10/3/13 - Writing

I'm actually very proud of myself. I didn't think I would be able to keep up with this as well as I have since school started. Keeping in mind I could do better I am still amazed at me. *pats self on back* Go me! Anywho I briefly edited some of more of my story and decided I would put it up here despite the fact that it still needs ALOT of work. So here is the latest section on Rilanen. Enjoy!

As they entered the Dining Hall Aaiel, as usual, was jabbering on about something, but Rilanen was paying more attention to the people around him. As he studied closer he could see they all moved with a grace that humans just didn’t have, all had bright colored eyes, and some even had features that reminded you of some animal or another. “So all these people are shifters?” Rilanen asked interrupting whatever Aaiel had been saying.

 “Yeah and you are to, but lets get some food. I’m starving!” Skipping over to the buffet Aaiel started piling her plate high with fruit, veggies, and raw meat; all on kabobs.

“What are you doing with those?” Rilanen asked as he walked up and took a look at what they had, Wholly cow they’ve got EVERYTHING! Rilanen thought his gaze flickering over everything from expensive fruits from Jamaica to the hamburgers you could get at McDonalds.

“Oh see you get what ever you want on kabobs and then with one of these mini grills you grill it up with any sauce you want.” Aaiel explained grabbing what looked like half a white sphere.

Following her lead Rilanen quickly got a kabob with pineapple, strawberries, and kiwi, and another with lamb, beef, and pork. Walking after Aaiel they sat down at a table already crowded with people. “Why are we sitting here?” Rilanen asked, “It looks pretty full.”

“Well sure dummy it’s my crew, so sit down.”

“Crew?” Rilanen asked as he obediently sat down next to Aaiel.

“Oh they’re kind of like gangs or cliques, but a bit nicer, and all the shifters make them even adults. It’s like how wolves travel in packs, a pack of wolves, a flock of geese, a crew of shape-shifters.”

“Oh” Rilanen said absent-mindedly eating a piece of pineapple off his kabob.

“Hey who’s this?” One of the guys asked, pointing his fork at Rilanen.

“Is he your boyfriend?” another said mockingly.

“Meet Tado and Friez, my older brothers.” Aaiel said to Rilanen “Although I don’t know how we ended up related by blood.” She whispered just loud enough for the two to hear.

“Hey!”

“Don’t go hating on us!” they complained winking at each other.

“And this is Red, Joun, and Defi.” Aaiel said introducing the other three teenagers at the table, “Currently our crew doesn’t have a name as we were all caught today, except for Defi,” Aaiel said while gesturing to a tall dark skinned girl with long dark braided hair, yellow eyes, and what looked like a knife sheath strapped to her waist, “Who used to be with the Auaos before she moved over here. Everyone this is Rilanen.”

“Uhhh hi?” Rilanen said as six sets of bright eyes stared at him.

“What forms do you have?” Red asked

Looking at him closely Rilanen started with surprise, it was obvious where Red got his nickname. Red looked to be about 17 with tan skin, wavy brown hair, and bright orange-red eyes. “Forms?” Rilanen asked still a bit unnerved by Red’s eyes.

“Rilanen here just found out he’s a shifter!” Aaiel said excitedly, “So he wouldn’t know what his forms were, and he’ll only have one.”

“Just found out he’s a shifter!” Tado said slinging an arm around Friez’s shoulders, “How exciting!” Friez said copying the motion.

Looking at the two Rilanen suddenly noticed that they were almost identical, “Are you two twins?” he asked looking between the two and finding no difference except for clothes and eyes color, one set was blue and the other green.

“You bet it!” they said at the same time leaning closer,

“But what about you,”

“What’s your first form?”

“What are they talking about?” Rilanen asked Aaiel his eyes flickering to hers and back to the twins who intently studying his face.

“Your first form is an involuntary change into the animal that most represents your soul, after such shift in human form the individual’s features are altered slightly to represent whatever that first animal was. In some the first shift is obvious and in others you will hardly notice.”

For a second Rilanen didn’t notice that is wasn’t Aaiel that had spoken but Joun. Looking over to the small girl Rilanen quickly took in the pale skin, silvery blonde hair and dark black eyes. “Oh, well I don’t ever remember turning into an animal.”

“Hmmmm that would make sense, If you thought you were human, even at the age of eight, your brain would probably be powerful enough to bury the memories that didn’t follow what you thought were the rules of the world. Shifter brains can be powerful and stubborn, it seems you were born with both.”

“Yeah,” “But that,” “Doesn’t answer,” “Our question.” The twins said from behind Rilanen, making him start and spin very quickly to grab the hand that was pulling at his hair, “What was your first?” 

“For the last time, I do not know.” Rilanen said dropping Tado’s hand

“Well come on,” “stand up.”

“What?!”

“Stand up.” “So we can look you over.”

Slowly standing Rilanen turned to the twins, “Ok?”

“Hmmmm.” They said at the same time, their eyes flickering over Rilanen, “Consensus says… wolf!”

“Wolf?” Rilanen said confusedly looking down at himself, trying to see what they saw.

“Really?” Aaiel said bouncing up at looking closely Rilanen, “That’s so cool!”

