Welcome Guest ( Log In | Register )

IPB
 
Reply to this topicStart new topic
> The Open Place, Odin 19 hold over for Odin 21
Guest_bombadil1247_*
post Aug 15 10, 10:42
Post #1





Guest






The Open Place

The eagle circled in the clear sky. It was late spring and her fledglings were hungry. Her eyes scanned the glen, alert to movement, searching for rabbit or hare. On a hillside half a mile below she spied a mouse, darting through the heather clumps; too small to be of interest. She wheeled away, widening her search.

The mouse travelled a well-known trail, every sense on full alert to warn of danger. He was young, which wasn’t unusual. When you’re bottom of the food chain, old age isn’t a killer. He kept to the shelter of the heather, stopping regularly to check out the path before him. Only when he was sure it was safe would he move forward. In truth, the heather clumps were so close together that he was in less danger than he believed, but soon he would come to the open place.

The bottom of the hill was a rock ledge where nothing grew, a natural separation between the shelter of the heather and the haven of the glen floor’s gorse and grass. The mouse stopped under the last heather. His previous vigilance paled before the sinew-stretching tension filling him now. This was the place of greatest risk and he knew it. After an eternity of checks he left his shelter and ran out on to the rock.

The adder rose before him; lidless eyes caught and held him.

She had been waiting among the grass on the other side. For her, patience was more than a virtue; it was an essential tool of the hunt. She had smelled this particular mouse on the rock while she basked and knew that eventually he would pass. Her ambush had worked and now the foolish thing was helpless under her gaze. She danced the dance-that-heralds-death, each undulation taking her ever closer to her transfixed prey, bringing him within range of her fangs.

The strike was perfect. Sharp talons tore through the flesh at the back of the neck. The adder writhed and coiled but she was already dead when the eagle’s beak ripped off her head. Strong muscles powered mighty wings into flight as the eagle made her way back to the hungry mouths waiting at the nest. Released, the mouse ran. There was no sense of relief, no prayer of thanks. He was alive, that was enough.
 
+Quote Post  Go to the top of the page
Cleo_Serapis
post Aug 15 10, 15:23
Post #2


Mosaic Master
Group Icon

Group: Administrator
Posts: 18,892
Joined: 1-August 03
From: Massachusetts
Member No.: 2
Real Name: Lori Kanter
Writer of: Poetry & Prose
Referred By:Imhotep



Thank you for your entry into Odin's Opposition, Jim! troy.gif

Perhaps you'll rise up, drink from the Well of Wisdom and be crowned the 'bringer of victory'? cali.gif

Best of luck in the battle! vic.gif

~Mosaic Musings Staff knight.gif


·······IPB·······

"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to." ~ J.R.R Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

Collaboration feeds innovation. In the spirit of workshopping, please revisit those threads you've critiqued to see if the author has incorporated your ideas, or requests further feedback from you. In addition, reciprocate with those who've responded to you in kind.

"I believe it is the act of remembrance, long after our bones have turned to dust, to be the true essence of an afterlife." ~ Lorraine M. Kanter

Nominate a poem for the InterBoard Poetry Competition by taking into careful consideration those poems you feel would best represent Mosaic Musings. For details, click into the IBPC nomination forum. Did that poem just captivate you? Nominate it for the Faery award today! If perfection of form allured your muse, propose the Crown Jewels award. For more information, click here!

"Worry looks around, Sorry looks back, Faith looks up." ~ Early detection can save your life.

MM Award Winner
 
+Quote Post  Go to the top of the page
1 User(s) are reading this topic (1 Guests and 0 Anonymous Users)
0 Members:

Reply to this topicStart new topic

 

RSS Lo-Fi Version Time is now: 6th November 2024 - 12:57




Read our FLYERS - click below



Reference links provided to aid in fine-tuning your writings. ENJOY!

more Quotes
more Art Quotes
Dictionary.com ~ Thesaurus.com

Search:
for
Type in a word below to find its rhymes, synonyms, and more:

Word: