𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐟-𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝

Greeting Chaos

Rewritten

The forest was a familiar friend to Aurora. The minute she stepped inside, it was like receiving a hug from someone you hadn't seen for far too long. Almost instantly, she was in her element, weaving through the trees without any difficulty.

That was a month ago.

Tentative drops of rain fell gently on her face, they plopped onto her cheeks and rolled down like tears. Her mouth opened to catch one, her head tipped back as she reclined against the bark of the large tree she was currently taking shelter on.

Her eyes rose to the skies, watching the dark clouds mingle and mix. Tinkling raindrops fell on her lids and into her dry eyes, but Aurora didn't dare close them.

Being alone came with a pain, a pain that made you paranoid. It's easy to think you're the only person in a forest when you behold the vastness of it from the top of a tree. But when strange sounds follow you, it makes you think you're not alone, there's somebody else, and they're watching you.

Aurora was being watched.

For days she'd refused sleep, refused any form of idleness or rest. She didn't trust the forest anymore, it moved with a bit too much life. Sometimes at night when she'd find refuge in a high tree, Aurora could hear whispers echoing, like the trees were talking.

Except it wasn't the trees, and Aurora knew it.

Hamilton's warm embrace is hard to remember now. It's hard to remember that a month ago she wasn't Aurora the Creature or Aurora the member, she was Birdie the younger sister taking comfort in her big brother's arms.

The weather hadn't been kind to her, it seemed like the forest purposefully sent whatever it could in her way to keep her from reaching her destination. Rain and wind rattled Aurora from her way, made her cold and damp, made her resent the bloody place. Sunshine became a nostalgic memory.

Her wings ached from being flown on for days on end, but Aurora didn't stop. Couldn't stop. Wouldn't stop. Never slacking in the rain, always steady against the wind.

The only times she allowed herself rest was when she'd pushed herself to the absolute brink of exhaustion. When her vision got blurry and her head felt heavy, when she couldn't move her toes and fingers, that's when she would stop.

Then rests never lasted long. She'd eat some of the meat she kept dried in her bag, change her damp clothes into dry ones and then sleep for about four hours.

With every flap of her wings, she could feel part of the Aurora that was at Hogwarts locking up and the old Aurora emerging, coming out from the cave, breathing a lungful of clean air, and smiling sadistically.

But Aurora the Creature who had friends and a lover was still in there somewhere, hiding in the memories, missing Harry's warmth, Hermione and Ron's friendship, missing the luxuries she acquainted herself with at Hogwarts.

Now, she was always on edge.

That was mostly due to her decreasing amount of cigarettes, she was almost running out, so she had to hold back a little, and the irritation of withdrawal was already swimming richly in her blood.

Nicotine, Aurora needed it desperately.

Damnation, it was too cold. For once in her life Aurora was cold and shivering, even wrapping her wings around her wasn't enough. She could see her breath as it left it her mouth in a foggy whisper. Lighting a fire was extremely needed at this point, but that would attract attention. Attention that she'd already stirred when she entered the first range of Harpy lands a few days ago.