Disguised In Stardust ✔

Chapter Eleven

My wrist was lacerated from the fall. Not only that, but a dark, vivid bruise accumulated on my hipbone about an hour later. When I dropped the weird fruits, ones that I hadn't seen in my entire life, Faelin retrieved and examined them, not bothering to ask if I was okay.

Though he did help me up, and he even offered to patch up my wrist. He did a decent job, actually; the bandage was nice and firm. We took a short break so I could take pain relievers, hopefully to fight off the burning in my arm. It was like something tiny was gnawing its way out.

It wasn't the best feeling.

We decided to find the white stag fur next. We found one European stag in a nearby wildlife shelter, but it wasn't albino in the slightest. Faelin admired the creature nonetheless, petting its snout as though it were harmless. It seemed to like him.

"So what's a white stag, anyway? Does that even exist?" I asked him while we walked. We traversed fields and forestry, both of which where probably owned by angry farmers.

"It's a rare species of Earthen animal. They're said to be mythical, but I know they're real. I read it in a guide once, with photos for proof." His voice was flat while he spoke, like always. "They're hidden by a cloak, much like the one I used in the museum." he continued.

There is such a thing as Photosh... You know what? I'll let him believe what he wants to.

I fell a few paces behind as we cut through a small ditch that sliced across our path. I helped him across, seeing that his legs were far too short to reach across. "What's different about the stag's cloak?"

"The stag's cloak is made of the chemicals I use to make my potions. It's already laced within the blood. It's what inspired my invisibility trick." he looked away from me, bashful.

Half way through our adventure, Faelin came to a pleasant stop, right in the middle of the forest. He lowered himself to the ground and crossed his legs. Those nimble fingers began to twine together the stems of various plants we collected along the way.

Once he was finished, he crushed them in his fist, continuing to clench until the substance turned to mush. He swept a finger through the green plaster in his palm and rubbed it along his eyelids, like he was applying eyeshadow.

His skin absorbed it easily--being thick and all--until there was just a thin streak of jade across his lashline. What was that for, anyway?

“What are you doing?” I couldn't help but jab, keeping my eyes on the jelly substance in his palm.

“Preparing for what they call, the 'sacred sight.' I’m sensing the presence of a stag nearby. There are certain precautions we take in order to find it.” He opened his eyes, blinked a few times, then stood up and approached me. “To see past their cloak, you’re going to need this.” He gestured for me to close my eyes. Once I obliged, I felt the pads of his fingers brush along my lids; his movements were gentle and deft.

The chirps around me echoed through the rustling leaves. I could feel the same breeze caress my ears, singing a song of Earth to me. It was like my senses were cleared and brought to a crisp edge. I could hear and focus on everything else.

When Faelin pulled away, it was as if the world held its breath. The wind paused, birds choked on their song, and the leaves fell stagnate. My senses shortened for a moment, muting everything.

A pair of warm lips joined mine, and soft breath brushed my nose.

But as soon as it came, it left. The feeling was gone before I could react.

I opened my eyes to see a flushed Faelin, deliberately turned away. Even though I couldn’t see his face, I could see those red ears and a crimson flushed neck. I was surprised he wasn’t steaming. The kiss was so distracting that I didn’t notice the different world around me.

Nearby ponds and rivers were flecked with tiny glowing seeds, swirling in ripples of the calm waters. They bobbed tenderly on the surface. While the seeds lit the ground below in a gently bioluminescent haze, the trees above bent and frayed, their leaves hanging low like willows. The buds of the leaves pulsed faintly.

The grass seemed to stretch upwards to welcome us, its blades swishing against our ankles. I looked over to Faelin, who still had his back to me. When I placed a hand on his shoulder, he flinched but he didn't recoil.

I opened my mouth to say something but he beat me to it. "Let's keep moving." he spoke just above a whisper.

"Hey, look at me." I cupped his cheek with my injured hand and turned his face towards mine, to which his breath hitched quietly.

"No, I... I didn't mean to.." His voice was different than usual. His taut demeanor shattered when I returned the favor by kissing him again. My lips were warm against his. To replace the usually biting weather, a tepid aura bloomed around the two of us.

He shivered under my touch and pressed his hands against my chest. There was no intent of pushing me away in those palms. I felt a smile pull at my lips.

"We should keep moving... The stag doesn't like to stay in one place." he trailed awkwardly, averting his hazy eyes with a little crease in his brow.

"Right." I replied. It took me another glance to realize where we were. I've never seen anything like this place in my life. Here we were, in an alternate space--like a copy of the former world he were just living in--one that seemed hidden from the human eye for ages.

"What is this place?" I asked him, snapping the both of us out of the pregnant silence.

"The same place where we just were. Only this time, you can see the energy and what it used to look like, untouched by human hands. Unbothered. This is what a healthy forest used to be." he explained.

"I don't remember our biology books showing us anything like this." I noted, reaching over to a winding tree. Before I could touch it, the plant reacted to just our proximity, groaning and cracking as if to recoil. I brought my hand back and winced.

Were we really that toxic to nature?

"The books only show you what they want you to see. They hide the energy in these places to harness the power for themselves. Luckily, this place hasn't been touched in decades." he sighed, breathing in the crisp air. It's been a while since I've breathed in such a thin, natural atmosphere.

There were places on Earth that could be beautiful.

That was something I never believed until now.

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