05-15-2010, 07:28 AM
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It was only a small snake dangling from his jaws—the head since removed and the body only faintly warm from the life that’d been stolen from its scaly form. The creature had been slithering about in the grass beside the resting jackal and he’d snatched it up for a late morning snake. Dawn was coloring the sky shades of pale blue and deep gold, and he didn’t wish to be caught in the heart of the sunrise once Ra began his daily chariot race across the heavens. Blood-colored eyes were sensitive to the light, causing him to prefer the darkness of evening even without the moon worshipping religion he’d been brought up into. He moved along the highway—blunt claws clicking against the worn and weathered pavement as his pace quickened into a steady trot. He needed to find shelter—like a vampire from the sun—and quickly, before his flesh set afire.
Of course, he knew that he wouldn’t truly combust, but the urgency lingered, luring him onward toward the building that loomed in the distance. It was nothing more than a gas station, with a sign that once welcomed countless motorists barely standing to alert one of its presence there alone in the desert-like sands. The wind was picking up as the hour began to change, heralding the approach of a new day and blowing dirt and grit into the jackal’s lean features. Into the shadows he moved, only slowing long enough to allow his eyes to adjust and to cautiously take in his surroundings, ensuring that he was truly alone within the confines of the cracked and crumbling walls herein. The building creaked and moaned around him, but this appeared to be the most suitable shelter around. It’d have to do until sundown.
He moved toward the basement, slowly creeping down the stairs into what was once obviously a storage room. It had been ransacked already and everything of interest stolen, leaving only garbage and debris behind. Here he finished chewing on what was edible of his serpentine companion, leaving nothing more than discarded scales and bones on the concrete floor. It was cool down here—even cooler than outside where the touches of winter still lingered on the spring air—and he lowered himself to the floor, positioning himself elegantly into a comfortable resting position. For now he’d sleep until the hour changed back into one that he was far more comfortable with.
It was only a small snake dangling from his jaws—the head since removed and the body only faintly warm from the life that’d been stolen from its scaly form. The creature had been slithering about in the grass beside the resting jackal and he’d snatched it up for a late morning snake. Dawn was coloring the sky shades of pale blue and deep gold, and he didn’t wish to be caught in the heart of the sunrise once Ra began his daily chariot race across the heavens. Blood-colored eyes were sensitive to the light, causing him to prefer the darkness of evening even without the moon worshipping religion he’d been brought up into. He moved along the highway—blunt claws clicking against the worn and weathered pavement as his pace quickened into a steady trot. He needed to find shelter—like a vampire from the sun—and quickly, before his flesh set afire.
Of course, he knew that he wouldn’t truly combust, but the urgency lingered, luring him onward toward the building that loomed in the distance. It was nothing more than a gas station, with a sign that once welcomed countless motorists barely standing to alert one of its presence there alone in the desert-like sands. The wind was picking up as the hour began to change, heralding the approach of a new day and blowing dirt and grit into the jackal’s lean features. Into the shadows he moved, only slowing long enough to allow his eyes to adjust and to cautiously take in his surroundings, ensuring that he was truly alone within the confines of the cracked and crumbling walls herein. The building creaked and moaned around him, but this appeared to be the most suitable shelter around. It’d have to do until sundown.
He moved toward the basement, slowly creeping down the stairs into what was once obviously a storage room. It had been ransacked already and everything of interest stolen, leaving only garbage and debris behind. Here he finished chewing on what was edible of his serpentine companion, leaving nothing more than discarded scales and bones on the concrete floor. It was cool down here—even cooler than outside where the touches of winter still lingered on the spring air—and he lowered himself to the floor, positioning himself elegantly into a comfortable resting position. For now he’d sleep until the hour changed back into one that he was far more comfortable with.