004 - Gunshot?

We gazed at the light for so long, in silence, but fingers so close to each other on the lush grass. Had I had the courage, I would've brushed the dew that collected off her face.

All of a sudden, her face paled and she looked at me in a twisted mix of horror and disbelief.

"I'm late."

"Huh?-"

"I'M LATE! OH MY GOD, I'M LATE!"

"...Context...?"

"There's an initiation for the new priestesses this morning, and... and... AND I'M GOING TO BE LATE! I'm sorry, but I have to dash, NOW, I'll catch up with you next week, or maybe- maybe you could send a crane to me? Uh... Actually I'm not sure if I'd be free the next week, I've got to take care of the newbies, how does next next week sound..?

Hurriedly, she smoothed down her gown and combed through her unruly hair with her fingers.

"Have I got any grass on me?" She turned away.

My breath seized. Is she asking me to check for her?! Oh my God, wait, I'm not prepared for this, I gotta' say she looks great. No matter what, she looks great. Okay.

"Ahem, you're fine," I coughed and averted my gaze. Perhaps she would not see the blood rushing to my cheeks. "You should start running before they catch you,"

"RIGHT, RIGHT! I'LL BE OFF NOW! SEE YOU!"

The priestess walked up to the edge of the cliff, took a deep breath,

and.. jumped.

For a moment, it seemed like she had disappeared and met her demise at the foot of the cliff. A bout of total silence; even the birds paused their chorus and the winds held their breath in curiosity of what would follow.

And with a whoosh, the volume of thunder, the blur of white launched high in the air. Wings the colour of the moon, stretched wide across the horizon, carrying the weight of the maiden high into the sky. I cursed the wind as it resumed its howl and gushed forth, blinding my view of her for even the mere seconds. We made eye contact.

"Nerd," I mouthed through a smile.

She giggled and then swooped away into the distance.

I watched her dive into the clouds and over the hills, and waited until she was totally out of sight before I breathed a sigh of relief. Damn it! I totally blew my chance. YOU'RE FINE??? What kind of idiot says that?! I slammed my palm into the ground. It's alright, I paced myself. I had an eternity to try my luck with her.

~

She had left me for a while, but I had no intention of leaving. The choir of the wind and swallows would soothe anyone to a hazy sleep, yet my mind lay awake in the midst of enthralling noise.

After 2000 years here, much hadn't changed.

I yawned loudly and like a log, fell backwards; the grass caught my brief fall and cushioned my landing. It was like every other day. The sky here never cried it's tears, nor did the Sun ever hide their face from evangelistic view. Every puff of air I inhaled was perfumed with something.

Chrysanthemum? No... it's almost like vanilla... sweetgrass. That's right; sweetgrass.

My fingers grazed against the grass and found themselves intertwined with the plant. Everything you want, you can have; such is the nature of paradise. Was that a good thing? My mind wandered as I gently plucked the stalk out from the ground; making sure not to spill it's single drop of sap.

Mmm, the taste of youth. Using the word 'youth' instead of childhood, I smiled at the thought. I don't think I had ever been young, but rather there were times where I had been more carefree...

More alive...

BANG!

My mindless trance vanished in an instant; lightning zapped through my veins in an attempt to awaken my body from it's death-like slumber.

My eyes dashed from side to side in their sockets, a shiver in my spine, cold sweat down my cheeks, if I had a heart, I doubt my chest would remain so very still.

Bang? Couldn't be an arrow, no... rifle... shotgun... that was right...

Suddenly, following a brief pause, a rustling of leaves, so faint it would've been unheard of by the human ear.

The sweat practically gushed down the sides of my face.

"Who's there!" I yelled; not really expecting a response, but more likely to deter an opponent.

Not a reply but a single peep from a terrified swallow. Something was approaching, coming my way, and all who resided in the woods held their breath. I adopted a defensive stance and readied myself. Whoever, whatever it may have been...

BANG!

Again? I shuddered at the mere thought. Whatever it was, it wasn't taking the angels' shotguns lightly.

I had identified the source of the commotion. Directly opposite to the clearing and the cliff, the sound was minimal, negligible even, but unmistakable. Footsteps. Two pairs of them; both running, but one startled and the other steady. The former was staggered, haphazard even.

BANG!

I barely had time to recover from the shock of the third round, when a shadow made itself visible from the bodies of the trees.

"I said, who's there?!" I found that my breath was ragged, and my voice carried a faint hint of... fear.

"P-Please... You have to help me... Please..."

My breathing paced itself as I slowly regained my courage. The target was weak. They couldn't possibly launch an attack. All I had to do was to hold them off until their pursuer arrived.

"Identify yourself, or I won't hold myself responsible for what comes next!" I shouted back.

"Please... Please don't... shoot... I'm begging you..."

And the light beamed down on his face.

Staggered and beaten, the man hobbled towards my direction. Lacerations lined the exterior of his face. Small twigs and the occasional speck of mud adorned his ebony hair. He had one hand raised up in an act of surrender, and the other clutching his torso. Blood crept around the region of the wound and trickled down past his palm. Both eyes were closed, but they didn't need to be opened for me to see that look of pure fear, and desperate survival.

I was rendered completely speechless. Who... No, why... Huh?

"Please... Please... I'm begging you, please, don't... don't..." His voice was hoarse, choked with tears and phlegm.

He fell forward. Like a hammer going down on the anvil, there was no warning nor even a hint of hesitation; though I doubt he could stop himself even if he wanted.

My body gave no heeding as it lurched forward, and I broke the man's fall. He landed into my arms, though the enchanted grass would not have harmed him either way.

"Who... Who are you...?" was all I could bring myself to ask, my mind was in shock and disbelief. Just a few hours ago, I had the time of my life sitting in the grass with a moon priestess, and now a man laid bleeding out in my arms on the same grass.

Through great effort, his eyes fluttered open.

I caught my breath. The irises were... grey... and no discernible pupils, they all just looked like a deep well, a mass of never-ending slate-grey.

His mouth creaked open and he tried to cough up a sentence, but his damned voice made it impossible to distinguish anything.

"What?" I whispered; and I moved my ear to his lips. The world was becoming a blur. The winds howled loudly, warning me that the second pair of footsteps were approaching. The birds flapped their wings in an attempt to break my trance, the grass stiffened itself and jabbed the soles of my feet.

Amidst the storm, albeit his injuries, despite his guttural voice and slurred speech, his words were clear to me.

"I want to live..."