Masked Shriek: Chapter 2

I may be the child of a devil, but who said that was a bad thing?
---

A knock on the door disturbed me from my studies. How can someone laugh so high-pitched? The knock resounded again. Sighing, I called for them to enter. My servant bowed before me. "The Shriek, my lord, had been captured."

What? Daine? So soon after she rid me of my enemies? "Wonderful!" I exclaimed with false joy. "Thank-you for telling me. You may have the rest of the day off as I will just be reading." I smiled.

"Yes my lord." He bowed and left, closing the door behind him.

I sat down and let dread sweep over me. "Daine, they have her-" Daine wasn't one easy woman to catch, but I loved her anyway. We had been great friends for ages. I could just see her: 'What are you doing Jaron? Are to too scared of defying you parents to help me?'

But one thing burned bright about her: she would do anything, break any law, fight in any war, kill anyone to defend her few friends. Would I do the same? "Yes."

---

A caped figure stood outside of the prison, waiting for the doors to open. He stepped across the threshold, and silently walked to the cells of the most violent. One head at the back of the room snapped to him immediately. Bright blue eyes burned into his pale lavender.

"I don't need your help." She hissed.

Chained to the wall, with dried blood and raw wrists, Daine was still as defiant as they get.

"I think other wise and picked the lock to her cell. I set her arms and legs free. She calmly walked out and relocked the door. Taking a running leap, she grabbed the bars of her cell and began climbing. I swiftly followed.  I would break any law, fight in any war, kill anyone to defend my Daine. Even if she didn't want me help.

"Jaron, are you coming with me on my journey or-"

"Well, you need protecting don't you?" That earned me a solid punch in the arm.

"That means you're not a prince anymore. I see you prepared." She looked at my cloak.

"As did you." She was wearing her assassin's outfit, with the cape a 'mysterious' strange had sent her.

"You forgeting something?" I handed her the mask that she had worn for so long.

Daine just smiled and put it on, keeping those bright blue eyes hidden from the world.

"Truly a Shriek."

 We left my kingdom's capitol that night, not knowing if we would ever return.

Sunset

"Come child,
Mother Day awaits.
For it is sunset."

Stars will scatter 'round and 'round
As Day takes off her somber crown
And shakes her mantle darkly down

Brother Night,
Soft and slender
Glances down and will remember
The darkness before
All the glaring lights and sigh

'Why? Why chase me away?'
He murmurs
'Come my friends!'
He calls to Lady Moon
And her band of Stars
'Tonight they will hear!'
Playing the beautiful music
Again each night
Until,
His sister rises again

And to her,
Joy is bestowed.

She blushes,
Setting the blue sky
Alight
Each morning and evening.
The same show.

Night waits,
With Lady Moon
And her Stars
For a small chance
To be loved
Each sunset

Notes drifted down
As I sat next to Grandpa
"I can hear them!"
He smiled at me.
"As do I."

Masked Shriek

Wild child. Orphan. Shriek. I answer to all.

"I am the child of Fear herself!" I trilled in my ghostly voice as I dropped down from the rafters. "I am the sister of Death and the cousin of Shadow!" I grinned at their shock. The Prince was a decent actor. My bow was loaded. "History repeats." I muttered gleefully.

A glint of an iron-grade dagger caught my eye. This should only take minutes. I Withdrew my scythes. One per hand and leap into the crowd which lead to chaos. Two down. Their blood splatted my face.

Gasping, I extracted the knife I had seen before from my shoulder. I pinned the soldier against a wall. Not to scarred. A shame I have to kill you. With my sythe, his head rolled. More sticky, warm, blood spurted in my face.

I was glad for my pure white mask that protected my eyes and hid my face. The chaos died down fast. A man, officer by his uniform, held a dull-looking sword to the Prince's throat. "Don't move-" Shaky voice. It's be a slow death then. "-or I kill him."

I laughed a high, devilish laugh. "For that bag of bones? Kill him now, see how much I care!" Now he was visibly shaking.

I quickly scaled the walls and dissapeared in the shadows. I aimed. I fired. I met my mark.

He crumpled to the ground, skull split by my arrow. I grinned and leap down in front of the Prince. I was slightly shorter but he was a tall prince. "So, Jaron, the pay? Assassins must be paid." I said dramatically. "Also, I need to clean up."

