daydreameroboes
January 2nd, 2008, 12:12 AM
Here is my entry:
Tree Sickness
Sunshine shone with no trees blocking its glare. ‘Honestly, the open forest was bad enough,’ muttered Kitra, walking forwards, her hand covering her eyes. Squinting, she tried to take in the landscape. She would have gasped, but there was no one around to hear.
She was confronted by a huge empty space. The ground was covered in something yellow-white that she hadn’t dared to stand on yet, and if she looked up the sky went on forever. In the deep forest there were hardly any places where the sky could be seen so clearly.
And here was the sea. Kitra had never seen anything like it. Constant torrents of water rolling over each other, roaring so that Kitra felt unwanted.
She took a step forwards and found that the yellow-white stuff moved beneath her feet. Suppressing a yelp, she found her balance and stood upright. Looking out to sea she saw her final destination: the Island of the Seal clan.
‘How do I get there?’ she whispered when a shout made her jump.
‘What are you doing here?’ It was another girl coming from the sea.
‘I’m looking for the Seal clan,’ Kitra replied. ‘I’m from...’
‘There’s no need to say. It’s obvious you’re from the forest,’ scoffed the girl.
‘Who is it, Caia?’ Another voice asked. A younger girl appeared. ‘The skinboats are safe,’ she added.
‘Good.’ Caia replied impatiently.
‘Are you Seal clan?’ Kitra asked.
‘Obviously,’ Caia replied, shaking her blonde hair out of her eyes and eyeing Kitra’s dark hair with disdain.
Kitra stared back coolly. ‘Can you take me to your clan? I have an important message.’
Caia stared. ‘You can’t touch the water! Mixing the forest with the Sea Mother...’
‘I won’t touch it if we’re in a boat,’ Kitra reasoned.
Caia stared back stonily. ‘Alright, but you mustn’t touch the water.’
‘What do you want anyway?’ asked the other girl.
‘Quiet, Lasta. We’re leaving.’ Caia said shortly before turning to Kitra. ‘You’ll have to ride with me. You have been in a skin-boat before, haven’t you?’
‘Not that type,’ Kitra replied, staring at the skin-boats. They were just wooden frames with canvas stretched between.
‘Be careful then. You’re not still wearing forest clothes, are you?’
‘No,’ Kitra sighed patiently. ‘They’re made from seal-skin.’
‘Good, because the Sea Mother...’
‘...Would be angry, I know,’ Kitra interrupted.
‘Well, get in then,’ Caia nudged her forwards. Kitra just managed to stop the boat capsizing and sat down carefully.
‘Let’s go!’ Lasta called, already afloat.
‘Fine,’ Caia replied, settling behind Kitra.
The journey across the sea was uneventful though Kitra found the motion of the boat over the waves disturbing. Watching her two companions it was clear they were confident on the sea although Lasta couldn’t be older than seven summers.
But Kitra had a problem. Her clan was threatened by something. It was some sort of tree sickness, from what the mage could tell. The only way to cure it was to find something that came from water, as water gives plants life. Sea clans would know what they needed, and the lynxes had dealt with the seal clan before.
‘We’re here,’ Caia said unceremoniously as they arrived. ‘You can deliver your ‘important message’ now.’ Caia’s tone spoke volumes. Kitra sighed and followed her to the camp. To Kitra it all looked very cramped; the island wasn’t all that big. After the wide stretches of the forest Kitra felt a bit claustrophobic.
‘There’s Islinn, the leader.’ Caia pointed out a frail looking man by a cooking fire. ‘Lasta and I have to go and see our mother. You’ll have to go by yourself.’
‘Thanks for all your help,’ Kitra muttered sarcastically after Caia. If a stranger came to the lynx clan they were at least treated with respect.
Holding her head high Kitra strode towards the fire Islinn was seated at. Holding both fists over her heart, she said ‘Greetings from the lynx clan, who I represent. My name is Kitra. We are in need and our mage has said that you can to help us.’
‘What do you need, child?’ Islinn responded. He was older than her clan leader but he seemed wise.
‘My clan is from the deep forest, but the trees there are beginning to suffer. They are sickening and soon many of them will die. Our mage has seen that the only way to help them is to give them something from the sea. She said that your mage will know what they need.’
‘Well?’ Islinn turned to the mage, who was by his side.
‘I know what it is you need,’ the mage replied, ‘but why have you come? Why have your clan not sent someone older, who understands more of clan culture?’ His bright eyes seemed to bore into her.
Kitra gritted her teeth. Her clan leader had warned her of something like this. ‘They sent me because my father asked them to. He is well respected in our clan, so the leader agreed. My father is named Dakan; I believe you know him’
‘We know him,’ The mage replied, his face hard. ‘He committed the terrible crime of mixing the forest and the sea!’
‘He did...?’ Kitra began, but Islinn interrupted.
‘That was your father’s crime. We have no quarrel with you; you took care to wear seal hide clothing. We will still give you what you need.’
The mage looked outraged. Kitra breathed a sigh of relief.
‘I will not help her!’ the mage started but Islinn silenced him.
The mage left bitterly, returning several minutes later with a small, wet rock.
‘Bury this underneath the oldest tree in the forest; it will cure the trees.’ The mage explained shortly, retaking his place beside Islinn.
‘Your job is done,’ Islinn smiled. ‘Who brought you across?’
‘Caia,’ Kitra replied.
‘She will bring you back. Her shelter is the last one on the left.’
Kitra bowed and left, clutching the rock that would save her home tightly to her chest.
