Drive Back the Nightmares

“Mommy, Cal’s having another bad dream.” Carolyn glanced up at her young daughter, Tara, standing with her warrior teddy bear in one hand and the other on the doorframe to the kitchen. Glancing at the clock on the all, she pinched the bridge of her nose and heaved a sigh.

“Alright, my little viking, I’m coming.” The woman set down her paperwork and stood with a groan, then followed Tara down the hall. Sure enough, in their shared bedroom, Cal was tossing and turning under his sheets. The small whimpers that reached her tugged at Carolyn’s heartstrings.

She hurried forward and scooped the tiny boy into her arms.

“Hush now, my hatchling.” Carolyn whispered, smoothing down his sweat-drenched hair. “Momma’s here, you’re fine now.” Cal continued to cry, though.

“He’s not gonna wake up if you don’t do the glowy thing.” Tara stated from her seat on the other bed, arms wrapped around her armor-wearing stuffed animal. Ignoring the impulse to snarl her frustration at the child, Carolyn instead leaned forward to place her lips over Cal’s ear.

“Calvirotakissiv,” She whispered, her half-lidded eyes beginning to glow with a warm, golden light. “Why do you shudder, hatchling?”

“Monsters,” The boy’s dream self sobbed back. “Sh-shadow m-mons-sters. Th-they w-won’t leave me a-l-lone.” An image formed in Carolyn’s mind, of beasts slinking through a darkened cavern, taunting her little boy and his weak human form.

“They are jealous, my hatchling.” She hurriedly told him. “Those who were deemed unworthy of remnants, and fear your status as an Ancestral.”

“Like... Like you and Tara?”

“Yes. Just like us.”

“Then w-why don’t they s-scare you two?”

“Your big sister’s Viking remnant doesn’t let them invade her dreams.” Carolyn carefully explained. “And as for me... I taught them not to mess with me when I was your age.”

“H-how?”

“By picturing my other self, my dragon self, chasing them away. Can you do that?” Her words caused the dream Cal to raise his head, and the flames of their ancestors began to dance around him.

“I am dragon.” He said slowly, his combined hope and pride driving the fear away. “I am DRAGON!” The shadow beasts drew back nervously, then fled as the boy roared, his dream self growing into a blue and silver behemoth. Light poured forth from his extended wings, and the monsters were obliterated as the dreamer reveled in his future form, the dragon shape he would be able to claim as an adult.

Both Carolyn and Tara smiled as Cal quieted in his sleep, never to be troubled by nightmares again.

Intro for my Ancestrals graphic novels. More on them will show up here eventually. Enjoy!
-Triscribe

Listening

I have to post this. It's an old thing, but makes me smile every time I think of or see it.
If you want the full story, well, go by a copy of my book when it's eventually published.


“And you just happened to find Ama chained to a tree?” Krun asked, amazed.

“Yeah. It wasn’t intentional, a complete accident that we appeared right in front of her.” Fren shrugged.

“There are no accidents.” Teresa spoke up from her seat on the log. “That’s one of my granddad’s favorite pieces o’ advice.”

“Ah, along with, ‘nothing in life is fair’, ‘never say it can’t get any worse’, and ‘a beer a day keeps the self-doubt away’.” Mentras mentioned. Teresa beamed at him.

“An’ here I thought ye never listened!” The dwarf exclaimed cheerfully.

“I’m a goblin who’s spent most of his life dodging assassins.” Mentras said, completely deadpan. “I make a habit of listening.”

Quick Link for Art

I hope Friday's post was at least a little amusing, though I know the overall story remains unknown (for now). But if anyone wants to see what at least some of those characters look like, you can find some portraits on my DeviantArt page:

http://triscribe.deviantart.com/

More will always be coming, of course, even if I'm gone for long chunks of time (sorry about that, by the way).
Happy October,
-Triscribe

Writing Exercise, Donuts and Mountains

Forewarning, the following is a combination of a scene for my Jr. Team comicbook series and a writing exercise from my Writing club, in which we had to include mention of both donuts and mountains. Don't ask me why, because I have no clue, but here we go.

“We cannot seriously be doing this.” Sean stated flatly. Around him, the Wave Two recruits were making themselves at home in the ‘borrowed’ Eagle transport. Up in the pilot’s seat, Lizzy and Jamal had successfully hacked the flight controls, slipping out under the Houston Center’s security grid and guiding the airborne ship towards Colorado.

“Dude! Live a little!” Emily laughed at him. The speedster was laying across two seats with her feet propped up on an armrest. “If we can’t break the Organization’s rules as teens, what hope is there for us as adults?”

“The Demon’s gotta point, Whiskers.” Isha pointed out, taking a seat in her human form. Sean’s tail twitched in annoyance, but the boy reluctantly went and sat as well.

“Hey!” Jamal called down from the cockpit. “Anybody want to pull over for snackage before we hit the mountains?”

“Ooh! We should totally get pizza! Or ice cream. Or donuts!” Emily suggested. Juan glanced at her.

“You’ve got about a hundred other options running through your head right now, don’t you?”

“What’d you do, read my mind?”

“I don’t have to be telepathic to do that, Em. As for food, I don’t really care. Bryce?”

“Hey, I already ate, and my powers don’t let me digest any faster than a regular human. No preference here.”

“What about you, Laura?” The fire elemental looked up from her window seat, where she’d been watching the Texan city turn into open land and drop away.

“Uh... Donuts sound good.” She said quietly.

“Didja hear that, Prankster?” Emily called to the front.

“Loud and clear, Speed Demon!” Jamal called back. “Thunderbird here says she knows a place. It’s a little out of our way, but definitely worth it!”

“And just which one of us is going to walk into a store and get donuts?” Sean grumbled.

“Whoever has the money.” Isha pointed out. She reached into a hidden pocket on her Hardcore costume and pulled out a twenty dollar bill. And promptly dropped it into Sean’s lap.

“I vote the Leonine Boy.” She said smugly. Emily hooted in amusement, nodding vigorously, while Juan and Bryce both laughed. Laura just smiled, her flaming hair dancing a little higher, and up front, Lizzy and Jamal demanded to know what had happened.

“The Rockies better be worth this.” Sean growled.

Later...

“Two Texas sized donuts, please.” Mickey Malson gulped as the cat-boy slammed his money onto the counter of Round Rock donuts. The claws were scary enough, but the dangerous glint in his eyes set the man’s nerves on edge. He quickly filled out the order, handing over the two boxes and change gingerly. Nervous as he was, Mickey couldn’t help but watch the superhuman stalk out of the store, especially when a girl flew down on a cloud, grabbed him by the back of his jacket, and whisked the both of them up and out of sight.