Lucky_Ladybug (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ladybug_archive) wrote2009-07-06 10:54 pm
ladybug_archive) wrote2009-07-06 10:54 pm
Entry tags:
Blurb
Yesterday was a very long day, filled with things such as more insomnia and an insistent allergy attack/cold (all of which overstayed their unwelcome through today). -.- But I did get plunnied for the blurb below. X3
And I saw some adorable geese swimming (and honking)! ^O^ I love waterfowl; I think they and chickens are probably my favorite birds. And peafowl. **so amused thinking of that peacock walking around the zoo.**
This blurb is for the third Southwest/West fic. X3
"Oh great."
Sean looked with disdain towards the closed and locked gate they were approaching. Their suspect was launching himself over the top before running down the dirt road beyond. The mountains, dark and silent in the night, observed. Somewhere to the side, a cow mooed in apparent confusion.
"'No Trespassing,'" Scott read from the sign. "So that guy just broke another law."
"And we're about to break it too," Sean said as he turned off the engine. "Gentlemen, are we game?"
Barry unlocked the passenger door. "We don't have much choice," he deadpanned as he swung it open and stepped onto the road.
Elliott nodded, getting out the rear left door. "We don't have time to pick the lock, either," he said.
"We're risking some serious injuries," Sean said as he jumped out, surveying the tall gates. Thin wires poked up at the top, ready to jab any intruder.
"I wonder if that creep got hurt," Scott said as he exited.
"If he did, he didn't even pause," Sean said, grabbing hold of the fence as he pulled himself up. He regarded the wires with distaste before taking a deep breath and leaping off the top bar of the chainlink barrier. A wince passed over his features as the cuff of his right pant leg caught hold on one of the sharp points. He had enough momentum to not be left dangling or fall, but the ripping sound was very audible. As he landed on the other side of the gate, he pulled up the cloth just enough to inspect the damage.
"It shouldn't be too much trouble to fix it," he said, frowning at the tear.
Scott shook his head. "I'm not going to risk tearing my coat," he said. Sliding it off his shoulders, he bunched it up and heaved it over the gate. "Sean, catch!" he called.
Sean grabbed it with a cackle and then turned to run down the road. "You can get it later!" he said, running past the cattle loafing in their pasture. Two or three looked over with curiosity, while the rest remained blasé.
Elliott snickered while Scott pulled himself up the length of the gate and down the other side in hot pursuit of Sean. Then the brunet scaled the gate as well, while Barry observed below.
"Be careful," the bassman grunted.
Elliott swallowed hard. Sean's predicament had made him all the more nervous, especially when he was the accident-prone one. If Sean had problems, what would Elliott run into? There was no time to waste, either. Sean had ran ahead hoping to catch their crook. They all needed to find him.
He jumped over the wires, flailing as he soared towards the ground. He hit the dirt on his feet, momentarily upright before stumbling backwards into the fence.
Barry shook his head. "At least you didn't fall into the cow pasture," he said as he climbed the gate.
Elliott groaned at the thought. Straightening, he hurried down the dirt path after the others. Barry was soon jogging alongside and then passing him, pulling his flashlight out of his pocket as he ran.
Elliott clicked on his own flashlight, beaming it across the way. The road continued to the South, running parallel with the mountains for a while before curving to the East to draw closer to the watchful giants. Up ahead, the trail curved again, going past something hidden among the trees. A vertical blue light was visible, a strange and modern beacon in the rural area.
As he drew closer, a white frame and darkened windows came into view. There was a small house here, probably belonging to whoever owned the property. The blue beam was inside a lantern positioned as sentry near the edge of the front yard. Elliott hurried around the left side of the home, glancing at the vehicles parked under the canopy of trees as he searched for the others---and some trace of the felon. There were various metal parts resting against the trees, both from the cars and from other objects, but there was no time to study them and try to discern their origin.
Without warning a bizarre figure leaped into his path, the fingers extended and curled in a dangerous manner. "Boo!" it exclaimed, lunging for the shocked detective.
