Post by Django on Sept 6, 2011 21:09:07 GMT -5
Blood dripped onto the concrete, her blood. She stood staring blankly at the red liquid pooling before her. The only movement she made was the heavy rise and fall of her torso as she gasped for air. Her body was merely functioning on impulse, brain signals sent to her lungs and heart to keep her alive. Her mind caught up with her, and fear suddenly overwhelmed her body. It wasn’t a familiar feeling.
Gripping her bleeding eye, she frantically tried to get her bearings. Where was she? How did she get here? Fatigue forced her to lean against the wall behind her. Why was she so tired? What had happened? With a sudden surge of terror, she realized she could not remember anything. Were her memories completely gone? Did she even have any? Well, the fact that she was concerned about her memories made her feel like she at least had some to remember.
Still her mind was blank but for her name: Victoria Storm. That was her one surety, and she clung to it, wishing her mind could come up with more. The throbbing ache in her eye clouded her mind, but she had to remember. She had to give herself something concrete besides her name.
Looking down at herself, she discovered she was a wolverine-girl. That was scary. She had to look at herself to remember her species. But it was another surety. It was something she could hold onto. She was Victoria Storm, the wolverine-girl. And her eye still hurt; another surety.
She groaned in pain, sinking to her knees. Blood poured from her eye, blood and tears. She needed a healer. Wait a minute; she knew what a healer was! Okay, maybe her memories weren’t gone, just suppressed. What else did she know—besides that her eye hurt like crazy.
She grabbed a lock of her hair and examined it with her good eye. It was bright magenta in color, with dark violet low-lights on the ends. That didn’t seem right somehow, but she didn’t know what other color her hair should be, so she just accepted it.
Looking up, she tried to decipher again where she was. It appeared to be an alleyway in a large city. There were many minds around, thinking and moving, which meant many citizens. Wait a second . . .
How did she know that? How was she able to estimate the number of citizens when she was stuck in a back alley? And why could she sense their minds when her own was so confused?
One citizen’s mind came close, and Victoria begged it to leave. She could not think with another presence so near. Though she could not see him with her blurring vision, she knew he was a male. His thoughts penetrated her own, making her feel dizzy and nauseated.
“Are you alright, Miss?” he asked, holding out a paw to help her up. Victoria shrank away, clutching her eye with one paw and her head with the other. It was too overwhelming! Too many minds crowding her own! The male caught her just before she fainted.
Victoria awoke in another unfamiliar place, but this time she was lying on a comfortable bed. She opened one eye and discovered that she could not open the other. Sitting up in a panic, she was hit with a dizzy spell and immediately had to lie back down. She gently touched her injured eye and discovered a thick swath of bandages wrapped around her head. As a matter of fact, more bandages covered various spots on her limbs and torso.
“Oh, good, you’re up,” someone said cheerfully. Victoria groaned as someone’s mind entered hers. She clutched her head, and the other person, a male, backed off. “Oh, I’m sorry! Did I frighten you?”
It occurred to Victoria that if she told this guy the truth, he would think she was crazy. The truth was, he was hurting her just by existing, and there wasn’t much to be done about that. His mind was an expanse of boundless energy, which only made Victoria feel more tired.
“Where am I?” the wolverine managed. “Who are you?” She turned over in the bed and froze as the handsomest creature she had ever seen stood up from a chair and walked up to her.
He was a dog-man with white, brown, and gold fur. He had one blue eye and one brown eye, giving him a somewhat cute appearance as well as handsome. His tail curled like a husky’s, and his ears flopped forward over his messy blonde hair, which had blue streaks at the front of his bangs. One silver piercing glinted on his left ear, and a circular gold medallion hung from a black string around his neck.
When he smiled, the entire room lit up. He tilted his head sweetly, and his eyes seemed to flash playfully. Victoria had seen dogs before (another memory!), but this one was something special.
“Josiah,” she breathed. Then she clamped her paws over her mouth. She knew his name. How did she know his name? She had never seen him before. How did she know his name?? Oh, no, she’d read his thoughts!
He tilted his head the other way, his smile turning into a frown of confusion as he asked, “How do you know my name? I don’t think we’ve ever met. Have we?” Victoria quickly shook her head and tried to come up with an explanation as her injured eye throbbed beneath the bandages. Just then, her good eye caught something, and she was able to take her paws off her mouth.
