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saladmanthemightys · 6 days ago

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Chapter 1: Birds

The warm mud hammered under her feet, the foul aroma invading her nostrils as it flicked up against her legs, splattering against her cloak. They weren’t far now, she just had to lose them by the tunnels. Then she would be safe. Their infernal shrieks followed her as she darted left into the small crevice she spotted mashing her body against the rusted metal structure, the dark shadowed creatures darted past with a rush of dust and mud, despite the desperate pleas of her better thinking to stay put and try to blend into the rust, she pushed back out spotting an entrance into the system, cracked into the fair through just across the way from her. Eventually the figures turned back to her repairing their mistake spreading their great wings blocking out the sun and forcing a great wind towards her forcing her to her knees against the mud and rock. The figures approached as she got to her feet continuing to dash forward. She just… needed… a little…. More…

Jay awoke to familiar sunbeams breaking through his window the same sunbeams that entered through the same window every morning. A fresh breeze blew through the cracked glass, rattling the wind chimes hanging from the ceiling playing a familiar yet fresh melody. The lovely noise of metal clanging together was enough to coax him to get up. Moving from laying to sitting in his bed with a stretch lead to yet more noise as his extended wings clashed against the various hanging objects in his room, accompanying this racket was the dying of sunlight as it ran through his feathers dying the room a vibrant cornflower blue as the beams travelling through them reflected against the shiny metal of the room, once he was done he pulled back his wings allowing the room to return to an industrial gray as it was before he had done anything.

Despite his body’s rejection of waking up jay turned his legs dropping off the side of the bed allowing his talons to clack against the metal floorings of his housing, a welcome noise in the metallic sounds of the morning so far. The floor was cold and mildly wet, it must have been raining last night, He thought to himself as he leant forward putting pressure to his feet, and standing, thankfully his head cleared the hanging objects from his roof, it paid to be short.

Trotting over to the other side of his room avoiding the collection of items strewn across the floor, jay looked in the polished section of metal in the wall that functioned as a mirror, and so he started his morning routine first on the list; beak cleaning, a task so menial that it doesn’t deserve description much like the other tasks in his morning routine, put on trousers, eating his breakfast, drinking his water, opening his windows and opening the door to the outside world.

Stepping outside Jay experienced the fresh pleasures of early summer, fresh grass soft and bouncy underneath his bare feet, a welcome difference from the metal floors of his house. A spring in his step he walked towards the small vegetable patch at the base of his garden, kneeling down in the dirt to have a pick for his lunch. The looming sun cast a shadow onto his house, he had been lucky to find it Jays house was made of an ancient structure stuck in the side of a mound of dirt atop a Cliff, on the far reaches of CiCipu towns borders, he had stumbled upon it when he was first truly alone saving him in his darkest moment. the structure itself seemed nothing more than a metal tube lodged in a mound of thick mud and inside seemed ever more dreary full of rounded shapes and hanging items. But it was somewhere safe to shelter, So he bit the bullet and slept the night. However as the morning dawned and the sounds of life began to resurface, it was one of the most magical experiences of his life, the delicate chiming of metal as it blew in the breeze sunbeams breaking through the windows caked with mud to wipe dry his teary face, although he had since normalised these feelings they were what allowed him for the first time in a long time to realise that he could be happy. Since that fateful night the structure has been filled to the brim with personality and his own treasures allowing him to live as safely as he believed he could.

Back at the vegetable garden, jay had spotted a fresh looking collection of beets, and he had figured out what he would have for lunch, beetroot soup, delicious. But before Jay could make the move to pick the delicate roots, a short squat man knocked politely on the gate, opening it to allow himself entry. Recognising the man easily Jay stood up to welcome mayor Vanjoy to his house as he did most mornings. Looking over at him before they spoke Jay noted his formal black trousers, tightly fitted to his large waist, he can’t have flown here, he must have walked.

