10-02-2004, 08:53 AM
A furry story, really. You may notice increasement in writing skill as it procedes...
Practice always makes perfect for me
.
Practice always makes perfect for me
.Quote:
History of Keir; Part 1
After the sun would set, most of the townsbeasts would retire to their ships. Keir was one of them that usually would. But this night was different. Earlier in the day, the first snow of the season had fallen. Most would celebrate this. But, as we have established before, this night was different for Keir. Every year, after the first snowfall, he would try his best to evade sleep. Sleep brought dreams. Dreams brought memories. Memories brought back everything that he tried to forget...
An hour or so after sunset, he was to be found sitting on a crate, somewhere on the docks. He was desperately trying to stay awake...
"Sleep... can't... won't..."
With that last mumble, his leaden eyelids finally closed, and the fox fell into a slumber... one that brought back the nightmares of his past.
In a small cottage, somewhere in the country side of what is now known as England, natures greatest miracle had taken place. Yes, a new born had, minutes ago, just being introduced to the world. His name? Keir. The same that we have introduced before. For those interested, his full name was Keir Gillivray... and was one that he wore with shame.
Looking into the cottage, we shall find two foxes, three if you count the kit who had just being introduced to the world. A vixen, not 24 years of age, who's name was Narina. She was currently residing in her bed, holding her baby. And a fox of a large and strong build, about 26 years of age, who's name was Geovanni, whom resembled the kit greatly.
Narina held her sleeping kit up to her breast, with the love and caring that only a mother could have. As her baby slept, she noticed her husband pacing the room. She heaved a sad sigh, knowing that he had only one thing on his mind concerning baby Keir.
"How long will it be before he can work?", the fox demanded.
"It will be a few years... maybe even six before I feel he should be working."
"I didn't ask for your opinion!", he snapped at his wife. "He shall work as soon as he's able to carry something equal too his weight. Which won't be long, with me there to help 'persuade' him."
Narina simply nodded her head and resumed cuddling her young one. A single tear drop fell from her eye. Her little Keir didn't deserve to have to go through what was to come. As Geovanni walked out to resume what he had being doing before, Narina laid her head back against her pillow. She had being worn out from giving birth to her kit, and all she wanted at the moment was rest.
Just before she fell into the depths of sleep, she whispered to her young one,
"Sleep my little Keiry, sleep..."
To be continued...
____________________________
History of Keir, Part 2.
During a snowy winters night, about 6 years after the events described before, while Geovanni was to be gone for several days for reasons that he did not explain, Keir and his mother were to be found working on a shed that the latter's husband had started. Narina's patience was continually being worn thin by Keir's lack of attention.
"Keir! I told you not to try to put those boards up yet!", she snapped at her son as he tried to put some boards up on a wall for Narina.
"I- I'm sorry, Mommy, I didn't hear you.", he whimpered.
"It's ok for now. Just try to listen a bit better next time.", she replied, in a soothing voice, while brushing the back-fur of her kits head. "Just try to listen a little better next time, ok?".
Keir promptly nodded his head, and helped his mother with the ceiling of the shed.
Unfortunately, though, he was soon back to not paying enough attention. When the piece of wood he had being holding up for Narina fell down due to his lack of attention, the former lost her temper altogether.
"Keir! I TOLD YOU TO PAY ATTENTION!", she shouted at him.
"Mommy, I'm s-sorry!", he said in a tearful manner, not use to seeing his mother like this.
"Then do as I tell you to next time!", she shouted.
And, acting out of pure frustration and anger, she slapped her son across the muzzle. This wasn't anything new to him, but she had never hit him this hard before. And as if the strength of the blow wasn't enough, her heart seemed to stop as she saw three red streaks on Keir.
"Keir... I-", she started. But she didn't get to finish before the young fox ran out of the shed, in tears. She quickly called out to him, hoping for him to come back... "Keir! Come back! I'm sorry! KEIR!".
