Shadewood You've been fighting the memory all on your own

@Cry 

 

Nothing worsens, nothing grows

I know how it feels being by yourself in the rain

She had not known forests could be beautiful. 

The cove had been her home for the first year of her life and her second had been spent lost. She knew soon she would see the turn of another year and that would mark the beginning of her third - would she spend it here in this forest with the raven? 

Even in the years she had wandered, a lost naiad, Kai had clung to the coasts. Life inland was unknown and she had not been ready to venture into it. She was accustomed to the beauty of the sea, appreciated it but wasn't often surprised by it, but the forest was wholly unknown. 

The trees were giants - their worn brown trunks covered by soft, green moss in some places. It even reached half way up the sentinels in some places though it was beginning to brown and orange with the progression of the seasons. Their canopy stretched out overhead, a riot of green and red and yellow and orange, over the whole forest it nearly seemed yet there were small cracks where the light shone through to dapple the ground, to shade the forest and cast a green hue on the entirely of the heath. Mushrooms too found a home along the sentinels - little white and orange things with puffy tops and delicately membrane on their undersides. Their dangerous scent warned her not to even touch them but she could admire the complexity of the rubbery fungus. 

The ground itself was largely consisted of rich earthy loam carpeted with the same moss and patchy green grass which too was goldening with autumn's touch. In some places flowers still bloomed - small white clusters tangled in with the undergrowth of the forage, their larger yellow cousins, the occasional red blossom. 

The forest was home to a multitude of animals that she was unfamiliar with - though Cry had named a few for her - and they seemed to be everywhere. Even Tula seemed overwhelmed by the plethora of bird species she had never seen before. 

The morning came with pale grey light slipping through the roof of leaves and as fog rolled through the forest, Kai's uncurled from her sleeping area - her head popping out of the pile of leaves she burrowed into for warmth. The witch set off through the misty forest - the chill of the morning nipping at her nose. It had rained recently, leaving the forest floor damp underfoot, and the forest air fresh and cool. 

Crows cawed far above, amongst the canopy. The fog concealed them but an occasional flicker of black drew the wolfdog's pale gaze. Tula had remained behind, sleeping in the burrow she'd dug herself, so it was alone that she stalked into the forest. 

Rain dripped through the leaves, occasionally splashing her speckled coat with cold droplets. Her wandering was hesitant for she was not quite familiar with the entirety of Cry's domain. 

She came upon the meadow quite by accident. 

The Glade was lovely, even in autumn. The grass waved, the stalks turned molten gold in the morning rays that broke through. The deciduous trees were afire, their leaves blowing in the light rain to catch in her coat and swirl along the ground. Though the sky was grey with forthcoming autumn showers, Kai padded over the slight rise - gasping softly at the sea of purple that greeted her. 

As tall as the grasses within the Glade, they reached to Kai's patchy shoulders. A few blooms broke off and caught in her matted locs, their sweet scent perfuming her. The witch left them for she rather liked the scent of the dawn flowers. 

The diluge truly began to fall as she reached the outer reaches of the meadow - having travelled the length of the Glade. The trees here strangely bore fruit - round, purple things - their trunks must have once held many grapes but in the cold seasons only a few remained. Kai might have helped herself to one but another purpose for the produce soon became clear. 

A plump brown rabbit was raised on its haunches, nibbling at a grape as it strained to reach it. When at last, the rabbit had knocked the grape to the ground, it hunched over and began to feast. Kai followed suit, lowering to the forest floor and inching along on her belly towards the distracted prey. 

She was close enough to the see the individual bands of black, silver, and brown in its coat. As she hovered behind the rabbit, she was close enough to see the veins through the membranes in its velvety ears. Kai struck, her purple-stained muzzle closing around the back of the rabbit's neck. It kicked, thrashing in her jaws as it squealed with fear. Kai's own jaws clenched down suddenly in panicked fear, a single crunch and the rabbit went limp and silent. 

Kai dropped the thing in horror, stumbling back. 

"Tell me your name." A command from the midst of the darkness. Sometimes Kai imagined she could see some shadowy movement from within the pitch, that her eyes had adjusted to the cavern's darkness enough to catch a glimpse of his leg or tail. 

Her eyes closed, refusing. She knew her name but she would not give it away to this unseen demon. Her heart pounded. Adrenaline rushed through her veins in a cold flush. She knew what was coming.

Jaws closed around her slender foreleg - viselike, impossible to escape. 

Crunch.

"I..I.." she stuttered in her soft rasp, trembling as she stared down at the thing. I'm sorry.

It was so small, so defenseless. It hadn't wanted to be hurt. It just wanted its grape and Kai had destroyed it. 

It was beyond pointless to feel guilty about killing a rabbit, to feel guilty about hurting a prey animal - she had to eat, all carnivores had to. It was the natural order of things. And yet, the witch shuddered in disgust at the violence she'd caused. Bile rose in her throat and for a moment, she thought she might be sick. 

Rain trickled through the trees, cold on the back of her neck as it dripped down her coat. Her sides lifted a tad too quickly, betraying her shallow breaths as she struggled with the rising panic.

Kai was unsure how long she sat there, just staring at the rabbit in numb horror. But at last, she bent forward woodenly and picked the thing up in her jaws gingerly. 

Slowly, she turned and padded back the way she came - intending to seek Cry out and give it to him.