Sparrow
November 10th, 2007, 01:08 PM
Blood and Bones
The night was a cursed one. Thunder boomed and lightning leaped like deer across the stormy sky. The rain fell down in what seemed like rivers, trying to drown the forest into a lake. The moon was bright and full. This was a night of demons, mage-craft and trickery.
Something terrible was afoot in the forest. Something dark and dangerous.
A raven flew above the forest somewhere, desperate to get out of the rain. The raven swooped in and perched on a branch, surveying the scene in the forest below with beady eyes.
It could see that down below a man screamed in complete agony. He was gripping his hair in pain. Surrounding him stood six hooded figures. Mages… In front of the man was a leaping flame. Yet this flame was unlike any other flame the raven had seen. This flame was tainted black and even though rain was throwing itself down, this flame hadn’t been put out….It leaped about and every now and again, the shape of a snarling wolf’s head could clearly be seen. This certainly wasn’t normal. In fact, it was exactly the opposite. Was this some kind of dark ritual? It sure seemed like it. The raven could hear words being chanted.
“Rise from the fire O great demon!
Come from the night!
Bone for your body,”
A piece of bone was crushed into a bowl and thrown into the fire. The dark flame jumped as if it were alive.
“Blood for your might,”
The man’s wrist was slit. He moaned. Crimson blood spurted out of the wound and dripped into a bowl. The liquid was poured into the leaping flame. The wolf’s head rose once more and snapped ferociously at invisible prey.
“RISE FROM THE FIRE! RISE, GREAT BEAST! RISE!”
The thunder rolled and the lightning clashed. The man screamed a pained, terrified scream. The fiery demon howled and snarled. Its claws tried to rip the black sky open and it’s snapping jaws tried to devour the stars and the moon.
Then something amazingly bad happened. The black flame crackled and jumped up violently. The mages watched, silent as stone, unreadable. The flame seemed to solidify. Its shape took a completely black wolf-like shape that charged, snarling, at the terrified man who cried, begging to the World Spirit.
Then a howl tore like a blade through the darkness. Mixed with those howls were the cries of man.
The two sounds merged together and became one.
“The greatest demon EVER MADE!” cried a mage triumphantly.
A growl. The man was no longer. Something else had been born out of the fire, blood and bone and the body of the human. Something far worse than any demon ever made.
The ‘man’ looked up. This was no man. His eyes blazed like an amber flame. His hands were clawed. Sharp fangs glittered like the rain upon the grass.
Then he jerked back his head and howled to the moon.
The raven cawed. The mages looked up from their creation. The black bird was gone.
I have to tell the humans! The raven thought as it made its way through the sky, I have to tell them quickly!
On and on the raven flew, through the stormy night. It could not, would not stop, not for a split breath. In knew that the forest was in terrible danger….
The whole of the raven clan sat in the large shelter, silent. They could feel that the night wasn’t safe and the best thing was for them to be together. The raven mage, Saeuun, sat, eyes closed, murmuring a chant of some sort under her breath while the clan watched attentively. In the ashes of a fire she drew patterns with her bony finger.
Renn looked at Torak. Torak looked at Renn. Wolf looked at both. They knew something wasn’t right the minute the clan had been gathered.
That was when a mass of feathers and beak burst in through the shelter and landed on Saeuun’s shoulder, cawing madly, seemingly bothered by something. Wolf grunted his bother. The raven mage opened her eyes.
“The clan guardian says,” Saeuun began and the clan watched her,” that something has risen from the fire. Something bad. Terrible. Worse than the bear, worse than the sickness…”
The ravens sat, muttering to each other. Tension was in the air.
“Evil has come back to the forest this cursed night…”
Torak’s and Renn’s eyes widened as they stared at Saeuun. Wolf whined, uncomfortable. The all-knowing guide understood almost every word the mage had spoken.
At that precise moment a loud, unnatural snarl erupted through the forest. The members of the clan gasped, fear in their eyes. The hunting dogs barked and yapped. Wolf jumped up, growling, fangs bared.
Fin-Keddin looked with eyes that held no emotion and simply nodded at Torak and Renn.
A cursed night indeed.
