[size=11][b]The Altars
A guide to the Altar life and Origin
The soft melodies of various birds echoed across the world as the first golden tendrils of light seeped through the curtains at my bedside. Another glorious dawn had come and gone, painting the sky an array of pink and gold blended in a mellow harmony that would make any young girl catch their breath and shed a tear or two at its beauty. This tranquility however, was lost on me as I was rudely awoken by the screeching tone of the alarm. *SLAM!!* Well...that put an end to that problem. Another day, another sickeningly cheerful morning, not that I had anything against sunshine but I'm in no mood to come out of my dark cocoon of warmth. I guess it wouldn't have been so hard to get up if I knew that day was one that would change my life, no, my world into a fairytale I could have never expected to believe. Well, now that I'm settled in I guess it isn't so hard to believe anymore, but yeah. Mind you though, this is no fairytale. This is the story of a creature that only can be called by a name that is almost as rare as the thing itself. Altar.
Five more minutes, that's all I meant to take, but somewhere between dreams I lost track of time. Before I knew it a loud pounding echoed through the house, causing me to cry out in dismay as I fell out of my soft comfy bed onto the cold hardwood floor. Who the hell was it?! Who dared interrupt my sleep, only as I got up in a slur of profanity did I glance at the clock and realize my fatal error. All I could feel at that moment was my blood running cold, the sick realization dawning on me I'd been thirty minutes late for work,again. This was not the first time it had happened, but I had been threatened all too well just yesterday of the consequence of my action. Like a mad woman I tore down the stairs, tripping over myself and a tangle of sheet that had entwined itself around my leg. I got to the door in about three minutes, yanking it nearly from the hinges only to stare blankly into the crimson face of my boss. Two words. 'YOU'RE FIRED!!!'. That was all that was needed before he turned on his heel and stormed off, leaving me frozen dumb before anger welled in me. Again I had failed, allowing my own desires to come before the only thing keeping food on my table.
All that was left now was to collect my stray belongings at the place and head home to search the wanted adds once more. Many would have been broken out of the humiliating way it had been delivered, many would have just cried and begged their job back, but not me. I hated that place with all my heart, the only pain in being fired was that of my torn ego and paycheck. After an hour or so I arrived, hurriedly throwing my things into a box before making my way to the office. In a moment of sheer brilliance I raised my middle finger to that overgrown windbag and walked out with my head held high. Little did I know that the box of broken dreams I held, held a dream of its own that would reveal itself all too soon.
I arrived home and flung the box away, throwing myself down in a chair and snatching up the paper to find a new job if anyone would even take me. Surgeon? No, way too complex. Waitress? Too degrading. Stripper?HELL NO!. My search was interrupted though as a thud resounded. Instinctively my gaze shot towards it, but I was filled with relief at seeing it was just the box that had fallen off the couch. Stupid thing, my stuff was all over the place! Oh well, not like I didn't have time to pick it up now...With this resolve I did get up, walking over and kicking it lightly from annoyance only for the weirdest thing I've ever seen to roll out onto the carpet. What the hell?It looked like...an egg? Yes. Lying there was an egg, a rather BIG egg, but an egg. I know I probably should have thought about how what I was doing was probably really stupid, I mean, something could have jumped out and eaten me! But not a thing like it passed my mind, only a single name springing forth, 'Altar...That's what you are,whatever that is, you're it alright. But now that I know your name, what am I supposed to do with you?dumb thing...' At this the egg shook violently, apparently not liking that nickname at all. I gasped and nearly dropped it, but thankfully I had some kind of reflex and caught it before it shattered on the ground. Great. The thing had a brain. Wanting to reassure it, as well as myself, I calmly stroked it and set it down on a cushion before approaching it again. 'Ok ok?You're not dumb, *sigh* Anyways, I guess until you hatch or I can dump you somewhere I?ll have to keep you.' The egg seemed content and stood still, surprising me even though it was the most natural thing in the world for an egg.
I don't know much about eggs, but I do know you should keep them warm until they hatch. So I began a small fire in its place and set the egg among some blankets on the hearth. The egg seemed content and moved but little to acknowledge the warmth, leaving me there to stare blankly at it. Well...What did I know about this'Altar' thing? Well, it's an egg, it can understand the word 'dumb', and it liked warmth. Could it really understand me? I'm not sure. Might as well test it, right? Right.
'Hey egg, if you can understand me jump three times'
In pure form of sarcasm it came out, but in accordance the command was still the same and I waited. Nothing. Well, that theory failed. Maybe it had just been a coincidence of its movement when I had called it dumb, maybe not. There was no sure way to know now anyways, and I was content enough for the moment to leave it there while I went to work.
No, not work of pay, but the work of figuring out why...why had I been dealt such a fate? No answers were there just yet, but as most stories say in a very true fact...This is only the beginning.
