Chapter 5 of my story. ^_^
Okay. So, here's chapter five. I hope that you enjoy it.
After Rose and Cieus had successfully hunted a couple of rabbits, and had cleaned, cooked, and eaten them, they were ready to go once more. After mounting, Rose looked towards the trees, feeling the pull of their destination beckoning her into the thick of the trees. “Let’s get going,” she said to Cieus, looking over at him with a smile. She knew the ruins would be there even if they slowed their pace, but she’d been waiting for what seemed like forever to see them, and her anticipation was building to a point that she had never known it could build to. Even though she seemed calm outwardly, inside she was as tight with excitement as a guitar string, feeling like a little child on her birthday, waiting for the time to be right to get out of bed so she could see what the day of celebration would hold.
Despite her outward calm, Cieus could easily see the gleam of excitement in her eyes when their gazes met. He chuckled a bit and smiled at her before nodding and taking a better hold on the reins. “Let’s be off,” he said in agreement. “The ruins aren’t getting any closer by us just waiting around here.” He gave a small flick of the reins, and led Cherie down the narrow forest path, a bit of a niggling worry entering his mind. What if they got lost? If Rose had never been to these ruins before, how would she lead them to it? He decided to voice his concerns, his more logical side coming out. “So, do you know exactly where we have to go,” he asked, glancing back at her.
“Of course,” she said cheerfully, her voice slightly raised so that he would be able to hear her. “I’ve got a map that will guide us to the ruins. Even if I lose the map somehow, I’ve got it all up in my head.” She had a knack for memorization, and she’d used that the first night that she’d acquired the map from the man she’d met in the tavern.
“Well, that’s a relief.” He paused for a moment, thinking. “Would you like to ride in front, since you’re to be our guide?” That order in their small queue would make the most sense to him, and it obviously made the most sense to Rose, as well, for she agreed and moved so that she was in front of him. Cieus surveyed their surroundings quietly for the next few minutes, looking around. The trees that made up the Whispering Woods were tall and ancient, the intricate canopy made up by uncountable leaves of deep green quickly cutting off the sunlight, dropping the temperature. The air here was laced with the scent of moss and earth, the scent thick and heady. It was not an unpleasant scent, though, so Cieus drew the air deeply into his lungs with a sigh, letting that breath out slowly. He could hear the chatter of squirrels as they played in the trees, and the occasional warble of a bird cut into nature’s song, the sound sharp, but not overly harsh. Cicadas were humming all around them, their noises continuously raising and lowering, their humming raising to points that were almost too loud, and then quieting back down again to a dull buzz. The sounds of the forest were beginning to put Cieus into a trancelike state, his movements automatic as he followed closely behind Rose. All in all, the Whispering Woods seemed just like any ordinary forest, and that’s all he chalked them up to be. There weren’t any monsters living in here, nor were the trees going to uproot themselves and come crashing down on them for intruding in on their home. He let his mind grow still as he just took pleasure in the journey, contentedly taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of his surroundings, feeling a peace that only being in the middle of the wilderness, surrounded by the subtle beauty of nature, could seem to give to him.
Rose was in a state of mind that was similar to Cieus’. She was more relaxed than she had been for awhile, feeling more at ease than she had in ages. She rolled her shoulders a bit as the tension melted away from her back, feeling her posture slip a bit as she rode along on top of Monty. The comfortable silence had fallen over them again, and she didn’t wish to break the music of the forest with the sounds of their voices, so she didn’t even try to speak. Her mind drifted towards Cieus as they moved along, wondering to herself why she seemed to trust him so easily. She wasn’t someone who held everyone in suspicion, but she generally didn’t just meet someone and agree that they should become travelling partners. She was a cautious woman who enjoyed her solitude most times, so why was it different with Cieus? After speaking to him for just a few minutes, she’d felt an easy connection with him. It was as though she’d known him for all her life, even though they knew next to nothing about one another. She cast a backwards glance in his direction, and smiled when she saw him looking around slowly and leisurely, his eyes half-dropped from his relaxed state. Clearly, he was entranced by the forest. She could see why he was enthralled, for who wouldn’t be? They were wandering in a place that had existed for centuries upon centuries, standing the test of time unscathed. The whole world had changed as these saplings had grown into the massive trees that they were now, and they were still standing strong and proud. Rose hoped that this place would always be here, so other people could wander through this forest, and forests like it. She relaxed completely, all thoughts leaving her after a few moments, just taking in her surrounds as Cieus was doing.
