Fyn.
Two jagged antlers that seemed to be as thick as leather rested neatly on the demon's forehead.
Fyn had been too busy ogling at the demon's attractive form that he missed this. Of course, he thought, He was a demon. He could choose any form he wanted. Why would he settle on something monstrous when he could look like a god?
Fyn's eyes fall on the demon's chest. There were markings, symbols Fyn couldn't quite decipher on it. They were dark, smoking, and even seemed to glow. The demon took a step forward, making Fyn jolt in place. Almost immediately, he felt his heart beat against his chest, his arms raised up in defense purely by instinct. The demon tilts its head at Fyn's action, and Fyn swore he saw something akin to curiosity flicker in them.
Again, the demon walked towards him, its muscular legs carrying his demonic body with such a calm aura that if Fyn hadn't known it was the demon in front of him, he could easily mistake him for another man in the village. Something caught Fyn's attention. Taking a side step, Fyn took notice of a jagged tail that seemed to swirl behind the demon. Blinking in confusion, Fyn narrowed his eyes at the tail. Its movements were reminiscent of that of a cat.
Then finally, the shadow had consumed Fyn. A squeak escapes him. And he stumbles on his step, falling back on his bottom painfully. Down on the ground, realization struck him. At first, he had thought he had become blind. Or perhaps the demon had cast a spell in his direction, killing him instantly. It was neither any of those things.
Fyn tilted his head up. His eyes widening a fraction in awe.
Two humongous wings extend themselves fully behind the demon's back. Its ragged black hooded pelt falling graciously by its feet. Spiky bones and black feathers that seemed to glisten under the sun stretched upward slowly, descending with a powerful gust. Fyn's eyes closed at the way the wind touched his cheeks. It felt almost cozy in a way. It made the hairs at the back of his neck rise. And when he opened his eyes again, blood drained from his face.
The demon started to approach him, closer and closer, its eyes never leaving his. Its stare becoming more and more menacing with every second. Its vibrant red eyes looked totally unimpressed, but still curious enough to stare him down. Gulping, Fyn crawled backward, his hands messily scramble on the ground, trying to feel something that he could use as a weapon.
"Hm," It said, making Fyn freeze. "What are you doing here, mortal?"
Fyn tried to open his mouth, but no words escape him.
"Do you have no tongue?"
Fyn shook his head. He realized it might have been the wrong thing to do since the demon's eyes narrowed at him. Tilting its head once more, the demon kneeled right in front of him, sniffing the air lightly. When it opened its mouth again, Fyn saw two sharp fangs. It made him shudder. Finally, after one last stare, the demon sighed and stood up.
Fyn blinked at the action. The sigh seemed so... human. Surely a demon wouldn't do that. Right?
"Leave," The demon hissed. "You reek of humanity."
A gasp escapes Fyn and even though he didn't want to, he flushed. Deep red tinted his cheeks, and he huffed. Slowly, he raised one of his arms, and as surreptitiously as he could, he ducked his head near his armpits just to check his smell and if he really did reek. Surely not. Hopefully not. He might have stayed far away from the village, but he didn't skip on personal hygiene. His tent was near the mouth of the river, there was a clean stretch of water far from the bodies that he could easily bathe in.
He did it every day, even though it's cold.
Much more than how the villagers back at Gashea did, thank you very much!
A snark almost made its way up to his mouth, except he knew it wasn't the smartest thing to do. The demon had a whole tail and sharp fangs. If he talked back, what stopped the demon from making his tongue truly disappear? What stopped the demon from using his sharp claws and ripping his tongue out? What stopped the demon from murdering him on the spot if he so much as utters a word of defiance?
Unconsciously, he starts nodding to himself as a plan formulated inside of his head, and then he waited until the demon turned around. Once it did, Fyn stood up and bolted towards the opposite direction, his heart hammering against his chest. Sweat dripped from his brow to his chin, his breathing erratic.
