Prologue

            The Falmoran forest was calm and peaceful. It was the beginning of autumn; a time of resting and prosperity. Birds chattered noisily among the canopy of leaves, so green against the golden sunlight that shone through the gaps. Small woodland creatures jumped around the colorful plants and rocks that scattered the ground.

            The Falmoran forest was a place of mysticism, a place where the trees grew to be so tall, the tops weren’t visible beyond the thick branches that crisscrossed this way and that.

            There was an incandescent glow about the forest; the magic’s of life that wove and bound the trees together was evident by the opaque glow that surrounded each being.

            A squirrel meandered out into the open in search of fallen acorns that might be hiding among the leaves and plants. Chattering loudly to himself, he bounced along, his split tail moving along behind him. He sniffed the air, testing for predators before proceeding.

            He was on the verge of discovering an interesting scent when there was a loud sound from above. He startled violently and arched his neck to look up.

            A Nazeraeth Warrior was running along one of the thick branches. Her long limbs carrying her swiftly and silently through the trees. As she leapt between the gaps above the squirrel the same noise that had scared him before, sounded again.

            It was loud, a high-pitched call with a ragged edge that sounded like a rock dragging against broken glass. A hail-storm of arrows as black as the shadows of night tore through the air after the Nazeraeth only to miss and fall to the ground. The squirrel screamed with fright and dove to the safety of a fern. Peeking around a strand of leaves, he saw the pursuers.

            They weren’t tall, not at all compared to the Nazeraeth, and their appearances were cloaked by a shadow-black cloth. The only feature that could be made out from their faces were glowing, yellow orbs, devoid of pupils. Death-grey hands gripped short, jagged swords and bows. Large, three-toed feet, with long, black class gripped the wood beneath them as they ran after the Nazeraeth. Splintered pieces of bark rained down from the sky.

            Only when they leaped out of sight, did the tiny creature creep out from the underbrush. He paused, sniffing the air for dangers, only picking up the lingering scent of rot and filth that came from the ebony beasts. He listened to the now stiff, cold silence of the forest around him.

            The squirrel didn’t chance moving around as he did before; instinct told him to stay put until the forest had returned to its natural state. Even the glow around it had faltered, as if to watch the proceedings before it.

            Then, a chilling sound broke the silence. A piercing, inhumanly beautiful cry broke through the day. The squirrel shuddered as something deep within him went cold at the sound. The trees around him groaned and shifted as though by a breeze, though the day was windless. Leaves tumbled to the ground slowly.

            Some where, the Nazeraeth Warrior had fallen and the forest was weeping silently.

Author's Note

This is the prologue to a story I'm sort of writing :)

Reviews

[RIO]

"He startled violently"- do you mean he "started violently? Not sure...
Great prologue, looking forward to reading more!
x

[Zeitgeist Manifesto]

So far, this is a great introduction. It all flowed nicely and it was action packed.
You've gotten off to a great start.

[Melanie Nicole]

This is great! I like how it flows and such (:
My best friend is a genius

[JudeTrain]

wow the writing is very smooth, swift, and panache. You have a wonderful ability to create moods in this piece, its very lively and you can really sense and feel the forest. The idea of putting the squirrel in the middle of it all worked very well. The only suggestion i have is to maybe combine some of the paragraphs. Well done, i hope you continue with the story 85/100