01-10-2012, 06:39 PM
Eternal Autumn
The two had perched themselves atop this short fence hours ago, filling the air with conversation until the last few minutes. Though they had seen it thousands of times before, the sunset over the water still brought a halt to their conversation. All around them, leaves of gold, red and all shades between wafted their way to the ground.
"Do you ever wonder what's out there, Liri?" she asked, a soft inflection carrying in her voice that suggested a depth to her question that went beyond basic oceanography. She brushed a strand or two of her fiery hair from her eyes as she awaited his answer.
"I guess a lot of water. Fish, bigger fish maybe an island or-" he was cut short by Falina, his eyes snapping to her lithe form as she hushed him with a sharp word.
"No," she snapped, "Not... Not literally. What do you think is out there, you know. Life?" her question made clear this round Liridon paused to look down at his own hands as he answered.
"Pain," he nodded as the word left his lips. That was one thing he was certain of, knowing only the way of the hunter. He understood the cycle of life that churned its way through the land, and with that understanding came an understanding of the brevity of life.
A hush fell briefly over the two, the more optimistic Falina having to search deep within herself to bring forth a counter to his simple answer. She knew, somewhere, he was right. She also knew that he couldn't be more wrong. Between the moments of pain, she knew, rested the brilliant moments of life. And she shared that thought with him.
"What brings this up, Fal?" Liridon quizzed, his eyes still taking in the beauty that was her form. A dancer's body, to be certain. She looked just shy of frail, her skin silky smooth with the hue of fresh parchment. Her fiery hair crossed once into a bun then draping shortly down her back.
"I've just been thinking a lot. You're moving away soon and I may never see you again" she struggled to mumble out the last few words, she knew them to be true. In her mind, Liridon was as good as gone. Off to the Ranger Corps never to return again.
"They'll take care of me Fal. With any luck I'll get a post somewhere around home." for the first time in several short minutes he turned his gaze back to the sea, the star nearly three quarters blocked from view. A soft, amber glow radiating from the event. He continued shortly, allowing his lips to briefly speak his true feelings, "I'd never leave you."
"But you are leaving me, Liridon!" the words were nearly hissed as she spread them through the air. Her emotions had been bottled the last few weeks since he announced his coming departure and the cork had just been popped loose.
Liridon thought long on her words before he spoke, a burning fury still present in her eyes once he finally ventured a gaze. He placed his right hand halfway between her and himself, it was meant as something of a peace offering.
"It's not like I'm going to get killed my first day in the Corps, Falina, nor my second day or my fifteenth year. The idea of a war pushing this far north is obscene." The words fell harshly upon Falina's ears though, and brought about a sudden hate for Liridon and every ranger who had ever helped talk him into this. She smacked his hand away with a tear.
"I care only for you, Liridon, why do you wish to waste your life like this?" she nearly choked on the thought of him falling in battle, no matter how 'obscene' he found the idea. New tears formed at this most horrible of thoughts. A hand quickly rushed to wipe away her tears, though it was not one of her own.
Liridon stood, a palm resting on either of Falina's cheeks as his thumbs were at work corralling the woman's frequent tears, his fingers wrapping themselves around her ears and weaving through her hair. As the tears slowed he started to speak, his tone soft and soothing "You know I'm doing this for us. To help provide for my family and yours. So we may go somewhere with our lives."
Falina answered only with a nod, his comforting words doing little to stem the flow of tears much further. She understood why he was going, but that made the job no less dangerous. She snorted quietly to draw back her running nose.
"Don't get killed Liri," she mumbled, her voice exceptionally low. Liridon's hands still framed her face but she did her best to stand tall and deliver a kiss to his jaw.
As Liridon reciprocated her peck with a smile, a notion dawned on him. To him, she represented all that he had ever known about the forest which he called home. The trees were in an eternal stage of autumn, topped with reds, oranges and yellow, an amalgamation of color that shone like Falina's hair in the sun. She was tall and lithe, like many of the trees themselves, and her skin white to match her bark.
They had known each other since birth, just as he had known the forest for so long. The love the forest showed in the form of food and water, she showed as a lover and confidante. She was everything he loved about his home and it's no wonder he loved his home so well, with its beauty personified.
He reluctantly slid his hands down her face, his thumbs clinging to he jaw as long as they could. She took his hands in her own as they turned in time to witness the last light of the star as it perished under the weight of the horizon, a brilliant green flash present at its finale.
