Second Chances... (Kazan)

[EVELYN DANE]

Should I give up,

Or should I just keep chasin' pavements?

A girl solemnly lay upon the shore. Salty waves slithered over her lifeless body like a blanket made of water. Rising and falling, her chest faintly showed hints that she was still alive. The girl’s blonde locks splayed out, surrounding her head. Silent, this scene was; making it seem all the more devastating. Remains of broken objects that had once been owned by someone littered the sand. It was like the beach of memories. A stifled gasp broke the silence as the girl opened her eyes. Her chest began to rise and fall more rapidly as she struggled to remember what happened.

Evelyn Dane recollected every memory into her head as she lay. Pain shot into her arm as her mind regained consciousness. The girl’s golden orbs looked at the origin of the pain. They watched more out of annoyance as blood trickled slowly down her muscular arm. The area where it came from suddenly caught the suns glimmer and shined like a diamond. Evelyn pulled her lips together and formed a growl; her other hand rose up slowly and pulled the piece of glass out. It was painful, but Evelyn was a jockey. She could handle it. Now how had she gotten into this situation? Evelyn frowned, her brow creasing as she thought. Waves, splashing, cracking, lightning…. a storm; the realization hit the girl like a bullet. Her orbs no longer stared at the wound, but slowly examined her surroundings. Evelyn’s good hand dug into the sand hard as she saw the thick jungle tropics behind her. It could’ve have been a beach resort but the silence crossed that idea out. Where were all the people in her ship? Her breath faltered for a second, she was all alone. A few minutes passed as the girl struggled to accept that she had been shipwrecked. Accepting such a fate was no easy one; but Evelyn had strength.

Finally, the girl started to move. Having a bad cut was no horrible thing, but she feared it could possibly get infected. Her whole body protested against standing up but Evelyn clenched her teeth tightly and eventually came to a stand. She examined her body, checking for any signs of broken bones and such. Remaining scars of past falls or being trampled by horses still showed on her tan skin. Evelyn kept her calm though and tried to think of what to do. What would she need to survive for now? Her eyes lay on her cut; the blood still drooling out of it. That would definitely need to be attended to first. Then, she needed a water source. The sea water would do the girl no good as it would dry up all the water she consumed. Nor would it do well for her cut. Her eyebrows came together in determination; she was going to live. Evelyn’s eyes searched for a sign of any water source. The sun shined brightly against her skin giving it quite the glowing affect. Her instincts told her it was the afternoon; she would have to find water before nightfall. Evelyn slowly started at a walk the stopped dead, a smile shined across her face. She was staring at a mountain, which probably had quite a few fresh water springs in it.

The accomplishment spurred her on more, and she picked up speed. The pain in her arm had become numb to her senses for now and Evelyn felt like nothing could stop her. It was quite a weird thing to feel such joy over fresh water. Never would she have thought to end up stranded on an island before. Her damp attire clung to her body as she ventured barefoot into the forest surrounding the shore. Sounds of the forest filled her with curiosity and her senses picked up every scent, smell, view she could manage. The sun was just starting it’s evening program when she finally reached the base of the mountain. The wound on her arm had stopped bleeding, but was starting to puss. Evelyn’s footfalls became silent as she started up the path. Path? Evelyn stopped completely, her eyes looked at the winding path ahead of her in pure surprise. Nature surely did not create mountain paths! Her breaths came out ragged as she thought. Humans obviously inhabited this island; whether they were nice or not made her wonder. In any case though, she continued on, more cautiously then before. Goosebumps rose along her arms as she climbed. Her heart pounding in her chest, Evelyn did not even bother to rest.

At last she reached the top; the jagged cliff top daring her ever so much. She had not found water, her cut was in bad shape and her throat scratched uncomfortably. Evelyn grumbled, she was not going to break down; but maybe it would be alright to rest for a little bit. Her body shook as the sun shone its last rays, the night appearing much more quickly than she thought was possible. She curled up as far as she could from the cliff edge and under a small ledge that would offer her enough protection for the night. Deep inside, the dread was slowly cascading up. She tried not to think how easy it would be to jump off that cliff and be… taken away from this. Her eyes gleamed up at the full moon. Its eerie light drowned into her little spot making the view all the more beautiful. Evelyn was not the one to break down and give up. She was confident and tougher than most. Being shipwrecked, cut, thirsty, hungry, cold, lost and wet doesn’t change that. Evelyn thought to herself and realized she was being self pitiful. She let out a loud fustrated groan, a noise that echoed into the valley, causing her to jump. She laughed at her silliness despite her previous thoughts. After several attempts to sleep, Evelyn finally satisfied herself with studying the view over the cliff.

