Creatures Caves

I had a strange, epic feeling of inspiration two days ago... I typed up my ideas and I came up with a prologue for a story. O_O If I'll write it, I don't know, but here it is, anyway.

This is a prologe for the story idea The Last of the Norns. The Norn who you follow the perspective in this prologue is a sage who guides a Norn of the future to save Albia from terrible danger.

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It was a cold, windy night. The trees were restlessly shaking their branches, struggling to stay in root. The stars themselves had abandoned the sky, replaced by dark, menacing clouds. It was the kind of night where getting to sleep was a beautiful treasure indeed.

However, it was on that night where sleep wouldn?t come to me. It was the night that would change my life.

The sages have called me to the Temple of Dreams.

The sages are the great elders of Albia. Among them are the healers and interpreters of the Norn tribes and the head architect of the Ettin race. Grendels never have been and never will be allowed to enter the sacred shrine where the sages meet only in times of dire peril. To have a common Norn among them during one such meeting, like myself, is unimaginable.

I was young back then; not yet adolescent was I, with my fur still shiny and my blue eyes still dancing with juvenile starlight. I was wearing only a golden chain around my neck, with a little crescent moon at the end.

Fighting against the wind, I let my excitement push me beyond my limits. Making it to the Temple of Dreams was a difficult journey; you have to go through the jungle to get to it, and the jungle is a breeding ground for Grendels. At night, hungry predators wake up and sharpen their claws on the rocks, waiting for unwary travelers to come into range as food. But I wasn?t going to let the darkness and danger get to my head; the sages needed me.

With a rush, I leaped over a log. My breath made little clouds in the air as I raced through the brush, my tail disturbing the fallen leaves and scattering berries into a clearing. My paws landed with a gentle thud on the ground, and I continued to run. Fatigue was not going to visit me tonight!

At last, I halted by the front of the shrine. My sides hurt from breathing hard and running quickly, and my paws hurt from tear at the ground. Even my tail drooped with the effort I took to balance on the stairs that led into the stone temple. But I wouldn?t let weariness claw away at me, forcing me to drop down.

I stood before the towering door. Whiskers twitching nervously, I reached my paw out to it?

?Who disturbs the meeting of the sages?? came a loud voice from inside. My fur stood on end, until I realized that it was not said hostilely, but knowingly.

Proudly I stood up straight, and, voice trembling, replied, ?It is I, Song of the Norns.?

?We were expecting you,? the voice boomed. ?I was starting to doubt you?d arrive! Come in, Song?? At that moment, the large door slid smoothly to the sides, revealing a fully lit room. I cupped my hands over my eyes, momentarily blinded by the intense, white light. Though for a little while I could not see anything, I listened as the door softly opened, and then thudded gently to a halt. Blinking rapidly, I saw one dark figure against the rays. It gestured me to follow.

Shakily, I obeyed. Putting one paw after another, my excitement and anxiety clashing in my head like swords, I glanced around the temple walls. Tapestries hung from the ceiling, epic works showing battles of old. The floor was made of cobblestones which clattered under my feet. The walls and ceiling were made of stony conglomerations with different shades of grey and brown. They were connected almost rhythmically, which filled my mind with wonder.

The person who welcomed me in was an Ettin. He was old and white, his bug-like red eyes squinted. His white hair was getting thin and stringy. The creature wore a large, brown robe, which is customary for the sages to wear. He held a small staff, a little shorter than he was.

An open door welcomed the Ettin and I into a round room. There was a huge table, in the shape of a semicircle, with several chairs around it. I gasped. Many Norns with uniforms similar to that of the Ettin were sitting on the chairs. Each of them were elderly creatures, all of them staring expressionlessly at me as I was led to a chair in front of the table. The Ettin offered me a seat, and then hobbled towards a chair by the right end of the table.

