It was dark, cold, and unexpectedly peaceful in the forest; the herd of majestic white deers grazed in the moonlight, the blue-eyed owls hooted into the night sky, the quiet sound of water running in a nearby creek and leaves rustling in the light breeze was audible. It was peaceful, was. The deer scattered, the owls flew off into the sky, and you could no longer hear the sound of the running or water or leaves rustling; all you could hear was the sound of heavy footsteps and loud panting. A woman cloaked in darkness was running through the forest, the scent of blood following her.
As she navigated through the forest, hopping over fallen trees, leaping over creeks, and dodging trees, you could hear her soothing voice coaxing the infants that lay in the basket she carried, "It's ok, you'll be ok. Sleep darlings, sleep."
A twig snatched back the hood that covered her face and hair. Long white locks of hair broke free from the ribbon that so loosely kept it and, a beautiful fair face that was full of youth was revealed to the mood. If only the face wasn't covered in sweat and didn't have its eyebrows creased, then it would be and could be considered a masterpiece.
The beautiful lady suddenly stopped in her tracks and hid in the middle of a hollow tree that was next to her. Not long after she got into the tree, a figure, also covered in darkness, appeared in the spot that she previously was. The figure crouched and, a pale greenish hand was revealed as it touched the beautiful lady's footprint.
A raspy -and a quite hissy- voice sounded into the now-dead silent forest: "Massster, sssshe wassss here. But—"
"But what?! I told you this would be your last chance to make up for your incompetence; I wouldn't want to add another scar on you… But on that thin neck of yours instead of the usual…" The low voice of a man growled, interrupting the hissy woman.
A man appeared in front of her and, a hand large automatically went towards her neck. Strangling her, the man slowly lifted her off the ground. A hiss escaped her mouth and, she struggled. The hood that covered the hissy woman's face fell. A woman with greenish skin, large emerald eyes with slit pupils, blackish-blueish hair, and lots of scars, was revealed; it was a horrifying sight.
"If not for your incompetence in your last mission, I wouldn't be here, exiled from my clan. I'd still be the most beloved duke of the empire, trusted by everyone, even the King himself! You had to just get caught by the Crown Prince while on a mission to make the Queen have a miscarriage! You even betrayed me and sold me out! But being the merciful man I am, I got you out and gave you a chance to make up for your mistakes!" The man ranted, almost yelled, to the snake lady.
A loud crack was heard and, the snake lady was dropped, her corpse was kicked, and hit the large hollow tree that the beautiful lady was hiding in.
The beautiful lady almost flinched and, the hairs on her back rose as the man coldly looked at the tree. The man slowly walked towards the tree and sneered while saying, "This is your punishment." The temperature fell as the woman broke out with cold sweat, hoping, just hoping, that her suspicions of the man finding her were wrong.
The man suddenly threw his head back and started laughing maniacally. His laughter sounded through the deadly quiet forest, sending shivers down the spine of any being that heard it.
Only after that, to the beautiful lady's relief, did the man turn around and say to his subordinate, "search the area, I want her found!" And after saying what was needed, the man turned and disappeared back into the darkness as fast as he came.
After waiting for a good twenty minutes, the beautiful lady finally sighed with relief and climbed out of the tree that had kept her safe. Turning to the remaining corpse of the snake woman her facial expression turned cold, vividly recalling that this was the woman who had attempted to poison her tea and kill her babies. Then she turned around and hastily left towards the river that lay west of the forest.
Sensing the motion, one of the babies woke up and stared at her mother's exhausted face. Reaching out one of her tiny hands out to the lady she said, "muahmuah."
Hearing the baby call to her, the beautiful lady paused momentarily and, her ice-blue irises turn towards the baby; the cold expression on her face softened, the warmth and sadness she had for her babies could be seen through her eyes. Then she looked up at her surroundings; she had arrived at the river.
"I'm sorry my babies. I'm so sorry." She quietly sobbed, tears slowly tracing her jade-like cheeks as she knelt by the river-side, "I'm so sorry mommy can't be there for you and watch you grow up…"
"My darlings, you must remember that mother loves you very much. You must not forget me, your mother, and remember to find her when you all grown up. I'm so sorry you had to be born in a time like this…" She apologized to her babies, placing a beautiful sapphire bracelet on each of them.
Then, slowly and reluctantly, she pushed the basket that held the twins into the river; downstream. Sobbing quietly, she stood up and, after taking one last glance at the children she may never see again, she ran back into the forest, disappearing into the night.