Hear the pulse of the North (closed)

[Seraphima]

In the few days she'd been in Scara Brae, the slender blonde-haired blind woman had become a familiar sight to the average citizen. Her dress was either blue and linen or green and cotton, and her boots were always brown. A blindfold served simultaneously to hide her eyes and restrain the pale golden curls.

In her right hand was an oaken cane, and at her left side was her dog, a big black lab with chestnut markings. Yes...to the people of Scara Brae, Seraphima was something interesting to see. Not regular as clockwork, but she walked her dog in the morning, bought groceries in the afternoon, and in the evening went out to listen as the sun set.

Sara could tell she was something new and exciting. The children all came up to pet Maurizio, and the shopkeepers hawked their wares in loud voices. Maurizio kept her on the right path, and her cane helped her assure her balance...and the noise everyone made assured her of her reality and place in the world.

Cloth rustled as people moved, so many dozens of shoes scraped along the cobblestone streets...a hurried step...someone anxious about something, probably a man. Several light running steps accompanied by the occasional shout or giggle...children playing and getting scolded by their mamas. A heavier run...but no pursuit. Someone running late for something or in a good deal of a hurry. A slow and ponderous shuffle...someone with a problem.

Ta-tap-tap. Rat-ta-tap. The constant staccatto of a blind woman trying to find her footing on ground someone else wouldn't even look at.

It was interesting to smell here, too, in Scara Brae. All sorts of fruits and vegetables for sale, meats and wonderful fresh breads...the sharp tang of a copper merchant's stall...she laughed and looked down at the dog beside her.

"So much bumping and banging around, isn't it, Maurz? Well, hopefully tonight will be quieter than last night."

The previous day, Sara had met a young man who spoke to her telepathically and to others aloud, but their calm friendship had been short-lived as a rowdy monkey had brought in a sailor and then the owner of the item the little trouble-maker had stolen (he'd needed grain from somewhere), and finally a woman had fallen nearby. Solo had left when the crowd got too big, and everyone had eventually gone their own ways as well.

Sara snapped out of her reveries after a bit. "Maurz, where are you taking us? We just passed the tree...I haven't been that far before. What are you doing?"

The big lab just wagged his tail in a 'trust me' guesture, and led on.

[{Kid disasteR}]

Solo watched hungrily as the fish jumped in and out of the small pond. It had been a while since he last had something to eat, possibly a day or two. He dipped his fingertips into the dark water and let out a deep breath. Slowly, the water began to cool, and the fish stopped jumping. After a minute or two the surface of the pond was frozen completely solid.

Solo pulled his hand out of the water violently, taking small shards of ice with it. He peeled the ice from his skin and walked slowly to the center of the pond. He removed his spatha from it's sheath, which he wore around his back. He held it firmly and brought the hilt down hard onto the ice, cracking it. He repeated this process until there was a hole large enough to fit his hand in. He reached into the blistering cold water, feeling no discomfort, and felt around for a moment or two. When his hand emerged from the water, along with it came a large trout, which had been frozen to death. It was supper time.

Solo already had a camp fire going and had set up a make-shift rotisserie out of a few sticks he had found. He placed the fish in it's proper place and watched it cook slowly.

Solo sat hunched over, legs crossed, eyes on his necklace. The metallic blue snowflake glistened in the dim light of the forest. It had been a gift from his mother, and was the only thing he knew of her, for he was raised by his father. Unfortunately for Solo, being raised by a snow imp had made his heart somewhat frigid as well. He was a bit of an anti-socialist, choosing complete solitude or the company of a few over the company of many.

This rather troublesome trait had ended what could have been a rather special friendship but a few nights ago. Solo had met a very nice young woman, but he let the annoyance of several strangers barging in on their time together drive him away from the place all together. In a way, he regretting not asking her to come with him.

Solo was only about two hundred yards from the town itself. The young woman could very well be there right now, but Solo had not the drive nor the courage to face her again. He had essentially abandoned her, and knew not how to appologize for his abrupt outro.

[Seraphima]

"Maurizio, slow down! There's not a road here, and I need to make sure there's nothing I can trip on. Where are you taking us, anyway?"

