Riven Wight

Melodramatic Deities and an Ageless Taste for Pizza

When Pahn failed to answer her question after walking a short distance, Anora gave an irritated sigh, her mouth pursing slightly to the side.
Fine. Don’t answer, she thought, crossing her arms over her chest.
She glanced between Pahn and Odin when the latter winked mysteriously, her brows furrowing in a mix of confusion and curiosity. The expression only deepened when Odin actually responded. She stopped for a moment when Odin vanished with a rush of warm, sea air that made her hair flair from her close proximity. Others nearby had noticed it, glancing toward the area, then moved on, oblivious and practically uncaring about the oddity that had affected them. She stared after a man who had walked by, sparing only a confused glance, wondering how much of the world she had been blind to all her life. Had she unknowingly passed by something like Odin or the gorgons before, only could not see it?
She shook her head, then hurried to catch back up with Pahn. No matter the answer, at long last, she was facing the beginning of the adventure and purpose she had ached for since she was a child.
“What was that all about? Where’d he run off…” Anora’s words trialed off when she noticed Pahn’s unusual expression directed at her. “What?” she asked slowly, her eyes narrowing in suspicion as she readjusted her arms. She did not much like the way he was looking at her. Though, it was certainly preferable over his raw anger.
“Anora…”
“That’s my name.” She raised her brows at his slight pause and slow speech.
As Pahn continued, Anora’s expression sobered. She uncrossed her arms and slowly slipped her fingers into the pockets of her jeans. In the heat and excitement of everything, she had not so much as paused to even consider the possibility of not coming back. Of the people she would be leaving behind—her parents, siblings, friends—if she did not return, and what would become of them from her going missing. Of everything that might happen here to affect the people she loved while she was away.
With Pahn’s back to her, her feet slowed to a stop shortly before his steps ceased, her gaze on the concrete between them.
“I was of the impression that getting your regalia would avoid Earth’s apocalyptic downfall,” she said without looking up, addressing the easier of the subjects at hand.
When Pahn turned toward her, Anora’s head twitched upward slightly, but she did not fully look to him. She inhaled at how final “to say goodbye” sounded. She swallowed, then raised her gaze to his, holding it for a long moment. After a few seconds of silence, any uncertainty in her expression was replaced by determination that glittered in her amethyst eyes and set in her jaw.
“You’ll have to try harder than that if you want to scare me off, Pahn.” She raised an eyebrow. “Whether I go or stay, nothing will ever be the same for me after the morning I’ve had. My reality’s already changed.” She raised her chin slightly. “All my life, I’ve felt—I’ve known—there has to be something more out there that I need to be a part of. I’d be an idiot to turn my back on this now, especially when I could actually do something to try stopping a complete apocalypse instead of sitting at home twiddling my thumbs and waiting for the world to end. Also, there’s no way I’m letting you go alone. Or just with Odin. Doesn’t seem like fair odds, you against the Underworld. Someone’s going to have to watch your back when that poison takes full effect.” To demonstrate her ability in doing so, she raised a hand, fingers stretching upward. Her eyes glowed softly and the specks of gold in them became more prominent as the shimmering, purple mist of her base powers formed around her fingers, golden lightning weaving playfully between them.
She dispelled the magic and her eyes returned to normal. She hesitated as she got to the concept of saying her farewells. She took a deep breath, then shook her head.
“Don’t worry about wasting time going to them,” she said, her voice a touch quieter. “I wouldn’t know what to say, anyway.” She smirked, the action half-hearted, as she continued, speaking with her hands along with her words. “Because I’m pretty sure, ‘Hey, guys! I’m going to the Underworld with a man who just destroyed the city—but don’t worry, he fixed it and erased everyone’s memories—to save the universe from some ultimate evil. I might not come back alive,’” her voice quivered slightly at the concept, but she continued just as animatedly, “‘and chaos is going to take over the world, so thought I’d drop by to say I’ll see you in the next life,’ wouldn’t go over very well. Especially with my parents. And with my luck, Ethan wouldn’t let me out of the house without him. Trust me when I say he can throw a tantrum that’d make even Mr. Gray do anything he asked.” She rolled her eyes, but a small smile quirked her lips at the thought.
She paused, glancing to the side. Despite her words, she had to tell them something. A day of avoiding her phone was a normal occurrence, but she had no idea how long she would be gone for. Or if she would be coming back at all. After a couple days without hearing from her, her parents would be frantic.
“But I should at least leave a note or something,” she concluded quietly. “If you don’t mind stopping by my apartment.”
Anora cleared her throat, and began walking again, taking the lead. “Besides,” she glanced over her shoulder at Pahn both to look at him while she spoke, and to see if he was following her, and gave as light a shrug as she could, “normalcy’s overrated. And boring, to boot.”