"Crazy," He muttered under his breath, looking back a fraction. "This is insane-"
Before he could fully process what just happened, he hit something hard and solid.
A tree?
The collision made him see stars and as he stumbled backwards, he lost consciousness almost immediately. Even before he reached the ground.
The last thing he saw was a blurry image of the demon running towards him. Fyn knew he would die once he reached the forest. He just didn't know it was this early. And he didn't know it would be because of some tree. Truly, fate does horrible things. He really was in out of his luck, wasn’t he?
And yet for some inexplicable reason, when Fyn opened his eyes again, he wasn't in the afterlife. At least, he thinks he's not. The afterlife oddly looked like what the inside of a cave looks like. And from the stories he heard, the afterlife was nothing like this. Blinking his eyes, he rubbed at them groggily, a yawn escaping him. Surveying his surroundings, he could tell that he was probably inside one of the mountain caves. The place was scanty and damp, smelling of musky water and morning dew.
In every corner, there were roots, rubble, and cobwebs. Beside him were ashy rocks and gravel. From a distance, he could even see crawling rats drinking from puddles of water. Only then did it dawn on him that he was laying down on the cold ground and his body ached like he had just ran an entire back and forth from his tent and back the village proper. Crinkling his nose, Fyn raised himself up using his elbow and groaned, an ache somewhere in his body he couldn’t locate making him wince. Lifting his hand up, he tentatively rubbed his forehead. He felt a bump forming.
He hissed, "Trust me to faint because of some stupid tree-"
"You are awake."
Fyn bolted up right, his thoughts empty. Gasping, Fyn's hand moved before he could stop it. He grabbed one of the rocks closest beside him and threw it immediately at the source of the voice. Adrenaline pumped inside of him and he crawled to press himself against the wall, looking straight at the demon's eyes. As if in slow motion, the rock flew steadily and if Fyn had been lucky, it would have hit the demon's face.
Except, the demon’s hand shot out so quick that Fyn thought he was just imagining it. The demon had grabbed the rock mid-air, stopping it before it could hit its face. Narrowing its eyes, the demon clenched his fingers around the rock and Fyn gulped as it crumbled inside the demon's palms as if it was something brittle like an old leaf. The demon made a sound almost instantly, a deep grumble erupted from its throat, and Fyn swore the entire cave shook from the sound. In one swift motion, the demon whipped the crumbs left on its palm away, "I should have left you, insufferable mortal, to the wolves."
"I..." Fyn bit his lip, his eyes looking around for an escape. He was in a cave, that he knew. Caves usually had exits and entrances, don't they? The place he was currently at was dimly lit by small candle fixtures that seemed to be embedded into the walls of the cave, but other than that, he couldn't see any source of light that showed a way out. Gritting his teeth, he puffed his chest, pressing himself further on the icy walls of the cave. Swallowing the lump forming on his throat, he glared at the demon with as much hatred as he could muster. He hoped that in the darkness, it didn’t see him tremble. "I never wished to be saved."
The demon snorted, rolling its eyes as it crossed its arms against its chest, and Fyn blinked in confusion once more. It truly acted as if it was... just like an ordinary human. To be honest, he was expecting fire coming out of its mouth, its tongue slithering like a snake, eight feet in height, and humongous eyes that bulged out of their sockets. There was nothing of that. The demon he stared at was more like a man than a freak of nature.
A man with horns and wings and a tail – but a man nevertheless.
"Mortals," The demon hissed like it was a foul word. Fyn found himself flinching at the sound, not understanding why. "Killing had always been an instinct to you lot. Even to those who offered you kindness."
The demon stared Fyn down. There was a pure intense rage in its eyes that for a second, Fyn almost felt embarrassed for attempting to hurt it. But why should he? It was a murderer and the world would be better if it was gone. Fyn's eyes fell on another jagged rock, and even with the demon's eyes still on him, he boldly grabbed one and clenched his fist around it. He faced forward, his stance rigid as he pointed the jagged rock with both hands, pointing it right at the demon.
