The Mystic Forest

I whistle as I walk from my forge. I turn around and snap my fingers. The sound echoes around the building until it appears as nothing more than an overgrown patch of tree-weeds.

"There," I say, "that should take care of security."

I spin on my heel and start walking toward the Forest. The gravel crunches under my boots as I walk and hum at the same time. Just as I reach the edge of town, I hear the distinct sound of clopping horse hooves. I look down the road toward Mysterack, but there is nothing. Then I spot the black mare galloping full speed toward town from the direction of the Mystic Forest.

As the mare passes by me, I begin to wonder what could have happened. Did the rider die in the forest? Curious, I decided to pay a visit to the Lonely Maiden and see what was going on.

Upon reaching the edge of the woods, I could hear shouting further in. My eyes narrow and I pull out my wooden katana, Batko Den. "Looks like there's a shadow over these woods today," I say. "Guess I'll just have a peek at what's going on."

With my heart pounding in my chest, I walk into the forest.

Tiamatt smiled a little as she focused her energy into healing Rush, the wound slowly sealing itself. "Because that is what i do. You were a vistor to my forest and were made a victim out of Death's foolish want to get the white buck. For causing you injury, I'm sorry." Removing her hand from Rush's chest, she pointed towards the lake near the center of the forest. "Go and rest there. You should be safe from anymore mishaps." Turning away, she be began to walk towards the direction the demon girl had flown in earlier before looking back at the forest entrance for a moment. "Looks like an old friend has come for a visit. Maybe he can help me settle this."

As I walk through the forest, my feet crunching on the dried leaves, yellowed pine needles, and the errant twig here and there, I am filled with a sense of peace. The sun, filtering through the treetops, warms my skin whenever I pass from the protection of shade. The air fills my lungs to capacity and my body with energy that seemed sapped by the laborious work of forging metal.

But, no matter the wellness that this forest fills me with, I cannot take my mind from the foreboding shadow I noticed on my way into the forest. Though the Wood was calm now, there was an underlying tension that wasn't so easy to point out. The birds were quiet. The small animals, such as the rabbits and other rodents were in hiding. Even the wind seemed to be still. If fear was a physical thing, I could swear that it was a pungent odor permeating the Mystic Forest.

"I wonder what went on here," I say aloud, carefully pulling my coat against me as I take a large step over a fallen log, half rotten and covered in bright green, fuzzy moss. "The lake shouldn't be too far. Maybe the Lonely Maiden will have some answers."

I continue on my way to the lake, veering off the beaten path and into the dense Wood.

*laying where he had been during the heal, he stares at her as she runs the direction of the demon girl,
slowly noticing his skin had no pain as it once did*
..huh..? Healed...? *he looks down to notice his skin now patched together, no longer wounded as before*
..she does wonders with repairs..she should be a mechanic...
*poking where his wound was before, he gives a grimace of pain from it, closing an eye to contain his groan to a small hiss*
Hmmmph...apparently not everything..but I'll live...*slowly begins to stand himself up with his hand over his unseen wound, using the trunk of the tree he laid against as support to push up*

*Fyre lept through the trees with startling speed and surprising silence, eyes taking on a reddish tint as the thrill of the hunt began to spur her addrenaline. she finally paused as she saw the fresh hoofprints of the buck scampering through the deertrail towards the lake*
you'll not escape your fate a third time..there is a high price on your head *she hissed, and tucked her wings in tighter*
*she hurried through the trees, then stopped suddenly as she caught sight of something new. human footprints walked not the far from those of the buck, also heading towards the lake. she glared in irritation*
these forests are supposed to be quiet, this shall be the third person ive now seen evidence of here...

Tiamatt glanced around, ears listening for any sound of the demon ahead of her. "Where are you?..." Spotting the buck's hoofprints, she turned slightly and looked up ahead of her. "The lake? why is it heading for an open area?" Shifting to her dragon form, she leapt back into the air and above the trees, flying towards the lake.

I breathe deeply of the fresh air as I push a low hanging branch out of my face. The moment I do, the lake is revealed to my eyes. It's pristine, calm surface was like a mirror. Reflected were the trees on the other side and the mountains in the distance. The calm serenity of the lake filled me with rejuvinated happiness.

"This is a perfect example of the splendor that Nature can bring forth from the earth," I said. "It looks like she really did a good job with this place. I should get the others together and throw her a party or something."

I walked slowly up to the edge of the water, taking my time with each step, enjoying the texture of the round stone gravel beneath my boots. Yet, despite my enjoyment of the moment, the ill-ease still hung in the air. I took one last look around the perimeter of the lake and then turned away from it.

Just as I moved my right leg forward, a white flash appeared in my peripheral vision. I stopped my leg, standing mid stride, and turned my head. A white stag, with an antler rack of innumerable points, was running toward me. For a moment, I didn't move, awed by the incredible beauty of the beast charging full steam forward.

