Deep within the woods and across the River of the Lost the beast carried the boy. Only once it reached the large moss-covered cliff face did it fly. The cliff was not just any old cliff... But a massive and abandoned temple dedicated to the goddess. And it was long forgotten. However, The Beast had made his home within one of these chambers, the mouth of such beneath a wide yet gentle stream of water, and high above the ground.
The beast brought its new prize to its den. And the night passed. But now as morning light floods the cavern, there laid Ferrin. He was yet to wake from losing consciousness the night before. He shifted in his sleep, rolling over onto his side. The boy started to stretch, his eyes fluttering open shortly after. Ferrin frowned as he immediately noticed the unfamiliar surroundings. He laid in the corner of a rather large square-shaped chamber with uneven stone walls and crystal that grew upon them. Ferrin only hardened his expression further. He sat up, glancing around the slightly dim cavern.
The stone floor was littered with large black feathers and gold coins. And here and there laid a small bone or two. The boy sat atop of Massive mound of hay, feathers, and scraps of fabrics. Clearly, it was bedding; and it took up nearly half the room. To his right was a collection of different curious and shiny objects. Gold, statues, urns, jewelry, silverware, and even the most common of objects. The pile was mixed with fabulous jewels and precious stones. And the opposite of it as well. Strange rocks, broken tools, and parts of buildings also scattered the pile.
Even so... Ferrin had never seen so much wealth in his life. He widened his eyes in astonishment at the dazzling shimmer of it all as the sun reflected against its surface. He glanced towards the source of such, seeing a large opening of the cave; just out of that a cloudless blue sky. Part of the cave's mouth was obstructed by rushing water that seeped down the overhang, ivy and branches growing along with it.
Then Ferrin remembered... His injury. He glanced down at himself, realizing quickly that he was completely naked. And his cut... Well. It was... Bandaged? Seemingly with the fabric of his chemise. It had been torn into a large strip and wrapped tightly around his torso. Beneath the fabric was various leaves and herbs. Ferrin's head spun with questions.
Based on the feathers he knew. Obviously, he was in the lair of the beast. And obviously, the beast had wanted him alive. Otherwise, it wouldn't have bothered to tend to his wound? But... Where was the creature itself? And then out the corner of his eye, he saw it. A flick of the tail fan. Almost dark blue now in the sun... It danced behind the treasures, swishing back and forth.
The boy leaned forward, glancing around the collection to see the inky wings and horns bob in movement. And... Skin? Human skin on the back of the creature. He gasped as he tried to get a better look. It was the beast no doubt, and yet. The thing appeared almost human. Not entirely, however. Still, the creature had feathers down its spine and around its shoulders. It had its massive wings and long sleek tail. And two sets of horns sat atop its head. One larger and curved backward. And others of lesser size and more like that of a cow, though smaller. It had long knotted hair, sleek and black like it's feathers. It seemed that even within the hair long feathers grew intertwined with the matted and messy strands.
Suddenly the creature whipped its head around, it's gaze meeting Ferrin's. Ferrin quickly jumped back, crawling out of sight. But the beast stood from its crouching position, turning as it peeked around. It treaded around the gold and dazzle, now standing just before the boy. Ferrin brings his knees to his chest, huddling against the wall of the cave.
Now facing him it was much easier to get a better look at the monster. Though, the boy did not dare look him in the eyes. He instead noticed it's long claw-like nails, black and overgrown. In its long spidery fingers, it held some type if fleshy meet; bloody and raw with bits of fur still attached. It stood naked and had an oddly shaped body. Muscular, and yet elongated, it's waste thinner than the rest of it. And its shoulders were very broad. Its body was disproportionate and alien. The thing was pale. Little pigment was in its skin. It was alike to that of a corpse. And even seemed to have a slight translucence.
Ferrin shut his eyes tightly, turning his head away. The creature knelt down, crawling towards him. It reached out towards him. The boy shuttered as suddenly he felt it's long claws graze his jaw. He whimpered, attempting to pull away. But the creature acted in quick reflex, grabbing his jaw and turning him to face it. Ferrin finally opened his eyes, seeing the beast's face close to his. The creature had high, broad cheekbones and sunken, round eyes much too large for its skull. It had almost owl-like features, though there were freckles speckled across its face. It had a small upturned type of nose and from its mouth dripped a bit of blood. Large pointed ears stuck straight from each side of his head, and his hair was shaggy and covered his eyebrows.
The creature gazed into the boy's fear-filled eyes. It turned it's head, soon enough a slight smile appearing in his terrifying features. He released him and pulled away.