?So you must be Song of the Norns?? A Norn sitting at the middle of the table, in the largest and most refined-looking chair which resembled a throne, stood up. He was tall, and held a large, wooden staff with delicate looking designs of vines climbing up to the top, winding around it. A silver chain with a waning gibbous moon at the end was dangling around his neck. I bowed politely. I knew he was the High Sage, the wisest of them all.

?Yes, ?tis I,? I murmured softly. ?I do believe I was called to this gathering of the sages? Why is that so?? Part of me knew the answer, but I wanted to hear it from the High Sage.

The High Sage rumbled, ?I am Rust that Tarnishes Steel. You may call us by our full names rather than our half-names, Song.? The sage looked around the room. ?Here you will find all of the sages of the tribes and kingdoms all around Albia. The Ettin who escorted you into our temple is Sun which Heats the Sand, the greatest architect and scientist in our world. The three other sages are Oak that Gives Acorns, Horse who Happily Prances, and Cloud which Covers the Mountains.

?As for why you are here?? Rust hesitated for a moment, and continued, ?I hear that you had a dream. Do tell us what it was about.?

I paused. The reason I was called to this sacred and important meeting was all for them to hear about the fearful vision in my head I had just last night? Why is that important? I glanced around the room. Sun gently smiled at me. Cloud and Oak murmured to themselves, and Horse perked up his large ears.

I sighed, ?It wasn?t a dream; it was a nightmare. I dreamt that there were two sunrises and one sunset. In the sunrise, all was beautiful and plentiful in Albia, like it is now. The nornlings were prancing along outside, and all was peaceful. But when the sun streaked to noon, a great volcano erupted, and lava ran across the land. Not long after, the land was beautiful again; the Norns had survived!

?But as the day drew to a close?? I shuddered. None of this felt real: the dream, going to the temple, and speaking with Rust that Tarnishes Steel. My heart began to beat rapidly, its pace quickening and pounding in my ears like the drums of war before a battle. ??The moon and stars were black, and the sky was a dark red. The seas were churning, the volcano was fuming, and acid rain fell from the sky. Our whole world was desolated, and its final, foul breath pierced the very sky itself.

?Night had set on our home; the place had not a ripple in the drying seas, and the leaves which fell to the ground from the new, strange trees made echoes as they landed. Creatures I have never conceived were traveling in the darkness, escaping from predators and barely making it out of scrapes alive. All was chaos?

?Until a strange wave happened; it washed over me, like a cool breeze or a drink of milk. The sun rose again, and it was like everything was undone; the Norns were peaceful, though the land still was dramatically changed. After that, I can?t remember.?

The sages began to whisper quietly to each other. Slightly uncomfortable, I inched back on my seat.

?Step forward,? Rust finally broke the hushed murmurs. His brown eyes pierced me like a blade.

I dared not disobey someone of Rust?s stature. Trembling with fear and excitement, my paw gripping onto my golden chain, I stepped forward. Rust reached out and asked, ?What be that you are sporting around your neck, young Norn??

?Oh, this?? I asked, glancing at my necklace. ?I?ve always had it.?

?Do you mind?? Rust asked. I took off my necklace and handed it to him. He studied the chain intently. I thought I could hear a gentle gasp coming from Horse, but I couldn?t be sure. Sun looked flabbergasted.

Rust finally took off his necklace, patterned his waning gibbous with my crescent moon pendant, and the necklaces began to glow. My eyes watered with the effort at staring at the light shining off of the jewelry like radiant sparkles. Cloud growled in a cracked voice, ?Is this even possible? Has it finally arrived??

Rust turned to the Purple Mountain Norn and replied, ?Patience, my friend. Only part of it has.? At that moment, I had no clue what they were talking about. But I was too polite to ask. This was probably some sort of secret sage stuff which I wasn?t allowed to pry into anyway.

