Post by Freezeflame on Aug 29, 2014 11:13:46 GMT -6
I am working on a book, so here's the first chapter
Sparkling blue water gave way to the murky depths of the ocean, it wasn't much farther now. The sleek-furred silver-blue fox swam deeper down, having followed the trail set by her ancestors, her time was now to complete the sacred ritual of traveling to the undersea Dragon Palace to receive the Water Dragon's Blessing. Suddenly, inky blackness gave way to a dazzling light, but as it shone brighter and brighter, the fox felt something horribly wrong. The darkness swallowed up the light and the fox was pulled down, down, down. As the fox sank deeper and deeper, she saw something that made her blood run cold. It was the skeleton of the Water Dragon. An unseen voice whispered into her ear, soft and mysterious, yet urgent. "Take heed of what you have seen, and stop it before it becomes reality! Take heed!" As the voice faded away, so did the last of the fox's consciousness, and all faded away to black...
Gasping for air, the silvery blue fox shot out of her nest. She looked around wildly, then realized she was still in her den with her family, and it had just been a nightmare. The dream had come again and again, every year on the night of the Fullest Moon, a night in which all prophecies are sent from heaven, in a shower of starlight, but every time the dream came something was different, and this year was no exception. The skeleton of the water dragon, the voice with no origin, all of it made her fur stand on end. A call from the second room of her small house told her that she was required in that room. As she entered the room, she saw her mother, who was enjoying a bowl of green tea. She gazed up into her daughter’s eyes “It’s that time of the year again.” She rasped, clearly the first words she had spoke all morning. The fox nodded, understanding the ever-familiar look that burned in her mother's gaze. She had to go visit the Elder Fox, a senile old fox that, while occasionally deciphering the most difficult dreams and signs, with his telepathic powers, would more often than not drain an entire barrel of sake, then sleep for several days. And when he wasn't drunk, sleeping or useful, he was doing nothing but muttering to himself about the alignment of the stars, or the weather The fox sighed. She actually didn't mind the Elder Fox, when he was acting at least reasonably normal, which seemed to be more often than not these days, so she smiled and nodded to her mother. The old gray-silver she-fox opened her mouth to speak "Remember, this year is the year when you receive the Water Dragon's Blessing, so the Elder Fox may tell you things you are unprepared for. Go well, Mizuka." The she-fox said, her voice cracking ever so slightly with age. Mizuka smiled good-naturedly and, after giving her mother a quick lick on the cheek made her way outside her den. Her mother called after her "And if he's drunk and out cold remember, a wet cloth to the face should rouse him!" She teased, although half serious. Mizuka chuckled, and made her way to the ornate den where the Elder Fox lived. As she entered, she saw to her dismay that he was indeed out cold. Heeding her mother's advice, Mizuka took a long cloth in her teeth and doused it in cold ocean water. She whipped him across the face with it, and he awoke. Pulling himself into a seated position, he stared at Mizuka, with a knowing glint in his eye. He looked her up and down, and, in a voice cracked with age began to speak."Ah, it's you. The young voiceless one.” He rasped.
