Caeli and her companions traveled for hours in silence when suddenly the small snake unwound itself form her neck and wrapped itself around her arm to rest its upper body on the back of her hand where she held the rope that led the horse.
She looked down without moving her head. The snake looked forward and then turned to look at her.
"Miss, why did you save me from my nest?", he asked softly without looking at her.
"Well it wasn't long ago I was treated the same way for things I had no control of. Things I didn't want. I could hardly stand by and watch as you were treated the same as I. We can't help who we are, just as much as we can't help how many stars are in the sky or how much it rains.", Caeli responded with a sense of resignation. Although it was sad, it just was. "Who will stand for those in these types of situations if not the ones who truly understand it?", she said softly and faced the small snake.
The snake nodded slowly as if wise beyond his years.
"My name is Caeli. Not to be rude but do you have a name?" Caeli said with a slight smile.
The snake turned to look at her and cocked his head to one side and then the other.
"I'm not entirely sure I understand what you're asking.", one moment the snake seemed aged and educated and the next he was a child, so genuinely confused. Caeli couldn't help but let out a small chuckle.
"A name, something others call you by to let you know they're talking to you or about you I suppose." Caeli had never thought about what a name was. What a strange thing to have something be so common but never questioned. It suddenly made her realize how much her life had been that. Expectations without any true or logical explanations. "I guess maybe it makes a thing more identifiable, more easily placed inside boxes and categories." Caeli was shocked as she responded. How sad.
"It sounds like what you're describing is what beasts call Titulus. In beasts it means much more though. Having a Titulus gives the beast incredible power. It makes them stronger physically and magically. Only powerful and strong beasts have a Titulus and a Titulus can only be given by someone with great magic. For example, I cannot give my self one. It would have to be given to me.", said the small snake matter of fact. Again the wise snake.
"What would happen if I gave you one?" Caeli asked, purely out of curiosity.
"Well probably not much. You are human after all.", he said nonchalantly.
"Then no harm done then, yes?"
"Yes?", said the snake with his head tilted to the side. "I sense no magic in you, I suppose if you gave me a Titulus it would be more as you call it, a name?" he answered with a questioning tone unsure of whether or not this was true.
Caeli stared at his golden scales for a moment before saying, "Well how do you feel about Aurum?"
Suddenly the snake began to glow slightly, seemingly from the inside. The horse stopped moving and began to dance as if frightened. Caeli hastily tried to get the gelding under control.
All at once the glowing ceased and the horse calmed.
Caeli looked down at the snake and her mouth opened slightly.
Aurum had grown six inches and his scales had adopted a ruby shine to them where light hit his scales. He had gotten thicker in diameter and his eyes had gotten larger and his mouth a little more... expressive? She wasn't sure if that was the right word.
Aurum looked down at himself, now longer and larger than before, his eyes seemingly wide in astonishment.
"Miss Caeli, what did you do?", said the snake now sounding a little older than he had before. Even more strangely she saw his mouth shape words in a way a reptile should not be able to do. In a way he had not been doing only moments before.
"I...I'm sorry... I'm not quite sure what just happened." She stared wide eyed at the snake that had almost doubled in size. "Is this what a Titulus does?"
"Well yes but you have almost no magic in you at all Miss Caeli. You're human. Your species are the farthest from magic that any species could be. You should not have been able to do that." the snake said with confusion, he suddenly had a brow that furrowed. Was he more.... human? "A Titulus is full of power. That is how regular beasts become beast men. With the power that comes with each Titulus, an animal can grow stronger and stronger. We maintain and increase our magical power while also gaining the ability to communicate with more races, we become more universal, for lack of a better word. We become more intelligent, we gain knowledge from the Namer and often times their characteristics. Many Namers tend to be of humanoid origin so I suppose we become more human like, hence the name beast men."
Silence.
The snake had hardly spoken before and suddenly he was a talking encyclopedia?
Thankfully Caeli was not the only one seemingly shocked. Aurum opened his mouth and shut it again.
"See?"
Caeli slowly nodded. The look of shock slowly melted from her face. Why had she suddenly gotten so warm? Why had the sun gotten so bright? Were those stars?
Caeli saw light then darkness. She slumped and fell from the horse.
All she knew next was oblivion.
Slowly she woke laying on the ground. All she could see was the trees above her and the snakes face only inches from hers. He looked concerned, she thought. As concerned as a snake can look she supposed.
