The Awakening

 

1.

The Awakening

 

The Man-Elf awakens to a dew drop rolling off his face, his eyes slowly opening to show him a hazy blue sky above him. He smells heather, and rich soil, feeling the grasses beneath his prone body. “Where am I?” he murmurs to himself. Slowly sitting up, small stands of red blue trees come into his sight. He looks down at himself, seeing he wears well worn leather armor, and a simple long sword belted to his side. He sees a string running across his chest, allowing his fingers to follow it to its source, he finds a bow on his back, and a quiver of arrows hanging from his shoulder. Again he says to himself “Where am I?”

 

He slowly stands and turns a circle, gazing off to the distance, seeing a great plain of heather, intermittently dotted with stands of red blue trees. He looks up at the sun to see it is of a red gold in color. “This is not my sun…” he looks off to the western horizon, an sees a haze rising slowly up from the ground. “Water, maybe people…” He looks down to himself again, noticing his boots appear well worn, but in good enough condition still. He sets off toward the west, unconsciously loosening his sword in his scabbard, and positioning his bow for easy removal.

 

He walks and mutters to himself, not sure where he is, not sure who he is, but feeling the is something he must do. He scans the area around him, searching and listening for movement other than his own. He still smells the heather, and rich soil, as he walks, with an occasional acrid smell coming to his nose when the light breeze blows from one of the stands of red blue trees. He feels odd, not ill, or wrong, but as if something is different about himself.

 

He realizes there are no birds flying near him or around the stands of trees and thinks to himself that this is not natural. He continues his trek to the west, and approaches on of the stands of red blue trees. He sees, that the trees have a red and blue pattern to its foliage, and the bark appears to be a dark purple black, almost the color of dried blood. He hears a movement within the stand of trees and stops moving. Carefully he peers into the trees, to see what is there. Moments later a large winged lizard bursts from the foliage straight toward him. He watches it open its mouth and show razor sharp teeth, as it looses a screech that hungers for blood. He unconsciously readies himself hand on sword hilt, as the creature flies up to him, he side steps, and pivots while drawing his sword, bringing it out down and across the creatures flight path, just as it flies under the swords arc, severing its head from the rest of its body. Grey blood spatters the ground with the head of the creature, as the rest of its body continues it’s forward flight, to come to rest several dozen yards behind him.

 

He looks at his sword, with some surprise, but realizes that it felt right, felt comfortable. He looks down at the head of the creature, it has the look of a crocodile, but the form of a bird. He shakes his head, and absently pulls up some grass to wipe clean his sword before he sheaths it. He walks over to the body of the creature, and sees that it is decaying at an incredible rate. He shakes his head again, “Strange…” He looks to the stand of red blue trees, and sees that they also are wilting and dying at an incredible rate, leaves dropping to the ground, branches and limbs cracking and popping as though the sap is being drained from them instantly. “This place is not right…” He skirts the trees, watching and listening for any new movement, continuing west.

 

He avoids any other stands of these trees, not wanting to spend his time destroying that which he does not understand. He walks for several hours, slowly the haze in the distance is burned off by the sun, but he can see the snaking path of a river. As he gets nearer he sees barges floating down stream, with huge ropes tied around large flotillas of lumber. He smiles to himself “People. Perhaps now I can find out where I’m at.”

 

He changes course to follow the river downstream, it appears to flow from north to south, as he follows it he notices the land is beginning to change around him, the heather is giving way to light forest lands, but the trees here are a more natural green or yellow color. He sees the first stirrings of wildlife, small birds, and animals that look like squirrels, and rabbits.

 

He follows the course of the river, slowly it widens, he can barely see the shore on the far side. He comes to a stream, and finds a clear pool not far from where the stream joins with the river. He kneels down to lift some water to his mouth, sniffs it, and finding now foul odor, drinks. He drinks again, slaking his thirst, and looks down to his reflection. A young Half-Elf, with long braided honey gold hair, violet gold flecked eyes, high cheekbones and squared jaw of no more than eighteen summers, gazes back at him. He stops and stares. “This is not right…” He turns his head, still looking at his reflection. “I should be older… How much older?” His mind churns and a thought flows from his subconscious ‘nearly one hundred sixty five.’ “How can this be?” he asks himself. He ponders his reflection for a moment “Who am I then?” he whispers. Again a thought from his subconscious supplies an answer ‘KHRINN!’ He rocks back on his heels feeling the power in the name, but still not knowing why or how he came to where he is, or even who he is. “Alright then, I am Khrinn, and I am younger than I should be.”

 

He stands, and looks down at his reflection again, stopping for a moment to admire the clean young lines of his body and grins. “I may be younger than I should be, but I should have luck with the ladies.” He thinks on what he’s just said to himself, and his grin fades as he realizes that it makes him sad for some reason.

 

Khrinn continues following the river south, and after several hours comes to the edge of the woodland he has been traversing. In the distance, he can see a largish city. He can see to the south west a road leading to the city, and strikes off toward it.

Reviews

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Excellent imagery. I am sooooo impressed. Sterling write. I will be back for more. Best wishes, Pammy.

[Wolfwind Words]

I'm trembling in fear! Old names of ancient legends have re-awakened!
I had thought the ancient portal gates sealed for all time.
Only a master such as you might have had the key.
I must find Mia! She can save us!
I grin waiting for the next chapter! muhahahaha!