Aranée 18: The Eastern Pass by NetWorthy
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Description
(BEST VIEWED FULL SIZE!)
Aranée bit down on a curse and pulled Kuila closer to quiet him.
She had broken camp and bade farewell to Galen at sunrise, returned to Melius to retrieve her gear and some supplies, and was well on her way to the pass by midday. In the early afternoon a cold wind blew in low brooding clouds and a miserable light rain settled onto the Aeritan. Following the healer's directions, she traced a faint forgotten road to the northeast and arrived, wet and miserable, a little before dusk.
What she saw couldn't have been more discouraging. A sprawling Greener camp lay at the base of the mountains, at the very entrance to the pass itself. Counting the campfires, tents and men she could see, she estimated more than fifty men in the camp itself. At least a dozen more roamed the periphery in deadly three-man patrols. Men were constructing light cabins or wooden floors for their tents, clearly preparing to settle in for the winter.
She patiently waited until well after dark before circling around to try to gain entrance to the pass. Twice she and Kuila had barely gotten under cover in time to avoid a passing patrol. They hadn't been so lucky the third time.
A thunderstorm now raged and the sodden ground and rock were treacherous. She lost her footing and hit the ground with an audible thump just as a patrol rounded an outcropping. The Greeners froze into statues, listening intently. At some unseen signal, they silently split up, searching in different directions in ever-widening circles around their original position.
Now she and Kuila huddled and watched as a burly no-nonsense Greener searched dangerously close by, weapon ready, crouching and alert. She lay quietly as she could but eased her hand onto the hilt of the Elvish sword, silently drawing it. Just when she thought he couldn't possibly miss them, a loud shout and laugh from one of the men caused the big man to turn and bolt to the sound. She slowly exhaled and realized that she had been holding her breath. After a short while, it became obvious what had saved her: One of the sentries had found a hapless goat that had wandered into camp. She owed her life to a creature destined to be on a spit or in a cook pot within the hour.
Carefully moving away from the camp, at length she finally felt safe enough to stop and take stock. She felt a sudden twinge from her back and shoulder and winced a bit. Healer Amikas would be very angry with her - her bandages were saturated with rain and mud. A cold wind blew and she pulled her cloak around her. Looking up into the rain towards the unseen mountaintops, she decided this must be the first cold weather storm of the season - snow likely was already falling in the highest elevations.
The lion cub nervously paced around her a few times before sitting, leaning against her, nervously fidgeting while alertly looking into the darkness in the direction of the camp. Hefting the Elvish sword in her hands, she idly fingered the intricate inlay, lost in thought. After a short while, she had made her decision.
"Come on Kuila, let's go see if Galen's offer is still on the table."
--- TO BE CONTINUED!
The story will make the most sense if you view the episodes in sequence.
PLEASE leave a comment, good or bad, it really means a lot to me!
Image and story © 2009 Larry Hodge
Comments (49)
3dfiend
Prince of Persia style - i like :)
adrie
Cool scene awesome pose and lightingwork....the story is great....excellent done.
PhilW
A very atmospheric image - I love the campfires in the background - and the story is very well told. I hope you are over your health issues by the time you read this!
lyron
Fantastic scene!!!
XxBladexX
Excellent work!!
neelzonline
A dark and moody image, I love it
magnus073
A really wonderful image Larry and captivating story, you really have a talent for combining great art with your writing.
Minda
stunning image larry,great story the lighting and posing are fantastic..excellent work.
ladyinblack
Loving the story and your image is wonderful! Great composition and lighting. Keep them coming :)
brewgirlca
Well your writing muse has not left you. The story is dramatic, well-composed and compelling. I can see why this was so difficult... dark scenes are hard even for masters of lighting and this one is just on the edge of visibility. I can only imagine how many renders you went through to get one that worked.
LBJ2
Wonderful work, Larry. Great story and render. Fantastic atmosphere.+5
flaviok
Maravilhosa história e obra, aplausos (5)
jandunne
You really know how to capture mood!
johnny_damnit
Yes it is a must see full sized!!! other wise you miss all the details. Excellent work on this image, Larry. You did a great job with all the poses. The swords seem a little too bright for this image. Nice job on the rain effect too.
schonee
Oh this is super and the story as well. Love the scene and the fres in the back is perfect!
2Loose2Trek
Extraordinary story and image ... I'll have to stay tuned for more. Kudos!
crys-laura
Fantastic image and effects!
Flint_Hawk
Very dramatic scene!
clam73
story and mood are really excellent!....lovely done! :-)
kasalin
Beautiful artwork and words, dear Larry !!! 5*
moonbunnie
Awesome scene and the story !Thanks for sharing with us :)
Arumbus
Wonderful scene and effects - nice story coming about for sure!
prionbrain
Fantastic image filled with suspense!!! Really enjoyable story!!!
Steff_7
Excellent scene which lends itself perfectly to this tale. Excellent...
densa
wonderful story and very mysterious scene wonderful my friend
blainenorth
Great posing and light!
marcopolinski
excellent night and action scene!! 5+
M2A
The dark mood and the little fires on backgrounds give a great render, i like the idea. Rainy effect works nice too. It is cool.
PSDuck
Glad to see the series up and running again. Good render, tho' I'd have made the lightning flash brighter. Maybe farther away, too, so the flash wouldn't give her away. I really like the storyline; it is not predictable. Take care of yourself, get better. Your funk will be done with you anon. Muses have a way of reminding us mortals that we need them, that's why they go on short walks now and then. Larry, my friend, just let your mind wander; you'll get to wherever you are going soon enough.
LMDesign
Wonderful story line and excellent action scene composition :)