Hiryuujin
08-25-08, 11:37 PM
It was a long time before he could hear it again, the slow quiet crash of waves upon the shore. His legs were cold and felt wet. He could see only darkness. His eyes were closed. He merely lay there on the shore, on his back. He didn’t know where he was. He hardly remembered where he came from. Everything in his head was a blur. He heard another wave hit the shore, and at the same moment, another wave of cold hit his legs. He didn’t react. He didn’t move. He was unwilling to move.
Warm and moist breath touched his chest, a new sensation. The soft sound of air passing through a pair of large nostrils hit his ears, just over the sound of the waves. There was more sniffing. He still refused to move, even though his awareness slowly returned. Then something long and wet passed over his chest. It wasn’t like the water. It was slimy and warm. A sudden reflex kicked through his system and he grabbed it in his right hand.
There was a loud yelping noise. It was not like a yelp from a dog. It sounded much different, more like a bird’s call. He brought up his other hand and punched at the noise. He felt the impact of his fist on soft skin, and whatever creature he was holding yelped and whimpered. He let go and whatever he was holding quickly slipped into the water with a small splash.
His eyes finally opened. He looked down towards his legs to see a tail rise above the water before slipping back in. Whatever it was, it had escaped him. He sat up, lifting slowly from the sand. It stuck to his back. He could feel it drying his skin even more. He placed a hand to his forehead, closing his eyes. He groaned. He felt sick to his stomach.
He opened his eyes and looked out at the water. He saw two long sinuous bodies, like those of a pair of snakes, rise up from it. Their bodies looked the same as the one that escaped him, except they were much, much bigger. Two heads came out of the water and looked directly at him. He knew what he had gotten himself into then. He slowly struggled to his feet and stood straight.
He was a tall man, with hair of midnight black and eyes of blood red colour. He was built quite fit and muscular, but not overly so. There was a red mark on his chest that covered him from his right shoulder to his waste and might have been mistaken for a tribal tattoo, if not so roughly done. It looked like more of a large stain on his skin instead of clothes. He wore baggy black pants that sagged over his feet. Doubtless they were filled with water. The most peculiar thing about this man was the odd formations of hair poking above his wavy black mop. They looked like a pair of horns atop his head and grew backwards over it like a pair of antelope horns. On closer inspection, one would see that they were indeed no more than hair.
He felt weak, and wobbled slightly on his feet. His head was still fuzzy, his senses yet still incomplete. He felt something in his chest and leaned forwards. He wearily grabbed at his chest as he spat out seawater trapped in his gullet. He steadied himself and looked back up at the creatures of the deep. He righted himself, standing straight. He raised his fists, as if ready to fight, but was obviously in no condition.
The creatures paid little heed to this. He saw the young one that he had inadvertently attacked before poke his head up between the two. It looked at him as if confirming the already suspicious parents. One of them swam closer. It leaned down and put its head close to the man. It was then he could see just how large it was. It was many times the size of him, but only twice as wide.
He took a weak swing at the creature, and it only moved its head easily away from it. In response, the massive tail of the creature emerged. He saw this and stood ready to stand his ground. The tail swung at him, and though he still stood there, he was unable to react as it slammed into his torso. It threw him backwards, further onto the shore. He hit the grass instead of the sandy beach, and fell quite hard. He felt the pain shoot through his back and winced, arching it slightly and gritting his teeth.
Again, he slowly sat up. He opened his eyes and looked towards the water. His breathing was a bit heavier because of the impact, but it was slowing. He saw all three of the sea snakes turning away and swimming back out to the ocean, leaving him behind. He hanged his head, shamed by how easily he had lost to the snake.
Was this all that was left of him? His memories slowly returned to him. He was a once mighty warrior, the son of a god and a sorceress. The strongest mortals were powerless against him, entire armies feel before him. He was Azrael, the angel of death! Almost none could challenge him… Almost… There was one that could stand against him. Just one.
He shook away the memories with a shake of his head. He stood up from the grass and made it once again to his feet. He looked out at the water once more, and then cringed, almost doubling over. He felt a sudden pang in his stomach. It was painful and harsh. He heard the gurgling of acids within his own body. It was a rather severe stomach growl. He was hungry. It had been ages since he ate. He was so very hungry…
He stumbled and came to lean on a nearby tree, his right hand resting against the bark. He breathed heavily, attempting to ease his hunger. It was no use. It was a large tree, with a wide trunk. It was old and had patches of bark missing that had been eaten away by insects. He appeared to be at the edge of a forest. He heard the sudden scuttling of many legs. He reacted instantly, bringing his left hand away from holding his stomach to slam it against the tree. Something spattered beneath his hand. He had gotten it.
He looked at it. It was an enormous blue centipede that was almost as long as his own arm, and a little under half as thick. He had squished its head, and its similarly blue innards had spilled on the tree and onto his hand. He grabbed it from the tree. He held it up and looked at it for a moment, then bit down on the squished head. He began eating it, a pair of legs at a time.
He didn’t mind it much. He had tasted more horrible things, and with even more legs. He consumed such things as a child. Living so deep in the earth, you had to make due with what was there. He was ravenous then, and even more so now. A normal man would have died of hunger already. Lucky for him, he was no normal man.
