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Post by Satal on Nov 16, 2009 15:43:01 GMT -5
UPDATE IS LOVE!
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Post by Neon on Nov 16, 2009 21:52:11 GMT -5
(Thanks, guys! Here's another chapter for you!)
Chapter Eighteen I did not return his smile. I was still recovering from being in the jacket. That had been even more frightening that getting caught in the first place. I’d fought as much as I could, and then he’d pressed in on me with his arms! I thought my wing joints would snap at the pressure. At first I’d beaten my fists against his chest, but soon realized that I was no match for his bulk. And then he’d spoken. The noise! It shook through me. And then the heat became so much ... I had thought I was going to slowly boil while he sat there lying through his teeth to his friend.
“I have every reason to worry,” I answered finally. He’d already hurt me a couple of times, intentions or not. “You could easily be lying. You’re pretty good at that, if you can even lie to your friends like that.” If there was one thing I couldn’t stand, it was someone lying to people who trusted them.
The human frowned. “You’re a pretty self-righteous little thing, aren’t you?” he asked, sounding a little bit annoyed. “I was protecting you from him, glad for the gratitude.”
I opened my mouth to yell something right away, but was honestly speechless at that (so arrogant!). “You protect me? What’s protecting me from you, eh?” I answered hotly.
He rolled his huge eyes at that. “Look. You think I’m unpredictable, well, those guys are my friends and even I have no idea what they’d do if they saw you. So lighten up, will you? I’m sorry, okay? It seemed like the best place at the time, and I already said I won’t do it again.” There was some irritation underlying his tone, and I drew back ever so slightly.
I quickly regained what boldness I had. “I wouldn’t have to worry about your friends if you would just let me go.” I started to push on his grip again with my hands, knowing it was no use.
He shifted slightly where he sat, and, glancing up at his face, I saw another thoughtful, appraising look on his face. Then, he brought his other hand up towards his face. To my surprise, he took the ends of the first two fingers of the glove in his teeth and, using that leverage, pulled his hand out of the glove. He let the glove drop then, and it fell to the ground with a light thud. Then, he extended his gloveless free hand back towards me, much faster than he’d done the previous times. I flinched back as much as I could, but he managed to get a hold of my lower left arm between his thumb and first finger.
“Let go!” I cried more out of surprise than anything. I stared with wide, fearful eyes at the fingers that were about as long as I was tall, maybe even longer. I reached my right hand over to push at his fingers, trying in vain to pull my left arm free.
“For someone so little,” he said, and I paused to look up at him again, “you really are spunky. Look at this,” he moved my arm slightly, and I thought for a second he was going to pull it backwards. “Here you are getting all snippy and trying to lecture me, and I could snap your arm like a little twig without a thought.” My heart began to beat harder with fear. I stared wide-eyed up at him, wondering whether he’d actually do it. It would be just like what the elder had said, they were cruel beasts.
He let go of my arm suddenly, and I pulled it back towards me safely. But I had to flinch again when he reached his free hand around me and, to my horror, took the edge of my left wing between his thumb and first two fingers. He pulled it slowly so it unfurled and stretched to its full length, despite my careful struggles against this. He held the edge-most bone ridge, with the other four spread fully, the green, leathery membrane pulled taut. I felt a bit of a strain where the wing connected to my back, just at the shoulder blade. Now I couldn’t even reach to push against his hand, seeing as my wing was about four and a half inches long. Despite this, I leaned over as much as I could, reaching.
“Or what about this?” The human spoke again. I didn’t look at him this time. “These wings are so delicate. I bet they’d break easily, too. How do you even survive?” My heart felt like it might just burst, as fast as it was beating now. The human finished with, “I could probably tear this off without any trouble at all.” By this point, his voice was revealing that he was just trying to prove a point. But I wasn’t in any state to notice that logically.
I actually screamed. “No! Please, please, don’t! Don’t!” Some stray tears managed to make it out of my eyes as I struggled more desperately to reach his hand and try to push it away. At the time, I didn’t care about acting tough, this was too critical. “Not my wings,” I yelled, though my voice was fading. “Not ... not my wings.” I practically collapsed, leaning over in his hand weakly, putting a hand over my eyes in despair, waiting for the worst.
The human whispered something, “Shit!” before promptly releasing my wing and drawing his hand back. I was also surprised when he turned the hand he held me in and opened it so I was suddenly sitting on his palm, though his fingers were still curled slightly and ready to close again should I run. I was in no shape to do so, though, at least yet.
I sat up in his palm, my knees bent and my feet resting flat on the edge of his hand. I leaned forward slightly, hugging myself with my arms, and my wings were now folded as tight as I could muster to my back. I kept my head down and my eyes shut, and I shivered violently despite the heat. My heart still beat savagely and my breathing was quick and shallow. I can’t lie, that was really one of the scariest things ever to happen to me.
The human moved his hand, and I felt the wind brush past my hair. “Hey,” he whispered, and I looked up, startled. He’d held me up about six inches from his face before speaking, so now that filled my vision. I didn’t say anything in response, I couldn’t. He spoke again. “I’m sorry, really. I ... just wanted to make a point, I didn’t want to scare you or anything.” At least he sounded sincere.
I glared again, but I was a bit more hesitant to answer. “You. You’re just a monster,” I said, almost resigning myself to his anger, which I was sure would ignite again at the drop of a needle.
“I kinda feel like one right now,” he answered, and I raised my eyebrows, having expected an opposite reaction. “I think I went too far.” I scoffed, but resisted the urge to say something sarcastic, being more careful with what I said. “I did say I wasn’t going to hurt you, but now I think about it what I just did seems just as bad.”
I rolled my bright green eyes. “You think? And besides, when did you ever give me a reason to trust you?”
He sighed slightly, but stopped abruptly when he saw that that created a small gale that whipped past me. I turned my head away in surprise. “Sorry,” he said quickly even as he lowered his hand slightly, not so close to his face. “I guess I know why you’re so distrusting. You’re so little,” he paused and shrugged lightly when I glared up at him for that. “Well, you are. I can only imagine how scary the world looks to you.”
“It was just fine until you showed up,” I answered testily. He chuckled lightly, though I didn’t see the humor in it.
“Anyway, all I was trying to say earlier is that you are really, well, fragile. I was trying to show you exactly why I was protecting you from my friend.” He answered.
“Yes, trauma sounds like a good way to do that,” I snapped. “Just threaten me so I’ll obey, sounds like a great idea.”
“Jeez, I didn’t actually tear your wing off, you know.” He answered dully, rolling his eyes.
“Maybe not now, but what’s to stop you, really?” I shifted where I sat on his palm, shakily getting to my feet. It was quite odd, like standing on a bed of moss that swayed like a tree branch in the wind. “Next time you’re feeling cruel, which is a lot, I imagine, what’s to stop you from ripping my wings apart for the fun of it?” I was yelling again somewhat, but now I didn’t care. He seemed quite taken aback by my vehemence.
