Wisps and Other Things

[SkieNight]

So this event really helped me get back to writing, and since all this is Eld related I thought, why not post some of it? Feel free to post a comment or two, tell me anything that needs to be corrected, grammar or lore or otherwise. I'm still learning and I'd love to use this as a time to improve. On that note, I am using on of my own Eldsonas as "the Sealer" just because I want to use her, so yeah... enjoy.

~An Intro of Sorts~

“You really didn’t need to give me these. Sorren already packed me more than enough food for the trip.” Rose looked at the extra bundles in her arms. They weren’t much, and wouldn’t last for more than a few days, but she knew that they meant a lot, especially coming from a woman who sometimes didn’t even know when her next meal would be.

Areadia smiled warmly, and even in the dim light of the dual moons Rose could still make out the brightness of her honey-colored eyes. “It’s the least I can do. Besides, I’m sure I’m a much better cook than Sorren.”

“I don’t know… his pancakes are great!” The Fox Ancient mused, prancing in place.

Rose rolled her eyes, and with a sigh returned her gaze to the woman “Really though, thank you. For everything you’ve done these past few days.”

“We really should get going. We have a long way to travel and should at least try to get some sleep tonight.” The gruff voice came from a taller man standing a little bit away from the group.

Rose glanced towards James and the large Ligar that stood proudly by his side. She nodded once. “Just another minuet.” Turning to Araedia again she smiled sadly. “I’ll promise to keep in touch this time, okay?”

“You better,” was all the young woman said before taking a step forward and pulling Rose into a gentle hug, careful of the food the younger still held in her hands. Unlike Willy or Sorren, Araedia’s hugs were soft, and certainly not tight. When Araedia pulled away slowly, Rose nodded once before turning to the mount at her side.

“Come on, let’s get going.” Dolos wined, and Araedia giggled in response to the Ancient's pleas.

Rycia snorted once, pawing at the ground with long elegant strokes. Across the Elkrin’s thin shoulders was a set of saddlebags, holding everything Rose would need for the journey to the Celtlands. Glancing back once more at the kind woman who had kept her head dry for the last week, Rose rubbed Rycia’s side gently. The Elkrin bent down allowing the small girl to slide onto her back before she rose up to stand at full height.

James hopped atop Celia’s back with one jump and glanced back to Rose and the Ancient child that danced besides her. “Ready?”

“Yup!” Dolos replied loudly, and proudly, jumping off the ground gracefully, and letting his large wings lift him up as he darted down the otherwise empty road.

With a slow nod of her head Rose replied with, “ready as I’ll ever be.”

The three started out down the dusty road, the only real noise drifting from behind them being Araedia’s over enthusiastic goodbyes. Rose made sure to turn around once more to wave at the figure who grew smaller and smaller. After two turns down the road, all that was left of the great Northern Capital was the large white walls that loomed in the distance.

A gentle presence brushed at her side and Rose glanced back around at the Elkrin that eyed her thoughtfully. Rose sighed and leaned forward to brush the deer-like creature’s neck. “I’m fine girl. Just a bit sad to be saying goodbye again, ya know?” Especially when I don’t know if I’ll be coming back. The thought hung in her mind like a fog. It was something that she had been thinking about for the past week.

This wasn’t the first time Rose had thrown herself at danger’s front door, and this wouldn’t be the last time if she had any say in it. However, after everything she had spoken to Seraphina about, it became apparent that Rose was, in fact, only mortal. This wasn’t much of a surprise, but it wasn’t something the teen had ever thought about. She could die, and looking back at all her misadventures in the past two years; she should have died, at least twice. The thought never failed to place a knot in her stomach.

“Not getting cold feet, right?” The question snapped her out of her thoughts.

“What do you mean?” She asked the man watched her with calculating eyes that seemed more feral than human. Celia walked so softly that Rose actually forgot the cat and her tall partner were there.

“Well it’s too late to turn back now: you already made a promise you’d go do this, and you have people expecting things from you.” At Rose’ followed his gaze forward to the fox-like Ancient that bounced up ahead of them. James continued, “Not to mention people wanting to meet you. I’m pretty sure you’re the only thing keeping my sister home right now.”

It took a few seconds for all the pieces to connect but when they did Rose let out a small oh and nodded. “Right, we’re stopping at your house. What part of the Celtlands did you say you lived in again?”

“Small village about two days north of the Flickering Vales, nowhere you would know about, it isn’t on any maps.” James said simply. He always kept things short, to the point Rose felt like she deserved something when she got him to carry a conversation.

“Right, right…” silence fell again. Rose found herself looking around the path. It seemed that they were the only ones foolish enough to travel at night. James had made a point that it would be better for them if they did most of the first two days of traveling under the cover of the moons, after all they certainly drew some attention, a Rider, a Keeper, and an Ancient who didn’t know when to keep quiet, it wasn’t every day you saw a trio like them.

Rose had tried to argue that she was still human and therefore not nearly as interesting as the other two, but then James pointed out Rycia’s horn and scales and long fluffy tail. If anything she’ll just draw more attention, the man went on to say, and that would only cause problems. Rose couldn’t argue with that. So they agreed to travel the main roads at night, and the rest by the light of the sun.

“If you want to talk about something you can talk to me.” Rose looked back up, studying the older man who moved besides her. “I mean… we’ll uh… be traveling together for quite a few weeks and no one should have to brood over anything for that long.”

Rose giggled slightly. James trying to act like an older brother was always amusing to her. It was something that should have come naturally to him, after all he had three younger sisters to worry about. And yet, sometimes it seemed like such a struggle for the young man. “Thank you.” Rose felt like she was saying that a lot as of late. But, it was something she meant every time. “I’ll definitely take you up on that offer.”

Silence again. It didn’t bother her though; it was something Rose had grown use to in her own travels. The one thing that made it different, was that this silence was one she was sharing with another person, two actually if you considered the Ancient that had vanished somewhere up the road. Her mind drifted again, as it always did when she traveled down this familiar stretch of road. How many times had she gone down this way, either to or from the Alabaster?

She sighed and pushed a strand of hair back off her face. Her mind fluttering back to what Araedia had asked of her. She had made sure to grab extra ink and stationary when out in the market place. She was going to keep in touch if it killed her, or as long as it didn’t bring harm to the other party. She definitely planed on at least telling the other woman when she reached the Therelle residents.

On the note of stationary something else stumbled into Rose’s mind, something that the girl had been thinking about for most of the day. It was now or never at this point. “Hey James?” What she got in reply was a hum. She continued, knowing she had the man’s full attention. “Do you think we can make at least one stop in the next two days?”

“Of course, why?” He glanced towards her with a slight tilt of his head.

Her hand rested on the saddlebag that hung off of Rycia’s right shoulder. Somewhere among its contents was an envelope, with a letter already written and neatly folded inside. “I just have something I need to send.”





Dear Mom and Dad,

It’s Rose again. Two letters in a month and a half, kind of amazing right? I promised I’d try harder so here it goes. I’m off again. I can’t say where, but I will say that this will be my second time going to this place and I’m not going to lie, I’m kind of scared. This probably isn’t my most dangerous journey I've been on but… it’s risky. I’ll try and keep you updated as best I can, after all it’ll take me at least a few weeks to get there as I’m practically going across the continent.
I’ve got plenty of supplies from my two wonderful mentors so I’ll be okay. Also, I’m not traveling alone this time! I’ve got a companion now, two actually, as my second companion wants me to remind you. So I’ll be okay. You’d both like James, he said it was okay for me to write about him. He’s very smart and really acts as an older brother. Maybe you’ll get to meet him, along with my other friends, if we ever find ourselves in the Oriental Islands. I think they’d all really like to meet you guyes, as I’m sure I’ve talked their ear off about home and everyone there.
So yeah… I’m safe and alive and breathing. I’ll let you know when I reach my next destination since I don’t know if there will be many, if any, rest stops along the way. Take care.

With Love, Rose <3

[scmarshtacky]

This is awesome Skienight. ^^ I love your writing style and am excited to learn more about your characters as you continue the story!

I also had to chuckle:

“It’s the least I can do. Besides, I’m sure I’m a much better cook than Sorren.”

Makes me think a showdown of pancake cooking should be in the distant future. XP

[SkieNight]

@ scmarshtacky - thank you~ and I shall certainly keep that in mind xD

Notes: I don't like how I wrote Dolos, I apologize, but I just can't fix it so ughhhh yeah.... that happened. Also minimal editing so I missed anything please let me know. I'm too lazy to try any serious formatting... so enjoy~

~Some Traveling and the Meeting of a Certain Ghost BBY~

“Thanks again for letting me rest here these last few days.” Rose stood just outside of the front door, her fingers fidgeting with the strap of her bag.

