The Nation, Part 2 (362 hits)
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Submitted by aliasjxc (View user info) at 2004-07-09 10:49:20 EDT
Part 1: http://www.ubersite.com/m/37831
The cave was bigger than I'd expected. The small entrance I had found led to a spacious
cavern. Sunlight and rain filtered in through a round hole on the other side of an
underground stream. The water rushed past, bubbling over rocks and earth. It was crystal
clear. I knelt down, and pushed my hands under the surface. The water turned dark as blood
and dirt rinsed away. I brought a handful to my face and washed away the scrapes and smudges
that my escape had given me. Another handful for a drink.
The exhaustion was beginning to catch up with me. I could feel my eyes closing on their own.
Giving in, I fell asleep to the sound of the stream.
My dreams were strange. I wasn't entirely myself--I was much taller, and I had a sense that
I was no longer human. I couldn't see myself, but I could see everything I was doing. Everyone
I was tearing to bloody shreds. There was a sense of familiarity to the situation. I woke up
with a scream that shattered the cold silence.
Silence...I was no longer by the stream. I glanced around furtively, unable to get my bearings
in the dimly lit stone prison. I was still in the cave; I could tell by the earthy smell that
hung in the air. Scrambling to my feet as my eyes adjusted to the dark, I groped the walls until
I found my way down what could only be a hallway. As I went further, I began to hear voices.
Several...beings...were speaking in a language I couldn't understand. I continued towards the
noise, and the passage became brighter. I could see ahead of me.
One looked human, save for his eyes that had rainbow colors where my own were only blue. Another
was pale as death itself, with sunken black eyes. She spoke only in a whisper. A third had a long
beak-like nose that was black at the end. The fourth being was humanoid as well, but large in
stature and hairier than any man I'd ever seen. His nails were long and claw-like, and a feral
glint tainted his eyes.
They looked up as I approached, and I shrunk back towards the shadows.
"We won't hurt you," the first man spoke. "My name is Lor...please come out."
Timidly, I inched back towards the light and peered out of the darkness at the strange creatures.
Lor smiled at me, and a gentleness was reflected in his rainbow eyes. "This is Myla," he told me,
referring to the pale woman, "and Demna and, most importantly, Ren."
They all watched me curiously before Ren--the large feral creature--took a step forward.
"You're confused," he began in a gruff voice, "but I can help you. These three found you by the
stream. It wasn't safe there. They brought you to me."
"Wh.." I had trouble finding my voice, "What are you?"
He smiled, and before my eyes, he lost several inches of height and a lot of weight. The hair
disappeared and the claws faded as his visage became completely human.
"It is hard to explain, child, but I am a warrior of Luna--"
"He is a werewolf," Demna cut in with a grin. "Just like you. And I'm a pixie. Myla and Lor are
Fae."
"Werewolf? Fae...?"
"Oh, surely you know your myths, girl," Myla whispered scornfully.
"Well, yes...but...they're myths.. I'm.. I'm dreaming..."
"You're quite awake," Lor sighed, "and I know it's a shock."
I backed into a wall and sank to the floor, pulling my knees in to wrap my arms around
them.
"You're to go with Ren," the pixie told me. "He'll set you straight."
The man who had changed grinned shyly at me and offered a hand. I looked to Lor first, then Myla.
They both nodded solemnly, and I reached up. He pulled me to my feet and I found, upon looking
directly at him, that he was only a few years older than me. He had shoulder-length brown hair
and bright green eyes. A stubbly goatee covered the chin and jawline of his surprisingly attractive face.
"Come on," he said, "I'll take care of you."
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