Midnight H


She sighed, relinquished in the nightmares that haunted her. Putting the dread behind, she looked around with awe and relief knowing that as the breeze blew and the trees swayed she was home. Artina new the smell of the earth as if a new life just began, knew the breath of the winds sways like the rhythm of your lungs and knew everything life had to offer was a gift more than it was a punishment. Closing her eyes, she recalled the dream that upset her night after night, the call of mother earth’s voice telling of the one with the heart of a demon that search night and day. A distant voice beckoning to her. come,night dwells do you not want to know the truth it would say,feeling very cold as if acid ice ran through her veins. Artina would wake to the smell of the night’s air and to unfamiliar ground. Every night she would end up in a place unknown, having to trace her way back to the only safe haven she knew. Clearing her mind, Artina finally felt better letting the midnight darkness take the strain from her body. Artina stood from the bed she slept on, power clinging to her entire being; she slowly walked to the end of the cave known as home. Breathing in the air that is always welcoming, she let it settle into her lungs. “Fang why don’t you come out of your hiding place and help me hunt for a feast, we will celebrate because today I’m 18 moons” Artina said, yawning and waiting for the midnight leopard to appear. Slowly from the dark a shadow came into view, eyes golden as the sun and black etched inside with a primal growl, it leaped into the air.
“Oh know you don’t, last time you did that you tore my clothing, and it took three days to repair your damage,” Artina said, smiling at the big animal that abruptly stopped and whined as if it were hurt. Artina slowly turned around sniffing the air for a disturbance. Fang, seeing her movements, followed with her eyes watching for anything wrong. “It’s safe for now so we better hurry if we don’t want to be late for supper,” Artina whispered. Walking back into the cave, she looked into the far wall filled with weapons needed to hunt and protect her territory. Taking a bow from the wall she walked out, crouching next to fang. “Fang go to the far east of the forest and scout around. When you reach the river turn back and meet me at the cliff of the waterfall, heed my signal, and then we start the hunt,” she said in a gentle voice. As if understanding what Artina said Fang immediately started walking from the cave with power.
With its wide majestic trees the Amazon (create your own name) was beautiful, but when not careful, danger lurked at every turn. Artina got dressed fast, grabbed her spear, and left her cave Artina, heading for the waterfall, making sure her hidden home was not an easy mark. Humming to (leave out) a song, Artina started a melody which she had known from the day she was 3 moons, yet never knew the meaning.

Let the wind blow Let the river flow
Every song of rebirth
Is the sound of mother earth
I will dance to the moon
And I will sing, to the stars above

I will hold you near
let me dry your tears
We were meant to be
Darling don’t you see