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Words: 1,064
Muse: Incredible!
Notes: This post has been one of my good posts in quite some time. I'm glad to have my muse on. ;) This is also the first template I've ever coded!

Even if it leads nowhere...

[KAZAN]

Kazan


Live, fight,
Crawl back inside,
Sick, blind,
Love left behind...

[/i]


.xXx. [/color]To be entirely truthful, it wasn’t at all unusual for this particular islander to stray from his village; in fact, he was more commonly found meandering through the depths of the jungle, rather than within his makeshift hut, mending clothing or cooking, like most of the other villagers usually did. No, Kazan was a man that easily succumbed to his curiosity, as well as the literal calling of the wild around him, and would leave the tribe without notice—often for hours or days at a time. He didn’t think much of it whenever he did, however, as the man obtained not a single family member left, let alone a good enough group of friends to convince him to stay nearby. Being in large groups of people had a certain way of irritating the man, making him feel crowded, and so it was also for these reasons in which he would pack a smaller pouch, and head into the mountains to hunt for himself, and gather his thoughts. He didn’t feel any sort of remorse, as it wasn’t nearly affecting anyone, and it wasn’t as if he could leave the island; if he was needed, he could be contacted.

Unless he ended up dead, of course.
The though caused the man’s lips to tilt into an amused little smirk, his eyes darkening with the expression.
Him, dead.
Right.

The man trekked through the densely-knit trees rather easily, using his arms to gently fold away leaves in his path, his eyes narrowing into menacing little slits; a sign of concentration. He scanned the jungle before him much like a famished predator would its prey, paying attention to the snapped twigs along the side of the slight path, as well as the light tracks in the mud beneath his bare feet. He was after his horse, Blue, and much like he’d expected, it seemed as if the herd had headed North, up the mountain a ways, perhaps towards the nearby lake. Kazan had tracked the herd since he’d caught sight of the little blue roan mare, and even after he’d captured her and succeeded in making her moderately rideable, he’d still been avid in keeping track of their whereabouts. Kazan let the mare run with the herd, as it made perfect sense to the man, given that separating the young mare from her family would not only be cruel, but he also had little place to keep her. The village was small, and certainly didn’t have room for any sort of enclosure. So, the man was happy to let her roam, as long as she knew that he was still her owner—which, might I add, she seemed to understand.


With the thought Kazan kneeled down before a good set of round, hoof-like tracks, in order to press his fingers lightly against the mud’s surface, his expression softening slightly in satisfaction as he pulled his fingers away with a light layer of mud covering them, proving that the tracks were fresh. The man’s chest fell as he let out an appreciative sigh, only before he hoisted himself to his feet and continued onwards, his gait quickening with the excitement that he was nearing the herd. Sounds of the forest surrounded and comforted the man; the manic, howling sound of a wide range of monkeys, as well as the whistling of a few smaller birds. It was never silent in the jungle, and that was exactly how Kazan loved it. He loved noise, but only natural noise. Human voices and the sounds of chopping wood and such—the typical village sounds—tended to get rather infuriating, after time. It was only when the man was surrounded by the wilderness that he could truly relax; that he could truly feel like he belonged.


It wasn’t but a few moment later in which the bronzed man rounded a steeper hill, only for his eyes to feast upon the sight of the horses. They stood in a small clearing, all of them close together and calm, tails flicking from side to side, heads dipped in order to graze. It was a splendid picture, with the dapples patterns of light leaking through the trees above, giving the scene a light, florescent type of glow. Kazan stood unmoving in the bush for a good few moments, simply watching the magnificent animals, before letting out a low whistle, in which caused his mare to jerk his head up immediately, ears swivelling and perking in his direction. He smiled at her immediately reaction and whistled once again, being sure to stay hidden, as he didn’t want to frighten off the rest of the herd. Blue gave a soft nicker, only before trotting over into Kazan’s direction, and obliviously sticking her head through the mass of foliage keeping him from her sight. He gave a soft chuckle as the mare nudged him, most likely asking for some form of food, before lifting his large, experienced hand to run it down the front of her face lightly, causing the animal to calm dramatically, her eyes flickering towards him in admiration. It was a beautiful bond, in which the two held, and Kazan knew very well to be thankful of it. He brought his hand away from the mare to give her a pat on her shoulder, only before slowly moving to her side, and grasping a handful of mane. He was vitally aware of the way her ears turned backwards to listen to him, as well as the slight twitching of her shoulder as a fly thought he had the right to land there; if he didn’t want to get bucked off, he would need to move slow, and pay attention. After a moment of running his free hand down the mare’s back he lifted himself aboard, and leaned forwards to pat Blue’s back as she made no wild and crazy reaction, before pressing his heels lightly into her sides, as encouragement for her to go onwards.

