Last Breath

Okay, I'm going to feel some INTENSE emotions on Sunday, (*cough*nervousness) so I just have to write a poem.


When I close my eyes at night I think of you
And all I want is you and your blue
Eyes, reading my last thoughts
...And I thought you ought

My heart will speed like an antsy drum
I hope you'll know where I'll be coming from
While I tense up and my nervous fears are still left,
Before it all falls, I'll take my last breath

Of the life I had before, but now it's closing in
But I couldn't take the 'what could have been'
So to tell you the truth I really mean it
There's no extinguisher, the fire is lit

I never told you what I was thinking
And now I see, for a year I've been sinking
So I'll tell you, before I blow
And maybe you'll tell me what I need to know

As I take my last breath of the life I had before
Then I'll be falling, now no one will ignore
Me anymore...Because they know I'm waiting
I'm still contemplating...

But now you'll know what I've thought about you,
Please help me understand...I hope you do


Background: Last night, I had had it. Finally I typed up a long letter for the guy I like and on Sunday, I plan for my friend to give it to him. I'm nervous about it, but I know I need to say it. I can't hold it all in forever. Basically, as I nervously watch my friend give it to him, I'll take my last breath before everything unfolds or creases itself up even more. It's a huge risk, but I need to take it. If you don't get why, do you know the song 'Nothing Ever Happens' by Rachel Platten?

Good At Heart

The rough carpet dug fiercely into my petite little hands. My knuckles were flushed white and stinging from the pain. Every couple of seconds there would be a light the window would creak, but it sounded more like a tap. This made a bit jumpy, as my instinct told me it was my follower signaling that she had found me. This made me realize how visible I was from the window, so I crawled a few inches under the desk.
There was a horrible noise. Footsteps had patted the tiled hallway, right outside the classroom. They had stopped. I could almost imagine her looking in, her evil eyes piercing every last object in sight. More footsteps, now muffled by the carpet, trailed into the room. I don't recall being found, but the next moment I was standing right in front of her, hysterical because I had been discovered.

She began shaking me. "HOW COULD YOU THINK THAT WAY?" Her eyes were unfathomably wild. They almost seemed to have streaks of red glistening in, giving her a beast-like countenance. Her hair swung in the air as if it had been trying to whip me.

"You DON'T UNDERSTAND!" I began to sob, and she shook me even harder.

"HE KILLED MILLIONS OF PEOPLE! YOU KNOW WHERE YOU CAME FROM? THE SAME PLACE HE'S GONE TO!"

I tried to break away, but her grasp had no chance of weakening. "Bridgit!" I screamed.

Her nails dug into my hands, taking the place of those carpet burns. "YOU SUPPORT EVIL ! YOU DESERVE TO GO DOWN WITH HIM!"

I began to scream long, horrible screeches. It seemed to last for an eternity, but it was then that I awoke. I was greeted my buckets of sweat and unbearable heat. I threw off my covers and slowly accepted the fact that it had all been a dream. That wouldn't even happen if she found out. But Bridgit would surely hate me, and not for just a day. I still wouldn't be safe if I told her. Bridgit would never understand, never accept wild opinions, never understand the truth about humans. Deep down, everyone is good at heart.


_____________________________________________________________________________________
"I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are really good at heart."
-Anne Frank

Stand Alone -2/?

A week. A week was all it took for this “zombie” virus to bring down every major power, every government, and every family. A week was all it took to make people lose every shred of humanity that had been loosely held together by corrupt governments. A week was all it took to turn me into a regretless, ruthless zombie killer.

Everyone thought that the thing everyone had to worry about was the Mayan Calendar, and the fact that France now had atomic weapons and was blackmailing all nations into doing what they wanted (I guess the French got tired of being called cowards). No one ever thought about zombies. Well, except the crazy nerds who lived in their mother’s basement, but who ever paid attention to those loons?

Guess it turned out they weren’t such loons after all.

As I trudged through the soft dirt that lies across many of the dry, grassy plains that lined most of eastern Colorado, I reflected on how my week had been. Christmas had been only three days ago. Only three days ago, I had fled my house, hoping and praying with every fiber of my five foot being that I could survive this apocalypse.

December 28^th, 2012. That’s what today’s date was. A week after the Mayans predicted the world would end, or supposedly predicted. I wondered if they had known about this zombie-infested, living nightmare that had previously been known as Earth. I wish Star Trek had been right about the future; a utopia where the entire human race got along, explored the galaxy, and met Vulcans whose greeting was freaking “Live long and prosper”. Of course, we had to be given this Hades known as “28 Days Later”. What luck the human race has.

