Great story so far. A powerful end so far. Full of emotion. Im eager to see what happens next. And he didn't have much choice.
Chris -----Original Message----- From: Jack Moore <[email protected]> To: mkguild <[email protected]> Sent: Wed, Jul 6, 2016 9:11 pm Subject: [Mkguild] Patrol XV AN: And now the Deluge Patrol XV Woods: April 1st I was taking a break from walking, sitting on a stump. My legs were throbbing from carrying the extra weight of my soaking wet dress. My tail rubbed against the backside of the stump. I could feel every splinter and crack in the wood dragging against my underside. "I've never really thought about what the back of a chair feels like." I mumbled. "You don't really until you have a tail. Now I've got to sit in chairs with holes in them or stick my tail up my ass." I laughed. "I'm going completely insane." The sun had risen more but it was still the morning. I wanted water in the worst of ways. "Will I enjoy being a lizard?" My claws dug into the fabric of my dress. "I...I assume no but...but I- -snap- My head jerked up. "He-hello?" I swallowed. "Is-is someone there?" I tapped the hatchet, yep still tied to my side. "Nemo?" Another twig snapped, but this one behind me. I jumped up. "Hello?" Berl held his knife in his right hand. His arms shook too hard for him to raise the knife. Before him stood a lizard man, back turned to Berl. "I...I could take him home as a trophy...I could..." He swallowed. The Hunt Leader's words rang out in his head. 'You are only to kill if your life is in danger.' "Okay I won't kill him...I can take something from him as a trophy." Berl swallowed. He tapped the knife against his stomach just to verify he was still holding it. "I can. I can do that. I-" Berl stepped on a branch that broke with a loud crack. The lizard spun around. The hunter was dressed in leather armor and a cloak. He looked like Brightleaf but more so. He was holding a knife though, that's what got my attention. I gripped the hatchet against my side. 'Oh my gods I'm going to die. I'm going to die and he's going to kill me. I'm so scared...' I closed my eyes...and I saw someone. I saw Sir Egland from the other night. "I was more than scared." Sir Egland said, "I was petrified. I was cursed, everyone in the outside world thinks I'm dead, and I'm trapped in a strange city. But I'm still here." 'Sir Egland...he was scared but he didn't show it. He kept going.' I opened my eyes and studied the knife-wielder. He was young, as young as I was. He looked even more scared. I could see his fingers trembling and his bottom lip shaking. Incidentally these were details I'd have missed a month prior. 'Sir Egland survived by being brave...' My mind began to whirl through ideas, 'Maybe I can get through this by being brave.' I steadied myself. I couldn't shake, I couldn't whimper and I couldn't let a tear out. "Who are you?" My voice was clear and rang out through the forest. The boy recoiled. "I-I am" He stood straight. "I am Berlitz of the Golden Circle Hunters. I-I am a-a hunter!" He held up his knife. "Yeah well I'm not in the mood for being hunted." I said, trying to mask my panic. "I-If you want me Berlitz, come get me." Neither of us took a step. "I-I can you know. I'm a mighty hunter." Berlitz looked like he was about to pee from fear. "I'm a real hunter." "I don't know what that means." I said. 'Pretend you're a hero from one of those stories you've read. What...if you were Sir Egland, what would you say?' "I don't want to hurt you. But I will. Drop the knife!" "I...I...I don't want to die." Berlitz stammered. "Please. I'm dropping the knife!" He raised his hands. "I'm dropping the knife." I smiled. Berlitz began to crouch when a voice pierced the silence. "James?" I recognized it, Nemo looking for me. "James where are you?" Berlitz jumped back up in fear. "Who is that?" Berlitz asked. "Do-do you have-is someone else here?" The question struck me aback. "James where are you?" Nemo called out. "Stop calling out." Misha snapped. "Do you want to get us killed? Those hunters could still be out here." "James has been lost all night in the woods." Nemo said. "And I have to find him. We can take those hunters, he can't." Misha rubbed his eyes, but knew