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These pages were last updated: January 28, 1998
©December 1997
The following is a bit of alternative fiction based on certain characters from the Xenaverse. It is not meant to infringe on anyone else's rights. If you don't agree or disapprove, please go read something else.
SQUICK alert: This Tartarus for Hell's sake! Expect grodities.
Xex Alert: Yep there will be. Soon!!
The cave's floor and ceiling sloped downward. Marcus, the tallest of the group, found himself ducking his head. The glow of the torch seemed faint, though it really wasn't that far ahead of him. It's light flickered eerily across the moistly dark surface of the cave walls. The young one's traveled as shadows in front of him. He heard only the scuff of their feet and a soft sniffle or two. It occurred to him that this was not shyness on their part. This was training. They had learned to be mostly silent and it sent spirals of thought through his head.
They came to a point where the pathway split and Marcus acted on his assumption. He picked the oldest one, a female. Her golden eyes pierced through the dark and seemed to flicker like the torch. "Which way should we go?" She looked at the choices and hesitated, then pointed. Marcus noted the unusual markings at the side of the entrance.
Their quiet march continued, and they encountered other such choices. Sometimes there were even three passage ways to choose from. Each time, she picked one with a similar marking to the first. They stopped often, for the sake of the little ones, and rested. Marcus ended up carrying the smaller humans, exchanging them with the older Tartaran's to give them rest. Even so, it seemed, these little ones had more stamina than a child of earth. It felt like they walked forever and he thought it might very possibly be so, but they stopped, eventually, at another one of those crossroads.
This time their young guide looked doubtful. She turned to look at the men, her yellow skin showing golden in the flickering light. Her voice was young and sweet and silky and it caused shivers to flush through the men. "I've never been this far before." Primal images clouded their minds briefly, but the concerns of their travels weighed in their minds, "My mother said to follow the marks," She looked up at the ceiling again, "But I can't find them."
The small green male, who still clung to Perdicus' hand spoke. "I wanna go home." Perdicus looked down into a face filled with an intense anxiousness and then at faces that shared the little one's obvious desire. Gabrielle's husband looked up at Marcus. The dark man looked as tired as he felt. Perdicus held the torch up a little higher, looking for something, some sort of indication.
Marcus saw it first. It was too high for a really good look, but it seemed like the marks he'd seen. The young demoness looked up. The marks were barely discernible. They almost. . looked like the ones she was told to follow. She looked above the other entry way. There was nothing but a few scratches where the marks should have been. It was their only choice. She nodded her agreement. This time Marcus pointed, with more confidence than he felt. "We'll go this way."
They continued on.
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Oriena fought with a passion. She stood guard over her fallen lover, fighting with such ferocity that she earned more than a few entries into the warrior tales that would be passed among the denizens of Tartarus. By the time the fighting on the battlefield was over she and her tribemates had earned more than a grudging respect from the Amazons.
There were few cannibals left to limp home. The wounded were attended to. The dead were wearily gathered to be burned. When sorrowing Amazons came to gather Melosa, Oriena held them off by swordpoint. The village chieftess thought the blonde was grieving and tried to reason with her, to no avail. They decided to leave her alone, respecting her grief, and the signs of battle were cleared from the field.
Oriena knelt slowly, using her sword almost a crutch. Her heart clenched within her as she stared at the vacant face of her lover. She touched Melosa's face gently and didn't fight the tears. She could feel the distance between them and her whole body ached with it, even though she knew her love would rise again soon. Her words were soft and barely carried on the wind, "How did you ever stand it, my love?"
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Melosa wasn't quite as far as Oriena thought. She felt solid, but when she bent and laid her hand on the Amazon's shoulder to comfort her, it passed through, as if it were sliding through water. Oriena shivered, but otherwise did not respond.
Melosa straightened up and looked around herself. It was odd, but she wasn't frightened. Everything seemed. .brighter, more glowing, more. . .vivid. The forest was alive and green with energy. She saw a figure step out and reached for her sword, but it wasn't there. So she waited, tensely at first, and then as time passed she relaxed. She figured she must be dreaming. Then, as the woman drew closer and she noted the bow and her gracious smile, Melosa knew she was dreaming, and knelt, and bowed her head.
"Hail Artemis."
The Goddess didn't smile, nor did she frown. The sound of her voice was as soothing as a soft wind in the trees. "Be at peace, my child, and stand. I have much to tell you and you have much to do."
Katrina's Fan Fiction | Fan Fiction Site | Home Page
These pages were last updated: January 28, 1998
©December 1997