With a small spark of memory, I remembered something: he wasn’t holding me down! I started to turn to run right off of his hand. But, blast it all, he seemed to be ready enough for that. He reached out with his gloveless hand and snatched me from the air just before I unfurled my wings. Abruptly, before I could even yell in frustration, he shifted me back to the hand protected by the glove. Rats. My arms were trapped again, but at least my wings were at an odd angle so they weren’t in his hand, as much of a strain as that was.
“That was pretty close,” the human admitted. “But I think you should stay, really.”
“I completely and wholeheartedly disagree,” I answered easily, squirming in his grip. Why did he still seem to think I was just an unruly animal? “Before you came along, everything was great, I was safe to fly freely in the forest. Now I’m practically in death’s hand, the way things are going.”
The human shook his head. “Listen, little guy, I won’t hurt you. I’ll take good care of you,” he assured me. I returned an expression of surprise.
“That’s on the assumption that I’ll stay,” I answered. “Believe me, I’ll be out of here as soon as you drop your guard.”
He chuckled at that for a moment. I narrowed my eyes at that, wondering why he thought that was funny. He finally replied, “Well, you’ve tried it three times, and I’ve caught you three times, did you notice that?”
“Beginner’s luck!” I spat back. “And you cheated when I was caught in the vines, anyway.”
He laughed again, but this time I couldn’t cover my ears, on account of my arms being trapped. I just winced away from the noise, also noticing how much the action of laughing moved his arm. Then, when he was done laughing, he brought his other hand near to pat the top of my head with his index finger. “You’re a funny little thing. You’re pretty cool.”
I rolled my eyes. What a dumb thing to say, especially after I’d nearly overheated minutes before. “Idiot, it’s summer.” (Cool, indeed!) “And will you stop calling me a ‘thing,’ I’m not some stupid animal.” That was getting on my nerves, among other things.
He blinked in surprise. “Sure, can do. By the way, what are you, exactly?” ~~~~~ (c) Neon Just a brief rewind for a view of Bowman's perspective on the jacket ordeal. >.< Poor guy. Just know. Jacob always has good intentions. He's just not always the best at going about them. He never meant to scare Bowman that bad, so don't hate him. >.<; Ah, culture shock, I do love thee. Er. Am I leaving anything out? -_- Enjoy! I've been on a creative roll with this story! Here's to hoping it continues!
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Post by natalie on Nov 16, 2009 21:59:27 GMT -5
Really great update!!
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Post by Satal on Nov 17, 2009 14:50:24 GMT -5
Aw Jacob! You big push-over! You mean well. Bowman needs to relax. Like a druggie on weed. xD *bad ref*
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Post by Amayasama on Nov 17, 2009 16:29:05 GMT -5
xD; Jacob...I do wonder how he'll keep Bowman near him if he plans on keeping the little guy company. O.O Oh my god...actually I can see him putting a little bell on poor Bowman xD *imagines kitty Bowman*
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Post by Neon on Nov 19, 2009 16:28:47 GMT -5
Aw Jacob! You big push-over! You mean well. Bowman needs to relax. Like a druggie on weed. xD *bad ref* But ... the wings are serious business! They don't grow back ... ;^; Buuuuut yeah, Bowman's pretty excitable. XD xD; Jacob...I do wonder how he'll keep Bowman near him if he plans on keeping the little guy company. O.O Oh my god...actually I can see him putting a little bell on poor Bowman xD *imagines kitty Bowman* Oh, too cute! I almost want to draw it. XD
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Post by MoonStarNinja4 on Dec 31, 2009 9:34:57 GMT -5
I'm loving this story so far! I hope you have time to update if you can.
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Post by Neon on Jan 3, 2010 19:32:34 GMT -5
A new reader! Oh yay! Don't worry, I continue to work on this story. ^^
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Post by Neon on Jan 30, 2010 22:03:26 GMT -5
Humm, new chapter, guys. This story is coming along nicely, but a bit slower than I'd like .... ah, well, here, I give you Chapter 19.
Chapter Nineteen
Jacob had been sidetracked from that question during their conversation. But again his curiosity was sparked. He was disappointed when the little person answered with, “Why should I tell you?”
Jacob rolled his eyes. “Okay, fine, whatever. Will you at least tell me your name?”
The little creature seemed to think about it. Clearly he was hesitant to answer. Jacob waited patiently. Then, with a sigh that Jacob could barely feel though he held the little guy firmly, he answered, “It’s Bowman.”
Jacob nodded and smiled faintly. “Neat name, Bowman. I’m Jacob.”
Bowman just dully looked on at Jacob for a few seconds. “Why won’t you let me go?”
Jacob shook his head. “You shouldn’t be so worried. I’ll make sure you’re safe.” He stood up slowly, and felt Bowman tense up slightly as he did so.
“You must be joking,” the little guy said exasperatedly. “I’m safest the more distance there is between us!”
Jacob smiled faintly, only to be glared at again. “I want to prove to you that that’s not true. You are safe here, I promise.” He assured him, though, as expected, Bowman didn’t seem the least bit convinced.
“That’s not your decision! Besides, I can be patient. Soon as you fall asleep, I’ll escape!” His wings quivered a bit at that, as if excited at the prospect of flying him out of there. But Jacob knew he held the little guy tightly enough to prevent escape.
Jacob glanced around the clearing, and his eyes found what he was looking for. He looked back down at Bowman. “I doubt it. I know what to do to keep that from happening.”
“Funny, you try to be reassuring, but that doesn’t sound like someone who’s trying to be nice at all,” Bowman answered, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Jacob snickered, unable to help it. Then, with a more serious voice, he replied, “I just want a chance to prove it. To prove that you’ve gotten the wrong impression.” He took a few slow, shuffling steps away from the boulder towards the bags, thinking maybe Bowman would be distracted enough to not notice. That was too much to hope for, though, because as soon as he started walking the little guy turned to watch the general direction he was going.
“What are you doing?” Bowman asked, alarmed. Jacob noticed that his gaze was mostly on the fire, which was once again starting to die down. It gave him an idea.
“Oh, I’m going to just sit a bit closer to the fire. The, uh, the light’s dying out.” Jacob answered, taking a few more steps until he was in front of their canvas bags, facing the small fire. He sat down slowly, cross-legged on the ground, watching curiously as Bowman continued to watch the flames warily, though Jacob sat a few feet away from them.
“What for?!” the little guy asked, trying again to squirm out of Jacob’s grip. Clearly the fire made him nervous. “Didn’t you ever learn that fire is dangerous? Why are you so close?”
Jacob chuckled, keeping Bowman distracted. “It’s quite nice if you can tame it, very useful.” While he spoke, he discreetly used his free hand to fish around the ground behind him. His fingers brushed past the canvas, and lighted for only a second on the disassembled animal traps.
Bowman shook his head. “You only think you have it tamed. But it’s worse than a hungry animal, it has no loyalty.”
While he pondered that point, Jacob’s hand found what he was looking for. He carefully grasped the front part of the one trap that Bobby had bothered to put together earlier that afternoon, and dragged it through the dirt closer. “You sure are a pessimistic little guy, Bowman,” he commented once he had the open cage directly behind him. He found the thin, hinged handle on the very top of it and grasped it carefully.