Time must have been moving more swiftly than Rose had thought, or maybe they were moving faster than she had realized. It was as though they had been transported to the center of the forest without their knowledge, for as she looked around, she saw the first crumbling walls of gray and green stone, signifying that they were coming to a structure. She turned back to Cieus and pointed towards the fragmented stone wall that she had spotted. “Look,” she said with a smile. “I do believe that we’re very nearly there!”
Cieus blinked, shaking himself out of the daze that he’d been in for hours. “Already,” he asked, his brow arching. He saw the stone wall that Rose had spotted, though, and he could not deny it. They were, most likely, soon going to enter the main area of the ruins. Rose began to move a bit faster, and so he followed suit so that he would remain the same distance behind her. Within a few minutes, they found themselves in a massive clearing. The trees encircled the area like a dome, their massive leaves leaving only small breaks in the canopy, allowing glimmers of the dulling sunlight to streak down in rays, cutting into the darkness of the forest. He dismounted after Rose did, holding onto the reins lightly as he looked around. The grass seemed to be dry in this place, crunching under his feet as he moved slowly. There were remnants of buildings scattered all around, only the foundations and a few massive stones hinting to the fact that structures used to be there. There seemed to have once been a central structure, though it had crumbled as time had passed, not being able to stand the test of it. A few massive pillars remained, their surfaces rough and moss-covered. Vines grew around the pillars, choking them, making them crumble even faster than they would if they had been left alone. It was a gloomy scene, one that spoke of failure and defeat. So much had been poured into making this place, and now it was reduced to nothing. It was a sad sight, making one think of the efforts they had poured themselves into, making one wonder whether or not their accomplishments would turn to rubble after a given amount of time.
After surveying the area that had most likely been a temple for some random god or goddess, most likely one of nature, considering where they were, Rose let out a sigh, not able to hide the disappointment in that sound. She hadn’t expected the ruins to be grand, but she hadn’t foreseen this. She’d spent so much time and money, just to see a few random piles of crumbling stone and mortar. Shaking her head a little, she walked to the center of the clearing and crossed her arms over her chest, not knowing what to say. Her head dropped a little, and she closed her eyes, trying to see the bright side of things. At least she’d met someone who seemed pretty nice, she reminded herself. The trip hadn’t been a total waste of effort.
Cieus saw the disappointment written all over Rose’s face. He didn’t know whether he should try to comfort her, or if she would prefer to be left alone. Deciding to take the safe road, he left her be, though he did move a bit closer to her. After a few minutes of just looking around at the bland surroundings, he cleared his throat a little, breaking the silence. “Would you like to have a bite to eat,” he asked her. “Maybe we could have something to drink, as well?”
Rose raised her head and looked up at him when he asked this, and smiled lightly with a bit of a nod. “Yes, let’s do that,” she said, turning to walk towards him. As she made her way in his direction, Cieus turned towards his horse and took a small pack off of her saddle, a pack that held a few food items. There wasn’t much in there, but it would do for a small meal for the both of them. Rose got distracted by something, though, and she stopped walking towards him and turned towards a beam of light that was shining more brilliantly than any other beam that had broken through the forest’s ceiling. She changed her course, walking over that way with a curious expression on her face, seeming to be drawn to the light that was shining against the ground, guiding her like a beacon. Once she got to the lighted area, she bent down so that she was on one knee and brushed away some leaves that had fallen, her brow furrowing slightly.
Cieus watched her move, his own brow furrowing in confusion at her odd behavior. After a few moments of watching her kneel there, staring down at something that was directly below her, he walked towards her, his bag in his hand. “What do you see,” he asked her as he approached, stopping so that he was hovering over her, bending slightly so that he could look at the thing that had drawn her attention, as well. She was standing on a slab of surprisingly solid-looking stone, her fingers slowly tracing over a faded carving. “What is it,” he asked her.