But, it was to no avail.
Thinking that he had run into the house for some time alone, Narina simply just sat down and cried. She had never done anything like that to her son before, and had never intended to. She couldn't help but blame herself for all of it. She should of being more leniant towards the young fox... he was only six, after all.
After several minutes of self blame and tears, she walked back into the house to appologize to her son. And that was when the next massive shock of the night came to her... Keir wasn't there in the house. After searching the house, she became frantic. What had being a light snow was turning into a blizzard, and a small fox such as Keir wouldn't be able to make it more than several minutes in such harsh weather.
To be continued...
____________________________
History of Keir; Part 3
Narina was on the point of hysteria. She had never intended to draw blood from hitting Keir, and now, because of her sudden anger and frustration, he had run off. Just the thought of the three bleeding slash marks on his muzzle made her feel sick. And now, she might loose her only son to the harshness of the winter. Unless she acted soon...
Grabbing Geo's warmest coat, Narina rushed out into the sub-zero weather, knowing that her son's life depended on it. What had started as a light snow had turned into a raging blizzard, and a six year old fox wouldn't survive more than a half hour out in weather such as this. It had already being ten minutes... She quickly took note of the direction his pawprints were headed, and set out into the roaring winds and snow of the blizzard, desperately yelling his name.
After having being slashed by Narina, Keir had run off into the storm, crying. He had convinced himself that his mother no longer wanted him, and that he was doing her a good thing by running off like this. The only thoughts running through his mind were those of sorrow. He could only think that Narina didn't want him anymore, and that doing this, he could make her happy. He knew that he would die... which would make her happy, he thought.
The pain in his muzzle was starting to subside, as was the feeling in his paws. He began to tire. Sleep... sleep was what he wanted. He simply lay down in the snow, his clothes and fur keeping it from freezing him more, if that were possible. He had stopped shivering... it was too cold to shiver. It was too cold to think. All he wanted was sleep. Sleep was the only thing he could of wanted right then, other than a warm fire. But it was too cold for that. Sleep was the only thing he could do.
As he lay there, he felt a strange warmth come over him. He couldn't feel the cold anymore... it was warm. He couldn't feel his paws, but they weren't cold anymore. He felt like he was sitting back infront of the fire, on his mothers lap. Yes... it was warm... and he was tired. He had being out there in the cold for about a half-hour, afterall. He would of shut his eye's and slept, if it hadn't being for someone calling his name... a familiar voice... it was shouting for him to wake up... but he was too tired to think about who it could be...
After almost twenty minutes of tracking down Keir, Narina had almost given up. She called his name several more times, her voice hoarse from the cold and shouting. Tears fell from her eye's freely as she decided that it was time to give up. She would of, too, if she hadn't seen that lump lying in the snow, not ten meters away. It was the same color as Keir's coat, and there were bits of orange at the end... She had found her son. But, the only question now was, was she in time?
She rushed over to him, calling for him to wake up. When she got there, she didn't even make an attempt to choke back her sobs. She was too late... he was still... lifeless... dead...
To be continued...
____________________________
History of Keir; Part 4
Narina was unable to believe it. The one she loved the most in the world was dead... and she only blamed herself. She shouldn't of being so harsh with him. She should of being more leniant on his short attention span. She should of... she should off...
Suddenly, she was broken out of her thoughts by a small sound... a whimper. It was coming from the little fox infront of her. She couldn't believe it... Keir was alive!
She couldn't believe it at first... but then came another whimper from her son. She quickly opened up her coat, grabbed her son, and held him inbetween herself and the coat. He was no longer shivering, and she knew that to be a bad thing. He may of being alive, but he wouldn't be much longer unless she got him back to the cottage, and quickly.
Keir was delirious. One moment he had just fallen into a dreamless sleep, and the next... he was being carried by someone who seemed so familiar. He didn't care who, though, as the one who was carrying him off was warm. Warmth was all he wanted. It was all he needed...
