Fate

14: Blackbird

As always in the forest, the wind seems to follow me. Even when I was sprinting strongly, it was with me. Now my strides have been reduced to stumbles. My beautiful dress now possesses multiple rips in its skirt, the hem of it is decorated with mud and water. The shoes that were once on my feet are gone, I dare not look at my soles. I only expect blood and scratches.

The wind sings to me as I slow down once more, Conan told me to run and run I did. But after running continuously for god knows how long I have broken my promise. My breaks have only lasted about five minutes each time, but they feel like seconds. Every time I stop my lungs take it as a chance to inflate dramatically and I'm left puffing and panting until a snap of a twig in the distance has me racing once more.

Now, the sky is dark but in the distance a small hue is beginning to bloom. From the light I can tell I am in the early hours of the morning. The now familiar feeling of exhaustion in setting in my bones and I jump up before my tired eyes can close. I have to keep running. The chance I was given won't be failed. I took this chance and I'm going to live it.

Trees tower above me and I feel unusually small. They are the lions and I am the lamb. I am the prey. They are the predator. This is the hunt.

At times I wonder if they are still racing after me. Are they in the distance? Can they smell me? Do they know? Other times I feel truly free. Confidence sings within me, I know all is not the same. As it never will be. Only fate knows where I will be taken in this journey. If I was offered the truth I'd turn it down. Live in the moment, live to the fullest. You never know when your life will be cut.

Fatigue is nesting inside me. My limbs weigh a tonne, my eyelids are boulders and my energy is slowly draining. Soon, I won't be able to hold them up. Even running I could sleep in a second. The beds of moss seem so inviting. Surely I'm far enough ahead for a rest. They won't find me, I'll be okay.

My body screams its praise as I fall onto the ground. From that one pause I can already feel my energy rejuvenating itself. Soon I will be okay. But first, I need to take a break.

                                                         ✯¸.•'*¨'*•✿ ✿•*'¨*'•.¸✯

Waking up to birds singing reminds me of home. In summer, the windows were always left open during the night. It got very hot during the night so I had no other option. It's not like I had air conditioning or anything. 

A blackbird sits in a tree directly in front of where I was resting, chirping and whistling to me. I am his audience and I couldn't be happier. His song is beautiful, intricate and long. Unusual for an ordinary bird. The bird's eyes stare at me while he performs, slightly unnerving. When his song reaches the crescendo it is more of a death march. His melody is bitter and ominous, awaiting death. I can picture the hunt and death of the protagonist, the happiness of the killers and the disregard of the crime. No one cares that she was killed, she was just a weakling. They. They however are the kings. The brave and mighty kings that rule us. Yes, that is what they will say. I will go forgotten and unloved.  

The birds song goes on. The fall of the crescendo low and sad. 

"Shut up." I whisper, no longer wanting to hear his song. But the show carries on, he still chirps and chatters away, "Shut up!" I raise my voice higher. As the melody grows louder so does my voice. We are fighting a battle to be noisier than each other.

"Shut up!" I scream and the bird snaps its beak closed. His beady black eyes stare at me, like it did in the beginning. It cocks its head at me before flapping its great black wings and flying away, "Dumb bird."

Now up on my feet, I decide it's easier to carry on walking. Where to, I do not know. Just keep walking. As long as I'm away from Niko and the kings I'm okay. I won't be imprisoned again.

I walk for about three hours until the slight hunger grows into a clawing desire. The idea of foraging brings a deep sense of homesickness to me. Foraging was something I've done for my whole life, but in my own forest, near my own home. Now I'm deep into the unknown.

 Greenery is thick in this forest, I've managed to collect two bags of berries. The hem of my dress had to be sacrificed to make the carrier, but it's keeping me alive. I place a blackberry on the tip of my tongue and revel in its flavor. Each segment explodes in a new kind of sweetness and blesses my taste buds with its taste. This is how it feels to be truly hungry. So hungry that you can taste every particle within a single berry.

Before long, the two full bags are empty and the berries are long gone within me. Each berry was sweeter than the next and soon I couldn't help but stuff them into my mouth. I'm sure my face is stained with the juice, but I couldn't care less.

"They could be poisonous you know."

It's the slightest of distractions that cause the most damage. 

"You could die eating those berries, little girl."

"I know my plants." I mutter, facing away from the speaker.

"Sure, you definitely look like you do." He laughs.

"Leave me alone." I say.

"Oh, I don't think I will." He replies, his voice low but loud enough for me to hear him. Soon enough, I hear cracking as he clears the distance between us. But I'm ready. As soon as he's near enough, I send a kick to the gut and spin behind him.

"I also know my self defense." I growl as he chokes in front of me. His hair is dark black and I can tell he's tall.

"You little bitch." He coughs, as soon as he begins to straighten I kick his back forcing him to fall over.

"I said to leave me alone." I snarl.

"I smell human, little girl." The man stands up quickly and whirls around, too fast for my reactions to start, "And I'm hungry." His eyes pulse a dark red and it is then that I realize my mistake. I just angered a starved vampire.

"Leave me alone." I whisper.

"You're what I've been searching for, little girl." He groans, stepping ever so slowly towards me.

"Just stay away." I whimper, his slow walk torturing me.

"Just a little taste, please sweet girl." He whines.

"No, no! Just go!" I shout, shaking my head back and forth.

"Skylae would have wanted it! She would have wanted me to have you!" He sniffles. How does he know about Skylae?

"H-how do you know that name?"

"I can read you like a book, sweet angel." He groans, inhaling my scent more.

"Stop! Get out of my head!" It's as though I can feel his fingers probing my brain, searching for more.

"Give me one thing, little girl. One thing! I can help you forget. I'll help you forget!" He shrieks, his voice too loud. His voice like glass cutting and nipping at my skin. I fall to my knees and slap my hands over my ears, "Just a taste." And then he is on me. His fangs sink in to my neck and an overwhelming dizziness consumes me.

"S-s-stop" I plead as he sucks at my skin. I can feel my blood rushing to meet his lips, I can hear his disgusting moans as he takes in my life. The light-headed feeling is settling in nicely. My vision is becoming distorted and a faint buzzing can be heard. I know then that there is no going back. My only future is death unless I can magically have a blood transfusion. And I don't think there's going to be a blood transfusion any where in the middle of the forest.

As the lack of blood in my body becomes too much, I have one final thought.

"I hope you're watching me, Xanouth."

Then everything goes darker than the blackbird's eyes.