He finished the centipede and then sat back down on the ground. It was hardly satisfying. He needed more than a measly insect to satisfy his hunger. He needed something larger, something with more meat. Maybe he’d get lucky and something would come along…
Warm and moist breath touched his chest, a new sensation. The soft sound of air passing through a pair of large nostrils hit his ears, just over the sound of the waves. There was more sniffing. He still refused to move, even though his awareness slowly returned. Then something long and wet passed over his chest. It wasn’t like the water. It was slimy and warm. A sudden reflex kicked through his system and he grabbed it in his right hand.
There was a loud yelping noise. It was not like a yelp from a dog. It sounded much different, more like a bird’s call. He brought up his other hand and punched at the noise. He felt the impact of his fist on soft skin, and whatever creature he was holding yelped and whimpered. He let go and whatever he was holding quickly slipped into the water with a small splash.
His eyes finally opened. He looked down towards his legs to see a tail rise above the water before slipping back in. Whatever it was, it had escaped him. He sat up, lifting slowly from the sand. It stuck to his back. He could feel it drying his skin even more. He placed a hand to his forehead, closing his eyes. He groaned. He felt sick to his stomach.
He opened his eyes and looked out at the water. He saw two long sinuous bodies, like those of a pair of snakes, rise up from it. Their bodies looked the same as the one that escaped him, except they were much, much bigger. Two heads came out of the water and looked directly at him. He knew what he had gotten himself into then. He slowly struggled to his feet and stood straight.
He was a tall man, with hair of midnight black and eyes of blood red colour. He was built quite fit and muscular, but not overly so. There was a red mark on his chest that covered him from his right shoulder to his waste and might have been mistaken for a tribal tattoo, if not so roughly done. It looked like more of a large stain on his skin instead of clothes. He wore baggy black pants that sagged over his feet. Doubtless they were filled with water. The most peculiar thing about this man was the odd formations of hair poking above his wavy black mop. They looked like a pair of horns atop his head and grew backwards over it like a pair of antelope horns. On closer inspection, one would see that they were indeed no more than hair.
He felt weak, and wobbled slightly on his feet. His head was still fuzzy, his senses yet still incomplete. He felt something in his chest and leaned forwards. He wearily grabbed at his chest as he spat out seawater trapped in his gullet. He steadied himself and looked back up at the creatures of the deep. He righted himself, standing straight. He raised his fists, as if ready to fight, but was obviously in no condition.
The creatures paid little heed to this. He saw the young one that he had inadvertently attacked before poke his head up between the two. It looked at him as if confirming the already suspicious parents. One of them swam closer. It leaned down and put its head close to the man. It was then he could see just how large it was. It was many times the size of him, but only twice as wide.
He took a weak swing at the creature, and it only moved its head easily away from it. In response, the massive tail of the creature emerged. He saw this and stood ready to stand his ground. The tail swung at him, and though he still stood there, he was unable to react as it slammed into his torso. It threw him backwards, further onto the shore. He hit the grass instead of the sandy beach, and fell quite hard. He felt the pain shoot through his back and winced, arching it slightly and gritting his teeth.
Again, he slowly sat up. He opened his eyes and looked towards the water. His breathing was a bit heavier because of the impact, but it was slowing. He saw all three of the sea snakes turning away and swimming back out to the ocean, leaving him behind. He hanged his head, shamed by how easily he had lost to the snake.
Was this all that was left of him? His memories slowly returned to him. He was a once mighty warrior, the son of a god and a sorceress. The strongest mortals were powerless against him, entire armies feel before him. He was Azrael, the angel of death! Almost none could challenge him… Almost… There was one that could stand against him. Just one.
He shook away the memories with a shake of his head. He stood up from the grass and made it once again to his feet. He looked out at the water once more, and then cringed, almost doubling over. He felt a sudden pang in his stomach. It was painful and harsh. He heard the gurgling of acids within his own body. It was a rather severe stomach growl. He was hungry. It had been ages since he ate. He was so very hungry…
He stumbled and came to lean on a nearby tree, his right hand resting against the bark. He breathed heavily, attempting to ease his hunger. It was no use. It was a large tree, with a wide trunk. It was old and had patches of bark missing that had been eaten away by insects. He appeared to be at the edge of a forest. He heard the sudden scuttling of many legs. He reacted instantly, bringing his left hand away from holding his stomach to slam it against the tree. Something spattered beneath his hand. He had gotten it.
He looked at it. It was an enormous blue centipede that was almost as long as his own arm, and a little under half as thick. He had squished its head, and its similarly blue innards had spilled on the tree and onto his hand. He grabbed it from the tree. He held it up and looked at it for a moment, then bit down on the squished head. He began eating it, a pair of legs at a time.
He didn’t mind it much. He had tasted more horrible things, and with even more legs. He consumed such things as a child. Living so deep in the earth, you had to make due with what was there. He was ravenous then, and even more so now. A normal man would have died of hunger already. Lucky for him, he was no normal man.
He finished the centipede and then sat back down on the ground. It was hardly satisfying. He needed more than a measly insect to satisfy his hunger. He needed something larger, something with more meat. Maybe he’d get lucky and something would come along…