"You really are like her! I couldn't see your eyes in the dark. But I see it now! The same color and everything!" The things exclaimed excitedly. Ferrin looked at it in horror, astonished at its ability to speak. Its voice was no different from any other he had heard. A bit high-pitched for a male... Bird-like chirping maybe... And notably, its vocabulary was very childish. The thing looked to be no older than sixteen or so, maybe even younger. Though it's height seemed to challenge this. It seemed young, and yet fully grown all at once. Ferrin sat speechless, the creature bouncing excitedly.
"You must act like her too, right? She was so nice to me. You like me right? Since I'm taking care of you. You have to like me!" He exclaimed, smiling wildly. He had long sharp fangs that peeked from his rather large mouth. Ferrin widened his eyes, speechless, and still very much afraid.
"Wh-what?" He let out. The beast tilted it's head curiously, its pupils expanding wide in wonder.
"That lady from when I was little? Maybe you don't know her. She's gone now. Here!" It added, suddenly holding out the bloody mess in its hand, dropping it in Ferrin's lap.
"I'll feed you and take care of you. And then you can be mine and we can play. Right? That lady always played with me all the time. We can play too!" It expressed. Ferrin could barely hear what it was saying. His mind felt fuzzy as he stared down at the lump of raw meat. He then glanced up at the beast again, brushing it aside and off his bare lap in disgust.
"You're... You're a human now..." He muttered. The beast nodded excitedly.
"Well of course. I can be almost whatever I want to be! Wolf, deer, bear, bird of course... As long as it's not too small. But I never quite look the same as the others. But this way we can communicate right? And you won't be so scared."
Ferrin swallowed hard. He was entirely and utterly confused. And still very scared. He cleared his throat a bit, but it had run completely dry.
"What... Why didn't you just kill me?" the boy wondered aloud.
"Why would I? The village, They gave you to me so now you're mine. Why would I kill you?" It askes now, flashing a confused expression.
"They... They gave me to you as a sacrifice." He said. The beast smiled wider, letting out a sort of chirping like chuckle.
"Well, that's just ridiculous. Like the sheep? No way. You're not very good meat you know. No... They gave you to me to keep. I'm sure of it." The beast giggled to himself, sitting down comfortably. Ferrin glanced down at himself. He was rather scrawny. He lacked both fat and muscle. And he was smaller than the other boys in his village. No.. He really wouldn't be much a meal. The creature was right.
Ferrin then glanced back towards the beast whose tail swished back and forth. He stared intently at Ferrin with those same deep purple eyes. They were pretty... Especially in the light of the sun. But the creature was still quite physically terrifying besides that. No. His eyes too... Ferrin gulped again.
"K-keep me? What for?" The thought terrified him. To live with... With this thing... Ferrin wondered if he'd rather be dead.
"They didn't want you. But I do. We can play, remember? I wonder what I'll name you..." The beast explained, scooting a bit closer now. Ferrin shook his head, pulling away to the right a bit.
"No, no! I wanna go back... I already have a name anyways! If you don't want to eat me then just take me back." He demanded a bit bravely, though frantic. The creature frowned.
"You don't like it here? But there's everything you need. I don't understand."
"I want to go back. Please!"
"Why though? They didn't want you. They even hurt you!"
"I... I don't care. Just take me back already!"
The beast gave him a sort of pout. It clenched its jaw firmly. "No." It simply responded stubbornly. Ferrin felt a sort of sinking in his chest, his hopes of return diminishing.
"You will stay here with me. And you will be mine. They gave you to me so you're mine. I will do as I please." The creature almost sounded like a child throwing a tantrum... He reminded Ferrin much of the Lord's son who was quite known for his tantrums, despite his older age. But even him Ferrin missed compared to is present company. Ferrin shook his head. There now was a pit in his stomach that felt almost as if it would swallow him whole.
"I can't stay here..." He muttered more to himself. The beast frowned further.
"Do you not like me?" it asked with a saddened tone. Ferrin did not respond, instead he simply stared ahead at it. Still, with fear and disgust. The beast huffed a heavy sort of sigh.
"Then I'll make you like me. You can't leave. And you have to like me because I told you to." It then said stubbornly. It glanced towards the forgotten lump of flesh. The thing again grabbed it, drawing closer to the boy. It held the meat close to Ferin's face, bumping his mouth with it.
"Eat it! It's for you." The creature said. Ferrin quickly jerked his face away, instinctively swatting at the beast's hand and knocking it aside. The smell of the raw meat alone was enough to nauseate him.