Bowman looked away from the dying fire long enough to notice that Jacob was hiding something. Whatever he was going to say was forgotten when he asked, “What are you up to now? You’re planning something!” He looked accusingly up at Jacob’s face. Jacob saw the suspicious glare in his face and knew that his innocent expression wasn’t working.
Jacob almost felt a pang of guilt for what he was indeed planning. After all, Bowman seemed more and more human as the minutes went by, though he clearly wasn’t one. Still, Jacob replied, “Well, this’ll be where you’ll stay,” and he brought the cage around in front of him, the open end facing Bowman.
The little guy’s reaction was immediate and violent. “Blast it, no! I will not!” he yelled as he began to struggle more wildly than before. Jacob could feel as Bowman tried to free his arms from where they were pinned at his sides. His little legs kicked a bit, too, though they were also pretty constricted. In desperation, Bowman even tried to bite Jacob again, though he couldn’t do a thing to the thick cloth of the glove. His wings were the most active, though, seeing as they were freest at the time. They beat strongly, creating a small wind that even Jacob could feel in the balmy night.
“It’s not that bad, there’s plenty of space,” Jacob insisted, even as he rested the trap on his knee. He slowly brought Bowman nearer the opening, but was hesitant; he didn’t want his wildly beating wings to smack the metal and break.
Still trying to pull himself out of Jacob’s grip, Bowman snapped, “I’d go to Ashland and back before I willingly went into a cage, human!” His voice was angry, but his face was fearful. Jacob saw a hint of pleading in his eyes as well, even as he tried to get away.
“There’s no other way for me to prove my point to you,” Jacob answered quietly. “If I let you go now you’d never come back,” he finished.
“You’re blasted right I’d never come back!” Bowman snapped. “You dumb brute, I bet you’ll just feed me to your pals next time you get annoyed! Who do you think you are, that you can go sticking people in cages, huh?” Jacob flinched at the venomous overtone to Bowman’s yells. But he also noticed that it somewhat distracted him; his wings moved less. The little guy just seemed to be getting tired in general.
Jacob took the opportunity. No longer hesitating, he pushed his gloved hand and his squirming captive into the opening of the cage. He winced to hear the ringing noise of metal as a wing struck it, despite him being careful. Bowman didn’t seem to care, he kept right on beating his wings. Jacob only relinquished his grip when Bowman was clear at the back of the cage. Then, he swiftly withdrew his arm and snapped the door of the trap shut, locking the spring by himself, instead of relying on the pressure pad at the back. He sighed heavily at having completed the deed. ~~~~~~~~~ (c) Neon
Back to Jacob's POV. He doesn't find out what Bowman is for a few chapters yet. Bowman is just too darn distrusting ... but that's to hide that he's more afraid than he's letting himself show. He's determined never to trust Jacob, who's in turn determined to gain his trust. Uh oh? Fire is bad for Earth Sprites. You know how flammable dry leaves are? Earth Sprites are similar. They just light right up. ;-; Strike one against Jacob. -_-; This is the only way that he could keep Bowman around without hurting him, though. So at least he has that argument. Obviously Bowman is pissed, though. We'll see what happens next, eh? *Knows already* <.< >.> Enjoy!
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Post by natalie on Jan 30, 2010 23:44:14 GMT -5
Poor Bowman, hope Jacob can gain his trust. Great update!! I am enjoying this story!!
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Post by Amayasama on Jan 31, 2010 15:15:28 GMT -5
XD; Awww Jacob one, Bowman zippo. I have to say I'm wondering how Jacob plans to keep Bowman quiet XD Surely he won't shut it if he's still around those boys. ^3^ Can't wait for more~
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Post by Satal on Feb 18, 2010 3:18:09 GMT -5
A cage... What an original way to gain a person's trust. But hey, Bowman was asking for it. As long as Jacob remembers to feed and water the poor little guy then I guess things could be worse...
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Post by Neon on Mar 24, 2010 0:38:10 GMT -5
Chapter Twenty
I took a few deep breaths when I was through yelling at him. I was getting very tired of constantly trying to break his unrelenting grip. My wings slowed down for a few seconds, but I realized quickly enough that it was a mistake. He shoved me quickly into the cage, and I about panicked.
With a frustrated cry, I resumed beating my wings vigorously and tried to squirm out of his hand. I felt a sharp pain when one of them struck the metal walls of my soon-to-be prison with a resounding smack. Suppressing a grunt of pain, I kept at it. Even as my wings bruised against the metal, I wasn’t going to stop fighting, futile as it was. I was released when I was at the back of the cage. I fell from his hand with a small sound of surprise, but my wings were still beating enough that I hovered for a moment before coming to rest on the floor of the cage. I could only watch from where I sat as the blasted human pulled his hand out of the cage and secured the door across from me.
The trap still rested on his knee, so the ‘floor’ below me was a grid of metal with openings I could fit no more than my arm or leg through. Despite the ache in my wings, I flapped them a couple of times to retake the air, though now I was hopelessly trapped. Jacob sighed a deep sigh with his massive lungs, and then lifted the cage slowly. I had to fly awkwardly to adjust without the floor of the cage slamming into me. Eventually I was before the teen’s face, though now I viewed it from within a prison.
“I’m sorry, Bowman ...” he said sheepishly. I wasn’t going to believe that, not ever.
“NO, you wingless mountain of wolf droppings, you’re not! I hate you! I hate you!” I yelled at him, now flitting around the cage angrily. I noticed he seemed to wince slightly with every note my wings struck against the metal. How dare he act like it pained him? “Why did you have to show up and ruin my life? I’m as good as dead, now!” I added, alighting myself at the door of the cage as if on a ladder. I tried to shake it loose, my eyes shutting tight to fight back the frustrated tears.
“I ...” Jacob started. I ignored him, continuing to fruitlessly beat my wings and rattle the latched door of my prison. “I think we’ll come to understand each other in time.” He finally said, his voice set.
I slowed my movements to a stop. Then, still hanging on to the door of the cage, I whipped my head to the side to look at him. My glare was so hot I could almost have melted through the bars. “I already understand enough of you,” I answered in a hiss. “You Spirit-scorned, Sun-hated monster!” The insults I dealt were harsh, and I knew Candara would make me eat my weight in soap under any other circumstances.
Jacob sighed again, but didn’t say anything. I was glad. I didn’t want to hear any of his dumb excuses. I could never forgive someone for putting me in a cage. I flinched, startled, when he started to lower the cage. He set it on the ground beside him. It jostled somewhat roughly, and I fell from my perch on the wall to land on my rear on the ground. At least now it wasn’t full of holes.
“Just get some sleep. I’m tired, so you must be.” Jacob’s voice was less friendly than it had been. I didn’t care. I would keep offending him until he wept his eyes dry, it made no difference anymore. He shifted where he sat, his massive shoes scraping against the ground. I watched through the bars as he stood to his full height. My neck craned back to take in his towering appearance. It was never so pronounced as when I was on the ground. I scooted away almost instinctively, my wings dragging.
