Teroe

Short story on my character, Teroe. Just an introduction.

Quiet is the forest in the morning, the sun still concealed beyond the ever-distant horizon. The morning mists blanket the land. Dew covers the grass, the bushes, and the trees, the individual droplets twinkling ever-so-slightly in the half-light before the dawn.

A twig snaps.

The creature that caused the noise paused before bolting into the clearing, paws and hooves striking the ground in a steady cadence, cold fog of breath whistling from its nose and mouth.

It sensed danger.

Panting uncontrollably, legs trembling from the exertion it swiveled its ears desperately, jerking its head around, straining to hear the faintest sound over the pounding if its own heart in its ears.

Nothing.

It yearned to flee, but retrained whispered in its brain. You cannot. The thought forced its way into her brain, and refused to leave. Your child...

Grudgingly, the female lay down in the snow, first back legs folding wearily beneath itself, then the front. She laid her head down on the ground as well. So tired.

Fear leeched away, replaced by fatigue. She had not stopped to eat nor rest herself since early in the morning, and now the sun drifted low over the snow-capped trees, ready at any moment to plunge beneath the horizon and leave the world in darkness.

A shotgun sounded in the night.

Pain shot through her entire body.

Consciousness slipped away, and her mind was pulled into darkness, and she knew no more.

~~

Warm.

The brisk ambiance of a seemingly neverending tranquility, absorbing the surrounding lands, absorbing my own form, standing alone on the crest of the hill.

No one in their right minds would deem this anything but decent.

In the far distance, there was naught but fields upon fields of green grass, bowing under the fierce winds to the towering sentenials of the forest. The wind blows hard at your back as well, yearning to conquer you along with everything else it's icy fingers touch, dragging you to the forest. The artwork of Mother Nature's magnificence, the song of her own elegance, soothing, beautiful even, the music to the dynamic theatre of one's own creation was just as tranquil as it was alluring, almost a dream to where a reality was only a conscious effort away. This home of mine was indeed one of a kind.
Everything is perfect to me; the trees are spread apart, sunlight through the leaves dapping the soft grass underfoot in shadow.

My land. My home.

Many lived here, and all knew of me, in a way. None knew who I was, but they were all aware of my presense amongst them, watching silently over them from afar.

But this land was dying, along with those who lived amongst the forest, silently traversing trails known only to themselves.

~~~
I stared into the frost-bitten sky of early winter. As the moon glid flawless across the endless black of the night sky, it hid momentarily behind silver clouds, only to reappear moments later and cast its light once more on the cold earth below. A gust of crisp, chilling air swept my mane back away from me, and my gaze caught on a delicate flower in the grass. The moonlight shimmered in the reflection of the tiny petals, shining silver in the light.

I scanned the field and immediately noticed the other tiny flowers, resembling mesmerizing lights.

The field looked to be sparkling. It was almost magical; a sight described in fairy tales but never truly understood until you see it with your own two eyes.

Pity it was but a faint, dying shadow of what this land once was.

The humans were killing the land and those that called it their home. They were killing everything- the land, the animals...my mother.

That had been the first time they invaded.

My mother and I were both confused. I was but a newborn then, and that was the first autumn of mine, and the last of hers. She had been shot, with no warning, as was the way of life…

And they were returning. Others were dying, both my own kind and others. The fowl were being shot from the air, the creatures of the land either killed or drug away, struggling vainly against their bonds. Why they killed us, why they captured us, was beyond my comprehension. What I did know, however, is that it would stop, one way or another...either with the departure of the humans, or the extermination of all life in my home.

Before I knew it, sadness had a firm hold of me, and refused to let go.

~~~
The figure moved swiftly through the trees, a dark silhouette flickering between the pines.

It moved quickly, darting from tree trunk to tree trunk without a pause, unimpeded by root or hole. The moon in the sky above was full and the sky cloudless, but little light pierced the dark shadows of the tall trees. Small patches of moonlight dappled the forest floor from where it had managed to shine down between the leaves.

As the shadow moved ever onwards, the ground began to slop up, the pine trees thinning out as the figure reached the edge of the valley.

As the trees began to thin, the dense canopy broke up, and the thin beams of moonlight began to claim this territory as their own, dispelling the concealing shadows and illuminating both needly-covered floor and slowly walking figure. Highlighted by these spears of light, the figure began to take on a more substantial form, the eyes of the moon dispelling the shroud of shadows drawn around himself.

It was an upright figure, male, stopping all of the sudden to inspect a snare he had laid a few days before. Seeing nothing new he sighed, turning away, and the night swallowed him once more.
~~~

My head throbbed painfully with each pulse of my heart. The pain was excrutiating, to the point where trying to open my eyes was too painful to bear. Eventually, I managed to open them slightly. I blinked once, then opened them a little wider. Soon my vision was cleared of the blood that had fell into it from the wound on my head. I could see fully and freely now, but found that I was unable to move my head; my neck was bound in a noose. I could breath easily, but I knew already it prevented escape.

Giving up for the moment, I tried to remember what had happened. Minutes passed, but my mind was blank. I could remember nothing, and soon I slipped into unconciousness.

~~

A voice brought me back. How much later, I do not know.

"Well. This wasn't what I was hoping for."

I couldn't understand the words, though they seemed to be spoken in a gentle tone, almost amused.

I felt the rope slide from my neck, but I was too weak to bolt, despite my frantic efforts. My legs felt like brittle twigs, ready to snap as soon as I tried to put my weight down upon them.

 
The noise came again, incomprehensible to me still. "All right, now. Calm down."

And the darkness took over once more. 

Reviews

[bbb]

Your paragraphs look great. (better than mine!) This seems like an interesting read to me. The only thing I would change is the abundance of description in the scenery, especially in the first few paragraphs. I don't think you need quite as much for the scenery. But I am very interested in the plot of this story, to see what will happen next, to find out what kind of creature the main character is, etc. keep writing! :)