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| Anthropophobia | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Aug 20 2012, 08:34 PM (349 Views) | |
| Saya Sil Rumore | Aug 20 2012, 08:34 PM Post #1 |
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Redwood Hermit
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The thick redwoods and their stiff canopies ripped lines through the descending sunlight. From behind tufts of her thin, white hair, Saya Sil peered out at the crisp forest world. The environment was silent except for the irregular rustling of weeds against her bare ankles. As she passed it by, the girl placed a delicate hand on the trunk of an enormous redwood tree, probably a few centuries old. She felt the touch of life inside it - faint, but unmistakable. Alive enough to call a friend. When she withdrew the hand, she plunged once more into her solitary existence. A thick cloud loomed overhead, blotting out some of the remaining light. Thunder boomed far-off to the rear. If not for the coming storm, Saya Sil would have spent another few hours roaming the woodlands. She never tired of the deep stretches of fresh-smelling wood or the views from atop the rolling foothills of the mountains to the north. If every day consisted of aimless wandering, perhaps her heart would settle for once. Even now, it rumbled unnaturally beneath her chest. Her heart rate thinned her breathing. If it kept up at this pace, it would soon narrow her vision and ultimately lead to a fit of panic. Saya Sil knew this, but she couldn't stop to rest. The first droplets of rain were already tumbling down through the treetops. She recognized the area from countless previous treks. Home wasn't far, she reassured herself. Each step beneath the growing storm clouds brought her closer to a locked door and windows. Once she arrived, she would be safe from his eyes. An hour and a half prior, Saya Sil had just arrived on the banks of a sweet water stream. The white, bell-shaped flowers swaying in the gentle current secreted a sugary substance which sweetened the water as it passed. Such locations often served as meeting grounds near villages, but this far into the wilderness, Saya Sil was almost guaranteed her privacy. Her narrow lips relaxed into a smile as she knelt by the water and injected a pair of cupped hands. The first sip was always sweetest. As she savored the taste, Saya Sil studied her reflection in the water. The red in her eyes seemed less prominent in the rippling stream. As far as she bent over to sample the sweet water, her bone-like sheridan horns nearly touched the surface. That said, the longer of the pair on her right side had an advantage of nearly six inches. The moment Saya Sil observed her deformity, her girlish smirk was replaced by a somber frown. She backed away from her image and placed her palms flat on the bank. As she rose, she caught movement in her peripheral vision. Seven or eight feet away, clad in gleaming armor, a rigid-faced human stared at her. His neatly-arranged black hair added to the commanding presence generated in his eyes. Saya Sil didn't stick around to figure out what color they were. In a heartbeat - but perhaps before her heart decided to resume beating in its fright - she raced toward the cover of the forest. His silent stare burned into her memories with as much force as a month of memories in this natural wonderland. Saya Sil would have run directly home without halting, but her throat closed within a few minutes, forcing her to scramble into the best hiding place she could find to recover. She settled for the patch of tall grass near where she collapsed. In the time required to stop hyperventilating, she swore she heard the man calling her name as his iron boots clanked closer and closer. Fortunately, he didn't appear. Saya Sil crawled out of the thicket prematurely. She couldn't wait for her body to relax; it simply wouldn't. Sprinting mad for safety was surely out of the question, but at least she could walk. An hour after the frightful encounter, the girl heard the first groans of a storm. Her mismatched horns ached deep inside like always, signaling the coming rain. According to her mother, such pains were normal at her age - that is, at her age three years prior when she last heard her mother's voice. At any rate, Saya Sil heeded the warning and kept to her brisk pace. Eventually, the sheridan girl's forest shack emerged from between the guardian redwoods. She reached the light at the end of the tunnel with a fingernail between her teeth and tears breaking at the corner of her eyes. Shortly after scurrying inside, setting the three locks on her door, and confirming that both windows were secured, Saya Sil dove onto the floor and burst into uncontrollable tears. Her modest home was comprised of two rooms - the main living space and a storage area for interesting trinkets she discovered in her travels. In the living room, fifty percent of the floor had been covered by a pile of varied fur blankets. This served as her bed most nights and as a suitable place to throw an agonized fit after an experience like this afternoon's. She clutched at the fur bedding with both hands and her bare toes and spilled muffled wails into the floor. Her heart continued to throb painfully, and in response to her sobbing, she began to hyperventilate again. Once these vicious cycles started, they rarely took less than a few hours to settle. This case was no different. |
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| Saya Sil Rumore | Aug 20 2012, 09:11 PM Post #2 |
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Redwood Hermit