It was one thing to walk through the jungle, but a totally different thing to ride through the jungle.
It was things like this, that Kazan still appreciated.
Things like this, that he treasured with everything he had left.

It hadn’t been ten minutes of rather aimless wandering on horseback that the mare suddenly halted, her body growing stiff, and nostrils flaring with the scent of a possible threat. Kazan ran a hand down her neck in encouragement, scanning the area before the two, before his eyes caught sight of a woman, tiredly climbing the mountain he’d been venturing up. She wasn’t from around here, he knew that instantly, and immediately his expression lost all feeling, taking on his regular stone-cold, grave expression. He watched her with calculating eyes as she stumbled towards the top, and as once he was sure he’d be out of hearing range, encouraged his mare to head one after her, and she walked on without complaint. He kept the mare and himself hidden in a thick layer of foliage, so as to not be found out, and instead relying on purely sound and the occasional glance through the mass of trees separating the two. The woman was attractive, that much was true, but she seemed in rough condition, causing Kazan to fight in order to hold back the urge to roll his eyes. Humans from elsewhere were so incapable; so weak. Kazan didn’t know how a generation could fail so miserably.


At the thought, Kazan’s dark, smouldering orbs caught sight of the woman clamber over the last few rocks so she was atop the cliff, and waited a moment, wondering what exactly to do. He couldn’t just leave her, especially on tribe lands, could he? Kazan’s lips twisted into a feint scowl as he kicked Blue’s barrel lightly with his heels, sending her into a quick canter up the rest of the trail. It was steep, uneven, and rocky, however the mare had gone this same route thousands of times, and at much, much faster speeds. She was actually reliable, unlike most of the human population on the island. The mare lunged up the rugged mountainside without much problem, her powerful back legs pushing her further up the hill with each and every gait. Kazan leaned forwards in order to aid her, his hands gripping lightly onto her mane, only before the mare made her way to the top, bounding the last little way until she’d reached flat ground. Her nostrils flared as her breath came a little more quickly, and Kazan leaned over to run his hand down her neck once again in appreciation, before he slipped off of her, and looked towards the woman curled up but a few feet from him. He knew Blue would stay put, she generally did until he dismissed her, and so he simply pointed towards a grassy patch nearby and she wandered over, happy to get a little reward. Kazan stood just feet from the battered woman, his expression blank, eyes cold. His jaw flexed sporadically in slight indecision as he watched her, before the man quirked a brow, his eyes challenging. The moon’s light reflected down onto his bronzed chest and figure as the man’s chest heaved lightly, before he tilted his head, entirely unsure of what to make of her. Pathetic.

“Is there a reason you’re curled up under a rock?”

He inquired with a mocking little smile, his words sharp, much like the edge of a blade. He was not a merciful man, and this woman would be no exception.

Show me where it hurts,
And I’ll make it worse.
Are you holding on?
Keep holding on.

Words: 1, 620
Muse: Omfg, I don't even know
Notes: I have a sneaking suspicion this post sucks. I haven't proofed it, though I may be able to later. My brain's kinda dead. D'[/size][/blockquote]

[EVELYN DANE]

Should I give up,

Or should I just keep chasin' pavements?

The moon shone delicately against her golden locks; making them look a ghostly white. The following that had happened that day, was completely unrealistic in the girl’s mind. Stranded on an island, and shipwrecked? These things only happened in movies according the Evelyn. Her mind still partially thought it was all a bad dream. The only thing that seemed to inform her it wasn’t, was the immense pain in her upper arm. Dried blood surrounded the cut gruesomely, giving it the effect of a Halloween store creation. This injury though, did not even faze the young jockey. It had seemed so minor compared to all the other battle wounds of the racetrack. The stillness of the night caused her eyes to dangerously droop. Evelyn partly chewed on the fact that she could possibly never wake up. These thoughts; as most “what if” thoughts; gave her visions of insane savages eating her alive. The thoughts of course were ridiculous and unreal, or so Evelyn forced herself to believe. It was not like the girl was completely helpless; she had muscles, caused by the years of jockey training in her legs. Evelyn could outrun everyone she knew. Even on island, she hoped this fact would not change.

