Herald
1.6.11
When you come upon the scene, it is a weak and dying Herald that you find, unable even to stand. A few scattered feathers on the ground are the only remnants of the wings it once possessed. It has come to this place to die...or be saved? That, of course, is up to you.
You are alone when you find the angel. The Heralds have long gone unsaved, and though it appears to you, it does not hold much hope of living on. Near to where the two of you meet rests a grey stone slab that the angel seems desperate to reach. With your help, the Herald climbs upon it, needing something from you to save its life. What will you choose to give it? And what significance does that item hold for you? Is it a family heirloom? Something you happened to have on hand? Something you'd purchased earlier that day? A lucky charm?
You may have noticed that many details have been left off. This is because we want you to have plenty of freedom to develop the scene yourself. Consider time of day, weather, season, etc. when you post.
After dinner walks weren't out of the ordinary for Decker and his aging old dog. It was something the two had grown accustomed to doing for over a decade. But over the years they had noticed that it took considerably longer to lap the property line since they started and they were noticeably sorer upon returning. Still, it was a routine they'd stick to until one of them died.
Right about now, in the middle of one of these walks, they were about two thirds around the once upon a time farmland, hitting a small copse of thin trees. Decker looked up at the darkening sky and muttered something, only to have his eyes off his path for a second just in time to trip over a thin tree trunk that had been knocked over, making him hit the ground with a thud and a crack that made him worry for just a second he finally broke. Luckily, he realized after he regained his senses, the crack was just wood snapping and he got up and brushed himself off, looking around for Hawk's familiar German Shepard coat among all the foliage and dead plant waste littering the ground. Scratching his shaggy chin, the crease in his wrinkled brow deepened and he let out a low growl as he looked around, suddenly and notably dogless. "Hawk?" He bellowed, hearing his own echo and a disturbed bird from far off squawk and flutter away.
That was worrying. Hawk didn't usually leave him unless it was something dire or threatening. He paced around a bit, walking a little further until he heard barking. "Hawk?" He said, this time in more of a grunt as he looked off in the direction he heard her. Over the fence lining his land and into thicker trees. His frown deepened at the unusual circumstances of Hawk going past the fence and gave another worried look at the darkening sky. Well, she wasn't coming, and she was still barking, so with a reluctant groan Decker hopped over the fence and trudged on to see what the hell was going on.
"Haaawk?" He called again, answered with more sharp barks taking him in a more accurate direction towards whatever was happening.
"If that old rancher's bored kids are messin' around again I swear," He muttered and growled to himself, though deep down he knew that wasn't it. Usually they either ran away immediately or, in one particularly infuriating case, threw a rock at the angry old guard dog when confronted. Whatever had Hawk so riled up was sticking around, and she was insistent on being as noisy about it as possible. That was was worrying him the most. Hawk was getting up there in age, turning 14 soon and getting more brittle by the month, and he was always afraid she'd confront an intruder who'd do her in with little more than a kick to the ribs. This hovering worry is what made him speed up his pace to a near run trying to follow the echoing sound.
But when he finally found her, and pushed the larger trees back, he had to freeze and take in the scene. It wasn't an intruder or kids or a dead bear or something. It was... an angel?
Decker sniffed once and ran his fingers through his hair, staring and almost tuning out the barking that had become monotonous. The feathers seemed strewn all over the scene on the ground but on it's own fragile body there was hardly any evidence they'd once been attached to it's shoulder. It barely managed to heave itself up onto the large stone in the small, cramped clearing and collapsed against it, making Decker inwardly cringe as he watched it. It seemed delicate and broken, and obviously near it's end, but it was the fight it seemed to be putting up that brought up the greatest response in him.
Hawk was still barking.
It seemed like he had stepped out of reality to stare at the creature before he suddenly made the obvious realization. Why was she barking?
It posed no threat. But still the animal sounded off with an odd urgency.
"Hawk," He growled, urging her to be quiet, but she seemed to ignore him. Confused, Decker seemed flustered, unsure what to do. Should he help it? No, it was probably best not to interfere and let nature take it's course. But still, watching it struggle to stay alive was hard, especially when it's eyes opened and stared at him with unsettling intensity. Slowly he stepped forward towards it. What was he going to do? What could he do? He didn't have a plan, though Hawk seemed to know more than him, since, as he crept closer her barking shifted to a small whine and the old canine watched him with nervously folded ears.
