Post by stardust12 on Apr 8, 2011 19:35:46 GMT -5
Here's my short-story submission for the contest!
"Aubryn Camelia Avalar!" shouted a furious voice. Even sitting against a tree, yards away from their small cottage, the girl to which the name belonged heard the exasperated cry and groaned. It wasn't that her mother had yelled at her, it wasn't that fact that her mother had used her middle name, it was that she had called her Aubryn. Everyone knew to call her Bryn (Aubryn just sounded too formal). Well, everyone except her mother. Muttering, Bryn stood up, tucked back a stray piece of her dark brown hair and skulked back to the cottage. What had she done, now?
"Aubryn!" her mother called. Bryn followed the voice to her father's sculpting workshop. On the floor of the wooden structure, shattered pieces of hardened clay littered the floor.
"What happened in here?" Bryn's mother, Eleanor, demanded, her foot tapped impatiently on the polished wood floor. Eleanor owned a small sewing shop, where she made some of the finest quilts and blankets for horses and people alike. The light purple circles beneath her brown eyes an indication of how hard she worked. " And I'm not going to believe the Citrustack did it this time!" The creature in question gave a plaintive 'cheep!'. Unfazed, Bryn's russet-coloured eyes met her mother's angry glare. "I was just showing my friends the family dye, and a couple sculptures broke!" the girl explained, pointing to the top of one of the many wall-units against the wall. Many miniature clay figurines of horses rested, drying on the shelves. On the top shelf was an empty glass display where the dye was kept. However, this wasn't just any dye, as one could tell from the where it was stored. This dye was said to be made from the Auroborus itself and could reflect and project all colours of the rainbow. It had been handed down for generations and Bryn's father only used it to adorn his most exceptional sculptures.
"What?" her mother gasped, "You know your father is the only one allowed to touch that! Where is it?"
"Relax! It's right there!" Bryn exclaimed, indicating where it sat at the edge of her father's worktable. Smears of the precious dye splattered the worktable. Its crystal stopper had been inserted loosely, and wobbled on the lip of the bottle. Bryn's mother gasped again. "You used it? You used the dye! How could you? You know we don't know how to make any more! That bottle has lasted this family for over 250 years, and now you've wasted it!" Delicately, Bryn's mother adjusted the stopper, climbed the stepladder, and placed the dye in its case.
"Your father has gone to the marketplace to sell his works, but if he were here..." Bryn's mother threatened. Then, she sighed and said, "Clean this up."
Muttering under her breath as her mother left the workshop, Bryn grabbed the broom in the corner and began sweeping none too gently. Then she paused in front of one of the shelves where some small figurines were drying from a coat of dye. Bryn recognized the legendary horse Jewel among them. Her father had sculpted her very intricately, right down to the sparkling gems that adorned her face and legs. If only she had one of those great horses of legend, she wouldn't have to answer to anybody! She would be respected everywhere she went and no one would question her! Suddenly, Bryn was struck with an idea. That was exactly what she would do, find a grand horse! One with great wings, or intimidating build. With it by her side, no one would ever yell at her again! Abandoning her task, Bryn left the broom where it fell and went to the map hung on the opposite end of the work-shop. There was a vast expanse of forest and wide fields nearby; the perfect place to find a horse.
Sneakily, Bryn crept out of the workshop closing the door gently behind her. She skirted around the back of their cottage, where she got a glimpse of her mother busily sewing away at a quilt. Then, she made for the trees. Filled with exhiliration, Bryn looked up at the sky. It was still early morning, and she decided she would return just before dusk fell. At first, she made her way slowly through the trees, hoping not to scare off a potential horse. But the girl soon grew impatient as she began walking quickly through the brush. Finally, she came across a small clearing where part of a river had branched away and formed a small pool. Beautiful flowers grew around the edge of the pool. But, Bryn wasn't interested in that, for she thought that she heard a noise from behind a tall bush. Yes, it definitely sounded like movement. And, was that a whinny? With her heart beating wildly, Bryn tip-toed forward. Her fingers tentatively reached to move the bush away so she could see the source of the noises. Could this be the magnificent, wondrous horse she had been looking for?
Bryn felt a flood of disappointment at what she saw in front of her. It was a horse all right, but not anything like what she had hoped to find. It was a completely black horse with nothing so remarkable but for a greyish star on its forhead and socks to match. It looked up at her from where it was grazing.