The woman in the door smiled the same warm smile she had been giving Rose for the last three days. At first the girl had feared the worst: the smile was fake, no one could smile that much, with that warmth and have each one be real. But the more she saw it, the more authentic she realized the expression was. “Ya sure ya don’t want’a stay here for another day or so?”

Rose sighed. She had been procrastinating enough as is, though another night in a warm bed did sound nice… something pinched her shoulder and the girl shot a glare to the empty air besides her. She shook her head quickly and replied, “No I really do need to go. I have… something I need to look into.”

The woman sighed, her smile flicking slightly. “I understand dear. If ya ever need a place to stay and you’re in in the area, our door’s always open.”

Rose nodded; she wished she had known about this house and these people two years ago when she was here last. “Thank you again, I’ll make sure to keep that in mind. I hope you don’t get too many questions from your neighbors.”
The woman laughed a hearty, deep laugh that reminded rose of rolling thunder in a summer storm. “When ya’ve gotta son who’s a keeper, ya get use to the questions. Take care now darlin’ and travel safely.”

“You too!” Rose waved over her shoulder and started down the path. On the main road, which was really just a dirt road beaten down from years of use, James waited, Cilia in toe as always. Besides him was the eldest of the Therelle sisters, Maria, a young woman nearly as tall as James with a main of dark hair that rivaled his own. Sitting on her shoulder, as per usual from what Rose had witnessed, was a Rune that looked more like a ball of white fur than an actual creature. The only things to give the shape of the medium-sized dragon were the twirling horns that protruded from the side of its head.

“We’re walking you to the edge of town.” Maria announced as Rycia bent down to allow Rose to mount with ease. Only when the Elkrin was fully standing and Rose was sitting up tall was she almost as tall as the older woman.
Deciding that it was best not to argue with them, she had found that the Therelles all had one thing in common, their stubbornness, Rose nodded and the odd trio started down the road.

“You’re heading south right?” Maria continued. Another thing Rose learned, the Therelle’s were talkers. Rose had thought they’d all be like James. As it turned out he was the spotted Sea Serval of the family. When Rose nodded, Maria sighed. “There’s been some strange things going on around the Flickering Vales, I’m sure you’ve heard of them. I’d recommend going around, rather than cutting through. It’s not exactly safe there any more, even after the whole sealing thing two years ago.”

Rose’s stomach twitched. It was at times like this when she was kind of thankful that she had been successful in staying anonymous, for the most part. She didn’t know how she was able to do it, but so far only a handful of people knew that she was the Sealer. She planned on keeping it that way for as long as she could. Forcing a smile and a thoughtful look, she nodded. “Definitely, thank you for telling me.”

She caught James’ eye for only a second as the two Therelle siblings came to a stop near where the line of homes ended. The man gave her a knowing look before adding a small smile and saying softly, “Have a safe journey and stop by when you can. If you haven’t been able to tell, my mother really does like you.”

Rose chuckled. “She’s a kind woman.” There was a silence, thick and filled only with the crisp, fall air. Rose pulled her jacket around her, she’d have to thank Stella for having such warm cloths that actually fit her… kind of. The jacket was huge, extending way past her waist with sleeves that her fingers didn’t even poke out of, but it worked well enough. “I’ll see both of you again at some point in time. Thanks again.” She looked at James when saying the last words. “For Everything.”

“It’s nothing dear!” Rose could only just make out a faint mumble buried under Maria’s voice.

“I’ll catch up with you some time later.” Rose waved and Rycia started down the dirt path as if on cue. She sighed. A lot of goodbyes in one day, she didn’t like it. She never liked saying goodbye, but recently they had only been getting harder, tying knots in her stomach and chest, dragging her down.

“They were really nice!” Rose could have screamed. She would have too, if she wasn’t sort of expecting the Ancient to appear as if out of thin air. Instead the teen flinched slightly, though her mount barely paid attention to the fox-like Ancient that flipped besides her.

Gripping her chest with a hand the girl sighed. “Yeah… they certainly were.” Rose debated whether to scold the ancient or not. In the end, she figured it wasn’t worth it. “Thank you for staying quiet these past few days… you did a bit too good of a job.”

The Ancient let out a series of giggles that made him sound like some sort of small child, which to be fair, he practically was. “I try!” He chimed.

“Thank you for taking me to the Flickering Vales, I’m not sure I’d be able to find it on my own.” Rose glanced over at the twirling creature besides her. Dolos had agreed to take her to the Vales. The first time the girl had stumbled across it had been an accident, and though it was marked on all the maps Sorren gave her, it was always in a slightly different spot, as if no one had ever been able to fully map it. Besides, Dolos seemed to be excited to return home with someone in toe.

“No worries.” He mused. “It’s the least I can do.”

They continued down the path, Dolos blabbering on, as he usually did, with Rose making small noises of agreement; just to let him know that, yes, she was in fact still listening. The only time the young Ancient would ever fall silent was if another party appeared on the path. They were the only people walking south, however, it appeared a few were moving north.

Rose always made sure to offer the other travelers warm smiles and a soft “hello” if she could muster it. More often then not all she received were questioning looks and wide-eyed stares. She knew what they were trying to assess, whether or not they had actually just seen a Rider, the stuff of legends, but Rose was no rider, nor would she pretend to be one. It should have been clear with her hair tied back. She not only lacked the ears but also the natural beauty and grace that all the books described the Elvians with.

Still, a human ridding a shinning blue Elkrin wasn’t exactly an everyday sight, and Rose sometimes forgot that. There were more people on an along the road as they neared the next town. Perfect timing too as the sun was just going down over the rolling hills. Dolos remained unseen, much to the discomfort of Rose, especially when his presence suddenly vanished. She could only hope he wasn’t causing too much trouble.

After wandering around the village for a while, no doubt looking like the lost idiot she was, the girl stumbled across the small inn she had stayed at two years ago. A wave of nostalgia hit her as she entered the ratty building. Nothing had changed; it looked just the same as when she had left the Flickering Vales with her chin up and a slight bounce in her step. Now she was returning, eyes caste down in hopes of avoiding the all too familiar gaze of the woman behind the desk. It was funny how so much could change in such time and yet… it all felt the same. She had barely been fifteen when she last stayed here, and now she was nearly a young adult, or as Sorren put it “simply an older child.”

Anyone who recognized her didn’t say anything, and after leading Rycia to her stall, it kind of sucked that they couldn’t share a room this time, Rose found herself lying on the hard mattress staring up at the ceiling dotted with water stains. Tomorrow was the day. Tomorrow “the Sealer” would be returning to where it all began. Rose frowned at the thought. “The Sealer”, it should have been “the Releaser” if Rose had anything to say about it. But the name had been decided and she had missed the voting. That being said, the girl had yet to hear the name somewhere other than a pub or amongst friends. Despite all that, Rose still had an inkling that rumors were spreading.

But no one knew who the Sealer was. For whatever reason, the fact that the Sealer rides and Sapphire Elkrin who looks more dragon than deer got lost somewhere down the line. So that was something. And many still referred to the Sealer as if she was simply some far off legend, as if they were unsure she even was. It didn’t bother her of she was to be honest. A year after the incident that changed her life and Eld’s and only her closest friends knew who she was, that was something she wasn’t about to take for granted. Hopefully she could keep under the radar for another year.

If they did find out I wouldn’t be able to visit Araedia, or Forrest, or James or Noel… the thought twisted her stomach. The room was pitch black now, she hadn’t even noticed, and the candle on the side of her bed had flickered out at some point, Rose was left to stare at the darkness, like Oblivion himself. Rose shut her eyes and pulled the scratchy blanket over her head as her pulse skyrocketed. She could already feel herself begin to shake. This was going to be a long night.

The sun was going down, and the forest around them still didn’t look like it was about to open up any time soon. Her skin prickled, a thing she decided to blame on the autumn chill that hung in the dry air. Dolos continued to yap her ear off, though Rose was only half listening this time, her attention lay more of the world around her. Her eyes swept through the trees that seemed to draw closer to them with every step Rycia took. They weren’t really on a path this time, just a worn down strip that looked to be ruminants of an old trail.

Rycia seemed to be on high alert as well. Ever since they entered the forest the Elkrin’s ears were up, and log tail swept back and forth slowly, as if winding her up. Rose reached forward and ran a hand along her bondmate’s neck, though it didn’t seem to do much for the Elkrin, who still seemed tense. Rose sighed and sat back, her hand stopping to rest on the Elkrin’s side as they moved silently through the dusky trees. The chills increased, though it might have been the wind, and gooseflesh bubbled up and down her arm.

Silence fell. It took Rose a second to realize that the Ancient who had been talking so adamantly, had stopped making any noise. In fact, he had stopped moving all together, and instead was staring off towards some unseen distance. “Dolos?” Rose asked softly. The fox-like creature stood ridged on the ground, wings folded in at his sides. “What’s wrong?”

