[F\I/G\H/T] or [F|L|I|G|H|T]

Stare
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Pronouns: she/her
last seen Nov 5, 2024 11:29:31 GMT -5

and i will hold you tight / like the moon in the arms of the sky

[F\I/G\H/T] or [F|L|I|G|H|T] Dec 6, 2010 18:36:39 GMT -5

Post by Stare on Dec 6, 2010 18:36:39 GMT -5

The icy wind pulls my bright red hair back, out of my face. I shiver, but don't dare bring my arms in to keep myself warm. Athena's talons would rip my jacket, and maybe some skin. Not that I'm blaming her. It's not her fault they're so sharp.

The trees loom over me, dark and slightly mysterious. The sun has fallen below the horizon, but the sky still has a dim blue glow to it. The dead grass crunches beneath my black boots, and Athena shifts restlessly. I bring my other hand up, lightly stoking her feathers and murmur soothing words.

I can almost feel the temperature dropping. Only foolish people come out at night when it's this cold. Foolish people, or little girls with demanding fathers. I deserved it, though. I put off training Athena too long.

My bruise aches so much, though, it's impossible to ignore. Maybe he could have been a little more gentle, though. Recent experiences have taught me that not all people live the life I do. And I can't help but dream of a life like theirs. A life where I don't get bruises on a daily basis.

Finally, we reach a small area that is free of trees. I stare up at the sky, which has become much darker than when I set off. Athena and I will both have trouble.

I begin to coo her name softly. "Athena... Athena..."

She begins to move on my arm, and I reach over and take off the silver helmet that I make her wear so she doesn't get scared when we move.

With a loud screech, she launches up, into the sky.

"Shhhh!" I scold her. "Shh!"

I pull out the stick with a rabbit skin attached to it by a long string. I begin to swing the in around in wide circles. Athena dives down silently, desperately trying to dig her claws into her "prey". She lets out another screech of frustration when I swing it away at the last minute.

"Quiet!" I shout, even though I know she doesn't know what I'm saying. "You won't catch anything if you keep screeching like that!"

But I'm smiling on the inside. Training birds is one thing I actually enjoy in my life. Suddenly, the cold air doesn't matter. The bruise vanishes. I throw my head back to watch Athena shoot upward, my eyes wide and shining. I'm never this way in public. But something happens when I'm alone, with Athena.

I come alive.

Last Edit: Dec 6, 2010 18:37:18 GMT -5 by Stare

shrimp
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[F\I/G\H/T] or [F|L|I|G|H|T] Dec 6, 2010 19:27:25 GMT -5

Post by shrimp on Dec 6, 2010 19:27:25 GMT -5

{{:Sundra

LIVING/THINKING - ACB562
SPEAKING - 7C813B
FLASHBACK - DAD465

{{:Biography - WIP

As much as I appreciate Trace's present of sorts, I'm not used to having a horse by my side twenty-four-hours a day. I'm used to tending to the chickens, feeding the sheep, milking the goats. I don't train horses. I had rarely ever touched a horse actually. Of course, I knew how to ride one - My father taught me how so I wouldn't be incompetent. But still, I was out of practice the moment that I decided to take care of this mangy horse.

He's very rebellious - always breaking out of the barn somehow, trotting behind me like he's trying to be sneaky. However, he probably doesn't realize that a horse attempting to act like a ninja is not only pointless, but just makes people gawk at him more. Cain is just so... so... ridiculous sometimes. He attempts to hide behind people when I look around, as if I'll think that he wasn't even mine, simply because a tiny child is petting him. I think he just likes to test me, to be honest. I don't remember him acting this way around Trace, and my sisters adore him, decorating his mane with pink bows and whatnot. I'll be honest - I think he secretly adores being pampered. After all, he doesn't run away when Europa combs his hair, or when Io clumsily attaches those rainbow-colored ribbons to his tail.

Cain is rather good company though, I'll give him that. When it's quiet out, and nobody's around, I like to ride with him through the large open expanse of hills that District 5 has to offer. It's good exercise, and I happen to like feeling the wind blow through my hair. I would imagine that Trace liked this feeling too - feeling like you were flying. Then again, he actually got to go onto a hovercraft (although it was for reasons that are less than grand), so I would think that any feelings about flight would be slightly nullified from actually being so high up in the air.

I do miss him - Trace, that is. But slowly, I can say that I'm recovering... somewhat. I mean, he helped me with so much, and now he's just gone. His body isn't back home yet - the Capitol is probably giving the corpse a full makeover or something, that's how weird they are. I probably don't want to see his body anyway. I'll know that he'll never move, nor speak, nor talk again for all eternity. I can barely fathom this though, and I'd rather not think of death while I'm still alive.

