It began as usual. Reo could hear the laughter of the other children around him. The group is running in a pack. He can feel the sun on his face, and the wind rustles his hair as he jogs to keep up with the others. The group continues, the limbs seeming to speed at an unnatural rate as they pull ahead. Reo pushes harder to keep up, but only falls further behind. He stops for breath, the aches in his limbs and the tightness in his chest somehow absent despite the exhaustion. He looks down and sees his leg, somehow taking the worst of two realities at once: the bone jutting through the skin and blood welling through the skin, and the misshapen nightmare that it is now. The group is now further beyond. That was good. Sometimes they would come back and mock him, just out his reach. This time, there was something else there...it was fuzzy at the edges, but Reo had to get there. HIs feet are halting now, and stumbling but he’s almost-
The slam of the door wakes him, Amara hauling water from the stream to the small brazier, throwing on a few pieces of wood. “You’re sleeping in. Dreams again?”
“Hrrgh” Reo makes a non-committal sound as he pulls in his legs and slowly works his way to his feet, steadying himself against the wall. It’s a rough greeting, but Amara has known him long enough for it not to offend her.
“Well, try to replenish our stocks while you go out. These old bones aren’t going to be able to handle that forever.”
Reo wordlessly pulls on a loose jacket and his pack, stepping out into the day. The simple walk takes far longer than most, his leg dragging in a step-hop gait and he goes through the fields and wood around the Kakita settlement. The unsteady gait is compounded by frequent stops, and Reo bends down, pulling assorted plants up by the stem or slicing off leaves.
There is a rustle in the boughs, prompting Reo to look up. A pigeon flits from branch to branch, pausing to preen its feathers. Reo stares silently at the bird, watching with near reverence as it moves so effortlessly through the leaves. Then, slowly, he pulls his bow. His eyes never leave the bird as he pulls an arrow from the quiver. The bowstring is pulled taut, his fingers gripped. The arrow moves in a bending arc, wiggling from the tension, snuffing out the creature’s life mid-coo. Reo limps forward, pulling the shaft free and slinging the bird over his shoulder as he begins to trudge back home.
There is a rustle of activity in the village as Reo returns, seeing a few with the colors of those Crane people that had begun popping up. “What is that about?” Reo raises an eyebrow to Amara.
“Something about an emissary calling people for an expedition.” Amara shrugs. “It’s from one of those Kami.”
“Is it now?” Reo looks off into the distance, the lingering shards of dream playing back in his head. “Did they say where?”
Drawn - Kakita Reo
Jump to
- Rules and Registration
- ↳ Character Creation
- ↳ Rules and Errata
- Out of Character
- ↳ Out of Character Chat
- ↳ Weather
- ↳ Almanac
- ↳ Fiction
- ↳ Q&A
- Dà Shānchéngì - Great Mountain City
- ↳ Court Room
- ↳ Meeting and Dining Hall
- ↳ Guest Rooms
- ↳ Courtyard
- ↳ Pure River Brewery
- ↳ The Bathhouse
- ↳ Surrounding Farmlands
- ↳ Seidou River
- Previous Locations
- ↳ Twilight Mountains
- ↳ The Camp
- ↳ The Kami's Tent
- ↳ Shinsei's Tent
- ↳ Supply Wagon
- ↳ The Forest
- ↳ The Clearing
- ↳ Abandoned Outpost
- ↳ The River
- ↳ The Swamp
- ↳ The Camp
- ↳ The Kami's Tent
- ↳ Shinsei's Tent
- ↳ The Supply Wagon
- ↳ Hunting Grounds
- ↳ The Stream
- ↳ The Wetlands
- ↳ The Deep Swamp
- ↳ North-North Mountain City
- ↳ The Camp
- ↳ The Kami's Tent
- ↳ Shinsei's Tent
- ↳ The Supply Wagon
- ↳ City Hall
- ↳ The Marketplace
- ↳ The Streets
- ↳ The Library
- ↳ The Outskirts
- ↳ The Rapids
- ↳ The Camp
- ↳ The Kami's Tent
- ↳ Shinsei's Tent
- ↳ The Supply Wagon
- ↳ The Jungle
- ↳ The Rapids
- ↳ The Waterfall and Cliff
- ↳ The Corrupted Cave
- ↳ Forested Ruins
- ↳ The Camp
- ↳ The Kami's Tent
- ↳ Shinsei's Tent
- ↳ The Supply Wagon
- ↳ The Forest
- ↳ The Web Field
- ↳ The Ruins
- ↳ The River
- ↳ Edge of the Shadowlands
- ↳ The Camp
- ↳ The Kami's Tent
- ↳ Shinsei's Tent
- ↳ The Supply Wagon
- ↳ The Jungle
- ↳ The Nezumi Forward Camp
- ↳ The Debris Fields
- ↳ The Nezumi Tomb
- ↳ Nezumi Capital Ruins
- ↳ The Camp
- ↳ The Kami's Tent
- ↳ Shinsei's Tent
- ↳ The Supply Wagon
- ↳ The Jungle
- ↳ The City Outskirts
- ↳ The Brackish Pools
- ↳ The Hall of Green Flame
- ↳ The Crater
- ↳ The Central Ruins
- ↳ The Edge of the Pit
- ↳ Jigoku