"Then it would mean we are equals," Fyn spat, raising the jagged rock in front of him like it was a knife. He could see himself shaking, but it was better to pretend that he was brave instead of letting fear consume him whole. "I could kill as much as you if I wanted to, you…you murderer."
Surprise flickers inside the demon's eyes, and Fyn puffed his chest.
"What? You think you're the only thing capable of murder?" He furrowed his eyebrows. Slowly, he stood up, his knees shaky, not breaking eye contact. Not even once. "Even... Even though I'm human, I could ki... I could kill you!"
The demon smirked, its tail wagging like a cat once more. Its eyes never once leaving him, it stared, and stared, its eyes drifting slowly from his face to his foot then back to his face again. Fyn could feel warmth fill his belly as blood filled his face at the sight. Was the demon looking for weaknesses, he wondered? That was the only explanation for such intense examinations. He wasn’t one to look at, the demon must have wanted to find something he could exploit out of him.
Gripping the jagged rock tighter in his hands, Fyn heard something solid hit the ground, but he knew breaking eye contact with the demon was probably not the best idea at the moment.
Who knew what the thing was capable of?
He didn’t want to find out.
"Really?" It purred, fangs shining against the light of the cave. The demon slyly licked its canines, his eyes sparkling with hunger that it made Fyn gulp as he pressed himself tighter against the icy wall and gripped the jagged rock in a vice grip.
But then Fyn’s eyes widened.
In a flash, the only thing Fyn felt was a gush of wind. With a momentary blink, the demon teleported in front of him, leaving a black trail of smoke in the place he once stood a few feet away from him. Fyn's mouth opened in a silent scream. The demon looked as if he enjoyed this, his tail wagging excessively. It tilted his head, "And here I thought a mortal like you was not capable of speech."
It enveloped Fyn's hands that were holding the rock. Sharp black nails dragged across Fyn's skin, leaving red trail marks. Still, he expected the demon to feel cool to the touch. It was different. The demon felt warm.
Odd. Fyn blinked, staring at the hand, and slowly lifted her gaze until he met its eyes.
"Well?"
The demon hissed once more, grabbing Fyn's hands with the jagged rock and pressing it just above his jugular. It smirked. Fyn felt his lips tremble as he saw his reflection in the demon’s eyes.
"Kill me."
Fyn. Fyn looked up at the demon's eyes as it pressed the jagged rock he was clutching near its throat.Gritting his teeth once more, he clenched his jaw and his fist along the hard rock. This was an opportunity, wasn't it? Fyn was familiar with hunting, even though he rarely did it. He once hunted for small game, like rabbits, fawns, and sometimes even boars.He knew that a slice to the jugular would mean immediate death.And if he were to grab this opportunity, then that would mean the village of Gashea wouldn't experience any more misfortune under the hands of some malevolent demon.Still, as he looked at the demon's eyes, Fyn felt like something was wrong. A powerful demon such as the one that was in front of him surely wouldn't look like they were ready to embrace death. Surely, even demons could feel fear. The demon's eyes looked welcoming, like it was waiting for Fyn to just kill him. He already felt as if the
Fyn. Fyn didn't know how long he stared at the demon, but it was probably long enough that the demon got tired and left him there, gawking.If he had been red before, he knew that his face probably turned a deep shade of red enough to consider him a tomato. Had the demon actually brought him something to eat? Surely not. Still, if the demon didn't eat fruits, why would he bring a wide variation of them? Did the demon usually feed his captives before killing them? Nothing made sense.Blinking after a long while, Fyn followed the direction of where the demon had gone to. The cave system was dark, but he could hear the demon's wings flapping as he walked. He might still be near. Taking a deep breath, Fyn placed the fruit back inside the rucksack and placed the entire thing near one of the walls. After he secured it, he combed his hand through his hair and slowly walked towards where the demon was.Was there a different demon