When Cieus asked her what it was, she looked up at him, a bit of a shrug moving her shoulders. “I don’t know,” she said to him before looking back down at the carving. She leaned in closer, her head tilting to the side a bit as she tried to figure out what it was. All she could really make out was a row of jagged triangles, something that looked almost like fangs. She ran her finger over that, and gasped at the surprising sharpness of it. She glanced down at her finger, watching a small bead of crimson blood forming at the small puncture wound. She was about to wipe it off when she felt the ground shifting underneath her. She froze for a moment before she slowly began to rise, thinking it would be in her best interest if she got off the slab of stone. Just as she had that thought, the stone crumbled to dust underneath her feet, leaving nothing underneath them but blackness that threatened to swallow her up. It seemed like an eternity, but it wasn’t even a second. She let out a gasp and grabbed at Cieus’ hand. He grasped it tightly as she fell, being forced into a kneeling position from being thrown off balance.
“I got you, Rose,” he said as he looked down at her, his eyes widened in surprise. She was looking up at him, her eyes wide with the same shock that he was feeling. She was beginning to slip, so he threw his other hand down and grasped her wrist firmly before he started pulling her up. She tried to kick at something to help with leverage, but there was nothing for her feet to connect with, so it only sent her swaying, hindering them instead of helping. She bit her bottom lip a little as he started pulling her up, grunting a bit from the strength he had to use. “I won’t let you go,” he promised even as she began to slip again. His grip became tighter, and he continued pulling her up slowly, his eyes becoming steely with determination. It looked like he wasn’t going to be breaking this promise. She reached up and grasped the side of the hole when she could and began to pull with her arm, taking some of stress off of him. Just when it appeared that she’d get out of this near-missed unscathed, something else happened. The ground broke apart underneath her hand suddenly, causing her arm to drop down once her leverage was gone. Cieus let out a grunt as the ground pressed hard against his chest, and he felt her slipping from his grasp once more. “Rose,” he cried out, fearing that he was losing her.
She looked up at him, fear in her eyes now. She could see the ground crumbling beneath him, threatening to collapse under their combined weights. “Let go,” she commanded. It would be better for only one of them to end up down there, she thought to herself as she forced herself to give up, making herself a dead weight that would be harder to keep a hold on. If he continued to try, they would find themselves both down here. Before Cieus could say ‘no’, the ground did as Rose had feared it would. It disintegrated beneath Cieus’ torso, and before he could even make a sound of surprise, they were both plummeting into the foreboding darkness below.
After Rose and Cieus had successfully hunted a couple of rabbits, and had cleaned, cooked, and eaten them, they were ready to go once more. After mounting, Rose looked towards the trees, feeling the pull of their destination beckoning her into the thick of the trees. “Let’s get going,” she said to Cieus, looking over at him with a smile. She knew the ruins would be there even if they slowed their pace, but she’d been waiting for what seemed like forever to see them, and her anticipation was building to a point that she had never known it could build to. Even though she seemed calm outwardly, inside she was as tight with excitement as a guitar string, feeling like a little child on her birthday, waiting for the time to be right to get out of bed so she could see what the day of celebration would hold.
Despite her outward calm, Cieus could easily see the gleam of excitement in her eyes when their gazes met. He chuckled a bit and smiled at her before nodding and taking a better hold on the reins. “Let’s be off,” he said in agreement. “The ruins aren’t getting any closer by us just waiting around here.” He gave a small flick of the reins, and led Cherie down the narrow forest path, a bit of a niggling worry entering his mind. What if they got lost? If Rose had never been to these ruins before, how would she lead them to it? He decided to voice his concerns, his more logical side coming out. “So, do you know exactly where we have to go,” he asked, glancing back at her.
“Of course,” she said cheerfully, her voice slightly raised so that he would be able to hear her. “I’ve got a map that will guide us to the ruins. Even if I lose the map somehow, I’ve got it all up in my head.” She had a knack for memorization, and she’d used that the first night that she’d acquired the map from the man she’d met in the tavern.
