finding the fae

He was feeling.... off. He hadn't slept the past few nights, and only stole moments of sleep when he nodded off while hunched over a book he'd read at least half a dozen times. Growing up, he'd always had his moments of insomnia-- but it was never this bad. His mind was like a waterfall of rushing thoughts and doubts and criticisms, all flowing too fast for him to grasp but too violently for him to ignore. So he stayed up, and he tried to drown his brain in words and theories and facts and knowledge. Surely, if he tired himself out, he would be able to sleep and put a stop to the incessant tumble of unhelpful thoughts. Unfortunately, it hadn't necessarily worked. His mind continued to churn like whitewater, and with less and less sleep, a fog settled over the falls. Each word he read, each notion that flitted into life, was shrouded with a colorful mist. He felt light and heavy in the same breath. After jolting awake from a brief nap early that morning, Arthur saw something. It gleamed in a slanted ray of sunshine, hovering in mid-hair while the light bounced off iridescent feathers. The man blinked at the hummingbird and felt so certain it was a sign, he rose to his paws without thought. Time skip ahead to the current moment, he now found himself breaching Highland territory. He blinked his honeycomb eyes, staring around the dense forest without being entirely certain of how he got there. But he remembered the hummingbird. And he remembered his intent. Reflecting upon it now, he wasn't quite sure how he came to the theory -- perhaps that's what the Highlanders believe are Fae: Hummingbirds Or perhaps hummingbirds are Fae in disguise. As a man of science and logic and peer review, he never let himself fully believe the Fae existed. But in this state, he wasn't so sure. The tall man's ear flicked, and he turned his head-- had he heard something just then? “my sin, my soul.”

ART ➤sealoon

@Elwynn

a wary gaze followed the stranger as he made his way through the forest.

her forest.

elwynn would have been upon him already if not for the abundance of caution she felt after having been ill for so long. while death fascinated her, illness was not the way she expected (or wanted) to go. but she was doing better now, thanks to her beloved son. still, she wondered what she had done to gain the ire of the fae. had she not sacrificed to them enough? perhaps now that she was well again, she should claim a life for the sake of her health.

the blackwood clan had dwindled in numbers, so much so that it was just her and zoltan left—and even he was not a true blooded blackwood.

her clan had been slowly destroyed by those who did not understand them until they were thought to be all but gone. yet, she remained. it had been just her and her mother for a long time until she too, had passed. she had drilled it into the young girls head that she needed to find a mate and bring forth new blackwoods; bring back their clan and then rid the world of all who opposed them. but elwynn... her ambitions were not so large. she simply wanted to... well, do whatever the fuck she wanted.

she twisted her coven's traditions to meet her own needs and desires, though not by much. they had always practiced darker magics and that was why they'd been targeted to near extinction.

she could get her revenge slowly, but surely. if she worked in private... in solitude... it would be so much easier.

and that was was brought her to this man today, this man who dared set foot in the fae forest despite the warnings she'd left. the bones, the scruffs of wolf's fur, did they mean nothing to him? perhaps he was daft, or blind, or just didn't care... but she'd make him care. her nose wriggled and she finally slipped out of hiding as he watched a bird—who knew what he was thinking. as she drew nearer she realized he was much larger than herself and brown fur along her nape began to raise. she looked up at him with wide eyes, attempting to imitate a sweet and innocent girl. hello stranger, she said, her voice honey sweet. too sweet. are you lost?

