Private I See My Reflection In Your Eyes

'the chaos that shook my soul '

Diaval started running at the first break of dawn. He did not know where the path would lead him but he was trothed to the old witch's promise that her spell would work. He hoped that it would work because his trust in such chaotic and feral magic hung by a small (very fine) thread. Her words repeat now, over and over again as the forest reminds him of its savagery. His story will become a cautionary tale he promises to live long enough to tell Lucinda about.

Can you run fast? Skeptical, Gehl the Wood Witch, does not ask Diaval if he is fleet-footed or agile. She does not wonder about his capabilities of outrunning wolves or outsmarting clever tree cats. It is his courage and his determination that she tests with her words.

‘I can run faster than Light.’ Diaval assures with confidence. There is not a moment's hesitation on whether he will pass through or be lost forever to the chaos of Gehl's treacherous magic.

***

The forest, if he remembers correctly, had something to say. It is in the way the wind rustled through the damp spring leaves above their heads that make Diaval muddle over the idea of employing a stranger to aid him in his mission; are you sure? are you sure? the Acacia trees sing. Certainly trusting those closest to him had been a major mistake in the past, what difference would it make if a stranger betrays him now as well? Will it hurt less? More?

'I can run faster than any devil Madame Gehl, please.' He insists. He needs this and she knows it. Very well, Diaval. His request is accepted, not only by the witch but by the trees she uses as her source of power. At once, the roots and vines twist and curl upwards and around the bowing trunks of trees. A dark hole opens up just beyond. Shadows full of too many eyes seep out of the entrance like a dark fog. Violent purple flowers dot the way in but their bioluminescence is but a microscopic detail against a deep unbent black ahead of him.

Stand at the gateway of the black forest until the break of dawn. When you see it, enter the path that awaits you and do not get distracted. You will find what you seek on the other side, but you must outrun the darkness within this wood first.

The old witch then vanished, leaving him behind. Only her voice remained in his presence, you must survive it. Diaval can hear her impish nickering in the trees as she ghosts him. Or maybe it is the trees themselves that laugh at the prince. The sounds alone distract him - he nearly misses his chance.

***

Go! You fool! Morning is coming! Gehl's disembodied voice rattles him. Her urgency sets fire to his tracks as the prince sprints from the thicket, dashing into the darkness just as the morning sun glints its first signal over the knoll. The trail is dim - the canopy a dense barrier from the daylight save for the few glittering pieces of Time reflecting on the fern-feathered floor. Diaval cannot tuck his wings in tight enough to avoid injury but neither can he slow down to avoid the snares that await him in the unknown.

Over and over again, he wonders.

Where am I going?
Where will I be?
Will I be?

A low hanging branch catches his shoulder with a trenchant shick! - it cuts into his wing deep like a blade. The pain is easy to overcome, but so much blood comes from such a short, deep wound. The forest is quick to drink up every shed drop of it. It makes monsters out of what memories it can taste in his rich red blood, which roots and the spawndling Lauraceae then feed into. One day parts of him might make flowers, but today they make obstacles for him to overcome instead.

***

Diaval loses track of time after the forest has its first taste of blood. Now, the gauntlet he runs only grows more thick, more distant, more sharp, more tangled. It grabs at his wings and pulls at his horns. It loops over long legs and snaps at his soot-black skin in cruel ways. He tries to remember that this is wild magic, feral magic, that everything between Lost and Found is pure Chaos - and this is what it feels like. It is hungry and it wants to tear him apart. It loves him and it hates him just as much. Gehl’s words echo like a warning signal to his left; The forest will consume you!

Wolves howl. Wildcats stalk like phantoms in the treetops. Diaval hears other-dwellers answer the calls of hungry predators, discord darkens the scope ahead of him but he won't be rent to pieces now. He is slick with perspiration and blood - running head first into the sun (he thinks). The very marrow of his bones threaten to dissolve if he does not stop soon. It gets hotter and hotter, brighter and brighter.

"Oh no!"

Adrenaline, hope, and desperation send him forward. The end comes too near, too soon, and he fractures the silence of a someone’s special candlelight evening when he rears up from the water with a loud shuddering gasp. During his scrawl to the surface he sinks several lanterns beneath the drag of his wings, the pure careless paddling to get to shore overturns more but he cannot think to apologize when he can hardly catch a hold of his breath or racing heart.

D I A V A L

I am the daydream, bring you faith and conviction
I am the nightmare you've been crawling through

The kelpie isn't sure what draws her to Denocte this evening. Typically anything to do with the Courts either made her feel bored or irritated. It had actually been exactly a year ago since she stepped foot on these lands in particular, but something led her here. Maybe it had been some talk of good mead in the markets or just wanting to kill some time. She supposed it couldn't hurt to look around and watch from the shadows.

Lucinda did have a couple drinks already and they weren't bad. There had been a rowdy group in the tavern, so she left before they got too drunk and stupid. She had half a mind to lure one of the men to sea and sink her teeth into their throat, but she refrained. There were too many horses here tonight and she prefers less eyes on her for such acts. It's easier that way.

She finds herself regretting that choice as there's a growing hunger in her. Of course, coming upon the lake only brings her to another crowd. She could always disturb everyone by making a kill in front of them. It would be entertaining to watch them scatter, but for whatever reason she doesn't. Perhaps she's growing soft.

Abraxia settles by her side as they sit by a tree looking out at the scene. Thankfully there are only hushed voices here and not the boisterous racket like in the markets, so there is an odd sense of calm within her. Horses are lighting lanterns to send across the water and Lucinda just rolls her eyes. She decides to stay here for a while and watch the kids make their silly wishes. Little do they know that their wishes will not come true.

Suddenly, something falls out of the sky and into the lake. It's so sudden that Lu's not even sure how exactly it happened. It didn't look like they were flying a moment ago, but it's as if they fell from a hole in the air. A portal, maybe? Either way, she can't help but laugh as it disturbs everyone around the lake and destroys some of their precious lanterns. It looks like she got her entertainment after all, only it wasn't her doing this time.

Lu can tell from the shape of their head that they are equine as they swim across to get to the shore. They aren't doing a very good job as if they're weakened or injured. A smirk forms on her lips as she makes her approach with Abraxia behind her. Maybe she will not only get her entertainment, but something satisfying as well.

However, the closer she gets, the more something changes within her. It's not like the bond her and Abraxia share, but something far less tangible.

Rather, it's someone that should be far less tangible. She can now see the shape of the horns that mirror her own.

Lucinda stops in her tracks before going any further. She is in complete and utter shock at what she's seeing in front of her. It's like this is all a dream or she's hallucinating. However, even after blinking several times, the man is still there. She can feel Abraxia nudge her forward with her nose and can hear her whine. Even she knows in her heart who this is.

"Diaval." Her voice is nothing but a whisper. A breath in the night air.

It can't be.

Can it?

There is suddenly a horrible feeling of dread as Lucinda realizes what she is now. She can only imagine the look on his face if he were to ever find out. She does her best to hide her sharp teeth. She will need the shadows to work in her favor so it can hide the details of her face.

For him to know the truth would hurt him in ways she refuses to imagine.

"Speaking."