Cold air hung over the island like a blanket, causing the girl’s teeth to chatter. The ground itself was not the greatest insulator, transferring what was left of her body heat immediately to the chilly air. The wind howled and whistled threatening messages into her ears, making her jump every so often. Having curled up under a ledge did keep some of the noisy currents out but not all. Evelyn’s instincts flashed warning signs at her constantly, causing her to finally reach out for a stick. Her tough, little hand grabbed a long, dead branch and pulled it slowly toward her tiny body. Even if it was prehistoric style, Evelyn took comfort in knowing she at least had something to defend herself with. Her shirt hung in rags over her pale skin, flopping around uselessly. Evelyn groaned, a sign of pure discomfort, and pulled the tattered thing completely off. Her hands grabbed either side of it, pulling it around her quite exposed upper body. The outcome was that she looked quite like a cocoon, huddled and shaking; but it was warmth. The strong looking stick remained near her, just in case. The thought of finally getting a taste of comfort, caused the girl to let herself relax. Her golden orbs gazed determinedly from where she sat all cuddled up, giving the island a hard, challenging glare. The eyes seemed to be saying, “Bring. It. On.”

In comparison to the modern lifestyles, this situation was exactly like a reality TV show. Evelyn’s head gave a slight nod and tilted toward the moon. This was just a game, a game made by fate itself to test her. She just had to win it, by surviving. Maybe, possibly, this could’ve have been a twisted form of karma. Evelyn’s brow furrowed as she put all of her spiritualities and personal beliefs into her mind flow and thought. What have I done wrong? That was always the question to ask in such bad situations. Memories rambled themselves off in her mind, though the truth sat right under her nose. Because you still have not learned to forgive. Evelyn knew exactly what that little, wise voice was talking about. After all the years, Evelyn still hadn’t forgiven her mother. And all those years, she had told herself she had forgiven her and loved her; but they were all mere lies to her. It was scary that she hadn’t been truthful to herself. That was her philosophy: following your instincts, being true to yourself, and she had just broken it. Her heart pounded rhythmically in her chest, and she came to the false conclusion that the island was just driving her insane. Perhaps it was… The thoughts that filled her head certainly did not come from her, or the old Evelyn.

A scuffle or noise woke her inner senses up. Hand at the ready, tightened up around the branch positioning it toward the noise. Fear clawed at her stomach, creating jumpy butterflies that caught at her eyes uncomfortably. Fear was not something Evelyn experienced often; she was quite the tough and optimistic soul. Fear didn’t really fit, nor was she used to it. The fact she was feeling it now, left a blank expression on her face; the only hint was the golden eyes turning hard. The last thing, her ears and eyes ever expected was a human being standing there. Her eyes adjusted to seeing under the moonlight and classified that yes, this human was a male. The thought of this fact left Evelyn undecided whether she liked this or not. Male could be dangerous, rough… But they could also be seduced, willing to women, kind and gentle. The one that stood before her showed no sign of emotion. His hard face appeared as hard as his well muscled, bare chest. Evelyn set her expression to be similar and threatening, hoping the fact that he was quite attractive did not cause her to seem even a bit shaken. Dark eyes stared coldly at her, causing her wrist to give a slight wobble. She did not like to focus under pressure, though at this moment, thinking such was not an option. The way he stood and his expression gave her the thought that he was not a castaway. Experience showered his looks; obviously he was some sort of native. Evelyn slowly stood, carefully. Ignoring her whining arm, she held the stick in a threatening posture. Everything about her look showed she would hurt this savage if he dared try to attack her. Possibilities of what could happen filtered through her mind, making the fearful butterflies start again. ”Is there a reason you’re curled up under a rock?” The man’s voice held a ring of mockery to it. At the fact that he spoke English, Evelyn lowered her hand slightly; hope growing across her face. ”Y-y-yo-o-u speak English?!” Surprise flitted into her eyes, but she kept her posture threatening. Her eyes searched carefully along the paths wondering which she would flee to and how, but only if he deemed dangerous.

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Words: 1,047
Muse: Okayish...
Notes: Ahaha... This post is another one of my super long rambly posts. Sorry if she's a bit flighty, she took a course in karate last night apparently. xD

Even if it leads nowhere...