Instead of going to the tent like I expected him to do, Jacob turned towards the large green bags that sat in a pile next to the other cages. He knelt before one of the bags (which I noticed were each about half his size), and I felt the air wisp past me as he displaced it. He was only maybe a foot or two away, but he was angled so that I only saw most of his back. I listened as he opened the bag via one of those metal bead-lines. Curiosity taking hold, I stood slowly and walked to the side of the cage nearest him, trying to peer around at what was in the bag.
I stepped back again in surprise when he turned where he knelt, once again facing me. He held a large piece of cloth in his hand. It looked to be nothing but a rag to him, but I had a hunch it could carpet every room in my house with more to spare. “What’s that for?” I asked grumpily.
“You’ll see,” Jacob replied, looking weary of who knows what. He then reached out to grasp the handle of the trap above me, and I flinched at the movement. The cage easily lifted. The way I’d been standing, one of my feet went straight through the grid in the floor and I had to grab the bars on the side to keep my balance. I watched as the ground became farther away as my prison was lifted into the air. Carefully I balanced so I stood both feet on a crossing of two bars, to keep from having a leg slip through again.
He walked back towards the tent, and for a second I feared he’d take the cage in there (I shuddered to think of being trapped in such a strange structure). He surprised me when instead he put the trap down on the ground right next to the cloth building, about halfway between the opening and the back end. I swayed as I regained my balance, managing not to fall over when the cage jostled to the ground. Still clutching one hand on one of the bars beside me, I glared up through the metal grid at my captor.
Jacob raised an eyebrow slightly. Holding the cloth up with a corner pinched in each hand, he said, “This should keep you hidden. In case one of my friends wakes up before me, you’ll be safer that way.” He started to lower the cloth so it’d drape over the whole prison.
I backpedaled quickly, pressing my back (and wings, ouch!) into the farthest corner of the cage as the cloth drew over it like a dark cloud. “W-wait!” I called, even as he let go of the cloth so it fell over my prison. It billowed over the metal, creating a thick dark curtain between me and the outside world. However, thankfully, I noticed at the other end of the cage that the cloth left an opening about an inch high at the bottom of it where it wasn’t quite long enough. At least I wouldn’t suffocate.
Still, I wasn’t going to just take this lying down. “Hey! Let me out!” I yelled, flaring my wings and using them to make as much noise as I could on the metal. The cloth muffled it a bit, though. “You big oaf! Let me out!” I darted to the other side of the cage, crouching down so I could see out through the opening the cloth made. “Do you hear me?!” I yelled angrily.
If he did hear me, he ignored what I said. I heard the human heave another sigh, but this one turned into what sounded like a yawn. Then, I saw as his feet shuffled in the dirt and he turned away, walking with a stride more than twice my wingspan towards the end of the tent. There, he disappeared around the side, and I soon heard as he opened the metal-bead-door.
“You will PAY for this, human!” I yelled at the top of my lungs, even as I heard a shuffling in the tent next to me. He probably couldn’t hear me at all by now. I huffed with frustration as the noise died down.
Searching in the dark, I found one of the walls. Climbing up onto it, I began to try rattling the bars. They were, of course, quite solid. I couldn’t expect less from something made of metal. I jumped back to the floor, walked a few inches, and tried the same thing again on a new part of the wall. For a long time, I searched every angle of the cage for a weak spot. I couldn’t find a single one.
I sat down wearily at the corner of the cage, leaning slightly to look outside through the space left by the cloth. There was barely any moonlight, creating a thin band on the floor of my prison. Suppressing a yawn, I shifted to lie down, keeping my head in that band of light. From a vantage point on the ground, I could almost see the sky, but the cloth was still in the way.
The metal grid of floor over dry, hard earth wasn’t a comfortable place to lie down. I already felt the metal bars digging into my side. Even as I thought of this, my eyelids began to flutter closed. My last few thoughts before falling to sleep were self-assurances that I’d get myself out of this mess.
~~~~~ (c) Neon I don't like this chapter as well as others. I think it may be because there was a lull in my interest for it. The next few chapters should be far more interesting.
Jacob has reasoning behind everything he does here. I hate that I ended up making him seem like such a villain. >.<; We're coming up on one of my favorite interactions between the two of them, though. It makes me go "awww" when I read back and edit it.
Enjoy.
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Post by Satal on Mar 24, 2010 4:08:34 GMT -5
I can see the struggle that the poor human is going through, wanting to befriend and protect Bowman.
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Post by Amayasama on Mar 24, 2010 20:11:09 GMT -5
XD Aw man I wanted to see the 'aww' moment! x3 Ohhh can't wait~ Nice job Neon
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Post by Neon on May 16, 2010 20:02:23 GMT -5
Chapter Twenty-One The night was restless. Often I startled awake, only to find myself still lying on the uncomfortable floor of a cage. The fire had died, at least. I only had the wan moonlight to keep me company.
The air was stuffy. With the thick cloth covering most of the cage, I only had that thin band of an opening where I lay for fresh air. As the night went on, the air beneath the cloth became steadily warmer. I lay on my side, my wings spread completely on the ground behind me. And still the metal seemed to dig into my skin.
Out of pure exhaustion, I managed to fall asleep for a couple of solid hours near the end of the night. When I drowsily opened my eyes, I saw that the clearing was beginning to gain some golden light. Somewhere, the sun was rising. I remained where I lay, feeling no will to stand, and indeed no will to take my eyes off of the world outside the cage. I dully watched as the clearing became gradually lighter.
When the light indicated that it was about the seventh or eighth hour in the morning, I shifted. With a groan, I pushed myself up to a sitting position, realizing all of a sudden just how sore I was. My wings felt the worst, as if they were in a tight vice. I flexed them slowly, making sure I hadn’t broken anything before folding them loosely to my back. Then, I stood and stretched, feeling the uncomfortable stiffness from having slept on such a tough surface. My shin and elbows stung, too, from long forgotten cuts that I’d received from the tangled vines.
I knew that then would be my last chance to try to escape before the humans woke up. I remembered the night before, when I’d looked the trap over before Jacob had shown up. The springs on the front of the door were somehow triggered by a flat pressure pad of metal at the back. So long as that wasn’t depressed, I should have been able to somehow undo the springs. Too bad the front was covered in cloth and that I couldn’t see any of what I was supposed to be working with.
I rolled my sleeves up to my elbows, then stepped forward and, using the grid of the cage, climbed the door of the cage about halfway up. I looped my right arm through to grip the “ladder” for balance. Then, I used my left hand to search around for anything different from the familiar grid. I found one of the springs with a quiet “Aha!” of triumph. At that point I wasn’t exactly sure what to do. I’d seen Jacob latch up the door, of course, but I had been in too much of a panic at the time to really register what he’d done.