The wind is only just starting to pick up as I leave the house. I've bundled myself up in a jacket and scarf; that way, I won't completely freeze to death - winter in District 5 is relatively cold; we might get a snowfall or two, but it varies each year. Cain seems to grumble as I climb onto his back, snorting impatiently, like he's saying "Let's go already, jeez! You're as slow as molasses!" I simply smile, and we start to ride towards the forest. The trees there are a bit too thick for a horse to pass through, but we'll be able to get through the first few rows before I have to dismount. I'll walk the rest of the way on foot.

Ever since I met Trace, I've been a tad less cautious. I don't sit at home all day now. Instead, I've made it a point to explore as much of District 5 as I can - that way, I would have gone to so many places, that I would be able to tell Trace all about it - if of course, there's an afterlife or something. I've been to a lot of areas so far - past the District Square, next to the isolated pen of sheep, etc. But I haven't had the guts to go into the forest until today. Well, I'm only going because Europa and Storm dared me to, but still. I'm going.

We finally reach the trees; Cain's panting a bit as I climb off of his back, giving him a small sugar cube for his efforts. He lumbers over to a small stream, gulping down the crystalline water as if he's going to die of dehydration. I have to laugh a bit - he looks a bit like a dog, licking at the stream in such a manner. After watching the crazy horse for a few more moments, I turn into the woods, sketchbook in hand. You see, my two smart-ass siblings (both of which are past the age of 12, Storm's 17, and Europa's 13. Io's 8, so she doesn't count.) decided that I wouldn't be able to be trusted. So I have to draw something now, to prove that I was here. If I can do that, I don't have to clean the pigpen for a month. So as you can see, there is a lot at stake here.

It's pretty silent as I wander through the forest. I've made sure to walk in a straight line, so I don't get lost. However, there's a chance that I've ended up walking in a circle - it's just so... uniform. The trees look exactly the same, causing me to freak out a little bit. I've just reached a clearing when I hear the freakishly loud noise, causing me to back up in surprise, hitting my head against a thick tree trunk.

"OW..."

The exclamation was loud - anyone could have heard me. But I'm probably alo- Oh. I'm not. Rubbing my head, I step out of the shadows to see a girl (red hair I think? It's pretty dark) scolding some bird. Said bird then flies up into the air, and she smiles. I don't think I should be here, this is something that she probably does alone. But then again, she shouldn't be here either. I turn around, ready to leave, when my foot steps on a particularly loud branch, causing an extremely loud SNAP to be heard. I wince, and slowly turn around, hoping that the girl didn't notice.

But really, this is the forest. What else are you going to hear?

Stare
Retired Staff

3,105 POSTS

Pronouns: she/her
last seen Nov 5, 2024 11:29:31 GMT -5

and i will hold you tight / like the moon in the arms of the sky

[F\I/G\H/T] or [F|L|I|G|H|T] Dec 7, 2010 18:02:17 GMT -5

Post by Stare on Dec 7, 2010 18:02:17 GMT -5

I watch in wonder as Athena dives down again. The feathers on her wings tremble in waves as she swoops down, barely missing the ground. For a moment, I get a good, clear look at her face. There's an intense look in her eyes. She almost appears to be frowning in concentration. Her beak is open slightly, as if ready to let out another screech. I'm getting ready to scold her again, but she remains silent, and only a quiet swishing sound gives her away.

I savour the silence as Athena becomes a dark shadow against the dark blue sky. It's beautiful, really. Her perfect grace against a sky that's quickly become alive with stars. The trees that reach for the sky frame the image.

And then I hear in. A sharp, loud snap that breaks through the silence as easily as a knife slices through butter. My heart leaps into my throat, and I spin around, completely forgetting about Athena until she lands on my arm, one talon missing the leather strap that's tied there and digging into my arm. I cry out in pain, and she quickly flies back up, swooping around and landing more acurately. But I still feel warm blood pushing through the small slits she made.

I wince, feeling tears pushing at the back of my eyes, but resist, making my throat ache. I see a dark, unfarmiliar figure that stands out slightly against the trees. I stumble back a few feet, pressing one hand against the cuts. My heart pounds against my chest. Fear is like an icy cold hand that grips me. That, plus the freezing cold wind, is making me shake. I consider running away, but it's so dark, I'd probably crash into a tree. Not to mention, I've got Athena.

So instead, I open my mout, cough, and then try again. "Who are y-you."

My legs feel weak, and I can feel the adrenaline pouring into my blood. I've never been good with people. Especially ones that sneak up behind me in the middle of the night.