I was brought out of my grim thoughts when my foot caught on an old tree root sticking out of the ground, even though there were no trees around. I tripped and fell flat on my face into the sinking dirt. Maybe the human race did have some luck; at least I wasn’t being chased by zombies at this very moment.

The noise of the venomous horde shattered the silence that had been comforting me.

Oh, crap. Well, I guess Murphy’s Law has it in for me.

Sharp grass also had it in for me, too, as I had gotten a long, deep scratch on my arm from my fall, which could not possibly be covered by my grey tank top. If the horde attacked and I got blood or saliva on my cursed arm… I didn’t even want to think about becoming one of them.

Rapidly, I used my grimy palms to push myself up, not bothering to dust off my clothing, like most of the girls in my high school would’ve. I didn’t have the time for frivolities like that. I had to get out of there, and fast.

Making sure that my gun (Your father’s gun, I silently reminded myself) was secure in its holster, I took off running, tearing through the prairie like there was no tomorrow. With the horde growing as fast as it is, there probably is no tomorrow.

Once I was satisfied with my distance away from the loathsome terror, I practically collapsed straight onto a moss-covered rock. Exhausted, I quickly rummaged through the small pack I had on my sweaty back, yanked a bottle of water out, popped off the cap, and guzzled down the angelic liquid. I drank so fast that I could’ve quite possibly drowned myself.

While I enjoyed the sweet, hydrating drink, I wasn’t paying much attention to what was going on around me. That is, until I saw him.

An actual human, male in stature, was walking towards me from about five hundred yards away. I swiftly set my bottle down, and my hand flew to the pistol on my waist. During a zombie-doomsday, one could never be too careful. With all the raiders around, I had to keep constant vigilance. There were times, after all, when your fellow man could prove to be more deadly than the horde. People were intelligent, conniving, and manipulating. They were also way more agile than the horde could ever hope to be. That was a lesson that I did not want to learn from personal experience.

As the male neared my position, I got a better glimpse at his features. He looked like he could’ve been no older than sixteen, and definitely was not one of the guys who would’ve played football. What he lacked in muscle, however, he made up for in height. It would not have been difficult for him to take me down and make off with the few things I had.

The fact that he was getting closer every second was unnerving. I slowly drew the .45 from its resting place, but still held it to my side. Once he had gotten close enough to see the gun my hand was gripping, however, he lifted up his hands in surrender. I can’t say I blamed him; I would’ve done the exact same thing.

“I come in peace,” he said, with a tone of joking in his voice. I didn’t like that. People who didn’t take this whole apocalypse thing seriously shouldn’t have survived this long. Like Obama…

I rolled my eyes before responding, “Congrats, you get a Nobel Peace Prize. Now, if you’ll so kindly leave me alone.” I waved my hand good-bye with an extremely fake grin on my face. I’m sure I looked like an absolute clown.

Rather than turning around leaving like I had requested, he walked right over to me and sat down on the same rock I was sitting on; right beside me. This was no small rock, mind you, as it was more like a boulder. Yet, he was deliberately sitting right up against me. Holy crap, this dude is annoying.

“Is there something I can help you with?” I asked through gritted teeth. I’m known for my extremely short fuse; I was expelled from several elementary and middle schools for violent outbursts. I could control it better in high school, but I’d still gotten many detentions.

He reclined back on the rock, arms behind his head, and eyes closed, as though he hadn’t a care in the world. “Meh, I just thought you’d need a travel buddy.”

“A. Travel. Buddy!” Oh no, my temper was going off. “This is an apocalypse; the end of the world! You treat it as though we are kindergarteners on a field trip! What is wrong with you?!”

“Nothing’s wrong with me, my lovely lady friend,” he said, half opening one eye to glance at me. “You simply take life much too seriously.”

Lovely lady friend? What the heck is wrong with this guy?! “Oh yeah? And how, pray tell, do you know anything about me? I’ve never seen you before in my life.” I had met guys similar to him, however, and I hated them. They were always the cocky gits who clowned around in class and thought they could get any girl they flirted with. Yuck.

“Au contraire, I’ve been observing you for a while.” He waved his hand as though to say, ‘It’s no big deal’.

This really ticked me off. “‘Observing’ me?! Isn’t that called stalking?!”

He put on a smile very similar to Flynn Rider’s ‘smolder’. “Observing and stalking are two very different things. Stalking is for creeps; observing is for people who simply want to know more about you.”

