Running You With Red // [[DW Day 1]]

The clouds swimming up in the sky knew of the torment that we kids, in the arena, undergone. They were merely eating their popcorns and drinking their sodas while we covered ourselves with the blood of other children, and our ears captured the petrified howls of dying tributes. This is one of the stories that people will always remember, a ghastly tale where children are force to ink their white cloth of innocence with the blood of others. I can never imagine snow white doing what I did, punching and slashing, I broke a boy's wrist too. Is this how it feels like to be a hero? You hurt anyone that's in your way? But the meaning if the word hero is lost in the maze inside my mind, in the midst of the guilt and sadness, it is as lost as I am. Escaping the ball of swords and blood was a fortunate break, but finding my alliance was as difficult as trying to battle the dragon to reach the sleeping beauty in the sleeping castle.

To my left and right are unending hues of green, there arms stretch and try to grab the souls that wander off to get in between them. Their fingers long and spindly ready to grab the souls from the body. Arms wrap around my chest shielding it from their claws, breathing slowly so their ears will not catch me passing through. The glaive I partnered with is stowed safely away in my back pocket - not a great idea believe me, but the plants might feel threatened, and heroes don't need to flaunt their weapons, but ready it. Feet move swiftly but quietly, maneuvering around the puzzle of plants, I need to find my friends, the people who I trust to keep my life from escaping my body and flying to the sky with the stars and the heroes.

An unusual growth of plants catches my attention, a yellow flower growing on the arm of the soul catcher, Arnica montana, a medical plant, beside it is a green leaf with sharp spikes at its side as if to protect it from being destroyed, if I have spikes I will be invincible, I might be able to go back home. It's Aloe Vera a treatment for cuts, burns and bruises. "Hello beautiful and helpful plants! Are you ready to go on an adventure with me?" they nod with excitement and if plants can smile, I'm pretty sure their smile can brighten up even the darkest of the arabian nights. Fingers slowly pluck them from the hands, still careful not to awaken the branches, and stowing them safely into my duffle bag.

A leaf crunches to the right corner a few paces ahead of me - how very exciting this is, I've memorized the way I took escaping the bloodbath until where I am now - my fingers wrap itself around the glaive, cold as the ice queen's castle and as sharp as her gaze. Slowly I approach the corner with Robin Hood's caution and King Arthur's bravery - but I lost my Merlins, my friends and advisers.

"I hear a familiar voice - muffled through the hedges - and in that exact moment a canon explodes. Canons were used in war to cut the golden string of life, but in here a canon is used to signify the end of the life, when the fates cut your golden thread and you fly to the underworld or to the sky never to breath life again. I stand still for a moment, listening. Over there, behind me, beyond me. I backtrack around the last bend, choose the other path.

And there they are. My Merlins. "Jim! Storm!" I shout, too excited to temper myself. "I found you!"

( occ : Sticky collects three bundles of plants ((2 bundles of medicinal plants and 1 bundle edible plants)) )

© tattle for the table