Seeing Eye to Eye

[Ronnie]

I'M INTERESTED XDDD ....I do love me some RPs XDD

[masquerade]

Aug 1, 2009 19:00:53 GMT -5 Ronnie said:

ahh....the age old enemy of writer's block u~U...curse it soooo DDDX

RPing sometimes helps my writer's block...to a certain degree...sometimes I get so into RPing I forgot about my story *coughs*...ok...so I've been neglecting my story for months...maybe RPing isn't the best solution ....whoever told me it was was a LIAR!!! DDDX

*sighs*

Umm...Hmm...There was this writing exercise going through DA that I did awhile back...basically you take 10 of your favourite songs...choose a theme...and write a scene of whatever comes to mind [as long as it pertains to your theme] in the time length of each song...>_>..Needless to say I cheated and put each song in repeat XDDD

It was fun stuff though X3

P.S. Good update b d

i probley sound like an idiot, but, what is writers block?

[natalie]

Aug 3, 2009 1:39:53 GMT -5 masquerade said:

Aug 1, 2009 19:00:53 GMT -5 Ronnie said:

ahh....the age old enemy of writer's block u~U...curse it soooo DDDX

RPing sometimes helps my writer's block...to a certain degree...sometimes I get so into RPing I forgot about my story *coughs*...ok...so I've been neglecting my story for months...maybe RPing isn't the best solution ....whoever told me it was was a LIAR!!! DDDX



*sighs*

Umm...Hmm...There was this writing exercise going through DA that I did awhile back...basically you take 10 of your favourite songs...choose a theme...and write a scene of whatever comes to mind [as long as it pertains to your theme] in the time length of each song...>_>..Needless to say I cheated and put each song in repeat XDDD

It was fun stuff though X3

P.S. Good update b d

i probley sound like an idiot, but, what is writers block?

Your not an idiot. Writers Block is when you can't come up with any ideas to move the story along. ;D

[masquerade]

Aug 3, 2009 1:46:16 GMT -5 natalie said:

Aug 3, 2009 1:39:53 GMT -5 masquerade said:

i probley sound like an idiot, but, what is writers block?

Your not an idiot. Writers Block is when you can't come up with any ideas to move the story along. ;D

ok thanks ;D

i get writers block all the time

[natalie]

Your Welcome!!

Yeah, me too. It sucks, it can go on for days, weeks, months or years.

[masquerade]

i have a story that i havnt done anything on for around 3 years lol

[Neon]

Aug 3, 2009 2:19:44 GMT -5 masquerade said:

i have a story that i havnt done anything on for around 3 years lol

*gasp* Oh noes! Maybe it's time to re-familiarize yourself with it. XD Though I had a story that I didn't write in for a while, and when I looked back at it, I thought, "Eh ... I'm bored with it."

[masquerade]

Aug 8, 2009 20:46:33 GMT -5 Neon said:

Aug 3, 2009 2:19:44 GMT -5 masquerade said:

i have a story that i havnt done anything on for around 3 years lol

*gasp* Oh noes! Maybe it's time to re-familiarize yourself with it. XD Though I had a story that I didn't write in for a while, and when I looked back at it, I thought, "Eh ... I'm bored with it."

from the looks of it, my story couldnt go any further lol

but most others i just never bother to extend, evan tho it could go on for a while longer. a big example of that is my story telekinesis

[Neon]

Chapter Nine

The next morning, I was a bit surprised that it wasn’t Rischa who woke me, but the sunlight sneaking around the leaf window shades. I sat up stretching and yawning, realizing with some surprise that it was midmorning already. My young cousin would be off to school already, and Larxe would be off guarding the stream.

I trudged about the room as usual, getting dressed in clothes similar to the ones I’d worn the day before. I splashed some of the water from the bowl by the door on my face. As I tried to once again tame my hair (sadly it was about as stubborn as usual), I suddenly remembered the events of the evening before.

I rushed out of my room then, through the house and into the kitchen, looking for Candara. I found her in the next room, and one of her friends from the village was visiting, both of them sitting on the little couch conversing. They looked at me with surprise as I entered hurriedly.

Candara smiled at me. “Morning, Bowman! I thought I’d let you sleep in today. We heard about your little discovery.”

