[Dani]

So, over the past few days I have had a start of a story going around and around my head. Started to put it into writing. I was wondering what everyone thought. I still have a long way to go. Don't know weather or not I will ever finish it, but hey. I finished the first section.



Early morning came slowly over the English country side. The dawn chorus filling the perfectly still park land and gardens of Croft Manor. Thin ribbons of mist moved slowly up from the lakes and small river, obscuring part of the formal lawns glistening with frost and making the distant manor appear to be floating on a cloud. He sat waiting patiently, ignoring the sapping cold stone and final bite of jack frost. His body stiffened as he picked up the unmistakable crunch of someone running on the gravel drive way, straining to see through the wrought iron gate that protected the side entrance drive way, he glimpsed a shadowy figure in the mist. Jumping down from his perch atop a small whitewashed boulder, he blended into the undergrowth surrounding the perimeter fence.
A few seconds later, a lone female figure in running clothes emerged from the mist in an easy fluid jog. She neatly cut a smooth arc over a small grass bank to run parallel to the perimeter fence without breaking stride. She ran the effortless pace of someone who runs everyday, the morning ritual so ingrained that her mind could work on more important things. She crested a small rise before running down the other side towards one of the lakes. A small tributary ran from pasture land, under the fence and into the lake, and there was a little ornamental red Japanese bridge allowing access to the other side. The weather had been exceptionally cold for the time of year, and the Japanese maples at the edge of the lake had yet to put out any leaves and buds. She made a mental note to speak to the gardener. Her footsteps thudded hollowly on the wooden bridge as she contemplated this, thinking that maybe it was time to visit japan again.
A sudden splashing sound to her left of a body hitting water snapped her attention. Spinning round she watched a large wolf like dog bound thorough the waters on the other side of the fence. She resists the urge to make a sudden movement, keenly aware of her lack of weapons and the exposed ground she was on. The dog shakes himself off before turning his gaze to her. Standing with a fore paw raised he patiently waits for her. She studies this intruder, realizing that although the dog has the markings and muscular build, it is too slender, and with a the look of a labrador about his face to be a wolf. Raising an eye brow at the curiosity she turned away to continue her run, content in the knowledge that a fence and wall ran around the entire estate. Keeping a steady pace, she glimpsed the dog keeping pace with her. She sped up to a full run, and the dog sped up too. Little warning bells started to ring, and she began mentally plotting distances and escape routes. She had left the lawns and lake behind and had entered an oak copes of trees on the side of a small hill. The manor out of view was a good click away. The main gate with its guard house was on the other side of the manor, and the dog just seemed to be keeping enough distance from the fence to evade the CCTV cameras. It was her morning jog, and she was carrying no equipment. She knew her best bet would be to continue along the fence to the 17th century gothic folly that guarded the ha-ha at the end of Stags Leap. One of the numerous buildings of no purpose around the estate that her ancestors had built. A particularly reclusive and paranoid member of her family had thoughtfully added escape tunnels to nearly every building on the estate including the folly. She glanced back over to the fence. The dog had disappeared behind the thickening bushes and trees on the other side, but she could still hear him pushing through the undergrowth. Cresting the hill, she spied the folly though the trees. Jumping over an old fallen tree she knew she wasn't home free quite yet. The old heavy abbey door needed an equally old and heavy key which was hanging on a board in the scullery parlour of the manor.
Taking the last 5 meters at full sprint she stamped down on the wall and jumped as high as she could, stretching her body to make herself go that little bit higher. Her fingers gripped hold of the tiny window ledge just as her entire body weight was caught by gravity. Gripping the weathered sandstone window cill tightly, Lara brought her knees up and planted her feet on the wall. Bracing her self she pulled up with her arms, at the last second, powering through her legs to jump herself higher. Grasping the window plinth, she maneuvered herself so that her feet could get purchase on the stone surround instead of the small glass window. Looking up, she tensed her muscles for the final jump to the parapet. Smoothly jumping and grasping the parapet stones, she pulls up and kickes off the wall, bringing herself into a handstand before dropping to the other side, finishing her signature move. Shaking out her hands and wrists from the unexpected climbing exercise, she allows herself a little smile of success. Walking to the other side of the parapet, Lara looks down, curious to see what the dog had done. She finds him sitting at the bottom of the 8ft ha-ha looking up at her, tail curled round his feet like a cat, softly panting. "Good dog" she murmurs to her self softly. The dog cocks his head in reply.
Turning her attention to the folly, she pulls up the heavy trap door. Taking one last look over the parapet wall, she see's that the dog has disappeared. Shrugging to herself, Lara descends into the folly, closing the trap door behind her. The need for a safe escape route had diminished some how. The dog didn't seem like a threat, and it had now disappeared. But she thinks to herself that since she was here, she may as well check out the state of the tunnels. In the half light from the tiny window, she moves cautiously around to the back of the spiral stairway and kneels down. Pushing her figures into a small crack in the block work she pulls the stone out. The central column actually doesn't support anything at all. The bottom stone block had been carefully removed, cut down until it was only a few centimeters thick and a iron pivot inserted into the above and below blocks. Expertly weighted, it now pivoted right out when enough force was applied. She thought back to the man who had had the commissioned this, wondering what had possessed him to have miles of tunnels built. Not that she was begrudging him. In fact, as a child, she had spent many hours playing and exploring the estate via these tunnels, and as an adult, they had become very useful on more than one occasion.
Lara silently cursed as she looked down into the black. She knew there was a light switch down there somewhere, but couldn't remember where, or even if this section of the passages was currently connected to the electricity. Placing both feet either side of the ladder, she slid into the darkness, ignoring the feeling of cobwebs brushing past her face. Touching down on the floor with a gentle thud, Lara immediately started feeling about on the walls. It was only a drop of 5 meters, but the half light of the folly above only gave the passage way a feint glow. Her exploring hands fumbled across the old breaker style light switch. She pulled down and was rewarded when lights started flickering on up ahead. There were still sections of darkness where bulbs had blown, but enough to see. Lara set off, making mental notes to get the contractors in. Several support struts were looking weary, and there were quite a few puddles along the way. She wasn't about to let her estate fall into the same disrepair as some of the more exotic places she visits.
A few minutes later, she came to another ladder. Pausing for a moment to look further down the tunnel, Lara decided that she would prefer to finish her run in the fresh air rather than underground. Running up the ladder, she arrived in a small enclosed space, at the top of the ladder was a small stone louvre style door which pivots at the top. Grasping the wrought iron handle at the bottom, Lara gave the door a tug. The weighted system did most of the work with Lara providing just enough force for it to complete its task. Releasing the handle, she scrambled though the hatch way as the louvre door gently closed behind her. Taking a moment to let her eyes adjust to the bright sunlight which had burnt away early morning mist, Lara slowly walked down the stone steps from the replica of the temple d'amour. Setting off a a slow pace, she let the sun warm her back as she headed for the walled gardens at the rear of the manor. In the bright warm sun, the whole dog indecent seemed really silly. Glancing at her watch, Lara saw that she was early back from her run, and that breakfast wouldn't be ready for another half hour. Changing direction, she headed around the terrace to the library patio doors. Thinking back to the dog, she had nothing to go on apart from what she saw. After a little searching she found the little tattered paper back she had bought as a child on working dog breeds. Absently flicking though, she settled on the black and white photo of an Utonagan. Frowning, and making a little thoughtful sigh, she marked the page with a scrap piece of paper from the desk, and wandered out to take a shower leaving the book on the leather topped mahogany desk.