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

It’s from Book of Life. If you haven’t seen it, it’s one I’d recommend if you ever get the chance!

Glad you enjoyed reading it. :-) Figured most of that would help you figure out Miles’ personality a bit more, since that would all be a part of his history. I believe we have the storage room on one side with an alley that goes through, then the portal on the other side with a dead-end. Some sort of distraction, maybe?

True. The pains of being in the middle of nowhere. If you know anyone else in more of a populated area who wants to do a garage sale, maybe pose you guys combine? A two-family garage sale. We have a lot of stuff that ends up at Goodwill or gets otherwise donated to shelters or something. I’ve never tried eBay because of the fee aspect. I understand your reservations about Craigslist, though. You never know who you’re going to be meeting with. There are quite a few foul stories revolving around meetings through that site. But that’s where I got my iPod really cheap a few weeks ago after the power button on my last one decided to give out for some unknown reason. Guess it decided it had had enough of life.

Nice! Chapter seven. I love the reasoning for the table for the tea party being so large. Wonder if that’s where Burton got the inspiration for the second movie he did revolving around Wonderland with Time. I’ve started Through the Looking Glass. Can’t remember what chapter I’m on, though… only like the second or third, I think. That’s pretty cool the Disney version follows it well. Honestly, I think I watched that once or twice when I was little, and it annoyed me. I don't remember much about it. Heh. Agreed on the pig-baby, though minus “disturbing.” Odd, for sure! xD

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

“Ditch them?” Elayra hissed, her tone and expression displaying how stupid of an idea she thought that was. Hiding them outside her quick reach was one thing, but abandoning them completely was another. “You’re daft! You have no idea how hard good weapons are to come by! It’s not like we can waltz into a blacksmith’s shop and order new ones. Well, I suppose we could, but we’d end up being attacked by a Forsaken blacksmith.”
She lowered her stance when Ghent asked about something called a gun. She raised her brows at him. At least he finally seemed to be paying more attention to their surroundings. “The word sounds familiar. But no.”
At Ghent’s suggestion of them waiting and Drust understanding, Elayra gave a single, snorted laugh as she sheathed her sword, the weapon clicking into place violently. “Why don’t you ask the Sorceress that once her beasts catch us because we weren’t gone before they had time to get to Hollow Hill?”
She gave a smug smile when he agreed to her keeping her weapons, but the expression did not last long. Once Ghent finished, he stared at him a long moment, scowling. Regrettably, he made a good point. This place was nothing like her world, and all she knew about it was what little she had seen, and Ghent had shared with Drust and her. Which meant he would likely know better than her how to best wrestle with the cops and get past them to the portal. Even if doing that without weapons was a foreign, neigh inconceivable idea to her.
Elayra let out a growled sigh, her eyes narrowed in frustration. “You’re right,” she conceded in a hiss as if the words themselves were painful to say. “But I am not leaving my weapons behind!”
She strode to the nearest building's wall, her steps heavy against the pavement and the short heel on her boots making splashing clicks. With her platinum hair now sticking to her face from its wetness, and raindrops running annoyingly down her scalp, she quickly re-summoned her rain guard, then leaned her bow against the wall. Without the irritant of the rain, she shrugged out of her pack, which managed to remain a bit dryer than her, placed it at her feet, and undid the buckles keeping the flap of the main compartment in place.
With it open, she gripped her bow and grudgingly fed it into the pack. Though the depth of the pack was far shorter than the length of the bow, the weapon impossibly disappeared inside. Once it was put away, she proceeded to unhook her sword and quiver from her belt, and repeated the process, carefully placing them inside before refastening the front flap.
Straightening, she tested the weight of the pack, which had grown with the addition of the weapons. She slung the pack back over her shoulders, doing her best to prevent irritating the ill-placed bruise, then took her time unhooking her dagger. Once it was freed, she bent down to place it her boot, where she could still hopefully have semi-quick access to it should the need for it arise.
Feeling rather naked and vulnerable without her arsenal in quick reach, she turned back to Ghent and crossed her arms heavily, her gaze and expression dark.
“Happy now?” she spat. “We’ve wasted enough time.” She jerked her head down the street with a motion worthy of an irate Drust.