(OOC: Sorry for the shortness, I'm low on muse.)

shrimp
Retired Staff

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Pronouns: he/his
last seen Oct 19, 2020 18:16:41 GMT -5

[F\I/G\H/T] or [F|L|I|G|H|T] Dec 19, 2010 18:40:41 GMT -5

Post by shrimp on Dec 19, 2010 18:40:41 GMT -5

----------

S U N D R A - A L E X A N D R I E H - W I E

LIVING/THINKING - ACB562
SPEAKING - 7C813B
FLASHBACK - DAD465

----------

As I turn around, I hear a sharp cry of pain. Clearly, it's the girl's, because there's no one else around (hopefully). Gasping a bit, I notice that the bird has made a cut in her arm. Ugh, glaring daggers at the bird, I think about how birds are just... ridiculous. Honestly, I don't like birds. For starters, they simply like to fly around, squawking in people's faces. They defecate wherever they please, and have rather sharp talons. Now, chickens are alright - they don't fly, and they're very docile for the most part. But big birds, like falcons and hawks - those kind of birds are very very scary.

By this time, the girl's already seen me, the big scary Sundra Wie, who has come to steal her soul... Yeah, clearly I'm not very good at jokes. But anyways, the girl's already spotted me. Even from this distance I can see that she's petrified - she's simply standing there, staring. If I were in her shoes, I would just get the hell out of here, but she's just... there. Well, now that I'm thinking about it, running away would probably cause you to run into a tree... Yeah, scratch that; not a good idea to run.

A soft voice is heard over the silence. It's a simple statement, complete with a stutter. Yep, she's definitely scared. She also wants to know who I am, so I really should be telling her this. But what bout her cut? Birds aren't very hygienic, so wouldn't that become infected sooner or later? Reaching into my back pocket, I pull out a small bandage; I keep it in my pocket, just in case. My mother knows how to treat wounds, so she taught me how to wrap a cut up; it helps when an animal hurts their foot or something. Since it requires a bandage, I tend to keep one with me.

I don't think that walking towards her would be a good idea, but she really should somehow see my face, because I'm not a scary man who wants to run and attack her or something. I'm simply a slightly tall, rather weak female who really just wants to know if she's alright.

"I'm Sundra Wie. I'm not... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to alarm you. You see, I was brought out here on a dare, and then I saw you, so I tried to leave, but I hit my head and stepped on a twig. But anyways... Hi. Oh! Umm, are you alright? Because the bird cut you, right? Yeah..."

Speaking. Not my forté. Now she probably thinks that I'm a bumbling buffoon with nothing better to do but wander around a dark forest.

Wonderful.

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Last Edit: Dec 30, 2010 21:59:41 GMT -5 by shrimp

Stare
Retired Staff

3,105 POSTS

Pronouns: she/her
last seen Nov 5, 2024 11:29:31 GMT -5

and i will hold you tight / like the moon in the arms of the sky

[F\I/G\H/T] or [F|L|I|G|H|T] Dec 21, 2010 18:35:32 GMT -5

Post by Stare on Dec 21, 2010 18:35:32 GMT -5

I will fear what no one else does,
As no one else can.

When her voice breaks through the night, my heart leaps into my throat. I let out a short gasp, and wince in pain as my cuts scream in protest. Athena shifts on my arm, seeming to realize she did something wrong. I've seen her act like this before, and get the idea that her true owner abuses her.

One thing we have in common.

As soon as she offers to help my cut, my eyes widen, and I take a step back. "No! It's- I mean- um, I'm f-fine."

I would say yes, except her fixing my arm would mean her getting close enough to hurt me, and I don't want that. For all I know, she could be lying about why she's out here, or who she is. I look at the blood that's begun to seep out of the cuts, and bite my lip. I wonder just how obvious my own lie is.

But I've learned not to trust people. Kind words can be very misleading. I've learned that the hard way.

"D-d-dad?" I ask cautiously, shrinking when he turns to face me.

"What?" he snaps, and I realize I've obviously interrupted something important.

"C-can I-" I begin, but he stops me.

"Don't stutter!" he says.

"Can I maybe, um, not train the birds tomorrow?" I ask, my voice barely above a whisper. "It's just that I've been sick the last few days, and I think that the night air is only made it worse."

"You're sick?" he asks, suddenly concerned. "How sick?"

"Ummm... I've k-kinda been throwing up," I say, staring at the floor.

"Come here," he says. "Let's make sure you don't have a fever."

I begin walking cautiously toward him. Suddenly, I get a whiff of his breath, and wrinkle my nose. I realize what it means a second too late, and the next thing a know, my head has exploded in pain and I'm curled on the floor, tears slipping down my cheeks.

I snap back into reality, and shake my head, taking another step backward. My fear has intensified, and while I can't run, I'm sure not going to walk toward her.

"Th-thanks for the offer," I say, swallowing. "But I can handle it. D-do you want me to leave?"

I think of the long walk home with me arm, and then my dad's rage when he sees my arm. I was supposed to train the birds, not be hurt by them. It's not like I can avoid it, but the thought makes me want to puke.