Rirrym shook his head, knowing he would be unable to sleep now. He felt some surprise at the realization that he felt well-rested, despite all the excitement of the evening. Still, it wasn't particularly surprising considering how hard it was to get a decent night's sleep upon the back of a horse. (Rym tended to keep the horse moving at night, both to avoid hypothermia and the scavengers that might seek to separate him from his mare in the hopes of getting an easy meal.)
He bent down, smoothing the sheets on the corner of the bed down before taking a seat. He let out a soft sigh, looking to the window. Dawn will be here soon... he thought idly to himself. He could hear faint sounds coming from outside as people were rising from their slumber and starting about the day. It reminded him of home, where most of the surrounding people were farmers and would be awake, dressed, fed and ready to work by the time dawn's first rays penetrated the landscape. Ah... Home sweet home... he thought, a half-smile appearing on his face for a quick second, before it disappeared with his next bitter thought. Well, maybe not so sweet anymore. A vision of the Orc raid that had precipitated his need to move quickly from his home entered his mind and his face paled until he looked as white as a ghost. He could still sense the taste of the bitter smoke covering the back of his windpipe... He could vividly remember the ear-splitting screams coming from his mother and sisters, as well as from many of the other neighboring farms... Even see the orange and yellow flames as they burned his home and the crops his family had worked hard to plant to a mere cinder. It had been his fault that so many had died. If he had been on guard duty as he was supposed to instead of letting his mind wander, more might have survived. He shook his head to clear it of the horrific visions.
His gaze travelled to Cromthal, who was backed up against the wall in an attempt to keep the dog from trying to cover his face in licks. Rym let out a chuckle. "Let Cromthal have some peace, dog..." he said, pulling the dog back a little and pushing down on the canine's back end until he is sitting, wagging his tail. "Yes, I know Cromthal needs a friend or two," he whispered into the dog's ear. The dog quickly turned it's head and started washing Rirrym's face. "Ai! I might be in need of a bath, but I don't think I need one of the doggie variety," he laughs as the dog puts his paws on Rirrym's shoulders, pushing him over before continuing the licks.
[ February 16, 2003: Message edited by: Elladan Peredhil ]
|