling snow, allowing the tingling cold to bring him back to his senses. Shaking with the abating terror and slow removal of adrenaline from his blood stream, he looked down at the bone held in his hand. Now that he was further into safety, he had a moment to gather his thoughts.
Blood still dripped to the ground from the gruesome makeshift weapon, and while he was loathe to give up his only means of defense, it was creating a glaringly bright trail in the fresh snow to lead the Yeh'ti directly to him.
Still shaking, though now from the cold more than anything else, he hefted the jagged bone and a made a fresh cut on his bicep, dragging the sharp edge haphazardly through the flesh. Lathering his own blood over most of the bone, he threw the weapon as far to the left as he possibly could. Hopefully, the large amount of his own scent would mislead the Yeh'ti for long enough that they would lose him and be unable to trail after.
Ripping a strip of cloth from his already tattered shirt, he bound it tightly around the fresh wound in his arm and took off again at a markedly improved pace. The creatures were by now frenzied, and would catch up soon. In his heart, he held out hope that the meat of their fallen comrade would sate their hunger long enough to give him an even bigger lead.
A very slim hope.
Unbothered by the cold or even the Yeh'ti, a hunched old lady knelt above the opening to the clan warrens that the boy had previously been prisoner to.
She sat quietly for the entire duration of the boy's stay, observing events as they would happen and not allowing herself to interfere in the slightest. The green gem that was incased by gripping white gold vines had been glowing brilliantly in her palm when the lad was beneath her. Verdant green grass sprouted beneath her feet, dandelions and other assorted bouquets of flowers rapidly blooming into full summer attire.
Still she watched in silence as the boy beat a slow retreat. As the boy gathered distance the green glow began to dissipate, softening until the gem was an unremarkable emerald once more. The brief life that had sprouted around the old crone withered and died as swiftly as it had been born.
Still, even as the Yeh'ti ran screaming in pursuit, she waited in the bone chilling cold. Her eyes, the color of the emerald in her palm, continued to stare long after in the direction the boy had gone. More and more time passed. One would almost be sure that she had frozen to death until a small, black and white lemur came trotting up to her side. Only then did her gaze shift to meet the solid whites of the small animal at her feet.
The lemur returned her gaze solidly and nodded once. With that nod came massive implications for this world and that of the next. Omens swirled around the old lady like a cataclysm.
Reaching down with her wrinkled old hands, the crone attached the gem she had been holding to a tiny, unadorned collar around the lemur's neck and scratched fondly one last time behind his ear.
"Go," was the only thing she said. It was enough to send the small creature leaping down the cliff face and racing to his new destination in a haste borne of utmost importance. She herself finally stood, and as she did, her cloak and white hair billowed in the icy wind behind her. She knew she must be getting along to prepare for the times and trials to come.
Softly, she spoke aloud to herself.
"I only hope we know what we're doing."
In the tiny village just miles from the border of quadrant four, business was going on as usual. The people were completely and blissfully unaware of the gathering hardships. Most would barely notice a change in the weather, should one occur.
None except the young girl that whistled to herself as she skipped through town, waving to all the townspeople with a grin plastered on her face. The town, referred to by most as Edge of Civilization due to its proximity to the mostly barren wasteland that was constant winter, was known to almost all here as home. It was a quaint village, nestled under the boughs of a beautiful tree that bloomed forever with bright green leaves and tiny multi-colored flowers adorning its branches. There was the occasional spot of rain here and there, but the spring quadrant was mostly a safe haven. There were almost no feral creatures to worry about. At least, none that would risk entering the populated town.
Kitsune stopped in front of her favorite inn, where almost all of the traveling patrons came to if they were planning on making the perilous trek through the fourth quadrant. Its sign was beautifully painted with representations of three of the seasons in silver, green, and yellow. Brown letters read "The Song of the Seasons" across its face. Stifling a giggle, she cleared her throat and threw open the beaded doorway, putting on her best imitation of a bandit.
"Alright, mister, put 'em up! I'mma' lootin' this here waterin hole!" Though the common room was mostly empty, there were three people in attendance -- the bard, the inn keep, and one traveler, who looked up briefly from his mug of cold ale in a drunken delirium, then let his head hit the table again with a crash and a snore. This, coupled with the innkeeper's genuine astonishment at the sudden loud crash, made her giggle quite loudly.
"Well, if it isn't our little Kitti cat!" Rufus beamed, gesturing for her to take a seat. As she acquiesced and hopped up onto a stool near the bar, she blushed, pulling the cup of lemonade he filled for her closer.