“Well, that’s a relief.” He paused for a moment, thinking. “Would you like to ride in front, since you’re to be our guide?” That order in their small queue would make the most sense to him, and it obviously made the most sense to Rose, as well, for she agreed and moved so that she was in front of him. Cieus surveyed their surroundings quietly for the next few minutes, looking around. The trees that made up the Whispering Woods were tall and ancient, the intricate canopy made up by uncountable leaves of deep green quickly cutting off the sunlight, dropping the temperature. The air here was laced with the scent of moss and earth, the scent thick and heady. It was not an unpleasant scent, though, so Cieus drew the air deeply into his lungs with a sigh, letting that breath out slowly. He could hear the chatter of squirrels as they played in the trees, and the occasional warble of a bird cut into nature’s song, the sound sharp, but not overly harsh. Cicadas were humming all around them, their noises continuously raising and lowering, their humming raising to points that were almost too loud, and then quieting back down again to a dull buzz. The sounds of the forest were beginning to put Cieus into a trancelike state, his movements automatic as he followed closely behind Rose. All in all, the Whispering Woods seemed just like any ordinary forest, and that’s all he chalked them up to be. There weren’t any monsters living in here, nor were the trees going to uproot themselves and come crashing down on them for intruding in on their home. He let his mind grow still as he just took pleasure in the journey, contentedly taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of his surroundings, feeling a peace that only being in the middle of the wilderness, surrounded by the subtle beauty of nature, could seem to give to him.
Rose was in a state of mind that was similar to Cieus’. She was more relaxed than she had been for awhile, feeling more at ease than she had in ages. She rolled her shoulders a bit as the tension melted away from her back, feeling her posture slip a bit as she rode along on top of Monty. The comfortable silence had fallen over them again, and she didn’t wish to break the music of the forest with the sounds of their voices, so she didn’t even try to speak. Her mind drifted towards Cieus as they moved along, wondering to herself why she seemed to trust him so easily. She wasn’t someone who held everyone in suspicion, but she generally didn’t just meet someone and agree that they should become travelling partners. She was a cautious woman who enjoyed her solitude most times, so why was it different with Cieus? After speaking to him for just a few minutes, she’d felt an easy connection with him. It was as though she’d known him for all her life, even though they knew next to nothing about one another. She cast a backwards glance in his direction, and smiled when she saw him looking around slowly and leisurely, his eyes half-dropped from his relaxed state. Clearly, he was entranced by the forest. She could see why he was enthralled, for who wouldn’t be? They were wandering in a place that had existed for centuries upon centuries, standing the test of time unscathed. The whole world had changed as these saplings had grown into the massive trees that they were now, and they were still standing strong and proud. Rose hoped that this place would always be here, so other people could wander through this forest, and forests like it. She relaxed completely, all thoughts leaving her after a few moments, just taking in her surrounds as Cieus was doing.
Time must have been moving more swiftly than Rose had thought, or maybe they were moving faster than she had realized. It was as though they had been transported to the center of the forest without their knowledge, for as she looked around, she saw the first crumbling walls of gray and green stone, signifying that they were coming to a structure. She turned back to Cieus and pointed towards the fragmented stone wall that she had spotted. “Look,” she said with a smile. “I do believe that we’re very nearly there!”
Cieus blinked, shaking himself out of the daze that he’d been in for hours. “Already,” he asked, his brow arching. He saw the stone wall that Rose had spotted, though, and he could not deny it. They were, most likely, soon going to enter the main area of the ruins. Rose began to move a bit faster, and so he followed suit so that he would remain the same distance behind her. Within a few minutes, they found themselves in a massive clearing. The trees encircled the area like a dome, their massive leaves leaving only small breaks in the canopy, allowing glimmers of the dulling sunlight to streak down in rays, cutting into the darkness of the forest. He dismounted after Rose did, holding onto the reins lightly as he looked around. The grass seemed to be dry in this place, crunching under his feet as he moved slowly. There were remnants of buildings scattered all around, only the foundations and a few massive stones hinting to the fact that structures used to be there. There seemed to have once been a central structure, though it had crumbled as time had passed, not being able to stand the test of it. A few massive pillars remained, their surfaces rough and moss-covered. Vines grew around the pillars, choking them, making them crumble even faster than they would if they had been left alone. It was a gloomy scene, one that spoke of failure and defeat. So much had been poured into making this place, and now it was reduced to nothing. It was a sad sight, making one think of the efforts they had poured themselves into, making one wonder whether or not their accomplishments would turn to rubble after a given amount of time.
After surveying the area that had most likely been a temple for some random god or goddess, most likely one of nature, considering where they were, Rose let out a sigh, not able to hide the disappointment in that sound. She hadn’t expected the ruins to be grand, but she hadn’t foreseen this. She’d spent so much time and money, just to see a few random piles of crumbling stone and mortar. Shaking her head a little, she walked to the center of the clearing and crossed her arms over her chest, not knowing what to say. Her head dropped a little, and she closed her eyes, trying to see the bright side of things. At least she’d met someone who seemed pretty nice, she reminded herself. The trip hadn’t been a total waste of effort.
