TIWC Challenge #4

Hi everyone! Today I have another entry for TIWC! By the way, I’m reallly sorry that I haven’t been posting many crafts lately. I have several made, but what with school and all I just haven’t had the time to post them.

Today’s prompts were:

My Main Character, Adele Alena Royale, is an elvish princess of the Bauregarde Woods, an enchanted forest in the elven kingdom of Gaolin. Her older brother, Finn, has gone missing, and the whole kingdom is searching for him. Some of the animals in the woods have been cursed, or “charmed”, by a witch, making them inedible. And as if that weren’t enough, Adele’s weird dreams have been haunting her like a ghost…

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I rode through the woods, feeling alive and invigorated. Beside me, Quinn Arsingale, my cousin, rode on his coal black stallion, a stricken and lifeless stag draped across the horse’s back – the fruits of today’s hunting excursions. This stag, thankfully not charmed, was one of the many that my companions and I had caught, but good food was small comfort to me. I wondered for the hundredth time why my brother Finn had to go on that silly fox hunt; all the foxes are charmed anyway! He had never returned.

“Adele,” Quinn said, breaking through my thoughts, “it’s no good worrying about Finn. He wouldn’t want it. You know that the whole kingdom is out looking for him, and that it’s all we can do. Come on, let’s go home. There’ll be a wonderful feast tonight.

“I guess so.” To be honest, I didn’t care in the slightest whether we were having stag or dried mud for dinner. But of course I didn’t say this.

We rode on for a while until we got to my father’s palace. My mother, Queen Reyna, died in a mysterious accident few years ago. It was just me, Father, and Finn at home, until my brother vanished.

The feast and festivities were wonderful, and I’m sure everyone else enjoyed them, but I was much too preoccupied with my worries. I didn’t even touch my dinner, but slipped away early to bed with the excuse of a headache. And in truth my head really did hurt with anguish and distress.

That night, the dream returned. I had been having it for weeks now. I was in a dark cavern, so deep into the heart of the woods that no hunter has ever ventured there. Then the face appeared. It was the face of an old woman, bent and shriveled with age, but with malice and cunning in her eyes. As always, she began her nightly speech with, “Hello, my dear. I hope you have finally come to your senses.”

“If you mean killing my father, betraying the kingdom, and joining your forces, then no, I haven’t,” I said.

The old witch chuckled. “Come now, my pretty one. Don’t you want your brother back?”

My chest tightened. The witch had struck a sore spot. “We’ve had this conversation.”

“But it was never over, child, never over. On your side, you can never win. On my side, I could give you power, wealth, anything you wanted. You could have Finn. But of course, by rejecting my proposal, you lose him.”

“I will never join with you,” I said, my voice cracking. “Yes, I want Finn back, but not at such a cost. I would never use evil to get something I wanted. I’m not like you!”

“My child – ” the witch began, but I broke in, screaming, “I’m not your child! I’m not your anything! You took my brother, and you probably killed my mother too, but you will never, never get me!” And with that, I woke up.

There were still a few hours before dawn. I got up, dressed, and packed some essentials. I was going to go find my brother, even if it meant losing my life.

I left the castle in the chill morning air and started walking towards the stables. But before I got there, my mare, Aoife, stepped onto the path. As usual, she had escaped from the stable. I would have to barricade her door when – if – I got home, but right now I was glad for her appearance. There wasn’t a moment to waste. I mounted her, whispered our destination in her ear, and together, we set off, riding like the wind.

About three hours later, the early morning sunlight started streaking across the sky. I wanted to stop to admire it, to watch the sun begin its daily journey across the sky as Finn and I used to, but I couldn’t spare the time. By now, someone had probably noticed my disappearance, and people would be searching for me. I spurred Aoife on. We needed to find Finn.

We rode on for a while, by now so thick into the trees that they blocked out almost all sunlight. Even the tiniest pinprick of light would be easy to spot. A few minutes later, Aoife stopped. I nudged her, whispered to her, offered her treats, but she wouldn’t budge. I would have to continue on foot. But when I dismounted, I saw why my horse had ceased to go on. We were less than five paces from an old wooden door, with light pouring out of the keyhole. I had been unable to see it because of Aoife’s head being in the way.

