I have hopes of turning this into a novel. Sort of a crazy novel, but a novel nonetheless. This would be the third time I have written it due to my unfortunate habit of starting over after rereading my own work, so hopefully this one will go further. Please read and comment! And leave good, well planned comments that are thoughtful and will better my story or my ability as a writer! Thanks!
Obscurem
Order 1: In the Interest of the Greater Good
Chapter 1: Dark Black Forest
Everything was quiet, as it should have been at that early hour of the morning, when the sun’s rays were not yet to be seen but the looming anticipation of such hung over the horizon, as if waiting to burst forth with the first radiant light of the day. The silence urged all who heard its stillness to not break it or be punished severely. Every creature of the nearby forest felt this soundless warning and strove to protect the unspoken code of keeping it exactly as it was, lest anyone be singled out for death or worse.
The forest was quiet as could be except for the small crunch of a branch or the rustle of a small bush. An animal would let a small whimper escape its unseen mouth or a bird would give a disgruntled shake at another noise. This was the start of a small chain reaction of quiet chaos, as animal after animal would give forth its feelings of its surrounding world in sound, changing the surrounding world for anything nearby and creating a different set of feelings for them with which to share.
And so it went on, the chaos building and building, pressure mounting until a small animal shriek resounded from a far area of the wood, reverberating forth from tree to tree and ear to ear. And one set of ears perked up quiet intently.
A shadow separated itself from a tree and crept forward unobserved by the inhabitants of the wood and, hopefully, its intended quarry. The chaos loomed overhead as more birds joined the fracas. It sounded only a single step above the utter silence from before to the average ear, but to the shadow it sounded more a fanfare, pinpointing the source of a disturbance. Another shadow moved from the background and slunk closer to the other. It spoke in a dull whisper.
“He’s only a hundred and fifty meters north of hear, my mistress.”
“I know, love, just trying to figure out how to apprehend him without being noticed.”
The second shadow burst out in a barely audible chuckle.
“Surely my mistress is not worrying about a counter attack? From one so lowly?”
The first shadow scoffed, causing a small bird to burst out of an overhead tree. The couple observed its flight momentarily before speaking again, even quieter than before.
“Of course not! I just want to get a hold of him without any further trouble. You know how he constantly manages to elude our grasp.”
“This is true, but where would he go? We could easily get him between the two of us now, and if he were to escape, he has nowhere to run off to. He can only hide until we learn of his presence yet again.”
“That, love,” the first shadow snapped, her volume increasing slowly. “Is unnecessary time wasted. We can’t have him waiting any longer than he has already been kept.” She laughed softly as she imagined the target being torn asunder at her hands. “He has already lived past expectations and deserves to be put down.”
“Agreed,” the second shadow said, nodding slowly. “We can’t have our prey waiting any longer, my mistress. Shall we?”
“Let’s.”
The chaos from all around was still in full swing as they began to creep forward, separating now and again to pass around opposite ends of a tree or to scout ahead for the other. No creature dared to approach them, but that just as well; any unnecessary noise was now a liability. All silence must be kept, and the wave of chaos had to be slowed down lest their positions be given away.
The shadows paused momentarily in their trek, waiting for the forest to die down as it was before their arrival. It did, albeit slowly, too slow for the shadows.
“He’s on the move,” the second one whispered.
“Right, on my mark then.”
They had arrived near the forest three days ago after traveling. It took several hours to scout the area and another day to locate the target. A day and a half of stalking had finally led them to this…
“One…”
Five days of tedious work, of setting traps that failed, of covering up tracks, of eating stale bread, of listening to nothing but the air and the forest. All this for but a moment of glorious capture, of the small chase, of the weakening, of the apprehension. All for the sweet and brief respite of animalistic ecstasy.
“Two…”
Muscles began to tense as the pair slowly crouched near the ground, preparing for the burst of energy, prepping for quick scenarios that could occur, reminding themselves not to get too worked up over so simple a task. It was a standard hunt, but their opponent just made it so much more…
“Three.”
In unison the couple sprang, surging forward in slightly different directions, dodging trees, bushes, leaves, twigs. They moved quickly, too fast for even the chaos to keep up. The animal noises from behind them died until they were but a faint whisper.
They ran until they came upon a small cliff, both of them stopping suddenly. The noises of the forest rushed forward to catch up with them, but the chaos was thankfully left behind.
Out of the cliff flowed a small waterfall, the spray falling about 10 meters into a grotto. A boy was in the grotto, seeming to be soaking; he wasn’t moving and had himself sprawled over several rocks which were submerged about two feet. A black and white object was lying off to the side of the small pool.
“What’s that, love?” the first shadow asked quietly. “Off to the side there. A pouch, bag, garment of some sort?”
The second shadow was still for a moment.
“It’s a hat.”
“A hat?”
“A hat.”
“Love, look at me. You mean to tell me that not only is that proof that he’s down there, but that he actually has it off?”
“Seems to be that way, my mistress.”
The first shadow crawled to the edge of the cliff. She was just above the flow of water that was spraying forth from the side of the rock face, so there was very little chance of being seen.
“What does he always wear that for…?” she asked rhetorically. “I need to get closer…”
“I’ll be right behind you,” the second shadow chimed.
Together they set down the rock face, climbing down step by step until they were only 4 meters above their suspected target. The froth from the waterfall built up behind the target and the dull roaring masked their climb. A slight mist began to build around the shadow’s visions, as they paused to prepare their attack. They looked at each other for no more than a second before nodding and glancing back at their quarry.