Moving slowly and carefully, I probed the dark until my hand found the end of the spring and its catch. I tried to push the spring directly outwards, to see if that’d do any good. I could barely move the metal at all. With a frustrated huff, I found the point where the spring hooked onto another one, and then to a wire that extended past my reach. I thought that there was a slight chance of forcing that hook free, and that’d loosen the spring.
I reached through the grid with my left hand, still carefully holding on with my right arm. Pushing the fabric out of the way was a cumbersome affair, but I managed. I found the same hook again and began to test pushing at it from all directions to see what’d work best. When I found the direction that seemed to have most give, I put more strength into it, muttering a prayer to myself that this would work.
I was startled by a loud and very sudden shuffle of fabric on fabric from somewhere off to my right—somewhere in the tent. With a gasp, my hand slipped as it pushed on the spring, and I felt as a sharp point somewhere on the metal sliced my palm open. Even as the shuffling continued (Blast it, someone was waking up, my chance was ruined!), I hissed with the pain and hurriedly detached myself from the cage door. I landed on my feet and stumbled backwards, my hand held out in front of me.
I could feel as warm blood dripped slowly down my arm, but I couldn’t see it. It didn’t feel like too deep of a cut, but it still seemed to be bleeding quite a bit. I cursed whoever it was that chose that moment to wake up. But, soon, my anger dissipated and gave way to apprehension.
“Jeez, morning already?” I heard with a jump. It was the voice of the same friend Jacob had lied to the night before.
“Yep,” was Jacob’s reply. So two of them were awake. Double the trouble. Though it did only sound as if one person was moving at all, so I thought that perhaps it’d be a while before the other one came out. I didn’t mind having that delayed too much, really.
Next I heard as the door of the tent was opened, with its characteristic metallic ripping noise. Whoever it was took a step outside, and I felt the percussion in the ground beneath me. A few more steps and I could feel that whoever it was was coming right towards my prison. It must have been Jacob. I took a few backwards steps until I was closer to the back end of the cage, watching as my small band of light fell into his shadow.
The cloth was whipped away like a curtain, and I flinched at the suddenness. I blinked as light suddenly assaulted my senses, still used to the dark. Jacob knelt so his face was inches away from the cage, looking in with narrowed eyes. I glared defiantly back up at him, my injured hand still held out at an angle to myself.
“What did you do to yourself?” Jacob asked in a mutter. His careful gaze lingered on the blood covering my arm, and on the cut itself.
“I did nothing to myself,” I answered irritably. “Once again, it’s your fault. Stupid.”
He rolled his huge eyes. “Whatever.” He said somewhat exasperatedly as he shook his head. “How did it happen?” he asked.
I just narrowed my eyes at him. “What do you care?” I answered defiantly.
Jacob’s face went to a frown less concerned and more put off by my attitude. I flinched when, instead of answering, he reached out suddenly and took the handle on the top of the cage in his hand. He lifted the cage slower than he had the night before, though, and I had time to gain a balance and clutch one of the bars next to me with my uninjured hand.
“What are you going to do now?” I asked, more annoyed than apprehensive, as I watched the ground fall away beneath me.
He turned and started to walk through the clearing slowly. He didn’t answer, though I did notice he seemed to be taking extra care to keep the cage stable. It still swayed a lot, but I don’t think it was as much as it would if he wasn’t trying. Whether or not I appreciated the gesture, I was still in a cage, and he’d been the one to lock the door. I watched where he seemed to be walking, stepping around the pile of ashes and charcoal in the middle of the clearing.
The human sat down in front of the big green bags with a low huff, resting on his knees. He set the cage down next to him, and then reached forward towards one of the bags. I finally got to see how their metal bead-lines worked ... he pulled a sort of switch along them that somehow made them pull apart and open perfectly. I glanced back at the huge teen, wondering if humans were capable of some sort of magic after all, despite what the elder had said. I looked back at the bag when he started to rummage through it. All the while, he was determinedly not saying anything.
“Aha!” Jacob suddenly said triumphantly, apparently having found what he was looking for. He pulled it out of the bag, revealing a large white box with a red plus design on it. My curiosity was still pretty high, but I also worried what he had in store with that mysterious box.
“W-what’s that?” I asked, just barely stuttering, but all the same hating myself for it.
He looked down at me in surprise. “This? It’s a first aid kit.” He might have tried to explain that the sky was actually neon purple for all the good that answer did me. Noticing the look on my face, he continued, “It’s so I can bandage you up.”
Well, that made enough sense to me. And my face flushed indignantly. “You bandage me up?! That’s a laugh. You’d probably do more harm than good. How about you just let me go so I can find the proper herbs to fix myself up, huh?”
Jacob just shook his head, his brown hair flipping a bit in the breeze. “Sorry. No can do.” He set the first-aid-whatever on the ground a few inches from the cage. Using a couple of lever-like switches on the sides, he snapped the case open. I couldn’t resist taking a few steps forward and trying to see into the box; I was just barely tall enough to see some of the contents.
There was a roll of bandages (really big bandages), and a few bottles of various liquid that I guessed was medicine. There were a few metal instruments I had no ready concept for, and also a few small, clear packages of what looked like folded cloth or paper, but it was soaked in some sort of slightly yellow liquid. Jacob retrieved one of these one-inch square packets, and the roll of bandages, setting both on the ground next to the case.
I glanced at my hand when it made a painful throb. My whole arm felt like it was filling with weight. At least the gash had slowed in its bleeding. I looked back up to notice that Jacob had retrieved some new gloves from his first-aid-box, and, though these were made of something other than cloth and quite a bit thinner, I knew they would be enough defense against me biting him. Next, I watched as he picked up the roll of bandages (which was three inches tall, almost my height, mind) and peeled away a small amount; using a dual-bladed sort of cutting tool in the first-aid box, he cut a strip of the bandage that was about a quarter of an inch wide.
After he had everything set out in order, Jacob turned his head to look at me. “Okay, are you ready?”
~~~~~~~~~~ (c) Neon Yay. Up next is a great trust-building scene, as you may have guessed already. I really like how sassy they are to each other, though. Sarcasm can be a real bonding point. Banter. :D Enjoy.
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Post by Amayasama on May 17, 2010 15:58:37 GMT -5
XD Oh Bowman...how are you gunna handle this I wonder? >> Though if I remember right Bowman has quite the amount of injures ^^; I kind of wonder how Jacob's gunna make Bowman stay still for that X3 Thanks for the update dear!
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Post by Neon on Jun 16, 2010 2:40:23 GMT -5
Chapter Twenty-Two
I wasn’t ready, I was actually incredibly nervous; I didn’t trust him not to hurt me even worse. “For what, you to play healer? What in the world is that packet for?” I asked, taking a step forward and pointing to the clear package with the folded paper.
Jacob picked up the packet with his thumb and first finger. “This? It’s treated with alc—uh, a special ointment. It’ll clean out the wound.” As he spoke, he made a tear in the material of the packet, but didn’t remove the treated paper yet. He set it back down next to the thin strip of bandage he’d cut. Next, he reached for the door of the cage, which was on my right. I stepped backwards, towards the rear of the prison, though I knew if he really wanted to catch me, he could, and would.