I took a step. Then another, and one more. I put my shaking hand on the doorknob, turned it, and creaked the door open. Behind it was the cavern from my dreams. And in this cavern, tied to a rock, stood my brother.

I stifled a shout. The witch might be near! A million questions ran through my head, but they would have to wait. I ran to Finn and began to untie his bonds.

“Adele!” Finn whispered. “What are you doing here?”

“Come to rescue you, of course,” I replied.

“No!” My brother protested. “You shouldn’t be here. It’s too dangerous! The witch might come back any second -”

“Quite right, my pet, quite right.” The witch floated into the cavern. She was dressed in robes of darkness, and she carried a cane made from human bones. She shifted her attention to me. “Well, well, have you made your choice, my dear? Will you join me, and set your brother free? or will you be my slave? I have no choice if you refuse, you know. You’ll just have to bear it.”

I drew my dagger. “I told you. I will never join you, never be yours. I will get my brother back, but not on your terms. Never.”

“Well, then,” the witch said. “I’ll just have to kill you.” She raised her cane, and brought it down on the floor with a smash. Instantly, I felt my life draining away. I raised my weapon, but faltered. It was no use. I was going to die, but not without a fight. I raised my arm, and delivered one last blow to the witch’s staff. And miraculously, it cracked. The crack spread around the whole surface of the staff, until finally it shattered.

I could feel my strength returning. I got up, lifted my dagger, and positioned myself for combat. But to my surprise, the witch was cowering in a corner. “I give up,” she said, “you win.”

I was greatly miffed by this, and turned to Finn for an answer. He shook his head, mouthing the word, trick.

I nodded to say I understood. I spun on my heel, and said to the witch, “All right. We’ll take you to the palace, where you will most likely be tried and hanged, but you have to go with us. You did surrender, you know.”

“Of course,” said the witch, trying her best to look defenseless, but I could see her barely contained excitement. She wanted to go to the castle, because once there, she could poison, charm, and kill anyone in the palace. But I had a plan.

I helped the witch get up, and led her and Finn to my horse outside. Luckily, she had a horse, and Finn rode it. We rode for about an hour, faster because now I knew the way. Once we got home, I dismounted, and started leading Aoife to the stables, but I had barely taken a step when the witch leaped off and began running to the open gates, rummaging in her pockets – for some potion, no doubt.

I was at her side in an instant. “Not so fast,” I exclaimed, pushing her against the wall and holding my dagger at her throat. The gate guards and Finn hastened to run over.”You will listen to us, because if you don’t, we will kill you on the spot. Now, come inside with us. I think the king would like to speak with you.”

After we had led the old witch, whose name we later found out was Minerva, to the throne room, and Father and Finn and I had gotten over our tearful reunion, Finn and I wandered the hallways, talking about the last few months. “I don’t remember anything before I was captured,” he told me. “Minerva must have wiped my memories away. They are starting to come back, little by little, and I think that’s because I’m not under her spell anymore. She left me just enough to remember you, probably as bait. She wanted me to join her army, to fight for her and bring you to her. But these hallways, these rooms, my old friends, even Father – I don’t remember any of it.”

So that was why Finn looked so dazed! Honestly, I had never seen anyone look so lost in their own home before. Thank goodness Finn’s memories were returning. The witch had been caught, my brother was found, and life was back to normal – for the time being, at least. You never know what will happen when I’m around.

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Did you like it? I think it was pretty good. Thanks for reading!!! Bye!!

TIWC Challenge #3

Hi, everyone! I am here with my third entry for TIWC!

Today’s prompts were:

My Main Character, James, is an orphan. He has the ability to talk to wolves. He lives with his older sister, Laura, until one day he runs away, meets five other runaways, and – oh, just read the story!

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There used to be six of us, and now I’m alone.

For weeks, we had scavenged, hidden, and ran, the threat of being caught always hanging over our heads. We had always been family to each other. Never mind that I was the only human. That hadn’t mattered, until that fateful day when we were found.

It had started out normally. I woke up at dawn, as usual. We ate the remainders of last night’s dinner, as usual. We packed up our camp and started hiking, as usual.  But then, finally, something unusual happened. Boris, sixth and last in our pack’s ranking order, disappeared. Not just behind some vegetation. I mean he literally vanished. Off in the distance, we heard a long, chilling howl, and instantly knew what had become of our companion. I steeled myself to keep walking. The others were morose and despondent, even more than I was. That night, we went to sleep with no play or frolicking as was normal.