Of Science and Magic

When the unnatural current tore Byrce from Thea, sending him into a rock, her further downstream, and making his teeth tear a rip in her outer dress, Zane let out a bark of his own. His ears drawn back against his head, he dove into the water without hesitation as Thea went under the second time. The wolf followed after the werewolf, rushes of water pushing upstream against them instead of down with Thea’s path, the river itself working against them despite its natural course.
On shore, Thea’s attention snapped hopefully toward the river at the familiar howls.
“Shut it!” the bearded man hissed as he gripped Thea’s free wrist in his rough hands, and wrenched her arm behind her back. He scowled at the river as the wolves swam into sight, and muttered foully beneath his breath. “Where’s that blasted Mage?” He looked to his companion, who had drawn a cylinder from his thick belt. “Ready for a fight!”
The younger man smirked. Without dropping the rope, he flicked his wrist, and the cylinder expanded out into a conical rod about three feet long.
“It’s got magic?” Bearded-man hissed as the werewolf managed to create a sheet of ice.
Zane followed at Byrce's flanks as he scrambled up after the larger dog.
Before either Bearded-man or Young-guy could do much else, a burst of frigid wind slammed into them as Byrce jumped, pushing the two men away from each other. Bearded-man pulled Thea with him, but she took advantage of his loss of balance; she yanked free of him, and shoved him back as hard as she could, making him stumble to the ground. Across from them, Young-guy had tripped on a fallen log, making the rope tighten and pull Thea awkwardly to the side, but he still managed to keep a hold on both rope and weapon.
Thea gasped when she felt something else wrap her wrist, panicked as she turned her head, before she realized it was Byrce. She inhaled when a sharp cold encompassed her wrist, forming ice around the rope. She twisted and pulled at it to try to break it as Young-guy quickly got to his feet with well-trained movements. Zane jumped from the ice to the shore, boring his fangs as he went after Young-guy, as Byrce tugged on Thea’s wrist for her to get on him.
Young-guy’s hood had slipped back, revealing hazel eyes, well-groomed sandy-blond hair, and a gnarly set of burn scars running over the left side of his face that made the edge of his eye twist upward. With the push of a button as the wolf lunged at him, bluish-white strands of electricity arched to life on his weapon from the thicker hilt to its thinner tip in all its sizzling glory.
Thea paused in her struggle against the rope, her heart skipping a couple beats. A Scientist. If they were waiting for a Mage, then the young one, at the least, had to be a Scientist.
“Zane! No!” she called in warning, trying to draw the wolf’s attention away, but it came too late, the wolf already leaping through the air.
In a swift, practiced movement, Young-guy gripped the hilt in both hands, and swung it like a club at Zane.
With a sickening crack, electrified sizzle, and a pained, shocked yelp from Zane, the rod hit its mark as Young-guy put his weight into the attack. Zane was knocked to the side, his pelt smoldering in a line down his face as he fell hard to the ground, his muscles twitching from the electric shock.
“I hate wolves,” Young-guy scoffed, twirling the rod in one hand.
Thea glanced between Byrce and Zane, with no intention of leaving Zane behind, wounded. With an enraged cry, she ran at Young-guy, scooping up a fairly thick branch that may have once belonged to the log as she went.
Meanwhile, Bearded-man got to his feet during Zane’s attempted attack. From a sheath hanging from his belt, he drew a single-edged short sword with a barrel down its center, allowing him to rest the non-sharpened side in his left hand. A metal box with a couple sizes of holes cut in its top replaced the sword's hilt, a couple hand-holds indenting the metal to allow it to be wielded as a sword. He braced the back of the box against the cook of his shoulder, his other hand waiting impatiently on a brass-colored lever as he eyed the unfolding fight.
Startled at Thea's show of violence, Young-guy blocked the blow she aimed at his head as Zane tried to struggle to his feet, with little success.
At last, the few sparring lessons she had talked her brothers into giving her would pay off. Though his strange weapon left a blackened gouge in the wood of her impromptu club, it remained intact.
“Take care of the other guy!” she shouted to Byrce, not daring to take her eyes from her opponent as he went on the offensive. She dodged his swings, trying to preserve her weapon as long as possible, and giving the quivering strands of electricity their space.
Bearded-man, who remained a fair distance back, eagerly pulled the lever on the box of his barreled sword, making a gentle swish and clank rise from it. With an evil gleam in his eyes, he aimed the strange weapon at Byrce.