"I don't want it!" He snapped loudly. The beast widened its eyes in shock at the sudden outburst. But soon his expression darkened from shock to anger. He showed his teeth, springing up and grabbing into the bloody mass again. He then pounced onto Ferrin, clambering on top of him and pushing his shoulder back against the hay and feathers. The beast pinned Ferrin down, who yelped in surprise, struggling to pull away. But it was no use. He had no strength compared to the thing.
It's long feathered tail very quickly attacked Ferrin as well, wrapping around his neck. The boy coughed as he stares up at the creature, tears again in his eyes. The beast straddled him, aggressively taking Ferrin's jaw and pulling him to face forward.
"EAT IT!" He screeched before inserting his thumb in between the boy's lips, roughly prying his mouth open. Ferrin cringed at the taste of the creature's digits, again attempting to turn his head away. Tears began to stream down his cheeks as he hopelessly wrestled with the thing. The beast again roughly pulled Ferrin to face him, his long claw cutting into the boy's tongue and gums. He held his mouth open before shoving in the bloodied flesh.
Ferrin whimpered, his light screams muffled by the strange meat. It tasted a bit rotten, though most like blood. The flavor of iron and raw meat was unbearable. The beast, once successfully stuffing the meat into Ferrin's mouth released his jaw, pulling his fingers from his mouth. He pulled back, perched on his lap in wait. Ferrin cried, twisting his body around and quickly spitting out the lump of mystery meat. The Beast's expression hardened further. He tightened the grip of his tail, squeezing his neck tightly and pulling the boy's head back against the ground with a slam.
"That's a waste!" He screamed before also reaching out with his hands, pushing down on Ferrin's throat. The boy coughed, blood trickling down his throat. Was it his or whatever he was nearly forced to eat? There as no way to tell. He kicked his feet, grabbing onto the beast's wrists. It was no use. The thing was strong... Much stronger than Ferrin. He wondered... Would it kill him here and now?
He whined a bit, his vision obstructed by the tears. And soon he felt it begin to fade. Ferrin tried with all his effort to struggle, flailing his legs, reaching out and attempting to scratch the Beast's face... But it was hopeless. He couldn't breathe. The creature only squeezed harder in response. Ferrin barely squeaked, sound struggling to escape from him as well. His head began to feel hot, spinning. He again was losing consciousness. His limbs fell, his clutch on the beast's wrist faltering. The boy's eyes rolled into the back of his head. His body began to spasm on its own, blood gurgling in his throat.
The Beast then tilted his head, his features softening. He released Ferrin's throat, unwrapping his tail from around his neck. The boy again coughed, his throat dry and aching as he gasped for air. The beast watched calmly, sitting over him, waiting for Ferrin to finish it seemed. Ferrin panted, heaving as he turned his gaze back to the horrible creature. Utter horror was the only thing written within the blonde boy's features. His face had gone from deep gasping purple to a paper-white in a matter of seconds. The beast then returned it's disturbing smile.
"I know what to name you now!" He stated excitedly, almost as if whatever had just happened didn't. It was as if he was never angry in the first place. He then leaned in, laying against the boy's shoulder, nuzzling his neck.
"I'll call you Jade. Your eyes remind me of a object I found once... Maybe I'll give it to you." He said, reaching up and patting Ferrin's head, petting him almost. Ferrin lay there helpless and trembling as he felt it's long nails scrape over his scalp. He panted, simply turning his head away from the unwanted affection. He hadn't even heard what the beast had said really. All he knew was that he needed to escape, whether by death or by finding a way to leave... Ferrin didn't care. He only knew he had to find a way out.
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The girl ran, her bare feet meeting the damp dirt ground. She dodged a woman carrying a cart. And then a group of a few men bringing in firewood. She dashed through the village, hut after hut, past the old crumbling well, the depressing market, and finally to the edge of town.
There ahead was the shrine. It was a small wooden building. And was certainly the nicest in the village apart from the lord's manor maybe. It had a round roof, two cylindrical towers on each back corner. It was made of dark wood and stone. The building was also one of the few in the area that had glass windows. Again other than the lord's home. Lavender rushed to its double doors, swinging them open both at once as she entered.
She stoped as she enters the chapel, breathing heavily, her lungs stinging. She already felt light-headed. Lavender doubled over, grabbing the back of one of the many wooden benches within the chapel. The Priest jumped up, turning as she bursted in. He had just been crouching with his head to the stone ground in his worship. He rised from his place before a great statue shaped as a woman, the Goddess. The priest rushed towards the girl.
"Lavender!" He exclaimed, gently placing his arm around her back. He grabbed her hand, carefully leading her towards a pew. She sat down, grateful for the support. The girl wheezed, breathless. She then turned again towards the Priest, quickly finding her words. Though still, she wondered if she could speak. She cleared her throat a bit before beginning between worn out breaths.