The next day, the same fate befell Curly, fifth in the ranking order. Each day, this strange incident repeated itself,  until there was only Bianca, second below me in the pack, left. As I went to bed that terrible night, I dreamed of my sister for the first time in days. She was chained to a post, brutally beaten and scarred, and just seeing her this way made me want to scream. Laura looked me in the eye, and said, “James, do not return. You are in danger. What has happened to your pack must soon happen to you. You must endure it, survive, but keep moving forward.”

“How?” I cried. “What’s going on? Why are my friends disappearing? What happened to you?”

“I can’t speak any more.” Laura’s breathing had become haggard and rough. “Don’t question it. But always – ” My dream changed mid-sentence. It took me a moment to adjust to the darkness, but when I did, I almost wished I hadn’t. At my feet was a normal road, with arrows pointing forward painted on it, but in front of me stood an old, shrouded, dark, hag. She pointed her withered finger at me and said, “You. You have meddled with my plans. Only now can I get close to victory, and I am still too far away! You wonder where your friends have gone? They would be with you still, had you not meddled in my affairs. They took the bait that was meant for you – but once the last one is gone, you shall be dispatched quickly enough. Your companions are mine, James, and always will be. You cannot escape me. Moving forward? Forget what your sister said!” The arrows on the road changed into leering faces. “She was lying, James, lying to bring you to me. You cannot trust her. She has betrayed you. Stop running. Stay. Be still. Be still. Be still.” The old crone kept repeating these words, growing louder and louder, until the old woman threw back her head and cackled, revealing two shining, red eyes.

I woke up in a fright. Bianca nuzzled my face, sensing my fear. I sighed and got up. After a  breakfast of wild berries, we were on the move again, despite the old woman’s warnings. I trusted my sister. She would never betray me, would she? A flicker of doubt crossed my mind. But I had no time to think about it further, for just then, Bianca vanished. A few moments later, I heard her howl, the last of my wolf pack gone forever.

There used to be six of us, but now I’m alone.

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I’m sorry that was so short, but I was really stumped for ideas on that one! It was hard to elaborate! Also, I’m sorry that I posted it late – the stories were due last night. Well, bye for now!

TIWC Challenge #2

Greetings, everyone! I am here with my second entry for TIWC!

Today’s prompts were:

My Main Character, Willow, is part dragon. She was orphaned as an infant and lives with her adopted parents, Jean and Mark Wainwright. Like Lena in my previous story, she also has wings, but hers are leathery and bat-like. She has a very short temper and sometimes breathes fire, though only a little bit, when she is angry.

And now for the story!!

*UPDATE* So, when I first published/posted this story I forgot to include the prompt. So stupid of me. *repeatedly bangs head against wall* So what you are reading now is the updated version WITH THE PROMPT!!!! I hope that this is not breaking the rules. Enjoy!

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“Willow! Breakfast time!” Mom called from the kitchen.

“Coming!” I yelled back, hurriedly getting out of bed and into my clothes. Every Saturday, my mom makes blueberry pancakes, and I kid you not when I say they are the best in the States.

I rushed downstairs, my stomach growling, when I became aware of my parents talking in hushed voices. ” -twenty sheep last night,” my father was saying. “I declare, we are going to have to move soon if that Beast keeps on – why, good morning, Willow!” Dad noticed my at the door.

My mother, whose face had been a mask of horror a few moments before, quickly regained her composure. “You’re just in time,” she said. “Those blueberry pancakes are going fast.”

I managed a half smile. I knew that my parents had been talking about the Beast, a savage animal that was killing livestock and injuring people. But there was more – the beast was half manticore, but also half dragon, like me. That was why my parents never talked about it in front of me. I didn’t care, though. In my experience, dragons – and really all animals – are like people, some good, some bad.

“Oh, Willow,” Mom said, “Aaron called. He says that he has something to show you.”

“Okay, Mom. I’ll go see him today.” Aaron Fletcher, my neighbor and best friend, has had livestock killed by the Beast. So has my family, but we are luckier than most. Only five horses out of twenty were stolen from our farm, while most of the Fletcher’s livestock has been eaten.