Fyn. It was dark out when Kavan returned.Havu had nestled himself comfortably around Fyn's shoulders. They were leaning against the entrance of the cave, waiting for Kavan's return. Kavan landed safely by the cliffside, kneeling as he drew back his wings back inside his skin. The whole scenario felt bizarre, but Kavan did it magnificently. Once his wings were perfectly back inside his skin, he turned around and stopped in place.Kavan's eyes fell on Havu, and it narrowed slightly at the sight. With a growl, Kavan grits his teeth, "Havu, why are you on the mortal's shoulders?"The snake slithered off Fyn's shoulders and went towards Kavan. Crouching down, Kavan extended his arm towards the snake. Fyn watched as the snake round around the demon's arm, nestling just above his head, hanging off his antlers. Kavan stared at the snake's eyes, and Fyn knew they were sharing a silent conversation. With a stiff nod, Kavan's gaze f
Fyn. A vine that carried many grapes lowered just in front of Fyn's head.By how Havu tightened around his waist, Fyn knew the smart choice would be to just accept whatever it was the forest was giving him. Scowling, he took a handful of grapes. His mouth automatically watered at the sight of the luscious fruit. With how it smelled, he knew it would be sweet and tasty. When the grape seemed to melt inside his mouth like butter, he tried his best not to moan out loud."The forest is starting to annoy me," Fyn said loudly to Havu. "Why are they forcing me to stay here?"Havu slithered off his waist and started to climb up the path towards Kavan's cave. And as if teasing him, the serpent turned its head back and darted its forked tongue out of its mouth. The same smooth voice echoes inside of Fyn's head, "It is time to go. From what I had learned, it is always the wise decision to listen to what the forest tells you. It is fu
Kavan. Kavan stared at the white flowers on top of the mortal's head.He knew damn well what the forest was implying, and he would rather face death instead of doing whatever it is they wanted him to do. It was already annoying that the mortal had to stay at his abode, but to have the forest take care of him? Gritting his teeth once more, he grabbed the crown of flowers from the mortal's head and threw it roughly on the ground.Then he grabbed the vine that wrapped itself around the mortal's waist. Shaking his head, he wrapped his hand tightly around the vine, narrowing his eyes, "Stop. I do not need this."'I do not need him.'He felt something sting in his chest. Confused, he blinked and looked down. Surprise flashed in his face once he noticed that his chest stung because the mortal was currently slapping him on the chest. The mortal's face was a deep shade of red, and Kavan tilted his head at that. He h
Fyn. Fyn pinched his arm to make sure that he wasn't seeing things.Standing just a few feet away from him are turnips. Normally, turnips wouldn't make him so dumbfounded. Occasionally, he would plant some turnips at the back of his hut and harvest them during early spring. That's why he was obviously aware of what turnips should look like, smell like, and taste like. He knew for sure that turnips weren't supposed to walk.Turnips most especially shouldn't have faces.And most of all, turnips don't talk.The turnip just a few feet away from him had not only eyes, but a mouth, and four limbs. It was standing on two legs and standing two feet tall. Fyn pinched himself again, blinking as much as he could. He gaped his mouth wide open, staring unbelievingly at the thing right in front of him. Sure, he could accept a telepathic snake, a demon with wings, antlers, and a tail, and a forest that moves all
Fyn. Fyn stood by the cave entrance, Havu around his waist again.It was close to night time and Kavan had disappeared to who knows where once more. Sighing, Fyn crossed his arms as he leaned against the cave, the cool rock seeping through his blouse. The sky had turned dark, and cool air kissed Fyn's cheek. Back when he had been outside the forest by his hut, he would have been getting ready for bed. This time, he just didn't feel comfortable sleeping on his own. For some reason, he couldn't quite explain."I apologize for the master's actions," Havu mentally told Fyn, tightening around his waist. Fyn had gone accustomed to the serpent. If he had known a few days ago that he would find himself with a snake around his waist, tightening on him, without him fearing it all, he would have not believed it. "He is not usually like this. I'm afraid he just isn't hospitable."Fyn shook his head, brushing his hands against Havu's c
