This is the first piece of creative writing I've done for my own enjoyment. When I started, I intended for it to be a quick intro leading into pure smut. Somehow, that is not what happened. I'm trying not to be too self-critical with the work, but I'd love some feedback on what's working and what isn't. I hope you enjoy!
The Last Son: Chapter 01
Dashing beneath the trees, my bare feet pounded upon the ground. The heart in my chest pounded even harder. Dry autumn leaves blanketed the forest floor, echoing a symphony of crunching to announce my whereabouts. The turning of seasons left the air feeling cool upon my face. I heard the rustling of branches in the trees above me. Looking up, the early morning sun shone through the canopy and blinded me to what may have lurked above. My legs grew weak from running. Days of running, hiding, and praying that I might find some salvation to deliver me from this nightmare.
Humans were a dying breed. Once a feared and mighty power in realms of people, spirits, and monsters alike; brutal infighting had left the population small enough for a well-timed plague to render us an endangered species. Elated by the prospect of human extinction, several powers sought to finish the job. Orcs wandered the footpaths and roads. Ghouls wandered the woods at night. Sanctum, the last safe haven for humanity, fell four days ago. With the community's only true defense being its secrecy, all it would take was a bit of enemy luck for everything to come crumbling down. When I heard screams coming from our gates, I knew my only chance at survival was to run while the last of the people I knew were cut down.
Four days is a long time to be on the run, especially when you have nowhere to go. After getting two hours of sleep in the branches of a tree, I woke to the sound of hounds in the distance and took off. My legs ached and burned in protest. My stomach growled and head throbbed from lack of proper food or sleep, but stopping was not an option. I sprinted across the expanse of scarlet, maple, and honey colored leaves littered upon the ground. I dodged around the trees, hopping the roots that webbed along the forest floor. Not having heard the dogs in a while, the only direction I knew to run was forward. I didn't dare stop.
Suddenly, one of the tree roots crossing my path lifted and wrapped itself around my bare left ankle. Falling forward at full speed, my temple collided with a stone upon the ground. My vision became blurry as I struggled against the tree root that had coiled about my calf, but it would not budge. I managed to flip from my stomach to my back. Another tree root grabbed my right ankle and the two of them intertwined with one another. My legs were bound together, leaving me with no chance of escape. Pain seared in my eye as blood from the fall trickled down my forehead.
In my struggling, a lithe figure had sneaked up on me unnoticed. The woman peered down at me. With my vision foggy, I could not make out her features. I attempted to sit up from the ground as she moved to sit astride my lower thighs. Although her body was light, she possessed surprising strength as she put a hand to my chest and pushed me gently to the ground. Two more tree roots took hold of my wrists.
"Please," I pleaded. "Let me go, I'll do anything. I don't want to die."
She lifted her other hand and moved the palm to close my eyelids. Quiet sobs escaped my mouth. Leaning down, her cheek brushed passed my own. Her soft breasts pressed into my tunic. I could feel her gentle breath caressing my earlobe. In a peaceful and comforting voice she whispered, "Sleep."
The muscles in my body relaxed. The panic in my mind quieted. Suddenly, the suggestion was all I could want to do. With her body pressed into mine, I faded into a deep slumber.
I woke in a groggy haze, pain radiating from where my temple met forest stone. The first thing I remember is the sound of a large door closing nearby. My body was bound tightly in an animal pelt, allowing no chance for escape. Beneath it, my form was nude. A hood covered my face, blocking any sight of the room before me. Strong arms cradled me gently while their owner strode across the room, my head resting on their left shoulder. Terror left me unable or unwilling to move.
"My queen," The figure holding me spoke. "I have brought you a gift from the forest."
"A person-shaped gift? I wonder what it could be," Chuckled a woman's voice. "Acer, this must be a jest. Truly, what do you bring me?" I was lowered to a soft ground, my back propped upright by what felt like stone, and pulled off my hood. The stark contrast from the darkness of the covering to the daylight of the room left me temporarily blinded, wincing in discomfort. "A man?"
Recovering from the sudden shift in light, my eyes scanned the room around me. Thick trees rose 30 feet into the air to create a rounded ceiling with their canopies. Woven between them were thick, leafy vines dotted with beautiful white flowers. Moss cushioned the ground beneath me in various shades of green. All the plant-life formed a structure in the shape of a great hall. Despite the leaves and the flowers all over the structure, not a single leaf or petal was strewn upon the ground. Amazed by the beauty of the hall, I had become distracted from the situation at hand.
"Humans are no longer welcome in these halls," The now authoritative voice drew my attention back to my predicament. Before me, the ground rose in steps to form a dais against the back wall. At its center, a lean woman laid strewn across a wooden throne, her thin lips pursed in anger. Chestnut hair fell in waves down to her shoulders, framing a chiseled face and turned-up nose. Eyes colored like sapphires looked out upon the room before them. A white, short-sleeve robe flowed over skin tinted with a faint, green hue. A ring of ivy sat upon her head, adorned with the same flowers as decorated the walls. Her bare feet dangled across one armrest, her back against the other. "Their admittance was forbidden when they scorned us millennia ago. You know this." She continued as if I were not even present. Even if I wanted her attention, my voice seemed to have hidden deep within me. "Why have you brought him here?"
From behind me, my captor spoke in a gentle tone. "Mother, he is the last of his kind. You've turned a blind eye to your kingdom for too long," I struggled to comprehend the words being exchanged. There weren't many of us, but surely I couldn't be the only one left. There had to be others more resilient, fighting to survive and rebuild what was lost. Who were these women? Where was I?
She continued more strongly. "The human race nearly eradicated itself. Few survived their brethren. Fewer survived the plague that followed. When the undead fell upon those that remained, only this one escaped. Thousands of years of growth and prosperity came crumbling down in less than one of their lifespans. You commanded me not to intervene in their world until they came begging for our aid once more. Now, they're all gone... all but one."
The queen sat up on her throne, her hands resting upon their armrests. She lowered her eyes to me with a softened expression, as if only noticing me for the first time. Feeling exposed, I did not meet her gaze. Her expression hardened once more and her focus returned to Acer, "Tread carefully how you speak to me, daughter. You are correct. You WERE commanded not to intervene," Her tone grew more stern. "Yet, a human sits before me now."
She rose from her throne and descended the steps toward me. Or perhaps she approached her daughter, I couldn't be sure. Her white robe swayed slightly with each step. She came to a halt two yards away, eyes still focused behind me. "Humans cannot be controlled. They forgot their true gods long ago. Their arrogance and self-serving nature is no doubt what led to their demise."
I didn't know what she was referring to. Gods? My entire life, the only god I'd known to worship was my king. The temples praised him as our deity. The priests led us in prayer, asking for his salvation and deliverance from those who would bring us ill. He did win our war with the other kingdoms, but it cost nearly half the people he ruled. All our praying, but rumors say the plague took him as easily it did any other man.
"How can you be so callous and cruel? Seeing only darkness in the mortals you once called your favorite children! A good queen, a good goddess, a good mother would still hold love for her children. How dare you-"
The queen raised a hand and the woman's voice was choked. She curled her fingers and Acer's body moved through the air towards the queen, her back turned to me. The outstretched hand drifted right and the floating woman followed. Fury flamed in the queen's eyes. "How dare I? How dare YOU raise your voice to your queen! Must I teach you a lesson? I could cast this mortal back where he belongs and leave him to his fate. Perhaps I ought to turn you to an an oak for a few centuries. With an attitude like this, it might take quite a while for you to remember your place."