Fast Forward One Week
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April 17, 2005
~Journal Entry~
So much has changed and so much to write about. But I'm lazy today so you only get what I feel like telling...What, does it matter anyways, you?You're just a book. ^_^ Well, I suppose you're pleased that once again I've reinstated myself as a working member of society. Not the best job, but a job none the less. I've taken up working for a small business firm as a secretary. Not to hard, nor too stupid at that. I just take calls and messages, and take them where they gotta go. Not too shabby if I do say so myself.
But, that isn't the only thing that's changed, by the claw marks on my ankle I can only surrender the fact to you dear journal that the kid has landed.
*cough* that means the egg hatched.
Woo! It nearly scared me out of my wits, but here's how it happened.
It was last night, in fact, that I lay there in a dead sleep without so much thinking to the egg that night after I had rotated it by the fire again. That?s all I'd done besides my job, for what seems forever, for a week. Never did I imagine that this little thing would ever actually hatch but I guess it was bound to happen. Anyways, there I was asleep, when a sickening crack and wail shatter the peace. Damn it was loud! Loud enough to wake me up I assure you. Tearing from my bed with a baseball bat in hand, I rushed down the stairs expecting murder. My bare feet were greeted by a sticky substance that I only assumed to be blood. My own blood drained from my face and I gave my own pleading cry of mercy before a sharp crack broke my pity and turned my attention to what really was going on.
There, sprawled out in a puddle, was a tiny...dragon?! Yes. It was a dragon, a rather odd looking one at that. But at the same time it wasn?t quite a dragon for some reason, but one all the same...so confusing. Now, I hate to admit I have them, but my maternal instincts kicked in just then and I picked the tiny creature and began to wipe away the sticky remnants of shell and goop. Normally I would think it was disgusting, but it wasn't all that bad.I cleaned him up and set him among some towels while I cleaned up the mess, almost thinking I was dreaming as I picked him up a third time and took him back to bed with me.
I have fondly named the little guy 'Kyuri', and plan to keep him since no one else in their right mind will ever believe me just yet. That, and the fact that I'm actually kind of attached after seeing him that way...such a small thing...he needed me. Who knows? I might just need him too someday, but for now I'm just happy to have my own little Altar dreaming away by my side.This is where I leave you for now. But I will leave you with this.
Life is a road, and there are millions of winding paths. Some are used more often than others, but even on them things are never really sure. All you can do is hold you head up high and perhaps allow yourself to dream of what may be around the next bend. But no-matter what does lay there, just know that it can change your life in a moment. As mine has been changed for all time...
Yours Truly,
Capser
After the account of the small creature that lay at my feet, I allowed my fingertips to caress over his sleeping form fondly before picking him up and walking away from the remnants.
Weeks passed and Kyuri grew, in time becoming almost unrecognizable from his smaller form as he blossomed into an adult. But something struck me as odd…was he the only of his kind? If not than why had none other been found? Too many questions had surfaced through the weeks and now Kyuri voiced his wisdom openly.
Kyuri’s Log
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May 2, 2005
Greetings…I am Kyuri, the one and only Altar known to exist. *sigh* It is a sad thing really, but a few weeks ago this changed. Strange visions began to appear to me in dreams, telling a story and history of the world from whence I came and the Altars that lived there. I can’t clearly tell all there is about my kind but I will recount what I do remember…hopefully uncovering the others that are still lost.
I come from a world named Praeclarus, the name meaning Beautiful in a certain human speech. I guess this is because well, the visions of this lush environment are beautiful. Coming from the south there is a mountain pass, huge formations towering over one as they walked along the trodden dirt path. I’m not sure but from what I’ve seen this path winds through the depthless caverns for miles to come before it opens into a thick forest.
The forest is silent, feeling almost sacred as you pass through the endless pillars of monstrous Maple and Elm trees that border the way through. Through the emerald canopy, tendrils of golden sunlight penetrate down in an endless rain of beauty to reveal strange plants and mosses that grow unheeded in the calm.
Sooner or later the forest ends, sloping gently down into a valley. I can see a waterfall shimmering off in the distance, pouring down from the base of a river that runs strong from the mountain pools. It pours down into a pool at the bottom, surrounded by trees and rocky out crags that make me want to lay in the sun all day… I wish I could have, but the dream had other plans.
Suddenly I am taken to the far west, the shoreline coming beneath me while the ocean stretches out ahead. Are there such things as Aquatic Altars? I don’t know, but if there are they have a paradise. Beneath the clear turquoise waters I can readily see hugs corral reefs, valleys beneath that, and more than I could ever describe. The shoreline has its beauty as well, as shells lay scattered in number across the white sand.
I think I must have flown forever after that, nothing but ocean mist to cool me as I made my way all the way around to the east. There isn’t much here, as only a small stubble of vegetation grows before pooling into a desert.
It is here I end my account though, for dreams don’t last forever and after that night the visions became unclear. I do know one thing though, and that is that my fellow Altars are nearby…perhaps still dreaming of our world in their eggs, but close all the same.
End Journal.
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