one of the seven
January 2nd, 2008, 11:43 AM
The Poisoned Salmon
Dark formations of clouds gathered over the sea. The water was a raging torrent, waves rising like monsters, then crashing down onto the jagged rocks below. The hunters rose to the surface, crying out into the night, desperate to be avenged for the chaos that had been caused. The sea mother was angry.
From across the waves, a tight formation of skin boats rode the storm, a grim look of determination of each face. The waves grew larger, the sea mother pushing them along towards the shore, the forest, the evil. They would right the wrongs done to their clan and have vengeance.
As they approached the shore the waves became gentler, guiding them into the natural harbour in which one of the many estuaries flowed into the sea. As the boats were knotted together, the seals began to disembark. Their leader, Bale, looked angrily out towards the forest. He had had dealings with the forest clans before, the ravens were his friends, but this was different.
The salmon clan were once one of the sea clans, separate from the forest, riding the waves with their guardian, but then the had decided to settle in the forest, guarding the rivers, and living from what the forest had given them. They had insulted the sea mother and become a forest clan, but Bale had never dreamed they would do something like this.
As they moved up the beach, they were on their guard, daggers drawn. They didn’t sow any respect and entered the forest with their sea clothes on, but they didn’t care. Soon they met a party from the salmon clan, who had been sent out to discover what was happening. They led the seals back to their camp.
Their camp was beside the river, the shelters were more permanent than the shelters of the ravens, they only moved twice a year. There as a roaring fire and men and women gathered round it, drinking and eating. The camp fell silent as the seals entered. Bale saw their mage standing over the stream on a rock, and stormed over there.
In the past few moons, a sickness had been passing through the creatures of the sea. Salmon had begun to wash up dead on the shores of the islands, and quickly spread the infection to dozens of species. Whales, seals, fish and even some hunters had fallen prey to this horrendous sickness. The clans struggled, there was hardly anything to eat and the sea mother was extremely angry. It turned out that the sickness had originated in the forest and that the salmon had gone to their mage in a dream and agreed to take the sickness away. The mage had been holding ceremonies where the sickness was being passed into the fish and carried away from the clan. Straight into the sea.
“How dare you!” he angrily blurted out. “The sea is in ruins, animals have been wiped out, the sea mother is angry and the clans are suffering! Was it not enough to turn away from the sea?” The seals agreed and started muttering curses and drawing their blades. The salmons rose and began to draw theirs.
“Lets not be so hasty!” the salmon mage cried out, “there must be a way to resolve this, surely?” eager not to become involved in a conflict. “I’m sorry, but the safety of my clan had to come first, surely there is way to cure it? I think I can work out a remedy for it somehow.” The salmon leader rushed over and tried to make Bale see sense as well, but he was consumed with rage.
“There is a way,” he said quietly. “What is it?” asked the mage, cautiously. He replied bitterly “You poisoned the sea, you made the sea mother angry, and you must pay the price. I shall slit your throat and your blood shall run into the sea and then the sea mother will be appeased.”
There was horror at his words, the salmons rushed up to form a barrier in front of him, and the seals, eager for a battle, moved up to Bale’s side. “There is no point having a massacre on my account.” Called out the mage. “Why not a series of one on one battles and if you win, Bale here gets to fight me in combat.” The salmons were looking uneasy, there was no way he could beat Bale in close combat. Then the leader roared, “Then we’ll just have to make sure they don’t win!” The salmons took up the battle cry and so did the seals.
There was to be five battles, each one after the other. An area was cleared and the first combatants stepped up to the arena formed by eager and anxious clan members
The battles finished in under an hour and the score was 3-2 to the seals. Bale would fight the salmon mage. As they stepped into the arena Bale drew his dagger and descended on the old man. With surprisingly good reflexes he blocked it, then slashed Bale’s arm. Blood poured out but he kept on fighting. An hour later both were hot, exhausted and tired, the old man was a good fighter. Bale moved forward with all his energy to finish the old man off and succeeded in slashing him wrist so he dropped the sword, but then the mage grabbed him arm and flipped him over onto his back His back cracked hard on the ground and he didn’t get up. The old man stood up proudly and the salmons cheered. But then Bale rose to his feet with his last strength, and slit the old man’s throat. He dropped to the ground, draining his blood into the river. The sea mother would be pleased. His eyes then became blurred as he turned and saw the sea mother coming to claim him. He gladly turned and a smile was on his face as he was dragged under, and knew no more.
