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The rise of Ara'nel's star
Posted: 09 Jul 2004 11:56 AM |
Part 1
A small elven boy of slight build ran, through the forests. With speed born from desperation and fear he ran. The dim moonlight provided just enough illumination for the boy to discern shapes in the darkness, trunks of great trees, thick roots reaching across the forest floor, bushes with their flexible branches waving in time with the breeze. All once his playthings now they served as obstacles, blocking the way, blocking his return to safety, blocking the way back to his parents. Yet still he ran. Despite the torrent of tears rolling down his cheeks, he ran.
“Come on Ribbit we can do it. Just keep running don’t look back.” He kept repeating this to himself as he ran. Ribbit, a small stuffed toy in the guise of a forest frog seemed to nod with agreement as he was held tightly in the grip of the fleeing child’s hand. It seemed that he had been running for an eternity and the child knew his strength was fading, yet fear of what was chasing him kept his heels from hitting the forest floor….
With exhaustion creeping in, the child slowed down to a sauntering trot, staggering he gasped for breath. Lifting Ribbit up to his face he whispered quietly into the toy frog’s ear; “can you see anything Ribbit? Is it safe to rest?” His breathing eased as scanned the tree line with Ribbit in hand scanning with him. He heard the crack of a twig yet could not spot anything, slowly backing off he continued to scan more and more desperately, panic again began to set in as he could feel the presence of something unnatural….
“BOOOOZ!!!” yelled the hobgoblin as it burst out from its hiding place. As the child stumbled backward in shock and dismay a fallen log rolled underfoot tripping him. As he lurched headfirst toward the ground his last thoughts were on keeping Ribbit within his grip.
“Har Harz”. Another growling belly laugh escaped from the hobgoblin’s mouth as he heard the sickening crunch of the child’s head hitting the hard now unforgiving forest floor. “Lookz like I gotz mez a nice weez snack” the grinning hobgoblin muttered to himself as he moved toward the fallen boy. Looking at the small sleight figure prone on the ground another hiss escaped from the hobgoblin’s mouth. “Hmmz sheemzs a bitz hardzs still maybez me cans softenz himz ups a bit soz I wont needz to chewzs so much”
With an ever widening grin, the beast began to chuckle to himself as he readied a monstrous club bristling with rusty nail like spines.
His head throbbed and he felt his life ooze out slowly through the back of his head into the forest that he had one played so gleefully in. His body felt dull and disobedient, he opened his eyes a crack and awkwardly tilted toward his left hand lying straight out from his head. A small smile crept back onto his face as through his blurred, clouded vision he could still make out the green that was unmistakably Ribbit. Unaware of the approaching danger he was quietly proud of himself for hanging onto Ribbit. His arm twitched with life as he struggled to bring Ribbit close enough to hug.
“Stoopid elfzes”, grunted the hobgoblin as he raised the giant club that he called a tenderizer above his head. With a final lick of his lips and thoughts of how juicy and tender the small child would be he brought the club down from the apex of his swing, muscles taught with power, grunting with effort the tip of the club sped toward the child’s head……. |
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