New Story- Firebird

*picture doesn’t have anything to do with the story. I couldn’t find the one I really wanted to use. So enjoy him. And enjoy the new story. I’d love to hear what you think Rue sees when he opens his eyes. It’s a futuristic/sci-fi story. I wrote it late last night, so I’m sorry if it seems disjointed. :)*

Firebird copyright (c) 2006 T.A. Chase

Part One-

Hanging from the tree, waiting for darkness to fall gave Rue a lot of time to contemplate his life. He’d made tons of mistakes in the twenty some years he’d lived, but his biggest had to be stowing away on the cargo ship. It was the only option left to him. He really needed to leave Way Station Nine before security caught him.

He rested his head against the tree truck and prayed there weren’t any ants or insects living in the bark. Insects and his naked body just didn’t mix. And he was naked. Damn those guys. They took his clothes and left his naked ass tied to a tree waiting for some fucking huge animal to come and eat him alive. They were pretty graphic about what would happen to him.

So maybe his biggest mistake wasn’t stowing away on the cargo ship. It might have been offering to do whatever the captain wanted as long as he could stay aboard. And he meant anything, even if it was sexual. Unlucky for him, the captain was a Castan from the planet Casta, one of those places where gay anything was frowned upon to the extent that two men caught touching in any way could be killed. Lucky for Rue, the captain didn’t feel like killing him at least right away. The Castan was into torture, Rue guessed because waiting until the big animals arrived to kill him was driving him insane.

The undergrowth rustled and Rue hugged the tree tighter. His mother had always said only the smart died young, so he’d figured he was destined to live forever. Yet somehow there was a miscommunication with his gods and they abandoned him to his gruesome death. A totally unrelated thought popped into his head. The ugly birthmark on his back was really beginning to itch. He wished there was some way he could scratch it, but his arms had been fastened to the tree with ropes and he couldn’t move. His arms were numb.

Whatever was in the bushes moved closer. Rue shut his eyes and started praying. “God, if you’re out there, please save me. I promise no more stealing or whoring. No more taking advantage of blind beggars and cripples. I’ll go to Temple every Holy day.”

He was babbling, but hell, the gods should be used to people ignoring them until the person praying needed to be saved. He thumped his forehead against the tree. Maybe praying now wasn’t a good idea. The gods had no reason to help him out. He wasn’t exactly a shining example of a good person. He tried to shrug. What did the gods expect? His parents abandoned him on the streets when he was five. He survived any way possible. Maybe it wasn’t following the golden road to the Heavens, but he didn’t go hungry too often.

A sound caught his ear. The creature stalking him had stepped into the clearing. This was it. He was going to be ripped to shreds without anyone anywhere mourning his passing. Warm breath brushed over his neck and he bent his head forward. He offered his naked neck, hoping for a quick death. The scent filling his nose wasn’t that of an animal. It was a strange combination of musk and orange. A finger or claw-he didn’t know which one-traced the outline of his birthmark.

A crazy urge came over him to beg his soon-to-be killer to scratch his back. He laughed wildly. The things you think about when you’re about to die. His own breath caught in his chest as the creature moved to stand where Rue could see it, if his eyes were open.

“Open your eyes.”

The order came as such a shock that Rue’s eyes popped open without a thought from him. Rue was happy he was tied to the tree because he would have fallen over in shock at the sight greeting him.

11 Responses “New Story- Firebird”

  1. S. W. Vaughn says:

    Oh — a new story! How delightful!

    Gotta tear myself away from my work more often. Going to read part two now!

  2. T.A.Chase says:

    Cathy,

    Yep he’s a scrapper. Have you ever seen Ladyhawke with Matthew Brodrick, Rugter Haur and Michelle Phiffer? I have to admit that while Rue was praying to his gods, I kept seeing Matthew Broderick’s character Mouse while he was digging his way out of the jail. lol

    I think his hero is going to be good as well. A world-weary warrior whose retreated from the universe and its conflicts. 🙂

  3. Anonymous says:

    Rue, hmmmm
    I can hardly wait for him to open his eyes
    and he is a survivor and scrapper isnt he- this is going to be a fun story.
    cathy

  4. T.A.Chase says:

    Robin,

    Great. Hearing that you want to read more gives me an incentive to write more about Rue and his intriguing adventures.

    I think sci-fi and sexy men are the perfect combination. 🙂

  5. T.A.Chase says:

    Paige,

    why do you think I chose this genre? 😉

  6. Robin says:

    Sci-Fi and sexy men, can’t beat that! Can’t wait to read more!

  7. Paige Burns says:

    Be still my heart! You know I have a soft spot for sci-fi you wittle wascal!

  8. T.A.Chase says:

    Hey Jenna..I’m always glad to give Tuesdays meaning for you.

  9. T.A.Chase says:

    CK..I think you’re pretty much right. Not sure about the outdoorsy part though. I’m thinking the person Rue sees might be more of the warrior type. But we’ll have to wait and see.

    I haven’t decided yet whether I’ll be posting a new scene Tuesdays and Thursdays again or just going back to Tuesdays. Guess we’ll have to wait until Thursday to see. lol

  10. Jenna Howard says:

    Ooooh….a new story!

    Yay! Tuesdays have meaning again!

  11. Celia Kyle says:

    Oooooh! I bet he sees a big hunk of outdoorsy manly goodness. Complete with the naked rippling chest. Right? *oh, please say i’m right* Can’t wait for more. Are you sticking with the same schedule with this story or are we going to be praying for Tuesday to come around from now on?

    CK

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