05-13-2016, 02:54 PM
The old man held his loaded, pump-action shotgun in one hand, while his free hand scoured through some mess of fabric and paper in order to unearth his binoculars (one needed them at his age) and upon the blackened horizon, his eyes fell on the ghost of a man.
Dauntingly slow movements followed the figure shuffling his way through the sand. First, Daniels got a look at his shoes, they were standard casual shoes, a little prepped for the desert, but amply black, that much he could tell. On the approaching man's thin legs were some straight, seemingly ironed blue pants, fastened, out of old habit with a belt of which he could not discern the color. Above the waistline, Daniels could see a collared pale shirt, distinguished the most out of the other well-blended clothes. As the man walked closer, Daniels could see that the cuffs and ankles of attire were in tatters, though the rest of the shirt and pants were still in good shape.
What an unarmed man wandering the desert at night would be thinking Daniels had no idea. But the elder thought it suspicious, and decided not to take his eyes from the figure. As his binoculars finally focused on the man's contouring face, twilight had risen and Daniels got a fresh look at the face that he had not known for ten years. He blinked several times, perhaps he was seeing things, or had a crumb of sand in his eye, or had fallen asleep when Murad had finally left, but the old man pinched himself and rubbed his eyelids before throwing down his binoculars and taking up the shogun in both his hands.
A grizzled grimace showed on the elder guard's face, while his gaze continued to squint on the edge of the dunes. A distant fear chilled his bones, but it was nothing he couldn't force willfully from his neck. Daniels had once known this man, and seemed to recognize the threat he carried with his arrival. And still, the ghost drew near, and the blonde hair covering the majority of the wayfarer's hair was illuminated by the orange glow of the rising sun.
...
The tall, business-like Prime sauntered feebly over to what he knew was closer the entrance of the town, but Daniels, the elder guard began his stealthy approach, though he knew there would be no getting past his enemy's eyes.
Merik's blonde eyebrow raised as he spied the gun, a great, haughty smirk turned up a side of his lips, "My, it's been a long time. Especially since someone has aimed a rifle at me."
Daniels drew a little nearer, black-iron snout raised at Merik, the trespasser. "Yeah? And I doubt it'll be the last. What do you think you're doing here?" An anger-coated threat filled the tone of his words, "I never thought you'd dare show your face in this town again, not after what happened to her."
Daniels' pale eyes seethed with anger, the snout of his rifle would not bow, and it his finger was wagging over the trigger. Merik's mismatched eyes fell on the old man, last the Prime had seen him, it was just over thirteen years ago, funny how time flies. "Careful John, there are ears listening." The prime's gazed toward the upper tier of the wall, where a small head with a gray turban was bobbing just below the lip of the wooden tower.
Daniels didn't steer the gun's aim away from his enemy while his chin turned up to look, alas, he expressed a disgruntled sigh and raised his voice, "MURAD WHAT ARE YE DOING UP THERE?"
There was a startled shuffling. As well as the sound as the young boy stubbing his toe as he stomped down the creaky stairs. "Ow!" He mumbled and would've liked to clutch his aching foot, but there wasn't enough time. The whimpering boy revealed himself and Daniels could've swatted the disobedient boy's ass right then and there.
Daniels gave him the 'Well, what do you have to say for yourself?' expression, since his anger was too much to form words. Murad immediately protested, "I'm a guard too! I stand by you every day and look out for the same signs of danger you do, plus I spotted this guy, so I deserve to-"
"You deserve to do what you're told, Murad." The elder's voice was stern, "So I take it you did not inform the rest of the guards on duty?"
"No... I-"
"What if this man had been a threat? What if he had killed me, and then you, and none of the other guards would know what danger the town was in!" Daniels exchanged a dissatisfied look between the boy and the intruding Prime, a sigh excreted from his lips, "Still. I think it may work out best that you have not alerted the others. Come along visitor, I will show you the town, as for you Murad, I hope you'll go back to your post."
The boy's brown eyes fell on the Prime, "But what about-"
"Haven't you done enough disobeying for one day? And as for the Prime, it just so happens that he's an old..." His face cringed as he forced the word out, "Friend, in fact he's stopping in town to visit me and my wife. We were expecting him two weeks ago, the bastard, but by the looks of it he got a little side tracked by the desert," Daniels let out a laugh, "Best I invite you in for a drink then."