Candara’s friend, a somewhat plump, middle-aged sprite with short, curly hair, nodded vigorously. “Oh, yes, the village is abuzz with the news. They’ve even called some extra guards and watchsprites for the stream. My husband, bless the old dear, jumped at the chance to be outside a bit more.”

“Wha, huh? Everyone knows already?” I asked, still blinking some of the sleep from my eyes.

“Of course, this is a very important discovery. They sent out messengers very early in the morning, before the sun had even risen, I think.” Candara replied. “And most everyone is very glad for it; I bet you’re something of a hero, Bowman.” She added.

“Ah,” I replied, shaking my head. “No. I just found them by accident.”

“But you found them before they found us, boy, and that is incredibly lucky. And, you thought to warn someone right away instead of putting it off.” Candara’s friend answered, shaking a finger thoughtfully. “Who knows what would have happened if the beasts had walked into our village without anyone knowing they were even in the forest? I shudder to think about it.”

I shuddered to think about it, too, based on what the elder had said the night before. “Okay, then,” I said a bit exasperatedly. “I’m going to head out for a bit, then, see what needs to be done.”

“Alright, dear. Do be careful if you decide to go on patrol, okay?” Candara called after me as I turned out the doorway. I waved over my head to show I’d heard. Then, I quickly crossed back through the kitchen, paused by the door to slip on my shoes, and headed out.

Once on our porch, I looked to the path to see that it was a bit less crowded than usual. Are people really that frightened? I thought. I shook my head, wondering at it. Then, taking flight, I set off down the path. I glided along until I was close to the ground, just a couple of feet from the rosebush. I landed smoothly and folded my wings, walking under the shady branches of the rosebush, smelling the sickly-sweet aroma of the fallen petals littering the ground.

Today, the village center was a bit less crowded on the ground. I looked up and saw that there were a few more guards circling the air than usual. I figured there’d be a handful circling outside the ring of oaks as well. Other than the guards, people seemed to be going about their everyday business as usual, except for those were absent, either at the stream as extra guards or staying at home.

I ambled around amongst the various buildings, not really having a direction. Every once in a while, I saw a leaf-poster tacked to a wall reading “Warning! ‘Humans’ in the forest!” There were columns of more information under these bold headlines, and I guessed they were to detail the danger present.

“Hey, there he is!” I heard from across the way. I turned to look for the source of the familiar voice. I smiled to see both Perion brothers, and even their father, heading right for me.

“Hello, Alte, Gilt,” I greeted. “You made it home safe, that’s great,” I added.

“Yeah, yeah, easy stuff,” Alte waved a hand. “But you! You found ‘oumens’ or whatever they’re called—“

“Humans,” I corrected.

“Yeah, ‘humans,’ whatever. Was that exciting, seeing them? The posters say they’re like six feet tall, is that true?”

I nodded. “Yep, they really were big. But they don’t have wings.”

Gilt spoke up this time. “Wow. And, to think, you were right there! What if you’d been captured?” he asked with awe.

Their father interrupted. “We’re all lucky he wasn’t, or no one would know they were here.”

“Yeah, first you’re in the well-maker’s family line, now you’re a genuine village hero,” Alte teased with a grin.

I mock-punched him on the arm. “I’m not a hero, jeez. I just saw the things and then flew off, that’s not really heroic.”

“Well, it’d have been stupid if you’d done much more,” Gilt added with a grin. I rolled my eyes, though I did agree. “But too bad, this means we can’t go flying at night for a while.”

“Well, boys,” the brothers’ father said. “I have to get back to work, pretty soon, though since they’ve made part of the stream off-limits work will be easier the next few days. You guys don’t stay and talk for too long.” He looked at both of his sons in turn, who nodded, before turning and heading out of the village center.

After he’d left, I turned back to my friends. “So, what brought you guys to the village main, anyway?”

Gilt shrugged. “Dad had to check on a few things. While he did his errands, though, we got a chance to sit up on one of the platforms and get some sun,” he added boastfully. He unfolded his wings slightly, and I leaned around to see; indeed, his wings and those of his brother were a healthy, strong green.

“Sounds fun,” I remarked, straightening back up. “I think I might get some sunlight later, too.”

Alte smirked. “Well, it is shining, today. You’d never guess that danger lurked right outside the village.”

I chuckled. “If they were right outside the village, trust me, you’d be able to hear ‘em.” Or see them, need to immediately run away, perhaps, I thought to myself.