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

I’m sorry, I have to:

The crazier, the better, right? xD On to what Miles would know, then! Brace yourself. xD

World Jumping Info and Stuff

Wonderland is basically the central hub/in-between place for traveling between worlds, which is why there is a gate and other precautions. The defenses did their job perfectly up until the Curse hit: keeping anyone from accidentally stumbling upon the portals, and keep anything meaning harm from entering or leaving other worlds.
While Jumpers (I’mma gonna go with capitalized for now…) would be capable of some other magic if they knew the right focus words, their specialty—with practice, of course—is usually sniffing out portals. If experienced enough with portal magic, they could also choose which one they came out of on the other world’s side, but there’s always only one in Wonderland. However, in Miles’ case, if he’s a drunk, it would have diluted his senses, then add in that all Jumpers are fourteen years out of practice, and, well. Also, being a Jumper wasn't something one had to be born into, but it was common to be, so whether or not he grew up traveling the worlds, or started some time later in life is entirely up to you. Either way, and no matter what world he originated from (they pop up through out all worlds), he would likely be at least fairly familiar with Wonderland.
Before the Curse hit and all portals sealed themselves to protect the other worlds from infection (and, as a consequence, cut any Jumpers in other worlds off from each other), Jumpers had two main rules they had to abide by, rules upheld by both the portal magic and a sort of council of Jumpers with the job of watching out for anyone who may manage to get something past the portal magic:

1. It was impossible to bring anything from one world to another that that world did not already have in some form.

2. Telling any denizens of another world who were oblivious to the existence of other worlds was forbidden. However, this did not stop them from spreading stories about the other worlds or being overheard talking about them to each other, which is how Earth—which was often a favorite of Jumpers for how much it tended to change—got many of its fairy tales and legends, as well as even some terms.

Because Wonderland was the central station for traveling, Jumpers used it as their own sort of base, where they could freely share stories of other worlds with each other, showing off battle wounds, etc. Since it’s technically an “in-between” world, neither of the rules fully applied there. Most people knew about the portals, but your average person couldn’t access them even if they wanted to, and Jumpers had more leeway as to what they could bring to Wonderland from other worlds, allowing them to trade goods with each other that could come in handy in other worlds. However, they were still watched carefully, and had a system for keeping track of who brought what to Wonderland, and making sure the items were only sold to other Jumpers. Any violating that was severely punished by Wonderland’s Jumper council and the White Queen.
The last thing I can think of right now, is that they would always use at least one alias, depending on how “famous” they wanted a name to be among their fellow Jumpers, along with another reason that will ultimately get mentioned well before our guys travel.
Okay, I lied. This is the last thing. There’s one aspect all Jumpers share: an obsession with world-jumping. While anyone with the right powers can get into the field with the portals, and travel the worlds, once a true Jumper gets a taste of portal magic, there’s no going back. Though there are some exceptions, they usually can’t stand staying in one world for too long, and feel a “call” to visit another one. Quite a few of them went more than a bit crazy when they realized they were cut off from doing what they felt they were destined to do. They tried to reopen the portals, but all attempts failed, and the “council” on Earth basically disbanded due to a mix of casualties from toying with portal magic, semi-insanity, and the rest backing out and doing their best to adapt.
Let me know if you have any questions, or suggestions!

Good on you for letting them know! I’m glad they weren’t upset about that. My parents were understanding about my decision in that as well, pretty much for the same reason. xD

Hope the headphones help!

