"You come to me at night
With a pretentious look in your eye
In the shadows
Through the end of time..."
My voice drifted in the wind as I sang softly to myself. Two and a half days had passed by rather slowly, but I could already see the difference in the scenery of the forest. The area we were now, seemed much brighter than the areas we previously traveled in. When I asked Auron about this change he mentioned we were almost outside of the border of Dark Forest. To be honest, I didn't know much about the geography of the land. After all I was merely a poor peasant girl with no formal education like the nobles of Veltiar would have, but I could tell wherever we were headed didn't seem so bad after all.
"Blinded by dark light
The world behind
In the wake of shadow
At the edge of life..."
Ebony neighed loudly from behind me. Turning my head in profile, I managed to flash a smile in the stallion's direction. Auron had gone on ahead to scout the area. According to him, this was the most dangerous part of the Dark Forest, though I didn't understand how that could be. If anything, this was the nicest part of the forest. With the small streams scattered beautifully across the landscape, soft green leaves decorating the tall trees, luscious grass growing beneath my feet, and the miniature sized shrubberies positioned in small groups around the trees it seemed more like a scene out of a fairytale book than anything potentially dangerous.
"I can see through you
I can see all you hide
Between clouds and haze
I will fall through the shade
Deep inside... "
I bent down near a small stream. My knees dug into the earth as dipped my fingers into the cool water. The temperature alone was enough to make chills ran down my spine, but I didn't mind it. I stared at my reflection, slightly disgusted at myself. My hair was wild and extremely frizzy due to my lack of keeping it straight. I guess through the amount of time I was worried about being separated from Auron it never occurred to me to keep my looks up to regular standards.
Frowning, I tried to run my fingers through my dark locks of hair only to find it was nearly impossible to do so with the amount of tangles and knots that were in it.
Fed up with my lack of ability to straighten my hair, I decided to simply dip my head under the water to at least rid it of all the grease and dirt that accumulated over time. The moment my scalp touched the water more shivers ran down my spine. It only took a moment for my hair to be completely drenched to the root. I jerked upward, water splashing everywhere due to my erratic movements. With my head no longer submerged, I continued singing my song.
"Oh... shadow
With secret anguish
You can't escape the truth
I realize you're afraid
But you can't abandon me
You don't want to escape..."
A content smile was plastered on my face as I ran my fingers through my black tresses. It was easier to do this now that my hair was soaked. The knots came out easier than expected and my fingers glided easily through my hair. My eyes closed in a content manner as I braided my hair. The song danced against my lips, sending shivers of euphoria across my body. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end.
"As days pass by
All shall fade
With each glance behind
All will be distant
At the end of life
All shall..."
Ebony neighed loudly behind me, causing my song to end abruptly. My eyes snapped open when I craned my neck to look at the black stallion. Curiosity glinted in my azure orbs at the sight of the horse stomping and neighing loudly, as if in fright. I reached out to the great beast, not daring to move from my place on the ground. That way I wouldn't spook the poor creature more than necessary. Perhaps the animal was just craving some attention again. It was the most reasonable reason I could come up with. However, I quickly tossed that aside when a loud splashing sound came from directly behind me.
My body tensed instinctively. Ebony went into another fit of bucking and neighing. He was currently tied to a branch of a large willow tree, but was fighting against the hold. I hoped with all my heart it was only Auron standing behind me, but due to Ebony's violent reaction I knew it wasn't. Someone, or something, was here.
A loud hiss sounded against my ear, and I literally jumped ten feet in the air. I was on my feet in an instant and ran toward the storming stallion for protection. Surely Ebony would protect me from the insane monster that had previously snuck up behind me to... to...
My thoughts ran dry when I peered from behind one of Ebony's muscular legs to see a transparent child sitting at the base of the spring. I blinked my azure orbs. The child looked like it was composed of clear water, and only water. I couldn't tell if the child was a girl or boy, but I was sure I'd find out eventually.
"You have a beautiful voice," it drawled, voice like velvet.
"Wh-what are you?" I stammered.
The child giggled profusely, a hand covering its translucent mouth, "Such a silly girl, do you really not know?"
I merely shook my head, unable to form the proper words.
"Well, I'll give you a hint then," it replied with a mischievous grin. "I am no longer living, nor was I ever, I guard the passage of creatures that cannot breathe air, I give life to those who have lost their will, and bring death upon those who perish at sea. Now, child, what am I?"
