freedomliveson

Promises left on the sand(megatrash/freedom)

Hey there! So I'm on spring break at the moment, which means my posting is going be pretty erratic this week. Thanks for understanding :)

Witcher 3 1x1 (MxF)

A bump of sorts

Promises left on the sand(megatrash/freedom)

Ok, added :)

Promises left on the sand(megatrash/freedom)

Hey so my post is a bit short just because I didn't want to go through with Justin's attempt to escape until Cameron had some input. If you want me to go through with the escape attempt, just let me know and I'll add it on :)

Promises left on the sand(megatrash/freedom)

"Yeah...yeah we will." He watched as Cameron laid herself down on the ground, sorrow permeating his gaze. To think of all the stuff she had gone through and for her to potentially die as a tribal sacrifice would be an insult. No, he wouldn't allow it. She, like so many people, deserved a second chance. He would do whatever he could to make sure she got it.
"I'm gonna get us out of here." He mumbled, looking up at the twig lattice with scrutiny. There had to be a way to get up there...just had to be.

It took him a couple of hours, but he believed he had a solution. Quietly, he had thrown the rope through one of the holes in the lattice, managing to secure it snugly in place before grabbing the knife they had given them for the burnt roast and securing the crude instrument in the pocket of his pants, hilt down and blade facing up. He continually checked for movement above as he made his preparations, wondering silently why there wasn't any guard movement. Maybe they believed that their prison was impregnable and that they would be stuck in the grip of their power for as long as they wanted. He snorted, tugging on the rope hard. No twigs broke. Good. Thankfully Justin wasn't too heavy, but he couldn't be absolutely sure that his weight wouldn't collapse the covering. He had to take the chance, though. Cameron needed to be on the ground so just in case he got captured, Cameron couldn't be blamed as an accomplice. He tugged one last time before he walked to Cameron, putting a hand on her shoulder and shaking her gently.
"Cam?" He shook her again.
"Cam, come on, get up. I think I've got a way out." He rose and slid the tray they had been given out of the way before walking to Cameron and telling her:
"So here's the deal: I've got the rope attached to the gate. I'm going to climb up the rope and use the knife they gave us to cut the branches away. If that doesn't work, I'll try and cut the hinges off. Either way, I'm going to have to move quick and grab onto the ledge before I lose my grip on the rope. If I can get up there, I can tug you up and we can make our break." Justin walked over to the rope, hands secured.
"Unless you have a modification to the plan? I'm all ears." He tugged on the rope again, sighing as he looked to Cameron, chuckling a bit.
"Well, if that's the case, I'm heading up there." He grabbed on and pulled himself up a couple of inches, the lattice grate bending inward.
"No no no...just stay there..." He moved himself another few inches, the gate groaning under the pressure, but didn't bend any further. The pace was slow, but he managed to climb up to the top, noting that with his new view there were indeed no guards to either side.
"Here goes nothin..." He hung onto the rope with one hand, withdrawing the knife from the other and began to saw at the left hand side of the grate. The branches were thick, but the blade they had been given was sharp enough to cut through some of the thinner branches. As he cut, he could feel the grate beginning to loosen, his grip solidifying on the rope. Upon cutting another branch, the grate gave way, forcing Justin to swing his body to the left as far as he could, hands grasping the edge of the pit. With as much effort as he could, he muscled his way up, sighing in relief. He looked down, telling Cameron as quietly as he could:
"Get the rope up here and I'll pull you up!"

Promises left on the sand(megatrash/freedom)

So, feel free to take control of the tribal leader :)

Promises left on the sand(megatrash/freedom)

Taking the cloth out of Cameron's mouth was difficult and rather awkward, considering he had to turn around and extract the cloth with his rear end dangerously close to her face. He issued a chuckled apology as he managed to finagle it out before leaning up against the dirt wall, slumping against it as he lowered himself to the ground.
"Well, that went off as planned. Didn't know it was my plan all along to get us captured by these guys? It's all brilliance, really." He looked to the meager portions of food and water they had been provided and snorted.
"Well, I think that's a bit insulting, isn't it? I can't exactly use a knife with my hands tied behind my back." He rose, walking to the tray and then sat backwards, hands grasping for the handle, eyes cast backwards.
"I would ask for help, but I suppose you're a bit tied up at the moment as well." He chuckled a bit at his own joke.
"I'm terrible, aren't I?" He managed to grasp the handle with his right hand, angling the knife upward and very slowly began to cut the cloth around his wrists. It was difficult and consisted of many grunts, but he managed to free himself of the bindings. As he walked over to Cameron and cut her bonds, he told her:
"I don't remember a thing after they knocked us out, but I do know that based on what we can see from above us is that we've been for several hours. That might actually help our cause, you know. With this slight detour, maybe our pursuers won't be as passionate in their search." He blew out a sigh as he brought the tray over and motioned for her to eat.
"Then again, we'll need to figure out how to make this just a detour rather than our final destination." Justin ran a hand through his ash brown hair and felt some odd flecks on the back of his head, withdrawing the hand to find dried blood.
"Wonderful." He brushed the blood off onto the dirt floor before looking up again, noting how brightly the stars shone out in this part of the state. It was a wonder to see. In the city, the ruins obscured whatever they could see of the sky, dimming the natural light of the stars. To think that was the canopy under which so much violence occurred...