At these words Mizuka winced. She hated it when people judged her solely because she had no voice. She rolled her eyes, and dropped into a seated position herself, still worn out by her nightmare. The Elder Fox looked at her, with his head tilted sideways “You’ve received a dream again, no? Ah, yes, I forgot. If you want to answer me, you’ll need this.” As soon as he spoke, Mizuka felt a joyful sensation begin in her head, then reach all the way to her paws. She knew the feeling all too well. The Elder Fox was giving her telepathic powers, just for a few golden minutes, so she could communicate with him. Part of Mizuka wanted to hit him over the head and run out into the world with a voice of her own, but she knew that that was impossible, so, for the 16th time in her life, she began to speak through her mind. “Thank you, Elder Fox. I had a nightmare last night. I had a dream I was swimming to the Dragon Palace to receive the blessing, as I do every year, but this year, instead of me just sinking into oblivion, I saw the skeleton of the Water Dragon, then a voice in my ear told me to take heed of what I’ve seen, and stop it before it becomes reality, and I don’t know what to do!” She finished, then wrapped her tail around her paws, anxiously awaiting a response. The Elder Fox looked at her intensely “That was no doubt a prophecy, but you’re a smart young lady, you’ve no doubt figured that out already. If the prophecy suggests that the Water Dragon will die, and you have to stop it, well then you need training.” Mizuka stared at him blankly “Training? In Necromancy? I have to bring him back to life?!” The Elder Fox laughed “No, of course not. I meant battle training so you can fight whatever dark force wants to kill it, for without the Water Dragon there can be no blessing, and without a blessing our race will have no power. Indeed, if you don’t stop the coming storm, it may be the end of us all” At the words “End of us all” Mizuka shuddered. She didn’t want some dangerous destiny, on which everything she knew and loved rode upon, she just wanted to live a normal life, and oh, how she wanted a voice of her own. She was willing to brave a million storms, climb every mountain and swim every ocean for a chance to speak and be heard. The Elder Fox looked at her “If you complete this task, the rewards will be great. You will be granted a scale off the Water Dragon’s own body, for you will have saved us all. One scale grants any single wish you can conceive, but just one.” Mizuka stared at him, a strange, far away longing in her eyes. Her eyes narrowed, and she stood up “Even if I have to travel through the underworld and back, rest assured I will complete this mission. I would like to start training as soon as possible, but I can’t fulfill any prophecies on an empty stomach, sir. I propose we eat a hearty breakfast and set straight to work.” The Elder Fox grinned ear-to-ear “I like your style, young silent one.” As he tottered off to the mess room to prepare breakfast for them, Mizuka looked at her own paws, then up at the roof of the den, as if she was staring into the sky itself. This was her chance, not only to save everything she held dear, but also to finally gain a voice of her own. Her head was racing. Thoughts of glory, thoughts of danger, thoughts of horror and grandeur, life and death, all were spinning inside her head, and she felt dizzied, like she was going to faint. As the Elder Fox called her into the mess room for breakfast, Mizuka thought to herself If so much as thinking of danger makes me feel faint, what chance do I have at fulfilling my destiny?
Sparkling blue water gave way to the murky depths of the ocean, it wasn't much farther now. The sleek-furred silver-blue fox swam deeper down, having followed the trail set by her ancestors, her time was now to complete the sacred ritual of traveling to the undersea Dragon Palace to receive the Water Dragon's Blessing. Suddenly, inky blackness gave way to a dazzling light, but as it shone brighter and brighter, the fox felt something horribly wrong. The darkness swallowed up the light and the fox was pulled down, down, down. As the fox sank deeper and deeper, she saw something that made her blood run cold. It was the skeleton of the Water Dragon. An unseen voice whispered into her ear, soft and mysterious, yet urgent. "Take heed of what you have seen, and stop it before it becomes reality! Take heed!" As the voice faded away, so did the last of the fox's consciousness, and all faded away to black...
Gasping for air, the silvery blue fox shot out of her nest. She looked around wildly, then realized she was still in her den with her family, and it had just been a nightmare. The dream had come again and again, every year on the night of the Fullest Moon, a night in which all prophecies are sent from heaven, in a shower of starlight, but every time the dream came something was different, and this year was no exception. The skeleton of the water dragon, the voice with no origin, all of it made her fur stand on end. A call from the second room of her small house told her that she was required in that room. As she entered the room, she saw her mother, who was enjoying a bowl of green tea. She gazed up into her daughter’s eyes “It’s that time of the year again.” She rasped, clearly the first words she had spoke all morning. The fox nodded, understanding the ever-familiar look that burned in her mother's gaze. She had to go visit the Elder Fox, a senile old fox that, while occasionally deciphering the most difficult dreams and signs, with his telepathic powers, would more often than not drain an entire barrel of sake, then sleep for several days. And when he wasn't drunk, sleeping or useful, he was doing nothing but muttering to himself about the alignment of the stars, or the weather The fox sighed. She actually didn't mind the Elder Fox, when he was acting at least reasonably normal, which seemed to be more often than not these days, so she smiled and nodded to her mother. The old gray-silver she-fox opened her mouth to speak "Remember, this year is the year when you receive the Water Dragon's Blessing, so the Elder Fox may tell you things you are unprepared for. Go well, Mizuka." The she-fox said, her voice cracking ever so slightly with age. Mizuka smiled good-naturedly and, after giving her mother a quick lick on the cheek made her way outside her den. Her mother called after her "And if he's drunk and out cold remember, a wet cloth to the face should rouse him!" She teased, although half serious. Mizuka chuckled, and made her way to the ornate den where the Elder Fox lived. As she entered, she saw to her dismay that he was indeed out cold. Heeding her mother's advice, Mizuka took a long cloth in her teeth and doused it in cold ocean water. She whipped him across the face with it, and he awoke. Pulling himself into a seated position, he stared at Mizuka, with a knowing glint in his eye. He looked her up and down, and, in a voice cracked with age began to speak."Ah, it's you. The young voiceless one.” He rasped.