The Trickster Ancient turned his long neck and blinked at her once. “This is where I leave you.” His voice was soft, nothing like the loud and rather obnoxious accent she had grown use to over the past weeks.

“What!?” Rose’s chest contracted and her heart jumped. “Why? Are you okay or…” She stopped. Something lingered in the air. Despite having no magic in her blood she could feel it. “…What is that?”

“Dark magic.” He spoke again, his tone still. “I can’t go on any more, it’s to strong for me. You should be fine, though keep an eye on Rycia.”

Rose rubbed the neck of her bondsister absentmindedly. “Is the clearing just a head or…?”

“Straight ahead. You wont miss it.” He nodded.

The teen let out a long breath she hadn’t noticed she had been holding. “Okay then.” She looked back at the not-so-little fox and smiled. “Thanks for traveling with me and keeping me company, try not to get into too much trouble on the way back.”

The Ancient laughed as freely as ever. “I could say the same for you. Take care Rose.”

Nodding once, as Rose had found was her way of saying goodbye one last time, she looked forward and once again, as if on cue, Rycia started through the trees. It only took about a minuet for the foliage to get so thick that Rose could no longer see Dolos as she looked over her shoulder.

The night was coming quickly; the orange glow of the sun had long been replaced by a dark purple hue that seemed to fall over the land like a blanket. Rose had expected the forest to be dark: the trees were thick and no light from either of the moons made its way to the forest floor. But it was darker than what Rose expected, the shadows clumped together and if she looked at any one spot for too long she could practically feel the cold yellow eyes digging into her.

Her breathing hitched. Her muscles tensed, she barely noticed when Rycia came to a stop. Looking back the Elkrin watched her with deep eyes that seemed to know just what was going through Rose’s head. The deer-like creature bent down and Rose slipped off her back without a word. With one hand hugging the Elkrin’s neck, Rose stared walking off through the trees.

When she was on Rycia, it hard to tell just how short the girl was. However, once she was on the ground besides the Elkrin it became clear. Rose’s shoulder was just a bit short than her bondmate’s and the Elkrin’s long neck only made the difference in height greater.

Still alert Rycia kept her ears perked and eyes scanning the forest as Rose clung to her neck. The girl was shaking. She wasn’t even aware of it until she glanced down at her hands. She wished Dolos were here to break the silence with some ridiculous story that he had probably already told her five times. Rose closed her eyes for a second and swallowed the lump in her throat. The Goosebumps had spread across both arms and down her legs despite her long pants and thick jacket. She pushed herself closer to Rycia, taking comfort in the warmth the other being presented.

The night was only getting darker when the trees stopped abruptly. The clearing was just the same as before, at least in looks. The stone dial lay in the center, the tallest of the stones reaching up towards the dual moons that rose just above the tree lines. And all around lay a thick forest that looked more painted than real.

As the girl walked into the clearing the pounding in her chest grew, and something seemed to seep into her very bones. She could tell why Dolos had to turn around, whatever dark or fearful forces were in the vicinity were strong. Even Rycia looked as though she were about ready to bolt. The normally calm Elkrin had a panicked look in her blue eyes and moved behind Rose slowly, as if ever step was being forced.

Nearing the center of the clearing the teen looked around. The last time she had come to the clearing, nearly two years ago now, the power of the area had been crackling. All of that seemed to have slipped away. It was quiet to the point Rose could hear her own heartbeat echoing softly in her ears, and the air was thick and stale. The wind she had felt in the forest was gone. It was as if life had been sucked right out of the clearing, leaving a skeleton of what it once was.

The girl walked towards the rocky outcropping, tentatively stretching out a hand to brush the stone. It wasn’t like she expected anything, but the moment she felt just how cold was rock was she pulled her hand away and quickly recoiled from the stones. Rycia stood just behind her, nuzzling her cheek softly, the deer’s hot breath spreading across the side of her face and neck.

Rose glanced around the clearing. She was here, now what? She had to look for Seraphina’s old friend, though she wasn’t sure who or what this friend was. She hadn’t even gotten a name. The girl was just letting out a long sigh when something caught her attention; a light shimmered once then vanished only to be followed by the flickering of another. Taking a step out from behind the rock Rose saw a faint blue glow coming from the trees on the far side of the clearing. Blue orbs danced around the entrance as if biding her to join them.

“Spirit orbs…” she mumbled, the lessons from Sorren and her readings flooding back. She found herself moving around the dial, towards the flickering lights. Sure, she remembered the legends Sorren had hours describing to her, but something seemed to be calling her, even as fear gripped her chest.

Rycia, on the other hand, seemed to be less inclined to go towards the lights. The Elkrin pawed the ground a few times, and Rose shushed her with a wave of her hands. The deer-like creature snorted and nipped at her bondmate’s shoulder causing the girl to turn sharply and glare. “We have a job to do and I have a feeling those lights might be our next clue.”

The Elkrin snorted in response.

“Do you have any other idea?” Rose snapped back. When she received no reply the girl turned back around and started towards the light with a confident walk. “If you don’t like it, stay here. I won’t be long.”

Something white flashed in front of her sending Rose stumbling back into her companion. Rose blinked once. Twice. A small girl stood before her, staring her down with wide eyes.

Rose swallowed the dryness in her throat, praying that her heart didn’t fly out of her chest. “Hey…”

Another flash of light later and Rose was staring at empty air. The teen’s head snapped up just in time to see the figure vanish into the woods. “Wait up!” Without giving it another thought Rose found herself racing towards the lights flickering at the edge of the forest. She could hear Rycia’s hoof beats behind her as she tore though the forest, causing a group wisps to scatter into the trees.

Rose could only just make out the apparition flickering amongst the trees. The only thing that really kept her on the right path were the soft blue orbs that lit up a path, illuminating anything she might have tripped on otherwise.

Suddenly the trees dispersed and Rose found herself in a small clearing and she gasped for air. The only thing inside the grove was a dead tree that was just off center. As Rose stood up, taking deep breaths to calm her heart that was racing due to the sudden exercise and fear that griped her, and eyed the tree. It loomed over her, casting a gloomy shadow over the clearing. She wanted nothing more than to turn and walk away, yet something about it twisted her heart.

Her throat closed up and a salty taste filled her mouth; it was the same feeling she got when she was just about to cry. The girl found herself at a loss for words. If Rose didn’t know better she would have broken down right there at the roots of the tree.

“You shouldn’t be here! It’s not safe!” Rose spun around quickly as the hair on the back of her neck and arms prickled. Something cold washed over her and the bright light returned a second later. Rose took a step back as a face appeared a mere inches from her own.

“Didn’t you hear me? It’s not safe! You must turn back, you must. B-before it’s too late for you to leave.”

Rose found herself shaking slightly as she took in the sight before her. “Y-you’re a ghost.” It was the only thing she could choke out. More lessons flooded back to her, Sorren would have been proud, if a little disappointed that she ran off into the woods on impulse. Apparitions, they weren’t very strong and normally taking on a full form, like the one before her, took a lot of energy. Talking was a different story, and nearly just as taxing.

That’s right, she, Rose Emerson, was talking to a spirit.

Rose didn’t know what to do and just kind of found herself staring, thinking of something to say that didn’t make her sound like an idiot. And then the earth began to rumble slightly, like the growling of a hungry stomach. Her first instinct was to find Rycia. She to her right, nothing just empty space, and her was just the tree. She spun around slowly to find that she was the only living soul in the clearing. She could have sworn that the Elkrin had been right behind her. A loud cry rang from somewhere else in the woods. Rose’s stomach dropped. “RYCIA!” The name ripped from her throat as she turned to run to face where the sound had.

The teen hadn’t even taken two steps when she noticed the world was moving. No, it wasn’t the world. It was the trees. They drew together as if to form a wall. Her heart dropped to her gut. “RYCIA!!” She pushed forward, as fast as she could and found herself face to face with a barricade of branches. A deep mournful groan echoed around her. It took Rose a second to realize that the noise hadn’t come from her, but from the very ground she stood on.

“He knows you’re here.” The ghost spoke.

Rose barely heard the words over the sound and the shaking. Her stomach dropped and the panic that had been bubbling in her chest since entering the Flickering Vales seemed to spill out. “Rycia…” the name was barely a whisper.

“I told you to turn back.” The ghost’s voice continued, a distant echo to the girl as that stared at the branches that locked her in. “I tried to warn you… Now you’re trapped here with me. I’m-I’m so sorry… I didn’t want this to happen. Not again.”

Rose turned around slowly, taking deep breaths that ended up simply being shallow huffs. “What’s going on? What’s happening?” She couldn’t hide the panic that made her voice rise at least half an octave in pitch.

“I’m so sorry!” The apparition squeaked taking a step back as if scared Rose would try to do something to her. Though how could someone hurt a ghost? “I didn’t want this to happen, I promise! I wanted you the leave. I tired to, um, scare you away… but it didn’t work. I was never very good at scaring others.”