Elliott yelped, falling back as he reached to defend himself. The whatever-it-was did not even have any visible face! But as he grabbed his attacker's wrists, his expression suddenly turned to an unimpressed scowl. "Sean . . . !" he scolded.
Sean laughed, pulling Scott's coat off of his head and shoulders and straightening up. "I got you good," he smirked. "Admit it!"
Elliott shook his head, reaching for the black cloth. "We're supposed to be chasing that crook," he said, "not playing pranks!"
"For all I knew, you were the crook," Sean said with a much-too-innocent look.
Elliott looked away, unable to hide the snicker.
"Aha!" Sean declared. "You found it funny after all!"
"Sure," Elliott said over his shoulder as he walked past, "now that I think back on it. But we're making too much noise. What if the owner comes out and starts chasing us for trespassing?"
"If we're lucky, he won't hear anything over that electronic buzz," Sean said, nodding to the blue lamp.
Elliott decided not to pursue the line of conversation. Instead, he shined his flashlight to the right. As the group of trees came to an end, a clearing leading to a quiet pond was visible. In the distance, another mountain stood by, its silhouette standing out against the night sky.
"What's this thing?" Sean frowned as he came over, twanging a red cord stretching across the clearing and to another group of trees along the bank of the pond.
Elliott blinked, stepping back as the cord vibrated.
"It looks like a clothesline," another voice said from behind them.
Both men whirled to see Scott and Barry coming over, tired and empty-handed. But Scott still managed an amused smirk as he pushed his hat back on his head.
"You know what those are, right, Sean?" he continued. "There's even still some New York neighborhoods where they're stretching from one apartment to another. Like, I don't know, our own."
"Usually they're white," Sean shot back. "Or brown."
Elliott chuckled, holding out Scott's coat. His closest friend took it, gratefully pulling his arms into the sleeves. With their location directly below some of the Eastern mountains, the temperature in the middle of the night was a bit chilly---even in summer.
"How did you manage to get this away from him?" Scott asked. "I was chasing him for ages."
"He had to play a joke before I could get it back," Elliott said, managing to keep a straight face this time.
Barry shook his head. "And the suspect escaped us," he frowned. "If he hasn't tried scaling one of the mountains, he must be hiding in the trees."
"Okay then!" Sean said. "We'll split up and cover more ground. And climb trees if we have to. Barry, you come with me and . . ."
But he trailed off as something rubbed against his leg. He stiffened, looking down at a black-and-white cat. It purred, rubbing against him again.
Elliott burst out laughing. "Did you think that was the crook?" he asked.
"It could have been," Sean defended himself.
The cat just meowed, proceeding to greet the other three in the same manner. Scott bent down to pet it.
"Well, at least the cat doesn't think we're trespassing," he said.
"It's probably grateful that we've come to get the real intruder," Sean said, regaining his composure.
Scott chuckled, walking over to Elliott. "We'll look up there," he said, indicating a bridge up ahead.
"And we'll go to the left," Sean said, eying the trees in that direction. "When you and El are done, try heading to the pond if you haven't got the guy."
"Okay," Scott agreed. He walked ahead, waiting while Elliott caught up to him. Then they crossed the bridge, glancing at the water running underneath it.
"It must go to the pond," Scott said.
Elliott nodded. "This place is fascinating," he said, his eyes wide in awe as he glanced around. There was still a canopy over this part, the trees on both sides of the clearing interlocking at the top. Stars peeked from between branches and leaves, glistening on the two friends.
"Watch it!" Scott exclaimed.
Elliott gave a start, throwing his hands out just in time to avoid ramming into a picnic table. He stepped back, staring both at it and at a second one nearby. "It's like a private park!" he declared. "Can you imagine what it'd be like to have a picnic here?"
Scott grinned. "It'd be great," he said. "But getting back to our mission, that creep's probably in the trees. We'd better get over there too." He looked to the left with a frown. Had something rustled in there? Maybe it was just the wind. . . .
Elliott had heard it too. He frowned at the dark trunks as he turned to head their way. "He might be planning an attack," he worried.
"Hopefully he just wants to escape," Scott said. "But if we corner him, he still might attack." He sighed. "I just hope he doesn't go into the grove. . . ."