His thoughts were interrupted by voices approaching the entrance to their makeshift cell. A couple of figures loomed above them, one of them kneeling down and removing the twig lattice before the figures descended into their space. The man from before was present along with a different woman. Her hair as illuminated by the torch looked a pale blonde, her hazel eyes examining the both of them closely. She didn't look much older than Justin or Cameron, but wisdom seemed to emanate from her very presence. She was also garbed in more clothing than the duo Justin and Cameron had encountered, a sleeveless shirt and shorts that came down to mid-thigh covered her slim figure, yet she still wore the same necklace. It was a few moments before she spoke:
"You both trespassed onto our Mother's lands. My people say that you have come to pursue our attackers. Is this true?"
"Yes. Yes it is. We're here to ensure that whatever those monsters did to your people will be avenged. They took many of our people away as well. We want them gone." The woman searched Justin's eyes, stepped forward and placing a tanned hand on his cheek, turning his head to the left before nodding in satisfaction.
"Your eyes seem to speak the truth. Is it just revenge you seek?"
"No, no...we...we want to save our people. With the Life-Giver." Her brow raised.
"The Life-Giver? It is a sacred thing that you ask for, yet you claim it is for others. Where do they belong?"
"The South." She clucked her tongue.
"A dangerous place. We explored there many moons ago. That is where we found some of the Life-Giver. We tried many more times, but our scouts did not return." She looked to Cameron with a smile, moving to where she stood in front of her.
"You are a beautiful reflection of what our Mother gives us, sister. Do you travel for the same reasons he does?"

Promises left on the sand(megatrash/freedom)

Aw, you're too sweet :) Thank you for the offer!

Loved the last post by the way. I tried to make the tribe a bit more Native American-y in the sense that they were violent, but violent for very good reasons. Can't wait to explore this more!

Promises left on the sand(megatrash/freedom)

"A fair point. Maybe we can-" From what seemed like the south came a snap...then another. Justin turned, hand quickly going to the hilt of his knife. The snapping stopped for a few moments, Justin's eyes scanning for any hint of disarray, but to no avail. Cameron mumbled something about it being nothing, but Justin knew better than that. They were in hostile territory, isolated from any remnant of civilization and were being hunted by the armored bandits that had slaughtered two(probably more) settlements. More snapping came, Justin nodding to himself as he looked south to the path they had taken to get to the clearing.
"Step back." He commanded, the scout complying with his own directive as he slowly unsheathed his knife just as two forms appeared in the clearing. The sun's beaming rays revealed that it was one man and one woman, their faces marked with dark green paint underneath their eyes and across their chins. They held curved wooden bows in their hands, arrows loaded, but not pointed at the duo. Justin's hand lingered on the hilt of the knife, totally unaware of how they would behave. He knew stories, but this was his first time encountering anyone from the tribes on his own. He would have to read them, fast.

The man pointed at Justin, then Cameron, speaking in a hoarse, gravely tone:
"You both do not belong here." The woman shook her head, adding in a very similar delivery:
"The land rejected you, yet you come. Why?" Their slight builds tensed as they moved forward, hands steady on their bows. They wore little clothing other than coverings for their more modest parts, which consisted of aqua colored cloth cinched together, allowing Justin to see that while they weren't large by any stretch, their muscles were defined, trained. Around their necks were small, glass beads with liquid inside them. While the jewelry was a nice touch, it was the trained reflexes he was worried about. He assumed that within a few seconds the bows could be leveled, aimed and fired.
He needed to be careful.
"We just need to move through your land. We won't touch anything, harm anyone. We just need to move through." The woman smirked.
"That is something we hear rather frequently, but that is never the case."
"You desire what the others seek, do you not?" Justin's brow furrowed.
"I don't know what you mean."
"The Life-Giver, nourisher of the Earth. Many have come. They offer us steel, wood and coverings. We reject them and they killed many of us in retaliation, yet we continue on. The Life-Giver created us, made us whole and sustains us." The man closed his eyes as the woman spoke, seeming to lose himself in the proclamation of faith.
"What exactly is the 'Life-Giver'?"
The duo looked down at their necklaces, then back to the intruders.
"The Earth gave us the Gift. She revealed it to us in ruins of stone and steel in the vast North. We use the Life-Giver as a way to ensure our people are safe...from you." Their bows were now parallel to the ground, arrows kicked back on the string.
"We're after the same people." Justin placed both hands in the air as he continued:
"Those people that killed your friends...we want them gone just as much as you." He looked to Cameron, whispering hurriedly:
"Help me out here!"

Promises left on the sand(megatrash/freedom)

aaaaand you can't make this stuff up, but my Dad is doing awful right now after some rather bad health trials. He's going down downhill super fast and barring some miracle, we think he's going to die in the next month or so. Do forgive me if my posting is a bit erratic over the next month or two. Thanks for understanding :)

But seriously, sometimes you can't make this up xD