“Oh, so you were stalking me,” I said, looking dead serious. Maybe if I irritated him as much as he irritated me, he’d leave.

“I am no creep.” He feigned feeling insulted. “I was simply watching you to see how well you could survive. I’ve only been following you since Fort Collins, which you passed about a day ago.”

I was surprised that I had passed Fort Collins; I thought Longmont was the town that was on the horizon. “Really? Where are we now, then?”

“About twenty minutes from Norfolk. We’re actually only about twenty-one miles from Cheyenne.” He glanced around the area surrounding us, as if the dead grass around us was pink and sparkly. Boy, were we lucky that this was the driest and warmest winter Colorado had ever seen. That the United States had ever seen, for that matter.

“What time is it?” I asked. I hoped that we would have enough time before sundown to get to Norfolk. Maybe there was an abandoned house we could hide out in for the night. Ah, sleeping in a bed. Even though I had left my house only a matter of days ago, the ground was already wearing on my neck.

The guy pulled out an iPod touch and pressed the sleep button, bringing up the lock screen to see the time. “It’s three fifty-eight. If we walk quickly, we can make it there by the time the sun sets, which is typically around five.”

“Where did you get an iPod that’s actually charged? It’s been five days since any power has been available,” I asked, shocked. “Mine died three days ago. I ended up leaving it at my house.” I got up, brushed of the seat of my pants, slung my mini backpack over my shoulder, and turned to face him.

He pressed the sleep button again to turn the iPod back to its original state, and slipped it into the back pocket of his cargo pants. “I got it about two days ago, when I left Fort Collins. There’s a Sam’s Club about four blocks from my house, and it had a backup generator. Outside of the fact that there were zombie guts and blood everywhere, and the occasional zombiefied employee, it was rather enjoyable. All the iPods and iPads that were on display were completely charged, per usual, and so I took one.” He smirked at me, pretty much saying, ‘I’m awesome and you know it.’ He then proceeded to also get up, and stand next to me. Great, just what I need. I hate working with people.

“Why didn’t you take an iPad? Afraid you wouldn’t be strong enough to lift it?” I replied, and started to walk through the barbecued prairie. I preferred to stay away from the roads. It was much too easy to run into the horde.

“Ha, no. It more had to do with the fact that iPod is more practical in a life-or-death situation.” He smiled, looking amused at my comment. Crap, that was suppose to offend you, you idiot. I hated amusing people.

“I’m sure you’ll attract more zombies than females with that face,” I said snarkily, hoping this would push his buttons and make him leave me alone.

Unfortunately, it worked about just as well as the previous statement. Actually, it worked worse, way worse. He laughed. “You’re really funny, you know,” he complimented with a smile.

“I’m honored you find my attempt-at-being-insulting banter entertaining,” I said dryly, and picked up my pace to try and lose him. Three words: it didn’t work.

It actually took us twenty three minutes to reach Norfolk, and I told him he was stupid and obviously couldn’t do any more math than counting to five. He laughed, again. This was plain vexing.

We walked down Main Street of Norfolk, looking for any house that might be in good enough condition that they could have food, bottled water, and furniture.

“Xavier and- wait, what’s your name?” Apparently his name was Xavier. Weirdo.

“Joely. No, I’m not on Facebook, so don’t even ask,” I said, trying to make a point about how utterly stupid he was, thinking we could have Facebook now, with any kind of internet connection. Then again, he’d never said anything about the stupid social network… Great, now I sound like the idiot.

“Xavier and Joely are looking to move from their houses in Denver and Fort Collins, Colorado, to live the small town life in Norfolk. They have been presented with three options. Which one are they going to pick?” Xavier said with suspense.

I rolled my eyes. “Have you watched ‘House Hunters’ or something?”

He grinned. “Well, now I know you have.”

I punched him in the arm. “My mom watched it, okay? I sometimes sat and watched it with her, but not all that often.”

We walked in silence after that, until we came upon a decent looking house. Sure, there were blood splatters on the siding, but that’s to be expected in your average zombie infestation.

The house was a cobalt blue, with a white door and windows. The yard looked like it was in need of a weekend mow, but there had been no one around to do so. The owners were either A, now zombies, or B, eaten by zombies. What lovely prospects.

Xavier started to walk up the driveway, but I put my arm in front of him. Even though my arm only came up to his midriff, he stopped. “What?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m in charge,” I said, suddenly proclaiming myself leader, “And I’m going to go in first.”

“It could be dangerous,” he half-jokingly warned.