"Oh!" Bryn moaned. "You're certainly not what I'm looking for." With that, she pressed on. She looked high and low, following every horse-like sound she heard (most of them turned out to be birds), but with no success. Bryn sighed heavily, and decided to continue on the trail she was following. But, she realized that the trail was nowhere in sight! Bryn had become lost without realizing it. The sun was already past its highest point, and who knew how long it was going to take her to find her way again? Just as Bryn was thinking that she was beginning to feel hungry, she heard what sounded like a horse's bay, not too far away. She followed it, hoping that perhaps she would find the grand horse that she searched. But as abruptly as the sound had started, it stopped. It wasn't until Bryn looked around that she realized she was back on the trail. And not only that, she spotted a plumberry bush just steps in front of her! Plumberries were Bryn's favourite. All of a sudden, she heard quite a loud snort behind her, and Bryn turned around, startled. She looked to see the same, and only horse she had passed what seemed like hours ago.
"I knew you were following me!" she accused. "I thought I heard something behind me a couple of times. Stop it! How am I supposed to find a legendary horse with you're tramping along behind me??"
The horse gave a huff, and disappeared among the brush. The rich orange light that shone down from the sky told Bryn that it was time to start heading back. Maybe she would find a horse on the way home...
About an hour into the walk, a black horse burst out of the trees in front of her, neighing loudly and causing Bryn to involuntarily gasp. "You again? I told you to stop following me!" the girl yelled. The horse continued to whinny and at one point, even reared. "Go away!" Bryn shrieked, and she stomped her foot. The horse calmed down, hung its head and trotted back amongst the trees it had so suddenly burst out of.
'Crazy horse,' thought Bryn. As she walked, she thought she felt a slight tremor in the ground. Quite suddenly, she found herself falling downwards, until she hit the soft earth with a thud. Gingerly getting up, Bryn looked around. She was in a pit, about fifteen feet deep. From the many holes that dotted the earthen walls, Bryn guessed that an abandoned system of burrows had collapsed beneath her. The walls of the pit were steep, and the girl had no clue how she would get out. Just then, she heard noises above her.
"Hello?" she called, "Is anyone there?"
For an answer, the black shape of a horse's head looked down at her, followed by the rest of its body.
"Hi," Bryn greeted softly. "I know I haven't been the nicest to you." The horse snorted. "Okay, I haven't been nice at all! But, do you think you could help me?"
The horse trotted away. 'Of course not,' Bryn thought. It dawned on her that maybe she hadn't been the nicest to anyone, especially her parents. 'I wouldn't even help me.'' But then, a long thick vine dropped down from above and the end hung in front of her. The horse had come back, and he held the other end of vine in his mouth! "Thank you!" Bryn exclaimed. Suddenly, a clear, vivid image of her using the vine to climb up the wall flashed inside Bryn's mind. She gasped. Then, Bryn grabbed the vine and climbed up, just as she had seen herself do in the picture in her mind. She didn't know how, but she was sure the horse had sent it to her. That was his way of communicating! When she finally climbed over the edge of the hole, the horse let go of the vine. "Thank you, um..." A picture of the night sky, and someone playing the piano appeared in her mind. "Nightsong," Bryn said. The stallion lowered his head, and Bryn cautiously reached out to pat his muzzle. He felt so soft! In that moment, Bryn realized that Nightsong was just as magnificent and wonderful as any horse! She had been looking for a grand and spectacular stallion when here was the one she was searching for all along. Not only had he helped her out of the pit, but he had tried to warn her before. And before that, Bryn was sure it was his calls that led her back on to the trail. "You may not be able to summon lightning or create whirlwinds, but you saved me," Bryn told Nightsong. Together, they walked along the path back towards her cottage. Creeping silently and cautiously around the cottage, Bryn led Nightsong into the workshop, his hooves clattering against the floor. When the girl finished sweeping up, she looked up to find Nightsong gazing up at the bottle in the glass case. "That's our family's special dye," Bryn explained. "There isn't much left, thanks to me." She looked over at the workbench were the shimmering dye still stained the workbench. "I'm going to be in so much trouble when dad comes home," she sighed. The stallion trotted over to the worktable and sniffed at the dye. An image suddenly flooded Bryn's mind of her sitting on Nightsong's back, holding up a bottle to the flashing colours of the Auroborus, somewhere on what looked like a floating piece of earth; the Auroborus' light streaming into the bottle. "You know how to get more!" Bryn breathed. "You can take me there? Can you fly?" Nightsong snorted and tossed his head as if to say, "Why don't we go and see?"
"Maybe tomorrow," Bryn laughed. "Right now, I have to introduce you to my mother." The girl reached out and stroked Nightsong's neck, as she walked towards the cottage with her new faithful friend.
[shadow=red,left,300]Chasing Legends[/shadow]
by Stardust12
by Stardust12
"Aubryn Camelia Avalar!" shouted a furious voice. Even sitting against a tree, yards away from their small cottage, the girl to which the name belonged heard the exasperated cry and groaned. It wasn't that her mother had yelled at her, it wasn't that fact that her mother had used her middle name, it was that she had called her Aubryn. Everyone knew to call her Bryn (Aubryn just sounded too formal). Well, everyone except her mother. Muttering, Bryn stood up, tucked back a stray piece of her dark brown hair and skulked back to the cottage. What had she done, now?
"Aubryn!" her mother called. Bryn followed the voice to her father's sculpting workshop. On the floor of the wooden structure, shattered pieces of hardened clay littered the floor.
"What happened in here?" Bryn's mother, Eleanor, demanded, her foot tapped impatiently on the polished wood floor. Eleanor owned a small sewing shop, where she made some of the finest quilts and blankets for horses and people alike. The light purple circles beneath her brown eyes an indication of how hard she worked. " And I'm not going to believe the Citrustack did it this time!" The creature in question gave a plaintive 'cheep!'. Unfazed, Bryn's russet-coloured eyes met her mother's angry glare. "I was just showing my friends the family dye, and a couple sculptures broke!" the girl explained, pointing to the top of one of the many wall-units against the wall. Many miniature clay figurines of horses rested, drying on the shelves. On the top shelf was an empty glass display where the dye was kept. However, this wasn't just any dye, as one could tell from the where it was stored. This dye was said to be made from the Auroborus itself and could reflect and project all colours of the rainbow. It had been handed down for generations and Bryn's father only used it to adorn his most exceptional sculptures.
"What?" her mother gasped, "You know your father is the only one allowed to touch that! Where is it?"
"Relax! It's right there!" Bryn exclaimed, indicating where it sat at the edge of her father's worktable. Smears of the precious dye splattered the worktable. Its crystal stopper had been inserted loosely, and wobbled on the lip of the bottle. Bryn's mother gasped again. "You used it? You used the dye! How could you? You know we don't know how to make any more! That bottle has lasted this family for over 250 years, and now you've wasted it!" Delicately, Bryn's mother adjusted the stopper, climbed the stepladder, and placed the dye in its case.
"Your father has gone to the marketplace to sell his works, but if he were here..." Bryn's mother threatened. Then, she sighed and said, "Clean this up."
Muttering under her breath as her mother left the workshop, Bryn grabbed the broom in the corner and began sweeping none too gently. Then she paused in front of one of the shelves where some small figurines were drying from a coat of dye. Bryn recognized the legendary horse Jewel among them. Her father had sculpted her very intricately, right down to the sparkling gems that adorned her face and legs. If only she had one of those great horses of legend, she wouldn't have to answer to anybody! She would be respected everywhere she went and no one would question her! Suddenly, Bryn was struck with an idea. That was exactly what she would do, find a grand horse! One with great wings, or intimidating build. With it by her side, no one would ever yell at her again! Abandoning her task, Bryn left the broom where it fell and went to the map hung on the opposite end of the work-shop. There was a vast expanse of forest and wide fields nearby; the perfect place to find a horse.
Sneakily, Bryn crept out of the workshop closing the door gently behind her. She skirted around the back of their cottage, where she got a glimpse of her mother busily sewing away at a quilt. Then, she made for the trees. Filled with exhiliration, Bryn looked up at the sky. It was still early morning, and she decided she would return just before dusk fell. At first, she made her way slowly through the trees, hoping not to scare off a potential horse. But the girl soon grew impatient as she began walking quickly through the brush. Finally, she came across a small clearing where part of a river had branched away and formed a small pool. Beautiful flowers grew around the edge of the pool. But, Bryn wasn't interested in that, for she thought that she heard a noise from behind a tall bush. Yes, it definitely sounded like movement. And, was that a whinny? With her heart beating wildly, Bryn tip-toed forward. Her fingers tentatively reached to move the bush away so she could see the source of the noises. Could this be the magnificent, wondrous horse she had been looking for?
Bryn felt a flood of disappointment at what she saw in front of her. It was a horse all right, but not anything like what she had hoped to find. It was a completely black horse with nothing so remarkable but for a greyish star on its forhead and socks to match. It looked up at her from where it was grazing.
"Oh!" Bryn moaned. "You're certainly not what I'm looking for." With that, she pressed on. She looked high and low, following every horse-like sound she heard (most of them turned out to be birds), but with no success. Bryn sighed heavily, and decided to continue on the trail she was following. But, she realized that the trail was nowhere in sight! Bryn had become lost without realizing it. The sun was already past its highest point, and who knew how long it was going to take her to find her way again? Just as Bryn was thinking that she was beginning to feel hungry, she heard what sounded like a horse's bay, not too far away. She followed it, hoping that perhaps she would find the grand horse that she searched. But as abruptly as the sound had started, it stopped. It wasn't until Bryn looked around that she realized she was back on the trail. And not only that, she spotted a plumberry bush just steps in front of her! Plumberries were Bryn's favourite. All of a sudden, she heard quite a loud snort behind her, and Bryn turned around, startled. She looked to see the same, and only horse she had passed what seemed like hours ago.
"I knew you were following me!" she accused. "I thought I heard something behind me a couple of times. Stop it! How am I supposed to find a legendary horse with you're tramping along behind me??"
The horse gave a huff, and disappeared among the brush. The rich orange light that shone down from the sky told Bryn that it was time to start heading back. Maybe she would find a horse on the way home...
About an hour into the walk, a black horse burst out of the trees in front of her, neighing loudly and causing Bryn to involuntarily gasp. "You again? I told you to stop following me!" the girl yelled. The horse continued to whinny and at one point, even reared. "Go away!" Bryn shrieked, and she stomped her foot. The horse calmed down, hung its head and trotted back amongst the trees it had so suddenly burst out of.
'Crazy horse,' thought Bryn. As she walked, she thought she felt a slight tremor in the ground. Quite suddenly, she found herself falling downwards, until she hit the soft earth with a thud. Gingerly getting up, Bryn looked around. She was in a pit, about fifteen feet deep. From the many holes that dotted the earthen walls, Bryn guessed that an abandoned system of burrows had collapsed beneath her. The walls of the pit were steep, and the girl had no clue how she would get out. Just then, she heard noises above her.
"Hello?" she called, "Is anyone there?"
For an answer, the black shape of a horse's head looked down at her, followed by the rest of its body.
"Hi," Bryn greeted softly. "I know I haven't been the nicest to you." The horse snorted. "Okay, I haven't been nice at all! But, do you think you could help me?"
The horse trotted away. 'Of course not,' Bryn thought. It dawned on her that maybe she hadn't been the nicest to anyone, especially her parents. 'I wouldn't even help me.'' But then, a long thick vine dropped down from above and the end hung in front of her. The horse had come back, and he held the other end of vine in his mouth! "Thank you!" Bryn exclaimed. Suddenly, a clear, vivid image of her using the vine to climb up the wall flashed inside Bryn's mind. She gasped. Then, Bryn grabbed the vine and climbed up, just as she had seen herself do in the picture in her mind. She didn't know how, but she was sure the horse had sent it to her. That was his way of communicating! When she finally climbed over the edge of the hole, the horse let go of the vine. "Thank you, um..." A picture of the night sky, and someone playing the piano appeared in her mind. "Nightsong," Bryn said. The stallion lowered his head, and Bryn cautiously reached out to pat his muzzle. He felt so soft! In that moment, Bryn realized that Nightsong was just as magnificent and wonderful as any horse! She had been looking for a grand and spectacular stallion when here was the one she was searching for all along. Not only had he helped her out of the pit, but he had tried to warn her before. And before that, Bryn was sure it was his calls that led her back on to the trail. "You may not be able to summon lightning or create whirlwinds, but you saved me," Bryn told Nightsong. Together, they walked along the path back towards her cottage. Creeping silently and cautiously around the cottage, Bryn led Nightsong into the workshop, his hooves clattering against the floor. When the girl finished sweeping up, she looked up to find Nightsong gazing up at the bottle in the glass case. "That's our family's special dye," Bryn explained. "There isn't much left, thanks to me." She looked over at the workbench were the shimmering dye still stained the workbench. "I'm going to be in so much trouble when dad comes home," she sighed. The stallion trotted over to the worktable and sniffed at the dye. An image suddenly flooded Bryn's mind of her sitting on Nightsong's back, holding up a bottle to the flashing colours of the Auroborus, somewhere on what looked like a floating piece of earth; the Auroborus' light streaming into the bottle. "You know how to get more!" Bryn breathed. "You can take me there? Can you fly?" Nightsong snorted and tossed his head as if to say, "Why don't we go and see?"
"Maybe tomorrow," Bryn laughed. "Right now, I have to introduce you to my mother." The girl reached out and stroked Nightsong's neck, as she walked towards the cottage with her new faithful friend.