?Come with us,? Rust commanded. ?I have something to show you.? Rust began to move towards a door opposite the one I entered the temple through. Sun gave me a surprised glance, and motioned me to follow. Oak purred gently as I brushed past him. Horse and Cloud muttered something under their breaths as I was led through another long corridor.

At the end of the corridor, Rust stopped. I nearly tripped over Horse?s foot at the sudden cease of movement. Sun smiled, ?Song, do me a favor and touch your hand to the door?? Still having no clue what was going on, I put my paw on the door. I trembled with a strange feeling I have never felt before. At once, the ancient designs on the door trembled and glowed with an odd, blue incandescence. The door ground upwards so noisily, that it split my ears like a knife through soft butter.

I gaped in suppressed wonder as I saw what opened up before me. It was a round room, twinkling with little sparkles that floated on the air. It was fairly cool, and the place smelled of fresh water. I stepped forward. A large pool with a small platform in the middle was in the center of the room. A canopy of a leather-like material that had a painted circle with two perpendicular diameters on it stretched above the pool, supported by tall, stone pillars. A beam of mystical light stretched onto the platform in the middle of the pool. Voices seemed to be humming? coming from the light?

?What do you hear, Song??

?I hear whispers coming from the light. They?re calling me??

?Step into the light, young one.?

I approached the light, my eyes dancing with the beautiful sparkles that hovered just out of reach. As I stepped into it, a tingling sensation rippled through my whole body, like waves. I giggled. It felt like I was being tickled.

After a moment or two, the tickling faded, and I felt lightheaded and dizzy. All of the sages, excluding Rust and Sun, looked surprisingly dumbfounded. ??What?? I finally asked.

Sun breathed, ?Look into the Fountain of Sleep. What do you see?? I looked into the water of the clear pool.

My eyes widened with shock.

There, looking back at me, wasn?t the Pixie Norn I once was. My fur was a gentle fading pink and lavender. My ears, large and cup-like with pointy tips, were very delicate looking. I blinked my eyes, a gentle welcoming blue. Around my neck I now wore my crescent moon necklace.

Rust cleared his throat and said in a loud voice so all could hear, ?The great ancestors have spoken! Let all of the sages who have gathered here this night be giving fine blessings to this young Norn, who has an incredible destiny ahead of her!?

I looked on in awe as the ancient Norn spoke, ?I, Rust that Tarnishes Steel, most high and esteemed sage of Albia, call upon the great ancestors to look onto this Norn with pride. Although she knows not of our code, she has been proven to be one of us? a sage of our world, Albia.

?By the ancient powers I give this Norn a new name. Song, from this moment on you are Song which Echoes in Time. You are a Dream Norn, a rare Norn which appears in disguise not so often in our time. As the first and only one I?ve ever met, I am quite impressed.?
Sun, Cloud, Horse, and Oak bowed deeply before me. Speechless, I continued to stare, shocked, at Rust.

The elder continued, ?Song which Echoes in Time? may your spirit guide you in your choices. From now on, you will learn the ways of magic and spells, in order to protect the Norns of Albia forevermore. Please take this cloak as a sign of your dedication and promise.?

I gasped. Me? A sage? I looked into the water again. Not a ripple disturbed my reflection, nor a hum echoed the silence. My new form? could it really be that I am a very rare Norn? My head buzzing in thorough confusion, but still knowing what I was supposed to do, I stepped into the water and to where Rust that Tarnishes Steel stood, holding onto a cloak. I took the cloak?my cloak?and put it on. It fit me perfectly.

?Dawn is approaching,? Sun which Heats the Sand intervened not long after. ?It is time for us to return to our homes.? As the sages filed out of the room, I looked back to the Fountain of Sleep. I know my dream meant something, and being hailed as a Dream Norn almost seemed to prove that I would play a crucial role in deciphering the thoughts, memories, and dreams of myself and others. I was happy that I was a sage now; and yet, lingering far in the back of my mind, I couldn?t shake off the feeling that something horrible was going to happen sometime in the future.
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