(no subject)
Author: Ailada
Rating: PG for very mild swearing. *laughs*
Challenge(s): Butter Pecan 15: silent; and Rocky Road 14: on the road
Characters: Kaylee and Cedar
Word Count: 1284
Author's Note: Moving right along . . . BTW, I've never really ever written anything that even closely resembles a fight scene, so if I could get some feedback on this mini brawl, that'd be all kinds of great. ^_^
Kaylee had regretted the question the moment she asked it, not because she didn’t want to know the answer but because thinking about the question had pained Cedar. He’d looked at her for the briefest of moments before getting to his feet. She could see the anger in his eyes, but didn’t know if it was directed at her or reserved for himself.
“Come on. I hope to make it to Quati tonight.” He started walking and, after a short moment, she followed after him.
The silence between them was less than companionable as they made their way north through the Plains. Cedar kept a dozen paces in front of her and Kaylee spent most of the morning staring at his back, contemplating whether or not she should apologize. Whether or not she really had anything to apologize for.
By the time they stopped for lunch, Ithyria Forest was barely visible on the horizon. Kaylee wanted to ask what it was; if that’s where Quati was. But she didn’t. Cedar dug a hunk of dense bread and a couple strips of dried fish out of his pack and passed some to her without a word. When he was done eating, he started walking again, not even looking to see if Kaylee was following.
The combination of guilt and curiosity, mixed with a twinge of annoyance finally got the best of her mid afternoon. “So, you wanna tell me why you’re not talking to me?”
“No.” He didn’t even turn around.
“You’re angry.” She hurried to catch up with him. When she did, she stood in front of him, forcing him to stop.
“Yes.” He tried to move around her.
“Because I asked who you killed?” She stepped in front of him. He may be able to read her thoughts, but if years of soccer had taught her nothing else, it had taught her how to anticipate someone’s moves.
“Not because you asked.” He feinted to the left.
“Then why?” She blocked him again.
“I can hear your thoughts, remember.” He pushed her. Not hard, but still a push.
“So what’d you hear that pissed you off so bad?” She let herself rock back on her left foot, then rocked forward, using the momentum to push him back. He took two steps back before regaining his balance.
“Curiosity. Disappointment. Disgust. You think I murdered someone in cold blood. Let me pass.” He tried to step around her again.
“One rampant thought and your day is ruined? Jeez, Cedar, grow a pair. And no. You’re a big, strong man. You should be able to get by little ol’ me.” She blocked him again, crossing her arms over her chest.
“I’m not going to force myself around you, Kaylee.” He crossed his arms, looking down at her. She didn’t back down. If he was a little sore because for a nanosecond she’d wondered if he’d killed someone on purpose, it was nothing compared to how she felt. He’d been angry at her all day for one little stray thought. He didn’t even let her explain. Some people had short fuses. Kaylee’s was non-existent. And once she was angry, there was rarely anything to do but let her run her course. She’d run out of steam. Eventually.
“Why not? Scared you won’t be able to get by me?”
“Scared I’ll hurt you.”
“You couldn’t even if you wanted to,” she laughed. “Come on, Cedar. Who’d you kill?”
“Quit, Kaylee. Let it be.”
“I will not ‘let it be’.” She pushed him again. “Tell me, Cedar. Who’d you kill?”
“No. And don’t push me.”
“Why not? You gonna push back?”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe? Come on. Show me this warrior you’re supposed to be.” Pushing his chest was like running into a brick wall, but she did it again anyway. His cheeks, already the red-brown of mahogany, darkened. He clenched his jaw.
“Getting angry, Warrior? Whatcha gonna do about it?” Another push. This one almost knocked him off his feet.
When he recovered his balance again, he threw a punch towards her face. It was half-hearted and he didn’t use even a quarter of his strength. She sidestepped easily and tried to backhand him across the face. He grabbed her arm and flung it aside.
And then adrenaline and his muscles took over. The warrior took over. The anger on his face reflected on hers. He rained punches and kicks down on her. Each one, she dodged or blocked, retaliating in kind. She shouldn’t be able to. He was the warrior. It was almost as though he watched the fight from outside his body.
She punched him in the side, just under the ribs. He kicked her in the stomach, knocking her to the ground. She came up swinging and he held his hands out in front of him.
“Wait,” he said, waving his hands like a white flag. “Truce.”