“Goodness, these pancakes are delicious!” Dad exclaimed, trying to lighten the mood. Though our chatter was lively, our moods were somber beneath the surface.

I had already finished my stack of hotcakes. I asked Mom if I could go to Aaron’s now, and she agreed, but made me promise not to stay too long. “That Beast makes me nervous, even when he’s asleep,” she said.

As Aaron led me to his barn a few moments later, he could hardly stop talking. He wasn’t just talking about one topic, either. Every few moments, he would switch to a new one, as if he had grown bored of the other. When at last we reached the barn, he skidded to a halt, almost tripping me. Then, putting a finger to his lips, he opened the barn doors.

I gasped in surprise – and horror. For in the middle of the barn lay a talon of The Beast.

Later, in Aaron’s house, I was peppering him with questions. What happened? How did it get there? Would it come back? I was asking these so loud and so fast that Aaron had to put his hands up and shout to stop me. “Woah, Willow,” he said, “Slow down! First of all, yes, The Beast visited our house last night. It didn’t take or kill anything, so I’m not sure why it came. But as it was leaving, I guess it got caught on our barbed-wire fence, because that’s where Dad and I found the claw. And I do think it might come back. I mean, if it came, it had to have a reason. Whatever it didn’t accomplish last night, it might try to complete tonight. I just hope it doesn’t kill anymore of our horses. We’ve only got two left, and Dad’s worried enough as it is.” He got a wistful look in his eyes. Aaron deeply admires and loves his father, but lately Mr. Fletcher had been ill, and unable to complete the many projects he and Aaron usually work on.

“Well,” I cleared my throat, trying to rid the conversation of this awkward moment, “I should be getting home. Mom will be wondering where I am. If you see anything unusual, call, me and I’ll come right over. I wouldn’t want to miss it!”I got my things ready and made for the door.

“Okay, Willow. Thanks for coming. See you soon,” Aaron called from the door as I made my way home.

*          *         *

That night, Aaron’s father was killed by The Beast.

As soon as I heard the news, I ran straight over to Aaron’s house, despite my mother’s protests. I knew what we had to do.

As he listened, to my plan, Aaron’s face was expressionless, but his eyes began to shine. For what I was suggesting was not only unheard of, it was so dangerous that it made getting revenge even more necessary.

We would go pay a visit to The Beast.

That night, as I sneaked out of my room, I began to have second thoughts. But then I remembered Aaron’s hopeless expression, and I steeled myself to go on.

“Ready?” Aaron whispered when I arrived at the edge of the forest, our agreed meeting spot. I nodded, and we ventured into the trees.

The long walk through the forest was arduous, dark, but luckily not cold, as it was summer. But after about three hours, my legs began to grow weary. Just when I thought I just could not go on, though, we reached the mouth of The Beast’s cave.

We tiptoed inside, the air of menace pervading our thoughts. I could hear The Beast snoring inside – a good sign. We would catch him unawares.

But then the unthinkable happened.

I tripped over a loose stone and went sprawling, praying that my muffled cry of alarm would not be heard. But worse than that, I was so anxious and worried that I started to breath fire.

“Willow, are you okay?” Aaron whispered. Then he saw the flames, and stifled a shriek. “That is not normal. Willow, what’s going on? You have to tell me.”

I sighed. “Fine. I’ve never told anyone before. My real parents had dragon blood in them, and I inherited the ability to breath fire and fly. I’m part dragon.”

“So that’s what you are,” he whispered in awe. But there was no time for more explanations. Even as I scrambled up, I heard the sound of heavy footsteps. We were doomed. And that was before The Beast moved into view.

Despite all the accounts I had read in the papers, nothing could prepare me for the monster’s gruesome appearance. I staggered backward, reeling from the stench coming from his gaping, drooling maw. His claws, like the one in Aaron’s barn, were black, scratched, and blood-stained. His scaly body, with its tufts of fur on the belly and ears, was horribly ugly and horrid to look at. His whole sight was sickening.

The Beast roared, jolting me out of my horrified stupor. It reached a gargantuan paw into the air, bringing it down with a horrible smack right onto Aaron, pinning him to the ground. I rushed to him, but he waved my off, gasping, “Willow! The dagger! You still have it!”

