Exercise 1.
Page 20
The Reluctant

Basically... Write a first person narrative in which you use the first person pronoun (I or me or my) only two times but keep the I somehow important to the narrative you are constructing.  Show the reader quickly who is observing the scene.  600 words.
  The young mages of the Sanctuary are warned, some since infancy, not to wonder from the marked path in the forest.  Their trembling feet travel quickly between the trail's magical guide stones, spurred on by rumors of ill fated children before them.  Those such as, Calipso Jones who is said to have followed a wisp into the bracken one humid evening in the month of June.  They say he was never seen again.  Eaten by some flesh-crazed demon or carried off by dead-eyed ghouls.  It's easier to believe now, laying here crouched in the autumn leaves of the forest floor, the heavy scent of earthen decay drifting on the cool afternoon breeze, confronted by the grisly horrors of mistakes made.
  What had brought these boots from their steady trek towards the meditation point upon the summit?  The forest had its ways of dragging one in.  Of calling your name and making you ignore the threat of your master's blow and even the legends.  I had ignored the warnings and strayed.
  The beasts were bright enough to block any line of retreat.  They surrounded the cozy glade quickly.  Though at first they had seemed like nothing more than innocent trees.  Now they were barely recognizable as such, for the monsters had come roiling, spilling, spewing from their massive trunks like wrens from a roost.  Their small barked heads were mostly mouth.  Great yawning O's so deep and evil they seemed like endless tunnels.  They watched the plight of their prey through tiny black eyes set here and there.  Some had two, some four or more.  With great creaks and sighs they grew close, sharp wooden claws poised for spilling blood.  In those fear drenched moments came the name for these creatures, taken from the body of some solemn tomb buried deep within the library, as well as the complete belief that never again would I smell the gentle dust of those books.  Woodscorn were known blood drinkers.  They drained the body as effortlessly as roots suck water from the ground.
  A wash of cradle prayer took over then.  Swelling from the heart and melting with the tongue.

Goddess, cast your spell to earth
Bring your servants good growth and mirth.
Blesser, protect with charms of fire
Crush bone and foe, our needs be dire
Mother, charm them with the wind
With patients find the strength within
Sister, wield the rune of water
Soak the spirit, drench the...

  A mighty quake shook the clearing, silencing all chanting and the gnashing of the beasts' papery limbs.  In the dumbfounded quiet a new sound arose.  It sounded, at first, like a dozen arrows being unleashed but as the source drew nearer so did the quality of the noise reverberate among the tallest branches of the trees.  Knives.  Knives, axes, swords being sharpened.  It echoes from above as if coming from the mountains.  Then the branches began to fall.  One by one they crashed around the assembly gathered in the glen.  Some were only as big around as a thumb but others nearly a man's arm.  The woodscorn began to scream.  Those wide maws which had been silent let out such a fervor that the nearby leaves shook.  With covered ears and eyes turned skyward for fear of falling debris, the monsters really had their chance and, though in a terror themselves, fell upon my prone body.  But as the pressure of their weighty trunks bore down upon bone and their claws met flesh, there came a light from the heavens so bright it bore a hole through the damned leaving their victim unscathed.  The pitch of their howls intensified as another great creature tore into the expanse, two fiery blades clutched in its hands.  From this celestial's back grew a set of wings of matching metallic sheen which merged with the skin of his body so that it seemed he wore a tight suit of silver.  His wings sliced the foliage as he passed through the trees towards the woodscorn, sending a confetti of crisp orange and brown into the wind which blew like a gale.  Before these unbelieving eyes, a majestic battle began and quickly ended with this new strange guardian standing proud among the ruins of the woodscorn pack.  Blood like mercury dripped from his body through many deep wounds and long razor thin slices, as he fell, still proud, to his knees. 
  
Word count: 733
Man, that took forever!  Like two and a half hours for that.  And I didn't even end it really.  All well, I am done.  That is all you get for my first exercise.  What a pain in the ass.  I'm pretty sure I cheated with my use of 'my' but it's good for a first try.  Good job, me!