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Red Moon
Author’s Note: Welcome to Red Moon! Just to get this out of the way, this is MY story. These characters all belong to me! This story is completely original, and it’s created for your enjoyment. All I ask is that you R&R, for that will make me really happy (and more likely to continue it faster). Okay, without further ado, Red Moon!
The Market-Place
"Hey, get back here! Stop that thief!!" cried a cart vendor, chasing after a figure covered in a tattered cloak. As the figure ran the cloak’s hood fell from its head, revealing long inhuman silver hair that glistened in the sun. The figure quickly slung the hood back on, its hand too slender to belong to a male. The vendor, who seemed too fat to be running this long, suddenly stopped and began to catch his breath. He cried out again for someone to help him, but his words fell to deaf ears. He looked around the busy market place, and saw everyone go on with his or her own business, not noticing the thief dodge through them, with a cloth sack slung over her shoulder.
Although the vendor was too dense to realize it, the thief was well aware of the rules of the town in which she lived. And it was this knowledge which allowed her to stay alive this long. But as she ran, she had no idea that for the first time in the 16 years she’d been alive, someone would actually hear the vendor’s cry, and come to his aid.
The thief ran through a series of side streets and alleyways with ease, unaware of the danger that stalked her. Once again, her hood fell to her shoulders, and her silver hair shone in the sun. She quickly pulled it back over her head; aware of how it contrasted against the world in which she lived. At one period in time, it was once a prosperous city, but over time, the land became a desert, and deteriorated into the pitiable slums that surrounded her. She ran out of one of the side streets, and right into the arms of two guards. She quickly tore from their grip and tried to run the way she came, only to be stopped by another guard. The color stole from her face as the man backed her into the other two guards.
"Did you really think you could get away from us, thief?" Asked the man standing alone
The girl could tell that he was of a higher rank than the two holding her rather roughly. He stood straighter, and had an air of superiority that the other two lacked. As he stepped out of the alley, the thief was able to get a better glimpse of him, and she found out how right she was. He stood about six feet tall, and had long, shaggy black hair that framed his face. His uniform denoted him as the captain, and he wore the cap that also denoted him as a captain. His harsh brown eyes glared at her from under the cap, but he was so drop-dead gorgeous that she couldn’t help but blush.
"Answer me!" cried the captain as he grabbed her chin
The hood fell from her face once more, and the captain was able for the first time to see her face. His eyes widened and he pulled away from her slightly. She quickly closed her eyes and looked at the ground, but it was too late. He had already seen her. She sighed and wished that she could run, but the other two guards held her too tightly.
"What... are you?" asked the captain slightly, trying to hide his fear
"I’m human..." The girl replied, then with a tint of coldness added, "Although many people won’t believe it."
The captain stared blankly at the girl for a few moments, then shaking his head slightly to get his courage back, gained his composure, and the coldness in his eyes came back.
"Where are the stolen goods, thief?" asked the captain coldly, not looking her directly in the eye
"They’re right here... in this bag..." She replied, motioning to the bag at her feet. She had dropped it to escape from the guards.
The captain quickly grabbed it and checked its contents. Then, he looked up, and asked "Is this all?"
"Yes, that’s all of it" She replied
"If I find out you’re lying..." The captain trailed off, not wanting to finish his threat
"I-I’m sorry." She blurted out, half-lying
"Look, just don’t do it again." He replied "But I’m going to take you back to the vendor to apologize."
"Um... captain?" said one of the guards meekly
"What?" yelled the captain moodily
"What about... ‘him’...?" asked the guard, staring at the ground "Should we have left ‘him’ alone with just Aden and Derron?"
The captain glared at the guard then went around them at started to walk back towards the market place. The other two guards began to follow, dragging the unwilling thief along with them. They continued this way until they came to a transport vehicle parked in the middle of the market. The thief had protested at first, but upon realizing her protests fell on deaf ears, she gave up, and began to think about whom the guards might be referring to when they said "him." She hadn’t heard of any big arrests in the area, as she’s a frequent visitor of the market place, and any and all forms of gossip travel through it like rapid-fire. And although they didn’t mention any names, they all seemed to enter a somber mood when "he" was mentioned, like when one mentions the death of a loved one. Unable to come up with a decent answer, the thought perplexed her until they arrived at the vehicle.
