Fool's Hope

a fearless fae.

 The two sat at the foot of a tree stripped of its bark. Its soaring trunk leaned sideways as they took cover from the disrupted and enraged bees. The colony immediately gave chase in disarray once their hive hit the ground, and though covered in itching stings, golden, gleaming honey trickled down their tired hands. The wax they'd accumulated from the honeycomb would have been paid in full by a candle maker, but while they were on the run it served no purpose. Lurios stared in the direction of the clearing, then slipped his head down to nudge Norman's shoulder and steal a large wad of the comb for himself.

The windy village had readied themselves, and it was time to leave. Norman overheard a conversation frequently ascending in volume on Dove, a Pegasus who'd safely returned with Lurios. The mare had flown aloft the treetops to seek the securest path and greatly influenced the elder's decision. They all filed out of the clearing, the thin soles of shoes scuffing against the dusted trail. Dove led at the forefront, the sure steps of her agile hooves creating a rhythmic pattern.

A loud exchange between Novius and Almera filled the air as they walked.

"Dragons are gone now, not once sighted in centuries," Almera says, in a state of serene calm. Novius, though, was the complete opposite. He got worked up in the pursuit of trying to convince his fellow elder that he was right.

"They never existed in the first place, it was simply a tale of the tongues..." He prattled on. They'd been treading carefully for hours now, sliding down a dip in the earth with surprising ease. The ghostly shadows of night began to stretch over the greenery, and the hairs on the back of napes had risen in vigilance.

"Oh, New faces!" came a sing-song voice from an overhanging shade, yet it frightened the village all the same. A tiny winged being skipped from beneath a giant leaf, peering at each individual with a bright look. Recognition dawned on her as she studied the group. "So, you're the ones chased out of your home. Word of it spread around all of the forests by now." The beating of her transparent wings stirred the leaves around her, and she'd parted her mouth again, introducing herself as Sora. The children were the first to react, adults staring on with utter disbelief.

"Yes, it was a huge beast with jet fur, suddenly standing over us all," a little girl with coiled black hair responded, her arms spreading past her shoulders. The other kids recalled the event with shudders, some peeking at the fae with awe, and forgetting to blink. The peri stretched in mid-air, its lips pursed at how the girl hadn't used the beasts' title.

"It's about time you learn their names, then! There's the Brinare, the one I'm sure you've met, and the Cracull, also the Kribent..." Sora spoke fervently of the creatures, her saccharine voice rising zestfully and leaving the people in confused silence. This high praise hadn't lined up with the ferocious beast they'd encountered. Spinning this way and that, their eyes flickered around to follow her tricks being performed with her hands tightly clasped. A twinkling sound emitting from her chest grew louder whilst she danced, but no one dared to mention it.

It would be quite rude to do so, and if the fae who made the noise appeared unbothered by it, then they should too, is what they considered. A thud shook the ground, and everyone froze, their figures iced over as their eyes transfixed to the trees. They'd gone mute, listening with unwavering attention. Their time in the wild so far had molded most of them into more cautious people, ones who'd looked over their shoulders every so passing minute and methodically weighed their footfalls. A middle-aged man shrugged once no other sounds came, adopting a slightly careless attitude despite his age, and turned back to the peri who hadn't quit dancing.

Sora twirled and chattered happily about her useless fortes as if trying to have them stay as long as possible, and several formed a belief that she hadn't seen people she can talk to in a while. Others joined him in averting their sights back to Sora, and their tense and exhausted statures even settled. Limbs felt heavy and threatened to drag their aching bodies towards the mossy ground through their struggle to stay awake and watchful. It occurred to them that they were much more hushed and good-natured above all. This slowly faded as mere seconds passed, however, and irritated gnawing at hollow bellies arose.

Norman and Lukas dwelled near the rear of the lot, tuned in to watching Ira await an opportunity to ask the fae of feasible places to shelter. They only knew this due to Ira loudly expressing his concern on where they would stay for the approaching night, and in a very obvious manner to Raeve. It was unsure of whether the talkative peri heard it or not, as there was no response from her. A sudden glint of an indistinct expression blinked on the peri's front, and she ceased her leaps and flips in the air. The twinkling notes were at their highest point, the riotous sound ringing nonstop.

This was enough of a wake-up call than any to those who were on the brink of sleepy unconsciousness, and children covered their ears, backing away from Sora. A mischievousness ticked onto the fae, following a low, disembodied hiss from under a wide monstera leaf. The cluster frantically shuffled away from the leaves, dust being thrown skyward. Casually perched on the leaf, which dipped down under her weight as the twinkling finally died down, many made a shocking, but too-late realization; Sora had lured a beast to them.