Ah, fun stuff, childhood toys! That’s cool you found stuff to get rid of. Are you going to have a garage sell, or put it on Craigslist or something? Heh, I know how that goes, finding out how much a family can store up. Kind of crazy. I take it your sister’s a pretty driven person? xD

I know! Leaves it open, though, the ending. Maybe they got to see each other again!

Thank you much! ^.^ Ah! A chibified Shadowmire. Bet that would look great! The awesome thing about writing is that every reader will put their own spin on what's described. I now hope that you someday get around to that. I shall add them, then! :-)

MONSTORY

The next two days following the revelation of her brothers’ plan were arguably a couple of the most torturous days of Izzy’s life. But she succeeded in at least preventing her brothers from going after the White Wolf, and that was what mattered. Even so, her mind frequently wandered to the vampire child, hoping he was doing okay, as well as to Riley, who had, clearly, not been capable of stopping the Wolf yet. And the rumors of the beast that had taken over her friend only spread like a disease through the town.
When, at long last, their parents finally got a day off to take over her job, Izzy did not hesitate to hop on her bike and head to the abandoned school. With Riley’s shirt, which she had thrown in with her laundry the other day, tucked into a small backpack, she pedaled quickly, enjoying both the summery weather, and the feeling of not having to trail after her brothers. Though she doubted Riley would be there at this hour, she could at least leave the garment somewhere for him.
When she made it to the school, she habitually hid her bike in its usual, out-of-the-way spot, then hurried through the darkened school, a flashlight in hand. She made her way through the halls on muscle memory, a path she was sure she could walk blindfolded, to the usual classroom the vampire child normally brooded in.
When she entered, she startled back at the unexpected, but not uncommon, sight of Riley on his desk-bed.
“Oh, hey,” she greeted, unsure at first whether he was sleeping or not. She stepped inside, letting her backpack slide to one elbow. “I thought you’d... be...” Her words faded as she got a better look at Riley. She inhaled at his wounded, haggard appearance sprawled out on the desks. “Riley!”
She dropped her bag on the floor and hurried over to him, her uncertainty turning to whether or not he was alive or dead. She had never seen him in such horrible shape. Until that moment, she had thought of him as being practically invincible, the ultimate “balance keeper” who did not fear looking danger in the eye--or stealing the heart of the King of Aberrations.
Izzy stopped and held her breath as Riley managed to sit up with no little effort, making him look that much worse as his new position allowed her a better view of his condition.
At his mention of the “miraculous wonder bandage,” she glanced to her now healed arm, then back to him. “The White Wolf did that to you?” she breathed, incapable of looking away from his condition. “Are you...” she paused, realizing the stupidity of asking if he was okay, and quickly switched questions. “Is there anything I can do? I mean, I don’t know if it’ll do you any good,” she eyed the severity of how banged up he was, “but I, uh, apparently still have some healing capabilities.”

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

I like your GIF better! ^.^

Well, you’re quite brilliant with spur of the moment stuff! If you wouldn’t mind a suggestion, what if Miles ultimately ends up being the reason our guys get past the cops? Maybe… he’s one of those world jumpers who got trapped on Earth when the portals were sealed off (the depression for which turned him into a drunk)? You have a good setup for that with how suspicious he was. Would also make an interesting, mysterious contact when we have our guys do their own world-jumping and head to Earth. If that sounds interesting to you at all, I’ll tell you what you’d need to know for him as a world-jumper (...think that should be hyphenated, or capitalized... or both?)!

I liked the whole situation, including that flaw of his. Well, since Elayra’s immediate answer to practically everything is to (or threaten to) either shoot it, stab it, or punch it, one shouldn't expect anything less! Maybe both our characters will see the chance to grow.

Awesome about the treadmill! Ha! Thanks. I have, actually. But, school. xD Maybe I’ll look more into it. Find out how much about the human body one actually needs to know for that. Heh. We’ll see. :-)

Nice! Chapter 4. Not shameful at all. They go by quick, all things considered. What about using headphones? Would that help at all?

Ooh, spring cleaning! That’s always fun. How’s that going? Make a decent dent? Find anything interesting to get completely distracted with, and forget that you were cleaning out the garage? Those are the best finds.

Awesome! Thanks! I will, on both accounts regarding Etsy. It's impressive you’ve been on there for three years! Yeah, I can see that being an issue, taking on more than you can handle. Do you do custom orders, or put things you already have made on there? Or both. “Both” is always an option.