"I told you to stop calling me that!" She fake pouted. "But I'll accept the lemonade as apology." She gave him the best mischievous grin she could muster, which only garnered another laugh and a hair mussing that he knew she hated even more.
"You little scamp." He reached up and tucked a red and blue flower behind her ear before turning back to cleaning last night's ale cups. "I suppose I should count my lucky stars then, ay?"
Kit stuck her tongue out at him and hopped down from the bar stool, going over to plop in front of the unlit fireplace near the bard. She leaned back on the thick rug laid out there for just such a purpose. "Tell me the tale of the thief of summer again!" She chirped. The bard raised an eyebrow and sighed from deep within his eyesore of a robe.
"Very well, but this is the last time, you hear me?" He waggled his finger at her, speaking in an accent that few would recognize in any of the quadrants.
"You always say that!" Rufus hollered from behind the counter as the third glass he had started cleaning squeaked its readiness.
"Ach, shut your mouth, Roofie." His eyes twinkled as he began to pluck at the strings of his instrument, leaning conspiratorially toward Kitsune. "It began as any story does." He half sang with the notes, "It had a beginning. Or at least, it started somewhere. A long, long time ago, when the quadrants were whole and came upon people unexpectedly. This, they say, was when time was normal. But there lived a little old man out in the world, who was jealous of all the people that had so much time. One year, he had decided 'I will steal it! Time itself!' and raised his fist to the sky, screaming 'Time shall be mine!'"
They could hear Rufus snort from behind the counter, but neither the girl nor the bard paid any attention to it. Most people found this particular tale one of pure fancy, but Kit and Angelo both knew, deep down, it held a truth.
Angelo's tale was cut short rather abruptly to a large commotion that began outside. All still awake, allowing the passed out customer, looked toward the doorway as the sounds got louder. Startlingly quick, a little ring lemur burst through the beaded doorway with a jangle, clutching a bright red apple to its chest. Chittering loudly, it stopped for a moment, its tiny lungs heaving with panic, and looked wide eyed around the room. Focusing on Kitsune, it darted for her, which caused the girl to scream in astonishment and cover her face. But the little thing only leapt up into her lap and leaned against her as if begging for protection, solid white eyes pleading. As she moved her hands from her eyes, she met his, and couldn't help but reach out and stroke his head.
The apple vendor he had nabbed the apple from came rushing in next with a club in her hand, frowning when she saw the little thing curled up in Kit's lap. "Kitsune, be careful with that thing! It's a thief and most likely rabid. Give it here!" The woman came striding toward her, and Kit instinctively picked the creature up and held him close to her chest with a slight turn away from the vendor.
"No, he's cute! Besides, he doesn't have rabies. Do you?" She reached down with one hand, still cradling the lemur against her, and fished a mark from her pocket that she had intended to use in case Rufus ever made her pay. She flicked it toward the vendor, who caught it in mid air. "For your stupid apple. Now leave him alone!"
The club wielding woman frowned, and slapped the coin on top of the nearest table. "You know your money's no good to me, girl. But you keep the little rat out of any more mischief if you plan ta' be his protector. I'm watchin' you, monkey." She pointed to her eyes then at the lemur. The lemur took a large crunch out of the apple and slowly chewed it, staring directly at the vendor as if to mock her. With a huff, the woman turned and stormed out of the inn, holding her skirts up to keep them out of the dirt.
Kit laughed and began petting the little black and white creature in her arms, watching the apple vendor leave in a fury. Angelo and Rufus went about what they were doing after the entertainment.. "Now, what shall we call you?" Her eyes went to the ceiling in thought, and she began humming the Song of Spring to herself.
The small lemur was looking up at her almost as if he was scrutinizing her, munching contentedly on his apple. Around his neck a small emerald, clutched in white-gold vines, was glowing faintly, causing the flower behind Kit's ear to spread its petals wide in full life.
"Eletium," Kitsune said decisively. She resumed humming her tune and bobbing her feet to the rhythm.
Parsec One
Of Earth and of Life
/Part One/
/Quadrant Four/
/Clan Warrens/
Of Earth and of Life
/Part One/
/Quadrant Four/
/Clan Warrens/
The young man stumbled out of the dark cave, his hair matted to his forehead with sweat. His eyes were so wide with fear that there was more white than blue. The blood trickling from a gash on his forehead created a stark contrast to the color of his skin. Pausing against the ice slick wall to catch his breath, his head jerked back the way he had come to stare into the darkness as the creature's dying screams reached his ears. With a renewed since of terror, he realized that if he could hear the wail, so could more of the horrible monsters. A ghastly wind blew from deep inside the cave as if summoned by the creatures screams, carrying the stink of blood and long rotten meat. The memories of the short time he spent in that hell were enough to urge his battered body into movement, compelling him to get as far from here as possible.
