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The Elementi Chronicles Book I: The Stone of Serenity
I'm writing a...
I'm writing a book. Read what I have so far to understand it.
THE ELEMENTI CHRONICLES BOOK I: THE STONE OF SERENITY
Chapter I
___{:}___
The moonlight shone on the Lake's deep, fuchsia waters. Conifer trees fringed it, thickening into foreboding woods. The Lake was the center of the Faimón Forest, and it contained a great amount of magic. Its surface was smooth, undisturbed. All seemed well, yet it was not. A wild cry broke the peaceful silence. A shape tumbled down a path through the trees. Another shape hared after the first, who had a jagged gash down its side. "Tell me where it is and we can save a lot of trouble," the second animal growled. "Never! Never in my life!" the first cried, practically wailing. "Then I guess the information will die with you!" The second figure struck the first, shoving it into the Lake. After a while, its head bobbed up, gasping for air. "We. . . . won't. . . tell you! You'll never. . . find. . . . it. . . " The second animal chuckled quietly to itself. "And who's going to stop me?" It padded silently away into the trees.
__________
Sheena opened her eyes. Squinting through the thick water, she searched for the surface. She couldn't tell which way was which in the murky fuchsia water of the Lake, heavy with magic. It was the one body of water that Aquinas leopards couldn't swim skillfully in. There! A pinpoint of moonlight shone through the water. Sheena kicked strongly towards it, propelling herself through the Lake to that shaft of light. She could feel her breath slipping away. Just as she thought she would black out, her muzzle broke the surface. Sheena gasped for air, the gash Narwhal had given her stinging. She paddled for the shore, tail boosting her forward. The leopard reached the sandy beach and heaved herself up onto it. She shook her royal blue pelt out, shuddering.
Sheena knew that the Knowledge Protector would be proud. She would not reveal the Stone's location to anyone, especially not Narwhal, even if it cost her her life. The Aquai Leopards were the guardians of the Stone of Serenity and were part of the Elementi Leopards, along with the Ignis, Ventus, Aether, and Terra Leopards. Each kept a Stone of Harmony, like the Honesty Stone and the Joy Stone.
Each cult of Leopards selected one of their kind to keep all of said cult's lore, the Knowledge Protector. The tales and secrets of each cult were passed down through generations of Protectors. Sheena was training as the Apprentice Protector for her cult.
In addition to the Leopards in the five cults, there were Leopards that abandoned their birth cult and lived as enemies of the Elementi known as Rogues. Rogues banded together, and Narwhal lead his group, which he called the Rens. Narwhal and his group wanted to get everyone in Leovie who opposed the Stones of Harmony to join him, their goal being to capture the Stones, or destroy them, once and for all. Sheena didn't know what would happen if all balance in Leovie was destroyed, and she didn't really want to find out.
Lying on the shore now, gasping for breath, Sheena recounted the day she'd been selected for Apprenticeship by the Knowledge Protector, Ciel. . . .
________
I'll add more later, I promise! Enjoy the story! Oh, and, biae!
submitted by Scylla
(February 5, 2016 - 10:02 pm)
(February 5, 2016 - 10:02 pm)
Hmmmmmmmm... Half Moon... *sinks into bean-bag-chair and props chin in hands to think* Half Moon... Half Moon... Half Moon... Half Moon... 1/2 of the Full Moon... Not a Blue Moon... Or a New Moon... Or a Blood Moon... Or an Eclipse... Leopards...Protectors...Harmony...Whisper... A HALF MOON...
This will probably go on for a while now ;)
I think you are weaving the natural balance between romance and adventure expertly. Personally, I do not like a whole load of romance--it steals from the epic nature of a story. I believe that love relationships should just come naturally as the characters grow in depth and reality. Add too many contrived or exaggerated romances, and the story becomes a modern chick-flick-on-paper (virtual or no). Just now, I think you have the balance just right. And now I have to go back to puzzling...HALF MOON..........Half Moon.......half moon?..........etc etc and so forth.............
;) :D
(April 16, 2016 - 7:44 pm)
Hmm, I thought it was more obvious.
(April 17, 2016 - 8:16 am)
I saw your reminder on the Compliments Thread just now, Scylla! Thanks for taking the time to remind me! :) :) :)
(April 16, 2016 - 8:54 pm)
I'm changing Apprentices to Rooks because Apprentices sounds too much like Warriors. Here's who's in each cult and more of Chapter 3.