Elliott blinked. "Grove?" he repeated.
Scott nodded. "They have fruit trees here," he said. "The guy who lives in that house is the caretaker."
They stepped into the woods, regarding their surroundings with fascination and unease all at once. Would the creep leap out at them without warning? It would be so easy to hide in here; the trunks looked black and foreboding. The moonlight twisted what was visible of their shadows until it looked like an army of wraiths were extending their claws to grab the hapless duo.
"I'm not sure I'd want to come here on Halloween night," Elliott said.
A twig snapped.
". . . I think I broke it," Scott said. He moved his foot back, revealing the twig in two pieces.
"Just as long as it's you or me breaking it," Elliott said.
They went deeper into the trees. It was unsettling that their shadows were not very visible; it looked like now and then part of one could be seen where a bit of light filtered through, but the only real assurance that they were not alone was to keep glancing at each other. Then they relaxed, continuing their search.
Scott nearly jumped out of his shoes when he turned a bit later and no one was there.
"El?!" he hissed. "Where are you?!"
But Elliott did not reappear. Scott whirled, looking behind him. Elliott must have gotten confused and taken the other path, winding to the trees just to the right. Yet there was no sign of a flashlight beam.
Scott tried to swallow his worry. Maybe the battery had gone dead. Or maybe Elliott was stalking their suspect and could not afford the extra light to betray his presence. The blond crept forward, looking among the trees.
"El!" he whispered, slightly raising his voice. Elliott could not have gone far, but there was still no reply. It was impossible not to be concerned. "Elliott!"
He pulled out his communicator. Should he send a message to Elliott? If his friend was following the suspect, the communicator going off would be a very bad thing. On the other hand, what if Elliott was wandering aimlessly through the trees? He would welcome hearing from Scott then.
At last he slipped the device back into his pocket. He would search a bit longer. But now, instead of going to the right, he had an urge to turn left. He squinted through the trees. Somewhere ahead, amid all the black trunks, was one lone, light-colored object. Scott frowned. It had to be a trunk too, right? If he let his imagination run away with him, it could almost resemble a spectre. And that was the last thing they needed right now.
He moved closer, letting the light from the moon and stars guide him as he beamed his flashlight at suspicious shadows. But there was nothing other than the trees and rocks. And something hanging from the light-colored thing was slowly moving in the breeze. . . .
"A homemade swing," he realized. Then it had to be a trunk. He shook his head, creeping closer.
And the color drained from his face. A body was laying at the foot of the tree. He ran over, swinging the beam onto the form. The light captured dark brown, almost black, curls. "El!" he cried out in horror, dropping to his knees.
Setting the flashlight to the side, Scott gently turned Elliott onto his back. The other man fell into position, his expression pained. But his chest was rising and falling, his breathing normal. Scott let out a sigh of relief as he pulled Elliott's upper body into his arms. "Wake up, El," he encouraged. He reached up, feeling along the back of Elliott's head for injuries. He winced as he located a bump.
"That creep," he growled.
Elliott groaned, stirring in Scott's embrace. ". . . W-what happened?" he mumbled, burrowing against Scott's shoulder.
Scott moved to help Elliott get adjusted. "It looks like that guy conked you," he said, a bit of anger slipping into his voice.
Elliott flinched. "I guess he did," he said. "I don't remember much, but something came down on my head. . . ."
Scott shuddered. "Just rest for a few minutes, El," he said. "Then we'll get back on his trail."
Elliott gave a slight sigh, relaxing into the caring hug. "I hope he doesn't go into the grove," he said, deliberately echoing Scott's earlier comment.
"I hope he doesn't either," Scott said with a weak chuckle.
And I saw some adorable geese swimming (and honking)! ^O^ I love waterfowl; I think they and chickens are probably my favorite birds. And peafowl. **so amused thinking of that peacock walking around the zoo.**
This blurb is for the third Southwest/West fic. X3
"Oh great."
Sean looked with disdain towards the closed and locked gate they were approaching. Their suspect was launching himself over the top before running down the dirt road beyond. The mountains, dark and silent in the night, observed. Somewhere to the side, a cow mooed in apparent confusion.