Of course, I thought, as I drew it from my pack. I tried to aim for a weak spot, but The Beast saw me first. It let go of Aaron, lunging towards me instead. It was now or never. I had to do this. I closed my eyes, raised my arm, and threw the dagger, but it never reached its target. For just at that moment, The Beast fell stunned at my feet. And behind him, Aaron’s father was standing, holding a bow and quiver full of tranquilizer darts.

When we got home, everything was explained. Mr. Fletcher hadn’t been killed at all, only kidnapped. Aaron had suffered a minor head injury, but was recovering. The Beast would be locked up in a special cage forever, never let loose. I looked around at my friends and family, Mrs. Fletcher fussing over Aaron, my mother scolding me even though she knew I wasn’t listening, Mr. Fletcher and dad talking about new building projects. I took a mental picture, and saved it. I was happy to be alive.

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Did you like it? It wasn’t my best, but I hope it was good enough. Bye!

September Writing Camp; Or, TIWC Challenge #1

Greetings! (Wow, that title was long!) I am participating in Grace’s Think to Ink Writing Camp! TIWC will be running the whole month of September, and I will be posting my entries about once a week. I am on Team Pen!!

 

Today’s prompts were…

My Main Character is part elf, part fairy. Her father is a Moon Elf, a special species of elf that once lived on the moon before they were driven away by the Dark One. Her mother is a fairy. As a result, my MC, Lena, has two long, thin, ridges on her back, that glow and unfold into wings every three full moons. And like every Moon Elf, she has inherited  a spirit of longing, a wistfulness for the place that her ancestors so reluctantly left behind.

And now for my entry!!

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I woke up at dawn and stretched my sore limbs. Yesterday’s harvesting excursions had taken a toll on me. Papa’s crops hadn’t done well this season, and if we were going to have any to sell at the market, we would have to work double-duty to bring them in before the frost. Last night had been no different than any this week, and yet, something had felt amiss, as if something just hadn’t been right…

“Lena! Stop dilly-dallying and get dressed! You know papa will be wondering where you are,” my older sister, Natalia, scolded, interrupting my thoughts. Then, noticing my worried expression, her tone softened. “Okay, sis, what happened last night and why are you worried about it?”

I wasn’t surprised by this comment. All of us are used to how Nat can always tell what’s on our minds. “I’m not sure, but something wasn’t right.  Everything seemed to be the same, but the air felt different, almost…evil. And right before I went to sleep, I saw this hunched shadow flitting across the room. It looked like it was holding something, but I couldn’t tell what. It looked like a vial of some sort. What does this mean, Nat? Was I dreaming?”

Natalia crossed the room and put her hands on my shoulders. “No, Lena. I don’t think you were dreaming. I overheard Mama and Papa last night, and they were talking about the Dark One. They sounded very worried, as though he were near, nearer than ever before. I don’t know what you saw, or what’s going to happen, but I think all of this – Papa’s crops failing, an early frost, and now this – has something to do with the Dark One.”

I shivered. Natalia’s words weren’t exactly comforting, but what if they were true? I shook off the blanket and stepped out of bed. “Nat, I just don’t know what to do. Should we tell Mama and Papa? They’re already so worried, and I wouldn’t want to worry them more. And if it really is the Dark One doing all this – ” I broke off. If it really was the Dark One doing this, I didn’t even want to think about it.

Natalia sensed my uneasiness. “Come. Let’s go get ready. Papa will be waiting.”

*  *  *

A month passed. I didn’t see the shadows again, and they were soon forgotten in the daily hustle and bustle. But one night, as I made ready for bed, I heard something – it sounded like someone whispering. I cocked my head to listen.

“Is it ready?” the voice asked. It was smooth and silky, but had an edge of menace to it.

“Almost,” another voice answered. This one was a harsh, guttural sound, as if the words were being drawn through a metal grate. “Only two more are left.”

Two more what? I wondered, but I didn’t dare to move.

“Yes,” the smooth voice said. “Yes, and then – ”

“Then it shall begin!” the harsh voice cried out, followed by a horrible, choking cackle that must have been a laugh.

“Silence, fool!” the smooth voice hissed. There was a short pause. “She is awake.”

