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I have decided that if I ever actually have the testicular fortitude to write a full blown novel, that my pen name would be either Pam Anon or Jane Doe. That would be cool. Hmm. Pre-story musings, no bother to it.
In a forest, there are varying levels of calm and varying levels of chaos. Sometimes, it is all viewed as the natural order, even when a creature is taken by a predator for a meal, or a tree falls, trapping some poor animal beneath it. Natural order from natural things, all as it should be. But sometimes, creatures that are not part of the forest enter, and disturb this order of chaos and calm.
Two such creatures- human beings to the eye- were crashing through the underbrush as they ran, thin, long polished pieces of wood in their hands. Two creatures, a male and female. One as dark as night, one as pale as the moon. The girl, the pale one, cast glances over her shoulder even as she ran, her pale face drawn into a look of mild indifference.
The dark one tucked his ivory wand into a sheath on his sleeve, not missing a beat. He leapt nimbly over a fallen log and asked the girl, "Are they still tailing us?"
"Most unfortunately," she replied, looking over her shoulder once more. Her calm attitude flickered something into anger for just a moment, twisting her fair face into ugliness, but she controlled the feeling. Now would not be a moment to loose control.
"Blasted creatures," the boy muttered, jumping up to catch hold of a sturdy branch and swinging over a small but deep brook. The girl simply leaped, summersaulting through the air to land on her feet running. They ran together, the girl with her wand out, the boy with his away.
"I supposed they can't help it. It's their nature," the girl said absently. Her white hair whipped against her face as they changed course to avoid a stand of nearly impassable trees.
"To kill us?" The boy's hair was black and curly, far shorter than the girl's waist length hair, though still long for a boy's. It was also less likely to whip his bright green eyes.
"Yes, unfortunately."
Together, they pushed off a thick tree root and leaped across a fallen tree. They could hear crashing behind them, and chilling howls of unatural creatures. The boy took out his ivory wand again, using it to blast away a thick tangle of nettles. The girl smiled as though he had just complimented her sweater, and they plowed on.
"There is a cave ahead," the girl said.
"As I recall, it leads to places where we would rather not venture," the boy replied.
"So? They can not follow. And we are tough enough."
"Your arrogance shall land thee in a very deep pit."
"Your irony is not amusing."
The boy pursed his lips, which threatened to betray him and smile. Both boy and girl came to a sudden halt, staring at a deep trench that ran right before the entrance of a gaping cave. The crashing behind them grew louder, accompanied by the barking cough of the pursuing creatures. The girl and boy looked at each other, joined their hands, and jumped.
Just as they reached their peak of momentum above the trench, the pursuing creatures crashed out of the underbrush. They gave their screaming bark and howl to the sky as the two human appearing creatures reached the mouth of the cave and rolled to break their fall, landing and rolling to a safe place.
Taking deep breaths, if not quite panting, they sat up and looked at the dog like creatures which had been pursuing them for so long. They whipped their reptilian tails against strong back legs, bawling. They could not cross the trench. No water ran there, but magic did, a deep magic that kept such creatures at bay. They slunk away, shovel shaped heads swinging side to side to keep their predator eyes able to see everything.
The two human like creatures looked at each other and embraced. The boy pressed his lips against the girl's, and they tasted each other's magic for just a moment. They seperated.
The boy stood and held out his hand. His wand was out again, the ivory gleaming with its own light. "We have no choice," he said as the girl took his hand. "We do not know how we shall turn out, or how anything shall, but we must be away from here." He took her hand and helped her stand.
The girl nodded, her lips still warm from his. She hugged him again, her ebony wand casting shadows that seemed to give light. "I know, I know. I just do not want to be seperated. We know nothing about that world."
"I know that if we stay here, we shall either be running for our entire lives or we shall be eaten by those things." He jerked his head harshly to the mouth of the cave. They could still hear the screaming howl of the creatures. "There is always a possibility that we may escape from here alive. If only we could take the chance."
The girl looked deeper into the cave. It was a perfectly square cave, except for a few stalagmites that jutted up near the entrance. They were lucky not to have landed on one. She took a deep breath and took his hand.
"Wands out, and chins high," she said in a wavering voice. Her emotion was getting a hold of her again. She took a moment to rein it in before saying, in a stonger voice, "We must escape from here, at least until we know what else we can do."
They walked, hand in hand, into the depths of the cave, holding their wands up with lighted ends to see their way. Their matching green eyes were set with determination.
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