:-O I swear, I’m not just copying when I say this, but Spirited Away is what Howl is tied with. Wonderful storytelling, and beautiful animation.

Ha! That’s just… just… I bet you look lovely with orange hair. But aww. Now THAT would have been a sight to behold! That was probably one of the best temper-tantrums I’ve ever seen.

Oh. My. Gosh. And all at the mention of getting rid of bacon. xD

So, uh, while I should have probably been doing something productive in my free time the past couple days, I drew the Shadowmire! WOO! One of them sitting and scrunched together, and the other stretched out. I even figured out a way to make their eyes look like they glow using Gimp. Totally cheated and copied the finished outline (yay for light-boards) and just gave it a different color job. Painted the red one, and used colored pencil for the black ones. I have my complaints, but they work… I hope. I’m sure the red ones’ eyes weren’t black, but, well, they blended in with the body if I didn’t do that. ANYWAY, they’re the “two of clubs” our guys encountered. Click the hider below for downsized versions of the scans (they were huge, otherwise)! If you approve, I’ll add the pictures to their “Wonderland Terms” section.

Shadowmire

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

Elayra glowered at Ghent at his explanation. “You couldn’t think of anything better? After all,” she smirked as she continued, “you’re more the ‘damsel in distress’ in this equation.”
She gave a snorting, mocking laugh at him shooting bolts of lightning. “You were trying to make a shield. Not lightning bolts. That’s what we would call a successful failure. Or perhaps a failed success.” A smug smile spread over her lips when she noticed him rubbing his arm where she had hit him. She gave a sigh as the expression turned to a frown. The guy can’t even take a punch.
When he finished answering her questions, she placed a hand on her hip. “Portal magic’s practically impossible to control. Supposedly, only their original creators could force them to move. And I have no idea where the others are here, or how to locate them.”
She glanced down the street, her foot tapping impatiently against the pavement. They needed to get back to Wonderland, even if that meant going through these ‘cops.’
“Excuse me?” she growled when he blamed her and Drust for the Shadowmire’s appearance and the situation at hand. “We didn’t bring them!” She took a threatening step toward him. “And you’re the one who suggested the storeroom! If we hadn't been here, I’d bet my bow they’d have picked up your scent and attacked. No matter how long you’ve been here, you’re still a Wonderlander. And where do you think you’d be if we haden’t been there, and dealt with them somewhere deserted, huh, Featherhead?” She jabbed a finger angrily at his chest, and answered her own question without giving Ghent the chance to speak. “Dead,” she drew her thumb across her throat, “that’s where! You and everyone unlucky enough to get in their way! That’s how they work. How the Red Sorceress works.” She spat the title, hatred flashing in her gray eyes. Her fingers balled into a fist as she returned her hand to her side and continued. “They’ll stop at nothing to get what they want.”
Elayra took a heated breath and turned her back to Ghent, putting a couple feet between them and glaring murderously at the ground. “She doesn’t care how many people she has to hurt or kill to keep her reign,” she added quietly, bitterly, her voice nearly drowned out by the patter of the rain.
She turned back toward him at the sound of the zipper, and eyed him warily when he held his open backpack out to her. She raised her eyebrows and gave a humorless chuckle at his attempt at hiding her dagger, having no desire to be weaponless.
“I have a bow, arrows, and a sword. Do you seriously think hiding a dagger would do any good? Besides. If your ‘cops’ spot us and want to give us trouble,” she drew her saber and shifted her body so she could swinging the long blade in an impressive show without hurting Ghent, as tempting as the thought may have been. She winced slightly when the quick movements made her pack shift painfully over the bruise on her back, and her side ache slightly, but she did not falter; she stopped in a stance with the sword ready for attack, and her bow held out to her side, waiting for use as a blunt weapon, “then bring it.”