50 gold coins slid into my soaked hand. I'll clean them later. When I dissapear. I thoroughly washed myself and outside, rubbed a healthy layer of dirt over my skin, my mask and outfit hidden in the bottom of my quiver. I looked like a perfectly normal market girl, albeit, prettier than most. But one thing I was deathly afraid to do was laugh. My signature assassin laugh, that laugh was my real laugh. And everyone knew that spine-chilling laugh.

A man, obiusly working off his ability to get girls in his bed came up to me. "What's a beauty like you doing out in the streets? You looking for a boy?"

Staring him coldly in the eye I responded: "What's a man like you doing out in the streets? Hiding from the landlord as you try to make money off of desperate girls?"

He paled. "S-so, you interested?" Scared. Oh how scared.

I walked away. but froze as I passed a sign. A wanted poster.

Sure, I'd seen plenty of wanted posters for my alter ego, but never one of my real face. The man was trying to warn me. I pulled my hood over my face, covering my eyes and hair.

"IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" I gasped.

"There she is!!!! The Shriek!" I flew into a dark alley and hid. I removed my cloak and put on my mask, my costume underneath. Climbing, I released my trilling laugh. Everybody freezes when they hear it. "Hahaha! Bow down to me!" I order to add to confusion.

I dash to the next roof top but miss by a hair. I crash to the ground and start running. Policemen aren't that slow. A sack is pulled over my head and I hear the cold clicks of steel cuffs just before the void swallows me.

My nightmare is now real.

~~~

Sorry, sorry.

Concrete Women

Perhaps these concrete women squirm
Outside the light of day
And with the concrete men they play
A game of catch-me catch-me if you can
Frolicking across the land
As they play hand in hand
And with the concrete men they play
Perhaps these concrete women squirm
Outside the light of day

Time Master's Apprentice Chapter 6

The big dance came all too soon. One minuet, I was chilling with my feet up, soda in my hand, next I was standing in a slim black dress, waiting for Tracey to show up. I stood in the shadows, but my pale skin gave me away. I was the only girl not dressed in a pink puffy dress that looked super itchy.

"You ready?" I slapped Tracey across his tanned face.

"You do not sneak up on me like that."

He just grinned and escorted me to the almighty punch bowl. I poured myself a cup. Fruity.

"You look good," Tracey commented. "I like how you stick out."

I didn't exactly mind the compliment.We just chilled there until the last song, laughing it up.

"Do you, uh, wanna dance?" I asked.

And so we did. Not that bad.

That night, he dropped me off.

"See you tomorrow," And gave me a kiss.

"Tomorrow." I smiled.

~~~

Sorry for the delay. Anyway. Series is ova!

Littermate

The approaching jungle night was a threat for some wolves, but not me. I was a brave wolf. I crouched by a stream, lapping up life-sustaining water. Fishing was tiring when the prey was carp!

“Just a little closer…” One had strayed very close to my submerged muzzle. My belly growled at the prospect of food, but the Pack must be fed first. Blood stained the water. I sat on my haunches, admiring my catch when I heard Mari.

“Seplie!” Her howl resonated through the thick, pulpy vines that coated trees, hidden by moss.

“Mari!” I replied, already racing through the brush to the camp of the Pack of Rustling Leaves. My paws took me home but my mind was far away, running through possible reasons to howl my daughter’s name. All were grim.

“M-Mari-” I murmured, entering the camp. Wolves moved to give me room. “Fiol!” She nuzzled me. “I’m so glad they didn’t take you as well.”

“Who is ‘they’?” I was very confused on who Mari was talking about. Other wolves? The thought crossed my mind.

“These ugly creatures that walk on two legs. They only have fur on their heads only some have a little fur everywhere. And they were these cloths on their body!” She described from her terrible memory. The poor wolf had been stormed by vicious creatures.

“Humans!” Creaked an elder. “They’re humans!”

Well. That sure helped the pack panic. I sighed. “Mach, as your leader, I hereby command you to tell us all you know about them.” I addressed the old wolf formally.

I gave him a nudge to get up. “Mari, go to the Healer’s den. They’ll give you some thyme for shock.” I gave her tan muzzle a lick. “Don’t worry; I’ll get our pup back.”

Mach followed me into my den.

“Mach, please tell me the weakness of these…humans,” The word felt so new on my tongue.

“Well, they’re scared of the Giant Death.” He ducked his tail between his legs and I shrank down. I searched the cave walls of my den for any, but none of death’s servants appeared. “Do not say that name! Do you want a servant of the god of death to come to the camp?!” I barked.

“No my leader, I am deeply sorry, I did not think.” Mach hung his head in shame.

“It’s fine,” I felt a pang of sympathy for the wolf that had been my friend since puppyhood. “Continue.”

