Lost I
Posted: Fri Jul 10, 2020 8:30 pm
50th of Searing, 120
It was snowing in lower Nivenhain. All day, he'd been watching the snowfall through cracks in the walls of their rickety shack. Of course, every few hours he needed to pause and rest by the fire, but the snow wasn't melting. It was finally that time of year again, and whenever they returned home, they would get to play together.
[indent=30]Despite all his excitement, however, he didn't even consider stepping outside without their permission. It was dangerous, outside, which he knew. Despite being a child, he was very smart and streetwise, but that didn't mean he was above the rules. No answering the door, no leaving the house, no playing near the hearth if it was alight. If the hearth went out, he was to get under the covers and keep warm until they arrived home. Those were all the rules, and though it was oftentimes boring to follow them, they were his parents, and he had to listen.
[indent=30]Soon enough, the front door clicked and clacked with the sound of the turning key, and young Arkash looked to its source with great anticipation. "Arkash!" called Liu's voice from the crack in the door, but it was distant, shrill, almost like a whisper. None the wiser, he ran a short space across the room and stopped before the door, where his mother's frozen carcass slammed hard against the wooden panel. He froze at the sight, petrified with fear while she stayed there, suspended. "Arkash," she spoke with his father's voice. Then, she pulled back unnaturally to slam against the door again, and Arkash screamed in horror. "Arkash!"
With ragged breaths, the dream fizzled from his view, and he woke to the sight of his father's bedframe. Another hard slam came from the door, and Arkash startled at the sound. Confused, he looked to Cojack, who was peering through a crack in the wall.
[indent=30]"Arkash-! Oh, you're awake." He spoke in a sort-of whisper. His voice didn't sound nearly as raspy or broken, as his medicine had time to work. With a distinct cringe, Arkash lifted his body from his fur throws and stretched a little. He looked about the room as if he were searching for something, then settled his gaze on the older Rath.
[indent=30]"What is it?" He spoke in a harsh whisper.
[indent=30]"Three boys, pounding on the door." Arkash paused. Three boys? No. It couldn't have been. They didn't know where he lived. It wasn't sunset, it was the middle of the day! It couldn't be the Thompson Brothers, this was out of their pattern.
[indent=30]"Hey, Newt! You home buddy?!" Called the voice of a young male. Brodie. Arkash felt his throat tighten and his hands became tense. They shook as adrenaline began to pour into his bloodstream.
[indent=30]"...Friends of yours?" Asked Cojack with a furrow to his brow. The older Rath didn't appreciate such cruel nicknames.
[indent=30]"Uh- Yeah, yeah dad, they're my friends," he spoke in Ithmi, as they usually did when speaking between one another. Cojack watched Arkash with uncertainty while the lizard dusted himself off, and adjusted his bandages and loincloth.
[indent=30]"Don't keep me waiting, Freak."
[indent=30]"Arkash..?" Asked his father as concern grew in his eyes.
[indent=30]"Not now," he replied in Ithmi. "Comin', Brodie," he spoke aloud in common. His heart was beating hard in his chest, his breathing threatened to turn ragged at any given moment. Cojack did little more than watch as the younger Rath walked to the door "I've got it under control," he spoke in Ithmi once more and offered his father an assuring smile before he opened the door and slipped out.
[indent=30]To some extent, Arkash wasn't lying. He'd prepared a secondary plan for if the Thompson Brothers ever caught him on the streets again, but he hadn't anticipated that they would find him at his home, let alone in the middle of the day.
[indent=30]Thanks to the towering shadows that the boys cast over him, Arkash didn't have to squint as hard as his yellow eyes adjusted to the harsh daylight. "Brodie," he spoke calmly with his notable lowborn accent, which appeared to throw the middle of the two off. Quickly, Arkash dipped between one of the gaps that the humans made in their attempt to corner him.
