it was dark out.
very dark.
"it's only 6," she thought, "but it looks almost...midnight."
the cold winter wind rustled long, unkempt hair, brushing black strands over wide, golden eyes. slit vantablack pupils were shaking, amber halos starting to rotate in her irises, anxiously.
it was going to snow soon.
soon.
that word sent shivers down her spine as she stared, deep into the rotten thicket facing her. it reeked, more than normally, of death. she would have scrunched her nose up and left, if she wasn't used to that stench of decaying flesh and poisoned blood.
her mouth was dry.
she swallowed, deeply, though nothing seemed to go down.
cold, clammy hands clasped each other under oversized sweater sleeves, black nails scratching pale white, ink-stained skin.
was this really the best idea?
not really.
"- but I have to," she muttered softly, "to - to check."
she stayed rooted where she was, barefoot, in cold, mist-covered grass.
inches from the rotting grove.
"come on -" she urged herself, internally, "c- come on - dad's going to come looking for me if I don't...get a- a move...on."
after a long pause of silence, the still air was broken by the sound of rustling grass.
she moved, hesitantly, her gut churning - oh, it felt like she was poisoned just by looking at those disgusting trees, that corrupted foliage...those glowing eyes staring back. she had once lived there - and yet, chills rattled her entire body.
slowly, she moved, haltingly, she approached the decaying shell of a formerly beautiful place, long since infected by- by them.
dull green and red grass soon became a disgusting shade of grey-brown and purple, emitting a sickeningly sweet, yet grotesque stench of rot as she dragged herself towards the grove.
sensitive, pointed ears twitched, catching the faint shriek of some poor soul, another victim to the clan.
she cringed. how pitiful.
her markings had been bothering her all month - something was going on, and whatever it was, it had to be bad. very...very bad.
she hesitantly reached for the overhanging, violet vines, anticipating that familiar sting they always produced, always when she absolutely had to move them.
it never came.
instead, her hand was grabbed, firmly, tightly, by a larger, clawed hand, followed by angry golden eyes staring through the thick overgrowth.
she opened her mouth to - scream? gasp? cry? whatever she was going to do, she never had the chance.
a jet black figure darted from the overhang, twice as big - gods, it dwarfed her - and threw her to the ground, crashing onto the smaller cryptid full speed. the duo rolled a few times from the momentum, before they landed, with her pinned by her wrists on the grass.
she let out a short shriek, starting to squirm, kick - anything, anything she could do to get away, eyes squeezed shut, claws digging into the taller's hands.
"wha- what- chill, chill! chi- DAEVA!"
her heart caught in her throat, and she hesitantly opened her eyes, meeting a golden gaze exactly like her own.
"gods, dae - " hissed the taller, " - are you stupid? you were exiled, dumbass - what are you doing here?"
she blinked. once. twice.
"ji?"
the black-haired boy frowned. "I told you not to call me that stupid nickname."
despite the venom in his voice, he released her, standing up and retracting his wings that made him so intimidating, and with a grotesque snap, pop, and stretching sound, he returned to a humanoid form.
well, aside from the large crown of horns that grew from his hairline and towered above his silhouette.
she scooted away, instinctively grabbing her wrists and rubbing the now-bruised skin.
"I...thought you...died."
"me?" he scoffed, shoving black clawed hands into his pockets, "I don't think that's possible, dae."
"then...why were you...ah, n- nevermind..." she whispered.
he turned a one-eyed, sharp gaze upon his former ally. "why are you here? don't you have...a family, now?"
he spat it out like a curse, handsome face twisting into a malicious snarl, voice growing into more of a growl than anything.
"yes...but...something's..."
"what? spit it out. I can't stand your hesitance," he snapped.
"something's off-! m- my markings, they sting now, that- it's never happened before! there's...something..." she held her breath, anxiously staring at the taller, waiting for a response.
silence.
.
.
.
"I see."
she looked up quickly, hand raised to her lower lip, resisting the urge to bite at her claws.
he had turned away a bit, his face hidden from her view.
"...I might know why," he whispered, just barely enough to hear through the deafening silence.
"really?!"
she was on her feet before he could register, very much invading his personal space. she gripped his upper arms, standing on her tip-toes, eyes wide. "can you tell me?!"
"ah - first of all," he put a single finger on her nose, pushing her back and away from him, "personal space, si..steeerr..."
he paused, the tips of his elven ears going almost black - most likely out of embarrassment. he huffed and furrowed his brow; stepping back, leaning on his heel, he bowed his head. "second..." he sighed. "this could get me exiled. I could meet the same fate you did."
"I'm sure my family would adopt you-!"
he stared blankly at the smaller, who was looking hopefully up at him, hands clasped nervously.
"I have no interest in being a part of a family," he muttered. "especially not...yours. it looks so...busy. it makes me want to throw my guts up just thinking about being a part of such a chaotic arrangement."
"wha-"
"anyways," he interrupted, waving a gloved hand, "I know why your markings are burning. mine are too. but I'm not going to risk my life telling you why. there's nothing you can possibly do, anyway."
disappointment washed over her features, and she deflated, letting her arms fall to her sides. she opened her mouth to speak - to beg, nag him for that information; she was already willing to wear him down, anything to know what was happening.
she never got the chance to beg. another voice split the air, much farther away, yet distinct. there was no way to miss it.
"Daeva?"
she tensed hearing her father's voice.
of course, he wasn't within eyeshot - there was no way for him to see either, yet the taller cryptid still backed up, inhaling sharply.
"I suppose," he muttered, "I should take my leave."
"probably," she hummed, her voice tinged with mild chagrin. she paused for a second, before whipping around, meaning to add to her former statement - yet he had already retreated, disappearing into the rotting grove yet again.
sigh.
maybe she'd get her answers later.