I realized that the buck wasn't going to deviate from its course. Too late to dive out of the way, I dropped to my hands and spun around on the rocks. I wasn't sure if the move would work, but when I felt my own legs collide with the stag's, I knew I'd succeeded.

The bulk of the beast fell to the ground. Rounded rocks flew into the air as it skid past me and onward to the shore of the lake. It came to a stop just inside the water and did not rise.

I didn't know what to make of the situation, but I was sure that a white stag charging me in broad daylight wasnt' normal. Any stag for that matter. I pushed myself to my feet, my hands slimy with the moss from the rocks I'd used to leverage myself against moments before. I wiped the slime off on my pants as I approached the stag.

The great white beast remained still in the water, though it's furry chest rose and fell in quick succession. "It's still alive," I said. I blinked, hearing my thoughts aloud. Then I grinned at my own foolishness.

I approached the stag slowly from the side. I was sure it could see me, but it wasn't moving. Maybe I hurt it somehow. Maybe it was dying.

When I reached the side of the animal, I placed a hand on heaving chest. The skin underneath the white fur, stained by mud and blood, tightened up. After stroking the stag several times, I could feel the skin and muscles underneath slowly unclench. I could feel the stag's blood pulsing under my fingers as I continued to stroke it's side.

Eventually, the stag was breathing normally, quietly. But it was clear to me what was wrong with it, why it would not stand. I scanned it's muscles and it's skeletal structure with my own energies. I scanned for any sickness of the organs or nervous system.

"You poor thing," I said, continuing to stroke it's side. The stag lifted its head a little and eyed me while it loosed a low groaning whine. "Shhh," I said, reaching an arm out and scratching the stag behind one of its big ears. The action didn't seem to bother the stag at all, though it still didn't attempt to stand.

*still leaving his palm against unseen wound, he lays his back against the trunk of the tree, standing himself up properly*
...how unfortunate..I would have been able to join the chase as well...
*with those words, he places his free hand on his face, beginning to slowly walk into a darker part of the forest to rest in privacy*

*rushing through the trees and a stunning speed, fyre saw the light gleam between the branches up ahead and knew she was near the clearing. gathering her energy, she then sprung from the trees to land just at the water's edge, the toes of her boots sending a spray of water at the buck laying in the water, and some strange new boy who was petting the animal's side*
*int he same fluid movement, she drew her crossbow and pointed it at the buck, taking no time for introductions of explinations, and fired, aming dead center for the buck's side, aiming to collapse its lung, for even if she should somehow miss, the arrow would likely strike its heart*
Good bye, worthy opponant, the chase was fun *she said flatly*
*as she fired the crossbow, a flare of blackness jumped up behind her like hungry flames, the death eager to claim its soon to be victim*

I heard someone enter the clearing behind me. I remained focused on the buck in front of me as rocks and water moved and sloshed about behind me. Then a click registered in my ears.

That's a cross bow, I thought.

I reacted on instinct when it happened. One moment my arm was at my side. Then it jerked and was led by some part of my brain that I don't consciously use. The bolt was in my hand before I realised that it was there.

I turned my head to look at it, and the trickle of blood rolling down the bolt's side from my hand. Then I turned around fully to face the hunter who'd shot the bolt. It was a woman, which wasn't as surprising around these parts as it might have been around Granholm. She had wings as well... And she looked familliar.

"Fyre?" I asked.

The buck wiggled a bit, but remained on the ground, his breathing slowing down even further.

Flying over the treetop, Tiamatt quickly reached the lakes edge, her eyes widening at the sight of the strange confrontation below her. "Strange..." Sending her wings in a backwards sweep, she landed carefully on the ground and reverted back to her human form, her gaze concentrated mostly on the demon girl at the water's edge then the young man knelled down beside the white buck. "Enough of this, Death. I told you hunting is prohibited here. Go find game else where."

*A trickle of sweat rolled down the right side of her face, dripping from the corner of her eyebrow down her cheekbone to her chin, then dripped to the ground. The demon was growing fatigued, and aggrivated that this task, once deemed simple, was turning out to be so much trouble. Her gaze narrowed in on this new obsticle, a boy who knew her name. Skimming over his figure, face, and posture once, she felt a slight tug of familiarity in the back of her subconscious mind, but the name hovered dauntingly on the tip of her tongue*
Out of my way! *she snapped, the though words seemed a bit forced* This has nothing to do with either of you!
*Jerking her head sharply to the left, she looked over her shoulder at the keeper of life*
All I need is this one buck, and I shall be on my way. It is foolish of you to put both innocent people, and the other animals of your forest at risk needlessly. Look! *she jabbed an accusing finger at the buck, who now barely moved* It is now so worn down, it's life is nearly at its end anyway. Let me end this quickly, unless you would rather it suffer
*A slow and twisted grin began to work its way onto Fyre's face* You assume that because I am the keeper of Death, that everything I do is wrong or misplaced. But then, consider what life would be if everything lived forever? Everything has its end, everything must die. And this buck, it is its time to die. If i should profit from it...*she shrugged* then i see no harm in that...
*re-loading her crossbow smoothly, she took aim once more at the deer* Because no matter what you do, someone shall die today. Who it is, I will leave up to you
*The crossbow moved to point directy between the eyes of the kneeling boy, so close that the tip of the arrow almost brushed his skin*
Now chose. And chose quickly. I have three shots left. And this one, shall either join the previous one, or claim me my prize...