[indent=30]"Where's my money, Freak?" The larger male growled and turned in tandem with his brothers, Alec and Chad. Chad was the heaviest of the three, not with fat but with muscle. Alec was the youngest and wore glasses, which gave Arkash the impression that he was the more intelligent brother. Brodie was the oldest, and most aggressive. It was his lead that set the other two on his tail over and over again.
[indent=30]"It's at my 'ouse," he told the truth, but in a way that was sly, misleading.
[indent=30]"Isn't this your house?" Asked Alec, apparently confused. The looks on the faces of the other two were similar to how Alec sounded. Perhaps it was the youngest of the three that had somehow discovered where Arkash lived?
[indent=30]"Uhh, no. This is-" Not someone close to you. Not someone close to you. "-A customer's house."
[indent=30]"A customer?" The three asked in tandem.
[indent=30]"Yeah, th' bakery's doin' delivery runs now. Barry's got me testin' it." Was that a believable lie? It couldn't be too much of a stretch, but he didn't know what the brothers knew. How had they found him?
[indent=30]Alec and Brodie exchanged a glance, then focused on the Rathari. Brodie began to walk toward him, and the other two followed. One step after the other, the Lizard led them away from Cojack. "Barry told us you were on the nightshift," declared Alec. Arkash's heart skipped a beat. He what?
[indent=30]""That's what I heard," added the leader of the three.
[indent=30]"Didn't 'e also say Arkash lived 'ere with 'is dad?" Quizzed Chad.
[indent=30]Arkash began to drool as his venom glands woke up. Barry sold him out. How else would they have gotten all that information? He didn't want to believe it but, with such glaring evidence, it was hard not to. Why?
[indent=30]""So, what were you saying about deliveries, Freak? You think you can lie to me?" Arkash froze. No words came no matter how hard he tried to form them. "You think I'm an idiot?!" he snapped with a snarl. All of a sudden, a sense of overwhelming danger set in. Rational thinking departed him, and instinct took over. He had to run.
[indent=30]Arkash turned on a dime and bolted down the street. He leaned forward for maximum momentum and balanced his heavy tail as a counterweight. He would escape this time. "GO!" Roared Brodie as they began the chase. Some more orders were barked behind him, but Arkash didn't care. He had to get away, and that was all he thought of.
[indent=30]That was when a sliver of rational thought returned; the Alley. Plan B. He had to get to the Alley. There, he would be able to climb out of Brodie's reach and successfully escape. He just had to outlast the boys.
[indent=30]Granted, the streets were crowded now, and Arkash had to weave through groups of nameless peasants and dodge horses and carts alike. He wasn't slowing down though, adrenaline had all but flooded his veins. A glance over his shoulder saw Brodie gaining on him, perhaps ten feet away. Arkash wasn't fast enough, he had to be smart... And lucky.
[indent=30]A stretch of dirt road lay ahead; a place where the cobbled street had eroded and broke away to poor maintenance. That was his chance. Bearing his teeth, Arkash bolted forward and gripped the ground with his talon-like claws. As he propelled himself ahead, he also threw handfuls of dirt upward behind him. A glance over his shoulder saw the arc of dirt land squarely in Brodie's face, who slowed to a halt, only to be knocked over by his younger brother, Chad, who was in pursuit.
[indent=30]For a moment, Arkash couldn't believe it. He'd dropped two of the three brothers in one fell swoop. It didn't last long, as Brodie was on his feet again, eyes burning with rage. His chase resumed shortly after. Arkash had no time to slow or relish his short victory; he had to keep moving. "I'LL KILL YOU FOR THAT, CUNT!" Roared the human from somewhere behind him.
[indent=30]His lungs were starting to ache; the alley was close. The turn was ahead, the sharp one that saw his momentum turn against him. So, Arkash turned early. The result was a confusing display that might have looked as though Arkash was propelling himself into the wall. Not so. His momentum saw him turn and skid very briefly around the corner. Brodie had to slow to a halt to stop himself from colliding with the far wall, but he'd turned in time to see Arkash disappear down an alleyway.