"'No Trespassing,'" Scott read from the sign. "So that guy just broke another law."
"And we're about to break it too," Sean said as he turned off the engine. "Gentlemen, are we game?"
Barry unlocked the passenger door. "We don't have much choice," he deadpanned as he swung it open and stepped onto the road.
Elliott nodded, getting out the rear left door. "We don't have time to pick the lock, either," he said.
"We're risking some serious injuries," Sean said as he jumped out, surveying the tall gates. Thin wires poked up at the top, ready to jab any intruder.
"I wonder if that creep got hurt," Scott said as he exited.
"If he did, he didn't even pause," Sean said, grabbing hold of the fence as he pulled himself up. He regarded the wires with distaste before taking a deep breath and leaping off the top bar of the chainlink barrier. A wince passed over his features as the cuff of his right pant leg caught hold on one of the sharp points. He had enough momentum to not be left dangling or fall, but the ripping sound was very audible. As he landed on the other side of the gate, he pulled up the cloth just enough to inspect the damage.
"It shouldn't be too much trouble to fix it," he said, frowning at the tear.
Scott shook his head. "I'm not going to risk tearing my coat," he said. Sliding it off his shoulders, he bunched it up and heaved it over the gate. "Sean, catch!" he called.
Sean grabbed it with a cackle and then turned to run down the road. "You can get it later!" he said, running past the cattle loafing in their pasture. Two or three looked over with curiosity, while the rest remained blasé.
Elliott snickered while Scott pulled himself up the length of the gate and down the other side in hot pursuit of Sean. Then the brunet scaled the gate as well, while Barry observed below.
"Be careful," the bassman grunted.
Elliott swallowed hard. Sean's predicament had made him all the more nervous, especially when he was the accident-prone one. If Sean had problems, what would Elliott run into? There was no time to waste, either. Sean had ran ahead hoping to catch their crook. They all needed to find him.
He jumped over the wires, flailing as he soared towards the ground. He hit the dirt on his feet, momentarily upright before stumbling backwards into the fence.
Barry shook his head. "At least you didn't fall into the cow pasture," he said as he climbed the gate.
Elliott groaned at the thought. Straightening, he hurried down the dirt path after the others. Barry was soon jogging alongside and then passing him, pulling his flashlight out of his pocket as he ran.
Elliott clicked on his own flashlight, beaming it across the way. The road continued to the South, running parallel with the mountains for a while before curving to the East to draw closer to the watchful giants. Up ahead, the trail curved again, going past something hidden among the trees. A vertical blue light was visible, a strange and modern beacon in the rural area.
As he drew closer, a white frame and darkened windows came into view. There was a small house here, probably belonging to whoever owned the property. The blue beam was inside a lantern positioned as sentry near the edge of the front yard. Elliott hurried around the left side of the home, glancing at the vehicles parked under the canopy of trees as he searched for the others---and some trace of the felon. There were various metal parts resting against the trees, both from the cars and from other objects, but there was no time to study them and try to discern their origin.
Without warning a bizarre figure leaped into his path, the fingers extended and curled in a dangerous manner. "Boo!" it exclaimed, lunging for the shocked detective.
Elliott yelped, falling back as he reached to defend himself. The whatever-it-was did not even have any visible face! But as he grabbed his attacker's wrists, his expression suddenly turned to an unimpressed scowl. "Sean . . . !" he scolded.
Sean laughed, pulling Scott's coat off of his head and shoulders and straightening up. "I got you good," he smirked. "Admit it!"
Elliott shook his head, reaching for the black cloth. "We're supposed to be chasing that crook," he said, "not playing pranks!"
"For all I knew, you were the crook," Sean said with a much-too-innocent look.
Elliott looked away, unable to hide the snicker.
"Aha!" Sean declared. "You found it funny after all!"
"Sure," Elliott said over his shoulder as he walked past, "now that I think back on it. But we're making too much noise. What if the owner comes out and starts chasing us for trespassing?"
