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mistral4543 · 07-31-2006, 09:28 AM

In the tens of thousands of days that had passed, she had always stopped to greet old friends, make new ones and where necessary, play adjudicator to the inevitable petty quarrels that occurred even among the best of friends. These rituals imbibed her with a sense of purpose.

Tonight, Gatha was taking yet another stroll. But the sense of purpose was drifting; it flowed from her brain down the curve of her spine, flushed down her bowels, gliding down her feet and finally, into the soil.

The soil which she had hugged on her first night in the forest.

Will I go to heaven or hell for the deeds I have done? This was a question that had cropped up of late, and only because she no longer had the strength to parry it into oblivion. Those deeds may have been unorthodox by some's standards... She could see the self-righteous expressions of the soldiers and warriors when they had passed judgement on her... before they had been mangled to death. ... but there was no one to guide me, except by treacherous examples. Yes, the code which she lived by, she had had to invent by herself.

These justifications had always been acceptable, but tonight she was having her misgivings. True, no one taught me good principles, but when others showed the alternative ways of life... I did not pay heed to them. At first, it had been a matter of survival, to creep into the city to steal fabric and some necessities for she had had no coin to spend. Then, she had had to silence the unfortunate children who had caught her in the act. She knew that she had graduated when she managed to slice the throat of the unsuspecting adult who had bent down to harass her. From then on, her hatred of the city people had been cemented, and she could watch the merchants, soldiers, guards and mercenaries being slain before her eyes, without a tinge of pity. Had they all left her alone, let her take what little from society that she wanted in exchange for her miserable childhood, the murders would have been spared. That was what she had told herself, all these years.

But tonight, she was no longer sure of herself.

As if the gods were telling her that it was all too late, they wept for her sins and for the souls that had prematurely left their bodies because of her.

It started out in droplets, then a drizzle, and suddenly it was an outpour. Lightning hurled streaks across the dark skies, while thunder berated her for her faults and misdeeds. With neither backing down, the surroundings echoed with deafening retorts and patches of brilliant white flashed across the landscape. The wind jumped into the conflict, sighing first, then fanning the exchange with its bellows.

Have I really been wrong? No longer could she confidently say that she could face the truth. And it was terrifying, realising that all her beliefs might have been misplaced. In a daze, she stumbled on, acutely aware that she was almost floating in the air.

"Aco." She sighed in relief as she recognised the offspring of a friend. "Won't you say hello to this old lady here?" She listened against its trunk and smiled dreamily. "What a sweet talker you are, Aco! No wonder you're a favourite around here." She reached out to stroke the bark. "You'll remember me when I'm gone, won't you?" And shook her head when she heard its groan. "You can postpone death, my friend. But you can never deny it." Chuckling softly, she stooped down and patted its root. "Good, you stand firm and upright. A solid example for your descendants, you'll be."

Arising, she hummed to herself and prepared to continue on her journey.

In stooping down, she had not heard Aco whimpering as the first shaft of blinding light created a fissure between its weakened branch and trunk. In admiring Aco's roots, she had not heard its muffled shout as the second shaft dug deep into the crevice. In standing up and moving off, she had not time to run to safety as Aco's lost limb came crashing down.

On this night, the gods had decided that it was time for Gatha to know the truth about her actions.

[ 07-31-2006, 09:37 AM: Message edited by: mistral4543 ]

07-31-2006, 09:28 AM	#214
mistral4543 Ma'at - Goddess of Truth & Justice Join Date: September 5, 2001 Location: House of Freelight Age: 48 Posts: 3,159	In the tens of thousands of days that had passed, she had always stopped to greet old friends, make new ones and where necessary, play adjudicator to the inevitable petty quarrels that occurred even among the best of friends. These rituals imbibed her with a sense of purpose. Tonight, Gatha was taking yet another stroll. But the sense of purpose was drifting; it flowed from her brain down the curve of her spine, flushed down her bowels, gliding down her feet and finally, into the soil. The soil which she had hugged on her first night in the forest. Will I go to heaven or hell for the deeds I have done? This was a question that had cropped up of late, and only because she no longer had the strength to parry it into oblivion. Those deeds may have been unorthodox by some's standards... She could see the self-righteous expressions of the soldiers and warriors when they had passed judgement on her... before they had been mangled to death. ... but there was no one to guide me, except by treacherous examples. Yes, the code which she lived by, she had had to invent by herself. These justifications had always been acceptable, but tonight she was having her misgivings. True, no one taught me good principles, but when others showed the alternative ways of life... I did not pay heed to them. At first, it had been a matter of survival, to creep into the city to steal fabric and some necessities for she had had no coin to spend. Then, she had had to silence the unfortunate children who had caught her in the act. She knew that she had graduated when she managed to slice the throat of the unsuspecting adult who had bent down to harass her. From then on, her hatred of the city people had been cemented, and she could watch the merchants, soldiers, guards and mercenaries being slain before her eyes, without a tinge of pity. Had they all left her alone, let her take what little from society that she wanted in exchange for her miserable childhood, the murders would have been spared. That was what she had told herself, all these years. But tonight, she was no longer sure of herself. As if the gods were telling her that it was all too late, they wept for her sins and for the souls that had prematurely left their bodies because of her. It started out in droplets, then a drizzle, and suddenly it was an outpour. Lightning hurled streaks across the dark skies, while thunder berated her for her faults and misdeeds. With neither backing down, the surroundings echoed with deafening retorts and patches of brilliant white flashed across the landscape. The wind jumped into the conflict, sighing first, then fanning the exchange with its bellows. Have I really been wrong? No longer could she confidently say that she could face the truth. And it was terrifying, realising that all her beliefs might have been misplaced. In a daze, she stumbled on, acutely aware that she was almost floating in the air. "Aco." She sighed in relief as she recognised the offspring of a friend. "Won't you say hello to this old lady here?" She listened against its trunk and smiled dreamily. "What a sweet talker you are, Aco! No wonder you're a favourite around here." She reached out to stroke the bark. "You'll remember me when I'm gone, won't you?" And shook her head when she heard its groan. "You can postpone death, my friend. But you can never deny it." Chuckling softly, she stooped down and patted its root. "Good, you stand firm and upright. A solid example for your descendants, you'll be." Arising, she hummed to herself and prepared to continue on her journey. In stooping down, she had not heard Aco whimpering as the first shaft of blinding light created a fissure between its weakened branch and trunk. In admiring Aco's roots, she had not heard its muffled shout as the second shaft dug deep into the crevice. In standing up and moving off, she had not time to run to safety as Aco's lost limb came crashing down. On this night, the gods had decided that it was time for Gatha to know the truth about her actions. [ 07-31-2006, 09:37 AM: Message edited by: mistral4543 ]