To be continued: here.
It was snowing in lower Nivenhain. All day, he'd been watching the snowfall through cracks in the walls of their rickety shack. Of course, every few hours he needed to pause and rest by the fire, but the snow wasn't melting. It was finally that time of year again, and whenever they returned home, they would get to play together.
[indent=30]Despite all his excitement, however, he didn't even consider stepping outside without their permission. It was dangerous, outside, which he knew. Despite being a child, he was very smart and streetwise, but that didn't mean he was above the rules. No answering the door, no leaving the house, no playing near the hearth if it was alight. If the hearth went out, he was to get under the covers and keep warm until they arrived home. Those were all the rules, and though it was oftentimes boring to follow them, they were his parents, and he had to listen.
[indent=30]Soon enough, the front door clicked and clacked with the sound of the turning key, and young Arkash looked to its source with great anticipation. "Arkash!" called Liu's voice from the crack in the door, but it was distant, shrill, almost like a whisper. None the wiser, he ran a short space across the room and stopped before the door, where his mother's frozen carcass slammed hard against the wooden panel. He froze at the sight, petrified with fear while she stayed there, suspended. "Arkash," she spoke with his father's voice. Then, she pulled back unnaturally to slam against the door again, and Arkash screamed in horror. "Arkash!"
With ragged breaths, the dream fizzled from his view, and he woke to the sight of his father's bedframe. Another hard slam came from the door, and Arkash startled at the sound. Confused, he looked to Cojack, who was peering through a crack in the wall.
[indent=30]"Arkash-! Oh, you're awake." He spoke in a sort-of whisper. His voice didn't sound nearly as raspy or broken, as his medicine had time to work. With a distinct cringe, Arkash lifted his body from his fur throws and stretched a little. He looked about the room as if he were searching for something, then settled his gaze on the older Rath.
[indent=30]"What is it?" He spoke in a harsh whisper.
[indent=30]"Three boys, pounding on the door." Arkash paused. Three boys? No. It couldn't have been. They didn't know where he lived. It wasn't sunset, it was the middle of the day! It couldn't be the Thompson Brothers, this was out of their pattern.
[indent=30]"Hey, Newt! You home buddy?!" Called the voice of a young male. Brodie. Arkash felt his throat tighten and his hands became tense. They shook as adrenaline began to pour into his bloodstream.
[indent=30]"...Friends of yours?" Asked Cojack with a furrow to his brow. The older Rath didn't appreciate such cruel nicknames.
[indent=30]"Uh- Yeah, yeah dad, they're my friends," he spoke in Ithmi, as they usually did when speaking between one another. Cojack watched Arkash with uncertainty while the lizard dusted himself off, and adjusted his bandages and loincloth.
[indent=30]"Don't keep me waiting, Freak."
[indent=30]"Arkash..?" Asked his father as concern grew in his eyes.
[indent=30]"Not now," he replied in Ithmi. "Comin', Brodie," he spoke aloud in common. His heart was beating hard in his chest, his breathing threatened to turn ragged at any given moment. Cojack did little more than watch as the younger Rath walked to the door "I've got it under control," he spoke in Ithmi once more and offered his father an assuring smile before he opened the door and slipped out.
[indent=30]To some extent, Arkash wasn't lying. He'd prepared a secondary plan for if the Thompson Brothers ever caught him on the streets again, but he hadn't anticipated that they would find him at his home, let alone in the middle of the day.
[indent=30]Thanks to the towering shadows that the boys cast over him, Arkash didn't have to squint as hard as his yellow eyes adjusted to the harsh daylight. "Brodie," he spoke calmly with his notable lowborn accent, which appeared to throw the middle of the two off. Quickly, Arkash dipped between one of the gaps that the humans made in their attempt to corner him.
