- Foreword - Hello there, dear Somnabulists! 
Today, I have the honor to present you something very special! Some of you might be familiar with my
"The Journey" series (if you are not, you can check this:
sleepwalker1803.deviantart.com… and this:
sleepwalker1803.deviantart.com…). For this projects, I combined some of my pictures with a story, that includes befriended deviants. For this marvelous group, I took a step further! I made a story, that will include members of
and I'll feature some of your art here, that fits the story! I'll do this on a monthly base, driving the story forward every time and including more and more deviants in the story! So, without further chatter, we shall begin with the story and I hope, you'll like it!
Cast: (in order of appearance)
- Eric - Wandering Deviant
- Mistress Heather - enchanting and cheeky Huntress
- Knight Ian - loyal but cruel Swordsman
- Lord Luis - mighty and brave Leader
... to be continued!- Chapter 1 - Prologue -People say "time heals all wounds". I think, they are wrong - you just get used to the pain. I've been walking for days now, running away from shame and disgrace. I make my way through the ashes of long forgotten kingdoms, passing desolate battlefields and burned down fortresses.
The only thing left of brave men and women, that once fought here for glory and honor, are the rotting corpses along the way. It starts to rain. Finally. It will wash the blood from my hands and armor. It's my blood and the blood of others. I can't tell the difference anymore. I stare in the distance, but the only things I see, are decaying memories of another time. It's hard so be not nostalgic here. The former glory and splendor of this lands are long gone and the same blood, that my ancestors already shed, mix with the black mud underneath my feet. My father fought for this land, so did his father, but in the end, everything was useless. Darkness has taken over this realm and it creeps in my every bone.
I am alone - the only survivor of a futile and forlorn battle. My strenght starts to leave my body. So does my soul - I can feel it! I've been running away for much too long now. I break down on my knees. There is no need to fight anymore. My spirit is broken and my wounds are severe. I lay down and close my eyes. Time to die ...- Chapter 2 - Discovery -Strange noises wake me. I sit up to see, more out of habit than curiosity. I've seen this so many times, but it sends shivers down my spine every time. They are here. The dark forces of death and evil have arrived to cleanse everything good from this lands. There is no need to fight. It's only a few of this horrifying creatures, but I'm to weak. I'll just let them tear me to pieces, like they always do. It's my escape of this misery. They are so close now, that I can smell their rotten odor. I close my eyes again - surely for the last time.
Suddenly, a loud bang shakes the ground and my face gets splattered with mud. Out of nowhere, an enormous creature appeared. It's a cat-like creature with giant furred wings and a mouth, that could devour a grown man in one piece. Man, I've not seen such a thing for years! It's a feline creature from the land of Nom!
It roars at the evil creatures so loud, I fear my eardrums would break. But what is this on its back? Is someone RIDING this thing?! The clouds move away from the moon in this very moment and the cold light fells on two people sitting on the back of the Nomcat. The one in the front, assumingly the rider, is a lean and wiry woman, armed with a longbow. She takes down three of the dark minions within the blink of an eye. "Ian, get your ass down on the ground! We could really use your help here!" she yells. The other person makes the 7 feet from the back of the cat to the ground with a jump. The heavy armor he carries seem to weight nothing. As soon, as his feet touch the ground, the knight starts to charge at the filthy attackers. He bears a huge sword and an axe, rushing towards the enemy with unbelievable fury. The first two scumbags fall within seconds, ripped apart by the heavy weaponry.
The Nomcat meanwhile, grabs one of the evil critters and bites it in half, still with the raging Amazone on its back. Within a minute, the fight is over and the few surviving creatures flee in fear. The warrior loweres his weapons. He turnes around and approaches me. "Stay there, Heather. I'll just put this poor guy out of his misery.". He stands right before me and raises his sword, preparing for the deadly strike. As the weapon sweeps down on me, I pull my own sword and stop the blade only inches away from my head. Due to this last exertion, my last strength is gone and my sword falls to the ground. The knight eyes me suspiciously. After a few seconds, he yells at the woman: "Hey Heather! This one is still strong, even in the face of his death. Let's show him to the king. We can kill him later, if we want." Then everything wents black.- Chapter 3 - Arrival -I can't remember much fom the flight to our destination. I woke up a few times, soft and warm fur underneath my oppressed body. One time, I think I've seen water down below, but I'm nor sure about it. I awoke suddenly, as somebody empties a bucket of water over me. I look around me and what I see, just takes away my breath for a few moments.
I lie on a stone floor in a mighty fortress. The giant Nomcat stands right besides me, with the rider on its side. She smiles at me and ruffles the cat's fur. The deep, loud purr fills my every aching bone. "Good mornin' there, handsome! I hope you slept well! My name is Heather!".
A shadow appears behind me and I feel a rough and painful kick in the back. The pain rushes through by body like the stitch of a thousand needles. It's the warrior, that saved me from those hideous creatures and tried to kill me at the same time. "Rise and shine, little sissy! Either you stand up right now, or we will feed you to the cat!".
The woman punches him playful and says "Don't be too rude, Ian! The king will decide, what happens to him! And for my part - I like him! And Fluffy likes him, too!". The giant cat loweres his head and licks my face, covering me in drool. "Who are you people?" I ask, while I wipe the slobber away. The knight says "Shut up, you piece of shit! You will only say something, if someone asks about it!" Suddenly, a deep and dark voice raises nearby me. "Ian! Where are your manners? We will welcome this man, like we welcome every guest here!". The knight called Ian kneels down in awe. I look up and see a huge, brawny man approching me.
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He wears an enormous armor, that shiveres in the upcoming sunrise like gold. A two-handed sword, nearly five foot long and eight inches wide, blazons his belt. He wears no helmet and a kind and pleasant face lookes down on me. The man is bald, but has a well groomed beard with accentuated burnsides. Under burning pain, I sit up on my knees to greet this mighty leader. He reaches out to me and helps me on my feet. "Welcome here, brave swordman. I am Lord Luis, the leader of this realm and I am very happy, to welcome you here!".
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"My name is Eric, dear Lord! I owe you and your noble warriors my life!". Sir Ian stands up and leaves with a disgruntled face. As he passes me, he mutters "We'll see, how long you'll survive here.". He walks away angry, but the sovereign keeps smiling at me. "We shall now get you some medical help. For now, be welcome here at the Somnambulist Aisle!"... to be continued here: somnambulist-aisle.deviantart.…
