Shanda was still staring at her home's ruins when a strong paw settled on her shoulder. The young Felisapi turned to see Old Raklaw standing behind her. He was twice as tall as her and three times as wide, for Old Raklaw was a Borfen, one of the bear-folk. Usually he stayed in his den by the creek, entertaining the little ones with his tales of monster-slaying back in "the good ole days".
Now, though, Raklaw was covered in bloody cuts and bandages, and carrying his old club, which had it's own battle stains.
"Raklaw, what happened?" Shanda asked weakly. Sedna looked up and blinked at the gray-furred warrior, who shook his head.
"Battle. Came at us out of nowhere. Hundred of 'em, at least."
"Who?" Shanda inquired.
"Humans. Elves. Few dwarves."
"Why?" Sedna asked. Raklaw sighed.
"The world's changed, kids. The Immortals have launched a revolt. They've apparently been planning this a long time, inciting the non-furreds to fight for their rights."
"Rights?"
"The Animkind have always been the rulers of Sarant, and a few from time to time hold that against the non-furreds, treating them as though they aren't as important. It's wrong, and the rest of us try to stop them, but enough feel that way that now it's turned into war." He turned and began shuffling toward the forests. "Come on kids. We've got to find sanctuary before any of that mob come back." Shanda and Sedna stared at each other before hurrying after him.
"Raklaw," Sedna started after a while. "How did you survive the attack?" Now the Borfen smiled slightly.
"None of the fools that came into my den really knew how to fight. At first, I just threw them into the water. But when I ran to the village, though, I was too late to do anything other than keep them from killing me. Eventually I ran into the forest and lost those that followed. Came back to find everything in flames. Nothing to scavenge, but something told me to hang around, and then you two show up."
"Where are we going?"
"East, towards the Center Mount. Then we either keep going east to see an old friend, or I may send you north to your homeland." The siblings looked at each other apprehensively. It would be a several weeks-long journey the huge, extinct volcano that formed the center of Sarant's mountains, and there was no telling who they might run into along the way.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Sunday, March 4, 2012
The World has Changed
A deer nibbled at the leaves of a tree's low-hanging branch somewhere in the northern woodlands of the Quetlian Forest. It suddenly froze, noticing a strange smell on the air. Deciding to move on, the deer trotted of into the trees. From behind a nearby log, a young Felisapi sighed in defeat.
"Face it, Shanda, I'm just not cut out to be a hunter." Another cat-creature next to him chuckled quietly and patted her younger brother's shoulder.
"Nonsense, Sedna, you just haven't been lucky. This time you did everything perfect, it's just the timing was off." She stood and stretched out the limbs stiffened by hours off crouching, coaching her pupil the fine art of stalking prey. "C'mon. Let's head back to the village."
The two began walking south towards their home, a rather open village known as Ansad that had started out as a trading post between the Animkind of the mountains and the elf city Quel many years ago. It was mostly populated by felisapi (many of whom were Shanda and Sedna's relatives) though there were a few other kinds of people. After about two hours of walking, they reached the Winding Road and followed along it for another hour or so.
"Hey," Sedna said. "Do you smell something?" Shanda took a deep breath through her whiskered nose, and quite easily detected smoke on the wind. The siblings exchanged nervous glances and increased their pace. If something had caught fire in Ansad, every paw would be needed to carry water pouches from the creek. When they finally rounded the bend that preceded their home, both felisapi froze in horror.
The village was destroyed. Every house and building, lovingly constructed over the years, had been burned and torn down. The small alter to Felisa, the Cat Goddess and leader of all felisapi, was broken and scattered around the road. Even the cub's playground, where so many cheerful little ones had raced over the years, had been demolished. Worse, scattered everywhere were charred lumps that the two realized must be what remained of their neighbors and friends.
"It's... it's all... gone." Shanda moaned. Slowly, the two of them moved through the wreckage until they came to the fallen-over remains of their house. Staring at it, Sedna sunk to his knees, and neither of them noticed the footsteps approaching from behind.
"Face it, Shanda, I'm just not cut out to be a hunter." Another cat-creature next to him chuckled quietly and patted her younger brother's shoulder.
"Nonsense, Sedna, you just haven't been lucky. This time you did everything perfect, it's just the timing was off." She stood and stretched out the limbs stiffened by hours off crouching, coaching her pupil the fine art of stalking prey. "C'mon. Let's head back to the village."
The two began walking south towards their home, a rather open village known as Ansad that had started out as a trading post between the Animkind of the mountains and the elf city Quel many years ago. It was mostly populated by felisapi (many of whom were Shanda and Sedna's relatives) though there were a few other kinds of people. After about two hours of walking, they reached the Winding Road and followed along it for another hour or so.
"Hey," Sedna said. "Do you smell something?" Shanda took a deep breath through her whiskered nose, and quite easily detected smoke on the wind. The siblings exchanged nervous glances and increased their pace. If something had caught fire in Ansad, every paw would be needed to carry water pouches from the creek. When they finally rounded the bend that preceded their home, both felisapi froze in horror.
The village was destroyed. Every house and building, lovingly constructed over the years, had been burned and torn down. The small alter to Felisa, the Cat Goddess and leader of all felisapi, was broken and scattered around the road. Even the cub's playground, where so many cheerful little ones had raced over the years, had been demolished. Worse, scattered everywhere were charred lumps that the two realized must be what remained of their neighbors and friends.
"It's... it's all... gone." Shanda moaned. Slowly, the two of them moved through the wreckage until they came to the fallen-over remains of their house. Staring at it, Sedna sunk to his knees, and neither of them noticed the footsteps approaching from behind.
Introduction to Sarant
Sarant- A world of typical fantasy people and my own creatures and cultures. Someday it will be a collection of books, but for now, I need to get these ideas out where others can see them. For each post, I will give a date on the general timeline, though most will stand as single stories.
Terms:
Animkind- Humanoid animals who ruled the world in it's early days, led by their gods whose power comes from the combined life force of their people.
The Immortals- A group of gods created through old elf magics. They fall into three categories: Light, Balance and Dark. It is the opinion of many that the Dark Immortals are the trouble makers in Sarant - and they would be right.
Elemental- The mysterious creatures made of the forces of nature itself, whose gods/creators keep them secluded from the other races.
Terms:
Animkind- Humanoid animals who ruled the world in it's early days, led by their gods whose power comes from the combined life force of their people.
The Immortals- A group of gods created through old elf magics. They fall into three categories: Light, Balance and Dark. It is the opinion of many that the Dark Immortals are the trouble makers in Sarant - and they would be right.
Elemental- The mysterious creatures made of the forces of nature itself, whose gods/creators keep them secluded from the other races.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)