Gilt was about to say something more, but we all paused for a minute. A group of four girls our age walked by, and none of us could help but turn our heads to watch their progress for a moment. Two of them looked back at us, and we all grinned, sending them nonchalant little waves. They giggled and turned back to their friends.

Alte punched me lightly on the arm, grinning. “Lucky you don’t have to work, Bowman. They’d probably love to have a chat with a local hero, wouldn’t they?”

“Oh, shut up,” I answered, but I was also grinning. That sounded like a good idea, actually.

Alte laughed. “Whatever. We’ve got to get back to cleaning the dumb stream again.”

“Yeah, funny thing,” Gilt added with a joking smirk, “It’s always dirty again the next day, who knew?”

I chuckled. “Alright. See you guys later.” They nodded and, stepping back, took flight. I watched them go for a few seconds before looking back on the village center.
~~~~~
(c) Neon
... So, sometimes Bowman has trouble remembering important things in the morning. Anyone have the same problem? << ;>> *raises hand*
But yesyes, now he's a village hero. But, humble as always. He doesn't view his actions as the most honorable, anyway. Running away is not macho! XD
In case anyone was wondering, it was Lord Scar who took care of publicity on this. XP
*Gasp* What do they mean by getting sun? If it's not obvious, it will be next chapter.
Er. I'm not very good at writing flirt dialogue. But yeah, the exchange of looking at the girls and such is something I have seen an example of in real life ... so hopefully it didn't seem forced. (Hormones! They are teens, after all.)

Next update will be two chapters ... because one of them is super short anyway. XP

[Amayasama]

^0^ Oh I can't wait for the meeting! ...x3 And those girls Bowman! You need to make your move! xD

[Neon]

The meeting is soon! I promise! ... I'm sorry it takes so long for me to get story exposition out of the way. ._.;
And yeah, be prepared for badly written flirt dialogue ... Eheheh. >.<

[Neon]

Chapter Ten

There were a number of platforms free on the old tree, platforms that were made specifically for us sprites to get some sun. I took flight then, making a beeline for one of the platforms about halfway up the trunk of the tree. I turned in the air before landing, lowering myself in flight to sit right on the edge of the platform, my feet dangling over the side. I lowered my wings to lazily drape them on the platform around where I sat, instead of folding them to my back. I looked up at the sky, immediately feeling the soothing effect of the sun on my skin.

Earth sprites have two main ways to get energy. We usually eat food gathered from the plants that provide it in the forest. But, we are also capable of using solar energy. Our wings can perform a sort of photosynthesis. Depending on how long we gather energy from the sunlight, we can go a pretty long time without eating anything. It comes in handy when there’s no fruit or roots around, especially in a particularly cold winter.

I was motionless for a few moments, enjoying the sun’s warmth on my face. Then, I decided to get right to it; my body was still a bit sluggish from my sleep, as I’d neglected to eat any breakfast. I shifted my wings so that they were stretched out, but still resting on the surface of the little wooden platform. I made sure that the widest surface area of my impressive nine-inch wingspan was exposed to the sunlight. Already I felt the process at work.

When I was drinking in sunlight, I usually dozed off into a sort of trance. It happened with most of us. We’d become completely motionless, immersed in the task of converting solar energy. I always had peaceful dreams during these little comas.

I sat like that for almost four hours. I slowly drifted back to my normal consciousness. “Oops!” I said aloud when I saw how much progress the life-giving sun had made in the sky while I’d sat there. I’d overdone it a bit; I knew I probably wouldn’t need to eat for a day or two. Before I folded my wings, I glanced at both of them to see the vibrant, leafy green hue they’d taken on. I grinned, pleased.

I stood on the platform, stretching my stiff arms and legs. Then, I peered over the edge to watch the village center for a bit. There were a few more people than before, and the guards had switched, but it was still a subdued crowd. I looked around at some of the other platforms on the old oak at lower levels; there were a few little shops built on the tree, but mostly the platforms were for meeting and drinking up the sunlight. I grinned to see, on a platform just two feet down and a bit to the left of mine, three of the four girls I’d seen before. They were sitting on their platform, talking and laughing, more casually sunning their wings.

I ran a hand back through my hair in another last-ditch attempt to make it lie flat. It didn’t really work, I figured, but I’d still go and talk to them. I unfurled my newly-energized wings and stepped off the platform, going into a very short dive before pulling out of it just in time. I pretended to just barely notice them as I passed on my way to the ground, pulling up and hovering a few inches out from their platform. I took it as a good sign that they all smiled in greeting.

“Hello, ladies. Didn’t I see another friend with you earlier?” I asked.

The one on the farthest left answered. “She had to go home. She’s nervous about those ‘humans’ that are about.”

The one next to her, in the middle, looked at me thoughtfully. “You’re the one who found them, aren’t you? You’re Bowman Leafwing?” she asked.

I grinned and nodded. “Yeah, I found them,” I answered, with a hint of pride.

“Oh, really? I didn’t even recognize you, Bowman!” the one on the left exclaimed. “Gosh, it’s been forever since we’ve talked.” She added, looking like she hoped I’d recognize her, too. I thought I did.

“Yes, I thought you were familiar,” I answered. Then, to the one on the right, I added, “You, too. Were we all in school together?”

