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A
minor lord of a darkened-sun raised his head from the grass. He gestured at
the select few chosen for this raid. Under dappled light that came through
mossy chestnut trees, the Wolf’s Brat was playing in the waters. Sniffing
the air in gulps, slave-warriors of the darkened-sun growled. Slinking close
to the ground, they shivered, peering at the trees, the sky, their eyes wide
and unblinking.
The
sound of Benny’s scream came to them. The group inched forward in time to
see a plume of water shoot up from a deep hole in the Little Black River.
Benny’s
head came up. He swam to the rocky shore and using the heavy grape vines,
climbed a tree.
Benny
stood on a branch that hung far out over the water. Grinning, he pounded his
chest with both fists and gave a shrill rendition of a Tarzan call.
He
looked around. Seeing no challengers to his might, he pulled up a length of
vine, ran back along the highway of a branch and dived off. The vine
stretched, creaked and groaned. At the end of the arc, Benny plunged off,
still yelling, “Ah-ee-ahhhh, ah!”
Water enveloped him in a cool, blue-green embrace.
Fish
darted passed his head. They paused to look back, then fled from groping
claw-hands.
His
head cut the surface. Benny spouted water, shaking his head to clear his eyes.
Trapped in a circle of demonic warriors, Benny froze. Hellhounds with jagged,
rotting teeth crawling with living filth, their eyes yellowed, bodies running
sores infested with maggots. To the amusement of the hunters, his face took on
a look not unlike that of a small, abandoned puppy. Like, moments before being
crushed by the speeding tire of a gravel truck.
Loath
to get wet, from the shore their bitter overlord snapped, “Quickly, thou
fools. Take him.”
At
the drift of a bird overhead he cast a look about, backing into dim shadows of
the trees. In long, taped hands a dying sword shifted and cringed. Birds are
sacred to the Eagle:Woman. They were everywhere, watching, singing, telling
her all and everything that occurred.
Benny
screamed, lunging at the tightening circle of grinning demons.
They
shoved him back.
The
overlord clenched once perfect teeth.
“Hurry.
Take him. We needs be gone.”
He
shuddered. A finger twitched and dropped off his hand. Golden eyes darkened.
Without the renewal:blessing of the Eagle:Woman, or the worship of former
hordes, the darkened-sun was fading away. Their only hope was to beg the Owl
for power stolen from mortals.
Muttering
at losing their chance to play with their victim, demons leaped on Benny. He
squirmed out of the pile and dived. Following, they slashed through the water,
now in a shon:, a guise, of sharks,
driving him to shore. Benny struggled out, ran, and the overlord slapped him
down.
“Corpse
sucking maggot breath. Leggo me.”
A
hand clapped over his mouth. Breath cut off by the stench of rotted flesh and
blood, Benny’s stomach heaved.
Terrified
of getting caught the deadly ne:ne:pi:i
moved with caution into the shadows of the towering, primeval forest. High
above them a bird floated in lazy, serene figure eights, her golden eyes sharp
on the action below. One small, trembling mouse whispered to another. A wolf
heard. He yipped at a buck. The deer lowered his antlers, leaped and twisted
away. He snorted at a raccoon that passed on the word to warrior-guardians.
©2002 StoriesByEmail.com
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