AQUA LEOPARDS
Alpha: Aqua ♀ (Formerly Rivulet)
Second: Lazuli ♂
Knowledge Protector: Ciel ♂ (Rook: Sheena ♀)
Healer: Levi ♀
Leopards:
Azure ♂
Scylla ♀
Dusk (Rook: Minnow ♀)
Brook ♀
Shark ♂ (Rook: Xiang ♂)
Turquoise ♀
Silver ♂
Lake (Rook: Conifer ♂)
Twilight ♀ (Rook: Dawn ♀)
Fish ♂
Rooks:
Dawn ♀
Xiang ♂
Conifer ♂
Minnow ♀
Sheena ♀
Cub-mothers:
Charybdis (Cubs: Leo ♂, Sol ♀)
Nyx (Cub: Luna ♀)
Coral (Cubs: Unborn)
Ancients:
Poseidon ♂
Sea ♂
Lapis ♀
Stone of Harmony: Serenity
TERRA LEOPARDS
Alpha: Terra ♂ (Formerly Alder)
Second: Pan ♂
Knowledge Protector: Geo ♂ (Rook: Leaf ♂)
Healer: Spider ♀ (Rook: Elláda ♀)
Leopards:
Grass ♂
Tree ♂
Apple ♀ (Rook: Bush ♂)
Flower ♀
Butterfly ♀ (Rook: Beetle ♂)
Fox ♀
Earth ♂
Rock ♂
Vine ♀
Forest ♂
Rooks:
Leaf ♀
Beetle ♂
Bush ♂
Elláda ♀
Cub-mothers:
Aurora (Cubs: Flora ♀, Fauna ♀)
Ancients:
Demeter ♀
Bunny ♀
Mud ♂
Twig ♂
Stone of Harmony: Kindness
IGNIS LEOPARDS
Alpha: Ignis ♂ (Formerly Jack)
Second: Flare ♂
Knowledge Protector: Flame ♂
Healer: Raven ♂(Rook: Flicker ♀)
Leopards:
Fire ♂
Burn (Rook: Ember ♀)
Blaze ♀
Ash ♀ (Rook: Spark ♂)
Blister ♀
Firenze ♂
Vince ♂
Phoenix ♀
Obsidian ♂
Inferno ♀
Smolder ♂
Rooks:
Flicker ♀
Ember ♀
Spark ♂
Cub-mothers:
Crackle (Cubs: Char ♂, Coal ♂)
Hestia (Cub: Hearth ♀)
Ancients:
Hades ♂
Prometheus ♂
Stone of Harmony: Honesty
VENTUS LEOPARDS
Alpha: Ventus ♀ (Formerly Shasta)
Second: Rhea ♀
Knowledge Protector: Whisper ♀ (Rook: Breeze ♂)
Healer: Aeolus ♂ (Rook: Storm ♀)
Leopards:
Leia ♀
Tornado ♂ (Rook: Devil ♂)
Dust ♂
Gale ♀ (Rook: Ellia ♀)
Desert ♂
Willow ♀
Rustle ♂ (Rook: Skyline ♂)
Sundown ♂
Rooks:
Breeze ♂
Devil ♂
Storm ♀
Ellia ♀
Skyline ♂
Cub-mothers:
Sylph (Cub: Wind ♀)
Archaia (Cub: Zephyr ♂)
Ancients:
Aeneas ♂
Stone of Harmony: Joy
AETHER LEOPARDS
Alpha: Aether ♂ (Formerly Cosmos)
Second: Star ♀
Knowledge Protector: Nebula ♀
Healer: Galaxy ♀ (Rook: Glow ♂)
Leopards:
Stardust ♀
Solari ♂ (Rook: Jupiter ♂)
Celeste ♀
Moonstone ♀
Dark ♂ (Rook: Saturn ♂)
Comet ♂
Pluto ♂
Rooks:
Glow ♂
Saturn ♂
Jupiter ♂
Cub-mothers:
Venus (Cub: Neptune ♀)
Ancients:
Juno ♀
Helen ♀
Starry Eyes ♂
Stone of Harmony: The Stone of Magic
~~~
"A hundred thanks, Aqua," Aether, alpha of the Aether Leopards, said smoothly. "We will fortify the protection on the Stone of Magic. However, we have more.... Pressing matters at the moment."
"What could be more pressing than protecting the Stones?" Ignis leopard whispered to another, who nodded. Aether glared, silencing them. "It is not my wish to reveal my cult's issues to anyone who asks, especially not to another cult." The Ignites shot sneers in his direction, but were silent once more. "We have nothing to report, other than that," Aether continued, his strange eyes swirling like tiny galaxies. Sheena took him in, noting his fur, as dark as midnight, white-silver spots, and thick pelt. He had a menacing aura and a deep voice that seemed to echo like the emptiness of space. Sheena diverted her attention from Aether to listen to Terra.
"... Geo will help," Terra was saying. Or rather, Sheena thought, rumbling. His voice was deeper than Aether's, and was richer, as well. He was a dark, earthy brown dappled with green spots. He had a short mane of green fur that looked exactly like leaves running from his forehead to the base of his tail. He was strong, muscular, and big. He twitched his tail to Ignis. "Do you have anything to say?" he asked.
Ignis shook his fiery red pelt, the orange-yellow spots giving the illusion of dancing flames. His eyes seemed to burn like embers and the fur on his paws was black, almost like it had been burned. "We'll do just the same as any of you," he declared, "except for Aether." The indigo leopard glared at him.
Aqua dipped her head. "Then the Gathering is over." She gracefully leaped from the Aqua Tree and swished her tail to gather her leopards. "Aquai, fall in!" Sheena stood up, padding to follow Ciel. She was grateful to get back to the Aqua Camp after the Gathering; she felt exhausted.