The one on the right nodded, smiling shyly. “That’s right—we were in the same grade.”

“Not me.” The one in the middle interrupted. “I think I finished the year before you guys did.”

I nodded. “I remember now. But, forgive me, I don’t remember your names.”

“I’m Xedra,” the one on the left breathlessly answered almost immediately, as if racing to answer first. “That’s Rose,” she pointed at the one on the far right, “and this is Jiria.” I did something of a midair bow to each of them as they were introduced, earning a few giggles. I kept my confidence, though.

“You need no introduction, though, Bowman,” Rose commented wryly. “You’re a hot topic lately, what with your little discovery. Or should I say big discovery?” They laughed briefly at that, and I joined them with a smile.

Jiria beckoned me to come closer. “Come sit with us a while, tell us about what you saw!”

I paused, pretending to think about it. “Alright,” I answered. “I suppose I could spare a few moments.” I started forward, and they all shifted to make room. There seemed to be some indecision between them for a few seconds, but in the end I ended up settling down in between Jiria and Rose.

Xedra leaned around her friend to ask, “So, what were they like? Are they really scary? The posters don’t say much.”

I shrugged. “They actually look a bit like sprites. They don’t have wings, though. But they are really big, that was pretty freaky to see.”

“Did they ever see you? Ooh, that’d be so scary!” Rose exclaimed.

I shook my head. “Nah. I stayed hidden.” I then chose to delve into a brief description of my quick thinking and hiding in plain sight, making myself look like a plant. They seemed rather impressed by that.

Jiria giggled. “Guess you’ve really earned the name Leafwing now, huh?”

“I guess,” I answered casually. I was rather proud of myself at this point—I was doing quite well in the smooth-talking category.

The conversation went on in a similar fashion for some time. They’d ask me questions (sometimes more than once), and I’d answer simply. In all my answers, I pieced together a little summary of the encounter, flowering it up where possible without actually lying. I wanted to impress them, sure, but I knew saying something that didn’t happen could come back and haunt me.

After a few minutes of chatting, I glanced up at the sun. “Well, ladies,” I began. “I had probably get going. I need to check in with patrol yet, you know.”

Jiria smiled. “Aww, that’s too bad, Bowman.”

Rose shook her head. “No, he found those humans because he went on a little patrol, kind of.” The other two nodded in agreement.

I grinned. “Indeed. And I’d better keep doing a good job, eh?” They all nodded and smiled. “It was a great pleasure being able to talk to you. Perhaps we should consider another meeting in the future,” I hinted, and they all seemed rather pleased with that suggestion, especially Xedra. I unfolded my wings slightly, careful not to bump one of them, then pushed myself right off of my seated perch on the platform.

I laughed as I heard them gasp, quickly regaining flight and coming back up to hover at their level again. I gave a little midair bow again, flourishing my hand for extra appearance. They all waved back, giggling. Then, to show off my flying skill, I did a backwards loop before really switching direction to head back home. I heard them start back into their own conversation excitedly for a few seconds before my wings had carried me out of hearing distance.

As I flew, I decided that I didn’t quite feel like going home yet. I passed it right by, turning instead in a wide arc that would eventually take me outside the village border. I was going to go on patrol for a little while. Admittedly, I was a little tense to leave the village’s boundaries. As I slowly drifted about the trees nearby, I thought of what I’d do if one of those six-foot colossal beasts walked into view. Occasionally I passed one of the other regular patrolsprites, and we’d nod in acknowledgement of each other; normally, when the patrol limit wasn’t so strict, I never saw my fellow patrolsprites. The veil of safety was truly showing how squeezed it was.

Chapter Eleven

When I stopped at the spruce to report my finished patrol duty, I was surprised to find that the tree-palace was in an even greater buzz of daytime activity than usual. I was headed to the briefing room to give my report of no change, as usual. However, I somehow got sidetracked by one of the nobles, who insisted I follow him. I was led to a larger, better-decorated conference room of sorts, packed with Lords and Ladies of the spruce, as well as a handful of elders. I recognized the one from the night before.

Once the room’s conversation had been silenced, I was asked to give once again a detailed account of my sighting. I relayed every detail I could remember, and a lot of the nobles seemed quite impressed. After I had gone over the story and answered their questions, I was permitted to leave. I was glad, at that point, feeling rather lethargic. It was a side effect of getting as much sun as I had.

Lord Cerul followed me out the door. I turned to look at him, knowing his only reason was that he had something to say to me without the prying eyes and ears of the other nobles picking up on it. “Yes, your Lordship?” I asked politely.

He smiled faintly. “Well, as you know, we have ruled that no one venture out at night, and only as far as the stream during the day.” I nodded. “But know that what I mentioned yesterday still stands. If you wanted to get a second report on the humans, you have my official permission. You just cannot get seen or caught.”

I nodded, knowing that was for both our sakes; Cerul could get in real trouble with the other nobles, though he wasn’t really out of line with any of the rules. “I’ll think about it, your Lordship.” I replied.

He nodded and smiled. “Good, now you may return home, I’m sure we’ve kept you quite long enough.” I chuckled and nodded, giving him a short bow before turning to navigate my way out of the palace again.