You actually did a pretty good job, was what Rose wanted to say, but she couldn’t bring herself to do so. Her eyes flickered back to the wall. Rycia was out there somewhere, in the woods… alone. Rose felt like she was going to pass out. She turned back to the spirit, taking in an other breath. If she wanted to get out of this clearing, she needed to deal with everything one step at a time.

“You’re a ghost. How are you even speaking to me right now?”

The small girl blinked once. “Oh I’m sorry! I didn’t introduce myself. My names Rowena, but my friends always used to call me Rue. I didn’t want to frighten you, but if you stayed, you would have been trapped in the Haunted Grove like all the others.”

“The others?” Rose looked around again. She was alone, that much was clear. “But I don’t see anyone else here.”

Rue was silent for a few seconds. “They aren’t here anymore. Everyone fades away after a while.”

“oh…” Rose licked her dry lips, nodding slowly as she tried to wrap her mind around what was happening. “That’s not good. Seraphina sent me to investigate the magic disappearance in this place, so I really need to get out and find-”
“Y-you know Grami Sari? Are you the one Dolos went to find? This is great! You can help then! That’s what you do… right? You’re the Sealer. You, um, Seal things?”

Rose frowned at the nickname. It was starting to precede her, that was concerning. Clearing he throat she shuffled her feet, finding herself unable to look the younger girl in the eyes. “Actually, I’m pretty good at unsealing things, but yup – that’s me. Or at least that’s what they all call me. My name’s Rose though. Look, Rue, I came here to help, and that is what I plan to do.” Rose looked up and found herself pulled into the child’s wide eyes. “I know we just met, but if you can help me figure out what all is happening here, maybe we can both fix this mess together. What do you say?” She tired to smile. She really did try, and her lips did raise, but she knew it didn’t reflect in her eyes.

The ghost child blinked back. Silence fell. Rose cursed the silence, it let her mind wander and that was something that she couldn’t afford to do, breaking was an option right now. It would only be a waste of time at this point. She needed to talk to the girl and find out what the problem really was, then out how to get out of here and-

“I-I’m going to help you.” Her thoughts shattered. Rose looked up and found Rue staring back with a determined expression, though her body shook and her voice quaked. “No matter what. If Gami Seri and Dolos trust you, then I should too!”

A small smile danced over Rose’s lips. That was what she needed to here. It was good to know that someone was on her side. Maybe Rue knew the way out of the thicket…

“I think we’ll need a lot of wisps to help too, though. They carry fragments of memories from the past… memories that belong to him… maybe if we gather enough they can help you escape!”

The word around Rose shattered once more. “I-is there any other way out? A quicker way? My friend’s out there in the woods and I really need to find her!”

The ghost blinked at Rose and slowly shook her head. “I’m sorry… I don’t know how to get you out of here.” Rose ran her hands over her face, whipping away the water that threatened to spill over her lids. She sunk down to the ground slowly. That was not what she wanted to here, definitely not. “Rycia is her name, right?” Rose just nodded weakly, never looking up. “I-I’m sure she’ll be find. If we can catch enough wisps we’ll be able t-to get out here.”

Rose let out a long breath. Pushing herself up, she took a few shaking steps forward, her toe hitting a root with a loud thump that echoed in the still air. Still struggling to breath the teen sunk down to her knees once again, maybe walking wan’t a good idea right now.

The little girl began speaking again, as if she was trying to fill the silence. “Well, when you want to start looking for wisps there’s a little crow here with blue eyes that will aid you in collecting them. He said his name is Muzu.” Rose stopped, slowly peering from her hands. Rue didn’t seem to notice and continued on, “he is here to help you too! He’s so adorable! He’s been keeping me company and playing lots of “rolling” games with me before you came here. So ah… if you find any wisps just give them to me… and maybe… if you want that is and feel like it… you can talk to me when you feel better? I promise I won’t scare you again~” with a soft giggle the apparition backed up and zipped across the clearing.

Muzu? Rose lifted her head from hands full and found the crow staring at her expectantly. “Hey buddy.” She said softly, her voice weak and scratchy. It was nice to see such a familiar face. After he rolled around on her head for a few minuets, Muzu proceeded to place a neatly written note on her knee. Rose smiled sadly at the neat handwriting.

Remember that you are never alone, even in the darkest of places.
~Love, Sorren & Willy

Rose swallowed, struggling to hold back the tears. Here she was with a note in hand and a friend by her side while Rycia was somewhere alone in the darkness of the forest. A small whine escaped her lips as she pulled her knees to her chest, burying her face in between them. She let out a small sniffle. “I should have listened. I’m s-sorry Rycia…” Saying the name only made her feel worse.

She felt the bird hop on her shoulder and begin running his beak through her hair as she struggled to breath through the muffled cries. What the teen didn’t see was the Rue, lingering in the far corner of the clearing, watching her with large, sad eyes.

[SkieNight]

Notes: I do plan on continuing and finishing this, it might just take a little bit as I've go some editing to do and school work to do. I don't plan on dragging this out any longer than necessary though. Thanks for those of you who bother to read this ridiculous piece of work. Remember comments are encouraged. And I hope everyone had a happy and safe Halloween!!

~Bad Dreams & Simple Questions~

A familiar place; a dry, windswept plain. The ground cracked, and the sky a dark and swirling void that seemed to form a perfect dome. The air around was heavy, but still and stagnant. Every step she took the ground cracked and shook under her feet. Every now and again a piece of the earth would just slip away, tumbling into a dark void just out of sight. Her chest tightened. Her eyes searched the area. She was looking for someone, she could feel it, though whom it was seemed to slip from her mind every time she tried to focus on it.

She took another step as the earth cracked and fell away somewhere behind her. When she lifted her eyes she realized there was a silhouette lingering at the horizon. Her chest jumped and something in her lightened. She found herself walking quickly, and then jogging towards the figure in the distance. As she neared, and the shape began to take a proper form, a name rolled off her tongue with ease, one she had said hundreds of times before. “Rycia!”

The figure lifted its head, a long neck looked over the plain, a single swirling horn perturbing from the creature’s forehead. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she could just make out the shimmering blue, and tan fluff of her bondsister. The Elkrin’s horn gleamed, even in the darkness. “Rycia I’m right here!”

The deer-like creature seemed to look around, however her eyes never passed over Rose.
“Rycia!”

The earth shook and Rose stumbled to the side just as a long crack darted across the crust sending shards of rock in everything direction. The girl tried to push herself to her feet but the trembling made standing impossible. The figure in the distance lifted her head again, looking around. The crack must have just passed by her, because the Elkrin seemed to stumble back slightly.

“Rycia I’m here for you! Just come this way!” The Elkrin finally looked up and made eye contact with the girl who was still sprawled across the shaking earth. Trying to stand again Rose yelled. “Rycia, just come over towards me! It’ll be okay.”

The world shook again and the crack creaked. A deep groan echoed over the wasteland. The Elkrin took a step forward only to stumble back as if by some unknown force. “Rycia?”

The earth continued to shake and larger and large chunks vanished, falling off into the void. A particularly large chunk was ripped off right by where Rycia stood. “Rycia run!” But her words weren’t fast enough and she couldn’t push herself onto her own feet. There was no time, she probably wouldn’t have made it, even if she had been standing.

The earth groaned again, moaning in an almost sorrowful way. The soil under Rycia’s hooves began peeling away. “Rycia!” The ground cracked again. “Rycia come back!” Her words were meaning less as the fissure split Rycia’s piece of land from the girl’s own. As Rose watched her bondmate slipped off into Oblivion, she could have sworn she heard a deep cackle…

Rose’s eyes snapped open. The first thing she noticed was the ache in her throat and the how chapped and bloodied her lips were. The second thing that was clear was how sticky her body was, though, as she looked around, it be came apparent that she didn’t even have her jacket on, it was balled up besides her.

The girl sat up, taking deep breaths as the scene played behind her eyes over and over again. Her chest hurt, as did her head, which pounded as though she had been hit. A small chirp caught her ear and caused her to look up and right into the shinning blue eyes of Muzu. The crow blinked at her and Rose had a sudden feeling that his eyes weren’t the only ones watching her. Blinking slowly, the girl shifted away, shielding her face from the crow’s watchful gaze.

The next eyes she caught were the warm eyes of Rue. The ghost child blinked at her and sat down silently, though she didn’t make any move to touch Rose. The teen was thankful for that. “Do you want to talk about it?” Rue asked softly
Rubbing hands over her face, Rose shook her head. “Not particularly.” She mumbled, allowing a silence that was anything but peaceful to fall over them.

After some time the spirit rose back onto small legs that were nearly transparent. “I’ll leave you to it then. I-If you ever want to talk. Remember I’m here too.”

