Amaranth Games - My Forum Entries

Re: Hunted Updates on Saturdays

Subject: Re: Hunted Updates on Saturdays
by MarianFrae on 2008/2/27 14:57:32

As with Exsors and AoBL, sorry for being late. This one I really have no excuse... 'cause I'd already written this.

“What is your name?”
He turned to me, surprise in his face. Gladly, he answered, “Joenaus. I'm glad to see you are speaking again. How do you feel?”
“Better than I have all my life.”
“That is a sad testament to the rest of your life. Why were those men after you?”
“I don’t know.”
“I see...” his eyes clouded with thought and he back to his counter. “What is your name?”
“All the names I have are foul and false. I have no true name.... Joenaus.”
*****
The hunters they come
To see if I'm hiding
He says only “There is a girl
Yes indeed
But you see she is cunning
And quite darn funny
If this is the girl you currently hunt
I urge you to go back to your barbaric farms.”
His statement made no sense. I knew they would see through it. I knew they would break in and have their prize- my life. I hadn’t said anything cunning. I hadn’t said anything funny. I’d only spoke in fear then fallen to sleep.
*****
“You’ve never been called affectionately?” As he turned back to face me, I realized he was only a year or two older than I. I shook my head. “Never had a mother call to you or hold you when you were sad?”
“No. I... never had a proper crib...” my voice shrank to a whisper, “demon.”
“Is that what they called you? A demon?” my eyes sank. “How could they be so ignorant that they would call an Angel demon?”
My eyes shot up, “What did you say?”
“I named you, Angel. That is what you are. Any name foul for you would foul the speaker’s lips and bring punishment for heresy.”
*****
The hunters looked in
I filled with utter fear
But they spit on his doorstep
And whispered in ears
Finally leaving
No more dogs would I hear.
They feared he was like me. But what was I that they would fear? That they would hate? That they would treat like an animal needing to break?
*****
“No. You don’t understand my past.”
“Then tell me. Trust me, please.”
“My mother almost died when she gave my birth. As soon as she could- she ran from town, leaving me with a dog who’d just given birth but whose pups had all died.”
“Why does that mean anything? And what about your father?”
“She claimed I had none.”
“So they assumed your father was the devil then,” it was a statement- not a question.
“I was- born with defects.”
“Defects? I see none.”
“My arm and my leg were bad.”
“So then you were born partly crippled.”
“Yes. Eventually, the dog died and wolves took me. I was with the wolves until I was 4 and a priest found me. He took me to a monastery and tried to teach me. The village people came to him and he scorned them. But when they told him my past, he threw me to them, a leash around my neck.”