Patreon LogoYour support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)

City of Rock and Metal

A

ArcturusV

Supporter
Supporter
Joined
Jan 26, 2010
The sun had rose high into the sky, and Tomas stood there, feeling for all the world like a scared little child staring out at the woods for the first time. Tomas was not an imposing figure, nor dashing enough that such a feeling would have been a great leap of logic to the outside observer. Just over five and a half feet tall, with a thin build, lacking muscular bulk or large deposits of fat. He was rough around the edges, from the stubble upon his face, to the tangle that was his brown hair, or even the threadbare, torn edges of his clothes, from the stomped upon and muddy cuffs of his pants, to the worn away knees or places where his shirt tore on brambles and twigs he caught up on.

Today, he carried a pack slung over his shoulders. It was stuffed nearly to the bursting point, the leather full of food and supplies. He kept glancing around, looking out towards the looming elder forest out before him. It was hardly a strange territory to him. He had spent many years in the verge. But today was different. He was going to plunge deep into the wilds. And he was saddled with some stranger he was supposed to escort. Someone he didn't even know. He glanced back over his shoulder again, towards the village, wondering where his comrade on this desperate, foolish mission was.
 
A silk white mare headed out toward the waiting man. Saddled atop the horse was a cloaked figure, but telling from the hands that were outside of the cloak were female. They held onto the reins with a nervous twitch. Long red hair peaked out from the hood of the cloaked figure as they got closer and closer. An oak red recurved bow was slung over the figures shoulders, along with a quiver of arrows.

When the figure finally approached, she lowered her hood to look at her comrade. Her forest green eyes almost made the leaves jealous around them. She smiled down at the man. "Hello." she said softly in a greating. Inara was known through the village as many things; quiet, timid, one hell of a good shot, and most of all beautiful. She was the elders hope for mating this season but they knew her archery skill would aid Tomas on a more important matter than breeding.
 
That was one surprise he was not expecting. He spent most of his time away from the village. He wasn't there during the day, and at night he was either hunting or sleeping. But he was aware of the woman, he had glanced at her from afar, he had heard rumors about her. And now it seemed, she was saddling up along with him into the wilds.

"G-good day, ma'am," Tomas replied, stuttering at first and bending into a somewhat awkward, clumbsy bow towards the mounted woman. His mater may not have been much for the Sage Arts, but he did drill some excuse for manners into his boys.

He rose, studying the beast taht she rode, wondering just how it'd navigate through the undergrowth and some of the thickets out there. But in the end, he gave a soft shrug, figuring the woman rider would find a way when it came up.

"Spent much time in the Verge?"

There was still quite a bit of daylight left, he could take the time to make sure she was familiar with at least a few of the dangers before setting out.
 
"Its Inara and there is no need to bow. I am a commoner, such as yourself. If anyone should be bowing it should be me to you." she said with a quaint smile.

She looked nervous when he talked about the Verge. "I was born there. That is why your people find me so exotic. Anyways, since I came to the village at five years of age, I have been here since. I have very little knowledge of what awaits us. Have you some advice?" she said with curiousity.

Reaching around, she pulled her long red hair into a pony before leaping off her mare and starting to cover it with what looked to be a black blanket that specially fit the horse.
 
So it was true! It was quite bewildering to imagine that this woman really did come from the Wilds. He had never seen, or even heard of such a thing in anything but the wildest of elder's bedtime stories. The sheer reality of it and its implications sent a shiver down the man's spine.

"Use your ears you'll hear them coming before you see them. Your eyes won't see too far out there, and the creatures blend in well. You won't see them coming, at best you'll see something moving. Don't eat or touch anything unless I say it is okay. No matter what, stay near me. The creatures out there like to pick off the lone man, most will avoid us as long as we stick together."

"Hope that beast of yours can handle the terrain."
 
"Cambeel came out of the wilds too. She was tamed at the end of last year but never broke her spirit. My eyes are ten times better than any of villagers, but my ears are nothing. Accident of when I was young. Cambeel's ears will indicate if anything is coming that I cannot see. Listen, if we're to get along please don't treat me like the imbecile that you think I am." Inara said shyly but firmly.
 
"My appologies, ma'am." Tomas gave Inara another curt little bow. As he rose from it he started walking towards the Verge, following a well worn path of packed dirt that he had walked almost every day since he was old enough to walk. His eyes glanced back over his shoulder to see if the woman and her beast were following along.

"Have you ever seen it before?" he asked her, if she was following along on thier way towards the Wilds.
 
"Have I seen what? The Wilds, when I was young, the thing we are to retrieve, yes, and the beast of the Wilds, some. As for the beast the lingers behind the trees around thirty feet in front of us, yes. Would you like me to shoot it down now, or give it a chance to be a friendly ally first?" she asked as she notched her bow and waited for her command. Cambeel automatically follow four paces behind Tomas.
 
Tomas couldn't help but let out a groan. He could see this was going to be a long trip already. A shrew of a woman with a horrible attitude, coasting by on her exotic looks more than any charm. At least she was hopefully skilled as well.

He shook his head slowly as they came closer. "Nothing this dangerous this close to the verge. Gramps and Dad did a pretty good job of getting them wiped out before they fed off the village. Probably just one of the herbivores. Save your arrows for something that wants to disembowel us, eh?"

He seemed completely unafraid. Aware, yes, no telling if it was wounded, or had a litter nearby and thus dangerous. But he was pretty sure that whatever it was, it wasn't going ot eat them. As he said, they wiped out anything dangerous long ago, they had to, and they were careful about making sure nothing more dangerous settled around here.
 
Inara sighed as she heard the groan. Listening to his instructions, she kept the bow notched but loosened the taunt of the string. "You don't live in the village do you? I mean, you live within the area, but you dont go into the main part. How come?" she asked softly. She knew that is was none of her business but she wanted to know more about him. They had a very long and dangerous trip ahead of them, and who knows, they may be the last people that each other ever saw.

Cambeel neighed softly as they passed the creature who was noming on a huge herb bush. It looked at them briefly but when they showed to sign of harm it went back to eating, ignoring them all together.
 
They were making good time. They should, Tomas walked these trails every day after all, he knew the clear paths and the safe spots, where every tangle and possible tripping root was. His pace was set at slightly above a jog as he bounced from spot to spot, blazing a trail in the vague, general direction he was given for this fabled city of Rock and Metal.

"My family tended the Verge. It's where I worked, it was where I was taught. I had no reason to be anywhere else."
 
"Ah....oh...uh...okay...." Inara managed out as she pulled her hood back over her face, letting Cambeel be the one to lead the path. Her eyes watched ahead to make sure that nothing came to eat them. Every time they passed six trees on her right, she would check behind them to make sure nothing was trying for an ambush.

'He doesn't care for me at all. I wonder which of the horrid rumors he has heard. Or maybe I was to unkind to him...why must I keep so distant.' Inara thought with a long sigh before letting silence fall over them.
 
"You said you've been there before, right?" Tomas suddenly broke out, after a good 30 minutes of quite on thier march. He hadn't looked back at Inara the whole time. And now, his attentions were coming more focused on the trail, it's path was thinner, not the well trampled tracks of the close Verge. Seldom did his people come out here, and his memory was being taxed to recall all the safe trails in this leg.

"That city the Elders speak of?"
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom