Chapter 1

[elstrom99]

This is the first thoughts of a new story... not sure where it's going to go... or if I'm going to bother taking it anywhere.

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Tamarken huddled noiselessly in the shelter of two collapsed walls, every sense alert.  Mentally he cursed the grey skies and the ash-laden air that had hidden the sun for more weeks than he could remember.  Ash and dust filled the air making it difficult to see far down the broad expanse of tumbled concrete before him.  He could just make out the next building, gutted as the one in which he crouched.  And the smell of the ash, acrid and burning in his nostrils prevented that sense from being of any help.  Not even sound was any help.  The ash, the dust, the broken walls, they all conspired to deaden every noise, and prevented him from getting sense of it's direction.

 

He gathered himself together, reached again for the wall, preparing to launch himself in his mad dash for the next building.  His body tense. And then, the moment was gone, and he backed further into the corner rather than spring out for his run.  He'd heard the sound again.  Closer, he knew, but not the direction.

 

"Stay away from the place of the ancients, boy," his father had told him.  Why hadn't he listened? 

There.  There it was again.  Much closer this time. And this time he knew where it came from.  He would have little time to react, he knew.  It, whatever it was, was nearing the corner of his wall, less than a man's length from where he crouched.  He changed the knife from one hand to the other and prepared to attack.  His only hope, he knew, was in the element of surprise.

 

Another sound, pebbles disturbed from the rubble, cascaded from the small pile of rubble he'd seen as he'd ducked into this cubby.  It was close now, whatever it was. 

If it was the anckat that he'd been tracking, it had neatly turned the table on him.  And anckats were good at turning tables.  Many was the warrior scarred by the dagger-like claws of a wily 'kat.  He thought to relax.  "Yes, that's it. It's just the 'kat."  But his body, his mind, refused to relax.  "What if it's not?"

More pebbles.  Then a rock rolled past the opening... and he knew.  He'd nearly launched himself to attack, but held back at the end.  Someone, or something, was trying to lure him out... and that meant someone.  'Kats didn't lure.  Which was why he knew not to be too afraid of a 'kat.  But his body was throbbing with fear.  

A bead of perspiration ran down his nose and dripped onto the dust at his feel.  More pooled in his armpits and groin.  Just when he thought he'd not be able to handle the tension another minute, he saw movement.. A shadow closer to the building he'd been planning to dash toward than to himself, but coming toward him.  The figure stopped several feet from the opening to his shelter.

"Come out, won't you?  I thought you were a beast.  Not a man."  Whe he didn't move the figure stepped closer and spoke again.  "You needn't fear.  We're not going to harm you.  And we know you're in there.  I see you much more clearly than you think."  It stepped closer, and the figure refined itself into a youth, younger than himself, and a naked one at that.  Unarmed, too.

Still, he remained where he was, the blood pulsing in his temples and in his throat.  We, the youth had said.  So there was more than one.  Two?  Three?  Did it matter? Could he taken on two?  He knew he'd lose against more.  Especially when he couldn't see them.

"For cryin' out loud, man.  Come out.  There's four of us, okay?  And we'll not hurt you.  We'd have left you alone t' begin with, 'cept we thought you might be dinner."  He heard laughter from both sides of the opening now.  "Just come out.  Slowly would be good.  There's no need for anyone to be hurt.  Us or you.  Whadaya say?"

"Tell your friends to stop hiding if you don't mean harm.  All of you back away from the opening so I can get a good sight of you.  Far enough I can't rush out and get all of you, if that makes you feel better." Tamarken yelled, deepening his voice, hoping to sound older.

The youth looked to each side of the opening and nodded then motioned to someone behind him to come up.  At the same time, the youth backed several paces from the opening.  Soon four naked youth, all boys, stood with him.

"Will that do?  There ain't no more."

Tamarken paused a moment longer, then decided.  He reached down and gathered his bag and stepped to the opening of his shelter, such as it was.  He looked to each side and saw no one else.  It didn't matter, he knew.  The place could be swarming with others and he'd not necessarily see them.  Another step took him out into the open, his knife held in front of him.

"There, that's not so bad, is it?" the leader of the youths said quietly.  "I know you don't have any reason to trust me.  I'm not sure I trust you, either.  But in the end, there's no choice, is there?"  It was more of a statement than a question.  Tamarken shrugged.

"No words?"

"What's to say?  What now?  Do I go my way, or do you take me somewhere I don't wanna go?"

"You can go.  We really did just think you were a beast.  We've not eaten much of late.  But we don't eat humans.  Even plainsters... you are a plainster, right?"

"Uh, plainster?"

The youth sighed heavily.  "You come from outside the city, from out in the plains, right?"

"I guess so.  We call this the Place of the Ancients... are you ancients?"

The leader giggled, and all the others followed along.  "Ancients?  Us?  We're boys, that's it.  But yeah, this place, our elders told us it was once a great city.  If you don't live here, you live out there.  Those are the plains."

"Guess that makes me a... a plainster.  Are you a... cityster?"

There were more giggles at that, and Tamarken couldn't help himself, and joined in.

"We're just us.  Plainsters and us."

Tamarken grew serious.  "I can go huh?"  He hoisted his bag to his shoulder and took a step towards what he thought was the edge of the city.

"You can, but if you go that way, it'll take you a lot longer than if you go THAT way.  That's the way you came."

"You've been following me?  I thought you didn't know I was a man."

"We didn't.  But we knew something was moving ahead of us.  You make enough noise to wake the ancients themselves."

Tamarken reddened. "I... I... really?  I'm that loud?"

"Loud enough.  Look plainster.  It's nearly dark.  There are some beasties here that would think nothing of you.  Spend the night with us.  We'll lead you to the edge of the city tomorrow morning."

As if to accent his words, a sound, between a screech and a roar came from somewhere not too far away.  The boys became agitated and Tamarken, great warrior that he was, felt his stomach roil.  "Your offer of shelter seems wise."

With that, the youths turned and headed in the direction that he'd planned on going.  The leader held back until he was even with Tamarken.  "Dude, I hope you can run.  'Cause I think we should."  With that, all five began dashing up the expanse.

Behind him, more screams were heard.  And the sound of something large running.