“Exactly,” I said with an eye roll. “I have a pretty powerful pistol; you have a dwindling wit and the brightness of a retarded monkey.”

Cautiously, I approached the blood-stained house. Very quietly, I listened for any noise that would indicate any type of horde activity currently going on. Nothing.

I laid my hand on the doorknob, and gave a slow twist. It was unlocked. I cracked the door open with a creak and peered inside.

How I'd Live

The raindrops would fall and I could feel the sweet cold glass
But it wouldn't be all I had, though to get this, I'd be the last
I'd have those eyes, that sweet smile, I'd no longer have to grope
But I feel that day will never come, and for tomorrow I'm losing hope

Oh I'd dance around with my smile so bright, my eyes shining like the Sun
My worries would fly away to the sky, and I'd ignore everyone
Oh how I'd live if I could fly, and soar for miles and miles...
But today I lack love, and you wonder why this sad girl never smiles

Next fall I'll work my way through the fight,
Battle nosy high schoolers every day and night
I can be kicked by teasing until I go insane
But just waiting curious in silence gives the worst pain

Does he? He doesn't? I always assume not
But what is the true answer I have always sought?
Since the end of last April, I've pondered this thought
Could that sweet trumpet player like me or not?

Falling Back

The wind filed through every blade of grass with a series of soft rustles, each creeping closer to Aly's delicate ears. But not even the cheery bright green sea could whisk away her ocean of sadness. A flood had been born, but no one ever knew. There was a makeshift dam keeping the emotions inside, but soon would surely break. This makeshift obstacle was constructed of only strong cardboard, which leaked little tear drops now and then. But would anyone ever know the full maximum of Aly's sadness? It was the fear she lived in- knowing no one could ever evaluate of fathom the truth.
Aly kicked the rubble and toe-splitting rocks, now faced with a giant red and white fence. The fence blocked off a forest, warning her not to trespass. Lord knew why somebody would cut throats over a giant block of trees and a field of those tall, wheat-like plants Aly did not know the name of. However, this place had always been special to her. It wasn't a quiet thinking place or a place for investing sweet emotions into frivolous poetry. Oh no, it was much more than that. It had a cherished ominous feel that gave it a heartwarming personality. Aly had a thing for onimous, no matter how odd it may have seem. Suddenly, her stomach began to twist violently.
For one partial of a second, or seemingly one short eternity, a blurry face passed through Aly's mind as she eyed the field. Katrina. Could it be? Aly longed to sneak closer and run into the forest. The longer she thought, the more sick she felt. It had to be true. Katrina had been gone for a week. It was all clicking into place- where else could she be? She certainly had been taken.
It was then that Aly realized even more horror to it all. Maybe if Katrina hadn't been a medium, just maybe, she wouldn't have been gone. They had seen someone in the field the months leading up to her disappearance. Unpleasant things had happened. There were warnings, nightmares, faces, signs. If she hadn't communicated with the latter existence, where would she be today? It was physically easy, yet emotionally and mentally difficult to answer that.
In one motion, Aly pulled down the unstable fence and stepped into the woods. She ran into the field and was met with the predicted sight. Katrina laid with her eyes open, the rest of the details too grim to relay. It was all over now. Crystal had come. To know that the paranormal possessed such brutal homicidal abilities was too much for Aly to take. Suddenly, it all began to crash down.
Her best friend gone. No one left to understand her. Bullying. A frightening grade drop. Hurt. Anger. Misunderstanding. Hate. The fear of knowing she could be killed. But this time Aly did not cry. She did not know how to express such a blend of sadness and shock. All guns were now pointed at her. This was it. She returned back to the fallen gate, her back to the forest. She closed her eyes and stood still. A dash of darkness began to form in the air behind her. The darkness accumulated more bits of darkness and soon created a large portal-like hole.
Images of Aly's fears, nightmares, frightening figments of her imagination, and Crystal teemed inside of the hole, waiting for her. There was only one thing left to do. Aly had to give in to her fears. She had to give up and let the darkness carry her wherever she could go. Aly slowly leaned back and fell into the hole, engulfed by the darkness. Aly opened her eyes, and for a few seconds only saw darkness. Suddenly, a white light more brilliant and bright than the green grass shone all around her. She caught sight of Katrina's smiling face. She was okay. Everything from now and forever would be right. She was in a better place, away from her fears, her hurt, and her lonliness. Here, and here only, was where she needed to be.

Stand Alone -1/?