Rose watched the figure move farther and farther away. The world flashed and for a second she was back on the wasteland, the dark outline of Rycia walking off towards the distance. Falling down, down into the dark void.

“Hey, Rue!” The ghost stopped and turned around to look at the older girl. Rose opened and closed her mouth a few times. She couldn’t just call out to someone for no reason. She should have just let the small girl go, but the idea of sitting alone in a dark clearing was anything but pleasant, and she would rather not go back to sleep, though her limbs and eyes were heavy.

Finally finding her voice Rose cleared her throat and spoke in a dray voice, “Can you come over here for a second, I have a question for you.”

Nodding the ghost child drifted back over and plopped herself down silently before Rose, who continued once Rue was settled and Muzu was comfortable in his new spot on the teen’s head. “I wanted to ask you how you knew the Trickster Ancient, Dolos? After all, it’s not every day you meet a smile fox dragon.”

Rue smiled once and began speaking, slowly and calmly, enunciating every word. Though Rose wasn’t fully listening to everything that slipped from the child’s mouth, the girl was just thankful for a sound that brushed away all other thoughts.

[Silverhart]

This is so awesome! I just wanted to say keep up the awesome work! ^^ Can't wait to read more! Like wow! This is fantastic stuff right here! And I'm always a sucker for Eld fanfiction. XP

Hope you don't mind me posting - just wanted to give you some encouragement and tell you to keep going!

[SkieNight]

Thank you Silverhart~ that really means a lot. To reiterate, of course you can post. It's nice to see what others think of my writing and/or character(s).

Notes: Be ready for lots of sitting, talking, and playing with wisps... it's kind of a running theme...

~Wisps & Not-So-Simple Questions~

Rose found herself nestled between the trunk of the dead tree and one of its large roots that twisted over the ground before vanishing into the dry dirt. It had been a day, at least that was what Rose suspected. In the darkness of the large clearing it was nearly impossible to say; day was just as dark as any night Rose could remember, it was impossible to distinguish the two. Most of the dim light came from the floating wisps that danced around the clearing, slipping in and out through the branches that locked her in. Rose envied them.

Twenty-four hours later and the girl hadn’t eaten anything. She just wasn’t hungry. The only thing that she consumed was fear and worry. She claimed that she was leaving her very limited food supply for later, saving it for when she needed it, though between Sorren and Araedia the girl had enough supplies to last weeks. But, the excuse seemed to work well enough, even with Muzu drilling a whole into the back of her skull with his cold eyes.

With her legs pulled to her chest, her hands rested on her knees, playing with a blue wisp she had caught earlier. At first the girl feared that they would hurt or at least sting a little if touched, but as it turned out, the glowing balls were cool and slippery to the touch. The flames tickled her fingers as it bounced around between her hands.

When she looked up, the child apparition was hovering just a few feet away. Holding out her hands Rose passed the shimmering blue wisp to the ghost. Rue took it with a smile and the thing flickered once before vanishing. Rose didn’t know where they went and didn’t bother to ask. There were more important questions to be asked.

“Hey Rue?” She called to the child softly. The younger girl glanced up, blinking slowly, urging the teen to continue. “When you were talking about Dolos last night, you mentioned something about hooded figures? The boogeymen? But I didn’t see anyone like that when I came to the Flickering Vales. Do you know what they’re doing here?”

Rose regretted asking the question the moment it spilled out of her mouth. The small girl’s face contorted, eyes widening and complexion fading and dimming, if that was possible. The teen was just about to open her mouth and spew out something about how it was a stupid question – though one she really needed answered - when Rue began to speak, clearly pushing herself to do so. “T-they don’t have magic of their own. They are empty inside, so they take it from the creatures and world around them to try and make themselves full.” If ghosts could cry, Rue certainly looked close to doing so. “They want to hurt this place. That’s why he’s so upset… that why you’re trapped here. It’s what they want Rose.” Panic began seeping into her voice, and Rue’s words became slurred together and shaky. “They’ll hurt him so he hurts you! Just like before… j-just like the rest!”

In that moment, Rose learned that ghost could, in fact, cry. They didn’t look like any tears Rose had seen, they seemed almost like drops of moon light that vanished before even hitting the ground. Whatever they were though, the sight still had the same effect on Rose as any other tears did.

Standing up quickly she reached out slowly, letting a shaky hand pat the girl’s shoulder. “Shhh, Rue, it’s alright. Don’t worry, you don’t have to remember right now if it’s too painful.” Rue had buried her face in her hands, but looked up at Rose’s words, watching the older girl with wide, seemingly damp eyes. Rose cleared her throat and continued, pulling her hand back a bit. Could Rue even feel her touch? “I think whoever these boogeymen are, whatever they are, is important to all this. But I’m not gonna force you to say anything you don’t want too, okay?”

The spirit gave a small nod and took a step away from Rose, still hugging herself and looking at the ground. Rose frowned; she hated this, heaviness that only seemed to add to the pain. The sadness of this place, it seemed to seep into her vary being, to the point where Rose couldn’t remember laughter or the bubbly feeling she got whenever she hung around Sorren, or Willy, or Noel.

Silence fell over the clear, as had been the pattern over the last hour. Muzu shifted on the root before perching himself back on Rose’s shoulder. The girl found herself looking at the wall that enclosed her into the clearing. Rycia always knew what to do to cheer someone up. Was she out there now, sad and alone? Had the boogeymen gotten her too? Rose felt her stomach drop. She felt sick, though it wasn’t like she had anything in her. Muzu nipped Rose’s ear once before flying from her shoulder and landing in front of Rue. The child bent down and patted his head weakly.

Turning to the ghost girl, who still hovered a few feet away, Rose cleared her throat and spoke again, hoping to fill the silence with something, anything to keep the thoughts at bay. “So I see you’ve become friends with Muzu!” She started awkwardly, earning a small humm from the spirit. “He’s a really sweet crow that has been here with me through thick and thin so far. How long have you two known each other?” Rose plopped herself down on the nearest root, leaning into her hand that rested on her knee. She paused and when the ghost didn’t reply continued to speak. It was all she could do. “Did he try to roll in anything before I arrived? He does that a lot you know, we don’t know why, but it’s like his birdy-thing… or something…”

A hint of a smile broke across Rue’s face. The apparition moved forward when Muzu flapped back over and sat himself on Rose’s head, nestling himself into her messy hair. She had made the mistake of taking it out of a sliepnirtail and now he wouldn’t let her put it back up. “Oh yes, Muzu is a very friendly and polite Mr. Crow! He’s only been here about a week or so, but he carries a part of another person’s soul with him, named Sorren. They are both really kind to me,” The smile grew and the little girl giggled, as if remembering something. “And Muzu tells the funniest jokes.”
Rose’s jaw fell open. “Wait—wait, Muzu actually talks to you? And how do you know my mentor Sorren? Does he talk to you too?” Rose groaned, this could have made everything these past months easier. “Why hasn’t anyone told me about this?!”

“Oh well, I can usually talk just fine to creatures and spirits.” The child said simply, as if it were common knowledge. “Even when I was really little, it was easy to do, but I think I was the only one who could really do that. A lot of people use to be afraid of me because of it, so I usually kept it a secret. You don’t, um… think I’m weird do you?” Ruse spoke softly, she looked about ready to cry again.

Rose gave Rue the largest smile she could and shook her head furiously. “Of course not! That’s awesome! I wish I could talk to spirits and creatures. That seems like a really cool talent to have, Rue. I was just surprise that Muzu and Sorren were both speaking to you is all.” She let a rather long sigh. “Of course Sorren wouldn’t tell me this, why would he? Then again, I’m not really surprised, but still, it’s the principle of the matter.”

Rue broke out into a fit of light laughter that lasted a few seconds before she could speak above the giggles. “Sorren said you might say something like that. He talks about you a lot, Rose— about all the good you do and how hard you work to help others. He said I’d be safe with you around.” Rue gave the teen another smile, one she had seen on Seraphina some months ago. One of hope, as if looking into a brighter future. Rose’s stomach fluttered before falling to her toes like led. Help… safe… that sounded like a lot of guess work to the. “He also said to remind you to uh… not forget to focus? So, um, don’t forget to focus! Okay? Did I say it right?”

It was Rose’s turn to laugh. The sound was rough, as though she was just learning what laughter was and how to make it. The teen nodded weakly. “Yes, yes you did. You sounded just like him too.”

Rue seemed to take that as compliment and beamed, her small hands falling on her hips as she puffed her chest out. Rose chuckled again, this time it was more sad and empty. Her eyes drifted back to the wall that both locked her in and kept out. Safety? How was she supposed to keep another safe when she couldn’t even do that for her own partner? He couldn’t have known something like this would happen… but still, Rose felt the first bubbles of heat rise through her chest. He shouldn’t go around making promises for me. Forcing me to agree to things I can’t do.

