Jonah’s breath caught in his lungs as he hoisted himself off the ground, his body writhing in agony.
He clung to his spear, its tip slick with ichor, and hobbled across the battlefield. The bodies of his fallen comrades littered the ground, empty husks broken against the barren soil. Great monstrosities—some with fur, others with feathers, all with twisted, gnarled fangs and claws—lay dead or dying, their labored breathing an affront to the otherwise silent morning.
Not one had broken their line.
The corners of his eyes grew dark as he lost feeling in his legs. He reached up to the pendant dangling from his neck and held it close to his chest. Was she already awake, cooking breakfast for the little ones? Had she slept at all? He stumbled, and his weak fingers slipped from the warm metal.
The village was there—right there!
He just… had to… keep moving.
From the Prompt Vault
Next, it’s your turn!
Write a short story with the word: ichor.
Whether it’s the blood of gods, demons, or eldritch monstrosities, ichor evokes a sense of otherworldliness and corruption. It’s a powerful descriptor that establishes stakes and illustrates the heavy price paid by your heroes as they fight against impossible odds.
If you use this prompt, be sure to restack this post and share your story in the comments! I love seeing what the fantasy community comes up with week to week.
Change is Coming to Fantasy and Fellowship
It’s no secret I’ve been away for a while.
The chaos of the holidays, buying a house, moving, and other obligations at work have made it difficult for me to be consistent with my writing. Things are finally settling down a bit, and I feel like I can get back into the swing of things. I’m eager to get back to sharing stories with you.
I’ll have more updates to share this weekend after I have had some time to think things through.
But change is coming, and it will be change for the better.
Cheers all, and happy writing,
Josh
🚨 P.S. Did you know I wrote a book?🚨
The Microfiction Method is now available for your reading and writing pleasure! It’s full of resources to help you achieve your most productive writing year yet.
There’s so much packed into this book, including daily writing prompts, a habit tracker, reflective questions, short stories, essays… You name it, it’s probably here. If you pick it up, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.
It was such a touching detail how the character wonders if she slept. 😢
You certainly managed to pack a lot in to such a short space. I’m so glad to see how short fiction is having a resurgence lately. I actually started re-reading your book last night after Jaime Buckley threw down the gauntlet and my space opera SciFi character Derek Darke picked it up