At these words Mizuka winced. She hated it when people judged her solely because she had no voice. She rolled her eyes, and dropped into a seated position herself, still worn out by her nightmare. The Elder Fox looked at her, with his head tilted sideways “You’ve received a dream again, no? Ah, yes, I forgot. If you want to answer me, you’ll need this.” As soon as he spoke, Mizuka felt a joyful sensation begin in her head, then reach all the way to her paws. She knew the feeling all too well. The Elder Fox was giving her telepathic powers, just for a few golden minutes, so she could communicate with him. Part of Mizuka wanted to hit him over the head and run out into the world with a voice of her own, but she knew that that was impossible, so, for the 16th time in her life, she began to speak through her mind. “Thank you, Elder Fox. I had a nightmare last night. I had a dream I was swimming to the Dragon Palace to receive the blessing, as I do every year, but this year, instead of me just sinking into oblivion, I saw the skeleton of the Water Dragon, then a voice in my ear told me to take heed of what I’ve seen, and stop it before it becomes reality, and I don’t know what to do!” She finished, then wrapped her tail around her paws, anxiously awaiting a response. The Elder Fox looked at her intensely “That was no doubt a prophecy, but you’re a smart young lady, you’ve no doubt figured that out already. If the prophecy suggests that the Water Dragon will die, and you have to stop it, well then you need training.” Mizuka stared at him blankly “Training? In Necromancy? I have to bring him back to life?!” The Elder Fox laughed “No, of course not. I meant battle training so you can fight whatever dark force wants to kill it, for without the Water Dragon there can be no blessing, and without a blessing our race will have no power. Indeed, if you don’t stop the coming storm, it may be the end of us all” At the words “End of us all” Mizuka shuddered. She didn’t want some dangerous destiny, on which everything she knew and loved rode upon, she just wanted to live a normal life, and oh, how she wanted a voice of her own. She was willing to brave a million storms, climb every mountain and swim every ocean for a chance to speak and be heard. The Elder Fox looked at her “If you complete this task, the rewards will be great. You will be granted a scale off the Water Dragon’s own body, for you will have saved us all. One scale grants any single wish you can conceive, but just one.” Mizuka stared at him, a strange, far away longing in her eyes. Her eyes narrowed, and she stood up “Even if I have to travel through the underworld and back, rest assured I will complete this mission. I would like to start training as soon as possible, but I can’t fulfill any prophecies on an empty stomach, sir. I propose we eat a hearty breakfast and set straight to work.” The Elder Fox grinned ear-to-ear “I like your style, young silent one.” As he tottered off to the mess room to prepare breakfast for them, Mizuka looked at her own paws, then up at the roof of the den, as if she was staring into the sky itself. This was her chance, not only to save everything she held dear, but also to finally gain a voice of her own. Her head was racing. Thoughts of glory, thoughts of danger, thoughts of horror and grandeur, life and death, all were spinning inside her head, and she felt dizzied, like she was going to faint. As the Elder Fox called her into the mess room for breakfast, Mizuka thought to herself If so much as thinking of danger makes me feel faint, what chance do I have at fulfilling my destiny?