“R-rose… are you okay?” The older girl blinked. She hadn’t realized she had been glaring at the dry ground that lay before her and Rue. She looked up at the spirit who watched her with a careful expression.

“Fine sorry…” The teen mumbled, pushing some hair behind her ear.

“I-is it something I said?”

“Ancients no!” Rose was quick to snap back to attention. The hurt look on the ghost’s face caused her chest to contract and something heavy scratched at the back of her throat. “No, it’s not you. I’m sorry for making you think that I just… well never mind,” she pushed herself from the root. Muzu gave a squawk, seemingly unhappy that his nesting spot was moving. “How about we go and try to get a few more of those wisps?”

The apparition watched her with a steady eye, as if assessing her every word. Rue gave a small nod followed by a small smile. “Um… sure. I saw some good ones this way, I think.” The spirit turned and started across the clearing.

Rose followed taking steady breaths in and out. No more getting angry or upset. She told herself. There's no need to worry Rue, I’m going to protect her I need to focus on her, and whatever else is going on.

After running around for some time, the first wisp Rose caught was a small red orb that was hot to the touch.

[SkieNight]

Notes: I got really lazy about halfway through when it came to editing. Sorry 'bout that....

~Revelations~

It took another twelve hours or so to convince Rose that yeah, maybe eating something was a good idea. It was only when her whole body was shaking and she felt like she was going to fall over, did she allow Muzu to lead her over to where she had dropped her bag.

She plopped herself down against the wall of sticks and let out a sigh, suddenly thankful that Sorren had forced her to pack all those extra lunches and that Mrs. Therelle had practically thrown more at her. There was no way she was going to starve while stuck in the grove.

As she munched on the food, Rue came and sat, or whatever ghosts did that resembled sitting, down in front of her. The child didn’t say anything, but was clearly trying to keep her company. Rose was thankful to have another being, dead of alive, with her to keep her mind off of things, or at least someone to let her be sad and upset and just sit with her.

I’m a terrible Sealer if I’m forcing the person I’m supposed to be helping to help me. Rose sighed and picked at whatever it was that Sorren had packed, in truth the girl wasn’t paying much attention to what she was eating. The teen froze as Muzu jumped from the place he made for himself on Rose’s backpack to stand in front of the ghost. A faint smile fluttered over Rue’s lips and the girl nodded, as if in understanding. The clearing was silent, and yet clearly the other girl was hearing something that Rose could only pretend to understand. Rose decided to focus on that, blocking out any other thoughts she might have, good or otherwise.

“So Rue,” she suddenly felt the apparition’s eyes on her. “You mentioned before that you have the ability to speak to both creatures and spirits. Did you always have this ability? We’re you born with it? I’m curious since I’ve never heard of or read about such a talent.”

The spirit seemed thankful for the start of a new conversation. “Oh, well, I’ve always been able to talk and listen to both creatures and spirits ever since I can remember. I don’t think it’s a common thing though, Grammie Seri said it was something humans could do a really long time ago I think, but not any more. She said not to tell anyone if I could help it, but at least I had my older sister, Ama, who could do it too. She was my best friend… I really miss her…”

Rose swallowed whatever was in her mouth and nodded. Why was it, that everything she asked suddenly turned personal? “Who’s Ama?” She couldn’t help but ask, hoping Rue understood that she didn’t have to answer.

The small spirit blinked at her and said simply, “Amalthea,” as though it were common knowledge. She went on while Rose sat, her mind working a mile a minuet. Where had she heard that name…? “It was hard to say her name when I was really little so I just called her Ama. Grammie Seri looked after us both when our parents passed away during all the fighting…”

Half way through Rue’s explanation it clicked. “Hold on, hold on.” Rose said with a wave of her hand, setting down the small lunch she had as to not drop it and waste it. “You mean THE Amalthea? Like in the story? The one who first founded Alabaster city and led humanity’s fist kingdom to be established, the first human to create a magical bond with a creature of Eld – that Amalthea?” Rose stared at Rue, jaw slack. How could she not have put the pieces together? This was great! All the information right in in front of her!

The small ghost child stared back blankly. “Um… I don’t know of a place called Alabaster, but… I know Amalthea created a bond with a little rune dragon we became friends with in the forest. Everyone seemed to think it was a really big deal. Everyone around us was really surprised when she told them how she listened to the magic and let it flow through her.” Rue let out a soft huff and stared off at something, seemingly far away. “Ama was always really talented when it came to listening and using magic.”

Rose licked her lips. When had her mouth gotten so dry? Rue didn’t know what Alabaster was? The child spoke about the bonding as if it only happened a few years ago. The teen’s stomach twisted. Oh for the love of Ancients no… “Rue…” The name fell off Rose’s lips at barely a whisper. “That was centuries ago. How old are you?”

The child blinked, something stirred in her eyes. It was not the panic that had been bubbling up in Rose since the moment the trees closed in around her. No, it seemed like pure confusion and partial disbelief, as if hearing knew she didn’t want to believe. When she did speak, her voice was shaky and her words full of trepidation. “Centuries? But… but I’m only nine? It’s only been a few weeks at most… hasn’t it?”

“Rue…” Rose was at a loss for words. How exactly was one to tell a nine year old that they had been dead for hundreds of years? How do you tell anyone they’ve been dead for that long? How long as she been trapped here? Rose’s stomach bubbled at the thought, and suddenly the teen was no longer hungry. The silence that fell between the two girls was thick, and as heavy as the imposing air around them.

Standing up quickly, the older teen forced a smile across her face. She wasn’t going to let them sit in sad silence for ever. “How about we go with Muzu and chase down some wisps? Let’s leave any more questions for later, alright?”

Rue blinked up at her. “Okay…” She said softly, rising up to stand at her full height. Muzu jumped up from the ground, and flew around the Rue. There was a beat of silence then suddenly, “Race you there!” And the spirit was off, darting towards the dead tree. Muzu followed her, letting out a happy caw as he did. Rose forced out a dry laugh and ran after her, food no longer on her mind, but questions bubble up constantly. Just what had happened to this little girl? For once, Rose was pretty positive that she didn’t want the answer. Even if the answer would help her in the end.

It was later in the day, after both Rose and Muzu seemed to be worn dry from chasing the glowing wisps around, when Rose forced herself to ask another question. Not one of the ones she should have asked, the teen decided to wait on those. This was a question that had been with her for a while now, and it just came back to her as she sat across from the large, dead tree and stared at it.

“Hey Rue?” The spirit gave a small hum in response, letting Rose know that she was listening. “Do you know what’s up with that dead tree over there? I noticed it’s the only thing standing here in this grove. It’s almost like the rest of the surrounding forest is avoiding it…”

“That tree…” the ghost child repeated as if trying to find a place to begin, “it used to be really pretty. I remember that the whole grove was alive with moonlight and lunar lilies.” She gave a small sigh at the thought. Rose took the opportunity to nod and close her eyes, struggling to imagine what the grove would look like if it were still alive. “I came here all the time with my older sister, Amalthea. We would pick the lilies and make crowns out of them so we could be like the two Ancient Moon princesses from the stories Grami Seri told! It was also where I first met my best friend…” Her voice softened and Rose opened her eyes to steal a glance at the apparition. “He loved this place too.”
Rose cleared her throat as if to make sure Rue still knew she was there, and asked softly. “I noticed that you’ve been referring to your best friend as ‘he’ and ‘him’ quite a bit. Who is ‘he’ exactly, if you don’t mind me asking?” The teen made sure to tack on the last bit quickly. She felt like she had been asking these rather personal questions and wanted to make sure Rue knew she didn’t have to say anything if she didn’t want to.

“Animus. His name was… Animus.”

The earth trembled under Rose’s feet. The girl froze, her chest clenching and entire body growing tense. It was as if something was moving under the ground. Rose swallowed the lump in her throat, watching and waiting for something terrible to rise up and make itself known. However, the rumbling slowed and stopped suddenly, as if the creature behind the movement had just been rolling over, not waking up.

Rose let out a long breath, the tension leaving her body, though her shoulders were still tight, no matter how many times she rolled them.

“You have to be careful Rose.” The teen looked towards Rue, whose eyes darted around as if she was worried about someone overhearing her. “Don’t wake him up too soon or you won’t be able to leave this place. He didn’t use to be this way.” Her voice trembled, growing softer as though she was sharing some secret she couldn’t bare anyone else to know. “The boogeymen made him empty and turned him hollow… they took away what made him whole so that they could be full. They broke him, made him cry out in pain- forced him to do terrible things…” her voice was barely audible above the silence of the clearing. Rose had to lean in to make sure she heard the ghost. “And then, they made him quiet and sealed him away within the tree. He can’t leave. Neither of us can leave. That’s why… I hope you’ll be able to help him in the end… even though he no longer remembers me…”

Rose sighed, rubbing her face with her hands. There were so many pieces of this puzzle, the girl hated to load Rue with questions, but she needed the answers if she even wanted to begin to try and think up a solution. “Rue, I know this is hard for you to talk about, but I need to know more about the boogeymen. It’s obvious that whatever they are doing here is hurting this place and your friend- I want to help you both, but in order to do that, I’m going to need you to help me understand first.”