The two had perched themselves atop this short fence hours ago, filling the air with conversation until the last few minutes. Though they had seen it thousands of times before, the sunset over the water still brought a halt to their conversation. All around them, leaves of gold, red and all shades between wafted their way to the ground.
"Do you ever wonder what's out there, Liri?" she asked, a soft inflection carrying in her voice that suggested a depth to her question that went beyond basic oceanography. She brushed a strand or two of her fiery hair from her eyes as she awaited his answer.
"I guess a lot of water. Fish, bigger fish maybe an island or-" he was cut short by Falina, his eyes snapping to her lithe form as she hushed him with a sharp word.
"No," she snapped, "Not... Not literally. What do you think is out there, you know. Life?" her question made clear this round Liridon paused to look down at his own hands as he answered.
"Pain," he nodded as the word left his lips. That was one thing he was certain of, knowing only the way of the hunter. He understood the cycle of life that churned its way through the land, and with that understanding came an understanding of the brevity of life.
A hush fell briefly over the two, the more optimistic Falina having to search deep within herself to bring forth a counter to his simple answer. She knew, somewhere, he was right. She also knew that he couldn't be more wrong. Between the moments of pain, she knew, rested the brilliant moments of life. And she shared that thought with him.
"What brings this up, Fal?" Liridon quizzed, his eyes still taking in the beauty that was her form. A dancer's body, to be certain. She looked just shy of frail, her skin silky smooth with the hue of fresh parchment. Her fiery hair crossed once into a bun then draping shortly down her back.
"I've just been thinking a lot. You're moving away soon and I may never see you again" she struggled to mumble out the last few words, she knew them to be true. In her mind, Liridon was as good as gone. Off to the Ranger Corps never to return again.
"They'll take care of me Fal. With any luck I'll get a post somewhere around home." for the first time in several short minutes he turned his gaze back to the sea, the star nearly three quarters blocked from view. A soft, amber glow radiating from the event. He continued shortly, allowing his lips to briefly speak his true feelings, "I'd never leave you."
"But you are leaving me, Liridon!" the words were nearly hissed as she spread them through the air. Her emotions had been bottled the last few weeks since he announced his coming departure and the cork had just been popped loose.
Liridon thought long on her words before he spoke, a burning fury still present in her eyes once he finally ventured a gaze. He placed his right hand halfway between her and himself, it was meant as something of a peace offering.
"It's not like I'm going to get killed my first day in the Corps, Falina, nor my second day or my fifteenth year. The idea of a war pushing this far north is obscene." The words fell harshly upon Falina's ears though, and brought about a sudden hate for Liridon and every ranger who had ever helped talk him into this. She smacked his hand away with a tear.
"I care only for you, Liridon, why do you wish to waste your life like this?" she nearly choked on the thought of him falling in battle, no matter how 'obscene' he found the idea. New tears formed at this most horrible of thoughts. A hand quickly rushed to wipe away her tears, though it was not one of her own.
Liridon stood, a palm resting on either of Falina's cheeks as his thumbs were at work corralling the woman's frequent tears, his fingers wrapping themselves around her ears and weaving through her hair. As the tears slowed he started to speak, his tone soft and soothing "You know I'm doing this for us. To help provide for my family and yours. So we may go somewhere with our lives."
Falina answered only with a nod, his comforting words doing little to stem the flow of tears much further. She understood why he was going, but that made the job no less dangerous. She snorted quietly to draw back her running nose.
"Don't get killed Liri," she mumbled, her voice exceptionally low. Liridon's hands still framed her face but she did her best to stand tall and deliver a kiss to his jaw.
As Liridon reciprocated her peck with a smile, a notion dawned on him. To him, she represented all that he had ever known about the forest which he called home. The trees were in an eternal stage of autumn, topped with reds, oranges and yellow, an amalgamation of color that shone like Falina's hair in the sun. She was tall and lithe, like many of the trees themselves, and her skin white to match her bark.
They had known each other since birth, just as he had known the forest for so long. The love the forest showed in the form of food and water, she showed as a lover and confidante. She was everything he loved about his home and it's no wonder he loved his home so well, with its beauty personified.
He reluctantly slid his hands down her face, his thumbs clinging to he jaw as long as they could. She took his hands in her own as they turned in time to witness the last light of the star as it perished under the weight of the horizon, a brilliant green flash present at its finale.