~~~~~
(c) Neon

Yep, Bowman and his fellow earth sprites can photosynthesize (a process of converting solar energy, for those who aren't sure). It works on a sort of exponential basis, in other words, the longer they stay in the sun, the more energy per second they can convert. So, sitting for 4 hours in the sun like Bowman did can get a lot of energy for a little critter like a sprite. :3
And dear Bowman, working his 'hero' image to appeal to the ladies ... what can I say but "teenagers and their hormones"? Sorry if the dialogue is cheesey or bad. >.<
Patrol again? He works a lot, what a responsible little sprite. But this time he didn't go very far from home. XP

Chapter eleven is so tiny, I'm sorry! There was nowhere else to cut up the story. But yes, it's setting up for what happens next, just you wait. Chapter 12 will be pretty much the very first part of the meeting.

[Amayasama]

XD Haha Bowman made MOOOVVVEEE toward the ladies ;D Oh hoooo he's a ladies man? x3 Can't wait for more my dear!

[Neon]

Aug 22, 2009 20:59:18 GMT -5 Amayasama said:

XD Haha Bowman made MOOOVVVEEE toward the ladies ;D Oh hoooo he's a ladies man? x3 Can't wait for more my dear!

Dunno why, but your response made me lol.
And yeah, Bowman wishes he was a ladies' man.
More will come soon! @w@

[Neon]

Chapter Twelve

That night, I had to decline dinner from Candara. I just wasn’t up to eating anything, after so long in the sun. Larxe had also been working for a few extra hours, getting a few extra rays, and he ate less than usual, too. Rischa had a full serving, though, much to Candara’s relief. I apologized, knowing it did somewhat worry my aunt that we wouldn’t get enough energy at some point and drop right out of the air. I assured her I’d gotten plenty of energy before I excused myself to go to bed early.

I lay down in the clothes I’d worn that day, feeling very sleepy. The summer heat was rather pervasive this evening, though, and I felt the discomfort. I eventually fell asleep with my wings completely unfurled and hanging halfway over the edge of the bed to keep from overheating myself with them.

I woke sometime in the night, after the sun had long been set. I was confused; normally I slept quite solidly (through a storm that had nearly sent our house to the ground once, so I heard). Unable to get comfortable in the heat again, I lay awake thinking for a while.

Something was bothering my thoughts. I was sure the humans were quite the threat, and we were all right to be cautious. But something wasn’t right. The image the elder had painted of humans just didn’t match in my head with the image I’d seen of the real thing. Sure, I’d been as scared by their size as anyone, but what if they weren’t that dangerous anymore? They didn’t even seem to be any older than me, possibly even younger. Maybe they really were dangerous animals, but I honestly didn’t see it.