As she rushed her son back to the house, Narina could only cry a mixture of joyful and sorrowful tears. She had found him, and he was still alive, but barely. If she didn't get him warmed up soon, she wouldn't be quite so lucky. The only reassurance that she had was the feeling of Keir's weak heartbeat, and the sound of his whimpering. Suddenly, though, she received another signal that he was still alive. He began moving again...
"Keir, don't worry, I'll make you feel better... shhhhhh... it'll be ok. It'll be ok..." she whispered to her son, despite the fact she knew that his chances were slim. She was comforting herself as much as she was Keir... but then, she uttered a cry of joy, as she had come upon the cottage!
Throwing open the door, she quickly threw more logs on the smoldering fire after throwing off her coat, and layed Keir down on the easy-chair and threw a blanket over him, as she did her best to remember a family recipie for the curing of frostbite and freezing. As she was frantically searching the cupboards for the herbs she required, she heard a small whimper, which turned into crying. Her son had come around...
Everything was strange to Keir. One moment he had being in the snow, then he was being carried in somebeasts coat, and now, he was lying back at home, going through the pains of frostbite and warming up from nearly freezing to death. The young fox just couldn't take it anymore, and broke down crying.
As he cried, he felt familiar paws scoop him up, and heard that same familiar voice comfort him. He knew now who's voice it was... it was his mothers. He sniffed and tried to stop crying, and did so just long enough to appologize.
"M-m-momma, I-I'm sor-ee-ee. P-please don't punish me a-any m-m-more!", he begged before he broke down into tears again.
"Keir, shhh, it's not your fault. It's not your fault. It's ok Keir, it's ok. It'll be ok. You won't be punished, Keir, shhhhhhh..." his mother soothingly said to him, not making any attempt to hide the tears rolling down her eye's. She just simply couldn't believe that he had survived all of that... the fates were in favor of her on this terrible night.
After mixing the family remedy which had being passed down from her mothers mother to her mother, and down to her, Narina warmed it up over the fire. Just hot enough that it wouldn't be too cold, but not too hot either. She threw one or two more logs into the fire, and, sitting down in the easy-chair, she began to feed it to Keir while she held him close.
As vile tasting as it was, Keir was cold, and what his mother was giving him was warm, so he didn't care much at all about the taste. He had involuntarily started shivering again, and couldn't help but continuously whimper from the aching pain that surged throughout his body. But Narina was there, and held him closer and comforted him.
It was only at this time, when his mother was there, having saved his life and comforting him through the pains of it all, did he realise how much she loved him. His whimpers turned into tears as he tried to appologize for the entire night.
"M-mommy, I'm s-sorry for n-not paying at-t-tention, and for ru-"
"Shhhh, it's ok Keir. I'm sorry for hurting you like that, I never meant to. Now, all you need to do is rest.", she interrupted as she stroked his back fur.
The two of them lay there for the next several minutes- Keir crying, and Narina comforting him. Soon, though, they had both drifted off into sleep...
Several hours later, Narina awoke to the sound of a hammer pounding nails into some wood nearby, in the shed. "Oh no," she thought to herself, "Geo's back!"
But, he wasn't in a bad mood as she had expected. She closed her eye's and feigned sleep as he came over to the two of them. After stoking up the fire, and throwing some more wood in, he went over, and got a good idea of what happened based on what he had seen so far.
The marks on Keir's face, the blood on the floor of the shed, the pawprints in the snow, and the smell of the bitter herbal remedy. It all made sense to him.
He nodded to himself, and did something that Narina hadn't expected:
After walking to the bedroom, he came back over to the chair with the blanket from their bed in hand. Laying it down over his son and his wife, he tucked it into the sides, to keep them warm. Then, most suprisingly of all, he leaned down and kissed Narina, something he hadn't done in years.
"Good night, my love.", he whispered to her, knowing that she wasn't asleep. He then scratched Keir behind the ears, and went into the bedroom to rest. This was much more different than what Narina had expected... her husband had somehow changed...
