Narration
Luminous greenery coats the ground, rough trunks protruding in a haphazard formation around the perimeter. A few towering boulders lie sequentially, circulating a rectangular stone surface in the center. It sits atop four smaller rocks, resembling a primitive, ritualistic alter. A single blossom adorns its surface, wilted and dying although retaining an almost lively glow of colour; a bright fuschia. The girl admires its beauty, curiously watching the subtle pulse of light surrounding it. It appears to lift the oppressive sheen of the stone it lies on, serving to mask the small spark of uncertainty set alight by the strange scene. It is as if the flower itself is attempting to blind her of potential danger, shuffling all of her thoughts.
She walks sceptically towards the stone surface, noticing it's rough, jagged edges and the iridescent glint it holds. The uncertainty remains in the back of her mind, while at the forefront of her thoughts lies ordinary curiosity that she can't appear to fight. Bringing her hands towards the surface, she carefully places them palm down onto the rough stone. Unexpectedly, it feels warm to the touch. Her skin tingles.
The heat intensifies.
She can feel the all consuming heat thrumming throughout her body, coursing through her veins and tugging at each nerve. It scorches her fingertips. Her muscles clench, tensing painfully.
A thick droplet hits her forehead.
Her head lifts, taking in the darkness above. A pure black sky, with only a vague hint of light radiating from a dying, pale star within the void.
The air grips her lungs, squeezing.
A figure stalks towards her, faceless. It shimmers a dull grey light that pulses with every step it takes. As it approaches, it whispers gently to her, the words not quite reaching her ears.
Determined, she attempts to tug her hands away from the table. They do not budge, any strength that she applies proving pointless as if her skin is welded to it.
Another droplet falls. And another. And another.
One by one. Caging her body and the stone surface with a glistening red sheen, yet leaving the glowing blossom untouched.
They fall faster.
She tries to loosen her hands, pulling them with adrenaline fueled power, which only serves to tear the skin, the pain temporarily muted. The grey mass stalks gradually closer, whispering again something too quiet to hear.
She tries to scream, but no sound comes out.
The figure nears, coming face to face to her. A skinny hand reaches up, clasping her chin in a pitifully loose grip. Once again it whispers, yet despite their physical closeness, the words are too distant to hear.
*****
The faint voice rings in her head. She looks around, darkness being the only surroundings.
She lifts her hands to inspect them. She cannot see them clearly, but can distinguish the indication of blistering and torn skin hanging down, exposing the redness underneath. They throb and bleed profusely, the burning sensation never leaving.
The whispering sounds from all directions with a deep humming undertone. She tries to listen closely to decode the words, but they are jumbled, many inaudible. Picking out one voice, she focuses on it, trying to tie it to a direction
She steps forwards, taking a deep breath. The faint voice becomes stronger, encouraging her to follow.
Stepping forwards again, she falls.
*****
She brings herself up from the ground with a start.
Tiny, clear droplets cascade down her body, the fresh smell of dewdrops tickling her senses. More crystal-like beads fall from a vibrant canopy of leaves and blossoms, soothing her skin with their calming touch.
Her heart leaps as her hands begin to tingle. She draws her them closer to her face, noticing a light trail of scars but not quite knowing where they came from.
An almost silent squawk sounds to the side of her. Her head swings rapidly to the right, taking in the sight before her.
In a cloud of light a bird sits, its body curled beneath its breasts and its wings circling it as its head tilts curiously to the side. She notices its odd yet intriguing colouration - orange and red on its head and back, pink and purple on its underside, a mixture of all four colours on its wings. Its maroon beak points upwards slightly before opening, releasing another, rather quaint sound as if greeting her.
She breaths out, realising that the bird was no threat. It appears to be more of an observer than anything else, watching her with wise, knowing eyes. Reaching out her hand, she moves to pet the bird, only to draw her hand back when it nips at her.
Sighing, she takes back her hand, glancing at the bite. A small red dome forms atop the wound.
The bird squawks again, this time loudly, the sound resonating with a more frantic tone. It stands, its wings rising up defensively as it comes to stand next to her.
Between the trees, a figure appears. It's face is masked by a hood, it's form radiating dangerous power, its dark irises dilating with desire. It steps closer, and she notices the intricate indication of tattoo like patterns on its face. As it approaches, the bird tenses, screeching and spreading its wings as its tail spreads, taking on an offensive stance.
She stands, shivering at the man's gaze. Her heart lurches in her throat, beating at an unhealthy speed as she breaks into a clumsy run, fuschia coloured petals cascading down around her.
The figure darts forward with agility that few can match. To her absolute horror, it catches up within seconds, running beside her and wearing a taunting smile. She dodges between numerous scattered trees. But there is no way to break free of the chase.
