Present Day..
Bijou kicked up dust as she walked. There was a village in the distant and Bijou could see its warm light glowing, blending with the night sky. The dust went up in tiny clouds and quickly blew into the soft wind. It was a warm night, and Bijou could hear the roar of laughter, the jamboree of sounds, and the trample of feet as they moved to the music. It had been quite some time since Bijou last conversant with another human and she was looking forward to the interaction; she had missed the company of others.
She fingered some coins that were in her pockets, pondering what she’d make a purchase of. She thought she would just buy a few drinks, throw up a conversation with someone at the pub and walk away, leaving satisfied yet still clothed in mystery. She stopped just on the outskirts of the town, looking in. People of every unique style adorned the streets. Every door to every building was opened and there, could be found a ring of brothers, talking up a storm with a mug of ale held carelessly in their hands. Bijou smiled as she continued, passerby’s gently knocking into her shoulders.
She passed a gathering of townsfolk that were all caught up in a routine dance. Their laughter caused them to double over, messing up their steps. Ale was tipping out of glasses, and ladies fell swiftly into their partners’ arms. The bunch of them seemed to be enjoying themselves; there was even couples sharing blissful kisses under the moonlight.
Bijou smirked, “I need to come around here more often.”
As Bijou came to a stop in front of a pub the ground felt a little funny. She brushed it away, thinking it was only the steps of the dancers, but as she climbed the stairs she picked up on a weird change in the noises that were all around here. The laughter that was once there was beginning to dim down and be replaced by what sounded like hooves pounding on ground. Horses were coming.
Bijou turned around and her eyes focused on a herd of horses galloping towards the village. It started as a bubbling silhouette but soon the cumbersome bodies broke through the blackness and were on full speed, nostrils flared, headed straight for them. Bijou’s festive mood quickly broke away and the villagers started sounding more alarmed, running in their homes, as doors started closing rapidly.
“What’s going on now?” Bijou asked herself, standing her ground.
With a rough estimate Bijou figured there were no more than twenty five horses making their way towards the city in what seemed to be a murderous approach. She wasn’t going to run. She’d had plenty of practice with taming a wild horse, and this time didn’t intimidate her any differently. She moved quickly and soon picked it up into a run; running to meet the creatures.
As she approached her head filled with the sounds of their yells. They were alarmed and some of them even started kicking up their front legs in defense. When Bijou was close enough she grabbed the mane of the closet horse and nimbly pulled herself atop; she needed to slow them down. She used her heel and kicked both sides of the horse and it responded, a little skeptical at first. She rode it into the center of the cluster and nothing else was on her mind other then to slow the beasts down. She needed to pick up speed. She needed to get ahead and lead them. She pushed her horse gaining some room between her and the herd. The village blurred passed her as she continued riding. She closed her eyes expecting to hear the splintering of wood and screams of alarm, but nothing came. She opened her eyes quickly and looked behind her. The horses were following her. She was the leader.
The horses and herself flew out of the egress, like a finish line. She didn’t stop, she needed to get them as far away as she could. She did slow down some but the rhythm of their galloping stayed steady and swift. She rode towards the moon and felt like she wouldn’t stop until she touched it. It looks like the ale and good talk would have to wait until next time she was around. This always seemed to happen. Just when she was about to enjoy something, another thing would arise and be a requiem for her dreams.
Bijou didn’t know how long it was, but her mind was dragging before she released something in the distant. It was a silhouette in the night but as the moon shone down on it she realized she’d be making a quicker stop than anticipated.
She stopped her horse, and with that, the others stopped as well. She didn’t want to bring them to close, so she decided to let them go here. She smacked the bottom of the horse she was riding and sent it in the right direction. She’d walk the rest of the way. She was having a dejavu, seeing how it hadn’t been that long since she was last approaching a village. However, this wasn’t a village. It was much bigger. It looked important, and she realized how important it was the closer she came.
“The Dome?” Bijou questioned, “What’s a place like this doing in a… place like this?”
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OoC: Alrighty! I'm ready for grading.
