Old DW excerpt
I have a favorite excerpt. I think of it often at work while we're trampling through the woods making a huge amount of racket:
There was a distant crack of wood, barely perceivable against the slew of sounds hounding her from all directions. She crouched, her cautious trek through the jungle put on hold as she waited, rolling her eyes to vent some of her impatience. But to move too fast and give away her position would delay her even more. She ignored the constant flow of mating songs from countless species of frogs and insects, listening for another sign of movement on the ground. An irritated pair of birds screeched at her from overhead, while a tribe of monkeys called to one another as they swept through the trees about a stone's throw away. Occasionally, she heard the distressed squeak of a rodent in its last moment of life, becoming a meal to a silently successful predator.
Once again, Fannon stood and crept forward as she continued to assess her surroundings. The crack was too light to be a large predator, but too heavy for something small. Most likely the blunder of a native, who would be traveling in a group with similar stealthiness. But unlike Fannon, they had the advantage of knowing the land. She had no doubt that their sentries had spotted her ship come in. They would be looking for her with the intent of driving her off or killing her to protect their beloved treasures and home. She didn't blame them. After all, their entire history with outside civilizations has always given these people the same message: kill or be killed. Fight or be plundered.
Fannon wouldn't be surprised if she was the first visitor with an intent other than looting their riches. Then again, she had no idea what Shuranthae meant by "fallen star." She imagined it was a rock or a jewel of some sort. She hoped for the sake of avoiding conflict that it wasn't a jewel. She stopped herself from laughing out loud. As if Shuranthae would care about creating conflict. He probably enjoyed creating it.
Another crack, this time closer and to the east. The previous one had come from the north. She was sure now that she was being surrounded. The wild tribes of Pearl were very capable at stealth tactics and put a lot of work into mastering them; experienced hunting parties in Pearl would not have snapped a twig twice in a moon. Here in Opal, this tribe seems to have taken on a similar approach, albeit less effectively. Both were very different from the bold and raucous advances made by the Ruby and Sapphire clans, whose focus was intimidation rather than ambush.
She slowly rested her hand on the hilt of her falchion. She never let her sword hand stray too far while she was in dangerous territory like this, but the time she would have to use to grab her falchion would be too precious to give up here. She cursed herself for letting them track her. She should have taken a few minutes to get them off her trail, but she had hoped she wouldn't take this long to find this "fallen star".
Too late, she grimly chided herself as her grip on the hilt tightened. She could feel them breathing, inching closer and closer. The world around seemed to freeze, to hold its breath for one brief moment.
3.
A song bird's melodious tune cut through the stillness, the sweet sound lingering in the air like the scent of overripe mangoes that surrounded her.
2.
The wind, absent for most of her hike into the wilds, softly caressed her cheek, pushing strands of her dark brown hair away from her face like a lover's touch. A touch she hadn't felt in years, a touch she longed to feel once more...
She closed her eyes. Fin...
1.
As if surrounded by dynamite, the thickets in every direction exploded around her.
There was a distant crack of wood, barely perceivable against the slew of sounds hounding her from all directions. She crouched, her cautious trek through the jungle put on hold as she waited, rolling her eyes to vent some of her impatience. But to move too fast and give away her position would delay her even more. She ignored the constant flow of mating songs from countless species of frogs and insects, listening for another sign of movement on the ground. An irritated pair of birds screeched at her from overhead, while a tribe of monkeys called to one another as they swept through the trees about a stone's throw away. Occasionally, she heard the distressed squeak of a rodent in its last moment of life, becoming a meal to a silently successful predator.
Once again, Fannon stood and crept forward as she continued to assess her surroundings. The crack was too light to be a large predator, but too heavy for something small. Most likely the blunder of a native, who would be traveling in a group with similar stealthiness. But unlike Fannon, they had the advantage of knowing the land. She had no doubt that their sentries had spotted her ship come in. They would be looking for her with the intent of driving her off or killing her to protect their beloved treasures and home. She didn't blame them. After all, their entire history with outside civilizations has always given these people the same message: kill or be killed. Fight or be plundered.
Fannon wouldn't be surprised if she was the first visitor with an intent other than looting their riches. Then again, she had no idea what Shuranthae meant by "fallen star." She imagined it was a rock or a jewel of some sort. She hoped for the sake of avoiding conflict that it wasn't a jewel. She stopped herself from laughing out loud. As if Shuranthae would care about creating conflict. He probably enjoyed creating it.
Another crack, this time closer and to the east. The previous one had come from the north. She was sure now that she was being surrounded. The wild tribes of Pearl were very capable at stealth tactics and put a lot of work into mastering them; experienced hunting parties in Pearl would not have snapped a twig twice in a moon. Here in Opal, this tribe seems to have taken on a similar approach, albeit less effectively. Both were very different from the bold and raucous advances made by the Ruby and Sapphire clans, whose focus was intimidation rather than ambush.
She slowly rested her hand on the hilt of her falchion. She never let her sword hand stray too far while she was in dangerous territory like this, but the time she would have to use to grab her falchion would be too precious to give up here. She cursed herself for letting them track her. She should have taken a few minutes to get them off her trail, but she had hoped she wouldn't take this long to find this "fallen star".
Too late, she grimly chided herself as her grip on the hilt tightened. She could feel them breathing, inching closer and closer. The world around seemed to freeze, to hold its breath for one brief moment.
3.
A song bird's melodious tune cut through the stillness, the sweet sound lingering in the air like the scent of overripe mangoes that surrounded her.
2.
The wind, absent for most of her hike into the wilds, softly caressed her cheek, pushing strands of her dark brown hair away from her face like a lover's touch. A touch she hadn't felt in years, a touch she longed to feel once more...
She closed her eyes. Fin...
1.
As if surrounded by dynamite, the thickets in every direction exploded around her.