Beginning of the End
"If you could do only one thing to save the ones you love, would you do it if it meant your life would end?"
Close to the base of a mountain range, far from the noise and mess of the modern and overly political world, there rests a collection of houses. Now, these houses weren't the normal sort of houses you'd find on a street corner, or a skyscraper in a metropolis. No, these houses were the old-fashioned sort, similar to the Viking longhouses or the log cabins from way back in the day. Many would say that living out here was a death wish of sorts, and normally they'd be right, but for those living at the foot of the mountain it was a paradise. A large sized lake with a decent number of trees sitting at its edges, with a path leading toward the houses and weaving between them. The sounds of cows and sheep was common in the small town, and crickets were abundant in the fields. One would think, given the time of day, that there wouldn't be signs of life other than the animals, but in one house there was a flicker of movement and a spark of sound. A woman's voice, speaking to another, a male companion who sounded as if he'd just woken from too long a sleep.
The creak of the door hinges was the only indication of the door opening to allow the woman out into the cold, clean mountain air. The woman was wearing plain brown leggings, a white cotton shirt and soft shoes with reinforced soles, clothes that were commonly found on farms or plantations. Her long rust coloured hair was pulled back into a braid along her back. In one hand was a bucket, in the other a simple stool. The early morning sun made the woman's hair appear to be a bright red as she turned to the open door to call out to the man inside.
"Kane, make sure you have your morning drink before coming out, okay? You and I both know you can be grumpy in the morning without it." The woman remained at the door until the sound of movement drifted out to her hearing alongside now coherent words.
"Yes I know, Evelyne. I'll be a few, you start off without me," was the response from inside the house, from the male now known as Kane. A small sigh escaped from Evelyne's mouth as she nodded and pushed the door closed with a foot before moving along the path leading toward the lake. There was a large open grassy field between the houses and the lake, and it was in this field that the cows and sheep were often found, along with a few goats and a small herd of horses. It was the cows that Evelyne was in the field for, or rather to milk them to avoid having them become sick or too heavy to move from lack of care. In all honesty, living here had been a far different experience than Evelyne was used to, yet it was here that she felt at home. It was here that she could finally breathe, finally stretch her wings and not have to worry about what others might think of her. It might seem like wishful thinking to others, and yet, it felt right. Humming quietly as she walked, Evelyne cast her gaze over the landscape. Bees of various types buzzed around from flower to flower looking for nectar, birds sang their songs to whoever would listen and the sound of the small stream flowing through the open valley drew everything together to make a music that one would only find in places far away from big cities or large electric stations and oil plants. It was, in a word, peace.
The feeling of a nose against her side drew Evelyne's attention from her thoughts and to the owner of the nose, a decent sized female cow who had heard the handle of the bucket scraping against itself and come to investigate. This particular cow was a very patient girl, one who didn't cause much of a fuss when it came time to be milked. Evelyne rubbed her hand against the cows head as they stood there for a moment, taking in the smell of the surrounding greenery. After inhaling the scent of the wildflowers once more, Evelyne gave the cow one more head scratch before patting her head and moving to place the stool at the animal's side, settling down onto the stool and positioning the bucket underneath the animal she was sitting near. Having just settled in to do her work, the sound of an explosion and loud whooping caught her attention.
Close to the base of a mountain range, far from the noise and mess of the modern and overly political world, there rests a collection of houses. Now, these houses weren't the normal sort of houses you'd find on a street corner, or a skyscraper in a metropolis. No, these houses were the old-fashioned sort, similar to the Viking longhouses or the log cabins from way back in the day. Many would say that living out here was a death wish of sorts, and normally they'd be right, but for those living at the foot of the mountain it was a paradise. A large sized lake with a decent number of trees sitting at its edges, with a path leading toward the houses and weaving between them. The sounds of cows and sheep was common in the small town, and crickets were abundant in the fields. One would think, given the time of day, that there wouldn't be signs of life other than the animals, but in one house there was a flicker of movement and a spark of sound. A woman's voice, speaking to another, a male companion who sounded as if he'd just woken from too long a sleep.
The creak of the door hinges was the only indication of the door opening to allow the woman out into the cold, clean mountain air. The woman was wearing plain brown leggings, a white cotton shirt and soft shoes with reinforced soles, clothes that were commonly found on farms or plantations. Her long rust coloured hair was pulled back into a braid along her back. In one hand was a bucket, in the other a simple stool. The early morning sun made the woman's hair appear to be a bright red as she turned to the open door to call out to the man inside.
"Kane, make sure you have your morning drink before coming out, okay? You and I both know you can be grumpy in the morning without it." The woman remained at the door until the sound of movement drifted out to her hearing alongside now coherent words.
"Yes I know, Evelyne. I'll be a few, you start off without me," was the response from inside the house, from the male now known as Kane. A small sigh escaped from Evelyne's mouth as she nodded and pushed the door closed with a foot before moving along the path leading toward the lake. There was a large open grassy field between the houses and the lake, and it was in this field that the cows and sheep were often found, along with a few goats and a small herd of horses. It was the cows that Evelyne was in the field for, or rather to milk them to avoid having them become sick or too heavy to move from lack of care. In all honesty, living here had been a far different experience than Evelyne was used to, yet it was here that she felt at home. It was here that she could finally breathe, finally stretch her wings and not have to worry about what others might think of her. It might seem like wishful thinking to others, and yet, it felt right. Humming quietly as she walked, Evelyne cast her gaze over the landscape. Bees of various types buzzed around from flower to flower looking for nectar, birds sang their songs to whoever would listen and the sound of the small stream flowing through the open valley drew everything together to make a music that one would only find in places far away from big cities or large electric stations and oil plants. It was, in a word, peace.
The feeling of a nose against her side drew Evelyne's attention from her thoughts and to the owner of the nose, a decent sized female cow who had heard the handle of the bucket scraping against itself and come to investigate. This particular cow was a very patient girl, one who didn't cause much of a fuss when it came time to be milked. Evelyne rubbed her hand against the cows head as they stood there for a moment, taking in the smell of the surrounding greenery. After inhaling the scent of the wildflowers once more, Evelyne gave the cow one more head scratch before patting her head and moving to place the stool at the animal's side, settling down onto the stool and positioning the bucket underneath the animal she was sitting near. Having just settled in to do her work, the sound of an explosion and loud whooping caught her attention.