1000 words exactly, had to cut it down A lot!
Dark formations of clouds gathered over the sea. The water was a raging torrent, waves rising like monsters, then crashing down onto the jagged rocks below. The hunters rose to the surface, crying out into the night, desperate to be avenged for the chaos that had been caused. The sea mother was angry.
From across the waves, a tight formation of skin boats rode the storm, a grim look of determination of each face. The waves grew larger, the sea mother pushing them along towards the shore, the forest, the evil. They would right the wrongs done to their clan and have vengeance.
As they approached the shore the waves became gentler, guiding them into the natural harbour in which one of the many estuaries flowed into the sea. As the boats were knotted together, the seals began to disembark. Their leader, Bale, looked angrily out towards the forest. He had had dealings with the forest clans before, the ravens were his friends, but this was different.
The salmon clan were once one of the sea clans, separate from the forest, riding the waves with their guardian, but then the had decided to settle in the forest, guarding the rivers, and living from what the forest had given them. They had insulted the sea mother and become a forest clan, but Bale had never dreamed they would do something like this.
As they moved up the beach, they were on their guard, daggers drawn. They didn’t sow any respect and entered the forest with their sea clothes on, but they didn’t care. Soon they met a party from the salmon clan, who had been sent out to discover what was happening. They led the seals back to their camp.
Their camp was beside the river, the shelters were more permanent than the shelters of the ravens, they only moved twice a year. There as a roaring fire and men and women gathered round it, drinking and eating. The camp fell silent as the seals entered. Bale saw their mage standing over the stream on a rock, and stormed over there.
In the past few moons, a sickness had been passing through the creatures of the sea. Salmon had begun to wash up dead on the shores of the islands, and quickly spread the infection to dozens of species. Whales, seals, fish and even some hunters had fallen prey to this horrendous sickness. The clans struggled, there was hardly anything to eat and the sea mother was extremely angry. It turned out that the sickness had originated in the forest and that the salmon had gone to their mage in a dream and agreed to take the sickness away. The mage had been holding ceremonies where the sickness was being passed into the fish and carried away from the clan. Straight into the sea.
“How dare you!” he angrily blurted out. “The sea is in ruins, animals have been wiped out, the sea mother is angry and the clans are suffering! Was it not enough to turn away from the sea?” The seals agreed and started muttering curses and drawing their blades. The salmons rose and began to draw theirs.
“Lets not be so hasty!” the salmon mage cried out, “there must be a way to resolve this, surely?” eager not to become involved in a conflict. “I’m sorry, but the safety of my clan had to come first, surely there is way to cure it? I think I can work out a remedy for it somehow.” The salmon leader rushed over and tried to make Bale see sense as well, but he was consumed with rage.
“There is a way,” he said quietly. “What is it?” asked the mage, cautiously. He replied bitterly “You poisoned the sea, you made the sea mother angry, and you must pay the price. I shall slit your throat and your blood shall run into the sea and then the sea mother will be appeased.”
There was horror at his words, the salmons rushed up to form a barrier in front of him, and the seals, eager for a battle, moved up to Bale’s side. “There is no point having a massacre on my account.” Called out the mage. “Why not a series of one on one battles and if you win, Bale here gets to fight me in combat.” The salmons were looking uneasy, there was no way he could beat Bale in close combat. Then the leader roared, “Then we’ll just have to make sure they don’t win!” The salmons took up the battle cry and so did the seals.
There was to be five battles, each one after the other. An area was cleared and the first combatants stepped up to the arena formed by eager and anxious clan members
The battles finished in under an hour and the score was 3-2 to the seals. Bale would fight the salmon mage. As they stepped into the arena Bale drew his dagger and descended on the old man. With surprisingly good reflexes he blocked it, then slashed Bale’s arm. Blood poured out but he kept on fighting. An hour later both were hot, exhausted and tired, the old man was a good fighter. Bale moved forward with all his energy to finish the old man off and succeeded in slashing him wrist so he dropped the sword, but then the mage grabbed him arm and flipped him over onto his back His back cracked hard on the ground and he didn’t get up. The old man stood up proudly and the salmons cheered. But then Bale rose to his feet with his last strength, and slit the old man’s throat. He dropped to the ground, draining his blood into the river. The sea mother would be pleased. His eyes then became blurred as he turned and saw the sea mother coming to claim him. He gladly turned and a smile was on his face as he was dragged under, and knew no more.
1000 words exactly, had to cut it down A lot!