I got out of bed, and paced back and forth, on the verge of a decision. Finally, I stopped abruptly, my gaze snapping to the shaded window. I went to my water stand, splashing water on my face and using it to flatten my hair, though I knew it’d spring back up like it had after I’d washed that evening.

I left my room as silently and stealthily as possible. I tiptoed through the hall, stopping at the door of the house. I once again put on my tree-bark shoes and stepped outside, making sure the door made no noise. It was the regular sneaking-out routine I took on normal nights. But I wasn’t going to go out flying with friends for once. Steeling myself for the potential danger I was putting myself in, I took flight from our porch and silently glided into the night.

Once I was outside the “safe” border of the village, I began flapping my wings, trying to keep them as silent as possible. I flew through the familiar but wild forest, remembering my way. I flew a bit slower and lower to the ground than usual, glancing around anxiously. I knew it didn’t make sense, but still I kind of worried one of the humans would just pop out of the darkness in front of me.

I finally reached the site where I’d first flown right into their “tent,” glad to see it was still there. That meant they hadn’t moved deeper into the woods. I landed behind the tent, glancing around carefully. I couldn’t see much light from around the massive cloth building. I paused and heard the sound of steady breathing in house-sized lungs and realized that they must have been sleeping. I relaxed a bit. They were all in their cloth-building, dreaming away. I didn’t feel any danger in that at all.

I walked around to the other side of the tent, taking the route opposite the way I’d hidden before. I glanced at this side of the tent that I’d previously not seen, noticing it was a bit different; there was a line of darker, thicker cloth from the top point of the triangular side to the middle of the base, and this was centered by what looked like some sort of metallic beads. I guessed it was a door of sorts to their cloth home.

I rounded the tent into the sparsely-grassed clearing, pleased to see that the embers of the fire were nearly completely dead. Even so, as I walked slowly around it, I gave the dying fire a very wide berth. I wished I could put it out somehow, but there wasn’t anything around. The humans had left a few strange objects laying about, including a container of sorts, but it was three times my height and I knew it’d be too heavy.

With the occasional glance back at the tent to ensure the humans were still asleep, I made my way about the clearing. I found all sorts of weird objects littered in the relatively small clearing. There were three bags made of more of that thick cloth, in a murky green color, but I could find no openings in any of them, though I flew around them and even stood upon them. They did have a few lines of those same metal bead-lines like on the tent, so I guessed that was the way to open it. Near these was a pile of more metal (where were they getting so much metal?). It was shaped in wires so thick I couldn’t even wrap my whole hand around them, and these were crossed in half-inch square grid patterns. If there wasn’t one assembled lying right next to the pile, I’d never have guessed that these metal grids were cage walls.

I approached the assembled cage cautiously, as if it might rear up and catch me by itself. It was a little bit bigger than the living room at home, being about eight inches tall, seven wide, and around a foot long. I examined the door-side of the cage, realizing a bit how it worked; the door would lay open easily enough, but I could see the springs that would cause the door to spring close and lock on something if it went to the back of the cage. I didn’t try to test it out, deciding instead to move on.

The next objects I found were very peculiar. There were two of them, one stacked on the other, and they were large and flat, though almost a half-inch thick each. I realized that the top surface opened up, though its size made it a bit cumbersome for me to do so. I let it fall to the ground in a puff of dirt and realized with some surprise that this was a record book of sorts. There were odd blue parallel lines spaced evenly on pages and pages of a white, leaf-thin material. I didn’t turn the pages, but I did see the grey text written there, and it seemed to follow the blue lines. That was a pretty ingenious idea; I’d have to let them know about it in my report.

I walked on, suddenly aware of an absolutely rancid smell. I came to a large, mostly empty bag made of a truly strange material; it was slick, somewhat crackly, and flexible at the same time. I lifted the edge of the opening of the bag, curious as to what it held, and knowing it was the source of the odor. I balked at what I saw, jumping back in great surprise and even falling right on my rear, a hand going over my face as I gagged once. Good thing I hadn’t eaten that day.

Among what I guessed was other random trash in the bag, were the ragged remains of a rabbit. I saw bones, some gore, the head, the eyes. I wanted to fly from the place right then and there, knowing the brutes had killed and eaten the rabbit. I took a few deep breaths as I sat there in the dirt, calming myself. They were just predators, just like wolves and owls. I had to remember that. They were dangerous beasts, as smart as they seemed to me.

