Snow – The Tales of Laguna and Charlotte. (Chapter Six.)

March 22, 2012 01:32PM

-The moon shone through silver clouds, that floated effortlessly across a blackened sky, the halo created by the sun’s reflection on the moon, allowed enough light to filter down, basking all in its glow. The soft sounds of snoring came from high above in the tree itself, mixing in with that of the other woodland creatures, the overall effect, a symphony of sounds. The odd leaf would find its way through the break in Charlotte’s web, and flitter down to fall upon Laguna, just as he were to take the half eaten carcass to be disposed of. The spider maiden had commented before, that she never dreams. Perhaps she meant this for she simply did not get enough sleep. This night however, a belly full of the blood of the doe, the bedding so high up in the oak, had her swaying gently, rocking her to sleep with ease, that she did dream. A battle ground, thousands of men all wearing Nemauen uniforms, fighting against…against…Ariko. Charlotte tossed her body to the right as more leaves would fall from her makeshift bedding. An eye peering out of the red glow….a mutilated body walking towards her, only to crackle, break and collapse in on itself. The scene would fade to black, before another scene took its place. A field of flowers, stretching out for miles. Charlotte standing on a small hill, wearing a simple cotton dress, that barely touched her knee. Her hand touching the flower buds, that bowed and swayed to the uplifting breeze. Her name was called, distinctly male, and she smiled, turning her head to look back over her shoulder. Then there was the whistling sound….of a bullet….Charlotte sat up in her webbing, eyes open…a look of terror on her face, but still asleep. Asleep with eyes wide open.

March 23, 2012 06:29AM

- Laguna made his way down a small embankment, the moisture in the air guiding him towards a nearby lake reserve where he would be able to discard of the carcass properly. He intended to cut it into strips; scattering them so that others creatures of the night may also feast. In his eyes, the doe was a gift and none of it was going to go to waste. It was quite ironic however that he didn’t have any of the meat himself, and even more ironic that he never intended to, it was just a play on words to get Charlotte to eat. It mattered not now, she was slumbering soundly. Or at least he believed she was. He kept an ear to her as he strode down the slope, a fairly slow pace as he was in no rush to sleep and the carcass was hardly heavy to one such as him. He continued. Then stopped, dead in his tricks, his brow a little furrowed, thinking. His thoughts were his own, but he clearly identified a tension with her, in the air, the aura around her. He had no idea what it was, for Laguna did not have the ability to see into the thoughts and dreams of others. Or at least, he didn’t know that he did. This feeling passed however and he made it to a nearby stream, excellent for masking the smell so that it was not overpowering to all creatures. He cut the carcass finely into strips within a minute or so, dousing every part in water to cloud the smell. He didn’t want half the forest coming to where they slept. He threw every part in different direction. This was not a question of mere feet, Laguna had quite the throw on him, and making sure it was far enough a distance. Upon finishing, he placed the bones in the river, for it would find a further use there. And with that he made his way back, with every step feeling Charlotte and her nightmare. Upon reaching the bottom of the tree, he peered up to her, leaping into the tree with such a precision and grace that not a sound was produced from him doing so. He looked down at her face. She was clearly having a bad episode. “Funny” he thought to himself. “I thought she didn’t dream….” He was not about to disturb the innermost thoughts of another however, he regarded that part of creatures sacred and to invade such a thing would be wrong in his own mind. He moved to leap down to his resting spot, delayed by the opening of her eyes. He narrowed his vision, closing his eyes as if concentrating as he looked into them…further….further….He bolted upright with shock. The hues of her eyes told the story, as if on the reverse of a camera lens, backwards and transparent. Was it that he could see it, or was it that she was doing this magic herself? He didn’t want to find out. He cast his glance away from hers, leaping down and sitting himself on the ground, propped up against the tree branch. He folded his arms and closed his eyes; one thought running through his head…”Who is Ariko…?” -

March 23, 2012 07:56AM

-Eyes are the windows of our soul, they reflect all we see, and to stare into them, you can often find yourself, drawn into them. Some are lovers, some are friends, others are strangers. All gazing into the eyes of the bebilith could see, the tale being played, a dream, a dream she normally did not have. Was it a premonitions  Was it a look at her end? Her eyes remained open, but her mind was trapped in the dream. Her webbing bed quivered beneath her, as she herself trembled. No sounds escaped her lips, no cry out in shock, or pain. Soon her eyelids fell, and her body simply slipped back into her webbing hammock, as the dream was at its end. She would wake of course, but not yet. The worst was over, and one can only imagine what was waiting for her after the whistling of the bullet.An hour or two would pass, the moon crossing the inky black sky, precious clouds hiding many a star, and soon the eyes of the bebilith, brilliance in jade, flashed open, and with her night vision, she was now able to see all around her quite clearly. Stretching and making a light hissing sound, she rose from her bedding and clamoured down the tree. (Charlotte)”Wakey Wakey.” -she said, and it seemed the spider maiden, did not remember the dream.