Rue gave look at her with a startled expression but nodded anyway. “I-I know. I’ll try my best to remember, but… some parts are a bit fuzzy.”

With those words, Rose felt like she actually had a chance, that maybe this entire mess, which was only looking large by the second, could be solved somehow. She nodded to the younger spirit. “That’s alright. Just tell me if you can recall anything about the boogeymen. Did they use any magic? Were they human? Did they ever try to speak to you?”

Rue shook her head weakly. “Um, they don’t know I’m still here. I always hide away when they come to the grove, and their faces are always covered with dark hoods. I know they are human, though. Only humans know how to use Sully’s magic… but they are using it to do bad things to this place. Sully wouldn’t like what they are doing! It’s wrong…”

Rose blinked and frowned at the thought, and just when I was beginning to untangle this mess. “Sully’s magic? You mean the Ancient of Oblivion? You’ve got to be kidding me…” Just thinking about him made her skin crawl and stomach bubble. Guilt washed over her. Of course it was Sullivan? Who else would it possibly be? Rose let out a huff, letting her hands run over her face.

“Yes, Sully was really nice to us.” Rue sounded a bit too chipper to be talking about the man who, quite literally, ruined Rose’s life. “He protected us before Grami Seri took Ama and I in after our parents fought in the war. Sully kept us safe… but I think a lot of other races were mad at him, especially when he taught humans how to use his magic. He could call the dead back to fight for him or help them go back to sleep when they were lost and scared… but the boogey man force the dead back even after they were finally sleeping peacefully-” Rue stood a little taller, chin up, almost like she was reciting something from memory. “That’s not what you are suppose to do. Spirits don’t like it when you force them like that. It makes them hurt and they become angry! Then…” her voice fell soft again. “They might turn into a hollow… no one should ever become hollow.”

Despite hearing Rue speak so softly and kindly about Sullivan, it still made Rose’s blood boil to even think of the man, er, Ancient. No matter how kind he was to humans back in the day, that didn’t change what he was doing right now. But Rose decided to ignore those facts and the anger burning in her, option, instead, to turn her attention to the true problem at hand: the boogeymen. With a sigh she thought over what she just learned and compared it to what she remembered from past readings.

“You know, that sounds an awful lot like necromancy.” She finally concluded. “I’ve learned a bit about them from my mentor and my piles of homework, that I still actually need to finish, but I’ve never met one personally. Rue, if these boogeymen are necromancers, then we have to be very careful. Necromancers these days are usually very respectful of the dead and still follow Oblivion’s teachings, but those that practice the dark arts to harm others are very dangerous. Whatever they are trying to do here can’t been good…”

Rose scratched at her chin with a sigh. Rue, still floating just a few feet away, mumbled something about going to play with Muzu and the other creatures she had found wandering the clearing. Rose nodded, saying she needed a break, which wasn’t a lie in the slightest. There was too much to this. The boogeyman, whatever Sullivan had to do with all this. Rose let out a long sigh and pulled her notebook and some other texts from her bag. This was going to be a long night of reading, but it was either this or dreams. Rose preferred the reading.

[SkieNight]

~Unhappy Truths~

It was some amount of time later, while Rose was running her eyes along the wall hoping that a hole had sprung up over night, when Rue came up behind her. The teen wasn’t even aware of the apparition until the smaller girl spoke. “Um… Rose?” Rose looked up, forcing her eyes away from the barrier of branches. “Can I ask you something?”

Looking over the younger girl once, it was clear that something was on her mind. Rose let out a shaky breath, but forced a small smile anyway, hoping that it at least a bit believable. Sitting back she crossed her legs, placed her hands in her lap, and responded, “sure thing, Rue. What’s on your mind?”

The small spirit drew in a shaky breath. “… H-how long has it been… since the fighting with Sully started? You said it has been centuries… but it’s only been a few weeks since I came here. Hasn’t it?”

Rose should have seen the question coming. She cursed her loose mouth and floppy tongue. The little girl was a spirit stuck in this hollow; of course she wouldn’t realize how much time had passed. Rose chewed at the inside of her cheek. How were you supposed to tell someone that they were dead and had been dead for hundreds of years? No amount of reading gave Rose any answers. The teen let out a long sigh. “Rue… are you sure you want to talk about this?” In truth, Rose was hoping that they apparition would say no.

“Please. Please tell me…” Rue’s words were soft, her eyes wide, begging, pleading for information. The child’s eyes darted over Rose’s face, clearly trying to find hints, clues, anything she could grasp onto. “I-it’s only been a few months then? A year? I can’t be long than that. It can’t be…”

Rose chewed on her lip, her stomach turning hard as led and dropping down into nothing. She hadn’t been hungry anyway, not since reading about the rituals of necromancers. After a few beats of silence she couldn’t keep it in any longer, not with the pleading looks the small child was giving her. “Oh Rue, it’s been hundreds of years since the Oblivion wars took place and ended. I know you said your just nine, but… all that happened a really, really long time ago…” Watching Ruse’s face twist into one of dread, Rose’s voice got stuck in the throat. There was nothing more she could say, nothing more to say.

The child sniffled, ghostly tears spilling from her eyes and drifting down her cheeks. “But, b-but… t-that means that… Ama.”

Rose could feel her chest clenching, and a salty state filled her mouth, the one that always came with tears. The teen just shook her head slowly. “I’m so sorry Rue…”

“Ama… I’ll n-never get to say goodbye to Ama! I-I’ll never get to say…t-that I-I miss her and – that I’m sorry… I’m sorry, Ama… I’m sorry…. I-I’m sorry… Ama…” voice cracking her head fell into her hands.

Rose was frozen, unable to move from her seat as she watched the ghost child sniffle her way through tears. Rose had never been good with people crying. In any other situation she knew what to say, but the moment tears were spilled all bets were off. By that time it was too late, all she could do was watch in silence, wishing she could take their pain, knowing that she was powerless. After a few seconds of painfully hushed sobs, the teen sat up a bit and reached forward, as if she was going to rub the girl’s arm. A beat later and Rose realized she was reaching for empty air. Rue had vanished. It was probably for the best if Rose was being honest.

With a sigh she let her arm drop to her side as she slid back down to the ground. “I really suck at this don’t I…” she mumbled, glancing to the bird that had flown over and was now looking between her and Rue with glowing blue eyes. Rose sighed, flopping on her back. “How am I supposed to help anyone if I can’t help Rue… or Rycia… or Seraphina… or anyone?”

Muzu gave a soft chirp, flapping over to land on her stomach so that he was looking down at her. Rose huffed and rolled onto her side, curling into a small ball and forcing the bird to find a new place to perch. This mess is all my fault, I shouldn’t have said anything. The moment the silence came her thoughts began to race. First Rycia, now Rue… I can’t do anything. At this rate I’ll never help Seraphina’s friend

A light and stale wind glided over the clearing. She hadn’t even bothered to grab her jacket, not that she really actually cared. The teen couldn’t really feel the chill that hung in the air it had become so familiar. Muzu found a new place on her side and sat there, chirping continuously.

“I’m not hungry!” She snapped, and the crow fell silent. Rose forced her eyes closed and curled in on herself. “Just let me sleep, I’ll get food later…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Rose opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed, besides how cold she was, was the silence. There was no chirping from a certain, blue-eyed bird, or giggling from a certain ghost girl. There wasn’t even a breeze. The silence hung in the air and for a second Rose was unsure if the silence was real, or if she had somehow lost her ability to hear.

The teen sat up slowly and rubbed her eyes before looking over the dark grove. Blue wisps continued to dance to a fro, weaving between one another and around the single tree that stood off to the side. Had this been another time and another place, Rose might have called the scene before her beautiful. But she couldn’t see the beautify, not then at least. Nothing else moved, nothing else breathed, it was like the world had been frozen or time had stopped. The only thing Rose became aware of was her heartbeat, which pounded away between her ribs, as if she had just run some incredible distance.

Alone. I’m alone. She couldn’t even see Muzu, who surely who have hopped over to her by now, demanding Ancients’ knows what.

I’m alone. The thought was a punch in the gut, and the only thing that spun through her head.

All alone.

Rose wasn’t sure when she began to shake. She decided to blame it on the chilly air that swept around her, nipping at her neck, her face, her fingers, any bit of flesh that was available. Only, she didn’t really feel the cold air that hung around her.

Alone.