811 words, not including title.
^_^
The night was a cursed one. Thunder boomed and lightning leaped like deer across the stormy sky. The rain fell down in what seemed like rivers, trying to drown the forest into a lake. The moon was bright and full. This was a night of demons, mage-craft and trickery.
Something terrible was afoot in the forest. Something dark and dangerous.
A raven flew above the forest somewhere, desperate to get out of the rain. The raven swooped in and perched on a branch, surveying the scene in the forest below with beady eyes.
It could see that down below a man screamed in complete agony. He was gripping his hair in pain. Surrounding him stood six hooded figures. Mages… In front of the man was a leaping flame. Yet this flame was unlike any other flame the raven had seen. This flame was tainted black and even though rain was throwing itself down, this flame hadn’t been put out….It leaped about and every now and again, the shape of a snarling wolf’s head could clearly be seen. This certainly wasn’t normal. In fact, it was exactly the opposite. Was this some kind of dark ritual? It sure seemed like it. The raven could hear words being chanted.
“Rise from the fire O great demon!
Come from the night!
Bone for your body,”
A piece of bone was crushed into a bowl and thrown into the fire. The dark flame jumped as if it were alive.
“Blood for your might,”
The man’s wrist was slit. He moaned. Crimson blood spurted out of the wound and dripped into a bowl. The liquid was poured into the leaping flame. The wolf’s head rose once more and snapped ferociously at invisible prey.
“RISE FROM THE FIRE! RISE, GREAT BEAST! RISE!”
The thunder rolled and the lightning clashed. The man screamed a pained, terrified scream. The fiery demon howled and snarled. Its claws tried to rip the black sky open and it’s snapping jaws tried to devour the stars and the moon.
Then something amazingly bad happened. The black flame crackled and jumped up violently. The mages watched, silent as stone, unreadable. The flame seemed to solidify. Its shape took a completely black wolf-like shape that charged, snarling, at the terrified man who cried, begging to the World Spirit.
Then a howl tore like a blade through the darkness. Mixed with those howls were the cries of man.
The two sounds merged together and became one.
“The greatest demon EVER MADE!” cried a mage triumphantly.
A growl. The man was no longer. Something else had been born out of the fire, blood and bone and the body of the human. Something far worse than any demon ever made.
The ‘man’ looked up. This was no man. His eyes blazed like an amber flame. His hands were clawed. Sharp fangs glittered like the rain upon the grass.
Then he jerked back his head and howled to the moon.
The raven cawed. The mages looked up from their creation. The black bird was gone.
I have to tell the humans! The raven thought as it made its way through the sky, I have to tell them quickly!
On and on the raven flew, through the stormy night. It could not, would not stop, not for a split breath. In knew that the forest was in terrible danger….
The whole of the raven clan sat in the large shelter, silent. They could feel that the night wasn’t safe and the best thing was for them to be together. The raven mage, Saeuun, sat, eyes closed, murmuring a chant of some sort under her breath while the clan watched attentively. In the ashes of a fire she drew patterns with her bony finger.
Renn looked at Torak. Torak looked at Renn. Wolf looked at both. They knew something wasn’t right the minute the clan had been gathered.
That was when a mass of feathers and beak burst in through the shelter and landed on Saeuun’s shoulder, cawing madly, seemingly bothered by something. Wolf grunted his bother. The raven mage opened her eyes.
“The clan guardian says,” Saeuun began and the clan watched her,” that something has risen from the fire. Something bad. Terrible. Worse than the bear, worse than the sickness…”
The ravens sat, muttering to each other. Tension was in the air.
“Evil has come back to the forest this cursed night…”
Torak’s and Renn’s eyes widened as they stared at Saeuun. Wolf whined, uncomfortable. The all-knowing guide understood almost every word the mage had spoken.
At that precise moment a loud, unnatural snarl erupted through the forest. The members of the clan gasped, fear in their eyes. The hunting dogs barked and yapped. Wolf jumped up, growling, fangs bared.
Fin-Keddin looked with eyes that held no emotion and simply nodded at Torak and Renn.
A cursed night indeed.
811 words, not including title.
^_^