Fyn. Fyn woke up that morning with the realization that the village had offered no one that night.With that thought in mind, Fyn bit his lip, looking around the cave. There was now some light coming from the entrance and as usual, Kavan was nowhere to be found. Just a few feet away from him, curled like a ball, was Havu. The serpent was not sleeping, Fyn wondered if serpents even knew how to do that. Instead, the serpent was watching him silently, and once it noticed that he was awake, it slithered from where it was laying down on and crawled up its neck, circling around him like a scarf."The master had left a few hours before your wake," Havu's voice echoed inside of Fyn's mind. "He has things to do."As carefully as he could, Fyn stretched his arms up above his head to get his blood pumping. Yawning, he rubbed his eyes and scratched his belly, "Don't worry, Havu. I'm getting used to not having him around. Plus, you're
Kavan.Kavan lifted his head, just in time to see Fyn enter the cave.As expected, he was carrying more baskets full of fruits and vegetables. Fyn took a deep breath and leaned down, dropping all the baskets he was carrying in one swift motion. He then wiped the sweat that dripped from his forehead with the back of his hand, "They just won't listen to me." "Have you told them?" "Countless times!" Fyn muttered, crossing his arms against his chest. "I told them that there's more than enough food here, but they still keep on leaving these on the edge of the forest." Kavan chuckled. He closed the distance between the two of them, curling his arm around Fyn's waist. As usual, Fyn blushed, averting his gaze. Tilting his head, Kavan gripped his chin with his fingers and brushed his lips along with the man that he loved. "How is her daughter?" Fyn's eyes twinkled. "She's almost ten now. It's really strange when I think
Fyn."That was a terribly long slumber." Fyn rubbed his eyes, blinking warily as light invaded his vision. Slowly, he pushed himself up, confused. There was something heavy on his chest and when he tipped his head down, he saw Havu, curled in a ball on top of his chest. The serpent lifted its head, tilting it as if bowing and darted its forked tongue out."Hello, Fyn," the serpent's voice echoed inside his head. "That was a terribly long slumber."Fyn pushed himself up, carefully placing Havu down on his lap."What happened?" Havu met his gaze, tilting its head to the side. As if in a trance, Havu crawled off his chest and walked towards the entrance of Kavan's cave. Running his hand through his hair, Fyn pushed himself up, stretching his arms up in the air to get his blood pumping. A groan escaped his lips when he stretched too far up, a pain erupting on his side.Furrowing his brows, he
Kavan.Fyn fell limply in his arms.There was nothing but silence. Kavan was still staring at the villagers of Gashea. He could feel blood pumping to his head, could feel his heart beating erratically. What just happened? What was happening? He licked his lips, still unsure of what just unfolded right in front of his eyes.Surely not, he thought. Surely not, he prayed.Not Fyn.Please, he prayed again, silently, the thought repeating inside of his head in repeat. Not Fyn.With widened eyes and his mouth agape, he looked down. He watched as Fyn's blood seeped through his blouse. What was once white and clean was now stained with deep red. A red that was still spreading on his blouse like a paint on a canvas. For a second, Kavan thought his blouse had always been red, but that was impossible, wasn't it? Not
Fyn.Fyn clenched his basket full of herbs tight against his chest.He blinked, the sky right in front of him. The cool grass brushed his cheeks while the soil was warm against his back. Slowly, he pushed himself off the ground, a tiny bit groggy. How had he not noticed that he had fallen down? Shakily, he stood up, brushing dirt from his knees and elbows. Like a mantra, he kept repeating the nursery rhyme, One for sorrow.Crouching down, he picked up the herbs that had fallen from his basket when he had fallen down. Strangely, he couldn't remember how he fell. There didn't seem to be rocks blocking his path or could have caused him to trip. Neither were there strong winds that could have made him unsteady. It was truly strange, yet some part of his brain was telling him that everything was completely normal. "That's all of it," He muttered to himself as he chucked the very last herb into his basket. The herb looked funn