They both leaped off of the cliff at once, the first shadow landing in the grotto as the second landed directly on top of the unsuspecting. The first thrashed into a strange contorted position under the water and grabbed the prey’s ankles as the second wrapped a single leg around the prey’s waist and both arms around his neck. The pair of shadows writhed suddenly. As the prey tore asunder from the waist, the mist from the falls swirled suddenly around three people, now mixed with a light crimson to stain the air and the early morning sky.
Both shadows left the water, the black swirling ethers that were being used to disguise them flowing off of their bodies, clinging to the surface of the water, protecting the couple from the blood in the air. They were not worried for there was no reason to be disguised now that he was dead. The female froze in place as the male began to walk off slowly. He stopped as well and turned inquisitively.
“What’s the matter, my mistress?”
The woman grumbled something slowly before looking at the male right in the eyes.
“Be a dear and check him.”
“Check him for what? He’s dead and the ethers have probably devoured him by now.”
The female scowled.
“Bring me his head…”
“If it’s left, milady.”
“Don’t worry, it is…” she said under her breath.
She was listening, unable to coax the proper sounds, but still able to know that something was wrong. There was whispering, and wasn’t from her other half and it wasn’t from the nature around them. It was too precise, too rhythmic, and not conversational or meant to be a sign. It kept growing the more she paid attention to it, but its meaning and source eluded her.
The volume increased more and more until she felt its presence. She spun around to come face to face with the male, holding the target’s head, still attached to what was left of its torso. The ethers were still swirling around the corpse, slowly dissolving it into the air. She stared at the closed eyes intently, then up to the male.
“What are you looking for, my mistress?”
“A color.”
The male raised an eyebrow.
“Color, milady?”
“Indeed. Watch yourself,” she said as she pointed to the target’s torso. There was only the head and the right arm left, and the ethers were rapidly approaching the male’s arm. He responded with a smile and reached his free hand directly into the swirling mass of darkness. It traveled up his arm and began to encircle his neck.
“No need to fear for my safety, my mistress. You have taught me well…”
He bowed extremely low, both as his sign of admiration and respect and as an excuse to place the half a torso he was carrying on the ground. He again began to walk away, leaving the issue to rest on the ground behind him. He began trailing his finger through the ethers that continued to follow him.
The female decided that she had to be overworked. She hadn’t taken any time out for herself or for him recently… she knew what she wanted, but he must have been ready to explode from deprivation… She decided that she’d stop her favors for Him and take some time for herself. She had been obedient as of late, so there wasn’t much of a chance for Him to deny her request, but she would discuss it over with him before making any stone decisions.
She stepped forward and stopped. Something was wrapped around her foot, and it was either lodged in the ground quite firmly or it was tugging at her…
She turned and found the color she was looking for.
The male walked back to find the corpse holding onto the woman’s leg with its one good arm, the black ethers turning a deep violet. The corpse smiled as wide as it could and began to laugh softly. The mist from the falls began to build unnaturally until it surrounded the trio. The man and woman remained calm despite their surroundings, and began to smile as the man brought his foot down upon the corpse’s skull. The mist subsided.
The woman continued to smile as she looked over the grotto. Something was missing, and she knew that there was no way she would be getting any off time now.
“My mistress,” called the man.
“Yes, love?” she replied nonchalantly.
“Could you perchance give your expertise on this?”
“On what?” she asked as she walked backwards, not taking her eyes off of the grotto.
“His tongue is white.”
This caught her attention.
“What, love?”
“His tongue. Just look.”
She turned and acknowledged him, then crouched down at the body. His tongue was white, but there was a spot of black on it as well. She pried open the mostly crushed jaw to look more closely, then closed it shut suddenly.
“What?” the man asked seriously. He opened the jaw and reacted in the same way as his partner. The body did not have a tongue, but a piece of paper with a single word written upon it.
The woman kicked as hard as she could and smiled at her ability of decapitation.
The man and woman whispered at the same time.
“Boom.”
The head flew through the air and exploded in a fiery blaze.
“You forgot the triple exclamation points,” the man said.
“As did you,” the woman retorted.
The mist flared up into the early morning sky and a dark shape flew from it, clad in striped hat. The target flew over the pair and landed gracefully, spinning to look at his assailants.
“Why?” the woman asked.
“Why what?”
“You just let us find you for sport. You were a terrible student, yet can escape no matter the situation. Why?”
He shrugged his shoulders slowly and tilted his head to the side.
“Fun I guess.”
The boy walked off slowly, knowing that the couple wouldn’t give chase. He walked into the forest as the sun rose up over the forest, the silence having been broken numerous times and a small patch of trees having caught fire. The target snapped his fingers and the mist from the falls flowed into the air, moving across the smoldering area and dousing it gently with a small hiss.
He walked around some trees and was quickly out of view.
The sun rose up over the horizon and struck the mist, sending a rainbow across the sky of orange and gold. The man and woman strolled in the direction of their prey, never catching up to him and knowing that it would be a while before they saw him again.
They followed the boy’s trail until they left the forest. They had walked into a large field, hills flowing in every which direction, and in the middle, at the lowest point of the series of hills, was a large building. The couple stopped and looked across the fields, past the sparse number of trees, at the said building. They stared for some time until the woman broke the silence.
“I hate children.”
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