Sara was slightly flushed from the long walk. She could smell the outdoors...the earthy and mildly fragrant scent of the grass underfoot, the crisp and clean scent of foliage, the sweet and musty scents of various types of bark of various ages. The sounds were different, too. There was the occasional twitter of a bird, or a rustling in the trees where the squirrels and other small animals moved around.

Maurz stopped while his owner caught her breath. He could smell the man, very close now...he'd be a good friend to Sara, if only they met again. When the pale woman was ready to move on, Maurz put his nose back to the ground and led her own a little further.

A little more than five yards from the campsite she stopped. There are two scents that are nigh indescribable, but unmistakable: smoke and ice, and both of those scents were present. A fire nearby was feasible, yes...but ice? It wasn't warm out, exactly, but it wasn't nearly cold enough for ice.

"How, Maurz? Where have you brought us?"

But the dog wasn't much interested in the fire or icy pond themselves. He could see what Sara couldn't, and he saw the man from last night. Even if he couldn't see the colors precisely, the scent -- one of cold and north -- was unmistakable. Sara couldn't smell it at this distance though, and the man's back was turned to them.

To get his attention, Maurz barked twice, wagging his tail.

[{Kid disasteR}]

Solo's mind began to wander back to his home as he stared into the blue-metallic snowflake that hung from his neck. His only real friend there had been his master Den Se'. And though Solo appreciated his master's teachings and wisdom, he longed for a real childhood, for friends and toys to play with. Even as a child he was an outcast. Any attempt to play with the other children that lived within the frozen city was swiftly met with rejection. He had always hated being a half-breed. He was weaker than the rest, he looked different, he even thought differently. Why did his father keep him then? Why did he want a child who he knew would be weaker than all the others?

Solo looked up to the sky. It seemed that nightfall had crept upon him while he was thinking of home. The sky was a deep, dark blue, speckled with dim bits of white. The moon was full. The bright, beautiful circle lit up the forest, giving everything a blue-white glow. The pond was especially beautiful. The ice seemed to shine almost as brightly as the moon itself. It was, unreal.

Solo was snapped back to reality when the smell of burning fish filled his nostrils. His eyes darted to the fish he had caught, which was now on fire.

" Damn it all! "

Solo pulled the stick the fish was attached to away from the fire and quickly blew out the flaming fish. With a sigh of disappointment, he jammed the stick into the ground next to him, letting the fish cool. He looked back to the pond, letting his mind slip away once again.

Before he could even picture his home in his mind, two low barks rang in Solo's ears. He paused for a moment and his eyes widened.

I know that bark anywhere.

Solo turned around to see Maurz and Seraphima standing behind him. Maurz was wagging his tail excitedly, but Seraphima looked confused. Maurz probably led her there without her permission. Solo smiled lightly and stood to his feet.

" Well, I never thought I would have the privilege of seeing you again, Seraphima. "

[Seraphima]

The wind shifted ever so slightly, and Sara could hear the fire crackling and smell burned fish.

The grass and leaves were rustling all around, and there were the sounds of other little animals moving, so when Samuel stood up, Sara couldn't be entirely sure he was where she thought he was.

"Hello, Samuel," she said, smiling. "It's a little loud out here right now, so would you mind speaking aloud for me, please? I don't really know where exactly you are."

Maurizio looked up at her. She could have asked him to take her those few steps forward and been right there, but she did have that stubborn 'do it herself' streak that had taken her this far. Hopefully it would take her everywhere she needed to go...but for now...

Well, for now she was doing as well as she could.

"Actually, I have a question to ask you, Samuel. Yesterday you asked me what you sounded like. One can never tell the sound of their own voice, so it was a fair question, and one I didn't mind answering. But I want to know...what do I look like? ... And also, is there a place to sit around here that won't dirty my dress much? Maurz has led me a long way today, and I'm a little tired."

Sorry for the shortness...uninspired...

[Taskmienster]

This thread has been sitting for a full year. Since no response has been made to create activity I am going to be moving this. If you would like it to be reopened please feel free to PM myself or another admin and they will be able to move it for you back to Scara Brae.