Of Science and Magic

Zane hesitated at the edge of the ice for a moment more, despite Byrce’s encouragement. The younger wolf tentatively placed one paw on the ice, then another, before following after the two as Byrce draped his tail around Thea.
The youthful princess smiled down at Byrce, noticing a slight chill seeping through her dress where his tail touched it. She looked at him curiously when they reached the end of the ice-walk.
“Going all the way,” she nodded toward the opposite side of the river as Byrce scratched at the edge of the ice, “or should we go back and cross at the bridge?” She nodded upstream, beyond the gentler flowing waters of the lake-like area they now crossed where the river flowed into it before carrying onward to the east. About a quarter mile upriver, a bridge in need of repair crossed over the flowing waters at a narrow path weaving its way through the forest.
She laughed lightly when her friend answered her by jumping into the water just as Zane arrived at her side. “Crossing here, it is, then!” She watched, awe glittering in her dark eyes, as he tapped his nose to the edge of the elemental walkway, and another layer of mist formed, poling around the edge and leaving yet more ice in its wake as Byrce swam backward.
She followed the path slowly, admiring the ability her friend had developed, as well as watching to be sure the ice did not begin to give way beneath her. Though she trusted Byrce with her life, she had seen how easy it was to overestimate a budding ability, courtesy of more than one Mage’s apprentice residing in the castle.
“And now, I can honestly say that I’ve walked an ice bridge at the end of summer!” she said, glancing to Zane. The wolf’s ears were pulled back against his head, his attention shifting uncertainty between Thea and the ice.
When Byrce reached the other side well ahead of Thea and Zane, three distinctly human heartbeats reached his ears. Should he bother to pay them much attention, two grew slowly fainter downriver until the splashes of the water drowned them out, while the third remained fairly nearby. The third beat slightly slower than the other two, its pulse changing ever so slightly with the sound of the water as if matching the rhythm of nature itself.
Noticing her friend struggle to the other side, Thea’s eyes widened. “Byrce?” She called, fear for his well-being saturating her voice. Thankfully, he managed to get on shore, but only to collapse. “Byrce!”
Zane gave a yip as the other wolf managed to get back to his feet and shake himself off. He whined and glanced between Thea and Byrce, as if torn between the two as Thea quickened her pace.
With a flash of white easily missed in the span of a blink, thick cracks marred the ice directly beneath her next hasty footstep. The moment her full weight bore down on it, the cracks webbed through the ice around her with unnatural swiftness and a series of unnerving crackles.
In the split second it took to take action, the world seemed to move in slow motion; Thea’s eyes widened, and Zane tried to skid to a sitting halt with a fearful cry, but slid forward a few feet before his claws stopped him at the cost of yet more of the ice bridge’s wavering stability. Without a second thought, she bent down, dug her heels into the ice, and shoved Zane forward toward the unaffected ice.
The wolf slid forward as Thea took a step to hurry after him, but, with a shattering crack, the ice gave way beneath her. She shouted as she fell into the frigid water below. Though only about four feet deep, she fell back, managing just in time to take a breath before she was momentarily submerged beneath the murky darkness of the water.
Though the top layer held the wintry temperature of the ice and cooling seasons, the water had not yet fully relinquished the warmth of summer further down. The two warring temperatures in the water was a disorientating feeling.
The moment she found her footing on the soft lakebed, she quickly pushed herself upright. She inhaled and flipped back her hair as she broke the surface about two yards from the remaining ice bridge, carried slightly away by the current. The water rose to her mid-chest, giving her a reminder of her shortness.
“I’m alright!” she called to her friends, Zane barking madly for her from a sturdy spot on a firm patch of ice. Realizing he was fine, she chuckled as the wolf gave a final, relieved bark, then dove into the water and started paddling toward her. “Nothing like a last swim before fall fully—!”
Thea’s words cut off when an intense undercurrent rushed by her, snatching her legs in its shockingly strong grasp and pulling her under once more before she could be reached. She gasped as she went below the waves, a bit of water filling and burning in her lungs as the undercurrent dragged her swiftly downstream.
Her heart beating wildly and lungs begging to expel the liquid they had taken in, Thea reached out in a panic for anything she could pull herself to a stop with. The world had turned into a murky brown her vision could not penetrate through. What air remained in her chest burst out in shocked bubbles when her stomach slammed into a large rock hidden underwater. She tried to grasp onto it, to use it as leverage to get her closer to where she thought land was, but another rush of water easily pried her from the algae-covered stone.
As she closed her eyes, terror making the pain in her chest that much worse, something snagged her wrist, jerking her to a halt. With her free hand, she reached over and grasped what felt like a long, thick rope as it pulled her toward what she hoped was the bank.
She paid the rocks at the shoreline little mind as they scraped at her arms in the shallows before she managed to drag herself the rest of the way. She coughed up liquid and gasped for breath the moment her head met the air. She knelt on hands and knees in the shallow water, a small noose pulled tight around her wrist. She draped a hand over her stomach where she had collided with the stone, and followed the rope with her gaze to her rescuer.
A man dressed for the woods in a pair of heavy-looking pants and a long-sleeved shirt made of animal hide, complete with a hooded cowl, stared down at her. Though she could only fully make out the bottom half of his face, she thought he looked fairly young, maybe a couple years older than her, a triumphant grin spreading on his full lips.
“Thank—” she rasped, but ended in a coughing fit aimed at the pool of water beneath her.
The man let out a cruel chuckle that sent a chill down Thea’s spine. “Don’t thank me yet, Your Highness,” he finished with scornful mockery.
Trying to keep her breaths even and constant, Thea’s attention snapped back to him, her jaw setting.
“Oy! ’Urry up!” a deeper voice called gruffly as a second, taller man dressed similarly to the first pushed through the forest to join them. A bushy black beard stuck out from beneath his hood. “That blasted werewolf and ’er little pet’ll be close behind!”
Thea blinked at them in surprise. They knew about Byrce? And Zane?
She glanced to the rope, held loosely in the younger man’s hand. As fast as she could, she gripped the rope further up, jumped to her feet, and ran, trying to pull the rope from him.
“Byr—!” she tried, but the young man tightened his grip in time, and yanked on the rope, jerking her back. “Byrce!” she tried again, her scratchy voice echoing through the trees as she tried to squeeze her hand from the loop around her wrist. “Zane!”