"He's alive... It has him..." She let out. The priest loured, puzzled.
"How do you know this?"
"I saw it. I saw it last night. It took him... It didn't even hurt him. It just took him!"
"And how is it you're sure he still lives?"
"I can feel it, Father... We're connected. You must believe me... I always have known if he was in danger. And I feel he is. But he's alive! I'm sure of it!" She pleaded, her speech still a bit mangled by loss of breath. The priest's hopeful expression soon fell. Now he showed one of disappointment.
"Lavender... You're distraught... You must return to your father..." He said, completely dismissing her.
"No! No, I'm not! We have to find him! I saw it!"
"And how did you see this?"
"I snuck out... I really did see it take him... It simply picked him up and ran off! I saw the direction it went! It was in the trees Father! I'm sure it left marks. We could track it!" She pleaded desperately, grasping his hands. He shook his head, opening his mouth to speak, but before any words could come out, again the double doors swung open. In waltzed the lord of the land, and behind a boy who looked much like him. The lord glanced towards the priest and then Lavender.
"Ah... Am I interrupting something?" He asked, raising his dark bushy brows. The priest shook his head, releasing Lavender's hands.
"Not at all, Lord Peter... And ah... You brought the young Lord Hierance as well." He said. The young Lord eyed Lavender. She too glanced towards him. He was not popular with the town. In fact, he was known for his entitlement.
Compared to Lavender he was dressed like a king. While she wore a plain blue cotton gown synched at the waist, he wore a high collared deep green, velvet blouse. And noticeably he also presented himself in new jet back leather boots. Along with such soft brown trousers over some stockings. He was tall, and a bit wide in the middle; well-fed. Though, certainly not unattractive. Not physically at least. He was about 15 years old and had dark chestnut skin like his father. And also like his father's neat curly hair that was cut close to his scalp. Lavender on the other hand was not known for having nice clothing. And that day especially. She hadn't even worn a stay beneath her dress, nor stockings or shoes. Her hair was a mess, and her gown was extremely plain with no embellishments, as it was what she slept in. Her hair was down, allowed to flow freely. She could tell instantly that he was judging her. Even so, she didn't have time to care about that.
"Fine weather today, isn't it? Last night was dreadful! I certainly hope our crops weren't affected by the storm." Lord Peter began casually. Lavender cleared her throat, interrupting before the priest could respond.
"Your Lord... I need your help!" She demanded. He turned to her. Before it had almost seemed as if he barely noticed her at all. He furrowed his brow, almost in a grimace.
"Young lady I've never seen you look so dreadful. You're a pretty thing you. No need to walk about like that!" He said ignoring her request completely. She narrowed her eyes to a glare, about to speak. But the priest interrupts.
"Your Lord you must remember the trauma she faced just last night... I'm afraid she isn't herself today." The priest said with a smile, rising and stepping out from behind the pew now. Lavender scoffed.
"Excuse me!" She suddenly shouted. They all turned towards her.
"Lord Peter! Your men took my brother and I demand you fix this! He's alive! And the beast has him still! We must track it down and bring him back! You must gather up your men at once!" She exclaimed. The lord looked taken aback, glaring at her in disbelief. The lord's son, huffed, tugging his father's arm.
"Oh, father! She's a madwoman! You can't possibly make me marry her!" He said pointing at her, his honey-colored eyes narrowed in a grimace.
"Hierance! That is no way to speak about a lady!" The Lord scowled.
"But she's barely even a lady! Let alone a bride! She isn't even wearing shoes! I'm not marrying that!" He whined again. Lavender looked at the two in shock. Marriage? Since when was she getting married? She soon showed the same look of disgust. The priest's expression quickly fell. He turned to her, noticing her surprise.
"Lavender I'm sure your father planned on telling you soon... The arrangement was made last week." He said softly, placing his hand on her shoulder. She roughly pulled away, glaring at all three of them.
"Useless! The lot of you! I'll find him myself!" She shouted, clearly upset. She turned to Hierance. Lavender then steps out from behind the bench and points a dainty, yet stern finger at the boy.
"And YOU! You can get swallowed by the depths for all I care! I'd much rather marry a hog than you!" She exclaimed in her frustration before shoving past him, roughly pushing his shoulder as she passed. She stormed from the building, leaving the three of them behind as she heard the boy shout after her. Insults and whines of all kinds. Certainly not words that should come from a "proper young man" as he was meant to be. But Lavender didn't care. She was simply angry. Angry to be dismissed, ignored, and patronized. She would not allow it. And nor would she allow her brother to rot with the beast.