Not looking at where she is going, she trips, falling to the ground with little to no grace. Looking up, she sees the man, standing a few metres away, growling darkly at something behind her. Another, faceless figure shrouded in a silvery grey aura stalks forward, earning another malicious growl. The growling male shifts, bending down onto all fours, before howling and convulsing, a large, twisted smile visible as it's body cracks and bends loudly. Its clothing rips as its knees and elbows snap, bending unnaturally as the skin pales. Veins underneath its whitening skin turn black, protruding out and pulsing. Wirey black fur pushes through its skin like needles as it's clothing rips off completely and it howls out in what appears to be pain. Its sadistic, fanged smile never wavers.
Before she can begin to understand the site in front of her, the figure has become a animal; an abnormally large wolfish being holding a dominating and sadistic glint in its now pure white eyes.
Both the wolf and the faceless being start to approach, the wolf letting out a low, dense rumble from deep in its chest. It bends its legs in the beginning of a pounce. She tries to scream, yet the only sound heard is an animalistic screech.
The bird shoots towards the wolf, its wings folded in, giving it the appearance of a fluorescent bullet. It halts the wolf, clawing at its eyes and causing it to roar in aggravation. Its own claws swipe at the bird, jaws snapping towards its neck and just missing by a fraction. The wolf growls, gurgling in its throat as it bares its canines threateningly, saliva dripping down from them. This does not appear to dissuade the bird from its attack though, as it continues to peck at ears and a snout, razor sharp teeth slicing cleanly through thick fur and skin.
As this happens, the faceless figure continues its approach. She backs away, but it is of no use. The figure speeds forwards, even faster than the wolf had, coming up in front of her and grasping her arm loosely yet urgently. It whispers, but the words are lost.
Her arm is released as the figure dissipates, the wolf swiping pointed claws at it, and she breaks into a run, everything blurring around her. Thunder screams from the sky, startling her, but she continues to run.
The thunder continues as red droplets pelt downwards, painting almost everything it touches. She pushes forward, but is halted when she slips, twisting around as she falls.
Craning her neck, she looks back hesitantly, eyes wide and fearful. There is no sign of the wolf or the mysterious figure, however she cannot help feeling that there is another presence along with hers, watching her as she observes the still scene around her.
Shakily, she comes to her feet, taking in her surroundings on quivering legs. The previously lush greenery is now dripping crimson, the light radiating from it significantly dulled by the new overpowering liquid coating. Every possible direction is identical, with no indication of which way she came. The only identifiable object is a single fuschia coloured blossom, floating in a thickening puddle.
Reaching down, she takes hold of the innocent looking flower. Almost instantaneously, powerful heat floods through her palms, meandering through every crevice of her body. The heat sears each nerve. Her muscles contract, preventing her from releasing the grip on the flower. She tries to jerk her hand away from it, but it will not relent its hold, the scorching heat increasing the more she struggles.
As the pounding in her chest increases, she hears it again. A cacophony of hissing whispers reaches her ears. She tries to drown out the noise, focusing on her bloody hands, yet the invasive messages are too persistent to ignore completely and too jumbled to make sense of them.
In the midst of her struggle, the wolf becomes visible some distance away, the bird hanging limply from its jaws. Its head swings around, searching. Stepping back and clutching her hand, she bites down on her lip, shaking her head at the voices as if trying to shift them. She stumbled slightly, catching the wolf's attention. It releases the bloody creature from its jaws, glaring her way before stalking in her direction.
The whispers become deafening, her heart racing and making her feel nauseous.
A hand grasps her burning one, holding it in a forceful grip and making her jump back. The figure it belongs to whispers again.
"Run..."
Closer now, the wolf races towards her, snarling at the figure whose quiet words fall on deaf ears.
"Run."
It speaks slightly louder but is not given recognition, her focus on the wolf in a paralysed state. The figure brings its other hand up, grasping her face and turning it. She lets out a small whimper, noticing blood dripping from the more visible outline of its features. It gags, choking on its own blood.
She gasps as its mouth opens, exposing a cavern of red. "RUN!"
*****
She shoot up, eyes wide. Images flood through her brain in a continuous river. Nausea grips her stomach as she attempts to recall the events in sequence, though none of it makes any logical sense. The only thing that jumps out is the haunting sight of the male as his entire skeleton reshuffled.
She tears her thoughts away temporarily, figuring that it all would make more sense when her head is cleared. Glancing around, she notices that her familiar is perched at her side as before, though she is shaking slightly with cautious eyes as she subconsciously curls up into tighter ball. She lets out a quaint, fearful squeak, looking about the room.
"I know Venus. It looks like we have yet another problem," the witch sighs, running her hands through Venus's feathers and trying to calm her own heart as well as the bird's. Whatever the issue is, she has no idea. Her friends won't be happy about this.
Author's note
So this one might be a bit confusing.
Any theories?
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