"If we're lucky, he won't hear anything over that electronic buzz," Sean said, nodding to the blue lamp.
Elliott decided not to pursue the line of conversation. Instead, he shined his flashlight to the right. As the group of trees came to an end, a clearing leading to a quiet pond was visible. In the distance, another mountain stood by, its silhouette standing out against the night sky.
"What's this thing?" Sean frowned as he came over, twanging a red cord stretching across the clearing and to another group of trees along the bank of the pond.
Elliott blinked, stepping back as the cord vibrated.
"It looks like a clothesline," another voice said from behind them.
Both men whirled to see Scott and Barry coming over, tired and empty-handed. But Scott still managed an amused smirk as he pushed his hat back on his head.
"You know what those are, right, Sean?" he continued. "There's even still some New York neighborhoods where they're stretching from one apartment to another. Like, I don't know, our own."
"Usually they're white," Sean shot back. "Or brown."
Elliott chuckled, holding out Scott's coat. His closest friend took it, gratefully pulling his arms into the sleeves. With their location directly below some of the Eastern mountains, the temperature in the middle of the night was a bit chilly---even in summer.
"How did you manage to get this away from him?" Scott asked. "I was chasing him for ages."
"He had to play a joke before I could get it back," Elliott said, managing to keep a straight face this time.
Barry shook his head. "And the suspect escaped us," he frowned. "If he hasn't tried scaling one of the mountains, he must be hiding in the trees."
"Okay then!" Sean said. "We'll split up and cover more ground. And climb trees if we have to. Barry, you come with me and . . ."
But he trailed off as something rubbed against his leg. He stiffened, looking down at a black-and-white cat. It purred, rubbing against him again.
Elliott burst out laughing. "Did you think that was the crook?" he asked.
"It could have been," Sean defended himself.
The cat just meowed, proceeding to greet the other three in the same manner. Scott bent down to pet it.
"Well, at least the cat doesn't think we're trespassing," he said.
"It's probably grateful that we've come to get the real intruder," Sean said, regaining his composure.
Scott chuckled, walking over to Elliott. "We'll look up there," he said, indicating a bridge up ahead.
"And we'll go to the left," Sean said, eying the trees in that direction. "When you and El are done, try heading to the pond if you haven't got the guy."
"Okay," Scott agreed. He walked ahead, waiting while Elliott caught up to him. Then they crossed the bridge, glancing at the water running underneath it.
"It must go to the pond," Scott said.
Elliott nodded. "This place is fascinating," he said, his eyes wide in awe as he glanced around. There was still a canopy over this part, the trees on both sides of the clearing interlocking at the top. Stars peeked from between branches and leaves, glistening on the two friends.
"Watch it!" Scott exclaimed.
Elliott gave a start, throwing his hands out just in time to avoid ramming into a picnic table. He stepped back, staring both at it and at a second one nearby. "It's like a private park!" he declared. "Can you imagine what it'd be like to have a picnic here?"
Scott grinned. "It'd be great," he said. "But getting back to our mission, that creep's probably in the trees. We'd better get over there too." He looked to the left with a frown. Had something rustled in there? Maybe it was just the wind. . . .
Elliott had heard it too. He frowned at the dark trunks as he turned to head their way. "He might be planning an attack," he worried.
"Hopefully he just wants to escape," Scott said. "But if we corner him, he still might attack." He sighed. "I just hope he doesn't go into the grove. . . ."
Elliott blinked. "Grove?" he repeated.
Scott nodded. "They have fruit trees here," he said. "The guy who lives in that house is the caretaker."
They stepped into the woods, regarding their surroundings with fascination and unease all at once. Would the creep leap out at them without warning? It would be so easy to hide in here; the trunks looked black and foreboding. The moonlight twisted what was visible of their shadows until it looked like an army of wraiths were extending their claws to grab the hapless duo.
"I'm not sure I'd want to come here on Halloween night," Elliott said.
A twig snapped.
". . . I think I broke it," Scott said. He moved his foot back, revealing the twig in two pieces.
"Just as long as it's you or me breaking it," Elliott said.