I’ve always stood alone; it’s been my motto ever since I started life in this accursed world. Don’t ever let anyone get too close, and always make sure you stand for what you think is right. The problem is I don’t know what to think anymore.

I looked on into the forbidding sky, no longer the bright azure color of a healthy planet, but a dull dust. Much like the color of tumbleweed one would’ve found in a Crayola crayons box. I always hated that color.

Suddenly, small, short vibrations emitted from the bone-dry asphalt beneath my Converse-covered feet. I tuned my ears to the wind, listening for the roaring, gasping, and deathly sound of the infectious hoard. Their noise carried subtly in the dusty breeze that was anything but cool. It was a hot breeze, telling tales of the doomed, desperate, and hopeless. I had yet to fall into one of those categories, and with any luck, I would survive for another day.

I put my father’s .45 Caliber in the holster clipped to the slightly-too-big black leather belt slung around my waist. I knew I had a limited amount of ammunition, and would have to get to a police station or gun shop soon to restock. Thankfully the hoard wasn’t extremely fast or efficient. The reason they were so deadly? They’re a horde; victimizing every life form in their path, whether it be reptilian or mammalian, human or animal. Nothing was safe.

Wiping my sweat-ridden hands on the thighs of my ripped jeans, I set out. I didn’t know where I was going or what was lying ahead. I was alone, depending on all the knowledge and wit I had gathered in my short fifteen years. My parents were taken by the hoard, my elder brother missing, and me, out here in the ghost (rather, hoard) town of Denver. This wasn’t how I ever expected the world to end. Decimated by a force known to science fiction and horror as zombies.

~

As usual, comments are greatly appreciated. :)

Edit: I had to fix the word "hoard" to "horde". I hadn't realized I was using the incorrect spelling for the word to mean "large crowd or group".

Andromeda-Poem

I came up with this idea a couple of days ago, but it is the strangest thing you would ever read. I'm going to put my idea in a poem for now, (it's 6:37AM on a school day as I'm typing this)but later I may actually write for it. I must say, it will be extremely difficult.

The war is the past, at least for me
As I burst through light years, out our galaxy
It takes only a few minutes with our high-speed ship
As we sail through space on a desperate life-saving trip

To the one hundred people aboard, the captain shouts,
"Andromeda rests here, be ready to confront your doubts"
I know he is right and I am frightened to be hurled into an endless bowl
As we creep closer and gravity rips us, we're sucked down into the black hole

A roar pierces out ears and we're yanked all about
Can't back out of it now, there's no way to get out
The sky is dark, so ever-frozen, and has no promise of light
Suddenly the brightness inside the craft appears to be a beautiful sight

It takes only a second for an object to come in sight,
We slow down and soon land, but how could that be right!
In this black hole, is another world, like Earth without nearby luminosity
After the captain finds it safe we begin to trudge, led by fascination and curiosity

So here I am today, or tonight as I might say
Hiding behind a darkened veil, feeling like fresh prey
As I watch the girl in the lighthouse light, her eyes fixed on to the ocean
She turns her head and I nearly gasp, each eye is glowing red-I won't dare to make a motion

If I Bleed

The wind rushes through the trees
My cold face can feel the breeze
It's still and ever lonely
Not a soul around, if only

No one cares how I feel,
A reticent girl as cold as steel
But I fight my way into the night
One last look back, but there's no one in sight...

If I bleed, who will catch the drops
When they've fallen, it's like it'll never stop
I slip into the night so no one will hear my screams
For someone to care, I couldn't even dream,

If I could pick one to care,
I'd be unwilling to share,
But I know it's the only thing I'd want for sure
To dream about when I'm sore

But now I twirl in the wind to my own song
It's not mainstream, but that's not wrong
And I sway into the night
Know I'm barely searching for that light

It's out reach, just how I want it to be
But I know you'll never come to see...
Because if I bleed the reddened drops,
He's the only reason they would stop...

Only Light- Poem/Song (Newest work on my blog)

Raindrops fell, and my fingers matched the tap
My old typewriter filled in letters with a snap
What's become of me, as I'm slowly drowning?
Will I ever get my last crowning?

It will only just stay with me
And my tears would fill the sea
So all I can do is write...
It's my only light

I hear a whistle, a voice, a song
But it surrounds me and its feels wrong
Doesn't matter if it's there,
I can hear it, but I shouldn't care

I see a face inside the mirror
Next to my own, then it'd disappear
I can't explain why I am
Only write so you understand

It will only just stay with me
And my tears would fill the sea
So all I can do is write...
It's my only light

Footsteps tap, tap the stairs so lightly
But it's not like I don't hear this nightly
I'm feeling brave and I stand up to see
No one's there, or could they be?

