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View Full Version : ch.3 Severed pact



spirits breath
05-28-2010, 11:56 PM
Her body shook in uncoordinated spasms, the stormy night holding more of a lower temperature than most nights would consist of. Soft breezes carried in a light mist of water that coated her dripping fur. An occasional drip of water splashed down audibly into a growing puddle at her feet, on top of having the near wave motions of wind catching the rain. Lightning surged through the sky, briefly illuminating her bindings.
Clamped at each of her legs were a thick rope made of woven straw, a considerably thicker one wrapped around her neck. They were all fastened to a tree behind her, preventing her movements beyond looking around and lying and standing. Her bonding left her relatively exposed to the cold night.
This wasn’t the case of the guarding hawk, his feathers black as usual, without a crest. He sat comfortably under a tree, his area as dry as Marianna’s is wet. He nursed a small bowl of what had to be a liquid based on how he enjoyed it. His sharp gaze seemed immune to any outsider’s problems, and could care less if she were to freeze to death. Another hawk came by, gently draping a small blanket over the one idle hawk. It was made up of leaves, and feathers on the underside, and a deep brown fur coat along the topside.
A loud crack of thunder barreled its way over the forest, a small prayer to have a bolt of lightning come down and destroy the tree behind her, thus freeing her. Only that never would happen, only go off in the distance to tease her.
The night ravaged on, Marianna drenched in a blanket of water, her entire body stiff from the cold. The sun did very little to help her, only accelerating some of the evaporating water, leaving her even colder than before. Her fur clung close to her body, unable to be lifted out or do much at all.
Heavy wing beats sorely distracted her from the thick wall of a breeze that chilled her. The hawk, the one responsible for her being in her situation held a decree. His talons opened it with care. His voice held out a sense of authority, speaking loud for the public to hear. “Your crimes are as follows. You have broken several of the treaties from the pact our two tribes have made 37 moon cycles ago. Now the first one you broke, you have broken the hostility treaty between our two tribes, and you have entered our lands with one of our own in your mouth.” He breathed in deeply. “As well as threatened the safety of our lordship.”
A shaking voice wavered in the background, soft and held an enchanting ring to it. “She. She did none of that sir. She only wished for.” He paused as he swallowed a ball of air build up in his throat. “It was an act of good faith in her coming.”
The hawk who read the decree looked up, his back arching back, his chest puffed out in anger. The dark brown eyes were narrow slits that fumed with anger. “Who? Who dares defy the law? Step forward.” His voice gradually rose, turning into a fierce shout. “Now! Join this worthless heap of a sorry excuse of her parents." There were no movements, only silence. A few smaller birds looked around, few looking back knowing who spoke up. His voice calmed down. "Now then, let’s not keep your punishment waiting. Gentlemen, cut her fur down to size. I want." He gave a devilish drink, his head looking down with his eyes focused on the fox before him." It, to become a nice. Warm. Nest. Take no pity for her, take as much as you can. When it grows back, we will do it again." His voice gave emphasis on the last few words.
Marianna's eyes widened in terror, she pulled futile against her bindings. Her feet were stuck, and if she could reach the rope with her mouth she could free herself. Only when she got close, she would yip out in pain as the rope ripped out even more pieces of her fur that were firmly rooted in her skin.
The small crowd moved forwards, a wall of shining feathers, reflecting light, and darkness in a single push. Several beaks snapped forwards, pelting her skin, only to pull back harshly to rip out several pieces of her hair at once. Her body shifted around, trying to lessen the pain of one side of her, only to increase it for the other. Several small drops of blood, the same color as her fur quickly beaded up along her ravaged underbelly. A few bodies were pushed aside, more fur ripped off of her. Heat build up, the thick exhaust-like air that she was forced to breath in. A thick rancid scent built up, the rather dirty skin she had that was held off by her fur was now exposed, and the thick scent that only needed the hawks to have glowing red eyes to finish the picture. All Marianna saw was darkness.
The sun had risen over the small patch of the forest. Marianas body sulked against her binds. The several small wounds on her body had dried up, her skin was layered in small circles of yellow outlines of a dark purple. Her body ladled in cracking blood and bruises. The sun beat down on her pale skin, her face left relatively unscathed from the onslaught. She felt weak, cold, and even more vulnerable than she thought she would ever be.
A soft suppressed laughter arose from. A heavy wing slid across her bruised body, from her head to her tail. Flicking off the end of the tail in an oddly gentle manner. His voice was light, near a casual routine job that showed he wasn’t in the mood to do this. “Fox, I have been instructed by Volch to carry out a simple task. This is to…well. Um.” His right wing rose up by his head, his blue eyes closed heavily. A deep sigh gurgled up out of his mouth. “My job is to well clean off your body of the blood and to deliver a message from an unnamed source as he asked me to tell you.”
She still felt uncomfortable, the small skin tingling sensation she had from the soft touch against her bare skin slowly faded away. The rapid vibrations of her body trying to accumulate a normal body heat seemed to pause at the thought of having her body be touched in every square inch of her body. Though a spark of curiosity rose up within her, she had a message.
The small hawk looked over at her. “You are expected to become some sort of offering for a new induction of the new prince. However there are some…preparations that are in order beforehand. That being said, this comes with some purpose of me having to clean you. It seems you just may get to talk with the alpha. Our king will be in attendance, so expect to be heavily restrained.” He slid his wings across her body, pushing into her as he pushed off several flakes of crusted blood off of her skin. “You know, it does take a while to get all this off of myself. Though it isn’t much to remove.”
Marianna tried to feel reassured by the unusually kind act, her body wanting to fight the odd touch. Each little feather sent chills along her body that were only fused with the similar chill brought on by the cool air of a falling day. A small leaf with asmall rope around it looped around the hawks wing, several pine needles went vertically downwards. The bumpy layer was moved slowly back and forth Mariannas body as it brushed off the flacking spots of blood. The feeling felt like a non-existant force that had suction on it that removed a building itch that she shouldn't reach.
The small act only lasted for the sun to shift her shadow from below her, to where it cast a shadow on her right. Once the feeling of her body returned to, her body finnally warm from all liquids being removed from her, she felt hungry. The feeling was held back by the constant shaking of her skin to remove the varied peiced of blood that was on her. But without that, her bodily senses came back. She muttered softly. "Would you be able to bring me something to eat? Anything really, I could even eat something that isn't meat."
The hawk cleaning her backed away, his head moving in several directions to inspect her everywhere. A soft blush as he had to inspect some areas he wouldn't normally be able to stare at without a wing comming down on the back of his head from his mom, and later his dad would congradulate him. He muttered weakly. "I am sorry. I can't control how the guards feed you. My job was soley to clean you. Though Volch did say he wanted you to be eating at the dirt and licking dew off the grass and your own body. But I am sure you will have a little bit of help. Not everyone here is like Volch, some just want to help maintain peace."
He ears perked up, hearing the name Volch over and over again. "This Colch. Who is he? Do I know him?"
A soft wing was placed on the back of her neck. "He is the one that had the fur removed from your body for humiliation." Without another word, the hawk lept up into the air, a small gold banding on his leg and another was a few stems of the yellow topped weeds called dandelions, that was wrapped around his other leg. He seemed familier, but why would he have those small things on him that nobody else did? These questions would be going back and forth in her head thoughout the end of the sun cycle, and the beginning of the moon cycle.

(done with this chapter now)