Brothers Asunder Sneak Peek

Starting tomorrow night, Brothers Asunder will begin! For anyone that missed the sneak peeks we (PL1 and myself) released, we'll have both posted in this journal entry. 

Also, you can check out the daily excerpts from Sam of Wellwood for a bit more in depth look at the upcoming story!

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First sneak peek:

You’ll never see your brother again… this time I’ll make sure of it.

An owl hooted in the cool night air.

Tears ran grimy streaks down Sam’s cheeks. He huddled against the trunk of a tree, trying to hide as far back in the shadows as he could. The silence was only broken by the occasional sob.

Every shadow that crossed his line of sight sent a jagged spike of icy fear up his back. Leaves wafted in an invisible breeze, an idyllic, innocent scene rendered foreboding by his current circumstances.

He didn’t know exactly how big he was, but he definitely wasn’t the size he’d been before the attack.

A leaf fluttered down from the canopy above. It landed next to Sam, rustling gently in the air. The leaf alone was broad enough to block him from sight.

Young shoots of grass poking up out of the dirt were taller than he was.

With shaking, hesitant hands, Sam gripped the edge of the leaf tight and pulled it close. A cry hiccuped in his chest.

The green leaf formed a canopy of his own over his head. Sam scrunched back against the thick bark, using his leaf as a makeshift tent to hide from the sight of any nearby predators. A strident breeze tried to pull it from his grasp, but he persevered. White knuckles clenched tight.

Those animals lurking out in the forest were huge. He couldn’t even risk getting up to see where he was.

The owl hooted its call across the branches once more and Sam shut his eyes.

Dean, where are you?

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Second sneak peek:

“Now let him go or I’ll make you regret it!” Sam shouted up, false bravado covering up the fear in his voice. His hazel eyes were hard and determined. His knees remained slightly bent, ready to leap out of the way if the human snatched at him.

Jacob’s eyebrows shot up. “Woah, woah,” he said, trying to head off the fear and nerves directed at him. He didn’t want to terrorize the little guys. His curiosity kept his hand wrapped securely around the winged one, despite the tiny kicks twitching against his palm and the bitty hands pushing on his knuckles. “I’m not gonna hurt anyone,” Jacob insisted.

He kept his eyes on the little swordsman even as the winged guy barked out a laugh at him. The little jacket had some kind of designs in the hem and the sleeves, and there was a similar design along the side seam of the pants tucked into those boots. He definitely looked like a swordsman right out of a novel, and Jacob wondered what the cape-like attachment fixed to the side of the jacket was for.

“Seriously, I’m just trying to figure out what’s going on here,” Jacob tried again. “Why don’t you have wings, too?” He reached down towards the little guy, trying to keep his hand lower to avoid that sword if he could. It might be tiny, but it looked sharp.

Bowman, twisted around to keep an eye on his adopted brother, felt his frantic heart speed up even more. “Sam!”

Sam’s eyes went wide at the size of the hand as it swept towards him and he almost went to stumble backwards instead of stay in the forms Scar had taught him. The sprite’s lessons focused on methods to take on animals bigger than the sprites.

The enemy is strong, and he is dangerous. But he will be strong and dangerous whether we cower and doubt ourselves or fly out to meet him.

Sam’s nerves solidified and he lunged forward with his sword to meet the human’s grab on his own terms.

The slash with the rapier met flesh, slicing across the human’s hand at the same time as Sam leapt out of the way of the grab. He was bulkier than any sprite, but light and spry on his feet after training for a good portion of his life. The lightweight boots and uniform helped him move like a leaf, designed for the sprites so they could swoop and dodge and not be hindered by the fabric.

Jacob’s hand moved too fast for Sam to completely avoid with a leap. To his shock and eternal consternation, he found himself landing on the back of the human’s massive hand. The flesh gave slightly under his boots and his heart pounded.

Jacob winced and sucked in a breath of pain. He lifted his hand up and away from the ground again, surprised by how fast the little guy was. He’d thought for sure he’d be able to draw his hand back if that little sword swung at him. Already there was a stinging cut on the back of his hand near his thumb, an inch or two long. But Jacob wasn’t looking at the cut.

He was staring in shock at the little fighter standing on the back of his hand.

He hadn’t even noticed the tiny boots landing there in his haste to get his hand away from the threat. Now, he wasn’t safe from the threat, but he did have the little guy more or less in hand. He kept himself as steady as he could to avoid tipping the little guy right off the side, and stared openly. “Woah,” he breathed, in awe at the dexterity just displayed to him. “Holy shit.”

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And of course, check out the wonderful art of spritely!Sam done by LaEscritora!