It took a moment for the words to process in my mind. A crease formed across my brow as I considered them carefully. 'I am no longer living, nor was I ever... that must mean its a spirit of some sort... right? But what kind..? I guard the passage of creatures that cannot breathe air... meaning... the sky? No, that can't be right. I give life to those who have lost their will, and bring death upon those who perish at sea... Wait a second...'
"You're a water spirit," I breathed. "And the guardian of this stream, right?"
The child clapped its hands together in glee, "Ding! Ding! Ding! You got it on the first try, girlie. I will tell you my name if you tell me yours in return."
"You want to know my name? But... why?" I questioned, fearfully.
"So that I can tell my children of you," it gossiped. "Your voice should be heard in both realms of existence, don't you think? It's so lovely... can I have it?"
"Well... I mean... Uhm..." I stumbled with my words, not sure what I should answer. "No... It's... It's my voice. Besides, what would you give me in return?"
Papa always told me that if I were to meet a spirit, I should always attempt to bargain with them no matter what they want to take from me. If not, then I would surely lose the very thing I cherished most, my voice. There were stories that rotated around my small village and worked its way into the pub full of drunkards. Rumors speaking of such an occurrence when the spirit would forcefully snatch its desired object, in this case it was my voice. Most often than not, if you were to speak to the creature and attempt to bargain with it, the being would remain neutral, and would perhaps give up its fight to obtain what it wanted to achieve from you.
"Hmm..." it pressed its finger against its chin in thought. "I shall tell you the story of the Phantom. I'm sure you've never heard it, have you?"
"Of course I have," I lied. "I don't want to hear it again."
Even though I was slightly intrigued as to what the spirit could tell me, I had no intentions of bargaining with it. If I did, I'd lose my voice for sure. So I kept up the faade of disinterest in an attempt to trick the spirit.
"Oh... Perhaps I can give you something else then," it laughed. "I have a lot of treasures never seen before in this world. Would you like to see some?"
"Treasure doesn't interest me," I said, off-handedly.
The spirit was growing aggravated with me now, "Oh! I know! How about this lovely necklace? A strange woman from a far off village gave it to me in exchange for the gift of sight. Would you like to have it?"
The water spirit held up the shining object with pride. The silver gleamed in the forgotten sunshine. It was a very beautiful piece of jewelry with a silver chain. A large amulet adorned the chain with an emerald jewel glinting in the middle of it. The edges of the amulet had intricate designs engraved inside the metal, resembling that of vines growing across the surface. I was entranced by the shine and appearance, so much so that my arms dropped to my sides as I approached the water spirit. It seemed pleased with my reaction and extended its arm further toward me.
My fingers were inches away from the gleaming object when a loud howl sounded through the entire forest. Ebony roared with furious neighs, snapping me back into reality. Fear wrapped its spiny fingers around my heart, making my stomach drop. Even the spirit seemed alarmed by startling noise. Its transparent eyes widened in worry and fright. In an instant my body turned in alarm to see Ebony fighting fiercely against his restraint. I had no time to react when a large beast launched itself into the clearing and targeted the black stallion.
My body stifened with panic, I didn't know what to do. My first instinct was to run and find a decent place to hide. Perhaps even find Auron to alert him of the danger, but I knew that when and if I found the man he'd be too late to save his dark companion. Then the urge to cower childishly came to mind, but that too seemed a bit pathetic to me. If I didn't do anything, Ebony would be killed, and I would be next. Even if I managed to escape, the beast would find me. Then, my course of action became clear in my mind. If I could only free Ebony from his reigns, then the horse and I would be able to gain a safe distance from the creature. Maybe even wear the wolf-like thing out a bit.
With my mind made up, I took a confident step forward. One after another my feet collided against the dirt. In all actuality, I had no idea as to what I was doing. My body was moving on its own now as I maneuvered out of the way of the wolf's large, sharp teeth. By now the creature had realized my presence and snarled at me. Shivers of fear danced against my skin, making the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. The golden optics of the wolf-like beast glared at me as I made an effort to reach Ebony. Unluckily for me, the stallion was still throwing a fit.
Blood poured of Ebony's gaping wounds in his legs and right side. The beast had made short work of him while I gained my bearings of the situation. Pity overwhelmed the fear I felt for a moment. If I had acted sooner, then the beast wouldn't have been able to attack Ebony so much. Once this realization struck me, my determination began to rise. The beast gave a loud sneer, the sound piercing my eardrums rather painfully. I winced mentally as I fixated my gaze with the creature. My face was schooled into an expressionless manner, my jaw locked tight forming a straight line. My hands balled into tiny fists. I only had one shot at this, and if I failed the beast would catch me. Then I would have more things to worry about other than protecting Ebony.