March 24, 2012 07:15AM

LagunaEverae: – Laguna, now a little more settled as he propped himself up against the tree, crouched down with his knees high and his shoulders low, began to place himself in a state of mind, a limbo. A place where he could hear and even feel all around him, but his inner self slightly disconnecting itself from the real world, allowing that part of his brain to sleep, the part that needed it at least. It was quite a nifty trick to learn, to say the least. He didn’t focus on her dream, nor dwell on the fact that he could see through the glaze of her opened eyes, the nightmare that was occurring. He simply refused to believe that he had another ability that once again, he had not asked for. On this occasion however, he appeared to be right, it wasn’t anything to do with him and the spider maiden was relaying it to him through her jade eyes. Laguna would stay exactly where he was for an hour or for 56 minutes and 12 seconds if you were to ask him before he rose to a stand, opting to go a walk to clear his head. The sun was already beginning to rise by this point and he decided to make use of an old looking tree that was nearby. Breakfast would be better cooked over an open flame to say the least. He spied the tree, walking up to it and assessed it as usual, his sea blue orbs flickering quickly from side to side. He then took his blade from upon his back and propped it sideways against the tree, taking off the upper parts of his clothing for the slight workout that was to come. When he had finished, he was completed naked on the upper torso side of things, the only parts on him the spiked arm bracelet of sorts that he had on and the necklace that dangled around his neck, its silver glistening in the morning sun. He began to chop into the bark, not rushing himself-CharlotteCarrendar: – ~Chop …Chop….Chop…Chop~ came the sound, metal blade, striking the tree trunk….over and over, Laguna’s body, his upper torso, glistening in persperation, running down his back and shoulders. She brought her hand up to her chest, her heart beat rapidly. She blinked, and then closing her eyes, she inhaled his musky scent, so very male. Her full lips parted and with a releasing of air from her lungs, and with long slender digits, smoothing out the suit, before uttering – ~ahem~ “I will got wash my hands, and face, in the stream just nearby to be ready for breakfast and then we can be on our way again.” If he heard her, he would have captured the light smile she offered him. The dream was not recalled, but Laguna, he knew. Trapsing down to the water’s edge, cool and bubbling happily across rock and stones, the darting of tiny fish, their scales reflecting the slithers of light that stream through the canopy overhead. Cupping her hands together, Charlotte kneels on the grassy bank, and she scoops up the fresh clear waters, and brings it to her lips, drinking and feeling it run down her throat, relieving her of the dryness from when she slept. Another mouthful and then she splashes the water across her face, cleansing it of dirt, repeating this till her skin is clear once more. Her reflection wavers, from the ripples of water, as droplets fall from her fingers and cheeks. Licking the last drops from her lips, she places both hands down on the grass either side of her and pushes herself up to standing, twisting her body, and placing out her right foot, heading back to Laguna, ready for the next part of their day. Breakfast.-

March 26, 2012 12:39AM

LagunaEverae: – He bored into the wood, chopping away at a suitable level, neither breaking into a stride nor a sweat, this was an enjoyable pace. Amongst the crisp sounds of the blade etching into the wood with a crack and tear, he heard the dainty footsteps of the other from his other ear. Just a light scratching of underfoot, the sound of crushed grass and the like. He came to a stop, launching the blade over his head to hold it at right angles as his muscular body contorted and bulged with the simplest of movements. He wiped his brow with his still gloved hand and politely smiled, nodding his head before returning to the task at hand. A few more strikes and the small to medium sized tree would collapse. As Charlotte was long gone from the area by the time it fell, the clichéd call of “Timber” was deemed unnecessary. Partly also contributing to the fact was that Laguna would catch the falling log and merely place it on the ground, once again taking his blade to it, albeit this time they were short sharp strikes to break the wood into little pieces for firewood. An effortless task for him, by the time the other had returned he would have everything that was needed and was almost finished building a small nest of wood for the flame to burn upon. The blade came crashing down into the last piece of wood, Laguna opting to leave it there as he stood to his full, magnificent height to greet the other. “ Good morning” was the simple and genuine greeting that trilled from his lips as he dried his shoulders and neck with his clothes before putting them back on once more. “I thought you might like a spot of food, anything in particular?” he asked as his mind raced to himself, the thoughts of processing. “Squirrels.Three.47 meters to the west. Wild Boar. Trickier. 54 meters, using trees for cover. Deer. Moved on. Too far. Fish. Stream. Personal choice. Listen” -