Nemo was right. "Don't yell like a fool then." Misha said. "You know better than that." "I don't know how else to find him." Nemo said. "Not like this." Misha said. "Yelling out and panicking isn't going to fix anything." The fox frowned. "What's wrong here?" Nemo laughed. "What do you mean?" "I mean what is wrong? It's obviously not just James. You said you were a knight; you've fought in battles before. Last night with arrows sailing around us you barely reacted." Misha gestured at him. "Now you're shaking. You're anxious." Nemo moved on. The trees were identical tangles of gray with splashes of color, orange, white, pink and yellow. The ground was littered with dead leaves, shrubs, brambles and the occasional tree root. Nemo focused on these instead of the fox asking questions. "I...Yes there is something more at play than just James being lost." Nemo swallowed. "But it is a personal matter of no concern to you." Misha shook his head. "Don't let it affect you." Misha said. "I'm not trying to let it affect me." Nemo said, breaking off a branch from a tree. "But I know that James is lost and scared. If we don't find him, he'll end up killing himself. And we- "Help!" The two snapped around. "That's James" Nemo said. The two took off running towards the voice. "Who is that!?" Berlitz screamed, pointing his knife at me. I gripped the hatchet. "Pu-put that down." I stammered. "I'm warning you." Berlitz arms were shaking but now his eyes were wide. He was starting to freak out. Sir Egland would be calm, he survived. I want to survive. I tried my best to remain calm. "I don't want to hurt you." "You're a monster! You want to kill me!" He spit with fear, "All you Keepers, you're monsters! You want to kill us all!" I was taken aback. "All monsters!" "I'm not a monster." I yelled back as my anger flared up in me. "I'm just a guy who wants to go home!" Now it was his turn to look surprised. "I just want to go home!" Berlitz began panting. I saw him tense up a moment before he leapt at me. That's probably why I'm still alive. I leapt, or at least fell, to the right as Berl slammed into the mud. I flipped onto my back just in time for Berl to jump on me. He slashed with a blind frenzy, quite literally his eyes were closed. A few glancing blows cut me but not deep. I punched Berl in the face, knocking him off. "Owe gods my nose." Berl rubbed at the fresh flowing blood. I leapt up and took off running, only for Berl to jump me again. "Gah!" The two of us crashed into the ground. I scratched at him in desperation, but that did nothing. Berl prepared to stab me in the chest. I grabbed at something, anything and threw it in Berl's face. He dropped the knife and yelled as dirt struck him in the eyes. He rubbed at his eyes, trying to clear them. I grabbed my hatchet off the ground as Berl stopped rubbing. His eyes connected with mine. "You won't get me!" Berl's hands grabbed my throat and started choking me. My lungs burned. 'I can't-I can't breathe!' He looked so happy strangling me, shaking my head up and down. 'I-I have to-' I swung the hatchet up. Thunk. "Oh gods." The hands around my throat went limp. "Oh gods no." I scooted away from Berl, sitting up. "No no no." Berl sat up on his knees, swaying from side to side. I could only hear him gasping for air, and the sound of my heart hammering. "Please, please don't..." Blood flowed from his head. From the hatchet I had swung in the side of his head. "Please don't be dead." I whispered. Berl's eyes filled with sorrow looking at me. He tried mouthing something. "No, no you're alright." Berl started to fall back. "You have to be!" I grabbed for Berl's shirt, but his body fell outside of my grasp. 'No no please no.' I grabbed Berl and pulled him against me. All of my anger was gone as the realization settled over me. "Help! Please someone help!" "James!" Nemo and Misha came bounding out of the woods. I was still screaming I think and trying to stop the bleeding. Yes I held him. I held that boy until he died in my arms. AN: Tomorrow this story ends. _______________________________________________ MKGuild mailing list [email protected] http://lists.integral.org/listinfo/mkguild
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