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As the worst of the storm passed and the still afternoon transitioned to a mellow evening, Saya Sil lay in a ball on her floor. Her eyes, lungs, and horns were full of dull pain brought on by fatigue. She kept her face halfway buried in a mound of white and brown furs a few feet away where her flood of tears hadn't left them damp. With the back of her hand, she wiped the remaining trails off her cheeks. At least she could consider herself safe here; neither man nor sheridan had ever violated the sanctity of this locked room. It was a place only Saya Sil called home, miles and miles from the nearest town - deliberately so. Here, she could scream at the top of her lungs and never draw attention. Here, she would always eventually reach equilibrium. It was a one-of-a-kind place, this woodland shack. Nowhere else brought Saya Sil such peace. A bit dazed from the struggle with raw fear, she could hardly remember what inspired it in the first place. Her head rolled to one side. Obviously, tracing her thoughts backward was out of the question. At best, she would check the door ten times an hour instead of three after recalling what justified her panic. At worst, Saya Sil would have to suffer through another hours-long bout with her inner demons. Neither end of the spectrum seemed at all worth it. Instead, she forced herself into a sitting position and squished her cheeks with her hands. The tears always made them soft. As pathetic as it sounded even to her, Saya Sil enjoyed the texture of skin after a solid cry. Her attention left the room as it focused on the sounds of the now distant thunderstorm and what lay ahead. She would have to gather more food soon, lest her supplies run as dry as her tear ducts. Her bare stomach gave a patient growl as though issuing a gentle reminder to that effect. She slowly stared into the storage room where her nuts and berries were kept in boxes. Though she didn't enjoy the diet in particular, the alternatives were insufferable. As for hunting, Saya Sil doubted she would survive a violent encounter with anything larger than a rabbit, and as for rabbit-grade game, she preferred not to stare into the eyes of such fragile beings as they breathed their last. With hunting clearly impossible, that left trading for supplies - meaning she would have to travel into town or at least speak to another person. Just considering this non-option sent shivers through her spine. If those were the alternatives, she'd stick to berries indefinitely. Saya Sil lowered her head between her legs and sighed. The better part of the day was already lost. At this point, she would have to remain indoors even if she dared to unlock her door. "I'm not unlocking the door," she muttered against her knees. The statement was intended only to strengthen her fluttering heart. |
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| Saya Sil Rumore | Aug 20 2012, 10:08 PM Post #3 |
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Redwood Hermit
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Saya Sil crept over to the door and checked over the locks for the first time that evening. Before surrendering to sleep, she would check it at least a few dozen times. It didn't take much time to glance over the trio of bolts, twist each of their handles to the limits once, and glance over them again. If that was the price she had to pay for security, Saya Sil was more than willing. Inside her poorly illuminated home, the weary girl could hardly see her own fingers, but even this level of light enabled her to recognize the nails chewed short on each. She held out one hand at arm's length and studied the black silhouette against the background of the wooden door. If she could just make it a few days without a scare, maybe they'd grow back to normal length - or even long and elegant like her mother's. Saya Sil let her arm drop to her side. She strolled over to one of the shuttered windows and slowly - hesitantly - worked at a latch. Her windows were arranged such that she could open an eye-sized peephole without unlocking the entire window. Tearing down her sanctum's lines of defense was out of the question, but she enjoyed the thought of observing the forest after a summer storm. The little window to the universe popped open, and Saya Sil's red eye moved into position. Outside, beams of moonlight illuminated the shadowy forms of the sleeping giants, the redwoods which protected her secret domain from prying eyes. The sky was already quite clear, revealing an arrangement of twinkling stars over the small area visible through the dripping layers of foliage. Saya Sil always believed that the stars watched over her even though her mother insisted otherwise. They aren't alive, said her mother. But if the trees had their own life force, who could possibly claim that the stars didn't? Saya Sil hoped to touch one someday and discover the truth for herself. She smiled faintly in the dark of her room as she brushed back a handful of her long, white hair. Its thin strands carried plenty of dirt thanks to sitting by the sweet water stream and hiding from her armored pursuer, but she would take care of that soon enough - whenever she felt brave enough to leave home again. It would be another three days at a minimum, she decided. The chirping of crickets and other insects outside mixed with the caressing whistle of the wind. Saya Sil closed her other eye, leaving open only the one tying her to the gorgeous forest scene. For once in a while, her trembling heart didn't bother her. She dared to smile a little wider. |
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| Saya Sil Rumore | Aug 21 2012, 07:43 PM Post #4 |
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Redwood Hermit
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Late into the night, Saya Sil patiently counted the twinkling stars. Repetitive tasks like this kept her mind from wandering into more dangerous territory. After nearly an hour and a half devoted to nothing but stargazing, she felt her bloodshot eyes drooping. Soon, she would have no choice but to retire for the night - beginning another frightening confrontation with the worst her imagination had to offer. "Don't go to sleep," she urged herself. The sound of her voice helped Saya Sil hold her head high enough to peer through the peephole. She yawned involuntarily against the wall. A minute passed before she noticed her body slumping. "Don't," she repeated. Her eyes popped open slightly, but they started to droop just as soon as her self-directed order was delivered. Nevertheless, Saya Sil fought to keep her body in an upright position. She restarted counting the stars at one with a constellation resembling a heart shape. It seemed to help. Saya Sil's blood ran cold. She didn't understand why even as goosebumps formed on her bare legs and her heart leaped right into a full-on sprint. By the time she noticed the silhouette moving against the distant trees, she was wide awake. Her slender hands