Our Kingdom Come | KingdomCraft

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ xɪɪɪ - ᴛʀᴜsᴛ ᴍᴇ

THE TAIGA KINGDOM

Joel slid down to the earth, hugging his legs to his chest and dipping his face between his limbs, his fingers stained with crimson blood. Beside him lay a squirrel. One he had slayed to quench his internal need to take. It would have been much easier with a sword.

His body ceased trembling, but he knew it was only a matter of time before his body would force him to kill again.

The rising moon gave him a small sense of comfort. The ghostly moonlight enveloping him as he was surrounded by the darkness of the forest. He shivered at the dropping of the temperature around him. He reminded himself that this was for the best. That it was for the people around him. That it was for Lizzie. He moved his hands across his arms, and dragged his finger over the skin of his birthmark.

Lizzie slid through the crevices of the dense forest. She stumbled blindly, grasping the tree barks and plant leaves as she passed them. Every second she didn't see Joel her chest became a little tighter.

"Where are you?" She whispered to the night sky.

She trudged farther into the woods. Her finger was snagged on something small and sharp, she couldn't quite tell what it was. Lizzie brought her left hand up to her face. There was a tear in her ring finger, scarlet liquid surrounded it. She wiped the blood on her trouser.

"Great," she doubled back and crouched down, checking for the plant that cut her. Her eyes fell upon a svelt obsidian shade flower, with thorns lining its stem. It's a plant Lizzie had never laid eyes on before.

She turned around. It was no time to marvel at a rare flower, or whatever it was. She needed to look for Joel. She continued on her original path but took another pause as she realized there was yet another plant, the same black coloring and pointy spikes. She gazed around the clearing when the realization dawned on her, she was circled by these strange flowers. It was very strange, the flora seemed to wrap around, like a wreath. Lizzie stood in the center.

For a moment, everything was silent. Even the bugs and insects that would sing their high pitched chirp paused. A second passed, the world passed, and for that short second Lizzie swore she heard the faint crackling of fire. The forest filled with the squeals of insects once again.

"I have-" Lizzie stepped forward. "I have to find Joel." She continued on her journey.

Joel pushed himself up, resting his body on a rock. His hands began shaking. He tried closing his eyes. He tried going to sleep. Nothing. Whatever tormented him kept him wide awake. How unfair the world is, Joel thought.

A branched snapped. Joel leapt from his position, staring into the shadows cast by the trees. His heart pounded in his chest, racing with anxiety, but the pink hair that poked through the bushes assuaged his fears. It was Lizzie. Warmth wrapped over him as she approached. This was the first time he felt some semblance of peace.

He enveloped Lizzie in a tight embrace. One that seemed long overdue, one he didn't even know he was waiting for. Lizzie snuggled closer. Their chest pressed together and their heart beats synchronized.

She fell perfectly in place in Joel's arms. It was as if they were never meant to be apart. Her heart fluttered and her cheeks flushed with a daunting awareness of her own feelings, of how she enjoyed this hug a little more than she should.

"Joel, you scared me to death. Why are you out here?" She asked, pulling away.

Joel's smile faded and his heart sank. He looked at his hands still tainted red. They were slowly moving involuntarily. "I have a problem and you need to go, now."