84th of Spring, 509AV
Zlakalia was lost. that much was clear as she continued through the long grass. Grass was everywhere, constantly surrounding her. The little donkey who dragged her cart was no help, didn't even want to move most of the time and munched on grass till his belly was full and then wouldn't walk any longer. His stubby little legs were hard to keep moving, so she barely traveled a few hours each day before the dumb animal would give up and stay firm. Zlakalia contemplated leaving him here only twice, both times deterred by the cart he carried. She couldn't leave it behind.
It had been weeks since she had gotten separated from the caravan, and the last thing Zlakalia wanted was to spend the next few months with this stupid animal until her clay supply ran out and she became a statue tangled in these cursed roots. She didn't even know the date, days ran together like the grassy landscape all around her. She had been trying to head east, follow the sun in the morning and away from it at night, but progress was so slow. Zlakalia wanted to scream. So she did so! She howled out, an angry yell just trying to relieve the tension that took her.
But Zlakalia didn't know what other eyes were watching from the grassy landscape. Cold, wide eyes followed her now, attracted by the sound. Soon there would be others, but for now only the one watched the donkey with hungry eyes. An echoing cackle of a call hurled out over the landscape, the gleaming beak of the large bird closing afterward with a snap.
Zlakalia whipped her head around at the noise. Nothing seemed disturbed, no grass moved or was disturbed around her. Everything looked the same. Zlakalia pulled up the reins, lightly tapping them against the donkey's side. The glassbeak rustled closer, noise of footsteps and moving grass, though Zlakalia couldn't see where it was stalking her from.
With another shriek the glassbeak burst from the undergrowth, rushing at the donkey. The little creature bellowed a frightened bray, trying to take off now. Zlakalia shouted again in surprise at the attacker, distracting it just long enough to miss with the first strike of its deadly beak. The way it moved through the grass Zlakalia knew: 'We're not going to outrun this thing.' Their cart was moving, but the bird was quick to follow.
Zlakalia did the only thing she could do: abandon the cart. With a heavy heart she pulled on the reigns, causing a nervous bellow from the confused donkey. But that was enough to slow it for a second, and Zlakalia jumped from the cart as the heavy beak of the bird sunk into the neck of her way out of this grass-filled wasteland. Blood poured from her animal as did a horrible yell, the sound of an animal about to die. Zlakalia stopped to take a look at the blood, but had to hide herself in the grass from the vicious creature.
The next few hours were pretty uneventful. Zlakalia crept through the grass, tried to figure out where she was going and how to escape. Maybe she'd be able to come back for her stuff one day... Doubtful. Zlakalia wouldn't be able to come back, she'd lose the only home she ever cared about. And even worse than that, she was going to DIE out here in the tall grass. It was horrible.
With bleak eyes, Zlakalia stumbled through the grass and fell into some thick herbs. She'd have laid there for hours, maybe forever, were it not for a little luck. |
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by Zlakalia on August 28th, 2011, 7:22 pm 