TABLE BY AMANDA, ART BY ASHON

"Hello stranger," her voice was light and sweet like the scent of honeysuckle in spring. And it came suddenly and unexpectedly-- as the scent of honeysuckle in spring in autumn would. The faintly delirious man turned to see the small woman standing there, as if she had always been there-- been there the entire time. Her round eyes that were actually violets stared up at him with pure intention, as if she were a child. Something involuntarily hitched within him as he blinked down at her, startled. She was... very pretty. "Are you lost?" she asked. "N-No," he replied automatically, though it was a weak response and one he wasn't even sure of. Was he lost? The man blinked his honey eyes around the dense forest, trying to recall exactly how he'd gotten there. He couldn't remember exactly how... but he vaguely remembered why. The Fae. It always lead back to the Fae -- his biggest dreams and his worst nightmares, it was always them. The haunt of his father's smile, the silhouette of his mother's back in the distance -- "I'm not lost," he said again, his own voice sounding somewhat strange to him, though he ignored it. "But -- I am looking for something," he admitted, and he wasn't sure why. Usually, he guarded his search for the Fae (and proof thereof)-- and yet here he was, admitting to it. His eyes lingered on her dark face. Her round eyes. Something else twisted within him-- and this time, it wasn't entirely pleasant. "What's your name?" He asked gently, though perhaps more boldly than he normally would have. Normally, he would have offered his own name -- but his father had told stories of ancient Highlanders who believed offering a name was dangerous indeed, when it came to the Fae. And quite suddenly, as he stared at her, he didn't want her to know his name.

ART ➤sealoon

@Elwynn

the way he startled when he saw her sent a thrill down her spine. she tensed slightly, flexing her toes and causing her blackened claws to dig subtly into the soft earth beneath her. she wanted to move, but for the moment she sat still. too still... it was almost painful. she drew a small breath when he protested, stating that he was not lost. oh? she said, canting her head to the side in question.

then he said he was looking for her and asked her a question.

a question she didn't care to answer.

a smile tugged at her lips as she rose to her paws, her tail curling over her back as took a step towards him. i go by many names but why should i share any of them with you? she asked. she was perhaps a foot away from him now; what are you looking for? she asked, peering up at him intensely. was he looking for her clan? the fae? someone, or something else?

why had he come all this way, to the fae forest?

she wanted to know this far more than his name. not many wolves traveled this way and those who did... well they risked never making it back out of this forest alive.

TABLE BY AMANDA, ART BY ASHON

“Oh?” She said, head tilting on a stone-still body-- doll-like and haunting. A smile curled upon her dark face, purple eyes seeming to gleam in the dim atmosphere. She moved as if on marionette strings, silky and light as she moved closer to him. He found himself with the temptation to take a step backwards, though he forced himself to stand still, paws pressing firmly into the ground. “I go by many names by why should I share any of them with you?” she tantalized, all the while closer, closer, closer. Arthur swallowed, his eyes following her every movement. Many names. Many names. Why should she share any of them with him? He wanted to hear them. “What are you looking for?” Again her eyes honed on him and he felt like a deer in violet headlights. He could not move away from her, and he could not look away from her. Could he lie to her? “For answers,” he replied, entirely honest and nearly pleading. “For… harmony to the dissonance…Our worlds are separated, though they shouldn't be...” his voice trailed, eyes flicking along the features of her face. Her pretty face. Would she understand?

ART ➤sealoon

@Elwynn

when he didn't back away from her, she was a little disappointed. she enjoyed frightening others but perhaps he was simply too frightened to move. the idea that he was a scared little bunny, trembling before her, made her mouth begin to water. she licked her lips and blinked, slowly.

our worlds???

oh, darling. i do agree. she said gently. did he... think she was one of the fae? or perhaps he did know of her clan and saw that their ways were not so savage after all? sacrifice was a necessity for life and why others couldn't see that she would never know. her violet gaze trailed down his neck, over his shoulders and dragged along his long legs. how nicely she'd fit...

she cleared her throat and her gaze snapped back up to his golden eyes.

where was her head? she was lusting for his blood one moment and then something else entirely the next. winter must be coming; lovely.

our worlds are too far apart, dear. she said, moving even closer. she slid her muzzle across his chest and craned her neck up so that her cheek was against his. why don't we fix that?

TABLE BY AMANDA, ART BY ASHON