Kato's 100 One-shots...

[katomorakwarrior]

╔══════════════╗

║
║
║
║
║
║
║
║
║
║
║
║
║
║
║

Injured . Sinking . Father . Exploit . Boredom
Art of Conversation . Take your Best Shot
Creativity . Flash . Puzzling Words . Ill
Skeleton . Nothing . Servitude . Possibilities
Weightless . Just Say It . Last Words . Immature
Blazing . Help . Presence . Because . Forced
Reversed . Cast Away . Emotions . Questions
Wishing . Crackling . Curl Up . Together
Look Again . Brief . Space . Special . Jinx
Stop Fussing . Cozy . Breaking . Either Or
Tell Me a Story . Waiting . Willpower . Who Am I?
Idol . Unseen . Just Try . For Me? . Blah . Useful
Treasure . Ceremony . Lightning . Protection
Stay With Me . Mint . Rescue . Dominant . Thief
Deserter . Stolen . Sarcasm . Darling
How Much is too Much? . Over . Try Again . Hidden
Forgotten . The First Time . Aging .Soldiers
Justice . Tread Carefully . One False Step
Connection . Mess . It Can't Be . In Due Time
Awake . Delicious . Fallen . Trickery
Around the Bend . Well Traveled . Choices . Surplus
Rough . If . Friend . Found Not Lost . Spiral . Deep
I Could Have . Desirable . Resentment . Build Up
Inch by Inch . Dilemma . Blue Sky

║
║
║
║
║
║
║
║
║
║
║
║
║
║
║
╚══════════════╝

▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪

▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪

Hello all, I've decided to write one hundred of
these little stories in my free time (haha -_-).
So, I'll post them here. You're free to post if you so desire, but otherwise...
Without further ado...
These are the prompts for my 100 one-shots.
< < <

[katomorakwarrior]

Iɴᴊᴜʀᴇᴅ
1065/750 words

The wind whistled through the town, slapping creaking window shutters and hanging doors as it traveled. Within moments, it had settled down and the calm of the empty desert took over once more.

So this was a ghost town.

It was unnerving. The silence was deafening.

I turned back into the deserted hotel, uncertainly trying to recall what reason I had for being there. That was only the second of my many issues.

Where was I?

Why was I even here?

How’d I get here?

I had no memories – none of even myself, none of others. My mind was an empty slate, filled with knowledge but empty of images. The facts I had currently at my disposal were limited to say the least.

I was alone in a ghost town in the desert.

That seemed about it; however, this lack of information seemed to calm me down in a way. I didn’t miss anything; what was there for me to miss? I wasn’t frightened; what was there for me to be frightened of?

So I turned and started back to the street. Regardless of my lack of memories, I knew I had to find a way to leave. And soon. As far as I could tell there was no food nor water. I’d be lucky if I could get a taste of the inch of water sitting at the bottom of the well; the small bridge crossing through town served no purpose without water beneath it. The creek bed was just as dry as anywhere else.

That could change of course, but who knew when.

I kept to the shadows cast from the buildings, avoiding the sun. Information on warm weather hazards flashed through my mind as I walked through town. Poisonous reptiles and insects kept me away from cracks and crevices, but I missed something.

It was getting dark now. A large full moon shone above, lighting my path with its silver rays. I carefully avoided rocks and bushes, making my way toward the hotel entrance.

Without warning, a long howl slit through the silence. Instantly, without any thought whatsoever, I bolted headlong into the building, where I was welcomed by quite a surprise.

As I sprinted in, the old floor decided to give way and I found myself falling. It was obvious the hotel had a lower level – though that was far from what was going through my head at the time; I didn’t fall a foot or two to the ground.

I’m not sure if I was conscious the entire time. I just noticed that the next thing I knew I was half embedded under a stack of old floorboards, and half propped against – well, something. When I twisted to see if I was able to see anything above me, a sharp pain twisted through my leg. I attempted several times to free myself from the many floorboards and assorted unknown weights, but none of my attempts succeeded.

It was then that my emotions started to return to life. A tense fear welled up inside of me. I was stranded in a ghost town – stuck, hurt, and completely alone. It was then that I realized that I might die not even knowing my own name.

That’s when I panicked.

Adrenaline tickled my spine as the reality of the situation became more vivid. Without thinking, I pulled, struggling to free myself from the ancient pile of debris. Boards snapped, glass shattered, and wood creaked ominously beneath me.

I felt hardly anything, except a fierce desire to stay in control of my situation, which – until I had unceremoniously careened through the floorboards – I had actually managed to maintain. With a deep breath, I grasped something out in front of me and pulled, straining to pull myself to an area where I could access my situation better.

It seems as though hours passed. My time was spent exchanging resting with struggling. At last, I managed to pull myself to me feet. I was on my knees again almost immediately as a sharp pain shot up my right leg.

Clenching a wooden beam for balance, I rose, keeping all my weight on my left leg. Even like that, I found myself biting my lower lip to distract from the pain. I craned my neck to peer through the impromptu elevator shaft I had made.

I could see moonlight glinting off a slice of broken glass above. It shed little light where I was. But little was enough. I was at least 14 feet down; apparently, I had succeeded in crashing through two levels. If that wasn’t bad enough, it seems it would be rough work to get out either the man-made way of the way I came.