“Oh, uh, your necklace,” she replied, pointing to the gold medallion around his neck. “It says your name on it.” He looked down at his medallion on instinct, and then he looked back up, laughing at himself.
“Oh, duh,” he said, fiddling with the gold charm. “I knew that.” His laughter died down and his expression turned sad. “How are you feeling?” Victoria stifled a moan and lay back on the pillows, closing her good eye again. Josiah nodded in understanding. “Yeah, I thought so. But that’s okay. I called a healer earlier while you were passed out. She said you were past healing condition, but she bandaged you up real good and gave you some pain-killer spells for later. She said you’ll probably have a bad scar over that eye, too.”
Victoria did not stifle the moan this time, and she rubbed her aching head with her paws. She sighed, and Josiah said nothing else for a few moments. Then he thought of something.
“Oh, I bet you’re hungry,” he exclaimed, jumping up from the bed. “I made some sandwiches. They all have grydo meat in them. You’re not a vegetarian, are you? If you are, that’s alright. I can make more. Can you sit up?” He brought a plate of sandwiches over to the bed and offered one to Victoria as she slowly got herself into a sitting position. He continued talking around a mouthful of his own sandwich. “The healer said that you can be on a regular diet since your injuries were just external.”
Victoria took the sandwich and ate it gratefully. Once she was done, Josiah politely offered her another sandwich, and she finished it, as well. She had not realized how hungry she was until she started eating.
“Yeah, I’d be hungry too, if I were hurting that bad,” he commented as she ate. “By the way, what’s your name, if you don’t mind my asking?” The wolverine hesitated before replying.
“Oh, I’m Victoria,” she said quietly. “Victoria Storm; it’s nice to meet you.” He smiled again and gently shook her paw.
“Right back atcha!” he exclaimed. “I’m Josiah Goldfield.” He let go of her paw and swung his legs onto the bed. He sat cross-legged facing her in order to talk better. “Are you from around here?” Victoria turned aside, unsure of how to answer. Josiah leaned in the direction she had turned, trying to catch her eye again. Concerned that he had touched on a sore subject, he added, “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I was just curious.” She shook her head.
“I’d love to tell you, Josiah,” she replied, returning her gaze to his. “But, the thing is . . . I don’t remember. I don’t remember anything, actually, except my name. When you found me . . .” She paused, unsure if she should continue, but she did anyway. “When you found me, I was trying to remember how I had gotten here. I was trying to remember anything, for that matter. Like I said, all I really knew was my name, which wasn’t much, and then . . .” She was reluctant to share her strange experience of being able to feel the minds of other citizens. She didn’t understand it herself, and it would probably sound crazy, anyway. “Then I passed out.”
“My God,” he breathed in astonishment. “That sounds awful, not being able to remember anything! . . . Do you think you might’ve hit your head? Or was it an explosion? I’ve heard people lose their memory after a big explosion.”
His words triggered something in Victoria’s confused mind. A vision struck her: blinding light—huge shockwave—excruciating pain—tumbling through darkness. Then it was over. She shook herself, bringing her mind back to reality. Her head began to hurt again, and she clutched it with one paw.
“Victoria, you okay?” Josiah asked, concerned. She was breathing heavily, trying to calm her racing heartbeat. She nodded, looking up at him.
“Yeah,” she replied. “I—I think it was an explosion. I just remembered—” She gasped. “I just remembered! Right before I woke up bleeding in the alley, there was this huge explosion! I don’t know how it happened, but I—I remember it!” She was excited now from regaining a memory.
“You remembered!” Josiah exclaimed, just as excited. “That’s great!” His curled tail began to wag crazily, and, despite herself, Victoria could not hold back a giggle. She loved dogs; they were always so full of energy. Josiah then stroked his chin as if in deep thought. “I wonder how we could get you to remember more. . .”
“I think when you said explosion,” she offered. “That’s what triggered it: your words.” Josiah’s ears perked up.
“Oh, so, if I just keep rattling off words then you’ll remember more?” he asked. Victoria sighed, leaning her head back against the pillows.
“No thanks,” she replied. Regaining a memory had sapped the last of her strength. “I’m too tired. If you don’t mind, I think I’ll just pass out again.” Josiah laughed quietly and nodded, getting up off the bed.
“No problem,” he chuckled. “Pass out for as long as you want.”