Tiamatt blinked a little in surprise at Fyre's actions before a grin crossed her face. "Don't scold me as life i were a child, Death. I know well of your power as does every Keeper who has chose to possess a physical body. I've lost count of how many bodies I've possessed over the past as we've played our little games among the worlds." She sighed as she took a step towards the demon, eying the buck for a moment before looking at Valian and finally at Death. "If you had listened to my words earlier, we wouldn't be here at this moment. I told you hunting was forbidden but i guess now i have no choice. Take the buck but keep in mind that if you return, i won't tolerate you hunting down anymore of my animals."

My eyes cross as I look at the arrow tip grazing against the skin of my forehead. Fyre wasn't even paying attention to what she was pointing at, rather, she was focused on Tiamatt a couple feet away.

"Uh... What makes you think that pitiful thing can actually kill this buck anyway?" I ask.

I feel the tip of the arrow dig into my skin as Fyre and Tia both turn their attention to me.

"This is a White Deer. Not an Albino Deer. The difference is that this Deer is a magical creature with three life phases. It's about to pass into its third, the spirit phase. Killing it would only speed up the process. After about three hours the remains would just dissapear."

I reach up and grab onto the end of the cross bow. With a slight shove, I push it and the arrow out of the skin on my forehead. I wince as it pulls out and blink a couple times when blood drips down my head into my left eye.

"It's not like it matters anyhow, since it's about to metamorph right now. It's not like either Death or Life has an affect on the Spirit. The Forger never created a keeper for that because it was specifically forbidden by the Creator that anyone but him have dominion over any spirit."

*Fyre started to laugh as she moved the aim of the arrow to the white buck*
You think i dont know that, fool? The keepers have been around forever, and trust me, I know how life and death goes.
*Calmly, she released the arrow right into the back of the stag's skull*
I kill this deer not to sell it by any means...*she laughed, slinging her crossbow onto her back and stepping around the boy to the fallen deer*
I seek something more valueble...
*taking a small vial from her pocket, only the size of a shot glass, she placed it beside the buck's wound*
For when any animal passes forms, energy is released....a very powerful energy...
*she let the few drops of silver liquid spill into the bottle as the deer began to glow, beginning its trasnition*
and many people would pay highly for such power...
*she waited until the bottle was filled, then removed the arrow from the deer, rose, and turned away, slipping the bottle into her pocket*
well, i have what ive come for, i bid you good day, dragon, and friend
*and with those parting words, she spread her wings and vaulted herself into the sky*

I glance at Tiamatt as Fyre flies into the horizon. The buck behind me has completely dissapeared.

"She hasn't changed much, even with the memory wipe." I brought my hand to my head and pressed my palm against the congealing wound on my forehead. With a small push of energy, the wound closed up and formed a scab. "Damn... She needs to learn some more self control though. Who do you think she's taking that crap too anyway? Does your twin link still work?"

Tiamatt watched Fyre fly away before turning back to Valian and shaking her head. "No idea. She didn't even have any recollection of who I was till I told her." Glancing at were the buck was just moments before, she sighed again. "As to who she's taking that to, i have no clue. All i know is that she's hunting for profit." Stepping into the grass, Tiamatt sat down, leaning back on her hands. "So what brings you here, Valian?"

I rub the drying blood from my face with my left hand as I let my legs fall out from beneath me. I land on a soft patch of grass and close my eyes. For a few moments I listen to the waves of the lake shore, small and still though they are.

"I came because there was a disturbance in the ether," I said finally. "I just wanted to see if you felt it too. Though, I suppose with all this ruckus going on in here lately, it's not likely that you did."

I cracked my right eye open and peeked at Tia. "I also got news from Mysterack. A little birdy told me that Granholm and Grippa both signed a arms pact with some shadow group. Supposedly, this group works out of the Northern Reaches and they're gonna be sending their armies through the area 'on tour'." I snorted, my hot breath blasting my upper lip. "Yeah, like they haven't tried that before."

Tiamatt laughed lightly and shifted her gaze skywards, watching the clouds above her. "You're right. There was too much going on for me to feel any sort of disturbance." Sighing, she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "Another group? Do you think they have a hidden motive other then just going on 'tour'?"