By the strange title you might have guessed this is another picture prompt post.

Then again you might not have. If so, I apologize. That must have been confusing for you.

Either way, this is indeed a picture prompt post. 

So here are two, 250-word pieces I wrote to go with them. Enjoy. 🙂

This first one is featuring a new character that I’m developing in a post-Tower of Babel world. He’s a sea captain and has spent pretty much his whole life at sea, his father being one too. So of course I had to write him being clueless on land. XD

 

Boarding A Horse

“How would one…” Quinn tipped his head and squinted one eye at the horse in front of him, “… board… the horse?”

“Mount, Captain?” Nessa looked out from under her cloak hood at him.

 

“Yes, that’s the word,” he nodded, brushing the falling snowflakes out of his hair. “You did it so fast, m’lady… I wasn’t able to catch how.”

Nessa pushed her hood back and slid down off her back of her dark brown mount. Her boots landed with a soft crunch on the snow and the sword on her back rattled. “It’s simple. Watch me.” She turned and grabbed a hand on the horse’s neck, bracing herself. “Get a hold.”

 

Quinn quickly assumed Nessa’s position with his long arms and continued watching.

 

“Then just pull yourself up and swing a leg over,” Nessa’s small form was once again atop the horse before she’d finished her instructions.

 

“Ah. I see.”

 

Quinn bit his lip and tensed his muscles, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet to give more momentum for the jump. With a final leap, he nearly vaulted over the horse’s back, just managing to catch himself before sliding off the other side.

 

His horse gave him an annoyed glance, tossed her mane and chuffed a cloud of breath into the cold air.

 

Quinn smiled over at Nessa and pulled up the collar on his sailor’s coat, “Ready to sail, m’lady.”

 

“Ride, Captain.”

 

“Yes, that’s the word.”

 

Nessa pulled her hood back up to hide a smile.

*

So, yeah. I’ll be having fun with those two. 😉

And the next prompt… I was actually stuck on this one for a while. I mean, it’s a cool idea and all, but I had no idea how I would be working this into a story. 

In the end, I just decided to write about two characters who were as confused as I was. 

Mixed Messages

“Hey, I found something,” I dropped the wooden plank next to Ryder as he sat, sharpening his knife.

 

He perked up, “Clues? A trail?” the knife was back in his sheath right away and he bent to pick up the plank.

 

“It’s . . . it’s something.”

 

Turning it over, Ryder ran his dirt-stained hand across the battered, dented wood. His fingers stopped where mine had just a few minutes ago and he squinted to read the letters.

 

“’Save me’,” he read. He looked up at me with his eyebrows raised. “Awesome. We’ve got a quest. Let’s go.”

 

I nodded to the plank, “Hold on, dude. Turn it upside down.”

 

With a frown, Ryder flipped the wood in his hands and looked at the letters again. “’I’m . . . fine’.” His brow furrowed in confusion, “Wait, what?” He turned the wood over again, looking at the letters from the different angles. “What the heck is that supposed to mean? Didn’t it just say ‘Save me’?”

 

I shrugged, “Maybe it’s like a moral lesson. Y’know, like ‘I’m fine’ really means ‘Save me’? They’re in denial and refuse to admit they need help.”

 

“Or you could take that the other direction and say that everyone in danger is really fine and can deal with their own dumb problems.”

 

We both looked down at the wood again.

 

“Eh, whatever. I’m up for it,” Ryder shoved the wood into his bag, “Worst case scenario: it’s not a huge adventure. Where’d you find this?”

*

 

Adventurers for hire… I like that idea. *files it away somewhere*

Anyway, hope you enjoyed! Feel free to use the prompts yourself if you want to. 🙂

Which one did you like better? 

Please comment!

~writefury