Aiight readers, EYE've been sending out my ramblings and rantings for some time now, and hoping my message of hip hop unity has been reaching you with poiniancy...and style. And other voices have taken up the struggle in acsension.

It's great to see.

But, like the best DJs, EYE know the secret to keeping a hyped audience is to switch up the stylez at just the right time. So here it is. Something new from the nether regions of Rec's Room. Sit back, dim the lights, and get ready for something new. This is just a taste...

...of things to come.

Peace, Rec.

~~~

Enrik kept his eyes trained on the trio as they passed by. Positioned downwind and in a deep thicket as he was, he knew he was safe from detection. They were a team of mainland scouts out on patrol. But this was not their neck of the woods. Enrick watched as the three men leapt thirty feet from tree to tree, landing on branches with hardly a sound. They stopped just upwind on the lowest branch of one tree, about fifty feet above him.

They were wearing dark blue baggy clothing and black masks. But in the twilight, they were most noticeable by the red shafts of the two matching short swords that were strapped crossed on their backs. The swords were twenty four inches in length. Enrik knew because he carried two matching blades on his own back. Forged of the finest metals by the clan's best smiths. It was an old smith's secret that created blades able to slash into wood and not dull.

The tallest of the trio stood closest to the trunk. Even on this younger tree, the trunk face looked almost flat in front of him. The other scouts looked on. He paused for a moment. Enrik could not see his face, but he could see his actions clearly. The tall one, who stood about seven and a half feet tall, unsheathed his swords and began slashing at the tree trunk. The chattery sound of metal on wood erupted, and the other two scouts began scouring the forest around for any sign of activity. But Enrik knew they couldn't see him. He'd been doing this for years.

The clamour continued for a few moments and then ceased as suddenly as it had started. A quick nod was granted by the tall one to his scouts, and the three were gone. All in separate directions. Enrik didn't have to see the carvings in the trunk of the tree to know what was there. It would be the symbol of the mainlander's clan. But he headed up to the branch regardless. He had to see the cuts. He reached the branch in a few quick leaps, and hunched to check out the work.

The kid (he was obviously a kid) wasn't bad. The variation in depth and sharpness of cuts gave the symbol a three-dimensional appearance, but it wasn't coherent. It came out in different directions. But the lines were straight. He had promise. If only he weren't with the other side where his talents would surely be wasted. Enrik took a deep breath. It would take a lot of work to cut through this symbol. And he didn't have much time. Mainlander scouts always hung around their work for a while, looking for trouble.

He pulled his blades and rose to his full eight feet in height. He knew the trio would still be close. He could still smell them. Two measured steps back were all Enrik needed. Then he launched himself at the tree. A deep, bellowing yell escaped across the silent forest as he pulled the blades back over his head and slashed down across the face of the trunk. Two deep, ragged tears ripped right through the kid's work. He continued to swing at the tree, tracing the rest of his clan's symbol, and laying waste to the work layed minutes earlier. As quickly as he had started, Enrik was done. With only moments of safety ensured, he leaped to the branch of an adjacent tree about twenty feet up. He glanced back to admire his own work. He loved the contrast of the two ragged gashes with the curved, thin eloquence of the rest of his symbol. Ever since he first cut wood as a scout, he'd loved it. And that seemed generations ago. So much had happened in the interim.

The rustling of leaves and scattering of birds gave away the trio's return. They were still young, and Enrik was glad they hadn't yet learned to be a part of the forest. They were converging on the spot from all sides. A beginner's mistake, Enrik thought as he leapt upwards. By the time the team had met, Enrik was far above them. He watched from a safe distance.

If only they didn't have those masks, Enrik thought. I'd love to see their faces right now.

~~~

---------------------------------------------------------------

"Kids ain't playin over here ... playa."

- Method Man - Judgement Day

---------------------------------------------------------------