“Why is a wolf cooler than any other animal?” Rilanen asked slowly sitting back down.

“Well wolves are one of the hardest animal to shift to because they are so complex, some times it takes years so study. But there are a few lucky shifters that are born with their first animal as a wolf, these shifters are usually born higher up in crew rank than other shifters.”

“Wait you study to turn into animals?” Rilanen asked, he had been wondering how that worked, did they just pop into different forms when ever they wanted? Did they fight over the right to turn into an animal? Did they get to pick?

“I’ll show you later.” Aaiel said turning back to her food, “But right now I’m going to finish so we can go outside and try to trigger your transformation.”

“Umm, how?” Rilanen said nervously seeing a glint come into Defi’s eyes.

“You’ll see!” Aaiel sang as she bit off a piece of her kabob and ate it.

“Ooooo,” “We want to come!” the twins said walking around and sitting down across from Rilanen once more.

“Well of course! We’ll all come.” Red said glancing at Joun and Defi, “Right?”

“Count me in.” Defi spoke for the first time. “Forcing changes is fun.” She said picking up her food and throwing it away.

“It would be a good studying opportunity.” Joun said doing the same.

“Wait what would we be doing!” Rilanen asked again, Fun? Studying opportunity? That most certainly does not sound fun!

“You’ll be fine!” Aaiel said trashing her own food as she grabbed Rilanen’s arm and started pulling him towards the door.

Scooping up his food and throwing it out Rilanen allowed himself to be pulled along as the rest of the crew followed. As they stepped into the commons Rilanen realized there were a lot more people in here than last time, and that the wall was cracking where he had slammed into it. “That’s not good.” Rilanen said and as Aaiel followed is gaze he shook her arm off his.

“It’ll be fine!” she said continuing on, weaving between the people who were moving around.

“Are you sure?”

“What are they going to do?”

“They kind of have us trapped in a government base for testing, what can’t they do?”

“Kill or hurt us.” Joun spoke up, “It would cost them a ton of money and they would have lost a test subject.”

“Oh, can they starve us?”

“Again no the subject would then be at a less than normal state, unless that was what the experiment called for, they wouldn’t want that.”

“Oh.” Looking up Rilanen realized they had already walked out the door and into the dark green woods. Looking for Aaiel Rilanen wondered why she wasn’t talking, was she hurt? As he turned around Rilanen saw that everyone had disappeared. “Hello?”

 Rilanen asked his voice echoing off the trees. They couldn’t be that far from the building, could they? Turning around to head back the way he had come Rilanen suddenly felt a sharp pain in his back as a finger was pressed on a pressure point. Falling to his knees Rilanen keened for a moment before the finger removed itself and the pain faded. Jumping to his Rilanen jumped to his feet and spun in a quick circle, making no other noise than a low growling in the back of his throat. What am I doing?! Rilanen asked himself, snapping out of the defensive position he was in. Turning again and making much more noise Rilanen felt, but didn’t see, the foot that slammed into his back, throwing him against a nearby tree. Quickly getting to his feet Rilanen jumped towards where the attack had come from faster than any human could follow, feeling the rush of air as his enemy moved just in time. Turning his jump into a roll Rilanen again came to his feet quickly and quietly growling all the louder. Wha- Suddenly Rilanen again got a finger in the back but this time a little off center, again falling Rilanen this time slid out a leg and swung it behind him tripping, nobody? What is this? Rilanen thought again coming out of the animalistic behavior. Why am I like this?

Again the attacker came and this time hit Rilanen on the back of his neck before slapping him and stepping on his foot triggering yet another pressure point. Trying to run Rilanen was quickly tripped and someone or something pressed into the same spot on his back, much, much harder. Yowling in pain Rilanen thrashed and writhed trying to throw his attacker. Eventually Rilanen’s struggles got weaker and weaker and his voice got hoarse and dry until he was just twitching occasionally. When the hand was removed from his back Rilanen didn’t even notice accept that he stopped trying to produce some sort of sound.

“I really didn’t think we would have to take it this far.” Someone whispered to the right of an almost unconscious Rilanen,

“He has a strong mind, he can hold himself together better.” Someone answered just as quietly and soon the two presences faded.

Also a few weeks ago I watercolored a horse made of art supplies, kinda strange but I thought of it while putting this together and decided to put it up here. A little abstract but wa-la!

One last thing! A few days ago I was thinking and realized that books are a big part of the media and art in my life so I thought I'd start writing reviews on a few that I read and commenting on others. Currently I am reading the Seven Realms series and am throughly hooked, in a weird kinda way. The books are a lot slower than what I usually read so I don't know what is keeping me turning the pages, but I can't put them down! Currently I am in the middle of The Grey Wolf Throne, the third book in the series.

This is loooonnnnggggg! Woah this is getting REALLY long but I have to mention, HOUSE OF HADES COMES OUT OCTOBER 8TH! *sighs* I feel much better now that I've let it out. These books are for below my age level but I started reading them forever ago and became an instant fan so everyone Rick Riordan is an amazing writer and I encourage anyone looking for a good fantasy adventure novel series.