Kaylee stopped, then looked at her clenched fists as though she didn’t know how they’d gotten there. She lowered her arms and looked at Cedar, cocking her head to one side and furrowing her brow.
“What just happened?” she asked.
“I have no idea. You fight like a beast.” He rubbed at his side. He’d have a bruise, he was sure.
“I’ve never been in a fight before in my life.” She looked down at her hands again. Her wrists and arms were bright red and stung from blocking his attacks. “I didn’t feel like me, Cedar.”
Cedar raised an eyebrow. He could tell by her thoughts she was telling the truth. It was unbelievable, though. When she’d kept pushing him, he’d felt the warrior inside him take over. He knew what kind of punches would disable her, how to sidestep, how to block and evade her attacks. He should have been able to defeat her easily. But she was somehow able to match him blow for blow.
“The Council will know what’s going on. We need to get to Quati.”
“You’re not mad at me anymore, then?” She looked up at him from underneath her eyelashes, her blue eyes full of question, her voice full of hope.
“Why would you think that of me? That I would kill someone in cold blood?” He looked down at his feet, speaking quietly, and Kaylee wished, not for the first time, that she could be inside his head the way he was in hers.
“You have had your whole life to learn to keep your thoughts in check. I’ve had two days. You have to be patient with me, Cedar. You have to understand that, until I can learn to control what I’m thinking when I’m speaking, you are going to hear things that you might not want to hear. And I don’t think that of you. The thought was random and fleeting and happened to show up right when I opened my mouth.”
Truth rang in her every word and he felt very foolish for being angry at him. At the same time, though, he couldn’t be too hard on himself. He could count the number of outsiders he’d spoken with on one hand, and before Kaylee they had all been from Idmyr, so knew of the Antek ability to read thoughts.
“So you’re not mad at me?” she asked again.
“No. I’m sorry I was.”
“I’m not.” She smiled up at him, finding it hard to believe that just the day before she would have smiled down at him. “If you hadn’t gotten mad at me, I wouldn’t know that I can kick your ass. And you’re supposed to be the Warrior. . . .”
He laughed, then started walking North again. “I was going easy on you.”
“Sure you were.”
Rating: PG for very mild swearing. *laughs*
Challenge(s): Butter Pecan 15: silent; and Rocky Road 14: on the road
Characters: Kaylee and Cedar
Word Count: 1284
Author's Note: Moving right along . . . BTW, I've never really ever written anything that even closely resembles a fight scene, so if I could get some feedback on this mini brawl, that'd be all kinds of great. ^_^
Kaylee had regretted the question the moment she asked it, not because she didn’t want to know the answer but because thinking about the question had pained Cedar. He’d looked at her for the briefest of moments before getting to his feet. She could see the anger in his eyes, but didn’t know if it was directed at her or reserved for himself.
“Come on. I hope to make it to Quati tonight.” He started walking and, after a short moment, she followed after him.
The silence between them was less than companionable as they made their way north through the Plains. Cedar kept a dozen paces in front of her and Kaylee spent most of the morning staring at his back, contemplating whether or not she should apologize. Whether or not she really had anything to apologize for.
By the time they stopped for lunch, Ithyria Forest was barely visible on the horizon. Kaylee wanted to ask what it was; if that’s where Quati was. But she didn’t. Cedar dug a hunk of dense bread and a couple strips of dried fish out of his pack and passed some to her without a word. When he was done eating, he started walking again, not even looking to see if Kaylee was following.
The combination of guilt and curiosity, mixed with a twinge of annoyance finally got the best of her mid afternoon. “So, you wanna tell me why you’re not talking to me?”
“No.” He didn’t even turn around.
“You’re angry.” She hurried to catch up with him. When she did, she stood in front of him, forcing him to stop.
“Yes.” He tried to move around her.
“Because I asked who you killed?” She stepped in front of him. He may be able to read her thoughts, but if years of soccer had taught her nothing else, it had taught her how to anticipate someone’s moves.
“Not because you asked.” He feinted to the left.
“Then why?” She blocked him again.
“I can hear your thoughts, remember.” He pushed her. Not hard, but still a push.
“So what’d you hear that pissed you off so bad?” She let herself rock back on her left foot, then rocked forward, using the momentum to push him back. He took two steps back before regaining his balance.
