Mavrílla was a dark forest. It howled with wind, and the screeching of insects filled every possible cavity in this land. The starlight couldn't penetrate the roof of the forest – not a single ray. The only light source was the bellies of spiders crawling around the trees, their bellies illuminated in threatening, dark orange. And amidst the trail of the forest, treaded Wolfheze in dread.
The grass was gray and dead, as were most of the trees, but even the alive trees were awful to behold. The howling continued, but in a sense, it was musical; the forest was an enormous ensemble of dark sounds, interchanging and replying to each other. The wind, the horrible frogs, the dark owls, the percussive insects, and a stream of a river so dark and foul scented.
The more Wolfheze walked across the forest, the more different animals he saw. Unlike Bûm's Forest, which only housed owls, Mavrílla housed every possible type of animal and plant, and yet, every living creature in this forest was ominous. He looked left and right; every step was heavy and dreadful; his face was in a state of constant discontent and fear. He was silent.
A dark and shiny python approached the blonde's front from the darkness, 'Hsssss. . . I've never seen you before. .' it hissed, 'What brings you to here, biped?'
Wolfheze shivered at the sight of the python, 'I'm. . . I'm looking for a certain—'
'Relaxsssss, fellow biped,' the snake hissed but louder and slowly crept around Wolfheze in circles.
'Someone who looks like me – long-haired! Uh. . . red eyes.'
'Hmm. . . never heard. . .'
'I've. . . uh,' he gazed, in dread, the python encircling him, but it maintained an intrigued eye contact, which in itself was eerie, 'been told about some fireflies that know about that someone.'
'Firefliesssss!' the python exclaimed, 'Well now, biped, why not visit our fireflies? They will be of great help.'
'Surly! Anything you say. . .'
'The name's Aṣala.'
And the unsound pair marched to the whereabouts of the Mavríllan fireflies. It wasn't far, but each step Wolfheze took alongside the python's slithering was nerve-wracking; Am I safe? This animal – my pick! It's gone in the blast. . .
And Aṣala's occasional stares and smiles weren't of help either. He was a silent snake, but it's unknown if the silence is masking a trap or just the natural goodwill of a helper.
They reached a dead oak tree. It was quite branchy, and from a distant, tiny movements could be seen, and the more the two got close, red luminous spots appeared, and a threatening buzz grew louder. The python called, 'Firefliesssss of the dark foressssst. . . I have here a ssseeker of aid.'
Then a buzz louder and stronger than the rest came closer. A majestic firefly flew towards the pair from the biggest hole in the oak's bark, and its belly was red and bright. It wore a crown of coarse sticks. Behold the queen of the dark fireflies!
'Mister Aṣala,' she called, her voice was deep and distinct and a tad sharp, 'I have sent a letter to your master, King Tūban, about "No snakes around the vicinity of the fireflies!"'
'My sincere apologies,' the python hissed, 'Queen Hubāhíb. I may tread around your vicinity more than I should, but I have this Simian-like seeking your audiencesssss.'
'From what kingdom you come?' Asked the Queen, 'Are you an ally of Simian?' She widened her eyes, and they almost burst into flames, 'For we are enemies with Simian the Lone!'
Wolfheze mustered up the courage to speak, and he burst amidst the eeriness of the forest and its dwellers in panic, 'No!' He yelled, 'I am looking for someone who looks like me, long hair, red eyes. Some owls told me that some fireflies know about her!' He was breathing heavily.
'Blessss my scalesss! That's not a way to speak to a queen!'
'Mister Aṣala, you are dismissed. And I will not see you again around The Oak.' Demanded the Queen.
The python nodded and crept into the darkness of the forest.
The Queen looked back at the fretted Wolfheze, 'Owls, you say? Perhaps they meant the Fireflies of the River. We're one of the Dark Ones, the abolished animals. Subjects of the Mavro. We take residence in here, Mavrílla.' She flew close to his head, just in front of his nose, 'So I advise you to seek your long-haired, red-eyed lookalike of yours somewhere outside this forest. We do not like visitors!'
Wolfheze smiled in ill confidence, 'I will not move until I find her.'
The Queen hovered a few steps back and focused on her belly. It pulsated waves of red glow. 'Children!' She called, 'Show the Simian-like the way out of this forest!'
Then a swarm of angry firefly workers burst from the bark, now becoming a formation that resembled a spear. The swarm flew directly to Wolfheze's position, 'By Holyardh!' he exclaimed in terror. He ran opposite the direction of the incoming, redly lit, buzzing swarm, but they persisted. In a harsh and unisonous chant, they called the runner, 'Your presence desecrates the Mavros. Hark, the estranged being of the older world, hark! The struggle is but at its dawn!'
The blonde heard their eerie taunt. He kept running in thoughts, and memories of the older world came to his mind, but in an unnoticed moment, he looked back, and the swarm was no more, yet a luminous opening amidst the darkness of the forest caught his eyes. His jog slowed to a tread, and the light called him, 'Come, escape this wicked forest!' And he did. A flat plane of grass with generous spots of bright yellow landed his eyes, and he fell to his knees at the beauty of the scenery, with Mavrílla behind him in constant shadowy darkness and above it motionless clouds that were always on the verge of roaring, this plane called him once more, 'Tread out the darkness to the light.' And he did. The overwhelming presence of fear and evil in the forest had gone.
But Wolfheze thought while walking towards the field, "estranged being of the older world" he knew that wasn't the swarm speaking, but a message relayed to using the dark fireflies as a proxy.