But not for long.
To be continued...
After the sun would set, most of the townsbeasts would retire to their ships. Keir was one of them that usually would. But this night was different. Earlier in the day, the first snow of the season had fallen. Most would celebrate this. But, as we have established before, this night was different for Keir. Every year, after the first snowfall, he would try his best to evade sleep. Sleep brought dreams. Dreams brought memories. Memories brought back everything that he tried to forget...
An hour or so after sunset, he was to be found sitting on a crate, somewhere on the docks. He was desperately trying to stay awake...
"Sleep... can't... won't..."
With that last mumble, his leaden eyelids finally closed, and the fox fell into a slumber... one that brought back the nightmares of his past.
In a small cottage, somewhere in the country side of what is now known as England, natures greatest miracle had taken place. Yes, a new born had, minutes ago, just being introduced to the world. His name? Keir. The same that we have introduced before. For those interested, his full name was Keir Gillivray... and was one that he wore with shame.
Looking into the cottage, we shall find two foxes, three if you count the kit who had just being introduced to the world. A vixen, not 24 years of age, who's name was Narina. She was currently residing in her bed, holding her baby. And a fox of a large and strong build, about 26 years of age, who's name was Geovanni, whom resembled the kit greatly.
Narina held her sleeping kit up to her breast, with the love and caring that only a mother could have. As her baby slept, she noticed her husband pacing the room. She heaved a sad sigh, knowing that he had only one thing on his mind concerning baby Keir.
"How long will it be before he can work?", the fox demanded.
"It will be a few years... maybe even six before I feel he should be working."
"I didn't ask for your opinion!", he snapped at his wife. "He shall work as soon as he's able to carry something equal too his weight. Which won't be long, with me there to help 'persuade' him."
Narina simply nodded her head and resumed cuddling her young one. A single tear drop fell from her eye. Her little Keir didn't deserve to have to go through what was to come. As Geovanni walked out to resume what he had being doing before, Narina laid her head back against her pillow. She had being worn out from giving birth to her kit, and all she wanted at the moment was rest.
Just before she fell into the depths of sleep, she whispered to her young one,
"Sleep my little Keiry, sleep..."
To be continued...
____________________________
History of Keir, Part 2.
During a snowy winters night, about 6 years after the events described before, while Geovanni was to be gone for several days for reasons that he did not explain, Keir and his mother were to be found working on a shed that the latter's husband had started. Narina's patience was continually being worn thin by Keir's lack of attention.
"Keir! I told you not to try to put those boards up yet!", she snapped at her son as he tried to put some boards up on a wall for Narina.
"I- I'm sorry, Mommy, I didn't hear you.", he whimpered.
"It's ok for now. Just try to listen a bit better next time.", she replied, in a soothing voice, while brushing the back-fur of her kits head. "Just try to listen a little better next time, ok?".
Keir promptly nodded his head, and helped his mother with the ceiling of the shed.
Unfortunately, though, he was soon back to not paying enough attention. When the piece of wood he had being holding up for Narina fell down due to his lack of attention, the former lost her temper altogether.
"Keir! I TOLD YOU TO PAY ATTENTION!", she shouted at him.
"Mommy, I'm s-sorry!", he said in a tearful manner, not use to seeing his mother like this.
"Then do as I tell you to next time!", she shouted.
And, acting out of pure frustration and anger, she slapped her son across the muzzle. This wasn't anything new to him, but she had never hit him this hard before. And as if the strength of the blow wasn't enough, her heart seemed to stop as she saw three red streaks on Keir.
"Keir... I-", she started. But she didn't get to finish before the young fox ran out of the shed, in tears. She quickly called out to him, hoping for him to come back... "Keir! Come back! I'm sorry! KEIR!".
But, it was to no avail.
