They’d left La Brenne behind after the farmers buried their dead. In the days, following the great ritual battle, she’d noticed that her companion and the owl had become more sluggish. They were more prone to yawning and resting their eyes as they walked. The owl has slipped into a kind of half-conscious state as well, its little body barely moved, but it was alive. At least, as alive as she thought such an unnatural being could be. Occasionally, it would mutter the word, “Cunt” under its breath without any real context. It could be in the middle of a long silence or a nightside chat between her and the elf, and the little monster would say it. The first time she’d heard it say the word, she’d hit the cage to no great effect. At night, she sat awake under the light of the moon as the elf slept. 121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3f4lbQaJGJ
She wasn't quite sure if it was normal for an elf to remain completely still while asleep. Kailin was laid out on their back, their entire body seemed stiff like a corpse in a funeral parlor. So, Betta sat for a moment and watched her companion in this stillness. She'd erected a fire an hour before the sun fell. It was just a small thing, kindling stacked in the shape of a teepee with a few logs on top, but it was enough to warm the little space they occupied.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ1YBpv8iMT
The snap and pop of the wood as it burned was the only sound in the otherwise silent night. Betta watched the flickering flames, and then her gaze shifted back to Kailin. Despite the pair of bloody scratches that they'd raked just beneath their eyes, the elf's face was mostly smooth but not near their eyes. Their eyes, even while closed seemed to be older than the rest of them.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA0eLOPbC4e
“Oi,” she said after a long while of just staring at the sleeping form. When there was no response, she shook them slightly. “Hey, you alive in there?” 121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoO3yUWlchF
Their eyes opened and they stared up at her, for a few seconds, she could see that without their magical glow or the bitter dark fire from the ritual, they were a very vivid emerald shade. But without any real thought to it, the blue glow of magic covered their eyes. The elf rose into a seated position, looking at the now dying fire.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9LZO0WdEJo
“Are you alright?” Betta asked after a few minutes of silence.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH3rfKEyLBT
“Yes,” they responded. “I'm just...tired.”121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMdNqKrm5vN
“You look it,” Betta said. “Get some sleep, I'll keep watch.”121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbQhSxi6nsM
The elf shook their head, using it as a moment to look around, "No, no. You need rest as well. I can keep watch."
Betta was about to argue, but the elf was already on their feet and moving to sit by the fire. She shrugged and laid down, using her pack as a pillow. It wasn't the most comfortable thing, but it would do. 121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcr1V9lgtpM
"Wake me up in a few hours," she said as she closed her eyes.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4jHWbCYgVd
She could hear the elf stirring the fire as her mind was swept into the black sea of dreams.
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As the hours went on, the night became clearer. The air smelled of the coolness of the early autumn weather and the pleasant rot that you could only find in the deep woods. The woods were a wall of dense trees that held nothing but horrible secrets. 121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdeJSC5hfir
Out along the treeline, Kailin could see a new source of light. It was a faint, white glow that they had not seen since they were a child. But, that did not mean that time had separated it in their mind. It stuck out like a sigil carved into the flesh of a tree. The light split in two and started to come close to the fire. It seemed that all the darkness in the world crept closer. Engulfing everything around them. Before long, there was but the fire. There was no brave knight, foul-mouthed owl demon, or even the woods that surrounded them. Only the faint outlines of trees against the night sky. There was only Kailin and me. Its long neck extended from the darkness that was its body. Its glowing eyes rested parallel with Kailin’s. The Black Goat of the woods was the only goat in the face only. As stated before, its body was the darkness and its eyes were soft white flame, but upon its head rested antler-like horns. From that point they extended up and around, somehow creating the base silhouette of the trees. 121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKrD4GcmO5t
I was it at that moment. For this final second, I was able to speak down to my creation, one of them at least. 121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZU3bPjZV24
“You have done well, Kailin,” said the goat. Though it did not speak with a voice. 121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJJvv6Ve9Tp
Kailin sat frozen there in this dark place. They did not feel like they had not hours ago. Simply sitting before this thing made them feel impossibly vulnerable. They stared up at it, their eyes unblinking as they struggled to find their voice. 121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRy0bSkqwNx
At first, it came up as a choked sound, “I…Yes. Thank you, my lord.”121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcxmAowsvMZ
The Goat chuckled, the sound of it sent a cold chill down their spine. They traced this fear back to when they first encountered the devil in the woods. A child, wandering scared through the dark, in want of a light. Who better to help than the light-bringer?121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM8Oy5TfeB2
“You have done more than I could have asked, and more than I ever will. For that, I am grateful," Said Old Scratch. "You're afraid, too...Good, fear will keep you sharp as the orc's sword."121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqMVLCgoBI8
Kailin swallowed hard, their throat dry. They could feel the weight of the goat's eyes on them.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKtMxBNLIzw
"What will happen now?" They asked.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF4uAOD75I4
"Now you've reached a fascinating stage. You're at the meeting of the goddess as some idiots might describe it. So, for your innovation that you've carried out, I shall gift you will proper rest."121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJvB6cAydr4
An appalling appendage extended from the black and pressed against Kailin’s forehead. In an instant, the flesh that they’d torn away on their face was healed. The grey skin was stitched together like thread on a loom. There was a pain in the wretched pain of skin being stretched and tied together. Nerve endings wrapped around each other, creating the sensation of lightning along every inch of their form. You could say that this is cruel. Why would I bring this person into being, only to bring them more pain? So they can learn. 121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0TrrynivEC
The Black Goat was gone almost as soon as it had appeared to them. The gentle light of the stars shined upon their little encampment. Kailin didn’t realize how much they missed the sound of animals until it was taken away from them. The fire continued to crackle, Betta remained asleep. Locked within a state of dreaming.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyQm39HwqwZ
Kailin looked down at their hands, flexing them as they watched the light play off their skin. They were healed, but there was still some stiffness in their movements. They looked over at Betta, who was still asleep. Kailin couldn't help but notice how different they looked when they weren't covered in blood and dirt. In the moonlight, they looked almost peaceful. 121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvlT8mJWyNg
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Kailin sat there for a while, just watching the sleeping form of their companion. They looked so different when they weren't covered in blood and dirt. In the moonlight, they looked almost peaceful. Kailin felt a pang of something in their chest. It was a foreign feeling, but not unwelcome. After a few minutes, they shook their head and got up. They had a feeling that they wouldn't be able to sleep anytime soon. So, they decided to continue with their watch.
The black ink that was the nebulous dreamscape gave way to a blue sky. She could see the farm as clear as day. The sun was shining high above it and she could smell the sweet grass in the air. But it was all quickly overpowered by the smell of sulfur and fire. There was a torrential flood of screams and her face felt as hot as the fire in the air. But the most alarming thing was seeing the face of her father, screaming the word “Cunt!” at the top of his lungs.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUzSQ4j1SCF
When her eyes shot open she was faced with that vulgar bird and she wanted to tear open its cage and roast the little bastard on a spit.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeFVlyHuhY8
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