More light from the dying fire had gone out, and I could barely see anymore. Still, as I stood, taking quick steps away from the waste bag and away from the smell of that poor rabbit, I realized I’d made a complete circle around the embers. I’d investigated the items the humans had left out, or at least all but one; it was a hat I’d overlooked, set on a boulder about two feet tall at the edge of the clearing. It was unremarkable, other than the fact that it was meant to fit a giant head. I figured I’d be completely covered if I managed to place it over me.

My broader observations of the temporary human settlement were stopped when I heard a noise out in the woods. I froze to listen. Was it an animal come to investigate the humans just like I had done? I frowned to myself; an animal would know how to move more quietly.

My eyes widened with realization. I whirled around to look at the tent. “No,” I whispered to myself incredulously. Not all three of the humans had been in their tent when I’d gotten here. I had made a huge mistake!
~~~~~
(c) Neon

Cliffhangers are your friends. I'm kinda proud of myself for setting up such a good one, too. <<;

Culture shock sort of drives most of Bowman's reactions here. How would you describe an average spiral notebook if you had never seen one before? Or a zipper, I had a hard time describing that with an outside perspective. @-@
Poor bunny! But that's what some guys do when camping, right? Bleh.

Not much else to say except that I was a bit excited to get this chapter up. Enjoy.

[natalie]

Yahoo!! Great chapter, like how you described everyday objects from the sprite's POV, Awesome cliffhanger!!

[Amayasama]

O.O ....D: NOOOESSS THE EVIL CLIFFHANGER! ...>> Even though I saw it coming XDD Good update my dear!!

[Neon]

@ Natalie: Yes, I enjoyed trying to think about everyday things from an outsiders point of view. It was fun, but I worried people wouldn't get it, so I'm glad you did. XD

@ Amayasama: CLIFFHANGERS ARE YOUR FRIEND. Er. Not really. But they become right friendly once the next chapter is up ... which shall be soon because I'm all excited about it. XP

[Neon]

((Fast update, yesyes, but I wanted to get that cliffhanger out of the way.))

Chapter Thirteen

Jacob stumbled through the trees in the dark, shining his pitifully small flashlight ahead of him. He yawned widely. “Figures,” he muttered to himself under his breath. “It has to be the middle of the night in the forest when nature calls.” And now, he worried, he’d made a wrong turn and was lost.

He sighed when he quite suddenly emerged back in the clearing. He heard his friends snoring away in the tent, probably unaware that he’d even left. He passed the boulder where Bobby’s cowboy hat rested, his flashlight now aimed at the ground to avoid waking his friends. He was about to kneel and unzip the tent when something caught his eye, making him straighten up and shine his flashlight in that direction.

“Oh,” he murmured. It was just one of the notebooks. He remembered they had been closed, so the white of the first page had caught him by surprise. ‘Must have been the wind,’ he thought. Then, before turning back to the tent again, something else caught his eye this time. His light swept along the ground to rest on something that was familiar but at the same time not.

Jacob’s face became puzzled as he stared at it. It looked just like the weird plant he’d seen just yesterday. Pausing, Jacob took a few steps backwards and turned his head to look at the ground behind the tent. The plant that had been there was gone. He looked back to the one in their clearing just feet from the boulder with the hat, quite sure it hadn’t been there before.

Shrugging, he figured it wouldn’t hurt to get a closer look. Jacob walked closer to the plant, looking it over curiously. It didn’t look like any plant he’d seen before, with its two big jagged leaves sticking out like that. Frowning slightly, he knelt, shifting his little flashlight in his hand to put the beam at a different angle. Jacob’s eyes widened. “Wait a second,” he said quietly to nobody in particular. With his free hand, he started to reach out to touch the object that he realized couldn’t be a plant.

He didn’t expect it to do what it did, though. With a very sudden motion, it rolled over away from his hand and ... stood up. Jacob yelped in surprise and drew his hand back quickly, losing his balance and falling on his butt in the dirt. But the little thing was already bolting in the opposite direction. Jacob couldn’t really believe what he was seeing; it was a four-inch person, with little green dragon wings. It had managed to disguise itself as a plant in the dark, but under the light of the flashlight Jacob had realized that wasn’t it.

