They awoke with a start, unaware of their surroundings.
A forest. Dark, shadowy trees, and the hint of civilization between the branches, of a ivory city, gleaming like a pale moon. The sun was overhead.
They saw each other. It was strange, as if they hadn’t known this moment was any different than any other moment in their small, instantaneous lives. Slowly and tediously, they got to their hands and knees, blinking their eyes, staring, listening. There were noises, sounds in the woods.
The woman, rubbing her hands together, was trying to stave off some kind of cold. A bird flashed above in the trees, and her eyes, calm and strange, followed the shadow.
“What?..” one of the men asked. He had flashy red hair, and a strong face. His gaze whipped to a dark spot in the trees, and then there was a great scream.
A flash of metal, and the spilling of blood. The red-haired man, a maniacal look on his face, gripped the thrown spear, wincing from the wound in his arm. He launched the spear back into the woods, and a moment later, figures began to scurry from the darkness into the open, into the sunlit glade where the people lay, naked and now on their feet.
The green-faced creatures hobbled toward them, gripping steel spears and gibbering in a forced language.
The creatures advanced, and began striking with their spears. First to fall was the dark-haired man with red eyes. One spear stuck him in the side, and he fell to the earth, hissing through his teeth. Lightning flashed in his eyes, and he gripped the spear of the goblin, forcing the creature with a pull to the ground, but the goblin fell into him.
The red-haired man swiftly grabbed the goblin’s tunic, took the spear, and stabbed the creature through the neck. He held up the twitching carcass, snarled, and the other goblins scurried away.
The man with red eyes groaned and collapsed onto the earth, clutching his arm.
“Don’t move,” the red-haired man said. “You’ll only cause it to bleed more.”
“Here,” the woman said as she braced the man’s wound. “You there,” she motioned to the slender man with hazel eyes, “give me something to tie the wound with.”
The slender man, unspoken, walked up to the fallen goblin and tore part of his tunic, and then handed the cloth to the woman.
She made quick use of it. The man with red eyes winced, but the pain fell away, and his face lightened.
“Thank you,” he said.
She nodded, and looked around at the men. “What is going on?”
The man with red hair stood there for a moment, staring blankly, and then said, “I have no memory.”
“Neither have I,” the slender man said. “This is a strange wood. What is this place?”
“It is a place we must go out from,” the woman replied.
“I hear a city to the east,” the wounded man said.
“You hear a city?” the red-haired man asked. He gazed strangely at the wounded man. “I hear nothing except for the rustle of leaves.”
“There are voices, a great many voices,” the wounded man replied.
“Then let us go,” the woman said. “We must tend to this man’s wounds.”
The woman helped the wounded man onto the shoulders of the other men. They grunted, but soon felt the weight shift, and wound their way towards the city.
A forest. Dark, shadowy trees, and the hint of civilization between the branches, of a ivory city, gleaming like a pale moon. The sun was overhead.
They saw each other. It was strange, as if they hadn’t known this moment was any different than any other moment in their small, instantaneous lives. Slowly and tediously, they got to their hands and knees, blinking their eyes, staring, listening. There were noises, sounds in the woods.
The woman, rubbing her hands together, was trying to stave off some kind of cold. A bird flashed above in the trees, and her eyes, calm and strange, followed the shadow.
“What?..” one of the men asked. He had flashy red hair, and a strong face. His gaze whipped to a dark spot in the trees, and then there was a great scream.
A flash of metal, and the spilling of blood. The red-haired man, a maniacal look on his face, gripped the thrown spear, wincing from the wound in his arm. He launched the spear back into the woods, and a moment later, figures began to scurry from the darkness into the open, into the sunlit glade where the people lay, naked and now on their feet.
The green-faced creatures hobbled toward them, gripping steel spears and gibbering in a forced language.
The creatures advanced, and began striking with their spears. First to fall was the dark-haired man with red eyes. One spear stuck him in the side, and he fell to the earth, hissing through his teeth. Lightning flashed in his eyes, and he gripped the spear of the goblin, forcing the creature with a pull to the ground, but the goblin fell into him.
The red-haired man swiftly grabbed the goblin’s tunic, took the spear, and stabbed the creature through the neck. He held up the twitching carcass, snarled, and the other goblins scurried away.
The man with red eyes groaned and collapsed onto the earth, clutching his arm.
“Don’t move,” the red-haired man said. “You’ll only cause it to bleed more.”
“Here,” the woman said as she braced the man’s wound. “You there,” she motioned to the slender man with hazel eyes, “give me something to tie the wound with.”
The slender man, unspoken, walked up to the fallen goblin and tore part of his tunic, and then handed the cloth to the woman.
She made quick use of it. The man with red eyes winced, but the pain fell away, and his face lightened.
“Thank you,” he said.
She nodded, and looked around at the men. “What is going on?”
The man with red hair stood there for a moment, staring blankly, and then said, “I have no memory.”
“Neither have I,” the slender man said. “This is a strange wood. What is this place?”
“It is a place we must go out from,” the woman replied.
“I hear a city to the east,” the wounded man said.
“You hear a city?” the red-haired man asked. He gazed strangely at the wounded man. “I hear nothing except for the rustle of leaves.”
“There are voices, a great many voices,” the wounded man replied.
“Then let us go,” the woman said. “We must tend to this man’s wounds.”
The woman helped the wounded man onto the shoulders of the other men. They grunted, but soon felt the weight shift, and wound their way towards the city.
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