Medo

The ground was soft and velvet against her limp frame, the sun glittered through perfectly designed trees like strings of gold and she felt a serenity that only the kingdom could provide, she knew. She couldn’t remember what had happened last night but she knew whatever it was God had risen her up and now she was home because anything less then heaven couldn’t be a peaceful and beautiful as this. Opening her auburn eyes against some of the sunlight seeping through to her face Amber smiled and moved to sit up expecting to see the lord at any moment before a stabbing pain shocked her into rethinking her environment. There was no pain in heaven so why did her leg feel like a heard of elephants had trampled on it? Because she wasn’t in heaven and her leg was broken that was why. Whispering a silent prayer Amber pushed back her frizzed chocolate curls and checked her leg with a pained look plastered on her face. It was broken alright but luckily not so bad as to cause an outer wound and given help could heal nicely or so she figured from what her father, a well to do doctor, had taught her. Keeping prayers circling in her mind Amber looked around what appeared to be a rather deep forest and began to cry when the gravity of her situation hit her.

“HELP! Anybody?…PLEASE…HELP” She started to yell jumping from harsh whispers filled with pain to out right screams of panic. “HELP! IM HURT… hurt…HELP!!!”

“Who dare disturb my forest?” Asked a silky voice behind her taunted and she couldn’t help but yelp in surprise not having heard anyone approach. Confused when she didn’t see anything but a garden looking snake Amber shifted her weight more comfortably thinking maybe it was just her imagination before screaming again.

“We hear you child, stop your shouting!” This one sounded pinched and more feminine in style to Amber but once again when she turned she saw nothing. “You’re looking to high my dear.”

“What?” She asked and looked lower to the ground where a strange looking orange and yellow bird was standing beside the snake she had seen earlier who was currently regarding her with interest. Amber watched with disbelieve as the bird bobbed prettily to her and the snake rose it’s body high enough for a graceful bow before slithering back into a laying position.

“How?” Was all she could muster through the pain and shock before fainting girlishly against the forest floor.

“Oh dear..”

“Ssshall I sssend for my master?”

“I believe that would be wise Azer”

~~~~~

Samantha knew she had had too much to drink the previous night when her head stung needles and her stomach released any contents it may have had for the third time. She had woken some time ago in a bed wrapped with strangely colored furs and though in some section of her mind Samantha knew this should worry her all she could feel was discomfort as she emptied her stomach into a rogue basin sitting in the room. Once she had finished Samantha wiped her mouth clean with her shirt sleeve and fell over when the already swaying room jerked suddenly. Groaning at a new found ache in her should Samantha glanced around the room and noticed first that it was completely made of some kind of black wood then secondly that it was decorated simple but foreign to her, like a cross between eighteen century pirate domain and the raw environment of a heathen. Confused on how she had gotten her and who would have a bedroom like this Samantha cringed at the sudden thought of this belonging to a mental patient and felt herself worry before a new wave of sickness hit her.

“Still sick…”A large man stood in the doorway watching the girl with a type of pity that a man might have for his daughter and thudded towards her. He towered over her 5’7 frame by 4 feet and had to take care as he bent down to her as the distance between her and both walls were cutting it close for his 470 pounds, though most of that weight was muscle. “Here, this will help.”

He offered her the white boned cup mixed with medicine’s and did his best to offer her a reassuring smile though he knew that would be hard for a harsh face like his when she accepted and drank it. Samantha felt the effects immediately and sighed in the first relief she had had all day before thanking the man who had given it to her.

“Thanks.” She mumbled trying to not notice his massive size or the scars adoring his face and arms or the way his skin was so silver and blue it looked black on the shadows. Samantha had to pat herself on a job well done as she smiled at him and handed him his cup back. “Where am I?”

“The Atkozott, finest lycan ship in these seas.” The older man prided and helped Samantha up and back into bed with more gentleness then Samantha would have thought he’d have. “My name is Dune, I am the ships medicine man.”

“Lycan?” Samantha asked not quite sure if she understood what he was telling her and fought to keep her stomach steady while the wind kept them rocking. “How can I be on a ship? I was in the middle of Cleveland Ohio….No where near any docks.”

“Aye Lycan, wolves and predators, cursed beast.” He said with a deep rumbling voice and chuckled at the look of disbelieve plastered onto the young girl. “And we found you driftin on a piece of broken boat out in the sea. The Captain had figured you were ship wrecked, His mate convinced him to let you stay. I think she’s grown a fondness of you miss….”

“Rutz..Samantha” She whispered as her brain tried to figure out if she was hallucinating or if what he was telling her was true only to have him push her into a laying position.

“Rest.” Was all he said and Samantha felt herself drift at his suggestion even as her mind raced to find a reasonable answer to the situation she had found herself in.