He shook his head, breaking out of the daze. “Uh, wait!” he called after the little startled creature, but of course it just kept running, looking almost comical as it couldn’t really keep up a comparative speed, though it was pretty fast for having such short legs. Jacob flinched to see it spread its wings wide as it ran. Acting on near instinct, he reached behind him and picked up the cowboy hat. He flung it like a frisbee the short distance that the creature had managed to run. He almost felt bad when he saw it turn in mid-run to see the hat coming down on it. Its face had been so expressive, and he could have sworn he heard a tiny sound like a cry come from it.

The hat had come down right over the little creature, a bit to Jacob’s surprise. He stood quickly, taking the two steps to reach the hat, kneeling cautiously before it. He was hesitant to lift up the cover, wondering whether the little creature would, in an act of desperation, jump up at his face. He was surprised when the hat scooted about an inch along in the dirt suddenly. The little guy was pretty determined! Jacob put a hand on top of the hat, holding it in place. He carefully set his flashlight down so it still sent its beam on the hat.

He was about to lift up the hat when he suddenly realized how ridiculous he must look, throwing hats at something that couldn’t exist. He’d probably lift the hat to find that nothing was there. What he’d seen was a trick of the light, perhaps a moth had startled him, but he was just seeing things because he was tired. He grabbed a single, mid-sized log that had never ended up in the fire and tossed it onto the embers. It caught in a few seconds, and Jacob had more light. He’d better be able to dispel his hallucination that way.

He almost flinched when he felt something strike the inside of the hat from under it. Was it really real? He asked himself. If it was, he wondered what he’d do.

“Okay,” Jacob said, steeling himself. He gripped the hat, lifting it steadily. When there was enough space, he quickly reached under the brim with his free hand, searching about blindly. He didn’t have to search for long before his fingers brushed something that wasn’t hat fabric; the creature had backed clear up to the other side. “Come on ...” he muttered. It tried moving away, and he heard it cry out when he touched it, but it didn’t escape him. Jacob’s hand closed firmly around the wildly struggling creature.

He drew it out from under the hat, starting to stand and abandoning the hat at the same time as he did so. The creature was squirming in his grip. One of its arms had been pinned to its side by Jacob’s fingers, but the other was free, and the little guy pushed frantically and fruitlessly at the hand that held him. Thankfully, Jacob noticed, he hadn’t squashed one of the wings, for they were both draped free over his hand, though he did feel them beat weakly every once in a while. His first observations were that it was humanoid, other than the wings. It had what looked like dark green hair, and bright green eyes; even though its eyes were so small, he could tell what color they were simply because of how bright they were. Jacob marveled at the little creature, wondering what exactly he’d just discovered here.

He didn’t have much time to observe the creature, though, because it did something quite unexpected. It leaned over in his grip and bit the side of his index finger. The first instant, it was just a light pinch, but the creature’s teeth were sharp enough to break the skin. “Ouch!” Jacob cried as he instinctively relinquished his grip and drew his hand back. There were two little pinprick-sized cuts on his finger. He really hoped the thing wasn’t poisonous.

It had fallen at first when he’d let go, but Jacob flinched when those powerful little green wings flared to life, righting the creature in midair. He could only watch as it turned and frantically darted out of the clearing, too fast for his hands to be able to catch.

He quickly stormed over to one of the army-green canvas bags and opened one of the side pouches, searching quickly. He didn’t want to let the creature get away so easily, but he knew there wasn’t much chance once it was out in the woods. Even so, he found the thick work gloves and pulled them on over his hands, and, retrieving the flashlight, set out at a quick pace after the little winged person.
~~~~~
(c) Neon

Yes, it's from Jacob's perspective. But the next chapter is actually the same events from Bowman's POV ... I had both versions written up and couldn't decide which I liked better, so I used both.

I'm proud of myself for the mini-setup with the notebooks ... how many people thought he'd found Bowman the first time something caught his eye?

Well, so much for hiding in plain sight, eh? Bowman underestimated the human intelligence here. That's too bad.

This is only the first part of the meeting, and it's not going over so well, eh? It's not that easy to get away from a determined human. D:

Enjoy. I'm going to slow down now so I don't run out of buffer. XD

[Amayasama]

D: Ohhh Bowman fly! Fly faster! Don't let the meanie catch you! ><