It's 1000 words exactly, not including the title. The leader of the seal clan is from the books but I made everything else up :)
Tree Sickness
Sunshine shone with no trees blocking its glare. ‘Honestly, the open forest was bad enough,’ muttered Kitra, walking forwards, her hand covering her eyes. Squinting, she tried to take in the landscape. She would have gasped, but there was no one around to hear.
She was confronted by a huge empty space. The ground was covered in something yellow-white that she hadn’t dared to stand on yet, and if she looked up the sky went on forever. In the deep forest there were hardly any places where the sky could be seen so clearly.
And here was the sea. Kitra had never seen anything like it. Constant torrents of water rolling over each other, roaring so that Kitra felt unwanted.
She took a step forwards and found that the yellow-white stuff moved beneath her feet. Suppressing a yelp, she found her balance and stood upright. Looking out to sea she saw her final destination: the Island of the Seal clan.
‘How do I get there?’ she whispered when a shout made her jump.
‘What are you doing here?’ It was another girl coming from the sea.
‘I’m looking for the Seal clan,’ Kitra replied. ‘I’m from...’
‘There’s no need to say. It’s obvious you’re from the forest,’ scoffed the girl.
‘Who is it, Caia?’ Another voice asked. A younger girl appeared. ‘The skinboats are safe,’ she added.
‘Good.’ Caia replied impatiently.
‘Are you Seal clan?’ Kitra asked.
‘Obviously,’ Caia replied, shaking her blonde hair out of her eyes and eyeing Kitra’s dark hair with disdain.
Kitra stared back coolly. ‘Can you take me to your clan? I have an important message.’
Caia stared. ‘You can’t touch the water! Mixing the forest with the Sea Mother...’
‘I won’t touch it if we’re in a boat,’ Kitra reasoned.
Caia stared back stonily. ‘Alright, but you mustn’t touch the water.’
‘What do you want anyway?’ asked the other girl.
‘Quiet, Lasta. We’re leaving.’ Caia said shortly before turning to Kitra. ‘You’ll have to ride with me. You have been in a skin-boat before, haven’t you?’
‘Not that type,’ Kitra replied, staring at the skin-boats. They were just wooden frames with canvas stretched between.
‘Be careful then. You’re not still wearing forest clothes, are you?’
‘No,’ Kitra sighed patiently. ‘They’re made from seal-skin.’
‘Good, because the Sea Mother...’
‘...Would be angry, I know,’ Kitra interrupted.
‘Well, get in then,’ Caia nudged her forwards. Kitra just managed to stop the boat capsizing and sat down carefully.
‘Let’s go!’ Lasta called, already afloat.
‘Fine,’ Caia replied, settling behind Kitra.
The journey across the sea was uneventful though Kitra found the motion of the boat over the waves disturbing. Watching her two companions it was clear they were confident on the sea although Lasta couldn’t be older than seven summers.
But Kitra had a problem. Her clan was threatened by something. It was some sort of tree sickness, from what the mage could tell. The only way to cure it was to find something that came from water, as water gives plants life. Sea clans would know what they needed, and the lynxes had dealt with the seal clan before.
‘We’re here,’ Caia said unceremoniously as they arrived. ‘You can deliver your ‘important message’ now.’ Caia’s tone spoke volumes. Kitra sighed and followed her to the camp. To Kitra it all looked very cramped; the island wasn’t all that big. After the wide stretches of the forest Kitra felt a bit claustrophobic.
‘There’s Islinn, the leader.’ Caia pointed out a frail looking man by a cooking fire. ‘Lasta and I have to go and see our mother. You’ll have to go by yourself.’
‘Thanks for all your help,’ Kitra muttered sarcastically after Caia. If a stranger came to the lynx clan they were at least treated with respect.
Holding her head high Kitra strode towards the fire Islinn was seated at. Holding both fists over her heart, she said ‘Greetings from the lynx clan, who I represent. My name is Kitra. We are in need and our mage has said that you can to help us.’
‘What do you need, child?’ Islinn responded. He was older than her clan leader but he seemed wise.
‘My clan is from the deep forest, but the trees there are beginning to suffer. They are sickening and soon many of them will die. Our mage has seen that the only way to help them is to give them something from the sea. She said that your mage will know what they need.’
‘Well?’ Islinn turned to the mage, who was by his side.
‘I know what it is you need,’ the mage replied, ‘but why have you come? Why have your clan not sent someone older, who understands more of clan culture?’ His bright eyes seemed to bore into her.
Kitra gritted her teeth. Her clan leader had warned her of something like this. ‘They sent me because my father asked them to. He is well respected in our clan, so the leader agreed. My father is named Dakan; I believe you know him’
‘We know him,’ The mage replied, his face hard. ‘He committed the terrible crime of mixing the forest and the sea!’
‘He did...?’ Kitra began, but Islinn interrupted.
‘That was your father’s crime. We have no quarrel with you; you took care to wear seal hide clothing. We will still give you what you need.’
The mage looked outraged. Kitra breathed a sigh of relief.
‘I will not help her!’ the mage started but Islinn silenced him.
The mage left bitterly, returning several minutes later with a small, wet rock.
‘Bury this underneath the oldest tree in the forest; it will cure the trees.’ The mage explained shortly, retaking his place beside Islinn.
‘Your job is done,’ Islinn smiled. ‘Who brought you across?’
‘Caia,’ Kitra replied.
‘She will bring you back. Her shelter is the last one on the left.’
Kitra bowed and left, clutching the rock that would save her home tightly to her chest.
It's 1000 words exactly, not including the title. The leader of the seal clan is from the books but I made everything else up :)