White puffs of his breath preceded him as he stumbled from the nightmare he was putting behind him. He held clutched in a white-knuckled grip the splintered shaft of bone he had used to kill his tormentor. Almost laboriously he came came to a stop in the lightly falling snow, allowing the tingling cold to bring him back to his senses. Shaking with the abating terror and slow removal of adrenaline from his blood stream, he looked down at the bone held in his hand. Now that he was further into safety, he had a moment to gather his thoughts.
Blood still dripped to the ground from the gruesome makeshift weapon, and while he was loathe to give up his only means of defense, it was creating a glaringly bright trail in the fresh snow to lead the Yeh'ti directly to him.
Still shaking, though now from the cold more than anything else, he hefted the jagged bone and a made a fresh cut on his bicep, dragging the sharp edge haphazardly through the flesh. Lathering his own blood over most of the bone, he threw the weapon as far to the left as he possibly could. Hopefully, the large amount of his own scent would mislead the Yeh'ti for long enough that they would lose him and be unable to trail after.
Ripping a strip of cloth from his already tattered shirt, he bound it tightly around the fresh wound in his arm and took off again at a markedly improved pace. The creatures were by now frenzied, and would catch up soon. In his heart, he held out hope that the meat of their fallen comrade would sate their hunger long enough to give him an even bigger lead.
A very slim hope.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Unbothered by the cold or even the Yeh'ti, a hunched old lady knelt above the opening to the clan warrens that the boy had previously been prisoner to.
She sat quietly for the entire duration of the boy's stay, observing events as they would happen and not allowing herself to interfere in the slightest. The green gem that was incased by gripping white gold vines had been glowing brilliantly in her palm when the lad was beneath her. Verdant green grass sprouted beneath her feet, dandelions and other assorted bouquets of flowers rapidly blooming into full summer attire.
Still she watched in silence as the boy beat a slow retreat. As the boy gathered distance the green glow began to dissipate, softening until the gem was an unremarkable emerald once more. The brief life that had sprouted around the old crone withered and died as swiftly as it had been born.
Still, even as the Yeh'ti ran screaming in pursuit, she waited in the bone chilling cold. Her eyes, the color of the emerald in her palm, continued to stare long after in the direction the boy had gone. More and more time passed. One would almost be sure that she had frozen to death until a small, black and white lemur came trotting up to her side. Only then did her gaze shift to meet the solid whites of the small animal at her feet.
The lemur returned her gaze solidly and nodded once. With that nod came massive implications for this world and that of the next. Omens swirled around the old lady like a cataclysm.
Reaching down with her wrinkled old hands, the crone attached the gem she had been holding to a tiny, unadorned collar around the lemur's neck and scratched fondly one last time behind his ear.
"Go," was the only thing she said. It was enough to send the small creature leaping down the cliff face and racing to his new destination in a haste borne of utmost importance. She herself finally stood, and as she did, her cloak and white hair billowed in the icy wind behind her. She knew she must be getting along to prepare for the times and trials to come.
Softly, she spoke aloud to herself.
"I only hope we know what we're doing."
/Quadrant One/
/Song of the Seasons/
/Song of the Seasons/
In the tiny village just miles from the border of quadrant four, business was going on as usual. The people were completely and blissfully unaware of the gathering hardships. Most would barely notice a change in the weather, should one occur.
None except the young girl that whistled to herself as she skipped through town, waving to all the townspeople with a grin plastered on her face. The town, referred to by most as Edge of Civilization due to its proximity to the mostly barren wasteland that was constant winter, was known to almost all here as home. It was a quaint village, nestled under the boughs of a beautiful tree that bloomed forever with bright green leaves and tiny multi-colored flowers adorning its branches. There was the occasional spot of rain here and there, but the spring quadrant was mostly a safe haven. There were almost no feral creatures to worry about. At least, none that would risk entering the populated town.
Kitsune stopped in front of her favorite inn, where almost all of the traveling patrons came to if they were planning on making the perilous trek through the fourth quadrant. Its sign was beautifully painted with representations of three of the seasons in silver, green, and yellow. Brown letters read "The Song of the Seasons" across its face. Stifling a giggle, she cleared her throat and threw open the beaded doorway, putting on her best imitation of a bandit.
