Wolf Child

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No one spoke as Ferhia and Kilfer trod out of the cave, both eyes were red (they knew each other had been in tears but none cared to ask the other about what happened) and both were still trying their best to hold their tears.

Once they emerged, the forest reappeared and it was already day, and it was then that they realised how long they were in there. But something felt different, that there was not the slightest sound of the birds and wind, and the fresh air was getting stale with every single step they took.

Ferhia did notice that Kilfer was suspiciously eyeing her, but paid no heed to him. Instead, she continued on as if nothing had happened.

Meanwhile on the other side of the forest something stirred, a breeze swirling up clumps of dust and leaves, then came a crack beneath the ground, a sound emnated from within:

Come, beloved one.
Come, to the deal
That your parents paid.
A sacrifice
A worthless one
For til' the end of time
To me you shall be.
Your curse troth to me
To me you shall be.
For eternity
Thou shalt not be free!

Meanwhile, the duo shuddered lightly -- but it was not because of the cold.

***

Finally, the forest cleared, the damp warm air finally gone, and they breathed in a whiff of the fresh air. They paused, and surveyed the atmosphere. It was just one of the days, Kilfer thought, where they simply sniffed the air to know the direction that they were heading to. Yet now, they were stuck on a cliff, and far away mists and clouds blocked their vision, and the cliff extended so far below, green plains and hills sprawling out for miles and miles far below them.

Far into the mist, hovering in the air was a huge forest, like a clump of ground lifted high above the ground like a massive fist.

"We... climb down?" Ferhia asked, glancing down at the land beneath.

"I don't think we can," Kilfer spoke, glancing down at the steep cliff face. Ferhia could feel that Kilfer was avoiding her gaze, but tried her best not to show that she noticed. "How about this," Kilfer raised an eyebrow, glancing towards the huge clump of earth that was hovering midair, "I do not know why that piece of land is hovering up, but its fine, I guess. Let me try to control it."

Kilfer shut his eyes tight, and used a force of nature he had but Ferhia could not see, trying to tug the massive piece of land towards them. Ferhia was doubtful he could do so, but did not say anything. The huge clump of soil still sat like a huge boulder within the mists, and Ferhia did not know how it came to be so high up the plains beneath.

Her attention was drawn back to Kilfer, who was struggling. Beads of perspiration rolled down from his forehead to the neck, and his veins were starting to pop out of his hands.

Then from the corner of the eye the huge clump of earth move through the misty air towards them, it seemed like there was a mysterious force pushing it towards them, and soon it paused just at the edge of the cliff. Kilfer staggered back, panting and exhausted while Ferhia finally saw how huge thisclump of earth was.

In fact, it was not simply a clump of earth, but an entire hovering forest, and trees and shrubs were draped over the gray rock and brown soil. Ferhia stepped up carefully, aware of how even the huge piece of land trembled under her mere weight, and Kilfer followed suit.

With a pushing motion, Kilfer controlled the rock, this time seemingly effortlessly, and they glided through the air. As Kilfer wrestled the imaginary controls of the rock, Ferhia started exploring the land, but simply besides the lush greenery and the feverish cold, there was nothing that she could see.

Turning back, she saw Kilfer controlling the entire land as if it were a toy. Ferhia had never knew that Kilfer's magic could be so powerful; she had seen him deliver gusts of wind and resurrect a dying tree, but controlling things in such a huge scale was totally breathtaking.

Finally, a huge looming cliff extended out like the front hull of a ship out of the mists, and Kilfer pushed his hands hard onto the ground and it stopped. They climbed out to a ledge, extending deep enough into the cliff face that even five men could stand on it. Not too distant from where they landed, a waterfall glided from the top of the mountain, descending far beneath the mists until Ferhia could not see where it landed, and when they glanced forward, behind the waterfall there was a grotto, a gaping hole twice the height of Kilfer.

"Come," Kilfer said, not even turning his head to glance at Ferhia, but she knew he was too lethargic to carry on with the journey, but something from the corner of Kilfer's eyes told her that it might just not be because of his tiredness that he is avoiding her gaze, "Let's stay here for the night, I need rest."

In the grotto they found some water, a flat slab of stone perfect for a resting spot, and that was it. At night, the sounds of the rushing water woke them with the cold, and when they nearly fell asleep it woke them again until they decided not to sleep.

Ferhia knelt slowly and carefully on the edge of the ledge and saw the water cascade from the top like a line of water, but trapping her, cutting her off from the wind outside like a veil. Then, a bout of water ejected from the waterfall onto Kilfer's hands, and before that she did not realise he was beside her.

"Hi," Ferhia spoke softly, barely audible to have been covered by the roaring of water.

Kilfer gave no response, twirling the water above his hands in boredom.

Ferhia turned back to face the waterfall, and let the roaring of the water cleanse her thoughts, and shut her eyes to listen to every rhythmic clap of the waterfall, drowning her ears within the sounds. After a long time she opened her eyes, and Kilfer was gone. The voices of water had cleansed her senses, and she decided to enter the cave once again. The night was still reigning above the land, and when she stepped in it was pitch black, so dark she could not even see herself, but at the corner lying down Kilfer was muttering prayers, but Ferhia could clearly hear what it was. The prayer, only spoken by mortal beings when they were dying. The verse of the souls.

Ferhia knew, Kilfer had something he hid from Ferhia -- once again.

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