Thinking that he had run into the house for some time alone, Narina simply just sat down and cried. She had never done anything like that to her son before, and had never intended to. She couldn't help but blame herself for all of it. She should of being more leniant towards the young fox... he was only six, after all.
After several minutes of self blame and tears, she walked back into the house to appologize to her son. And that was when the next massive shock of the night came to her... Keir wasn't there in the house. After searching the house, she became frantic. What had being a light snow was turning into a blizzard, and a small fox such as Keir wouldn't be able to make it more than several minutes in such harsh weather.
To be continued...
____________________________
History of Keir; Part 3
Narina was on the point of hysteria. She had never intended to draw blood from hitting Keir, and now, because of her sudden anger and frustration, he had run off. Just the thought of the three bleeding slash marks on his muzzle made her feel sick. And now, she might loose her only son to the harshness of the winter. Unless she acted soon...
Grabbing Geo's warmest coat, Narina rushed out into the sub-zero weather, knowing that her son's life depended on it. What had started as a light snow had turned into a raging blizzard, and a six year old fox wouldn't survive more than a half hour out in weather such as this. It had already being ten minutes... She quickly took note of the direction his pawprints were headed, and set out into the roaring winds and snow of the blizzard, desperately yelling his name.
After having being slashed by Narina, Keir had run off into the storm, crying. He had convinced himself that his mother no longer wanted him, and that he was doing her a good thing by running off like this. The only thoughts running through his mind were those of sorrow. He could only think that Narina didn't want him anymore, and that doing this, he could make her happy. He knew that he would die... which would make her happy, he thought.
The pain in his muzzle was starting to subside, as was the feeling in his paws. He began to tire. Sleep... sleep was what he wanted. He simply lay down in the snow, his clothes and fur keeping it from freezing him more, if that were possible. He had stopped shivering... it was too cold to shiver. It was too cold to think. All he wanted was sleep. Sleep was the only thing he could of wanted right then, other than a warm fire. But it was too cold for that. Sleep was the only thing he could do.
As he lay there, he felt a strange warmth come over him. He couldn't feel the cold anymore... it was warm. He couldn't feel his paws, but they weren't cold anymore. He felt like he was sitting back infront of the fire, on his mothers lap. Yes... it was warm... and he was tired. He had being out there in the cold for about a half-hour, afterall. He would of shut his eye's and slept, if it hadn't being for someone calling his name... a familiar voice... it was shouting for him to wake up... but he was too tired to think about who it could be...
After almost twenty minutes of tracking down Keir, Narina had almost given up. She called his name several more times, her voice hoarse from the cold and shouting. Tears fell from her eye's freely as she decided that it was time to give up. She would of, too, if she hadn't seen that lump lying in the snow, not ten meters away. It was the same color as Keir's coat, and there were bits of orange at the end... She had found her son. But, the only question now was, was she in time?
She rushed over to him, calling for him to wake up. When she got there, she didn't even make an attempt to choke back her sobs. She was too late... he was still... lifeless... dead...
To be continued...
____________________________
History of Keir; Part 4
Narina was unable to believe it. The one she loved the most in the world was dead... and she only blamed herself. She shouldn't of being so harsh with him. She should of being more leniant on his short attention span. She should of... she should off...
Suddenly, she was broken out of her thoughts by a small sound... a whimper. It was coming from the little fox infront of her. She couldn't believe it... Keir was alive!
She couldn't believe it at first... but then came another whimper from her son. She quickly opened up her coat, grabbed her son, and held him inbetween herself and the coat. He was no longer shivering, and she knew that to be a bad thing. He may of being alive, but he wouldn't be much longer unless she got him back to the cottage, and quickly.
Keir was delirious. One moment he had just fallen into a dreamless sleep, and the next... he was being carried by someone who seemed so familiar. He didn't care who, though, as the one who was carrying him off was warm. Warmth was all he wanted. It was all he needed...