“Curiosity. Disappointment. Disgust. You think I murdered someone in cold blood. Let me pass.” He tried to step around her again.
“One rampant thought and your day is ruined? Jeez, Cedar, grow a pair. And no. You’re a big, strong man. You should be able to get by little ol’ me.” She blocked him again, crossing her arms over her chest.
“I’m not going to force myself around you, Kaylee.” He crossed his arms, looking down at her. She didn’t back down. If he was a little sore because for a nanosecond she’d wondered if he’d killed someone on purpose, it was nothing compared to how she felt. He’d been angry at her all day for one little stray thought. He didn’t even let her explain. Some people had short fuses. Kaylee’s was non-existent. And once she was angry, there was rarely anything to do but let her run her course. She’d run out of steam. Eventually.
“Why not? Scared you won’t be able to get by me?”
“Scared I’ll hurt you.”
“You couldn’t even if you wanted to,” she laughed. “Come on, Cedar. Who’d you kill?”
“Quit, Kaylee. Let it be.”
“I will not ‘let it be’.” She pushed him again. “Tell me, Cedar. Who’d you kill?”
“No. And don’t push me.”
“Why not? You gonna push back?”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe? Come on. Show me this warrior you’re supposed to be.” Pushing his chest was like running into a brick wall, but she did it again anyway. His cheeks, already the red-brown of mahogany, darkened. He clenched his jaw.
“Getting angry, Warrior? Whatcha gonna do about it?” Another push. This one almost knocked him off his feet.
When he recovered his balance again, he threw a punch towards her face. It was half-hearted and he didn’t use even a quarter of his strength. She sidestepped easily and tried to backhand him across the face. He grabbed her arm and flung it aside.
And then adrenaline and his muscles took over. The warrior took over. The anger on his face reflected on hers. He rained punches and kicks down on her. Each one, she dodged or blocked, retaliating in kind. She shouldn’t be able to. He was the warrior. It was almost as though he watched the fight from outside his body.
She punched him in the side, just under the ribs. He kicked her in the stomach, knocking her to the ground. She came up swinging and he held his hands out in front of him.
“Wait,” he said, waving his hands like a white flag. “Truce.”
Kaylee stopped, then looked at her clenched fists as though she didn’t know how they’d gotten there. She lowered her arms and looked at Cedar, cocking her head to one side and furrowing her brow.
“What just happened?” she asked.
“I have no idea. You fight like a beast.” He rubbed at his side. He’d have a bruise, he was sure.
“I’ve never been in a fight before in my life.” She looked down at her hands again. Her wrists and arms were bright red and stung from blocking his attacks. “I didn’t feel like me, Cedar.”
Cedar raised an eyebrow. He could tell by her thoughts she was telling the truth. It was unbelievable, though. When she’d kept pushing him, he’d felt the warrior inside him take over. He knew what kind of punches would disable her, how to sidestep, how to block and evade her attacks. He should have been able to defeat her easily. But she was somehow able to match him blow for blow.
“The Council will know what’s going on. We need to get to Quati.”
“You’re not mad at me anymore, then?” She looked up at him from underneath her eyelashes, her blue eyes full of question, her voice full of hope.
“Why would you think that of me? That I would kill someone in cold blood?” He looked down at his feet, speaking quietly, and Kaylee wished, not for the first time, that she could be inside his head the way he was in hers.
“You have had your whole life to learn to keep your thoughts in check. I’ve had two days. You have to be patient with me, Cedar. You have to understand that, until I can learn to control what I’m thinking when I’m speaking, you are going to hear things that you might not want to hear. And I don’t think that of you. The thought was random and fleeting and happened to show up right when I opened my mouth.”
Truth rang in her every word and he felt very foolish for being angry at him. At the same time, though, he couldn’t be too hard on himself. He could count the number of outsiders he’d spoken with on one hand, and before Kaylee they had all been from Idmyr, so knew of the Antek ability to read thoughts.
“So you’re not mad at me?” she asked again.
“No. I’m sorry I was.”
“I’m not.” She smiled up at him, finding it hard to believe that just the day before she would have smiled down at him. “If you hadn’t gotten mad at me, I wouldn’t know that I can kick your ass. And you’re supposed to be the Warrior. . . .”
He laughed, then started walking North again. “I was going easy on you.”
“Sure you were.”