"Miss Caeli, are you alright?", Aurum slithered even closer to her face, flicking out his tongue and tasting the air around her. "You're warm. Warmer than before, but your skin is wet."
"Humans call that a "cold-sweat" Aurum. I think I am fine." She slowly sat herself up and Aurum slid to her lap. The gelding had stopped where she had fallen. Kind horse.
"Indeed kind young lady as I haven't found good food in days. My willingness to stay by your side should be considered charity." came a voice.
Aurum and Caeli swung their heads to stare at the gelding then back at each other.
"I'm sorry, I didn't realize you had been wanting something better." She said slowly, she had given him what was left of her fruit after she'd traded most of it to the snakes in exchange for Aurum.
The horse scraped a foot against the ground and huffed. "Well don't you also want something more palatable? We've been wandering this forest for over a day now and have yet to find running water or sweet plants. Haven't you wondered why?" the gelding said as if the answer was obvious.
Aurum nodded. Something strange had been going on. They had traveled the forest for almost a day and a half and nothing looked any different. It was a large forest but to have traveled that long and not have seen running water or different foliage did seem a little strange.
"It's the forest. It's leading us in circles. But why?" Aurum asked the gelding, looking up at him from her lap.
"It's the human. The forest is displeased with her presence. Humans have been enemies to the magical folk of the world for years now, cutting down trees, building roads and dams. She is being tested."
The geldings comments reminded Caeli of her Fae friends' warnings of going too far in the forest. Of the questionable motives of some Fae.
Aurum nodded his wise nod once again.
"What is the test? What do I have to do?" asked Caeli of her only companions.
Aurum and the gelding looked at each other, and then her, in silence.
"I am not sure miss. Whatever the test is, the forest likely won't let us out alive unless you pass." Aurum said solemnly.
She heaved a sigh as she stood.
"Fine." Caeli huffed as she dusted off her back end and tossed her hair from her face. "I suppose we will continue on until something changes if that's alright with you two? We will search for moving water, follow it down stream until we found a town and look for food along the way." she said pointedly at the gelding, determined.
Caeli mounted with Aurum wrapped loosely around her left arm.
Onward they went.
They walked, they slept, they ate sparingly and caught and gathered what they could for what seemed like days. The companions had adopted a sort of routine. Aurum would sleep at Caelis feet every night while the gelding stood ready for anything and resting as he stood. She shared what little food she had left with both of the animals and Aurum would hunt for what he could while she built camp. The animals taught Caeli of the magical world, somethings she knew from the folk she befriended in the wood near her village and other things she did not know.
"That can't be true." Caeli chuckled as she poked the fire.
"It most certainly is." retorted the gelding.
"Is that strange to you Miss Caeli?" asked Auruom.
"Well I suppose it is strange to me. The idea that farming spirits would encourage the plants to grow by telling them stories of humor and jokes seems oddly specific not to mention downright silly."
"Do humans not enjoy laughing?"
Caeli had to pause. Of course they did, didn't they?
"Well, yes, yes they do."
"Humans often forget that plants are living creatures. Just like a human, happiness and kindness helps them thrive. If the spirits were to do the opposite, tell stories of sadness and heartache, the plants would shrivel and sadden. Some plants will even grow poisonous fruit. Some witches have been known to use these methods to make materials for potions. Potions of love, of jealousy, of pain."
Caeli sat silently for a moment. Wasn't this also true of humans? Those raised in a loving and jovial home often adopted loving and jovial personalities and seemed to be more optimistic. On the other hand those who's lives were full of heartache and pain became poisoned. Angry and bitter they would then procreate and raise children that they often would taint with their displeasure and so on and so forth.
"Yes. I suppose that all makes very much sense.", she said quietly. Although her aunt and uncle had been kind enough to take her into their home, there had been no laughter, no jokes, no bed time stories. Caeli didn't think herself bitter or angry but she wasn't optimistic. She also never seemed to feel joy unless she had been alone or in the forest. Was she poison? Could that be changed?
What seemed like days later Caeli and her companions came across what looked like a child in their path, hunched and crouched to the ground with its hands covering its face. With long dark hair and what looked like torn and dirty night clothes, she couldn't tell if the child was injured. She slowed the gelding to a stop and dismounted. Aurum sat on the back of the horse silently looking at Caeli.
She began walking towards the child slowly so as not to seem threatening.