They dismissed the boy by each walking straight for Daniels' home, while Murad couldn't take his eyes from the blue and red eyes of the Prime's very knowing expression.
Dauntingly slow movements followed the figure shuffling his way through the sand. First, Daniels got a look at his shoes, they were standard casual shoes, a little prepped for the desert, but amply black, that much he could tell. On the approaching man's thin legs were some straight, seemingly ironed blue pants, fastened, out of old habit with a belt of which he could not discern the color. Above the waistline, Daniels could see a collared pale shirt, distinguished the most out of the other well-blended clothes. As the man walked closer, Daniels could see that the cuffs and ankles of attire were in tatters, though the rest of the shirt and pants were still in good shape.
What an unarmed man wandering the desert at night would be thinking Daniels had no idea. But the elder thought it suspicious, and decided not to take his eyes from the figure. As his binoculars finally focused on the man's contouring face, twilight had risen and Daniels got a fresh look at the face that he had not known for ten years. He blinked several times, perhaps he was seeing things, or had a crumb of sand in his eye, or had fallen asleep when Murad had finally left, but the old man pinched himself and rubbed his eyelids before throwing down his binoculars and taking up the shogun in both his hands.
A grizzled grimace showed on the elder guard's face, while his gaze continued to squint on the edge of the dunes. A distant fear chilled his bones, but it was nothing he couldn't force willfully from his neck. Daniels had once known this man, and seemed to recognize the threat he carried with his arrival. And still, the ghost drew near, and the blonde hair covering the majority of the wayfarer's hair was illuminated by the orange glow of the rising sun.
...
The tall, business-like Prime sauntered feebly over to what he knew was closer the entrance of the town, but Daniels, the elder guard began his stealthy approach, though he knew there would be no getting past his enemy's eyes.
Merik's blonde eyebrow raised as he spied the gun, a great, haughty smirk turned up a side of his lips, "My, it's been a long time. Especially since someone has aimed a rifle at me."
Daniels drew a little nearer, black-iron snout raised at Merik, the trespasser. "Yeah? And I doubt it'll be the last. What do you think you're doing here?" An anger-coated threat filled the tone of his words, "I never thought you'd dare show your face in this town again, not after what happened to her."
Daniels' pale eyes seethed with anger, the snout of his rifle would not bow, and it his finger was wagging over the trigger. Merik's mismatched eyes fell on the old man, last the Prime had seen him, it was just over thirteen years ago, funny how time flies. "Careful John, there are ears listening." The prime's gazed toward the upper tier of the wall, where a small head with a gray turban was bobbing just below the lip of the wooden tower.
Daniels didn't steer the gun's aim away from his enemy while his chin turned up to look, alas, he expressed a disgruntled sigh and raised his voice, "MURAD WHAT ARE YE DOING UP THERE?"
There was a startled shuffling. As well as the sound as the young boy stubbing his toe as he stomped down the creaky stairs. "Ow!" He mumbled and would've liked to clutch his aching foot, but there wasn't enough time. The whimpering boy revealed himself and Daniels could've swatted the disobedient boy's ass right then and there.
Daniels gave him the 'Well, what do you have to say for yourself?' expression, since his anger was too much to form words. Murad immediately protested, "I'm a guard too! I stand by you every day and look out for the same signs of danger you do, plus I spotted this guy, so I deserve to-"
"You deserve to do what you're told, Murad." The elder's voice was stern, "So I take it you did not inform the rest of the guards on duty?"
"No... I-"
"What if this man had been a threat? What if he had killed me, and then you, and none of the other guards would know what danger the town was in!" Daniels exchanged a dissatisfied look between the boy and the intruding Prime, a sigh excreted from his lips, "Still. I think it may work out best that you have not alerted the others. Come along visitor, I will show you the town, as for you Murad, I hope you'll go back to your post."
The boy's brown eyes fell on the Prime, "But what about-"
"Haven't you done enough disobeying for one day? And as for the Prime, it just so happens that he's an old..." His face cringed as he forced the word out, "Friend, in fact he's stopping in town to visit me and my wife. We were expecting him two weeks ago, the bastard, but by the looks of it he got a little side tracked by the desert," Daniels let out a laugh, "Best I invite you in for a drink then."
They dismissed the boy by each walking straight for Daniels' home, while Murad couldn't take his eyes from the blue and red eyes of the Prime's very knowing expression.
![[Image: mqdefault.jpg]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/yEac52Ck_1A/mqdefault.jpg)