Post by Rojo on Apr 14, 2009 5:56:30 GMT 10
Title: Have a Chance
Rating: G
Word Count: 461
Summary: Innocent dreams do not allows turn out the way they were expected.
Thanks, Kat, for beta-ing this for me!
The hare was almost too easy to catch. Aline Rawley had traveled for so long through war-torn countries that she was able to take better care of herself than most of the people who lived there. Maybe it was because she had a steady income and less to worry about. Or maybe it was because she was just used to the conditions…
A foot stepped on a stick, the crack echoing in the small clearing Aline had chosen for the night. She scanned the tree line, wary. The light from her fire reflected off of a pair of wide eyes.
“Who’s there?” She called sharply, one hand towards the dagger hanging from her belt.
Slowly, the person emerged from the shadows.
It was a child. They looked to be around four years of age, though malnutrition could have put it anywhere between three and eight. It (Aline could not tell if it was a boy or girl) was filthy and wearing nothing but an oversized shirt long enough to just barely reveal a set of knobby knees. One dirty thumb was in the child’s mouth being sucked intently.
It edged closer to her, dragging its feet over the ground, one eye on Aline and the other intently watching the pot she had placed over the fire earlier. The hare she had caught was inside the pot, part of a stew that was filling the entire clearing with its rich aroma. The child was clearly hungry and looked as if it had not eaten for days.
Watching the child out of the corner of her, Aline carefully filled a bowl with the stew. She held it out to the child, offering it up. “Would you like some?” Slowly, the child’s feet edged closer until it was in range to grab the bowl.
Abruptly, one hand reached out, faster than Aline could watch, and snatched it from her hand. The child sprinted off, disappearing into the same bushes it first appeared in.
She scrambled to her feet to chase it. “Wait!” Aline stopped at the edge of the clearing, not daring to enter into the dark forest.
Later that night, her fire banked, she curled in her bedroll, thinking. She could not help but wish things were different. Wish the people of the lands she passed through would trust those who tried to help them. Wish the people would not need the help. Wish there was some way to make the rulers of countries stop fighting each other.
Close to sleep, she dreamt of something so repulsive, so dreadful, so disgusting, that rulers would stop and think before starting wars. So commoners might have a chance at a decent life.
In the Divine Realms, the first stormwing opened its wings and took flight.
Rating: G
Word Count: 461
Summary: Innocent dreams do not allows turn out the way they were expected.
Thanks, Kat, for beta-ing this for me!
The hare was almost too easy to catch. Aline Rawley had traveled for so long through war-torn countries that she was able to take better care of herself than most of the people who lived there. Maybe it was because she had a steady income and less to worry about. Or maybe it was because she was just used to the conditions…
A foot stepped on a stick, the crack echoing in the small clearing Aline had chosen for the night. She scanned the tree line, wary. The light from her fire reflected off of a pair of wide eyes.
“Who’s there?” She called sharply, one hand towards the dagger hanging from her belt.
Slowly, the person emerged from the shadows.
It was a child. They looked to be around four years of age, though malnutrition could have put it anywhere between three and eight. It (Aline could not tell if it was a boy or girl) was filthy and wearing nothing but an oversized shirt long enough to just barely reveal a set of knobby knees. One dirty thumb was in the child’s mouth being sucked intently.
It edged closer to her, dragging its feet over the ground, one eye on Aline and the other intently watching the pot she had placed over the fire earlier. The hare she had caught was inside the pot, part of a stew that was filling the entire clearing with its rich aroma. The child was clearly hungry and looked as if it had not eaten for days.
Watching the child out of the corner of her, Aline carefully filled a bowl with the stew. She held it out to the child, offering it up. “Would you like some?” Slowly, the child’s feet edged closer until it was in range to grab the bowl.
Abruptly, one hand reached out, faster than Aline could watch, and snatched it from her hand. The child sprinted off, disappearing into the same bushes it first appeared in.
She scrambled to her feet to chase it. “Wait!” Aline stopped at the edge of the clearing, not daring to enter into the dark forest.
Later that night, her fire banked, she curled in her bedroll, thinking. She could not help but wish things were different. Wish the people of the lands she passed through would trust those who tried to help them. Wish the people would not need the help. Wish there was some way to make the rulers of countries stop fighting each other.
Close to sleep, she dreamt of something so repulsive, so dreadful, so disgusting, that rulers would stop and think before starting wars. So commoners might have a chance at a decent life.
In the Divine Realms, the first stormwing opened its wings and took flight.