“They can’t take a wound like a warrior wolf at all!” Mach’s whiskers jerked up and down as he chuckled. “They act like scared pups!”

“Why, it’s a wonder they haven’t been classified as prey!” I chuckled.

“That’s because of their-” Mach looked around and continued very quietly. “Their firesticks that rattle the heavens and magically kill any animal on front of them.”

My eyes widened as I spoke. “I’ve never heard of firesticks. They must be very rare among the jungles of India.” I was in shock. “Thank you, Mach, you may be dismissed to sleep and do what you wish until I need your counseling again,” My muzzle brushed his erect ear. “Stay safe, my friend.”

The day’s light grew as I went to check on Mari in the Healer’s den. Her eyes were shut and her flanks rising and falling in rhythm. I licked her front paw. “Sleep well, my sweet.”

I went with a hunting patrol for the attempt to track Seplie’s scent. Vines, bird, tree, hey! A bird! Focus Fiol. The starving pack of wolves back home can wait. I reprimanded myself. Wait. What is that scent? Smells very different…but there’s a faint trace of wolf?

“I’ve found something!” I howled loudly. The patrol checked the scent. “That’s Seplie’s scent! I’d know my pup’s scent anywhere!” I growled as I thought of those miserable low-life humans that had stolen a pack leader’s pup. They would be sorry.

I crouched on my belly, ignoring the rumblings of hunger that curiosity had hidden as I consulted with Mach. I thought of my fish, lying forlorn and forgotten. Probably stolen. Suddenly, I heard a roaring noise. The River? I knew how far this was. And how little time we had.

“Their camp is on the other side, sir!” Lokra announced over the gush of the river falling down the gorge.

I nodded. “We must see them.” So I bunched up my muscles and did the impossible: I leapt the River. And didn’t die.

Two-legged beings appeared through the thick, damp vines. “Humans.” I breathed. I leapt back over the River. I was still numb, so the complete and utter terror of what I was doing never reached me. “To the camp. They have Seplie! We will attack them!” A hurrah rose from assembled wolves. “Attack the kidnapers!” They howled. They took the longer way over the Gorge of Thundering Water; which had a single, slippery, damp log that had it’s bark stripped off. And they exploded through the undergrowth. And hideous shrieking filled the air.

I sank my jaw into the thick leg of a human who swung his blunt, metallic, stick toward my head. Lokra shoved me out of the way; and just in time too. An explosion rattled the sky and smoke streamed out of the stick. Black powder had charred the ground. So that’s a firestick. The thought barely crossed my mind as Lorka nosed me up. “I’m okay,” I said gently, still a little dazed.

But not dazed enough to miss the giant, grotesquely skinny human looming up behind my littermate. “Behind you.” I growled as she spun around to leap at it’s face.

The humans’ screams echoed as my patrol ripped into them. Blood had splattered all over me. I rinsed the blood from my muzzle and paws. The taste was horrible! The other wolves did the same. It was customary. Returning to the deceased humans’ camp, I sniffed a metal cage that held my baby, looking for a way to set her free.

“Fiol,” A single wolf approached me looking grim. “Lorka has gone to the pack of Twinkling Stars.” Sadness etched his voice into a hollow tone.

I dipped my head. I let that wolf mangle the bars of Seplie’s cage enough to set her free. As I went to drape the lifeless pelt of Lokra over my shoulders to carry her body back to camp, the wolves followed in silence. And a single tear streaked down my amber face, stained red from my own blood. And I felt shattered inside. But I forced a brave expression on my face as I hid my sadness. The clan must stay strong. And to stay strong, they need a strong leader that shows no mercy.

~~~ 

 Made this for school, thought it was good. Comments are nice.

Time Master's Apprentice Chapter 5

My joints creaked in protest as I eased out of my warm bed into the cold night air blowing from the open window. Why I was sneaking out of the tower eludes me. Something about a boy.

"Penn?" Came the hushed whisper from the garden below. "Are you awake?"

What was that bossy Observer doing here? And outside my window? Oh god. I threw a rock down at him. "Not interested Tracey!" I hissed back down. I put on my cloak.

"Come down at least. I want to talk." He had dodged that rock. I sighed. I tied myself to the bar that was for training to climb the tower. I didn't need it, but it was nice going down without fear of plummeting to my death. I laned next to him.

"What." I had no time for this.

"Well, since we have been assigned the same school, and the dance is comming up-"

"No." I interupted him. "No way I'm going with a bossy, stuck up little-" He clasped his hand over my mouth.

"That's only around the Observers. Sorry." He claimed. he removed his hand. And wiped some dirt from his cloak. "Please."

"One chance." I was serious. And a little crazy.

"Thank-you!" He squeezed me. And put his life at risk again. But I said nothing. I went back to bed. Glad for the weekend.

7 AM. Tracey came over. And Aaron wouldn't shut up about my 'booooyyyyyyyyyyfrieeeeeeeend'. But  I found the duct tape. And let me tell you, Tracey has a good eye for chocolate and horror movies. I personaly enjoyed 'Nightmare on Elm Street' the most while he was more of a Psycho fanatic. Aaron was scared out of his mind. Which was super funny when we played some jokes on him. Bet he won't sleep well tonight.

