...If they can be called short stories. I've been wanting to get back into writing for a while now, hoping to maybe get some of my repressed emotions out that way (yeah lame, I know) so writing may start happening more often. I'm starting with short things for now, inspiration drawn from listening to music from a certain orchestral company. So I'll be posting links to the songs I listened to while writing a particular short. I really had no other theme than that going into writing these. I seriously haven't sat down and written anything in ages, so please feel free to critique. [part one: friendship to last] How long has it been, my friend? Little’s changed much for me this past year. Been thinking a lot about our last days together, back when we were young. Or when I was at least. You weren’t exactly young then, were you? “There has to be another way, there’s no reason to throw your life away!†A smirk. The smirk I knew for years, that spoke volumes, held experience…things that would never be shown again. Not from you. Another explosion surrounds us, another salvo of gunfire. “Sorry, brother. You gotta live. You’re ages younger than I am, but tell my story – no, our story – to your own soldiers, yeah?†Don’t be stupid. Don’t run. You’ll never make it with those injuries. You’ll never make it with all the bullets raging around us. “No-!†But before I can even act, you give one last grin, put a hand on my shoulder, and run. Run to distract the enemy, run into the gunfire, run to be a hero one last time, run to the freedom promised in death. Because you truly believed it was better than the slow death you knew would come in the medical bay. Idiot. Damned idiot! Didn’t you know? Even if you’re gone, no one can inherit your courage. Your life. Your spirit. The adventures we had as a team, fighting in a war we weren’t sure we understood. For the hero everyone said you were, you sure were a fool…but it was too late for me to turn around, you had already tossed me in the direction of home. If home still existed. I ran too, but it was in fear, cowardice, all the things you were not and never would be. They didn’t see me run because no one wants to watch a coward flee. But they’ll gladly see a hero die. The war’s over, you know. We won. Because of your sacrifice, I was able to get back to base in time to warn them. But even now, I still can’t tell if it was worth it. I’m growing old now, but I’ve fulfilled your wish – every soldier I’ve had in my command since that day had your legacy drilled into their heads. And they’ve told their soldiers. I’ve even seen some of the younger boys come up here to see your grave. I’m not sure how I feel about that either, but it won’t matter much longer. I’m dying, friend. And I won’t be as remembered as you are. Though…you’ll still be here when my time’s up, won’t you? … You know it, brother. And we’ll continue our adventures till the end of time. [part two: hypnotica] The hounds of hell were coming, announced by a crash of thunder and the sickening sound of rocks splitting apart. They ran through the trees with ease, massive paws striking the ground and kicking up dirt and loose rocks. Twigs and leaves caught fire as the hellish beasts dashed across the forest floor, but the beasts did not care what destruction they caused in their wake. That was their one objective, their one reason to charge on. Hunting their prey. They leapt over logs, crashed through dead trees, all the while barking and howling at one another to keep track of their quarry. Setting fire to anything flammable in their path. This one dies. The command is from the pack leader. He is the largest of all the hounds, large enough to dwarf a common horse in size by comparison. His pack is smaller, but still giants. Navigating this land is no challenge. They lose sight of their prey for a moment – but only a moment. The winds shift, bringing the heavy scent of fear and exhaustion right to their noses. The leader lets out a deafening howl, one to rival even the fiercest thunderclaps. Faster, you worthless trackers! The alpha displays his displeasure that the chase has lasted so long. Whoever this person was…it better be worth their while in the end. The pack chases on, never tiring, not even knowing what fatigue means. They chase their prey to a cliff face, and he stops. Contemplates his options. Reaches his conclusion. He shouts an insult to the hell hounds, enraging them as he leaps off the side of the cliff. The hounds reach the cliff side moments later and watch him laughing up at them but do not break stride – they fear the alpha more than their master. Silence him. The alpha comes to a stop at the edge of the cliff, the weight of his paws causing rocks to buckle beneath him. The rest of his pack dashes by, straight off the cliff after their prey. The man panics, he hadn’t expected the hounds to follow him. Typical mortal fool. First angers hell’s god, then thinks he can outsmart hell’s hounds. The alpha watches as his pack lands first, waiting for the man to fall into one of their open mouths. One of the hounds leaps up and catches him, holding the man in his jaws, then disappears into a dark plume of smoke, dragging the man to hell with him. The others look at the alpha, and he merely nods. They disappear as well, leaving only the alpha on the cliff. He takes a quick survey of the area then lets out another deafening howl and vanishes back to where he came, the howl lingering and daring any other to challenge the might of his pack.
For the first one. It reminds me of something from a few years ago, I can't remember what it is but I got the same sad but majestic feel from it. I'll have to get back to you on what my memory is comparing it to. Anyway, the story can be used in any number of settings in my mind at least. It's clever and sounds like it would be an epilogue to a war hero. And the second one. I prefer this. It fits the music better than the first one in my opinion and has another easily adaptable meaning for my imagination to exploit. It gives me an old school Disney dark moment feel. Like when the Dwarves kill the Queen in Snow White or something. If that makes sense.