[indent=30]"Where's my money, Freak?" The larger male growled and turned in tandem with his brothers, Alec and Chad. Chad was the heaviest of the three, not with fat but with muscle. Alec was the youngest and wore glasses, which gave Arkash the impression that he was the more intelligent brother. Brodie was the oldest, and most aggressive. It was his lead that set the other two on his tail over and over again.
[indent=30]"It's at my 'ouse," he told the truth, but in a way that was sly, misleading.
[indent=30]"Isn't this your house?" Asked Alec, apparently confused. The looks on the faces of the other two were similar to how Alec sounded. Perhaps it was the youngest of the three that had somehow discovered where Arkash lived?
[indent=30]"Uhh, no. This is-" Not someone close to you. Not someone close to you. "-A customer's house."
[indent=30]"A customer?" The three asked in tandem.
[indent=30]"Yeah, th' bakery's doin' delivery runs now. Barry's got me testin' it." Was that a believable lie? It couldn't be too much of a stretch, but he didn't know what the brothers knew. How had they found him?
[indent=30]Alec and Brodie exchanged a glance, then focused on the Rathari. Brodie began to walk toward him, and the other two followed. One step after the other, the Lizard led them away from Cojack. "Barry told us you were on the nightshift," declared Alec. Arkash's heart skipped a beat. He what?
[indent=30]""That's what I heard," added the leader of the three.
[indent=30]"Didn't 'e also say Arkash lived 'ere with 'is dad?" Quizzed Chad.
[indent=30]Arkash began to drool as his venom glands woke up. Barry sold him out. How else would they have gotten all that information? He didn't want to believe it but, with such glaring evidence, it was hard not to. Why?
[indent=30]""So, what were you saying about deliveries, Freak? You think you can lie to me?" Arkash froze. No words came no matter how hard he tried to form them. "You think I'm an idiot?!" he snapped with a snarl. All of a sudden, a sense of overwhelming danger set in. Rational thinking departed him, and instinct took over. He had to run.
[indent=30]Arkash turned on a dime and bolted down the street. He leaned forward for maximum momentum and balanced his heavy tail as a counterweight. He would escape this time. "GO!" Roared Brodie as they began the chase. Some more orders were barked behind him, but Arkash didn't care. He had to get away, and that was all he thought of.
[indent=30]That was when a sliver of rational thought returned; the Alley. Plan B. He had to get to the Alley. There, he would be able to climb out of Brodie's reach and successfully escape. He just had to outlast the boys.
[indent=30]Granted, the streets were crowded now, and Arkash had to weave through groups of nameless peasants and dodge horses and carts alike. He wasn't slowing down though, adrenaline had all but flooded his veins. A glance over his shoulder saw Brodie gaining on him, perhaps ten feet away. Arkash wasn't fast enough, he had to be smart... And lucky.
[indent=30]A stretch of dirt road lay ahead; a place where the cobbled street had eroded and broke away to poor maintenance. That was his chance. Bearing his teeth, Arkash bolted forward and gripped the ground with his talon-like claws. As he propelled himself ahead, he also threw handfuls of dirt upward behind him. A glance over his shoulder saw the arc of dirt land squarely in Brodie's face, who slowed to a halt, only to be knocked over by his younger brother, Chad, who was in pursuit.
[indent=30]For a moment, Arkash couldn't believe it. He'd dropped two of the three brothers in one fell swoop. It didn't last long, as Brodie was on his feet again, eyes burning with rage. His chase resumed shortly after. Arkash had no time to slow or relish his short victory; he had to keep moving. "I'LL KILL YOU FOR THAT, CUNT!" Roared the human from somewhere behind him.
[indent=30]His lungs were starting to ache; the alley was close. The turn was ahead, the sharp one that saw his momentum turn against him. So, Arkash turned early. The result was a confusing display that might have looked as though Arkash was propelling himself into the wall. Not so. His momentum saw him turn and skid very briefly around the corner. Brodie had to slow to a halt to stop himself from colliding with the far wall, but he'd turned in time to see Arkash disappear down an alleyway.
To be continued: here.