Her pale face is in the mirror
After a glance it'd disappear
I punch the glass for all to hear
...But I still only live in fear...

It will only just stay with me
And my tears would fill the sea
So all I can do is write...
It's my only light

I try to make you understand
But we'll never walk hand in hand...
I'm falling fast, but you won't catch me tonight
...But I still write...It's my only light

Fic: Silent Vipers 1/?

Author's note: So, there's not a whole lot of action in this part. You get a peek in to Kaniri culture (at least, the Keturi tribe, that is.), and some slight character development between the protagonist and her family.

Comments are my inspiration. Without them, I often lose the energy to write. So, please leave some. :)

Everything below is one hundred percent mine. I have not ripped off any work that I know of; trying to be as original as possible here. ;)

Read on, my dears, read on!
*******************************************************************

The encampment was bustling with the dawn’s excitement. As usual for the Keturi, the day started at Wq’in’s rising, and didn’t end until she set.

Inside what we would tend to call a tent, Asq awoke, allowing herself to completely rouse before rising. Pointed, dog-like ears flitted, as though stretching themselves to consciousness. Her snout, covered in a generous layer of reddish brown fur, inhaled the scent of fresh *tallka meat cooking on a pan; her father was making her favorite breakfast. Light brown eyes opened, and the Kaniri girl sat up rather reluctantly. Her **qo’lope wool blanket was pleasantly warm, and she didn’t like to let her fluffy, two-toned tail get chilled in the frigid morning air.

“R’qu, get up,” Asq said, slightly sleepy as she walked lazily across the ***marq, heading to wake up her younger brother. She carefully avoided her father, who was crouched on the earthy floor beside a crackling fire.

R’qu gave a groan and rolled over, taking his tallka skin blanket with him. Asq took a step closer and gave him a nudge with her foot, and accidentally struck him with one of her dark claws, which led him to roll over into the leather side of the marq. Asq took notice that they would have to get a new ****vreenak hide soon if they’d want to actually have a place to live.

“Asq, leave your little brother alone,” Ki’n, her father, told her as he turned over the delectable meat, the smell of which was making Asq’s mouth water. Tallka meat was always her favorite breakfast; a slightly smoky flavor, a crisp brown coating, tender meltiness. Ah, it was like being in the Illturi’s Hall.

R’qu broke her daydreams with a loud protest. “She’s only five revolutions older than me!” R’qu crossed his arms huffily.

“Well,” Asq started, “that means I’m fifteen revolutions, and you are only ten. Therefore, I am the boss of you. Right, Father?” She glanced in Ki’n’s direction, searching with pleading eyes for support. Asq read R’qu’s thoughts. Please Father, don’t let her boss me around.

The older Kaniri had laid the food on a leather platter, and was now using a sharpened vreenak bone to slice the delectable meat into thick pieces. Lifting his yellow and black head, he replied, “The Illituri carve our paths for us, Asq; you know that. They are the ones we are responsible to, not one another.” Asq looked down slightly in embarrassment; their gods were probably not the happiest with her at the moment. She had wasted some wood yesterday… “Now, we can see the Fre’er has blessed us with this delectable tallka. Let us not allow it to become chilled and inedible.”

Asq and R’qu sat down cross-legged beside Ki’n and eagerly picked up a piece of the caramel-colored meat. Saying a quick word of gratitude to the Illituri, they quickly started to devour the meat with their sharp teeth, wondering what the day would have in store for them.

*Tallka: A small, hare-like animal. They tend to have horns similar to those of a rhinoceros scaling from the tip of their nose to in between their large ears. Tallka generally are a burnt pumpkin color. They’re hides and furs are using to make summer blankets and clothes, and can be dyed using different berries.

**Qo’lope: An animal resembling a penguin. They have fluffy coats that are varying shades of brown. The Kenturi Kaniri tend to keep them around camp, using their wool for items such as blankets and winter clothing.

***Marq: A marq is a Kenturi Kaniri house similar to a tepee of Native American humans. They are often made out of vreenak hides, but children’s play marqs can be made out of tallka hides.

****Vreenak: A large, mammalian animal capable of flight. It has furry wings that are often fifty feet in wing span, making it one of the largest animals on Kanirus. Vreenak are dangerous to hunt, as they have huge fangs that grow to be three and a half feet long. They have paws similar to those of lions, and heads closely resembling bears. They’re black in color.