“How about you let me do it, I know how to clean a wound and bandage it up,” I suggested, even as he started unlatching the door. Cage or not, I didn’t want to be back in his hand, especially not while injured.
Jacob paused. “I don’t think you’d really do it; this, er, ointment really stings.” I just blinked in surprise. What was the point of an ointment if it made your injury hurt more? They were supposed to make you feel better.
The cage door fell open with a clang. I considered making a mad dash for the opening, thinking maybe there was a chance to get in the free air before he caught me. But, my arm gave another throb as I thought this, as if to remind me how much blood I’d lost. I wouldn’t be able to fly fast enough. And then the great human hand filled part of the space. I stood frozen as the impossibly large fingers approached steadily. I closed my eyes when they finally reached me, my heart once again trying to drill its way out of my chest. I could never get used to this.
My whole body twitched when Jacob closed his hand on me, and my instincts screamed desperately for me to lash out and fight despite the odds. The only thing I managed to do was raise my arms in front of me protectively, and while that didn’t serve to deflect him, at least my arms were free from his grip.
“You idiot, don’t do even more damage!” I snapped as he picked me off the ground; my wings, already folded tight to my back, were caught in his hand this time, and I worried every second that he’d snap the bones. “You stupid, clumsy oaf,” I added for good measure. Jacob just made a noise that sounded like a mix between a scoff and a chuckle.
“Just relax,” Jacob said as he drew me out of the cage. With my right hand, I gripped the side of his hand, or rather his glove. My left hand, still bleeding, I rested palm up on his thumb.
It was my turn to scoff. “Right. I’ve got a giant trying to pretend he’s a healer holding me prisoner.” I shook my head. Who could relax in a situation like that? “You’re not a very bright human,” I added.
He held me in front of him by that point. “I really hope you get over that trust thing, soon.” He adjusted his grip on me abruptly, clearly going for the element of surprise. I had time to free my right wing of his hand, but my left wing stayed stuck, and also my injured arm was caught just above the elbow between his first and second fingers. It left me leaning slightly, for my right arm was still free. I tried to pull my arm from his tight grip, but it was too weak to fully obey. This seemed to be Jacob’s goal, though.
“Let me go!” I said exasperatedly. It was getting tiring, being unable to control what was happening. I watched with apprehension as Jacob used his other hand to pick up the packet with the treated paper.
“This’ll only take a minute,” he answered, trying to sound reassuring. He pulled out the paper, flipping it open and holding onto just a corner of it. I was very suddenly struck by a bitter, sour odor that was shortly followed by a sickly, heady feeling. My face flushed and I was suddenly very queasy.
“That .... what?” I slurred, even as he brought it closer; he had gathered most of it in his hand, so only a small area of the paper was now visible. My eyes watered as the smell of whatever it was treated with pervaded the air.
The paper made contact with my arm, and I noticed it felt incredibly cool against my skin. I watched with blurry vision as Jacob used the paper to clean up the blood that had run down my arm. It cleaned it quite efficiently, I have to admit. My arm tensed when he went to touch the paper to my hand, where the cut was. It was going to sting, he’d said.
At first, I felt as the liquid seeped into the wound, and it just felt like water. Then, my insides did a flip as I suddenly felt like my arm was on fire. Both my wings went rigid, my right wing flaring up behind me, and my body went stiff as the pain assaulted me. This was much more than a sting! It felt like my hand was being cut open a hundred times over. I couldn’t even cry out to voice how bad it was, barely managing a husky cough.
The paper wasn’t there anymore, but its liquid was still there ... or was it? My arm felt like it was dry from the cleaning already. The pain died down, and I was surprised to feel that same cool sensation from before. There was still a residual sting, but my hand felt mostly numb. It didn’t bleed as much, either.
I looked up at Jacob to see that he was watching with what looked like a concerned expression. “You alright?” he asked.
I glared, taking a couple of deep breaths. “Did you know it was going to hurt that bad?” I asked, a silky, potent anger lacing my words.
He nodded, pursing his lips. “I didn’t think you’d actually clean it properly once you knew how painful it was. But when you cut yourself on metal, you have to clean it out as soon as possible.” He wasn’t saying it outright, but I saw an apology in his eyes.
I sighed. “Just let me do the bandage by myself,” I answered. I didn’t want to argue. Of the two of us, he’d be the more knowledgeable about metal.
He paused at that, seeming hesitant. I just stared back up at him, still glaring coolly. Finally, Jacob lowered me to the ground, releasing his grip on me when my feet were planted. I flexed my left wing to make sure he hadn’t sprained it or something. I started to take a step towards where the bandage lay, but Jacob reached out and picked it up first. He held it out to me. I glanced to his face before snatching it away from his loose grip with my right hand.
It was a bit cumbersome wrapping a bandage so thick with just one hand, but I slowly managed. I made sure it would stay wound tightly without reducing mobility in my fingers. Then, I tied it properly so it would stay secure. I noticed that only the first few layers had blood soak straight through; most of the layers of bandaging after that stayed a pristine white. I flexed my fingers a few times, then, satisfied that the bandage would work, I looked back up at Jacob.
He was watching with something like curiosity and awe. When he saw that I’d patched up the bandage, he gave a nod. “Good job. What did you cut yourself on, anyway?” he asked as he went to pack up the first-aid box. He pulled the gloves off so that they ended up inside out with a loud snap.
I remembered that all I’d said before was a snarky answer. “Doesn’t matter,” I answered quickly. “I was trying to get out of that blasted cage.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Sorry about that. I didn’t think there’d be anything to get hurt on.” He commented. My wings twitched with my anger at that statement, but I was also disappointed that he gave me nothing to argue with. Jacob noticed and smiled lightly, but not mockingly.
“If you think I’ll ever trust that you’re anything but an oversized animal, you’ve got a lot of disappointment coming. The only reason I’m not trying to run away now is because I don’t think I have the strength to.” I crossed my arms as I spoke.
I thought I saw a faint smile flicker across his face, but it might have been my imagination. In any case, I was distracted when his left hand approached me abruptly. I took a couple of surprised steps backwards, my wings tensing and folding tighter to my back protectively. I was shocked when, instead of trying to grab me off the ground, Jacob laid his hand palm-up in front of me by a few inches.
I stared at it, my face an expression of utter bewilderment. I looked up at his face questioningly. He raised his eyebrows. “Go on, I’ll be careful. No tricks.”
I rolled my eyes at that. “Smart thing to say, I’m not suspicious at all now,” I replied sarcastically. But, he was offering me a choice. And, though I’d probably never admit it to him, I appreciated that. I took a few cautious steps forward, almost expecting him to change his mind and grab me in his fist again. That didn’t happen, much to my surprise. Even so, I frowned and shook my head. I couldn’t do it, not yet. Jacob frowned, clearly disappointed, but didn’t move his hand from where it lay in front of me.