As she rushed her son back to the house, Narina could only cry a mixture of joyful and sorrowful tears. She had found him, and he was still alive, but barely. If she didn't get him warmed up soon, she wouldn't be quite so lucky. The only reassurance that she had was the feeling of Keir's weak heartbeat, and the sound of his whimpering. Suddenly, though, she received another signal that he was still alive. He began moving again...
"Keir, don't worry, I'll make you feel better... shhhhhh... it'll be ok. It'll be ok..." she whispered to her son, despite the fact she knew that his chances were slim. She was comforting herself as much as she was Keir... but then, she uttered a cry of joy, as she had come upon the cottage!
Throwing open the door, she quickly threw more logs on the smoldering fire after throwing off her coat, and layed Keir down on the easy-chair and threw a blanket over him, as she did her best to remember a family recipie for the curing of frostbite and freezing. As she was frantically searching the cupboards for the herbs she required, she heard a small whimper, which turned into crying. Her son had come around...
Everything was strange to Keir. One moment he had being in the snow, then he was being carried in somebeasts coat, and now, he was lying back at home, going through the pains of frostbite and warming up from nearly freezing to death. The young fox just couldn't take it anymore, and broke down crying.
As he cried, he felt familiar paws scoop him up, and heard that same familiar voice comfort him. He knew now who's voice it was... it was his mothers. He sniffed and tried to stop crying, and did so just long enough to appologize.
"M-m-momma, I-I'm sor-ee-ee. P-please don't punish me a-any m-m-more!", he begged before he broke down into tears again.
"Keir, shhh, it's not your fault. It's not your fault. It's ok Keir, it's ok. It'll be ok. You won't be punished, Keir, shhhhhhh..." his mother soothingly said to him, not making any attempt to hide the tears rolling down her eye's. She just simply couldn't believe that he had survived all of that... the fates were in favor of her on this terrible night.
After mixing the family remedy which had being passed down from her mothers mother to her mother, and down to her, Narina warmed it up over the fire. Just hot enough that it wouldn't be too cold, but not too hot either. She threw one or two more logs into the fire, and, sitting down in the easy-chair, she began to feed it to Keir while she held him close.
As vile tasting as it was, Keir was cold, and what his mother was giving him was warm, so he didn't care much at all about the taste. He had involuntarily started shivering again, and couldn't help but continuously whimper from the aching pain that surged throughout his body. But Narina was there, and held him closer and comforted him.
It was only at this time, when his mother was there, having saved his life and comforting him through the pains of it all, did he realise how much she loved him. His whimpers turned into tears as he tried to appologize for the entire night.
"M-mommy, I'm s-sorry for n-not paying at-t-tention, and for ru-"
"Shhhh, it's ok Keir. I'm sorry for hurting you like that, I never meant to. Now, all you need to do is rest.", she interrupted as she stroked his back fur.
The two of them lay there for the next several minutes- Keir crying, and Narina comforting him. Soon, though, they had both drifted off into sleep...
Several hours later, Narina awoke to the sound of a hammer pounding nails into some wood nearby, in the shed. "Oh no," she thought to herself, "Geo's back!"
But, he wasn't in a bad mood as she had expected. She closed her eye's and feigned sleep as he came over to the two of them. After stoking up the fire, and throwing some more wood in, he went over, and got a good idea of what happened based on what he had seen so far.
The marks on Keir's face, the blood on the floor of the shed, the pawprints in the snow, and the smell of the bitter herbal remedy. It all made sense to him.
He nodded to himself, and did something that Narina hadn't expected:
After walking to the bedroom, he came back over to the chair with the blanket from their bed in hand. Laying it down over his son and his wife, he tucked it into the sides, to keep them warm. Then, most suprisingly of all, he leaned down and kissed Narina, something he hadn't done in years.
"Good night, my love.", he whispered to her, knowing that she wasn't asleep. He then scratched Keir behind the ears, and went into the bedroom to rest. This was much more different than what Narina had expected... her husband had somehow changed...
But not for long.
To be continued...