This life forever
Just you and me

Trying to remember the meaning of the song always brought back unwanted memories. Dark sharp screams, flesh being torn to pieces with ragged teeth scrapping against smooth skin feeling every tear. Shuddering and clearing the thoughts away, I stared ahead knowing that I was a little to dark to see and hard to hear everything but the wind and the moon helped. If she could get enough food to last for three days, it would be enough to make new blankets and to be able take care of fang. Running through trees, Artina finally heard the waterfall ahead; taking her long spear from behind she started walking slower making sure not to disturb anything up. “Grr,” Fang growled behind her, scaring her. Looking behind she realized that this days he was the only animal able to scare her. “Fang, apparently you haven’t lost your touch, I’ll have to start paying closer attention.” Smiling to the big animal, Artina growled back and started walking to the water ahead. “Fang we need food that can last us at least for 3 days, considering we survive another hunt for clothes, after all you eat to much” Knowing fang will be smiling on the inside, Artina saw the water falling at a rapid speed, as if it were a mistress mad at her lover, really mad. Walking to the water Artina knew the ice cold water would be a relief and would awake her senses. Everything smelled fresh and water sprayed from every direction creating a beautiful mist covering most of the forest floor. Turning her emotions off, she thought like a hunter. She looked into the water and saw the vulnerable fish, not able to know what was coming. Eyes as dark as the sky, Artina took her spear and stabbed at every movement that she saw in the water catching five of those fishes.
“Fang put the fish behind that rock.” Fang being interrupted growled and nodded, turned around, putting the fish beside hers. Everything was going perfect until Artina had the vision hit her hard, falling in the water Artina remembered. That awful voice that (leave out) always told her she was nothing, telling her that leave out) she would always be alone. “Imbecile, you hideous little twit don’t you know, know one wants you, that is why they sent me to throw you away.” Smiling at her with teeth so yellow and smiling that could anyone to through up. Artina shivering, in her little voice, she shook her head crying and said softly.
“Mommy and Daddy want me, they love me”.Laughter so ugly and piercing I could feel every sharp word cut into my heart so deep.
“Your mommy and Daddy are the ones who sent me here after all, they hated you. Who could want a child like you? A witch, with hair the color of black, given to you by the devil, and eyes brighter than stars the themselves, and skin darker than ours” Smiling, he pulled her hair. Cringing, Artina curled into a ball pulling her self inside. “Oh don’t worry, I’ll make sure your death will be short, you won’t even feel a thing.” Opening his mouth, he started biting into her flesh, screams filled the whole forest. “No, Mommy please help Daddy, please take them away from me, they hurt.” Whimpering as the monster looked up with blood on his lips, Artina choked back another sob even when she could see bones protruding through her skin. “No one is going to save you.” Walking away and leaving her for the night air and the creatures that lurked in the dark. Artina shivered, feeling the pain inside her body she began to cry. Rocking back and forth feeling the cold wind whip through her hair like knifes cutting her skin. Gasping, Artina woke with a start shivering from head to toe, looking around afraid of what she would see. Coughing really hard, Artina saw her weapons and on the far corner with sharp edges that cut through skin so easily, shivering She looked down and noticed that she had blood on her leg and a huge cut. What happened. Outside was bright with the sun coming out. Grrrr, Fang growled, coming into the cave.
“Nice to see you too, come over here fang I need to know that you’re here and won’t ever leave me,” Artina said, holding back the tears that were fighting to get out. Fang walked slowly to Artina making sure to be careful not to step on her wound. Patting fangs fur, she thought of her only friend the one person who was always their and never left her. Even though Fang was an animal and she sometimes wished for something she would never get because of who she is. “Never ever let anyone know who you really are honey or if they knew, you would get hurt understand, pinky promise” a distant voice said.
“I pinky promise, cross my heart,” the child said smiling and laughing not knowing what’s to come next. “Can we go now, Sidney brought a puppy and I want to say hi, please can we go?” she asked with pleading eyes. “Go eat first and remember honey, no one can ever know our little secret,” the women said with a voice to be heeded. Smiling the child nodded running fast to eat.
“Fang why do they keep coming, they hurt so bad,” Artina said, a tear drop running down on her cheek. She didn’t want to sound hopeless and scared but for that moment everything was scary and for once in her life she had no answer to what was happening to cause her this memories. But seeing what happened made her feel scared and cautious.
“Fang these dreams have to be removed,” Artina whispered holding fang very close. Fang got closer knowing that Artina felt pain. Feeling very tired Artina let go of fang and closed her eyes feeling sleep take her away.
ARES
This will be the day, everyday the same words running through his mind, yet the truth always comes out. He couldn’t even if life dependent on it.
“Nothing said, keep it that way too,” Ares said to himself over and over again, trying to make it stay. “Ares,” he said to himself. What is this name, why have one if no one will know it but you yourself. Ares a name forgotten yet always stuck with him. A name he had to keep for the sake of his mother and even for the men who left with a piece of her heart. Dreams, scary nightmares but what could he do, she knew nothing of him, knew nothing of another human like herself. He shouldn’t care if she knew nothing; he had to follow through the whole plan. They didn’t know of her mother not about her smiles, her jokes and her laughter that filled the whole place when she was happy, they knew nothing but they took her. Murdered her in front of him with no mercy.
“Boy if you don’t want your mother dead you better do as I say,” he would say over and over with that oily smile of his, holding a knife over her neck and as a boy “Mommy” mattered a lot so he would do as he was told. Watching every moment his mother got sicker, and sicker. One day mommy was working, hadn’t eaten for days, looked at me and simply said. “I can’t honey, find them and be free for me and you,” she smiled using the tone she usually used only with me when she said ‘I love you’. Running to her, he caught me, the bastard wouldn’t let me hold my mother for one last time. Still breathing, he took it, the rock so red with blood smashing into bone and flesh the wails and screams that echoed throughout the forest. “Mommy,” I whispered tears in my eyes. “What did you do?” Screaming and running towards her, holding her bloody lifeless body in my hand. “She was a waste of my time anyway, and if you don’t want this to happen to you, you better listen,” he said with a victory scowl. No, he couldn’t care; life was over for him scared so scared with the weakness shining in his eyes. Mommy his only protector gone from the world never to return. “Be glad he died with my hands, because back in that world she would have suffered more,” he said and fear would enter in my heart and along came hatred cold icy hatred for the people who destroyed her, they knew nothing of how beautiful she was, how she risked her life to save me, they knew nothing yet they took her life away. Then slowly man’s teeth descended taking crimson red droplets of blood in himself. He was like them, crazy, ugly and a murderer, said that her blood will keep him in the world longer. Taking everything and leaving a corpse behind. But I knew, I knew that if my mother wanted vengeance then vengeance I will redeem. “Come here.” He would say everyday since his mother was thrown into a hole. And everyday he would use those sharp teeth cutting through my skin and drinking taking my life day by day. Till the day I couldn’t stand it any more, the call of the night called me night after night and I had to escape. Hatching a plan I ran and the cold Steele knife that cut my stomach was the souvenir I got.
Shivering, Ares erased the memories away remembering the task at hand. He had to find the girl’s own pendent before she noticed it was missing, looking behind, he tried to see if he could detect any movement, but it was all clear, walking into the water Ares shivered welcoming the cold chill in his body.
“What kind of person loses a pendent in the water,” he muttered to himself, especially the one she seems to care about, as the thought came he reached for the one he always had since her mother left, letting his finger circle around the shape of the wings, letting the touch soothe him. Looking and grabbing he reached into the sea and found the colored pendant, a bright purple tear glimming back at him with wires that seemed to glow along. Holding it in his hands he walked out of the cold water and started back to her cove. Looking down, Ares noticed that the pants he had were ripped and torn from his knee up. “Another tear, as if I have any money to buy more,” he sighed softly realizing that soon he will have to steal more money from passing by tourist to get his clothes. Knowing that the last time he took the money the women screeched so loud poor animals had hearing problems for weeks. Not that he was at fault; he needed some means to walk around without the breeze in unwanted places.

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Tag der Veröffentlichung: 20.10.2010

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