---
To clear up the confusion, this is a chapter from one of the many stories I have in the making that take place on my beloved made-up planet called Earth 2 (I'm so stinkin' creative with my titles).
What happens next? You'll have to visit my website: www.wildstudios.webs.com to find out.
Thanks for reading!
Gripping her bleeding eye, she frantically tried to get her bearings. Where was she? How did she get here? Fatigue forced her to lean against the wall behind her. Why was she so tired? What had happened? With a sudden surge of terror, she realized she could not remember anything. Were her memories completely gone? Did she even have any? Well, the fact that she was concerned about her memories made her feel like she at least had some to remember.
Still her mind was blank but for her name: Victoria Storm. That was her one surety, and she clung to it, wishing her mind could come up with more. The throbbing ache in her eye clouded her mind, but she had to remember. She had to give herself something concrete besides her name.
Looking down at herself, she discovered she was a wolverine-girl. That was scary. She had to look at herself to remember her species. But it was another surety. It was something she could hold onto. She was Victoria Storm, the wolverine-girl. And her eye still hurt; another surety.
She groaned in pain, sinking to her knees. Blood poured from her eye, blood and tears. She needed a healer. Wait a minute; she knew what a healer was! Okay, maybe her memories weren’t gone, just suppressed. What else did she know—besides that her eye hurt like crazy.
She grabbed a lock of her hair and examined it with her good eye. It was bright magenta in color, with dark violet low-lights on the ends. That didn’t seem right somehow, but she didn’t know what other color her hair should be, so she just accepted it.
Looking up, she tried to decipher again where she was. It appeared to be an alleyway in a large city. There were many minds around, thinking and moving, which meant many citizens. Wait a second . . .
How did she know that? How was she able to estimate the number of citizens when she was stuck in a back alley? And why could she sense their minds when her own was so confused?
One citizen’s mind came close, and Victoria begged it to leave. She could not think with another presence so near. Though she could not see him with her blurring vision, she knew he was a male. His thoughts penetrated her own, making her feel dizzy and nauseated.
“Are you alright, Miss?” he asked, holding out a paw to help her up. Victoria shrank away, clutching her eye with one paw and her head with the other. It was too overwhelming! Too many minds crowding her own! The male caught her just before she fainted.
Victoria awoke in another unfamiliar place, but this time she was lying on a comfortable bed. She opened one eye and discovered that she could not open the other. Sitting up in a panic, she was hit with a dizzy spell and immediately had to lie back down. She gently touched her injured eye and discovered a thick swath of bandages wrapped around her head. As a matter of fact, more bandages covered various spots on her limbs and torso.
“Oh, good, you’re up,” someone said cheerfully. Victoria groaned as someone’s mind entered hers. She clutched her head, and the other person, a male, backed off. “Oh, I’m sorry! Did I frighten you?”
It occurred to Victoria that if she told this guy the truth, he would think she was crazy. The truth was, he was hurting her just by existing, and there wasn’t much to be done about that. His mind was an expanse of boundless energy, which only made Victoria feel more tired.
“Where am I?” the wolverine managed. “Who are you?” She turned over in the bed and froze as the handsomest creature she had ever seen stood up from a chair and walked up to her.
He was a dog-man with white, brown, and gold fur. He had one blue eye and one brown eye, giving him a somewhat cute appearance as well as handsome. His tail curled like a husky’s, and his ears flopped forward over his messy blonde hair, which had blue streaks at the front of his bangs. One silver piercing glinted on his left ear, and a circular gold medallion hung from a black string around his neck.
When he smiled, the entire room lit up. He tilted his head sweetly, and his eyes seemed to flash playfully. Victoria had seen dogs before (another memory!), but this one was something special.
“Josiah,” she breathed. Then she clamped her paws over her mouth. She knew his name. How did she know his name? She had never seen him before. How did she know his name?? Oh, no, she’d read his thoughts!
He tilted his head the other way, his smile turning into a frown of confusion as he asked, “How do you know my name? I don’t think we’ve ever met. Have we?” Victoria quickly shook her head and tried to come up with an explanation as her injured eye throbbed beneath the bandages. Just then, her good eye caught something, and she was able to take her paws off her mouth.
“Oh, uh, your necklace,” she replied, pointing to the gold medallion around his neck. “It says your name on it.” He looked down at his medallion on instinct, and then he looked back up, laughing at himself.
