|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 5:20 pm
The man closed his eyes and pushed himself to sit up. He was definitely young, no older than twenty-five, and in good shape. He did still have those curious eyes that looked like they better belonged on some kind of animal than a person -- a rabbit, maybe, or a doe. Nevertheless, he was human. He spoke again.
"I was running away from a pack of wolves," he said, "last night. I ran through the day, but this is as far as I've gotten. Vetrel is the only town around here -- if you decide to go there, I can give you directions."
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 5:31 pm
That certainly gets Marx's full attention. "There's wolves here??" He hadn't seen anything actually living until he reached the voices to see two people and a bird. Nothing that a wolf would use for food. Unless it was people. "It's almost dark out, don't they hunt at night?" Well, besides the wolves in fairytales, they seemed to hunt in the daytime but fairytales can't be trusted. Right?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 5:35 pm
His mind was fixated on this 'Vetrel' place now and he ignored the strange appearance of the man's eyes and the oddness of talking to a man through a bird. He more wanted to know where he was and -why-.
"Wolves? I haven't see anything alive here except you and him," He waved a hand at Marx. "wait ...didn't you ask me if i knew the way to Ve..trel? You can tell me how to get there?" It seemed sorta stupid to ask if someone knew how to get somewhere if -you- knew. I mean he wasn't as if he'd asked before. "Can we get there before it gets completely dark?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 7:08 pm
The man was picking himself up and speaking, and as he did so, dusting himself off.
"Climb a tree until you see a black castle in the distance, and go that way to find Vetrel. If you do so give them Anton Mironescu's regards." The bird gave a gravelly cough and then went on, shaking itself off. "If you go quickly you should be able to beat the night, and the wolves."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 7:14 pm
Marx frowns at that bit of directions, and looks at Arsinoe. "Can you climb trees or do you want me to try that?" Neither one of them really looked like they had the upper body strength to pull themselves up onto a branch, if he was frank about it. But Arsinoe definitely does not have the shoes for that kind of work, that's for certain.
He will not ask why he was wearing that get-up to the mall before ending up here, will not ask why he was wearing.. oh but the temptation is so great.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 7:18 pm
Anton Mironescu, if that was indeed his name, took the time to pick himself up and disappear into the woods without further ado.
The bird clucked once or twice. "Poor things," it said, "poor things. The night is your enemy."
"But the day," said another bird in the same voice, settling down on a higher branch, "will not be your friend."
"Who can say?" said the first bird.
"Who can say," concluded the second.
And both flew off.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 7:20 pm
He nodded at the man's answer before looking at Marx. Luckily the otherwise quiet guy had thought of the obvious answer before he had to say something. "I'm not climbing a tree .... they're dirty. Plus i'd kill myself." he waved at his shoes. There was -no- way he was going to try to climb a dirty tree barefoot or any other way for that matter. "You climb and i'll ... keep watch down here."
He looked back at their 'guide' for a moment. "You're not coming with us? Wouldn't it be easier for you to get away from any wolves if we all stay to ... or you could just run off?" People had no sense of manners anymore.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 7:45 pm
"I didn't want to get dirty either, but I guess.. it's a little late for that seeing where we woke up." He frowns again as he thinks of the bits of twigs that are probably still in his ponytail. He hesitates a moment to look towards the bird, now two birds. "Okay, that's creepy." Okay, consider that later, it's getting dark.
"If I fall, I'm going to blame you since that guy just vanished on us." Not like that would do any good, but he feels a little better by saying it. Taking a moment to look for the lowest branch that looks like it might hold him, Marx reaches up to start the task to Tree Climbing attempt: 1. And now he realizes why he had never done it when he was still a little kid, it's hard work pulling all his weight up by his arms!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 8:01 pm
"Just don't fall." That seemed like the easy way to not have to blame anyone for doing something. For all that the trees looked dead they also looked like they'd hold someone up pretty well so long as they didn't try to step anywhere stupid.
Hopefully he'd get up to the top and they could figure out where they should be going before some wolf ate them or something
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 8:15 pm
"That's easy for you to say, you aren't the one climbing." Still, he wold rather not fall. The ground was not the softest place to be with all those sticks down there. Hauling himself up slowly, he thanks...whoever, that he still has his tennis shoes on. Climbing shoes they're not, but they're definitely better than those sandals, or going barefoot.
From his little bit of height though, he can't see anything but trees, trees, and more trees. Could there really be wolves if there's not anything around that even looks alive? On second thought, he doesn't want to know that answer, and reaches instead for the next branch above. "I wish I had gloves, this bark is so not comfortable to hold onto." Talking to himself at least makes it seem a bit less quiet up there.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 8:20 pm
He reached the top of the branches with relative ease -- that was one good thing about a dark and clustered forest, it seemed, there was lots to climb.
The sky was red, sunset-red, dried-blood-red over them. The sun was very low in the sky -- and just as Anton Mironescu had said, there was a black castle in the distance, spires silhouetted against the sundown sky.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 8:29 pm
He sighed as the other complained. It wasn't like they really had a choice. He -wasn't- going to climb a tree so one of them had to. "If he'd just stop complaining he could climb better." He muttered to himself.
"Do you see anything?" He called up into the trees.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 8:38 pm
Marx avoids looking at the color of the sky, and just how low the sun is. They'd never get that far before night. "I do but you really aren't going to like it! The castle's a pretty long ways off, it's going to be a long walk." In the dark, but he doesn't want to say that point out loud.
On that note, he looks for any break in the trees that could stand to be a path, but the branches tangling into each other makes that a little difficult. "Of course, this place can't be easy huh.."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 8:42 pm
He patted his waist and cursed the lack of his lantern once again. Things would be so much easier if he had that. Then he wouldn't have to worry about light or wolves or anything else that came along.
At least if something did come along he'd just have to run faster than Marx for a short distance. Then he'd be fine.
"Just ... tell me which way." he was pretty sure he could manage to keep them going straight or at least as straight as they could go with all the trees
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 9:04 pm
Hearing the request, Marx looks out towards the castle again and points at it. "Off that way. You don't see a path or anything from down there do you? The branches aren't making that easy to see." And he certainly hadn't been paying attention to much besides the man, bird, and Arsinoe when he'd come across them earlier.
"I can come down now right, no more playing lookout?" He'd really like to feel solid ground under his feet again. Good thing he isn't afraid of heights at least.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