~~~

Sorry for the lack of updates. Blame the 6 hours I sped re-learning stuff.

The Time Master's Apprentice Chapter 4

"Apprentice!" Master shouted. I put down my book and sighed wearily. I flew down the stairs, two at a time. A hooded stranger stood in the doorway. Aiming a gun. I knew all to well what this meant. I pulled my hunting knife from it leather pouch at my waist. The Observants looked on, eyes slightly widening. "Bring it on."

He fired at me but I froze time to my atvantange. Hey, I was the Time Master's apprentice. Why not use that. Unfreezing time, I held my knife to his neck. I could feel his heart pulse. "No one" I hissed at him. "Touches my family."

He got the memo and ran out of there like the devil was chasing him. I sheathed my knife. Master smiled at me. "Very good." The Observants left quickly. the man who had bossed me around whispered a thanks in my ear. 'He's not the worst.' I thought.

"That was amazin'!" Aaron said to me for the billionth time. "The way you threatened him like that! I wanna do it!"

"When you can handle a butter knife properly." I told him. He still can't do the  Hunter's Grip! What a baby!

"Can you play the ocarina then?" He begged. Well, I did love playing it.

I picked it up. The notes to 'Bad Apple' mingled with the ticking of clocks and gears. Aaron sang along. "To tell me who I am, who I was!" We did make a nice combo.

~~~

Bad apple on the ocarina: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCyQw4pB8g0&feature=related And I was listening to Bad apple as I wrote this. Anyone know where I can get an ocarina?

The Time Master's Apprentice Chapter 3

"I got a call from school." Master said. I snarled in reply. Aaron rubbed the scrape he got when the principal tackled him to the ground. He was promptly dismissed to have it washed and treated. Master turned on me.

"What were you thinking!?" He screamed. "Using a charm in public, showing up a teacher, setting off a bomb!" He fingered his papers. "Have you gone crazy?"

"School was already messed up." I muttered feigning interest in the dirt my foot poked at. "All you do is sit while your brains get all mushy and dumb."

"Still. You were pretending to have been to school before. Now, get your robes, the Observants of the High Counsel are meeting with me today. I want you to behave. That means no acting out, no talking back, and no bombs." He stressed that last part.

I went to my room. I liked my room. With medium sized ceilings, spacious blue-painted walls, and several desks, couches, bean-bag chairs, bookshelves, carpets, pictures, and many, many, books. I loved to read, loosing myself in every page turn, becoming one with the story. Master says not everyone becomes immersed in what they read. But I don't believe it. Putting on my apprentice robes, I nudge a pile of book that had just collapsed away with my foot. "Penn!" Master calls as I'm fastening my cloak with my favorite gear charm that usually hangs from my neck for quick use.

It's two gears locked together and it has many, many spells to cast. Master gave it to me as an apprenticeship gift. It was tradition. And every time I learned a new spell, I enabled that charm to cast it. I truly loved it. "Penn!" Again, more urgent this time. "Coming!" I hurried down the slightly spiraled steps, cloak flying behind me. He quickly moved the hair strands from my face. The door was knocked on.

The Observants, only three this time, stepped through the doorway as soon as Master opened the door. "Ah, we see you have prepared for our visit." One with brown eyes and black hair boomed. "Apprentice. Fetch us some tea." He ordered me.

While me and Master both hated them, they were our highest paying customers and were the reason we were so rich. Muttering things I cannot repeat, I brought the platter of tea and exotic cheeses that Master had prepared for them. I quietly gagged on cheese fumes.

"You may be dismissed." The black-haired Observant told me next. I hid my joy as I climbed up to my room, planning on an evening alone with books. Alas, that could not be so.

~~~

I really don't like that Observant. I do actually own rights to this story, since I made it up. Ha ha, no bombs.