“You’re a smart little guy, Bowman,” he said in a fairly quiet tone. “That’s why I think we need to try seeing eye to eye a bit better. It’d be a real shame for you to go on thinking humans are untrustworthy.”
I wasn’t exactly sure what to say in response to that. He was confusing me. “You are untrustworthy. You put me in a cage,” I finally said, glancing sideways at the prison that still rested on the ground beside us.
He frowned slightly. “Yes. I’m realizing that was kind of a bad move. But you said yourself, you wouldn’t come back if I let you go, right?” He shook his head. “I didn’t really think much about it. I think it’s important that we get to understand each other better. What if I didn’t lock you up again? Do you think you could try to trust me? Or at least forgive me?”
I frowned. He was being sincere, I could tell by the look on his face. But that was the problem—I didn’t trust him. He was giant, and he’d very nearly hurt me badly. I also thought on what the elder had said about humans, and their cruelty. I shook my head as I thought, remaining silent to Jacob’s questioning look.
I remembered also what Lord Cerul had mentioned. He didn’t think these creatures could be so dangerous. He thought there was a chance of reasoning with them, if they were smart. I knew they were smart enough for that, certainly. In fact, based on our conversation, Jacob seemed about as intelligent as any average sprite of the same age. I wasn’t sure what to think.
I sighed. “I can’t trust you, Jacob,” I finally said. “You’re too much of a threat.”
Jacob nodded. “I know it’d take a while, that’s a given. But think about it, okay?”
I rolled my eyes. “Fine,” I said. “I’ll think about it.”
He grinned at that and replied, “Awesome. And I’ll think about not keeping you in the cage anymore.” He seemed to be teasing, though I couldn’t be quite sure.
I sighed exasperatedly. “You are an idiot,” I replied. I looked at the hand laid before me. He still offered me that choice, not giving up. As much as I hated my situation, he wasn’t the absolute worst kind of person to be stuck with. I very hesitantly took a step onto his hand, then another, until I stood in the center of his palm. I tensed up, feeling the muscles beneath me twitch. I nervously told myself that, if he tried anything, I could simply jump back to the ground.
Once I stood squarely on his hand, Jacob lifted it slowly off the ground, with me swaying slightly to keep balance. He ferried me up through the air until we were eye level with each other, our faces about a foot and a half apart. He looked at me plainly, and I waited for him to say something, my face set and my arms crossed.
“See, that wasn’t so bad,” Jacob said encouragingly. “You’ll be trained in no time.” When he saw my absolutely scathing look, he chuckled nervously. “Sorry, sorry! It’s just a figure of speech. You’re smarter than that, I know. I know.”
I scoffed and rolled my eyes. “Gee, thanks,” I answered (this trust-building thing would really take some effort on my part). Then, I paused. I looked down at my crossed arms, my gaze lingering on my bandaged left hand. I looked up to say a quick thank-you to him for helping me with my injury. But, I thought I saw something behind him that made whatever I was going to say die in my throat.
Then, there came a loud, surprised voice from behind Jacob, asking, “What the hell is THAT?!” ~~~~~~~~ (c) Neon Since everyone enjoyed my other cliffhanger so much, I thought it was high time this one got one of those too. *awaits bricks* More culture shock; it's hard to describe things from an entirely outside perspective! The alcohol swab gave me a lot of trouble; could you tell what it was? Also, ouch, that would sting, no? o.o; This scene went through a lot of editing and alterations, and I'm glad for the work I put into it ... I'm very proud of the big steps that both characters could make towards trust here. ^^;
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Post by Amayasama on Jun 16, 2010 15:19:19 GMT -5
X.X Oh I'm relieved that Bowman didn't do anything that he'd regret ;3 And I agree, I love these two bonding...unfortunately whoever has come into the story seems to want to ruin that. XD But you know what I'll go for the underdog idea, it's one of Bowman's friends talking about Jacob >D
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Post by Neon on Jul 22, 2010 0:15:28 GMT -5
I'm so glad people are reading this. I've grown to really like this story and I'm honored that y'all do too. I have great news: I did manage to rescue it from the dead computer, so here's a chapter to celebrate!
Chapter Twenty-Three
What followed was a bit chaotic. I couldn’t even tell what had happened before, quite suddenly, Jacob’s friend was directly behind him, leaning over his shoulder and staring wide-eyed at me. At first, there was a pause. Then, the new arrival’s hand shot from his side and straight towards me. I tried to flare my wings to take a flying leap backwards, and Jacob tried to move his hand to ferry me to safety, but it wasn’t quick enough.
I found myself once again in a human’s iron grip and rapidly ascending. I pushed against his fingers, gasping shallowly as I felt my ribs might just snap, each and every one. Jacob’s friend stood up straight, and I soon saw that Jacob did likewise, standing in front of his friend with a look of worry all over his face.
“Chase, you’re going to squash him! Give him back before you hurt him ...” he held out a hand towards me, but ‘Chase’ wasn’t going to give up that easily. Much to my worry.
“What the hell is it?” Chase asked, not taking his incredibly curious eyes off of me. His other hand came in sight, and he poked at one of my wings with his index finger. I flinched back.
“Let me go, you stupid human!” I spat, though it made my ribs ache to exert them so.
“Dude, it talks!” Chase said with surprise, still talking over me. Suddenly Jacob seemed right civilized, compared to this one. He tried to make a quick grab at me to free me from Chase, but his friend was expecting it and I was jerked away quickly. Suddenly I felt a little queasy; beads of sweat formed on my forehead as I continued to struggle.
“Yes, he talks, and you’re just this close to crushing him, Chase.” Jacob answered testily. “You need to chill for a minute, okay?”
I realized with alarm that Chase had managed to pinch one of my wings in his thumb and first finger and was forcing it through movements that he seemed to think were natural. I yelled out with frustration as my shoulder twisted awkwardly in his experiment. “Heavens scorn you, let go, you gigantic moron!” I yelled with as much authority as I could muster, but at the same time I was fearful that he’d do some real damage to my wing.
Chase blinked a few times, looking like he was looking me directly in the eye for the first time. I unblinkingly glared up at him, my heart pounding and hoping he’d relinquish my poor wing. He did, thankfully, before then saying, “Jeez, what is he, some sort of demonic fairy or something?” He looked back at Jacob for an answer. I glanced to Jacob to see what he would say, only to see him shrug his shoulders. How annoying!
“I am not a fairy!” I interrupted angrily. It was really an insult, to be equated with a fairy, for they weren’t exactly the brightest of creatures. And very rare besides. “I’m a sprite. Now let go before you break something, idiot giant!”
There was a pause, in which both humans stared at me, and I still tried to push my way out of Chase’s grip. What in the Ashland they were thinking, I’ll never know, but it was annoying me to no end!
After seconds that seemed like many, many minutes, I felt myself moving through the air and looked to see just in time as I was dumped onto Jacob’s palm. I collapsed to my hands and knees, coughing a little, before returning to a steady kneeling position, watching Chase cautiously.
“How did you find him?” Chase asked Jacob, still glancing every so often at me. I didn’t trust that he’d be able to restrain his curiosity very well.