"Are you alright? Can I help you? Is anyone here with you?", she asked as she moved closer, looking form side to side searching for a parent, or perhaps sibling, meant to be watching but perhaps had become distracted and wandered too far.
The child didn't respond or show any sign of hearing her. Caeli drew closer and closer.
Suddenly as her foot fell just a few feet from where they were crouched, the ground moved beneath her feet. Not in a shaking matter but it was like the world around her had all become the consistency water. Blue ripples ran through the ground and the trees. Caeli quickly looked at her feet and back at the child. The child remained stationary. She whipped around to call back to Aurum and the gelding but they looked frozen in time. She turned back to the child who was now standing.
Hair covering their face with arms limp at their side, the child was no longer crying. The youth tilted its head to one side and then the other as if curious about her presence there.
"Who are you?" Caeli asked loudly, fear and confusion seizing her senses.
"Who are you?", echoed back the child.
Caeli took a step back. The child mirrored her movements.
"Is this the test?", she asked, only to have the child retort the same words with the same tone of voice. Her heart raced, her skin became slick.
Suddenly the child became a puddle of water, flowers sprouted with intense speed and as quickly as they had grown, they began to wither. Then the puddle formed once again into what looked like a large deer but with human like eyes and a beak for a snout. Shimmering blue the deer stared at Caeli.
It felt like an eternity they stood and stared at each other when suddenly an arrow pierced the hip of the creature and it cried out. All at once time began moving again. Caeli whipped her head in the direction the arrow came from and saw a man brandishing a bow.
"No!", she screamed and the deer fell to the ground making tortured sounds of pain. The sound wrenched at her heart. It felt as though someone had taken a knife and plunged it into her chest.
She ran to the deer and dropped down by its side. She hovered her hands over the deer, desperate to help but in fear of making matters worse. As she sat kneeling, helpless, she began to feel fire rush through her. Anger. Anger at the injustice, not just in this but in all of life. The injustices she had suffered, that Aurum had suffered. How could life continue to be so cruel. Can nothing beautiful be left in peace? If something is strange or different will they always be hunted?
Caeli turned with angry tears in her eyes to try and apprehend the offender but he was nowhere to be found. Not only had this man shot something so magical and special, but he had left with no care for the fate of the creature?
Caeli turned quickly to the animal.
"Hush, hush. Hold on, I don't know how to help.", she softly cried her chin quivering. The animal began to settle, its breathing heavy and labored.
Caeli rested her hand near the arrow. The animal wasn't bleeding, perhaps she could snap the arrow and the animal might have the chance to heal.
She reached for the arrow and it burned her hand. As she touched the wood of the arrow, it glowed bright red. She wrenched her hand away and made a startled sound. It was like touching coals.
She tore her sleeve off and wrapped it around her hand tightly. Taking a deep breath and letting it out she steadied the flesh of the animal at the base of the arrow and broke of the portion that was protruding. This way the animal wouldn't bleed out but also wouldn't be hindered by the length of the arrow sticking out of its hip.
The arrow snapped easily but burned the cloth of her sleeve causing it to burst into flames once it was in her hand. She shouted and dropped the piece she had snapped off.
Suddenly she was in the forest again. Her face wet with tears, her sleeve burning to ash on the ground. On her knees she stared down at the ground where the deer had once been. Something fell on her face. Rain.
She looked up to the treetops that surrounded her and the rain came quicker now. She blinked rapidly, unsure of what just happened.
"Miss Caeli! Are you ok?!", shouted Aurum, his voice getting closer along with the sound of rapid hoof beats.
She turned to find the gelding and Aurum standing above her.
"What just happened?", she whispered as she looked down at her hands. The right one was badly burned.
"One moment you were walking towards the child and the next we saw you on your knees like this. Where did the child go?", asked Aurum.
"The child was the guardian of this forest.", said the gelding softly. "Whatever you just experienced must have been the test, and you seemingly passed."
"How do you know that?" Caeli asked.
The gelding whinnied and shook his head using his snout to repeatedly point in the direction ahead of them all.
There stood a city, larger than anything she had ever seen. They were at the edge of the forest. About a mile away a road began and it seemingly headed in the direction of the city.
With buildings taller than some of the trees in the forest and a wall around it almost as large, Caeli had never seen anything like this in her life. She had seen paintings in books but nothing quite seemed to do it justice. It was Flumen. The biggest city of Ausia.
They had survived the forest.