The road splits. His mind spun trying to think where the paths took him… no time! The left fork has a cart up ahead; Might mean hiding... might mean capture he turned down the right in a flash. It didn’t matter where he went; right now all that mattered was that he went and got there with haste.

He could feel them reaching out searching for him. The air sizzled around him with magic seeking him out. “(Catch phase expletive)” He curses to himself cutting hard off the road straight into the thick evergreens. The sparse undergrowth made moving quick. He wove through the trees making sure there was no clear line of sight from him to the road. The energy around him changes prompting an instinctive jump to the side. He turned to change directions as the brilliant flash exploded the ground where he would have been running.

Now they lost the drop on him, armatures. They should have known better than to try one rouge attack against him. Grasping hold of the thread of energy from the bolt he traced it back to the one who sent it. Now he knew where his attacker was. He doubles back looping tightly around a tree. He puts all his energy into sprinting at the attacker still recovering from the effort of casting the bolt.
“Never expend more energy than you have time to recover from”
He throws his fist towards the attacker’s chest. In the closing foot of distance the air rushing before his fist crystallizes as the water vapor is flash frozen. His fist pulls short of striking his attacker’s light armor as the ice wedge formed in front of his fist continues slamming through the man exploding within him as it crashes through his sternum. The attacker falls to his knees stunned fear frozen in his eyes as he slumps in a heap to his side.


“I don’t have time for this!”

He continues dashing through the trees sensing that his attacker was ahead of the group he pulls as much of his mind away from his running as he can spare fixating on hiding himself from their prying energy. With his lead on the group he might be able to loose them if he can just manage a few more miles distance while hiding his aura.

An arrow spun him rushing him against a pine trunk. His concentration breaks as he spins his head trying to regain his bearings and to track down the arrows source. Then he finds it… a child… a boy no more than fifteen he spins his head again at the sound of brush. The boy had been shooting at a deer. He hadn’t even noticed the hunt and had rushed head long into the arrows path. The boy began rushing to him crying out his remorse. The last thing he needed, someone noticing him, slowing him down.

“Sir! Sir! Gods be with me Sir! I’m sorry! I didn’t see you. Are you alright?” The boy ran his words together in his frantic rush.

He had no time for this; no time at all. He grasped the arrow shaft and began slowly drawing it out of the side of right shoulder the flesh closing and mending as he pushed his magic into himself through the arrow. The boy began to object telling him it was best to leave it till they could find a healer to take it out. He simply hushed the boy with one open hand as he finished his task. The only evidence of the wound left was a scab and blood stain. He used enough effort to close the wound not enough to make it pretty. Now onto the more pressing matter, what to do with this boy?

He took only a moment to look the child up and down ragged cloths made of various hides, a home made bow, dirty hair and face. No one would miss the boy if he dispatched him quickly and made his escape…but that is what he was running from.

Boy! Do you have a family? He demanded more than he asked. The boy shook his head still awestruck by the feat of healing just witnessed. “Who do you live with?” The boy just shook his head again casting his eyes to his dirty feet. It was decided then, he couldn’t leave the boy to be questioned and he couldn’t stand to dispatch this innocent one. The boy would come with him. The energy from healing himself on top of all the day’s events had sapped him. He knew he only had a few miles more worth of running in him left… if that.

“Take me to where you sleep boy I need to rest,” He ordered, “and with haste!”

The boy sprung to his feet from where he’d been squatting offering a hand to the injured man he’d just shot, only to find the man already on his feet waiting to move the direction the boy started off in.

“Th...This way, Sir,” he stuttered starting off at a jog.

“Faster!” the man demanded, nearly running on the boys heels.
They quickened the pace to a sprint; dashing between the trees as if a panther was on their heels. What was on the man’s heels was much worse.

He sat up in a start as the dawn light filtered into the cave. He tried to blink the sleep out of his eyes trying to focus on his surroundings. Memory of the previous day flooded his mind. His body caught up with his mind the ache of the fighting and running made his muscles tight and stiff in the morning air.

The boy turned from his small cooking fire deeper in the back of the cave where eons ago a now extinct rock mole had drilled its way into the cave, making a perfect chimney for the smoke.

“Are you hungry, Sir? I don’t have much to offer a man such as you but the trout were biting this morning and I was able to steal a few eggs from a fissure lizard’s nest. The boy had been watching over the man through the night standing guard against a threat he didn’t even know.


---------------------------------------------
Notes:
Heavy criticism welcomed and encouraged.
The basic outline of the entire story(novel) is outlined in my head but HOW things get from point A to point B I have no ideas i let the story write itself. None of the characters are names as of this time.
I don't like the Tense I am using
Last Edit: Fixed problems with spacing

Not sure what time frame this story takes place in. I think it is in the past from mentioning the lizard eggs, but you then discuss special powers like bolts of energy. Might make it easier to envision if this was clearer.

Some lines seem written in language from the past, and other lines not so much. You build up suspense and I am now wondering what happens next. I look forward to reading more.

Thank you for the input I will address those issues and try to work on some more for an Update.

I like your story, there are some very interesting points to it, I think maybe if you include his name. Somewhere. I guess maybe it will come up in the next paragraph or two of the continuation I suppose. The tense your using is good, not sure what is missing though, I would have to see the continuation to tell what it is. I think maybe your runner, should somehow show this boy the kind of person he is, a man of integrity or a man of thievery or a man of honesty, or the wizard or magic user he is in a sort of educational manner. If he is to be wise, show his wisdom by perhaps befreinding this boy for whatever reason he may have to do so. show a bit of his inner workings out of how he comes to his conclusion about this young man. Maybe show the young adults true nature, if it be wizard worthy. And go from there. These two have a certain sort of relationship here all ready forming, the young man helped him, the wizard did not kill him, but what is the real reason he did so, not only to save his life but for what other reason, or is there one. will we see this young man in the story continuing or will he only be in the first chapter, and if so, will he make a reappearance to save our wizard freind? just some thoughts.

lilwick - WOW Thank you so much for this awesome list of questions for me to answer and help drive the story in the direction i foresee it. Thank you, again, when i have time to sit and write next I will certainly be referring to this post of yours for inspiration.

Anytime, I have been a writer and poet for a long time, if you need anymore help, please feel free to ask. And no, I will never ever steal any part or idea from your story, you have my word, and I give it before everyone. I am a teacher as well, I have judged many poetry contests in the past. If you need any help, just drop me a messege. I may also be able to give you some resources to turn to both written and internet for you to use in developing your story. For instance, for basic purposes, have you ever read the The Fantasy Fiction Resource Book? I believe that is what is called, I will look it up again the next time I go to the library. There is also the Encyclopedia of Vampires and other monsters for great historical facts as well as facts about many many monsters and other creatures and peoples as well as movies. As far as online, wikipedia is fun, but don't take all of it to heart, I look at wikipedia as a form of entertainment more than a source of certain kinds of information.

Honestly, I didn't read it all, but you have a lot talent. It's even hard to make a critical remark, because it was so good.
peace

Is it alright to simply dump the reader into the situation in the beginning and then introduce and explain things as the story unfolds?