Jacob sighed, seemingly glad the issue hadn’t resulted in a fight. “I went out last night for a while. He was just here one moment.”
“Biggest mistake of my life,” I interjected moodily. Indeed, it seemed that I’d be prisoner of these creatures, at least for a while. Perhaps I needed to trick Jacob into thinking his stupid idea had succeeded ...
“He has some trust issues,” Jacob said above me, and Chase nodded slightly (as if it weren’t obvious).
Chase looked back at me. “What’s your name, er, sprite or whatever you are?”
I stood up on Jacob’s palm, trying to look proud and defiant. Crossing my arms over my still-aching ribs, I answered, “My name is Bowman and I am an earth sprite. Not some dumb fairy.” I glared right at him, making my dislike clear. I only wished I could be glaring at both of the humans at the same time, but Jacob was directly behind me and couldn’t see my look.
Chase paused, and then allowed a smirk to lift his features (not the reaction I was looking for) and he chuckled. “Angry little guy, aren’t ya?” he jested.
“You would be, too, if you were captured by a couple of gigantic idiot kids,” I answered, continuing to frown. I wasn’t about to try talking in a civil manner ... not while he kept that condescending tone.
“Well, really, Bowman, when you think about it, we’re not that big ...” Jacob started. I enjoyed the chance to turn my glare on him, looking over my shoulder. “You’re the small one.”
“Complete nonsense!” I countered hotly. “How could you know?”
“But how do you know, then?” Chase asked. I turned back towards him, huffing in frustration.
“Because we’ve probably been around a lot longer than you brutes have!” I snapped, pointing a finger up at him.
Both of the humans paused, looking at me with something like realization. It only took me seconds to realize my mistake. I lowered my hand and looked away, thinking of how to cover for it before—
“Did you say ‘we?’” Chase asked wryly. Too late.
“You did, Bowman.” Jacob added, tilting his head, looking bemused.
“So what if I did?” I asked defiantly. “So what?”
“How many more angry little earth sprites are there?” Chase asked, and I could tell he wanted very badly to know the answer.
I hesitated. I hated lying then and I still hate it to this day. “Uh, beats me. I’m alone.” I answered, forcing the words. Spirit save me, I am such a bad liar.
I flinched where I stood as Jacob’s hand suddenly began to ascend. Soon I was held at eye level with both of the humans. I glanced nervously between the two large faces.
“There’re more of you, aren’t there, Bowman?” Jacob asked insistently, staring me down. His straight gaze unnerved me, but not enough to crack under the pressure.
I shook my head. “No. I don’t know. Never met another one.” I had to do everything I could to convince them. I had already messed up by getting seen and caught. I didn’t need to lead them straight to the conclusion that more sprites remained to be found in the forest. I couldn’t forgive myself if another got captured on my behalf.
“Where are they?” Chase asked, and I turned back to him. I flinched to see that he had leaned in a bit closer, the curiosity intense in his eyes. “Where are the other sprites like you?”
I frowned and glared sourly at him. I crossed my arms. I couldn’t convince them with my lie ... and that was my own fault. But I didn’t dignify his question with an answer. I couldn’t encourage him. Jacob sighed disappointedly behind me, but Chase seemed unperturbed.
“We’ll just have to find them ourselves, then.” Chase concluded. I made a face as if I’d been slapped in the face. “We’ll find your other sprite friends on our own. Can’t be too hard.”
“You won’t,” I answered quickly. I blew my cover, saying that, but he was making me nervous with all that talk. I noticed that Jacob had turned his gaze to Chase with concern in his eyes, but could care less at that point.
Chase smirked. “Sure we will. We’ll find ‘em, and maybe we can each have one to keep ...” he answered. My eyes widened and quite suddenly, rage rose in me like a wakened beast.
“Chase, that’s not—“ Jacob started to say. But he couldn’t finish because I, in my anger, interrupted. Flaring my wings, I shot into the air and straight at that giant brat’s eyes. I’d show him not to threaten me like that ... he’d never search for anything if I could just get to his eyes!
I impacted with Chase’s face and he reeled back in surprise. I tried to claw at his huge eyes, which he’d shut tight in alarm. I angrily beat my wings against him as well. I ignored the deafening noise he made when he yelled in fear, focusing solely on trying to hurt him.
I let out a grunt of pain when a human hand closed tightly around my waist. Jacob easily pulled me back from Chase’s face, though I still fought quite intensely. He shifted his grip so that both hands were wrapped around me, holding down my arms and my wings. “Bowman!” he said sharply. “Snap out of it!” Chase blinked a few times and looked at me with a new sort of awe on his face.
“I hope you burn in your own arrogance, you Sun-hated sneak! You—“ I started to yell at my surprised victim. However, I was cut off when Jacob started to slowly add pressure. My words died in my throat and I winced, cringing into myself. It wasn’t enough to hurt, but it was more than uncomfortable enough to get my attention.
“I’m sorry,” Jacob said softly as the pressure abated once again. “But you need to cool it,” he insisted. When I remained quiet, averting my eyes from both humans, Jacob spoke to Chase. “You shouldn’t say shit like that, Chase. See how you freaked him out?”
Chase scoffed. “Well, damn, I didn’t know he was gonna do that! All I said—“
“I know what you said, and it wasn’t right to say,” Jacob interrupted. “I’m not ‘keeping’ him. He’s just going to stay with us for a little while. He’s going to go free.”
“Whatever,” Chase answered sullenly. I looked up to see him glaring at me. I returned the favor, and I like to think I won the short stare-down contest.
We were all distracted by a fourth voice suddenly ringing out. “Jeez, guys, what the hell are you yelling about?” I looked in surprise towards the tent, as did Jacob and Chase. I heard the shuffling as the third human moved to the open flap of the door and emerged into the sunlight. My heartbeat quickened at the thought of dealing with yet another one.
Both Chase and Jacob looked back at me, still clutched in Jacob’s hands, then back at Bobby, who was already approaching. I cringed away, knowing it was a matter of seconds before I was to be discovered again.
When the light-haired Bobby’s bright blue eyes spotted me, he stopped in his tracks. He looked up at the faces of his two friends in succession, then his gaze returned to rest intently on me.
“Ah, good morning, Bobby, er ...” Jacob stammered with a sheepish smile. “Um, this is—“
“Where did you find the sprite?” Bobby blurted. I gasped to hear his words. How did he know what I was?! My eyes widened as I watched him.
Chase’s jaw dropped. “Wait, you know what he is?!”
“Where did you find it?!” Bobby repeated, more insistently. ~~~~~~~~~~ (c) Neon Indroducing Chase. He's not the smart one of the bunch, I'll tell you that much. But he's a nice guy for the most part. It was soooo much fun to write this chapter. Bowman gets mad props for attacking a human. X3 Also ... I bring you another sort-of cliffhanger. This is not intentional ... it just sort of ended up like this. But yesss, Bobby already knows what Bowman is ... what could this mean? Enjoy.
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