The leopards wove through undergrowth, paddled through the stream, and cleared the log. Soon, they were back in their territory. Sheena was about to head to her den when something rammed into her.
~~~
To be continued...... Enjoy!
(April 16, 2016 - 6:56 pm)
(April 20, 2016 - 8:36 pm)
wow, Scylla! This is really good! I've been wanting to write a book for a while, I just haven't yet. I guess I just have to absorb some more ideas. This really inspires me! Keep writing!
P.S. I think I know what half moon means! Am I allowed to guess and post my guess? :-P
(April 22, 2016 - 8:43 am)
Er.... I guess so. What harm can it do? And thanks!
(April 22, 2016 - 6:06 pm)
Ok don't scroll down if you don't want to see my guess. It may or may not be a spoiler! I don't know yet! Scylla, tell me if I'm right! (If that's allowed) admins, keep the space please!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OK, so my theorie is Sheena is half Aether panther! But she was never killed like the other cubs that are born from another cult. Maybe no one ever knew. Maybe they didn't kill her for a reason. Who knows? Well, that's my two cents. Please tell me if I'm right!
(April 23, 2016 - 9:57 am)
Oh, and I'm dying to read more! Any chance you're posting soon? I also wanted to say, I think you have a good balance of adventure and romance. I hate a book when it's all just mush, but this is really good!
Oygo says kcop. I didn't know you were a cop!
(April 23, 2016 - 10:01 am)
Your guess was half correct, but I'm really intrigued by it! I think I'm going to incorporate a way to make that happen. OOH I'M SO EXCITED NOW!!! Thanks, Leeli!
(April 23, 2016 - 10:33 am)
Oh good! I'm so glad you're going to incorporate it! You are very welcome, and i think that it will make a very interesting twist!
(April 23, 2016 - 4:05 pm)
Oh good! im so glad you're going to incorporate it! You are very welcome, and i think that it will make a very interesting twist!
(April 23, 2016 - 4:06 pm)
Oooooooo, Scylla! This story is delicious! your descriptions are so good that I can taste them-- they give me the shivers! I love that you've made so many names for all the Cults-- and I really appreciate your use of Greek mythology. I also love Leeli's fan theory. I think it's near the mark, at the very least!!!!!!!!!!!! What happens next?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? :) :) :)
(April 23, 2016 - 11:59 am)
I don't know, I need to write it! I'll make sure I have it in by the end of the day, so come back to check! Wait, let me check the document..... AHA! There's one little bit. I'll just add more... And more... And still more.... Lalalala.....
....Something
rammed into her. It was Dawn. "Dawn! Getoff! What-" Sheena began, but
Dawn interrupted. "What was it like? Was it good? What happened?
Was there fighting? Is Aether as handsome as the Ancients say? Tell
me tell me tell me!!!" Sheena shook Dawn off of her, smoothing her dark-aqua fur. "Dawn!" she mewed again. "Give me some space! Come with me to my den and I'll describe it. Bring the other rooks too, and Luna if you want. She seemed interested." Dawn nodded. "On my way, Commander!"
"Hey!" Sheena protested. "I'm not the leader!"
"Sheena, Sheena," Dawn teased. "Can't take a joke, can you?"
Sheena sighed. "Dawn, it's been a long night. I'm exhausted so can you please bring the Rooks here so I can get it over with?"
"You betcha," was Dawn's quick reply before she dashed off. Sheena padded wearily to the den she and Ciel shared. It was a roomy cave with a vaulted roof. A pool of Lake water shimmered on one side, casting fuchsia-tinted light over the cave. Its curved, marbled walls had seemingly hundreds of little niches where countless clay fragments were stored.
If you looked closer, you could see writing on them - the writing of the Aqua Cult. Each cult had a unique style of writing used by Knowledge Protectors to record history and events in their cult.
Sheena loved the cave. Ever since her Rookingtime [like an apprentice ceremony], she had lived there and learned about the Aqua Cult. Ciel was an excellent storyteller, a trait he and Sheena shared. He was pleased with her progress and was sure she'd be a wonderful Protector.
Sheena trilled the traditional greeting to Ciel before entering the cave. The sky blue leopard, who had reached the cave before her after the Gathering, came over to touch noses with her. "Did you enjoy the Gathering?" he asked. Sheena shuddered slightly. "It was alright, but very overwhelming. I'm not about to go again in a hurry." Ciel purred. "Alright for now. Looks like you have visitors." Dawn and the others had arrived.
They all sat around Sheena and Ciel, and the two began to describe the Gathering.
TO BE CONTINUED.....
(April 23, 2016 - 2:14 pm)
*slips into story and joins the circle around Sheena and Ciel, hoping no one will notice*
"TO BE CONTINUED!!!!!!!" YESSSS!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
Wait a minute... did you always describe Sheena as having dark-aqua fur? Does this mean something? Like a definite confirmation of Leeli's theory? Now I have to go look...
(April 23, 2016 - 6:19 pm)