Chasing Dreams
Dec. 21st, 2014 02:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
feredarStory: Chasing Dreams
Year: 985 FY
Characters: Mel Artwick
The fact is, sir, I have no future. I'm just...existin', day to day. I can't go on like this. Let me sail west. Even if I don't come back...least I tried somethin', yeah?
The beach they land on has soft, smooth sand, stained pinkish by the sunrise. There's trees and the like inland--all greenery, with hints of birds flitting through the canopy; no flowers. It's as if they've walked into another world, another universe.
Mel has his sailors draw lots for the first landing party--just to seek out food and fresh water for now. There are three with him, one a mage, the only other on the ship..
They find a creek a little way in. Lif tests the water (she's better at that sort of thing than he is), and confirms it's good. They take samples of what look like edible fruits. One of their companions downs a bird--fresh meat, at least in theory.
When they turn around to head back to the ship, there's a line of four people waiting for them--people.
None of them expected people.
The leader is a tall woman, with an iron-grey braid and wary eyes.
Lif and the others look to Mel, uncertain.
Iron Braid and her followers are armed, but they don't seem on edge of attacking. Mel's been through enough fighting that, at least he hopes, he can identify the signs.
He decides to gamble, and holds out his hands in what he hopes is a universal gesture of goodwill. "My name's Mel Artwick. We came across the ocean, to see what we could find."
Iron Braid tilts her head, with a faint frown. She says something in a completely unfamiliar language, then beckons to him.
Lif puts a hand on his arm--they don't want to lose their captain, he understands.
But one of Iron Braid's men has laid down his arms and is approaching. Her intention is clear--Mel will come with her, the other will stay with his crew as insurance.
Iron Braid points up at the sun, then draws three lines in the sand.
"...three days?" Mel guesses.
She, of course, doesn't understand.
Mel looks back at Lif. "If I ain't back here in three days--"
"One of us should go instead, Captain," she points out.
He shook his head. "Nah. This--this whole trip and now tryin' to communicate--all of it was my plan. You all know what to do in the meantime, yeah?"
They don't look happy, but they nod. They made all sorts of arrangements and procedures in case he went down--on a trip like this, anything is possible.
Mel smiles briefly at his people, then steps over the stream to stand behind Iron Braid. "Three days," he reminds Lif.
She nods, and turns to head back to the ship. His other men--together with Iron Braid's hostage--follow suit.
Mel looks up at Iron Braid, who inclines her head briefly, then turns to walk the opposite way, deeper into the forest.
He takes a deep breath, and follows Iron Braid through the dense greenery and hopes--prays--that he hasn't bit off more than he can chew here. Or that, if he has...if he has, at least Lif and the rest of his crew will survive to carry the story home.
But if I do come back...even if all I find is nothin', just the Entivar coastline...it'll be balance, yeah? I'm not chasin' adventure, sir, or conquest, or...I'm chasin'...what I'm chasin' is...a better future. I'm chasin' a life that means something. I'm chasin'...I guess I'm chasin' a dream.
Year: 985 FY
Characters: Mel Artwick
The fact is, sir, I have no future. I'm just...existin', day to day. I can't go on like this. Let me sail west. Even if I don't come back...least I tried somethin', yeah?
The beach they land on has soft, smooth sand, stained pinkish by the sunrise. There's trees and the like inland--all greenery, with hints of birds flitting through the canopy; no flowers. It's as if they've walked into another world, another universe.
Mel has his sailors draw lots for the first landing party--just to seek out food and fresh water for now. There are three with him, one a mage, the only other on the ship..
They find a creek a little way in. Lif tests the water (she's better at that sort of thing than he is), and confirms it's good. They take samples of what look like edible fruits. One of their companions downs a bird--fresh meat, at least in theory.
When they turn around to head back to the ship, there's a line of four people waiting for them--people.
None of them expected people.
The leader is a tall woman, with an iron-grey braid and wary eyes.
Lif and the others look to Mel, uncertain.
Iron Braid and her followers are armed, but they don't seem on edge of attacking. Mel's been through enough fighting that, at least he hopes, he can identify the signs.
He decides to gamble, and holds out his hands in what he hopes is a universal gesture of goodwill. "My name's Mel Artwick. We came across the ocean, to see what we could find."
Iron Braid tilts her head, with a faint frown. She says something in a completely unfamiliar language, then beckons to him.
Lif puts a hand on his arm--they don't want to lose their captain, he understands.
But one of Iron Braid's men has laid down his arms and is approaching. Her intention is clear--Mel will come with her, the other will stay with his crew as insurance.
Iron Braid points up at the sun, then draws three lines in the sand.
"...three days?" Mel guesses.
She, of course, doesn't understand.
Mel looks back at Lif. "If I ain't back here in three days--"
"One of us should go instead, Captain," she points out.
He shook his head. "Nah. This--this whole trip and now tryin' to communicate--all of it was my plan. You all know what to do in the meantime, yeah?"
They don't look happy, but they nod. They made all sorts of arrangements and procedures in case he went down--on a trip like this, anything is possible.
Mel smiles briefly at his people, then steps over the stream to stand behind Iron Braid. "Three days," he reminds Lif.
She nods, and turns to head back to the ship. His other men--together with Iron Braid's hostage--follow suit.
Mel looks up at Iron Braid, who inclines her head briefly, then turns to walk the opposite way, deeper into the forest.
He takes a deep breath, and follows Iron Braid through the dense greenery and hopes--prays--that he hasn't bit off more than he can chew here. Or that, if he has...if he has, at least Lif and the rest of his crew will survive to carry the story home.
But if I do come back...even if all I find is nothin', just the Entivar coastline...it'll be balance, yeah? I'm not chasin' adventure, sir, or conquest, or...I'm chasin'...what I'm chasin' is...a better future. I'm chasin' a life that means something. I'm chasin'...I guess I'm chasin' a dream.