I froze. They knew I had heard them. Now I would probably be taken to the Dark One, away from my family forever.

I heard a chuckle. At least, it must have been a chuckle, but it sounded more like a hideous,  hacking cough. Then the silky voice spoke. “Come now, little chickie. Just go to sleep, succumb to the valleys of slumber, and all will be as it should be. In fact, we have a little something here to help you sleep…” The shadow who had spoken reached for the vile that the other one was clasping. It started to approach.

I resisted the urge to cry out – that would have been certain death. The shadow was coming closer. Now it was saying, “Just open wide, don’t be shy, and soon you will be asleep and dreaming.” Strangely enough, as it said this, I felt an urge to do as it said. I fought it – what if the substance in the vile was poison? The shadow was now close enough for me to be able to smell it’s breath. It was filthy and rank. I had to make my mind up. In a movement so quick I could scarcely believe I was doing it, I grabbed the vile, tipped it back, and, in one bitter swallow, drank its contents.

I woke up with a start. Natalia was kneeling next to my bed. “Lena!” She cried. “Thank goodness you’re awake!”

“Why?” I asked, groggily rubbing my eyes. I had a roaring headache. “What happened?”

“You were crying out in your sleep,” Natalia said. “What happened to you?” And I told her. When I finished, she said gravely, “Now we have to tell our parents.”

Mama and Papa listened gravely as we told them everything. When we had repeated all we had told them several times, Papa stood up. “Girls,” he said, “we have to tell you something. We didn’t tell you before, because we didn’t want to frighten you, but now we think you should know.” He paused to clear his throat. “The Dark One is planning to kidnap us. And not just us, but all of the Moon Elves. We think he wants to make us our slaves.”

I shuddered, and I could feel Nat doing the same beside me. Suddenly, I was filled with anger. I stood up and yelled, “If you knew about it, why didn’t you do anything? Why do you just sit there and tell us about it? Alert the authorities! Gather the troops! We can’t just stand here and do nothing when -”

Papa broke in quietly, saying, “There’s nothing we can do, Lena.”

I stopped. This was exactly what I had wanted not to hear – that it was hopeless, that nothing could be done. “Papa,” I asked shakily, “who did I hear in my room last night?” Papa hesitated a moment. “Papa,” I said again, my voice rising,”was it the Dark One?”

In a voice so quiet it could scarcely be heard, he said, “Yes, my darling. Yes, it was.”

That night, as Natalia lay next to me, it was all I could do not to cry. Mama and Papa had agreed that Nat and I would both sleep in my room, for protection, and that if anything should happen we were to call for them immediately. All the same, there was no way I was going to fall asleep tonight.

“Lena?” Natalia whispered. “Are you awake?”

“Yes.”

“So am I,” she answered. But even as she spoke, I felt a cold draft in the room. Two shadows – one hunched, one quite tall and straight – appeared against the wall.

“Well, well,” said the Dark One (his was the smooth, silky, evil voice.). “So we meet again, my little ones.” I made as if to cry out, but he held up his hand, saying, “Oh, dear, don’t trouble yourselves with screaming. It won’t do any good. By now the poison should be working, which means that even if you did scream, it would fall on deaf ears. Or, should I say, dead ears. So you see, it really wouldn’t do any good.” He let loose a horrible cackle. “Isn’t that right, Neichseft? Isn’t it?” Then both of them – the Dark One and his Shadow, Neichseft – started laughing and choking in such a horrible way it made my stomach churn. “And now,” the Dark One was saying, “now only the two of you are left!” He and Neichseft began moving closer, and I noticed that this time, both of them were bearing vials, no doubt filled with lethal poison. I looked over at Nat. Through this whole time, she had never spoken, had never made a sound, but from the look in her eyes I knew exactly what was about to happen, and what we had to do. The Dark One and Neichseft were inches away now. And I lunged forward, grabbed the vial out of the Dark One’s hand, and tipped its contents down his gaping maw. Beside me Nat was doing the same to the Shadow. I knew that the poison was not really deadly. Natalia had told me with her eyes. Now all we had to do was vanquish the Dark One, reclaim the moon, and save the world!

This was going to be a long night.

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Did you like it? I hope so! Bye!