They went deeper into the trees. It was unsettling that their shadows were not very visible; it looked like now and then part of one could be seen where a bit of light filtered through, but the only real assurance that they were not alone was to keep glancing at each other. Then they relaxed, continuing their search.
Scott nearly jumped out of his shoes when he turned a bit later and no one was there.
"El?!" he hissed. "Where are you?!"
But Elliott did not reappear. Scott whirled, looking behind him. Elliott must have gotten confused and taken the other path, winding to the trees just to the right. Yet there was no sign of a flashlight beam.
Scott tried to swallow his worry. Maybe the battery had gone dead. Or maybe Elliott was stalking their suspect and could not afford the extra light to betray his presence. The blond crept forward, looking among the trees.
"El!" he whispered, slightly raising his voice. Elliott could not have gone far, but there was still no reply. It was impossible not to be concerned. "Elliott!"
He pulled out his communicator. Should he send a message to Elliott? If his friend was following the suspect, the communicator going off would be a very bad thing. On the other hand, what if Elliott was wandering aimlessly through the trees? He would welcome hearing from Scott then.
At last he slipped the device back into his pocket. He would search a bit longer. But now, instead of going to the right, he had an urge to turn left. He squinted through the trees. Somewhere ahead, amid all the black trunks, was one lone, light-colored object. Scott frowned. It had to be a trunk too, right? If he let his imagination run away with him, it could almost resemble a spectre. And that was the last thing they needed right now.
He moved closer, letting the light from the moon and stars guide him as he beamed his flashlight at suspicious shadows. But there was nothing other than the trees and rocks. And something hanging from the light-colored thing was slowly moving in the breeze. . . .
"A homemade swing," he realized. Then it had to be a trunk. He shook his head, creeping closer.
And the color drained from his face. A body was laying at the foot of the tree. He ran over, swinging the beam onto the form. The light captured dark brown, almost black, curls. "El!" he cried out in horror, dropping to his knees.
Setting the flashlight to the side, Scott gently turned Elliott onto his back. The other man fell into position, his expression pained. But his chest was rising and falling, his breathing normal. Scott let out a sigh of relief as he pulled Elliott's upper body into his arms. "Wake up, El," he encouraged. He reached up, feeling along the back of Elliott's head for injuries. He winced as he located a bump.
"That creep," he growled.
Elliott groaned, stirring in Scott's embrace. ". . . W-what happened?" he mumbled, burrowing against Scott's shoulder.
Scott moved to help Elliott get adjusted. "It looks like that guy conked you," he said, a bit of anger slipping into his voice.
Elliott flinched. "I guess he did," he said. "I don't remember much, but something came down on my head. . . ."
Scott shuddered. "Just rest for a few minutes, El," he said. "Then we'll get back on his trail."
Elliott gave a slight sigh, relaxing into the caring hug. "I hope he doesn't go into the grove," he said, deliberately echoing Scott's earlier comment.
"I hope he doesn't either," Scott said with a weak chuckle.
no subject
X3
Oooh fun. X3 That does sound really hard to get chosen! But yay for your picture going on tour!
**nodnod.** Some people wonder if seeing those giant birds are how the stories of the Thunderbirds started. o.o **found the article about them while looking up stuff on Thunderbirds.**
**shivers.** That would be really frightening and unsettling! I wonder if there's patches in Bryce Canyon that are that dark....
no subject
I'll bet there are! If you're away from the city, and you've got tall groves of trees, there's really nothing to provide light with the trees blocking out a lot of the moon/starlight. And if there's no moon, then even if you did have stars but no trees, it would be really dark! I don't think the stars actually provide very much light by themselves. Any scene you see in a movie at night would be at *least* ten times darker if it was in real life. It's not too hard to navigate in more open areas, but as soon as you get into the trees, you'd really have to be careful.
no subject
**nodnod.** I don't *think* there were lots of trees that would be that clustered together; we weren't in the grove, just in the area described in the blurb. But I didn't get out because of the allergy/cold, so I just observed and got plunnied from in the car. X3 **had to make up the number of trees Scott and El went through.** And there was a big moon coming up, so that was a factor too.
no subject