First Campaigner Challenge: Tainted

This is my entry to the First Campaigner Challenge. Here are the rules:

Write a short story/flash fiction story in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, including a poem. Begin the story with the words, “Shadows crept across the wall”. These five words will be included in the word count.

If you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional), do one or more of these:

• end the story with the words: "everything faded." (also included in the word count) (Check)

• include the word "orange" in the story

• write in the same genre you normally write (Check)
  

• make your story 200 words exactly!

Tainted

Shadows crept across the wall and along the floor, attaching to clawed feet and thick tails that scraped along the ground. Arre watched her kin pass. She wouldn’t take part in the search for survivors. A shudder ran along her spine; the creatures were like mirror images of herself. Stunted wings folded against drawn skin, black tongues writhing in their maws, awaiting the taste of flesh.

What a distorted, hated being she’d become, marred by the use of tainted magic. One time wouldn’t affect her, she had thought. She’d protected her village from the onslaught of monsters, but they never stopped coming. Each time she changed a little, until she became one of them.

She opened her maw wide, wishing she could devour herself and end her cursed existence.

Rays of light flowed along the earth, bouncing off the armor of a hired warrior. She’d killed him. Even he had failed to defeat her, not once had the blade touched her. Awkwardly her clawed fingers curled around the blade’s handle. She lifted it, pressed the tip against her chest, shifted it a little to the left.

Relief mingled with pain rushed through her. Everything faded.

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If you enjoyed the story, please like it here. I'm number 163.

Tag!

I got tagged by Colleen Chen. Here are my answers to her questions.

1. If you had to change your name, what would you change it to?
I like Kyllikki, Mielikki and Mansikki, but those are traditional Finnish cow names… I’d go with Annikki, though it ends with –ikki, it’s not a cow name.

2. Which Greek or Roman (or other culture's mythological) deity would you be (either who you'd like to be or who you most resemble)?
Mielikki, the Finnish goddess of woods (yes, also a traditional cow name).

3. Would you like to marry a Vulcan?
I’m not sure how boyfriend would react if I said yes, so I’ll have to say no. Plus I kinda prefer elves.

4. Would you choose immortal life with the elves, or a human, mortal life with the one you love and a child-to-be?
Hmm… I want kids to brainwash into reading. I’ll have to go with the mortal life.

5. If you had to write fan fiction, what fictional world would you choose to write in?
My brain asploded. So many to choose from... Let's say Fillory from
The Magicians and Magician King by Lev Grossman. The place is so messed up I could do almost anything with it.

6. Do you believe in any conspiracy theories?
No *shifty eyes*, should I?

7. What do you consider your best quality?
I am kind and caring.

8. What do you consider your worst quality?
I am often too kind and sensitive. I’m no doormat anymore, but I still have the feeling that the world ends if someone gets angry at me.

9. Do you ever feel over-exposed on your blog?
I’ve posted mostly stories so far, so not yet.

10. If you were to reincarnate, what would you like to be?
A lap dog. My coton de tulear has it easy, she just sleeps, eats and begs for more food.

11. What is your biggest pet peeve?
I have trouble composing my thoughts in a coherent sentence when trying to comment on blogs. I try to say what the post makes me feel, but all I get is ”eeerr…ummm…uhh…” and the like.

I’m a bit late and everyone is probably busy with the first task so I’m not tagging anyone. If someone wants my 11 questions just ask and I’ll give them.