Cieus saw the disappointment written all over Rose’s face. He didn’t know whether he should try to comfort her, or if she would prefer to be left alone. Deciding to take the safe road, he left her be, though he did move a bit closer to her. After a few minutes of just looking around at the bland surroundings, he cleared his throat a little, breaking the silence. “Would you like to have a bite to eat,” he asked her. “Maybe we could have something to drink, as well?”
Rose raised her head and looked up at him when he asked this, and smiled lightly with a bit of a nod. “Yes, let’s do that,” she said, turning to walk towards him. As she made her way in his direction, Cieus turned towards his horse and took a small pack off of her saddle, a pack that held a few food items. There wasn’t much in there, but it would do for a small meal for the both of them. Rose got distracted by something, though, and she stopped walking towards him and turned towards a beam of light that was shining more brilliantly than any other beam that had broken through the forest’s ceiling. She changed her course, walking over that way with a curious expression on her face, seeming to be drawn to the light that was shining against the ground, guiding her like a beacon. Once she got to the lighted area, she bent down so that she was on one knee and brushed away some leaves that had fallen, her brow furrowing slightly.
Cieus watched her move, his own brow furrowing in confusion at her odd behavior. After a few moments of watching her kneel there, staring down at something that was directly below her, he walked towards her, his bag in his hand. “What do you see,” he asked her as he approached, stopping so that he was hovering over her, bending slightly so that he could look at the thing that had drawn her attention, as well. She was standing on a slab of surprisingly solid-looking stone, her fingers slowly tracing over a faded carving. “What is it,” he asked her.
When Cieus asked her what it was, she looked up at him, a bit of a shrug moving her shoulders. “I don’t know,” she said to him before looking back down at the carving. She leaned in closer, her head tilting to the side a bit as she tried to figure out what it was. All she could really make out was a row of jagged triangles, something that looked almost like fangs. She ran her finger over that, and gasped at the surprising sharpness of it. She glanced down at her finger, watching a small bead of crimson blood forming at the small puncture wound. She was about to wipe it off when she felt the ground shifting underneath her. She froze for a moment before she slowly began to rise, thinking it would be in her best interest if she got off the slab of stone. Just as she had that thought, the stone crumbled to dust underneath her feet, leaving nothing underneath them but blackness that threatened to swallow her up. It seemed like an eternity, but it wasn’t even a second. She let out a gasp and grabbed at Cieus’ hand. He grasped it tightly as she fell, being forced into a kneeling position from being thrown off balance.
“I got you, Rose,” he said as he looked down at her, his eyes widened in surprise. She was looking up at him, her eyes wide with the same shock that he was feeling. She was beginning to slip, so he threw his other hand down and grasped her wrist firmly before he started pulling her up. She tried to kick at something to help with leverage, but there was nothing for her feet to connect with, so it only sent her swaying, hindering them instead of helping. She bit her bottom lip a little as he started pulling her up, grunting a bit from the strength he had to use. “I won’t let you go,” he promised even as she began to slip again. His grip became tighter, and he continued pulling her up slowly, his eyes becoming steely with determination. It looked like he wasn’t going to be breaking this promise. She reached up and grasped the side of the hole when she could and began to pull with her arm, taking some of stress off of him. Just when it appeared that she’d get out of this near-missed unscathed, something else happened. The ground broke apart underneath her hand suddenly, causing her arm to drop down once her leverage was gone. Cieus let out a grunt as the ground pressed hard against his chest, and he felt her slipping from his grasp once more. “Rose,” he cried out, fearing that he was losing her.
She looked up at him, fear in her eyes now. She could see the ground crumbling beneath him, threatening to collapse under their combined weights. “Let go,” she commanded. It would be better for only one of them to end up down there, she thought to herself as she forced herself to give up, making herself a dead weight that would be harder to keep a hold on. If he continued to try, they would find themselves both down here. Before Cieus could say ‘no’, the ground did as Rose had feared it would. It disintegrated beneath Cieus’ torso, and before he could even make a sound of surprise, they were both plummeting into the foreboding darkness below.