March 26, 2012 07:19AM

-Charlotte stretched, raising her shoulders and let out a yawn, returning from the creek, where she had washed her face and gotten a drink. Laguna offered her a good morning, along with making preparations for what would be a camp fire in order to cook her breakfast. “I thought you might like a spot of food, anything in particular?” Laguna asked, having dressed himself once more, no longer bare chested as he was cutting wood. Charlotte tilted her head, thinking for just a moment, not really sure what was on offer this far out from Lorewall. Not exactly near Subways. “Well, I truly don’t mind, I mean, you know the woods here better than I. And, I am not entirely sure what is native to this part of the world. She reached up with her right hand, scratching her cheek, and you could see she was having a hard time coming up with an answer. “I…happened to see some fish in the creek where I just took a drink. Maybe that would make a nice breakfast.” she offered.

March 27, 2012 12:38AM

-He watched and assessed her body language, her tone; her hesitance at certain foods to help him in helping her decide in what is was she was to have for breakfast. From her reply, she did not seem particularly fussed on anything. Indifferent. This was not good enough, he wanted a different type of reaction altogether. One of enthusiasm, of will. The scratching of her cheek. Indecision. Confusion, even. The tapping of her single digit on her lips as she tried to satisfy him with an answer that would never come. He decided to help, it was clear that food and the forest was not something that she was accustomed to. Just as he did begin to speak, she offered a small piece (Charlotte) “I….happened to see some fish in the creek….” Was the beginning, to which he smiled and replied? “They are particularly bony and small in this area. Hardly a meal unless pushed” His mind was busy processing options and opportunities, till one instantly became apparent to him. “What about pheasant?” He asked, his orbs flickering and shifting from side to side to see the reaction in her eyes. “There is a nice sized one behind me, some 25 meters. Female. Plenty of meat to be had” -

March 27, 2012 12:49AM

CharlotteCarrendar:- “Pheasant?….they have those here?….I thought they died out. Must have thought of something else. But if they are meaty, then that would be lovely.”- Charlotte answered, a nod and she was sure now of what she wanted. “Are they fast birds?…Not really familiar with them. Vultures on the other hand, Oh I have seen those, filthy things, opportunists. Have to hang around for something to up and die, not go in attacking whilst its still kicking.” So, she was rabbiting on, the toe of her left boot twisting in the dirt as she explained her take on the local wildlife. But then she had to ask, a question, one that had been dogging her from since the time they met. “How is it you know exact distances of the things you hunt, or hunt you?”

 LagunaEverae

March 27, 2012 04:44AM

LagunaEverae- “Indeed” he said in response to her query, noting the genuine thirst for knowledge that appeared to emanate from around her. Indeed, to Laguna, her brain activity was above normal at this time, another ‘gift’ he was able to see, as it were. “They are moderately common, choosing to forage around the dawn, where they are at the lowest risk of being hunted. Those in question are a 4 I believe, two mated pairs” he added, using his hands to usher his words along. “They can be quite fast I suppose. Maximum ground speed of 22 mph and a flying speed of probably more. Nothing that is not obtainable to me” he said matter of factly. Most of these questions would fly off his tongue with ease, the answers seemingly pre-empted in his head ready for use. Except for the last one, this was always a little more detailed in depth. “It is not that I do not have the ability to answer your question.” he quipped, as he rubbed his gloved hand along the bottom of his chiselled jaw. “But to me, the real question is ‘How do others NOT know…” his hand now extended out to nominate Charlotte as the ‘other’ in this analogy. “ I believe I process things in much the same way as others do. Yet due to the nature of others seemingly not having this ability, it must be the result of us pol….” He stopped himself before correcting rather nervously “of a species like trait”. “I move at normal pace for instance, yet to others it is deemed fast. A series of small gestures. Yet it seems I move too fast for your eyes to see….” He tailed off, thinking upon his own statement to himself for a moment- “It is a mix of lots of things. The wind, the temperature, the disturbance in the atmosphere. Sounds. Sound assists me a lot” he finished, seemingly hinting that his own sense of feel and hearing were in the same category as the former statement -