The captain approached the vehicle, and knocked on the back of it. The thief had to marvel at its design; not many vehicles were made like that. It was made of what looked like steel, the rarest metal in the world. She was so amazed by it’s shine, which resembled in many ways her hair, she didn’t notice the two guards let go of her. The captain, with his two guards, slowly opened the rear doors, and in an instant, a beast-like man lunged at them holding what looked like a knife. The thief couldn’t comprehend what was happening until the blade was against her throat, and the bestial man was behind her. Her eyes widened, not in fear, but in surprise. She had never seen the man approach her. With his free arm, the bestial man held the thief close to him, sure to keep the blade close to her neck. He was clearly using her as a shield.
"I will kill her if you don’t leave me alone!" cried the bestial-man. His voice was filled with anger, but the thief also noticed the hint of fear in his words as well. She only wished she could get a better view of his face, she never did see it.
"As if we would care about a street-rat..." growled the captain, holding his side. Blood trickled from between his fingers. The bestial man had apparently stabbed him.
"Fine, then after I kill her, I’ll kill myself!" yelled the man.
"And then there will be one less criminal in the world..." replied the captain nonchalantly.
Before the thief could register his words, the bestial man was taking off, with her as a hostage. The three guards tried to follow, but were too injured to keep up the chase for very long. As the thief was carried, she couldn’t help but find her present predicament exciting. She had long wished for some excitement in her life, and she felt her prayers were finally answered. The bestial man ran for a while, carrying the thief, until he found himself hopelessly lost. He finally decided to take a chance and talk to the girl that he had just kidnapped.
"Where can I hide?!" the man yelled in frustration, then putting the knife closer to the thief’s neck, added "Tell me, or I kill you and dump you here."
"You’re standing right in front of my house." Replied the thief bitterly, not appreciating his threat.
The bestial man looked up to see an old, out-of-place warehouse in front of him. The doors were boarded, the windows were all smashed, and the building itself was run-down and its luster was long since gone. The man, thinking it was a joke, slashed the girl’s hand in anger.
"Don’t fuck with me!" He growled
The thief winced, but did not yell out in pain. Instead, she punched her captor with her good hand and freed herself from his grip. "Humph, were you looking for something more luxurious?" She replied coldly, walking up to a barrel leaning against a wall. "I wasn’t lying when I said I lived here."
With that, she pushed aside the barrel and revealed a slight hole in the wall. The bestial man tilted his head to the side, deciding if he should believe her or not. He realized he no longer had a choice when the girl slipped into the building through the hole. Not wanting to be alone in a strange town without a hostage, he quickly followed her.
"Don’t you dare think about escaping me, girl!" He yelled in the thief’s face
Unable to take the bestial man’s attitude, she took off her hood and glared at him "Do I LOOK like I’m trying to run away from you?!" She snarled at him.
The man shied away from the thief, surprised at her change in attitude. She glared at him for a few minutes longer, then, satisfied with his reaction, pushed the barrel back in front of the hole, then turned around to go further into the warehouse.
"You aren’t afraid of me?" asked the bestial man meekly, surprised
"No." Replied the thief curtly, throwing her cloak on the ground "Your not afraid of me?"
"Why would I be?" asked the man, surprised
"Not many people like the way I look." replied the thief
"I don’t think I look much better..." said the man, surprised at the thief’s bluntness
The man looked around his new surroundings. The warehouse was large and empty, and several beams rose from the ground, connecting to nothing. Those pillars were rotted, and the man was amazed they even still stood. He noticed that some of the pillars had sheets tied to them, forming makeshift rooms. It was then that he realized that his hostage wasn’t lying, she really did live here.
"You really live here?" he asked, taking another look around him
"I already said I did." Replied the thief curtly, disappearing into one of the makeshift rooms, then coming out a second later with two bottles of cola.
"Where are your parents?" asked the man, with a child-like curiosity
"Dead."
She handed the man the second bottle of cola, and for a while they stood there in silence, the only noises that could be heard were the sounds of the two drinking their cola, and the sand hitting the warehouse from the outside.