Gulping loudly, I took a practice step toward the creature, silently judging its reaction. Just as expected, the beats opened its jaws wide and snapped at me. I was quick to retract my foot from the ground, backing up again. The beast took advantage of my withdrawal, moving with me as I inched back toward the stream. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that the young spirit had vanished from sight. Sensing the danger, it probably returned to the place it came from. A part of me was disappointed at this; I was hoping there was someone here that could bail me out of trouble if I needed it. Although it seemed like I was officially on my own.
If I came out of this, I would have made my companionship worthwhile to Auron. I'd prove I wasn't a mere burden to the man now, even if it killed me.
My foot graced the water's edge cautiously. The beast was still memorized by my azure orbs, not once taking its eyes away from mine. Therefore meaning it had no idea just how close I had become to the crystalline liquid below my feet. I crouched down slowly. My hand groped the ground carefully to find a rock or stick I could throw at the beast to distract it from biting my head off. Luckily, I found such an object.
My actions sped up rather quickly as I flung the medium sized granite rock at the beast's head. Releasing a loud growl, the beast dodged the object completely launching itself toward me. Adrenaline rushed through me as I moved out of the way, allowing the creature to splash in the water. Unfortunately, the wolf only landed in the shallow portion of the stream. While it was attempting to get out of the water, I bolted toward Ebony. My fingers fumbled with his reigns in a feeble attempt to free the stallion. However, it seemed my actions were simply too slow.
The beast emerged from the depths of the stream even angrier than before. It walked toward me in slow motion, and I noticed its left forepaw was injured due to its nasty limp as it moved. I continued to struggle with Ebony's reigns as it approached me from behind. My heart thumped loudly in my chest, and I prayed to the gods, realizing I would most likely be joining them soon. The beast was a few feet away from me now. I couldn't breathe due to the overwhelming panic and fear. Ebony bucked again, noticing the beast's presence looming closer and closer to the two of us. I was just about to lose hope when something shining caught my eye.
Buried deep within one of Ebony's saddles was a hilt of what looked to be a small dagger. My heart squeezed painfully inside my chest. In one fluent movement, I grasped the weapon in my hands. However, I didn't have enough time to pull the dagger out of the saddle to defend myself. The wolf attacked me again.
"Watch out!" the childlike voice screeched.
Everything seemed to slow. In a last stitch effort, I turned around to face the beast. My hands wrapped firmly around the hilt of the weapon, pushing it forward in defense. The wolf launched itself on top of me, knocking me onto the ground. Its great paws dug into my forearms as its mouth connected with my right shoulder. Gritting my teeth, I pushed the dagger up into the air, puncturing the wolf's skin and fur. It released my shoulder from its mouth letting out a loud howl in pain. I twisted the blade with my hands, forcing it into even more pain. It retracted from me slightly, blood pouring from its great jaws. It made an effort to attack me again, but my foot quickly rose into the air, kicking it hard in the stomach, thus, forcing the creature to stumble backward and off of me.
The wolf seemed to give up entirely on killing Ebony or me. Instead it ran off into the distance with its tail between its legs. Just before it was out of sight, I could just barely make out its transformation as it returned to its man form. I could have sworn I saw the werewolf look back at me with vengeance. However, I shook that from my mind absently as the pain from my deep wound distracted me.
Rest. In. Results.
...
My left hand gripped my bleeding shoulder as my teeth grinded in pain. I shriveled up into a ball on the forest floor, fighting against the agony that washed through my body. I could feel my body convulse in tremors of cold sweat. Gulping loudly, I realized I was bitten by a werewolf. A werewolf! My mind went into overdrive as my fear was aroused again. Wasn't it said that those who don't die from werewolf bites turn into one? I faintly recall Papa telling me it was a mere rumor, and I believed him. However, now I was beginning to doubt his confident words.
I writhed in pain as my forehead pressed against the dirt covered ground. Uproars of ferocious coughs sprang inside me. Crimson liquid burned my mouth as I spit it out into the dirt. Inhaling a deep breath, clumps of dirt found its way into my throat, filling my lungs with a thick layer of filth. Then, like the first time I had experienced this much pain, an ear piercing scream filled my chest, echoing loudly into the forest.
I lost all feeling in my limbs as I completely collapsed onto the ground. Cold sweat drenched my forehead as I stared sightlessly at the stream. I could weakly make out the gleaming form of the water spirit before my entire world was cast into darkness.
Chapter Song: Path, by Apocalypta
