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Darkness lost in Darkness [Eckhart]

Started by emeraldknight, January 28, 2018, 01:12:40 AM

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emeraldknight

As one day faded into another, as dusk turned to dawn, as the people of this small Adelan town moved about their daily routines, one other thing always remained constant: The watchful eyes hidden within the haunted grove. The murderous spirit looked on as ladies walked the dirt roads, their baskets full of bread and fruit, and men stumbled out of the tavern by the corner, too drunk to even consider giving what little they could afford to the unfortunate beggar who sat by the side of the road. The village was of a pitiful size, a size which some (Particularly the city-dwellers of Connlaoth) wouldn't even consider worthy of the title of "Village" at all. And so nothing changed, everyone continued with their lives as usual, the sun set and rose again, and the spirit of the haunted grove watched on, hoping only that no-one would trespass upon the precious cluster of trees again. Alas, this hope was to be in vain.

The spirit was not sure how long she had been watching these humans for, but it seemed that every time she did, she grew bored quicker and quicker. These days, there was just nothing else to learn. Their daily actions had been memorized completely, and no new faces ever came in, save those curious about the legend surrounding her home. All that was left to do was to learn the language the people spoke, but less and less new words and phrases were being offered for her study, and so this became boring as well. So she returned to the lakeside grave of Jennifer Fletcher, the only human that she could truly love. "What," she pondered, "do I owe this woman?" A question that may never be answered. Kneeling at the grave, the spirit listened, picking up the faint calls of sparrow and other such birds that flew over the forest. Suddenly, a much louder call erupted from the sky, deep and guttural. Whatever it was, it was not human. This was a very different, and very new situation. And for the first time in many years, the spirit felt a sharp fear that could only be called panic.

Eckhart_Von_Musel

It's often said that most legends have a kernel of truth to them. Local legends are no different- so when Ezekiel heard tale of a haunted grove in Adela, he decided it was worth at least a look. The story wasn't too unusual, just your standard "humans walk in and don't walk back out" deal.

Supernatural forces always were very human-centric. Ezekiel couldn't recall any legends where they targeted other animals besides the hairless apes.

The condor soared over the treetops, searching for the telltale smell of death. Carrion tended to release gas as it decomposed, and Ezekiel's nose could pick it up even from the sky. If there were any human corpses in the groves, he would find them.

As it turned out, he didn't need to- as he passed over a lake, a could see a very visible, shadowy figure kneeling by the waters edge. Ezekiel let out a alarmed croak. It wasn't even dusk yet- things like this appearing in broad daylight was never a good sign. The bird's shadow passed over the figure as Ezekiel began to circle overhead...

emeraldknight

The spirit had never seen a bird like this. Sure, it had wings, feathers, and a beak, just like every other bird, but it was darker than what was native to the forest, and much larger. The spirit was not accustomed to new experiences like this, and as the dread rushed through her misty features, she saw the immediate solution and grabbed her bow from the dirt where it lay. But as she was about to draw back the string, she stopped. Every other time she killed, it was always like it was ingrained into her that it was the right thing to do. The fear was there, but the spirit acted out of not terror, but some sort of instinct, the kind of thing that would be learned from years of experience, controlling her. This thing circling the treetops was not a human, though, and when she really looked at her reaction, the drawing of the bow was not reflexive, as with a human target, but rather a decision made out of fear. And having control only made things more scary.

Now, she had a decision to make. It was only a bird, yes, but this was a large, scary bird, and it clearly had a reason to descend into the clearing other than simply searching for food. Unless that food was her. The spirit shuddered at the thought, pulling the string back a little, but still, she hesitated to let loose. She never wanted to kill. It was necessary, it had to be done, otherwise why would she do it, but she always wished she could let them be. But for Jennifer's sake, she just couldn't. So that was the question she now asked herself: "Would Jennifer allow this thing into her home?"

Eckhart_Von_Musel

"Gods damn it to hell!"

The specter had seen him, and was now pointing a nasty looking bow at the condor. "Shit!" Ezekiel thought nervously. "This was supposed to be reconnaissance! I'm not prepared for a fight!"

Tilting his wings, Ezekiel soared upwards. His mission had already been compromised- he'd need to come back another day...

emeraldknight

The bird suddenly shot back into the skies, taking the spirit by complete surprise. "What could that thing possibly be doing?" It must have been scared by the bow. She watched the sky for a while, pacing in small circles until she was sure the bird was gone. She sat down by the pond, looking back over her recent actions, the vital question being: "What does it want?" Things had been the same for so long, a forest devoid of life but for small birds, woodland creatures, and of course, the looming shadow of death. But was she really alive? When animals and people died, they stopped moving, but on the other hand, the things they did when they were living were so... It was too much to think about. She just laid those thoughts to rest, "Put them to sleep", as the humans would say. She wished she could sleep. Instead, all she could do was dip her form into the water, and watch the smoky darkness coil off into the sky. But the one thing that would not evaporate was a feeling of guilt, guilt for the fact that she almost murdered a seemingly innocent creature out of her own fear, and guilt for all the people that had perished for that same reason.

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