Fyn.Fyn wanted to laugh.If things had been different, he would appreciate just how Kavan looked in orange light. The demon looked utterly magnificent under the crimson rays of the blazing fire. The flying embers and charcoal making him seem like an angel that had just been sent down from the heavens. Still, Fyn knew that with the amount of sweat that was now dripping from him and Kavan, their scenario was a whole lot different from the image that he conjured up in his mind.Oh, but how wonderful it would be, Fyn thought to himself, forcing himself not to smile. It would be inappropriate to do so at that very moment. If only things were that simple.If only.But it is not."Can you hear that?" Fyn asked, his ears straining as he leaned once more in Kavan's arms. He should be scared. It should have terrified him, being in such close proximity to the demon that his village had feared for ages. And ye
Kavan.Something was wrong. Wiping the sweat that formed on his forehead, Kavan couldn't quite tell how he knew.There was something off. Instinctively, he felt his wings escape from under his skin, protruding in great lengths and width. As softly as he could as to not wake him, he wraps his wings around Fyn, bringing the mortal close to his chest. As soon as he felt the small breath Fyn did in his sleep, Kavan felt himself relaxing. For a few moments, he stayed still, just enjoying the warmth of the small mortal.Until he feels the same shivering sensation that climbed up his spine. Sighing, Kavan raised his hand between the both of them and softly brushed his knuckles along Fyn's cheeks.Surprisingly, the mortal leaned into his touch, a satisfied sigh escaping his lips. Without meaning to, the tips of Kavan's lips tilted upward.He realized he's been doing that whenever the mortal does anything surprising
Kavan.For a moment he sat, waiting, lips pressed together.Kavan couldn't help but wonder if he had heard Fyn correctly.Surely not, because then that would mean that Fyn was a bigger fool than he was. Had he imagined the mortal saying but a few weeks ago that he wanted freedom above everything else? Had he imagined Havu telling him about how Fyn couldn't let a day miss without reminiscing about his old tent back in the village of Gashea? And yet, Fyn's eyes were unwavering, staring straight at him.Brown ones staring at red ones.Fyn was serious. Kavan inhaled sharply. Something in his chest was pounding and he can't help but tighten his arms around Fyn. A breeze gusted along with them, making loose strands of Fyn's hair fly and cover half of his face. Softly, and ever so gently, Kavan retracts his claws back into his skin. Something that he rarely does anymore. He brus
Fyn."How long?!" Fyn screamed, his head tipped back up towards the tall trees."Just how long have you kept me in here?"Fyn roughly wiped the tears streaming down his face with the back of his hand, careful not to let go of the herbs they ordered him to retrieve. Once he got back to the forest, he kept running. The face of Hana was stuck inside his head for who knows how long.His mouth forming the same words over and over again.That it was his fault that a sudden typhoon had struck the village.That it was his fault that a sudden tornado destroyed the houses and the sheds.That it was his fault that some of them had been injured.His mouth kept repeating the words repeatedly inside of his head.'Your fault.'His fault.Choking back a sob, Fyn falls to his knees. His chest felt heavy as he heaved. His forehead touched
Kavan.Kavan could tell from the moment he opened his eyes that his mortal had left him.He's not quite sure how easily he could tell.It was probably how the scent of the surrounding cave turned differently. With Fyn by his side, the cave he considered his home smelled of lavender and ocean breeze. It could also probably be because the warmth beside him before he had fallen asleep had disappeared. It left him with nothing but cold, barren walls that offered no comfort.And maybe it was about how his cave, who he considered was puny, especially with the size of him and the size of his wings, had turned inexplicably large.And inside that inexplicable, cold, barren, and large cave, Kavan felt lonely.Maybe that was one reason he could tell that his mortal had left. There was no other explanation for the clawing inside of him. The mortal must have been a witch, having him, a powerful being, feeling something that's ak