"Alright, mister, put 'em up! I'mma' lootin' this here waterin hole!" Though the common room was mostly empty, there were three people in attendance -- the bard, the inn keep, and one traveler, who looked up briefly from his mug of cold ale in a drunken delirium, then let his head hit the table again with a crash and a snore. This, coupled with the innkeeper's genuine astonishment at the sudden loud crash, made her giggle quite loudly.
"Well, if it isn't our little Kitti cat!" Rufus beamed, gesturing for her to take a seat. As she acquiesced and hopped up onto a stool near the bar, she blushed, pulling the cup of lemonade he filled for her closer.
"I told you to stop calling me that!" She fake pouted. "But I'll accept the lemonade as apology." She gave him the best mischievous grin she could muster, which only garnered another laugh and a hair mussing that he knew she hated even more.
"You little scamp." He reached up and tucked a red and blue flower behind her ear before turning back to cleaning last night's ale cups. "I suppose I should count my lucky stars then, ay?"
Kit stuck her tongue out at him and hopped down from the bar stool, going over to plop in front of the unlit fireplace near the bard. She leaned back on the thick rug laid out there for just such a purpose. "Tell me the tale of the thief of summer again!" She chirped. The bard raised an eyebrow and sighed from deep within his eyesore of a robe.
"Very well, but this is the last time, you hear me?" He waggled his finger at her, speaking in an accent that few would recognize in any of the quadrants.
"You always say that!" Rufus hollered from behind the counter as the third glass he had started cleaning squeaked its readiness.
"Ach, shut your mouth, Roofie." His eyes twinkled as he began to pluck at the strings of his instrument, leaning conspiratorially toward Kitsune. "It began as any story does." He half sang with the notes, "It had a beginning. Or at least, it started somewhere. A long, long time ago, when the quadrants were whole and came upon people unexpectedly. This, they say, was when time was normal. But there lived a little old man out in the world, who was jealous of all the people that had so much time. One year, he had decided 'I will steal it! Time itself!' and raised his fist to the sky, screaming 'Time shall be mine!'"
They could hear Rufus snort from behind the counter, but neither the girl nor the bard paid any attention to it. Most people found this particular tale one of pure fancy, but Kit and Angelo both knew, deep down, it held a truth.
Angelo's tale was cut short rather abruptly to a large commotion that began outside. All still awake, allowing the passed out customer, looked toward the doorway as the sounds got louder. Startlingly quick, a little ring lemur burst through the beaded doorway with a jangle, clutching a bright red apple to its chest. Chittering loudly, it stopped for a moment, its tiny lungs heaving with panic, and looked wide eyed around the room. Focusing on Kitsune, it darted for her, which caused the girl to scream in astonishment and cover her face. But the little thing only leapt up into her lap and leaned against her as if begging for protection, solid white eyes pleading. As she moved her hands from her eyes, she met his, and couldn't help but reach out and stroke his head.
The apple vendor he had nabbed the apple from came rushing in next with a club in her hand, frowning when she saw the little thing curled up in Kit's lap. "Kitsune, be careful with that thing! It's a thief and most likely rabid. Give it here!" The woman came striding toward her, and Kit instinctively picked the creature up and held him close to her chest with a slight turn away from the vendor.
"No, he's cute! Besides, he doesn't have rabies. Do you?" She reached down with one hand, still cradling the lemur against her, and fished a mark from her pocket that she had intended to use in case Rufus ever made her pay. She flicked it toward the vendor, who caught it in mid air. "For your stupid apple. Now leave him alone!"
The club wielding woman frowned, and slapped the coin on top of the nearest table. "You know your money's no good to me, girl. But you keep the little rat out of any more mischief if you plan ta' be his protector. I'm watchin' you, monkey." She pointed to her eyes then at the lemur. The lemur took a large crunch out of the apple and slowly chewed it, staring directly at the vendor as if to mock her. With a huff, the woman turned and stormed out of the inn, holding her skirts up to keep them out of the dirt.
Kit laughed and began petting the little black and white creature in her arms, watching the apple vendor leave in a fury. Angelo and Rufus went about what they were doing after the entertainment.. "Now, what shall we call you?" Her eyes went to the ceiling in thought, and she began humming the Song of Spring to herself.
The small lemur was looking up at her almost as if he was scrutinizing her, munching contentedly on his apple. Around his neck a small emerald, clutched in white-gold vines, was glowing faintly, causing the flower behind Kit's ear to spread its petals wide in full life.
"Eletium," Kitsune said decisively. She resumed humming her tune and bobbing her feet to the rhythm.
