At the beginning of these ten stories (they should be numbered inside the story) is a short paragraph that has nothing to do with the plot of the story or the series, but it ties in with it all the same. They are meant as an inspiration, or just an introduction to the story at hand.
I categorized this with Ronon because he helped the warrior come from his battered planet and into the life that Ronon lived before he found the Atlantis crew, which is covered in the series. The warrior is the main character of this series, but Ronon is still a guiding force throughout, until General Jack O'Neill enters the warrior's life and begins to have the same role. The warrior never has a name, only a rank, which you will find later on. Many of these stories are very short, which is why I could probably go more than ten, but I probably won't. Enjoy! read and review please
Life at the end of the World1/10
Search through the past to find yourself and remember your mistakes. Learn from your memories what not to do. This may go beyond your instincts, but those are what failed you before. Cage the animal inside and guide your inner self outward until it can expand no longer. Let this spirit fly to war, then let your animal free and watch Hell reign on Titan.
The fight had just ended and Titan was a barren wasteland. He stood, sword drawn, for a long time, letting the breeze flow through his long hair that waved beside him like a victory flag. He had survived the epic battle between Good and Evil.
He put his sword back into the sheath at his side. Only the handle showed, revealing a sign of garnet on the very end. It was this that had saved him. Garnet was blood red, and the General told them to put the end of the handle, which was removable, on their chest when they fell. This had kept him alive when he fell, and now, here he stood, a witness to the horrors of war. He had seen the Angel of Death, the Angel of Light, and false darkness due to magical fires, which were really souls flying to Judgment from civilian area that were bombed in the dead of night. Now, the remains were just shadows, pigments of his imagination.
He knew he had to move, to find food, water, and shelter. He was a lone survivor, but he was smart. He began to walk away from the valley, now an empty field of Death, and towards the mountains, a permanent shelter, away from the horrors he had just faced. Once there, he listened for animals as he stood on a ledge, but all were gone. The planet was lifeless, except for him, the warrior, the one who now faced darker challenges, consequences of demolishing a planet of God.
In the dead of night, the last of the fires burned aw and one lone soul floated upwards. Stars began to shine through the heavy blanket of clouds, and as awakened, but not from a pleasant dream like in his early days, but in sheer terror, the kind that only was could bring on. He desired companionship, or the sight of a living person, but the days of seeing any man who was not damaged slipped away from him during the final battle. Loneliness replaced the blanket of clouds, and as the sun rose from behind him, one lone, distant bird sang, hesitantly at first, then loudly, awakening the warrior soon enough to see it fly away. He banged his fist into his hand in anger. He needed food, and roots probably would not sustain him. Most plants were dead, damaged, or poisoned b the enemy. It would be hard for him to not eat, but it would be harder for him to father the plants, or fight off the poisons lurking beneath their leaves. He was confused and starving on his first day alone, the first of many.
Noon arrived with a vengeance. Rays from the sun beat upon the barren landscape, and the air, once broken with the sounds of war, was now still, silent, and unfamiliar. The warrior was at a river now, but the water was not for him. Instead of being clear and flowing, it was red and halted with the blood from the fallen ones. His only hope would be run off from the mountains, but he was growing weaker, and soon he would not be able to climb at all. But he was a fighter, a warrior, and he was going to fight Death until the end.
Night, oh sweet night, he thought. Silence continued like a bad song that seems and feels never-ending, but he listened eagerly, praying that it would never end, but it would, he knew. He had been in times of peace before, but they were always broken. On a planet as vast as Titan, nothing was certain.
As soon as morning broke, a new sound filled his ears. It was rain, the first storm of the new season. He was happy to feel the water upon him, and he collected as much as possible until the storm ended. He then drank a tin sip. A slight grin formed on his face. He had beaten the system and quenched his thirst, but his stomach growled loudly in the still, moist air. He now had to find food before it was too late.
He hiked onto a ledge and picked some berries, but remembered their poison and threw them into the day. He climbed higher and found a shrub with edible leaves. He munched hungrily then climbed down to his cave. He then heard another chirp from a bird, and he found where the bird was nesting. Four eggs sat in a nest. Then the mother of the bird attacked him, and he was forced to kill the poor creature. He took the eggs and the bird back to the cave, made a fire, and cooked them all. After he finished eating, he cleaned up his sword. As the sun set in his face, he did a nightly prayer and saved himself from his sins of murder and wrath. Then he looked to the stars and witnessed a meteor shower. Little did he know, this was the first sign that he would not be alone for long.
The sky cleared slowly, and the lifting fog revealed the battered landscape and the sadness of the now lonely planet. But something else existed among the remaining forest, but he was not sinister. He was a runner, someone who could rescue our warrior from his predicament, someone who was in an equal amount of danger.
The met at noon, when they crossed each other▓s plane of vision. Both warriors met each other in the middle of the field. Out of respect, the runner put down a weapon that was strange to the warrior, but he saw it as a peace sign and removed his sword. Both were curious about each other, and both were afraid to speak, but the runner pulled himself together and eventually spoke.
⌠What happened here? You▓re the only one left,■ the runner whispered.
⌠A war,■ replied the warrior. The runner nodded in understanding.
⌠And you▓re the only survivor of an entire war?■ he questioned. The warrior nodded. ⌠Well, in a few hours the people after me will find me, and all Hell will break loose. You better come with me.■
⌠Where will you take me?■
⌠Away from here until I find somewhere suitable to leave you. I know this is bad timing, and obviously I don▓t look like someone you▓d run away with, but you need to trust me.■
⌠Who▓s after you?■ the warrior inquired.
⌠A group of people called the Wraith. They feed on humans, but they are humans, affected by a virus. When they come here, they will kill you, or take you hostage, which is what happened to me. I had to run to get away, so I▓m called a runner,■ he said hurriedly. A rumbling was then heard. ⌠Damn it, they▓re already here!■ the runner yelled over the noise. ⌠Trust me and come on!■
The warrior and the runner then ran into the cave and trekked deep inside. They hid within a crevice, weapons drawn.
⌠When they get here, stab them between the eyes. They▓ll be here soon, so be ready,■ the runner commanded quietly, barely stirring an echo in the tiny room. The warrior nodded to his command and stood at ready. This would not be his first battle, and he knew from this unlikely person that he would be in many more in the future.
Footsteps. They were odd-sounding to the warrior, but the runner knew who was approaching: the Wraith. Two approached, weapon drawn, but both the warrior and the runner achieved a hit, and the creatures fell in front of them.
⌠More will be here soon, so get a good look now,■ the runner said quietly. The warrior nodded and poked at the bodies. Both were strange, just like the runner, the warrior thought. The weapon he had scared him when it was first fired. It seemed powerful and it scared him, but when the next group of Wraith moved in, the runner▓s weapon became valuable and the warrior decided that he was in debt to the runner, and that he should follow him wherever he went in an attempt to repay this debt.
Once night fell, the warrior followed the runner into the night. After a long walk, they drank from a river, and then continued. Once light could be seen at the horizon, they approached a giant ring. The runner went to a strange device and pressed seven buttons, six of which lit up. A whooshing sound was heard in the still air, and the warrior jumped. He stood in awe, for the ring was now filled with a bluish puddle that illuminated the area. The silence was also broken by something else, a deep laughter coming from the runner, who led the warrior to the puddle and pulled him through. The warrior was leaving home for another world for the first time in his trek to remain with this ⌠runner■.