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

Since I managed to forget to say it, WOO! You made the 100th post!

Also, just wanted to say, I love the Miles and police issue! And the way you describe Miles: “No matter what day, he always resembled an old, disheveled miner, minus the pickax.” Yes. Just, yes. If you don’t mind my asking, do you have a particular plan in mind for him at all?

I’ve thought the concept and remakes of Wonderland were interesting, but never really had the desire to read the book(s). Alice’s dialogue still drives me insane. xD But I’ve gotten ideas, her dialogue aside. It surprised me, too, about the Tweedles! I looked them up to find out what chapter they came in so I could try to read it online, and I kept getting referred to that one. I like the nursery rhyme for them.

Ooh, audio books! I suppose it’s not surprising that there’s a lot of them. It isn’t exactly copywritten anymore, I believe. Hence being capable of finding the book for free, and no one getting sued for doing their own remakes and getting it published (like The Looking Glass Wars, to which the back story for this has similarities, without delving into the details). You might finish before me! I’m on… chapter eight. I love audio books. I used to listen to them when I’d get on the treadmill. Made time pass quicker. I’m one of those people who enjoys all the story mediums (audio, kindle, and physical), since they each have their own advantages. Basing Ghent’s knowledge on yours means you know exactly what he knows. That’s a good thing! And now, you’re expanding your knowledge! Woo!

I hope you find something that works for the shield! Hey, I think it’s brilliant that you sell things you aren’t going to use or otherwise enjoy, and using that money to get something that you will.

Oh! You actually have a bow? Sweet! If you find it, I’d love to see a picture or get a link to a site about it! I hope you find it. I would definitely recommend archery as a hobby… other than with crossbows. Those are cheaters’ weapons. It will work your back muscles, and upper arms, for sure! If you ever want any tips or suggestions, feel free to ask. Or don’t, because I’ll take no offence!

Oh yeah! I forgot that you were going to make chibis of them. I’m still really happy for you that you HAVE orders to be behind on. Better than having none! I started making some things to put on Etsy once, but then I just got lazy. Heh. Still have the stuff for it, just not the motivation.

Thank you about the avatar! Howl’s Moving Castle is tied as my favorite Ghibli film. And I know, right?! It’s almost scary that animated characters can be considered “good looking,” but he definitely fits the bill. Hmm. Put like that, I wish I had a moving castle. Plus, you wouldn’t have to worry about gas since it’s powered by a ‘scary and powerful fire demon.” It was either the gif I have now, the picture below, but I’ve been in a gif mood as of late.

Because Calcifer