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Literature Text
A group of children cringed at the sound of footsteps. They were all trembling with fear. Then a small green face framed by blue hair appeared at the mouth of the cave and the fear was gone. A young boy, slightly older than the others, slipped into the cave and the children surrounded him immediately. A girl with long hair pulled his sleeve. "Artinaes, can we go outside?" Artinaes shook his head. Despite his young age he seemed very serious. "I am sorry, Taya. There's too many humans, we cannot leave."
"Have you seen our fater or mother?" a small boy asked.
"No, Naren, I haven't. Sorry." Artinaes counted the children as fast as he could. They were all in here, safe. "It's too late," he said. "We have to rest." He took some blankets and handed them out to the children. They were sharing the blankets, usually two or three. Artinaes himself shared his blanket with Naren, his younger brother. He took his hand and started singing a lullaby. Soon all the children were asleep.
***
When Artinaes woke up, Naren was gone. The other children were quietly sitting at the wall, whispering. "Where is Naren?" Artinaes asked. The light spots on his face showed anger and also fear.
"He-he went out," Taya whispered, terrified. "He went to look for your parents."
"Why didn't you wake me up?!"
"We tried!"
Artinaes grabbed a purple scarf and wrapped it around his neck. Then he took a staff in his hand. "I'll go and find him."
"It's too dangerous!" one boy protested.
"He's my brother. I've got to get him to safety at all costs. Taya, you are in charge." Artinaes scraped through the mouth of the cave and slipped into the water. He felt the water running through his gills, his toes separating to make room for the membranes. He started swimming. He swam through a hole in the rock and steered to the shore. Soon he emerged at the edge of the village. It was abandoned.
"Naren?" His voice was quied and slightly shaky. "I know you are here! Show yourself!" Silence. There was no one in the village. The grown ups were somewhere fighting the human intruders and children were hidden in the cave, exactly where Artinaes left them. "Naren, we've got to go back!"
He entered one of the houses. It was small and round, its floor covered with water. The water was full of broken and dirty stuff, mostly dishes. Artinaes saw a slender green hand with six fingers under a pile of pots. There's somebody who needs help! He moved some of the pots until he realized it was too late. The young female Isoldian who lived in this house was gone. Her beautiful face was contorted with pain, her eyes stared at him in a silent scream of horror. There was a hole in her chest and the water around was slightly colored by her dark turquoise blood. The blood was also on the pots and, as Artinaes just realized, on his hands as well. He took a step backwards and bumped in a wall. He has never seen a dead body before. He realized that war brings death. He knew it before but now he realized it was true. He has to get Naren out of here at any costs.
A desperate scream woke him from his shock. He would know that voice anywhere. He grabbed the staff he dropped before and ran out from the house. Outside he saw two strange creatures. Their shape resembled Isoldians but their skin was strangely pink. Humans. And between them, Naren. He looked scared and there was a small bleeding cut on his cheek. Suddenly, Artinaes saw red. No one will hurt his little brother! With a loud cry he ran against the men and hit one of them straight in stomach. He couldn't reach higher. The human cried with pain and bent at the waist. "Run, Naren! Get out of there!"
Naren gave his brother a frightened look. His light blue eyes met Artinaes's greenish ones. "Don't worry about me, Naren. Run!" Naren slipped from the other human's grip and hid behind Artinaes. His big brother looked at him. "You alright?"
"Yeah."
Artinaes looked back at the humans. "Stay away from us." He wasn't even sure if they understood him. "Stay away from my brother! Leave us alone!"
One human said something to the other one. The boys didn't understand them but the way they looked at them was kind of scary. "Naren, listen to me," Artinaes whispered. "Once I say run, you have got to get out of here, alright?"
"I won't leave you Artinaes!"
"You have to! I'll be right behind you. And... and if I won't..."
"Don't say that!"
"You have to look after the others, you understand? You and Taya. I trust you."
"Artie, please..."
"Now! Run, Naren!" Artinaes pushed Naren away. "Just go!" And Naren obeyed. He jumped into the water and disappeared. Artinaes looked back at the humans. They were getting closer. Artinaes ran against them and swung his staff after one of them. The man blocked the attack and snatched the staff from the boy's grip. In the next moment he felt a sharp pain in his head. And everything went dark.
***
"Boy, can you hear me? Wake up!"
The first thing Artinaes realized once he woke up was the pain in his head. When he opened his eyes he saw a face of an elderly male Isoldian. He had long black hair and wrinkled face. "Where... where..." he gasped.
"Easy, boy," the man lightly touched his shoulder. "Take a deep breath... you were drugged." He helped Artinaes to sit. The boy felt something strange around his wrists. Chains. Around his wrists and ankles. "Where am I?"
"This, my boy," the man said cheerlessly, "is a slave ship Agrippa 2100."
"Is Naren alright?"
"You were the only one the humans brougt this time. Whoever Naren is, he escaped the slavers."
"Good," Artinaes smiled and fell back asleep.
Just like Xanir, I decided to submit Geronimo's backstory once again... Dunno if it's a good idea but still...
Geronimo/Artinaes and Naren (and all the Isoldian kids) belong to me.
Geronimo/Artinaes and Naren (and all the Isoldian kids) belong to me.
© 2015 - 2024 MerryellaBrandybuck
Comments12
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Good story. One thing you might want to do is make sure if a different character speaks, it's on a different paragraph. In this paragraph, it's hard to tell who is talking since I'm assuming it's first Artinaes and then Naren in the same paragraph.
Naren gave his brother a frightened look. His light blue eyes met Artinaes's greenish ones. "Don't worry about me, Naren. Run!" Naren slipped from the other human's grip and hid behind Artinaes. His big brother looked at him. "You alright?"
Naren gave his brother a frightened look. His light blue eyes met Artinaes's greenish ones. "Don't worry about me, Naren. Run!" Naren slipped from the other human's grip and hid behind Artinaes. His big brother looked at him. "You alright?"