Seeking Justice
Jul 13, 2020 20:39:36 GMT
Pieni, Merla, the Daughter of Summer, and 1 more like this
Post by Kyra Marsh on Jul 13, 2020 20:39:36 GMT
12 Flamerule, 1497
----
It was a hot day when I entered the courtyard, my eyes watering as the the smell of boiled leather filled the air. A boy, 14 at the oldest, leapt from a chair and ran indoors as my footsteps drew him from his mid-afternoon slumber. "Papa, papa, she is here!"
I felt the sweat beading on my forehead as I waited, my arms crossed and the weight of the shield on my back a reminder of why I was here.
The clatter of an opening gate jolted me back to attention and the beat of paws on packed earth started up. The door the boy left through slapped back open and a weathered man in a blue denim shirt stood, arm raised to hold the door open. His eyes squinted through the sun as he stared at me, so tight they blended into the creases of his skin.
He turned and looked back the way he came and he called back in his cracked voice, "There she is girls, go get get her."
My heart began to race as a deep bark called back to him, followed quickly by three deep brown hounds leaping past into the courtyard.
I felt myself step back as they raced forwards, time seeming to slow as instincts kicked in, my eyes looking from one to the other. On the left, a slight sway as she ran. In the middle, a glint of fear in the eye, a purposefully slow pace holding her back. On the right, a straight path, determination in her eyes as she pulled ahead of the others.
She came to an abrupt halt in front of me and stood at attention, her eyes looking straight into mine. I felt a tingle run up my spine as we stared into each other's eyes. A second alter the other two skid to a stop and sat down.
"Well?" said the man.
I knelt down in front of them, looking from one to the other. A pantomime of pretending the decision hadn't already been made. A look at the teeth, a glance down the sides, the usual.
I stood up, show over, and unhooked my coin pouch, underarming it to the man. He caught it, just. Two hands. The weight of gold unexpected. A light salute as he stowed it in his satchel.
The man's voice reached out to me as we left the courtyard, "What'll you call her?"
I swear I could see it in her eyes as I looked down at my new partner.
I call back.
"Justice."
----
It was a hot day when I entered the courtyard, my eyes watering as the the smell of boiled leather filled the air. A boy, 14 at the oldest, leapt from a chair and ran indoors as my footsteps drew him from his mid-afternoon slumber. "Papa, papa, she is here!"
I felt the sweat beading on my forehead as I waited, my arms crossed and the weight of the shield on my back a reminder of why I was here.
The clatter of an opening gate jolted me back to attention and the beat of paws on packed earth started up. The door the boy left through slapped back open and a weathered man in a blue denim shirt stood, arm raised to hold the door open. His eyes squinted through the sun as he stared at me, so tight they blended into the creases of his skin.
He turned and looked back the way he came and he called back in his cracked voice, "There she is girls, go get get her."
My heart began to race as a deep bark called back to him, followed quickly by three deep brown hounds leaping past into the courtyard.
I felt myself step back as they raced forwards, time seeming to slow as instincts kicked in, my eyes looking from one to the other. On the left, a slight sway as she ran. In the middle, a glint of fear in the eye, a purposefully slow pace holding her back. On the right, a straight path, determination in her eyes as she pulled ahead of the others.
She came to an abrupt halt in front of me and stood at attention, her eyes looking straight into mine. I felt a tingle run up my spine as we stared into each other's eyes. A second alter the other two skid to a stop and sat down.
"Well?" said the man.
I knelt down in front of them, looking from one to the other. A pantomime of pretending the decision hadn't already been made. A look at the teeth, a glance down the sides, the usual.
I stood up, show over, and unhooked my coin pouch, underarming it to the man. He caught it, just. Two hands. The weight of gold unexpected. A light salute as he stowed it in his satchel.
The man's voice reached out to me as we left the courtyard, "What'll you call her?"
I swear I could see it in her eyes as I looked down at my new partner.
I call back.
"Justice."