Author Games: Dawn of Nameless Desires

Quarterfinals Entries: Amanthe

Terran Adamar 

Song: This Will End - The Oh Hellos

Warmth flooded the forest. The sun had risen high above, and while the deep paths beneath the canopy remained frigid, the tops were burning with a delicate heat. What little light made it through splattered across the ground. Speckles danced in the breeze, and weaving through them was a single figure, shadowed in green. His eyes were alert, his steps light. It was as if each piece of the ground had been mapped by his feet, for the elf never dared to look down as he flew along the path, shoes bouncing off twisted knots and gnarled roots. To him, they were no less a part of the way than the worn dirt itself.

What finally brought his feet to a halt was the brown pelt he'd been searching for. Dark splashes had left the path clear, dribbling behind a bloody trail that would make the most squeamish turn away. It had not been hard to find the creature, but the sight in front of Terran was harder to stomach.

Soft, tawny fur rose and fell in rapid succession. Each breath was clear, a struggle as red soaked further into the skin. The culprit stood out as clear as day, a sharp-tipped arrow sunk deep and sticking out straight from the deer's side. Slowing his pace, the elf brought himself to a stop just short of the clearing it had settled in. He dropped his pack behind him and lifted the branch blocking him as delicately as possible. The soft rustle brought brown eyes to him instantly, ears twitching up in fear.

"It's okay," he offered both hands out as he spoke, his palms out and bathed in the soft light from the sun above. "I'm here to help." He waited for the deer's raised head to lower back down against the ground, gifting him permission to approach.

His feet tread softly over the dew-covered grass, soaking his feet and knees as he crouched down to place a hand in her fur. Heated skin was quickly turning cold. The few red droplets that slid along his fingers were the only part still burning. With a deep breath, the elf spread out his fingers as far as they would reach. His palm pressed as gently as possible against her hide, and with his free hand, he gripped the arrow.

Before he could tug at it, the deer turned to him. Her head raised, looking him in the eyes. There was an understanding in the dark, beady blackness that turned cold. "What do you think you're doing?" the deer snarled, sending Terran falling backward. He lost his grip on the arrow, his feet failing him as his balance sent him crashing to the forest floor. Sharp rocks and hard dirt met his elbows, shooting a stinging sensation through his limbs.

"I-" Terran fumbled for words. He dragged himself up until he was kneeling again, more careful this time as he held both hands out the creature before him. The gesture was no longer to calm the deer, but a desperate plea to hear him out. "I was trying to heal you." A shaky breath followed the words.

The deer scoffed. Blood dribbled from its hide, pouring more and more as the creature found its footing. She shook her head, stomping against the clearing's floor. It seemed to grow rockier by the moment, jagged against his skin. "Are you sure? Or did you want to get to me first, hm?" She approached him, face too close to look anywhere but up the middle of her nose, a small white stripe running through tawny fur.

"No," Terran insisted, he was careful to pull the dagger from his belt and set it to the ground, reaching over his shoulder and slinging the bow off second. It rested in his lap, strung and well looked over.

"Really?" The deer turned her head to them. She looked off to the edge of the field. A peak of black hair, soft and thick, peeked out from behind the brush. "Or did you only help me because he was here?" Black eyes peered out at the two, ducking away the second the spirit realized they were watching.

Terran lept to his feet. "I didn't know he was watching!" the elf promised, but it fell of deaf ears. The deer was no longer paying him any mind, watching as the Kodama grew fearful. Terran met his eyes only for a second, but that was enough to send it fleeing away. Terran's teeth gritted.

A deep pain shot through his stomach. Panic raised, his throat growing tight. "This isn't how it happened," he argued, fear turning to rage as he tried desperately to grab the original scene back. He was running now. He didn't know when he started, desperately chasing after Touya. The forest moved by in waves of green and brown, his feet never once hesitating as he sprinted after the tree spirit.

"Wait!" Terran called out, lungs burning. His long legs and knowledge of the forest lent him many gifts, but he could not pass through trees and branches as the spirit could. He was as light as the breeze, but he paused upon Terran's request. Dark eyes turned, if only for a moment. "Touya, wait."

The name scared the Kodama once more. It disappeared into all but a wisp, a shimmering light floating through the trees on a desperate path to get away. With jaw clenched and bow gripped tight, Terran took off once more. His eyes narrowed, all but squeezed shut until he could see nothing but the path before him. Any noise died beneath his feet. The sound of dirt kicked up by shoes and the cracking of dead branches faded to nothing as the elf slipped through the woods in silence. His heartbeat took over his ears, pounding away with each step taken. /I'm coming, Touya, please wait./

Fresh breeze and light struck Terran as he skidded toward the edge of the forest. A wooden gate blocked the exit, surrounding the orchard just beyond. A sea of pink peach trees laid in front of him. The elf turned back at a crack behind him, only to find the deer stopped behind him, hot on his heels. She blinked up at him, head tilting and ears twitching. "Well? Are you done chasing him?" she asked.

"I'm not- I wasn't-" Terran raked a hand through his long, sweaty hair, destroying the braid it was pulled into. "I love him. I would chase him anywhere." His chest heaved with the words, a sharp spark igniting that he had not felt before.

"Is that so?" The smugness was clear. The deer stepped forward, her eyes judging Terran with every glance she took. Terran took a look at himself, confused until he saw the bow. His hands were acting on their own, an arrow notched in his own bow. His aim was trained on the boy through the trees, his back visible amid the orchard.

"No," Terran whispered. He tried to yank his hands away, to stop the shot. His fingers released on their own. A singing sound of broken air hit his ears. The arrow sailed true, straight between the peach trees to its target. "You are hunting what is beautiful," she told him, a pity leaking into her voice as soft, tawny ears twitched in disappointment. "Using it for yourself."

"Terran?" The words came from before him. They were closer than Touya had been only a moment ago. An arrow protruded from his chest, but no blood leaked through the wound. "Terran?" he repeated his name, smiling softly. It took a few strokes of his cheeks and coaxing for Terran to blink away the tears. He reached forward, hands falling to Touya's sides and squeezing his hips gently. The spirit laughed softly. "Were you having a bad dream?"

Terran couldn't laugh. Even with the boy's voice as music to his ears, he could only collapse back into the moss beside him. "I suppose so." He swallowed hard, wiping the tears from his eyes once more before he dared to try to speak again.

"Hey, Touya? I love you."