September 10, 2008

370-5402

Three weeks had passed since the boy broke out of the magician's facility. After he'd mastered shifting, he quickly grew bored with the intense prodding, testing, and repeated exhaustion. When he'd first learned that he could retract his wings, they spent months of ruthless experimentation. Time blurred as he learned to focus a feeling. A sensation. Trying to tell a limb that it should be something else. The first time was unintentional. It was not his intention and the magic and adrenaline that he felt hooded his reaction in a way. The second time it felt like nothing he'd ever imagined. He remembered the experience vividly.

***

Why do we need to keep doing this? None of your enhancement scrolls has ever helped me before. The boy projected, frustrated and exhausted.

"You know why. If we can tap into that immense power of yours at will, there'll be nothing that you can't accomplish. However, previous experience with Innates has repeatedly shown that doing something new is often sporadic, like the first time." The old, blue-eyed magician gestured to the eight foot wings folded to his side. "For any kind of control, you need consistency and repetition. If you work out for ten hours and stop for a week, you don't get as good of results as if you work out for one hour daily. Now stop procrastinating and focus."

With a sigh, the boy took the scroll from the unusually patient and explanatory magician and started trying to remember what he felt when he accidentally shifted the first time. He remembered the desperation and anger, the need to succeed, the fury, malice, and frustration. With a wordless scream, the boys wings snapped out to their full length and glowed with a black non-light.

The glow illuminating the small room was suddenly extinguished as the air in the room began to swirl. The only source of light now emanated from the boy. Glowing blue and purple lines traced across the boy's arms and shoulders like veins. The magician looked calmly at the boy, observing the hyper-extension of the muscles bulging from his neck and collar-bone. The boy's face was a mask of agony and hatred, eyes closed, forehead furrowed.

Suddenly, the wings disappeared into the boys shoulders and the light trailed back from his hands up to his face where it disappeared around his eyes. The boy dropped like a rock. Walking over to him, the magician examined the vital signs of life of the boy. After determining that they were satisfactory, however, he noticed that the boy's veins were a lighter blue than before. He took the boy's arm and examined the veins on his hand. With a few words, a miniscule cut appeared just above a vein, but, though blood appeared, the blood glowed purple for a second before gradually shifting to red. With a start, the magician noted that the magic quite literally pulsed through his veins. This was clearly evident when he opened his eyes and light actually shone from his irises.

The boy looked at the hand the magician was looking at and the cut sealed itself without any kind of verbal prompting from the magician or the boy. The boy stood in a flash and was immediately running his hands up and down his shoulders, feeling for any trace of the eight foot wings that had previously hung from them.

No trace, the boy projected.

"Very good." The magician said with a smile. "Now, let's bring those wings back." Upon seeing the boys incredulous face, he added, "Oh, and I don't think you'll be needing the scroll." With a snap, the scroll vanished in a gout of flame.

"Stand, if you will. Begin"

***

Looking back, the boy realized just how terrible the past year had really been. He looked up from his fire and glanced around him. The forest was atwitter with various sounds. The smell of the burning wood filled his nose and he could faintly taste the windberries on his lips from his evening meal.

He amused himself by growing scales and feathers on his left hand while shifting his left hand into a taloned claw. Hungry, he leaped to his feet and slipped back into his human form. He marveled at the ease at which he came back to his self when other, less complex creatures gave him so much more trouble. Certain forms were as easy as breathing. Wings, in particular, were the easiest attribute to grant himself now, convenient considering the lengths he needed to travel to elude the magicians, though he was having an easier time of it when he realized that his amulet broadcasted his location like a beacon.



I'll finish this chapter later. Right now, I have to get going to a church activity...

24 comments:

Cait said...

You are very thorough(which I probably can't spell at the moment) in how the boy will succeed in using his power. I think you've accomplished that. Some really intense descriptions. I liked "gout of fire"..how the scroll disappears.

All the best on your writing.

I'm surprised you would even want to look at any of my stuff actually. I guess I'm pretty much character driven and I know that only part of writing.

Keep writing. I know you'll stay creative.

Wendiva said...

thanks so much for the sweet comment on my blog! welcome back anytime!!

MusWriter said...

Dang, you like to type more than me, and that is saying something.

I like the story.
I am trying to write one. I will post soon on my blog of a new story i am working on.
Come visit, enjoys poems, student life's, and stories from the authours.

Come and visit, soon.

Anonymous said...

lovely. i like that in reading it, you can actually feel the frustration and curiosity, but most of all the intensity of the emotion. bravo

♥♥CLAiiR3TH3ROCK3R♥♥ said...

Hey.
Whats up?
Cool Blog!

♥♥CLAiiR3TH3ROCK3R♥♥

A writer said...

god....I am going to have to start from the begining huh? oh wells....Here i goes! Im sure its really good! Now on to the begining!

PhilO♥ said...

hey !! Nice one !!

DreamMatrix said...

I really enjoyed this--the story drew me in and kept my interest piqued. Can't wait for the next installment!

OH! How wondrous it must have been getting those Ray stories from someone who was there! I'm envious! ;) "Zen in the Art of Writing" is an awesome book and he also authored my favorite poem (by one of the "greats"): "Go Panther-Pawed Where All the Mined Truths Sleep." Just brilliant!

Thanks!

. said...

I try too. Um, give me the title and breif desciption of the book. and Breif decription of the main characters..

. said...

Um.. translation for the above comment.. please tell me what the book is about, the words (title preferably) you would like on the banner and what the main characters, character looks like.. I try my best.. lol

autumnrose said...

thanks for commenting on my bog. im going to add you on my list.

Manga Dork said...

LOved it!!

Anonymous said...

Your blog is so well written!!! I am impressed, this is really,really good!!!

Thanks for the comment about my poem, I think it is definitly going to happen..

Krosemarie

Kendall Eva said...

Thanks for commenting!! I love when people do story blogs, I can't wait to start reading:D
Lots of Love,
RollingStone007

jEeRo said...

tHankx for droppin by n your comment =)
your story is wow keep writing!
waitin for the on-comin chapters!

ƉдЯǨ ȐЄΪƝ said...

Very nice. Well made, intense, you can really 'feel' the emotion and frustration in the story. Keep writing, you're really good.

gem backwards (: said...

Wow. I am in awe!! The way you write really draws readers in; I felt all the emotions and everything. You are a very talented writer!

Well done! Keep writing, this story is magnificent so far!

~ Megan

Anonymous said...

this is good

Alayna Whisper said...

wow this is pretty intense. I like it.

PhilO♥ said...

Hey!! Waz up?

Okie said...

Glad I stumbled on your blog. I look forward to the continuing saga. I must admit that I was feeling some of the same "Confusion" as the character by the end of the last post. But at the same time, I'm intrigued and will continue reading.

21stCenturyHippy said...

You poasted this TWO months ago!
Does that mean i have to wait two months for every new chapter?!?!

Well if it has to take that long to make them as good as they are, then i would wait a whole YEAR!

no! forget i said that! 6 months MAX!

Fizah said...

Hey, just found your blog.

Great piece of writing! It's very detailed and creative.

All the best to your writing.

Edward Jesse said...

The only reason that I'm commenting now is too point out one mistake. Basically, I'm just leaving the fact that your writing is awesome assumed. So, here it is: I noticed that, near the end of this post, you describe the main character shifting his left hand to scales and feathers while shifting his left hand to a claw. He can't have two left hands (or can he? hmmm ;) so, unless that was deliberate, I suggest just changing one of those hands to a right hand :D.