“Oh, duh,” he said, fiddling with the gold charm. “I knew that.” His laughter died down and his expression turned sad. “How are you feeling?” Victoria stifled a moan and lay back on the pillows, closing her good eye again. Josiah nodded in understanding. “Yeah, I thought so. But that’s okay. I called a healer earlier while you were passed out. She said you were past healing condition, but she bandaged you up real good and gave you some pain-killer spells for later. She said you’ll probably have a bad scar over that eye, too.”
Victoria did not stifle the moan this time, and she rubbed her aching head with her paws. She sighed, and Josiah said nothing else for a few moments. Then he thought of something.
“Oh, I bet you’re hungry,” he exclaimed, jumping up from the bed. “I made some sandwiches. They all have grydo meat in them. You’re not a vegetarian, are you? If you are, that’s alright. I can make more. Can you sit up?” He brought a plate of sandwiches over to the bed and offered one to Victoria as she slowly got herself into a sitting position. He continued talking around a mouthful of his own sandwich. “The healer said that you can be on a regular diet since your injuries were just external.”
Victoria took the sandwich and ate it gratefully. Once she was done, Josiah politely offered her another sandwich, and she finished it, as well. She had not realized how hungry she was until she started eating.
“Yeah, I’d be hungry too, if I were hurting that bad,” he commented as she ate. “By the way, what’s your name, if you don’t mind my asking?” The wolverine hesitated before replying.
“Oh, I’m Victoria,” she said quietly. “Victoria Storm; it’s nice to meet you.” He smiled again and gently shook her paw.
“Right back atcha!” he exclaimed. “I’m Josiah Goldfield.” He let go of her paw and swung his legs onto the bed. He sat cross-legged facing her in order to talk better. “Are you from around here?” Victoria turned aside, unsure of how to answer. Josiah leaned in the direction she had turned, trying to catch her eye again. Concerned that he had touched on a sore subject, he added, “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I was just curious.” She shook her head.
“I’d love to tell you, Josiah,” she replied, returning her gaze to his. “But, the thing is . . . I don’t remember. I don’t remember anything, actually, except my name. When you found me . . .” She paused, unsure if she should continue, but she did anyway. “When you found me, I was trying to remember how I had gotten here. I was trying to remember anything, for that matter. Like I said, all I really knew was my name, which wasn’t much, and then . . .” She was reluctant to share her strange experience of being able to feel the minds of other citizens. She didn’t understand it herself, and it would probably sound crazy, anyway. “Then I passed out.”
“My God,” he breathed in astonishment. “That sounds awful, not being able to remember anything! . . . Do you think you might’ve hit your head? Or was it an explosion? I’ve heard people lose their memory after a big explosion.”
His words triggered something in Victoria’s confused mind. A vision struck her: blinding light—huge shockwave—excruciating pain—tumbling through darkness. Then it was over. She shook herself, bringing her mind back to reality. Her head began to hurt again, and she clutched it with one paw.
“Victoria, you okay?” Josiah asked, concerned. She was breathing heavily, trying to calm her racing heartbeat. She nodded, looking up at him.
“Yeah,” she replied. “I—I think it was an explosion. I just remembered—” She gasped. “I just remembered! Right before I woke up bleeding in the alley, there was this huge explosion! I don’t know how it happened, but I—I remember it!” She was excited now from regaining a memory.
“You remembered!” Josiah exclaimed, just as excited. “That’s great!” His curled tail began to wag crazily, and, despite herself, Victoria could not hold back a giggle. She loved dogs; they were always so full of energy. Josiah then stroked his chin as if in deep thought. “I wonder how we could get you to remember more. . .”
“I think when you said explosion,” she offered. “That’s what triggered it: your words.” Josiah’s ears perked up.
“Oh, so, if I just keep rattling off words then you’ll remember more?” he asked. Victoria sighed, leaning her head back against the pillows.
“No thanks,” she replied. Regaining a memory had sapped the last of her strength. “I’m too tired. If you don’t mind, I think I’ll just pass out again.” Josiah laughed quietly and nodded, getting up off the bed.
“No problem,” he chuckled. “Pass out for as long as you want.”
---
To clear up the confusion, this is a chapter from one of the many stories I have in the making that take place on my beloved made-up planet called Earth 2 (I'm so stinkin' creative with my titles).
What happens next? You'll have to visit my website: www.wildstudios.webs.com to find out.
Thanks for reading!