There was no easy work in this operation.

Five minutes and six painful steps to the left brought me to a wall. And so began the task of finding the way up. My fingers ran up and down the rough wooden surface. Poisonous insects and the like now played second fiddle to getting out.

I had searched about fifteen feet of wall; with each step, my leg grew more sensitive to movement. Finally, I had to pause for rest.

“Home, sweet home.”

And now on top of it all, I was hearing voices.

“Heh, there’s an emergency exit in the living room floor.”

With a soft sigh, I let my forehead rest against the ragged grain of the basement wall.

“Wonder what happened?”

I lifted my head as a small board landed with a crack upon the floor several feet away.

“Hey, don’t get too close,” warned another voice. “Anyway, critter probably triggered it and it just gave way.”

With growing amazement, I stumbled toward the moonlight sprinkled within my cage. Looking up I saw the shadow of a human standing on the ground floor of the hotel. I stood awestruck not sure whether to call frantically for their attention or laugh with joy.

I was free.

That’s when my hearing kicked in. It seemed as though a small creature were above my head, scratching and sniffing along the floors above. Then came the gruesome crack.

Within seconds, dust started falling with blizzard conditions. Pieces of the floor fell like rain. Suddenly alarmed, I scrambled against the side wall just in time to avoid the entire floor of the hotel caving in upon me.

So much for being free.

[katomorakwarrior]

Sɪɴᴋɪɴɢ
825/750 words

It was a strange feeling. As I lay there, floating among the reeds, I couldn’t help wondering what was so bad about this.

The Elders had always said it would be painful and slow -- something to avoid at all costs. They never informed me of this feeling -- this particular potent feeling within my chest. It was a weight being lifted off my shoulders; it was peace.

It was hard to imagine. A small ten minutes prior I was engaged in violent combat with a South-Eastern Isle Drake -- a small muscular creature. One could only be in awe of the strength he possessed. For first time, indeed, I was in awe, but I didn't yet respect the creature's power like I should have.

From my early days as a wyrmling, I had been impetuous -- sure of myself and sure of my abilities. I’d pick fights with whomever felt ready to do battle. I was strong; even now, in my current state, I have no doubt of that. Just…

I just wasn’t strong enough -- not for this opponent.

Consistent with my attitude as a young drake who had yet to truly fight in mortal combat, I was eager to join the forces fighting with the rival clan. Looking back, I was eager to die. Never would I have thought it, but -- in essence -- I was.

We flew high over the Fales Mountains. Farther out was the coast. Yet farther was the sea. The first whiff of the salty breeze filled my lungs and cast adrenaline into my bloodstream. This is it, I remember thinking. This is what freedom feels like.

And just as our flight crossed over the sea, silence dropped over the world like a hood. Even looking down upon the waves below, I saw the motion, but I heard nothing. Being the foolish dragon that I was, this only concentrated the adrenaline flowing within me.

I saw the first enemy swoop up from beyond a isle mountain peak. Casting a cocky eye toward my comrades, I dove to meet the foe. Seasoned fighters behind me warned, chastised, swore, bellowed; I was young though. They were old. They had reason to fear; I had none.

That’s what I was thinking at the time. I have since undergone a change in character; one might call it growing up. One also might call it a trifle too late.

At the second we collided, a strange flutter cramped my lungs. That power -- even now I recall it with wondrous fear. Talons interlocked within talons, we hurdled toward the sea below. I remember twisting my wings to catch the warm air from the sea. My foe dropped like lead weight.

With a graceful turn, he rose; his eyes held no gleam of foolish youth, no glare of ire. Instead, cool grey orbs fixed their tranquil gaze upon me. For a moment, we hung in the balance of nature. Wind, sky, earth, and dragon combined in perfect harmony, not to mention perfect fighting conditions.

Yet my opponent stilled.

Now I know what he meant. At the moment, I was so overcome with wonder and excitement that I didn’t realize the ultimatum he had laid upon the table. Now I understand.

Go home, kid. Before you die.

The next move was mine. He was giving me that, and like the fool I was, I took it like a famished wolf into rotten flesh.

Again, we locked talons. Again, we hurdled toward the angry blue below. Again, I twisted to catch an updraft before it was too late.

This time my foe didn’t let go. The wind tore at my wings, bruising flesh and tearing muscle. Though docile and friendly when you were in control, I found that wind was a very different creature when you were on the losing end. I only managed one last glance toward my flight as I was dragged into the icy darkness.

They knew it was the end; and at that moment I knew it too. I was a alpine drake, born and bred, thriving in the thin mountain air; my opponent was just as much built for the sea. As we sliced into the ocean, the foe breathed deeply, expanding the before unnoticeable gills framing the back edge of his jaw. Within seconds, he had reeled and disappeared into the darkness of the sea.

Now, I lay here, the current rolling off my scales and back into the flow of the tide. I know I can’t be far from shore; a battered ship lies beneath me. Yet I know there is no hope for me. I’ve had my chance, and I’ve thrown it away.

I relax, allowing my wings to drop and my head to sink. Slowly, my body falls toward the ocean floor. Steam flows from my throat as the cool ocean water rushes between my jaws. I feel the blue flame within me flicker and die.

This isn’t giving up; this is realizing defeat.