Vanjoy approached still not have said a word, Jay easily peering over his head, if he was short, mayor Vanjoy was a goblin, however this shortness did not only give him a great view of the sunrise but also the graying feathers on top of his head a feature he hadn’t noticed before, he must have been out of feather dye. Quietly Vanjoy and Jay stood tolerating the awkward silence until Jay thankfully broke it, “Can I help you?”, it was unalike Vanjoy to be quiet but Jay preferred it when he was so wasn’t too excited to break it, “Oh, um. Yes, mr Corviday you could actually.” The squat man straightened his posture patting down the feathers on his side until he reached a bag on his side sighing slightly as his hand clacked against something hard. “I have something for you actually, that’s what I came for today, to give it to you I mean, the thing I have for you.” He reached into the bag he had pat down pulling out a large, black, flat disc and held it out to Jay like an offering. “It was on sale at the guild hall! But nobody was interested in it, they were just going to trash it but I was able to convince them to give it to me, with my natural charm of course, and they gave it to me for a great deal, only 600 Avis, a fantastic deal considering the condition, and…” he droned on, Jay tuned him out more focused on the disc itself, it was a perfect specimen, and so delicate. the small bumps perfectly preserved within slowly spiralling rings to form a shape that looked intoxicating to his collectors eyes, in the centre of it all there was a perfect ancient language an echo of the world that came before, the delicate curved letters a stark difference to mimikri but before he could continue staring, Vanjoy spoke up “… And so I was wondering Jay, do you want it at all I’ll give it to you for nothing at all, and it would be all yours?” Jay was drawn back to reality. His only response was to nod in very quick succession, and he gently took it from his hands, smiling at the squat man. “Jay I’m sorry it took so long to get it to you, I just simply had zero time at all, I didn’t expect it to be such a busy week, and I didn’t want it to break on a flight here so I had to walk it over, and who knows by now they might even have the next expeditions stuff in by now, I know they just got back, if we hurry we could get you to be first in line perhaps, but first a cup of tea if you wouldn’t mind?”

Overwhelmed Jay took a moment to process everything the man had spoke at him, slowly walking back across the fresh grass, he could hear the squat man squelching it behind him. Squeaking the door slowly opened in the wind before he could get there allowing him to enter and place the disc on the side before he could get anything else done. “Nice place as always Jay, I’m just going to move some stuff so I can sit down” Jay had given up daily protests to this recently knowing it would get nowhere instead letting the mayor clumsily move the items he put on the sofa.

Opening the tin where the tea was kept he discovered he had nothing in it but air, and the mayor didn’t exactly like hot water, he would have to say they were out. “Um mr Vanjoy..”

“Please just Vanjoy, mr Vanjoy is what they call me in the office”

“ Um Vanjoy we are out of tea” expecting a scolding he put the lid back onto the tea tin putting it back to the side.

“That’s quite alright lad I’ll just get some back in town, no issue”

A pleasant surprise, but now as he found there was no real reason to stay in Jays house.

“Well then lad shall we?” The mayor stood from his chair, walking to the door for Jay to follow, and so he did locking the door behind him and walking into the summer morning, past the safe gates of his house and into the woods.

“Well lad isn’t this a nice day you got the bugs and the squirrels, the fresh morning air flowing through your hair and all that business you know this reminds me of a story. once when I was a lad…” Jay once more let the old man’s squeaks of a story fade into the background blending with the truly serene forest that he much preferred, a gentle chirping of small animals above clearly told him the squirrels were out to play, a gentle crack in the distance from a stag parading in evasion of the great beasts that lurk, and an older gentleman telling a story from his youth. However one noise stood out from among the rest, a heavy flap of wings, looking up showed the source; a magpie patrol quickly flapping back towards cicipu town, Jay was enamoured by these great dark figures and flapped up leaving Vanjoy alone in the woods.

“Oh um see you later too Jay?” The mayor stopped for a second, seeing if Jay would return but the streak of blue left behind in the sky showed the truth, sighing he began the long walk back home.

(I wrote this myself any criticism is welcome and I would appreciate tips and improvement suggestions :) )

#writing #writers on tumblr #writeblr #books #book #original character #original book #needs help #trying to improve #chapter 1 #new chapter #fantasy #fantasy world #science fantasy #post apocalyptic #post apocalypse #PLEASE GIVE ME CRITICS

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