covered her mouth to keep a panicked whimper from escaping. She couldn't close her window to the outside world so easily; the figure approaching from the redwood forest would disappear from her sight beyond the wooden shutters, and then she would spend the night in a state of redoubled fear. If she fought the urge to hide under the furs gathered in the room for just a few minutes, perhaps the humanoid form in the darkness would disappear. It continued to swell as it steadily drew closer. Her vision darkened at the corners, and her breathing lost its natural rhythm. In the rays of moonlight extending to the forest floor, Saya Sil made out a cross-shaped symbol on the approaching figure's robe. The golden emblem appeared in three places - on each shoulder and on the chest. From this distance and by her unwanted guest's style of dress, she couldn't discern the gender yet. Saya Sil remained perfectly still like a serpent preparing to seize its prey - except serpents probably wouldn't tremble so much. |
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| Saya Sil Rumore | Aug 21 2012, 09:52 PM Post #5 |
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Redwood Hermit
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Moments later, the figure emerged in full clarity. She stared into the eyes of an armed crusader whose cross-tipped lance almost seemed to point at Saya Sil's red eye. Her darkening vision filled with fresh tears at the sound of the moist earth clapping under the crusader's heavy, black boots. The man's curled moustache and narrow, pointed beard resembled the feelers of a cockroach, and she didn't care much for those, either. At first, the robed man only glanced left and right at the area surrounding her hut, but it became apparent that the building had caught his interest as he changed direction and strode directly toward it. Saya Sil surrendered to the inevitable and closed the peephole at that point; if she was lucky, her uninvited visitor would assume no one was home and vanish into the night. She curled up against the wall beneath her window, crossed her fingers, and prayed it would be so. Through the crooked wooden shutters, Saya Sil tried her best to track the man's course. His footsteps through the surface layer of mud continued toward the front of the shack. Even though her vision was fading, she kept her hands over her nose and mouth to prevent the slightest sound from escaping. The droplets in the corners of her eyes held on somehow as though they, too, feared that any sudden movements might betray their position. There came a sharp knocking at the door. Purely by reflex, the sheridan collapsed onto her side with a thump. She squinted her eyes in despair as the tears finally spilled. Her presence had surely been revealed. Though the set of three sturdy locks on her door had always protected her, she could no longer trust them. This home had served her well over the past few years. Unfortunately, the grace period had come to an end. No man roaming the woodlands at this hour did so for good reasons. She had to get out. Saya Sil scrambled to her feet, banging an elbow on the wall. Insistent knocking followed at the door, but she didn't acknowledge it. Her bare feet stamped across the fur-covered floor toward the storage room's back window. Considering the size of the shack, it only took a matter of seconds to reach the shutters covering the window from the inside. She released the latch and pulled open the wooden shutters as her heart stampeded past her. The knocking at the door continued. She didn't have time to pack anything. In a moment of rare clarity despite her terror, Saya Sil thought to grab the white fur coat lying on a wooden crate by the window before leaping outside. She pulled it over her body even as she spun around to close the shutters - as silently as possible given her quaking hands. She couldn't secure them from the outside; the only locking mechanism on the windows was the latch on the interior side. At least if she closed the window, it might remain that way. "Hello? Is someone in there?" Saya Sil tensed at the sound of a voice nearby. Of course, it came from the other end of the small building. The crusader gave another series of hard knocks at the door. The sheridan steadied her breathing and her wobbling legs one last time. If she stumbled here, her escape was doomed to failure. Saya Sil sprinted toward the cover of the redwood forest. With every second or third step, she nearly tripped over her own legs. Heavy pounding filled her ears, blotting out the natural soundtrack of the night. This time of year, even the nights were fairly warm, but Saya Sil's body was ice cold beneath her fur coat. |
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| Saya Sil Rumore | Aug 21 2012, 10:59 PM Post #6 |
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Redwood Hermit
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The following morning, Saya Sil awoke between her fur coat and the unwavering trunk of an elder redwood. Her knee-length, white hair was gathered over the front of her body. It was also speckled with dirt. Somehow, she had fallen asleep with her back to the tree in the dead of night. Saya Sil couldn't recall how she made it here or how far from home she'd traveled, only that a human had discovered her private abode. Its security now forfeit, she couldn't afford to return anytime soon. As she rose from the dew-laden moss and grassy bedding which replaced her fur bed for the night, the sheridan frowned sharply. The previous afternoon's storm left the ground moist, and patches of mud on her clothing had turned to a caked layer of dirt overnight. She would have to find a suitable - and absolutely isolated - place to wash out her filth as soon as possible. Her lower lip quivered. No matter how she considered it, Saya Sil Rumore was certain of one fact: this fragile sort of life could not continue forever. |
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| Legend Blueshard | Aug 21 2012, 11:00 PM Post #7 |
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Miner
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Event Complete Saya Sil advanced to level 1. |
![]() On the cusp between worlds I wait, Beckoning the storm to end all storms. | |
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