So, here's the prompt. Use the line as a first line or incorporate it into the snippet, your choice - but the line has to be somewhere in the work. Play along at home, post your work in the comment section here or on tomorrow's post (where I will be posting my 'homework') or sit back and enjoy those that decide to take part!
Behind her, the noise escalated.
Have a great weekend!
This week's entry--The setup: Cassidy and Caleb have been dumped in the desert and left for dead by a drug cartel.
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Behind her, the noise escalated. Horrific howling and growls echoed off the walls of the sandstone canyon. Terrified of what she'd see if she turned around, Cassidy bolted. She sprinted around a blind corner and almost crashed into the fallen log blocking her way. She scrambled up on it and scampered to the highest point. Moments later, a wolf appeared, sniffing the ground. He sat on his haunches and stared up at her, his tongue lolling out the side of his muzzle. Cassidy had read somewhere that you didn't stare down a wolf so she averted her eyes. Hysterics weren't far away and she clung to the last thread of calm left in her body. After a long moment, the wolf disappeared back the way it had come.
She didn't know how long she clung to the dead branches but someone was coming now--someone who didn't seem worried about being quiet since he was whistling a jaunty tune. Moments later, Caleb appeared. He stared up at her, hands jammed into his pockets, hair touseled, and very much alive.
"Oh my god, you survived?" Guilt washed over her. She'd checked his pulse and found none. She shook her head. He'd tracked her across the desert. At night. "How the hell did you find me? Never mind, listen, get up here. There are wolves around here and one of them was just here a little while ago." Adrenaline had her talking a mile a minute. "You...I guess you saved my life so thanks and...I like you, despite your utter uselessness in a fight, and I don't want you to be dinner for wolves."
Caleb offered a lop-sided grin that reminded her a little too much of the wolf. "If I come up, then what will that accomplish? If you come down, you won't be here when they come back and form a giant wolfen pyramid to get you out of there. So come on down and lets get out of here."
Cassidy stared at him. Her brow furrowed as she tried to make sense of that. "A...giant wolfen pyramid?" The thought of wolves standing on each others bacls was too much for her to handle; she started laughing. And that helped the stress from being left to die a lot. "You've got the weirdest sense of humor of any man I've ever known, Caleb."
Great scene, Silver. I haven't been paying close attention, but are these Caleb scenes spun from a book you're working on? Because if they are, I can't wait to read it. =o)
DeleteThey are, mostly. Caleb is the hero in my current WIP. I'm using these snippets to get into his head--and Cassidy's, the heroine. If the first book in the series doesn't sell to NY (it's been out there almost a year now), I hope to have the first three in the series written so I can go with Plan B this fall.
DeleteI can't imagine why stuff this good has been out there a year and not sold. But Yay! for plan B. =o)
DeleteJust hasn't landed on the right desk at the right time when the right editor was sitting there.
DeleteI'm really starting to get attached to Caleb - dark, sexy, fun-loving - oh, yeah, we're going to need a lot more of him, Silver!!
ReplyDeleteI loved the vision of the wolf with his tongue hanging out (could so easily picture that) and the comparison with Caleb's lopsided grin - well done - beautiful scene painted yet again with your words :)
I'm really attached to Caleb, too. ;) Guess it shows, huh?
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