Once he approached the dying herald, he took off his jacket and covered it, figuring that was all he could contribute to it's vain plight, but as he started to pull away, he noticed it's fingers had wrapped around something in the pocket. His first instinct was to take the trinket back but restrained himself as the herald clutched it close to it's chest as if it was comforting. Still... it was hard to let it go. It was a small, intricately decorated leaf (assumed fake due to still being green and alive looking) that Edie had given him as a gift on their last anniversary. It was a fancy good luck charm, not something he usually bought into, but it had plenty of sentimental value.
He stared, pondering if he could truly let it go before sighing and turning to leave. If it provided the dying creature comfort in it's last moments then he could stand to part with it. He would leave it to die in peace, so he and Hawk trudged onward to find their way back home in the dim light of the evening.
Right about now, in the middle of one of these walks, they were about two thirds around the once upon a time farmland, hitting a small copse of thin trees. Decker looked up at the darkening sky and muttered something, only to have his eyes off his path for a second just in time to trip over a thin tree trunk that had been knocked over, making him hit the ground with a thud and a crack that made him worry for just a second he finally broke. Luckily, he realized after he regained his senses, the crack was just wood snapping and he got up and brushed himself off, looking around for Hawk's familiar German Shepard coat among all the foliage and dead plant waste littering the ground. Scratching his shaggy chin, the crease in his wrinkled brow deepened and he let out a low growl as he looked around, suddenly and notably dogless. "Hawk?" He bellowed, hearing his own echo and a disturbed bird from far off squawk and flutter away.
That was worrying. Hawk didn't usually leave him unless it was something dire or threatening. He paced around a bit, walking a little further until he heard barking. "Hawk?" He said, this time in more of a grunt as he looked off in the direction he heard her. Over the fence lining his land and into thicker trees. His frown deepened at the unusual circumstances of Hawk going past the fence and gave another worried look at the darkening sky. Well, she wasn't coming, and she was still barking, so with a reluctant groan Decker hopped over the fence and trudged on to see what the hell was going on.
"Haaawk?" He called again, answered with more sharp barks taking him in a more accurate direction towards whatever was happening.
"If that old rancher's bored kids are messin' around again I swear," He muttered and growled to himself, though deep down he knew that wasn't it. Usually they either ran away immediately or, in one particularly infuriating case, threw a rock at the angry old guard dog when confronted. Whatever had Hawk so riled up was sticking around, and she was insistent on being as noisy about it as possible. That was was worrying him the most. Hawk was getting up there in age, turning 14 soon and getting more brittle by the month, and he was always afraid she'd confront an intruder who'd do her in with little more than a kick to the ribs. This hovering worry is what made him speed up his pace to a near run trying to follow the echoing sound.
But when he finally found her, and pushed the larger trees back, he had to freeze and take in the scene. It wasn't an intruder or kids or a dead bear or something. It was... an angel?
Decker sniffed once and ran his fingers through his hair, staring and almost tuning out the barking that had become monotonous. The feathers seemed strewn all over the scene on the ground but on it's own fragile body there was hardly any evidence they'd once been attached to it's shoulder. It barely managed to heave itself up onto the large stone in the small, cramped clearing and collapsed against it, making Decker inwardly cringe as he watched it. It seemed delicate and broken, and obviously near it's end, but it was the fight it seemed to be putting up that brought up the greatest response in him.
Hawk was still barking.
It seemed like he had stepped out of reality to stare at the creature before he suddenly made the obvious realization. Why was she barking?
It posed no threat. But still the animal sounded off with an odd urgency.
"Hawk," He growled, urging her to be quiet, but she seemed to ignore him. Confused, Decker seemed flustered, unsure what to do. Should he help it? No, it was probably best not to interfere and let nature take it's course. But still, watching it struggle to stay alive was hard, especially when it's eyes opened and stared at him with unsettling intensity. Slowly he stepped forward towards it. What was he going to do? What could he do? He didn't have a plan, though Hawk seemed to know more than him, since, as he crept closer her barking shifted to a small whine and the old canine watched him with nervously folded ears.
Once he approached the dying herald, he took off his jacket and covered it, figuring that was all he could contribute to it's vain plight, but as he started to pull away, he noticed it's fingers had wrapped around something in the pocket. His first instinct was to take the trinket back but restrained himself as the herald clutched it close to it's chest as if it was comforting. Still... it was hard to let it go. It was a small, intricately decorated leaf (assumed fake due to still being green and alive looking) that Edie had given him as a gift on their last anniversary. It was a fancy good luck charm, not something he usually bought into, but it had plenty of sentimental value.
He stared, pondering if he could truly let it go before sighing and turning to leave. If it provided the dying creature comfort in it's last moments then he could stand to part with it. He would leave it to die in peace, so he and Hawk trudged onward to find their way back home in the dim light of the evening.