Her breathing became shallow and uneven. No matter how hard she tried, her lungs couldn’t seem to hold on to any air for more than a few seconds. The thick silence around her was deafening, only the irregular beats of her heart were louder, it swarmed her head and seemed to close in around her, wrapping it’s dark fingers around her neck.

I can’t breathe.

Through the emptiness she could feel him watching, the cold golden eyes digging into her back, stabbing her in the side, going through her, seeing her for what she was. And his gaze wasn’t alone, though in the swarming of her thoughts she couldn’t pinpoint where the second gaze came from. Only that it was colder, emptier, darker. The girl pulled her legs up to her chest and buried her face in her knees struggling to take even breaths.

I’m fine… I’m fine…I’m fine… The echoing of thoughts became her mantra. The only thing that echoed louder was that one word.

ALONE

Even with her eyes closed and her body as small as it could make it, Rose could still feel it. The emptiness was everywhere. It all crumbled around her leaving her floating in nothing, floating in darkness, floating in the black void of he dreams. She could feel his breath on her cheek, his eyes piercing her skin. A cry racked through her throat, she didn’t even hear it.

Rycia...

Whenever Rose got like this the Elkrin always stepped in, resting her head on the teen’s shoulder, wrapping her long tail around the girl’s body.

Rycia…

The thought of her absents only made Rose feel colder, only let the still air bite and nip at her more. Only made the emptiness seem larger, more looming, more permanent.

Then there was warmth. The girl became wary of the presence that enveloped her. It wasn’t warmth, as she knew it: the warmth of Rycia’s smooth tail draped over he shoulders or of Muzu’s small body as he sat on her shoulder. It was more warmth in terms of presence, having someone there, or something there as the girl would soon find out.

She remained curled in on herself, allowing the presence to remain. It didn’t move. Slowly, she became aware of the soft sounds that enveloped her: the sound of ragged breath, her own, the sound of a pounding heart, her own, the sound of a sniffling nose, her own, the sound of soft whimpers, definitely not her own.

Lifting her head a little, the girl glanced up to find herself looking into a pair of odd eyes, one a warm brown, the other black as the night. The eyes were perched over a muzzle, from which hung a thick jacket that was much to big. The eyes never left her, only blinked slowly as if waiting for the girl to move. Tentatively she held out a hand, and the creature besides her rose, took a step, and placed the jacket in her open palm.

She had to sit up a bit more to put the coat on, and that was when she got a full view of the apparently friendly beast, which, as it turned out, was a dire wolf. Or at least what was left of one. It had the basic shape of a dire, muzzle, eyes, four legs, a set of tails. But it didn’t look like any Rose had ever seen. The first thing that caught Rose’s attention was that half the canine’s face was gone, leaving only exposed bone and a black eye that seemed to look through her the more she stared at it. One of the dire’s front legs was missing, the skeleton of what was once there being all that left, and it’s twin tails were tattered at best. The creature looked more dead than alive, which to Rose’s horror was probably the truth.

The pup tilted its head, watching the girl as she slipped the jacket on. “Thank you?” she whispered, her voice hoarse. She was still shaking, even with the coat. So it clearly wasn’t the cold…. The girl let out a long sigh, flopped one her side, and pulled her legs to her chest. She didn’t want to think. She couldn’t allow herself to think. She could either go back to reading for he homework, allowing her self to be painfully aware of the fact that she was alone, or lie down and sleep. Her best option was sleep, even with the possibility of nightmares.

Normally Rose would have been weary around the dire, even if it did look like it was about to fall apart. Ever since bonding with Rycia any and all carnivores had always put her one edge. But the girl was just grateful to have someone, or something really, that was there to offer warmth, even if it wasn’t literal warmth. As she closed her eyes, the presence shifted behind her, pressing against her back, and something heavy rested on her side.

When Rue and Muzu returned, they found Rose curled up with a Dire pressed against her back, its head resting on her side.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When the teen woke up for a second time, everyone was where they should be. Muzu had perched himself on her shoulder, and was staring her down when she opened her eyes and glanced up slightly. Who knows how long the crow had been there. Rue was back in her little corner, hovering by the trees. The dire that Rose had befriended- the other night? Just a few hours ago? –sat besides her, tails flopping back and forth slowly.

When she stood up, only after brushing Muzu off, the rose to its feet as well. When she walked across the clearing both Muzu and the canine followed, stopping when Rose did, just in front of Rue. The ghost child looked up towards Rose, though not after first studying the dire wolf at the teen’s side, and smiled softly. “Hey… are you feeling any better?” Rose finally asked after a few moments of just staring at the spirit. She hopped she wasn’t putting the other on the spot, but she had to know, especially after doing such a bad job of even trying to comfort Rue. “I, eh… noticed you disappeared for a while there. I understand it must be hard to find out that it’s been so long since you’ve been stuck here.”

Rue took in a deep breath and shook her head slightly. “No, it’s alright… I think I think that perhaps maybe a part of me already knew. I just… was really scared of the truth. I’m sorry that I left you alone… I won’t do that again.” The small girl gave Rose a knowing look, and the teen couldn’t help but wonder if her eyes were still red or not.

Forcing a smile Rose waved her hand as if brushing away a bug. “No worries, Rue. I certainly understand, and hey, I had a little creature friend to keep me company, he made sure to watch me. I was just worried about you is all.”

The child looked back at the canine that sat at Rose’s feet. The Dire’s tails thumped against the dark ground as it looked up at her, tongue lolling out of its half-skeletal jaw. “I’m glad you made a new friend. Muzu and Sorren made sure to keep me company last night. They said that Alabaster City is a really pretty place and that there is a beautiful statute of Ama and her rune dragon there.” The younger girl paused, rubbing her hands together and dropping her gaze to the dead ground. “I was wondering, if you’re not too busy that is, maybe you could take me there soon? Even if Ama is not actually there, even though I know she’s gone, I’d still like to say goodbye to her… one last time.”

“I think that sounds like a great idea.” Rose said, crouching down so that she could easily look Rue in the eyes – she couldn’t help but notice how little she actually had to bend down to talk to the child face to face. “Once we get out of this creepy grove, maybe we can get Sorren and Muzu to tag along so they can show you the aviary there! You’ll love all of Muzu’s crow buddies, and I have a few other friends who live there too. I think you and Noel would get along really well – oh! Then we should totally visit Silverport and see Captain Willy at his and Sorren’s place!”

Rose wasn’t sure where this bubbling excitement came from. Maybe it was just the idea of leaving this dreary town, but suddenly the young girl felt lighter, as if all this would have a happy ending. “I can show you the festival of lights there, then we can eat sea salt taffy by the seashore, maybe we can even team up again Azara – it’ll be awesome!”

When Rose stopped and looked at Rose, what she was wide sparkling eyes, soft features, an expression of thanks and gratitude. “Rose… thank you.” The ghost whispered.

The teen chuckled. “It’s nothing.” I just want to get out of here and I think you do too. The words hung in the air, though they never left her lips. “I’m gonna go try my hand at catching a few wisps with Muzu and my new friend, care to join?”

The spirit let out a huff and gave a small nod. “Sure.”

[SkieNight]

Notes: I do plan on finishing this. In fact I have, and I've done some basic editing for the entire. I just want to throw everything out there asap, so I'll try and make that happen.

~Ancients, why did it have to be Ancients?~

Rose wasn’t sure when running around in a small clearing had begun to get so tiring, but after catching only a couple of wisps the teen found herself slumped against the far branched wall. As time had gone on, Rose wasn’t actually sure how much time seeing as her sleep schedule was anything but ordinary, she found herself staying farther and farther away from the tree. When she had first found herself trapped in the clearing she would plop down on one to the roots as if it was nothing. But the longer she stayed her, the less she wanted anything to do with it. Something about the tree made her heart twist and her eyes water, and also left her feeling more shaky and weary. That tree wasn’t normal…

Rose was snapped to attention by a familiar weight landing on her head and a new weight sprawling across her crossed legs. She didn’t have to look up to know that Muzu was once again rolling in her hair, but when she glanced down she found the half-dead dire peering up at her with mismatched eyes and a half-bony smile. With a light chuckle she patted the pup on the head slightly, scratching the dry fur between his half torn ears.

“He really likes you doesn’t he?” Rue mused, plopping down silently besides Rose.

The older girl shrugged, “I guess. Dunno why though, I’m not really a dire wolf kind of gal.”

“It’s because you’re kind and not hollow.” The child replied simply. Rue looked off somewhere, and when Rose followed her gaze it was towards the dry tree. “You feel things… and you’re going to help. T-that’s why we all like you.”

The silence was thick, as it was most of the time when the conversation lulled. It was time like this when Rue was expecting a question that Rose found herself inclined to ask. The teen’s eyes darted back to the tree, her mind swirling with all the information she had taken in since she had arrived. “Can I ask you about your friend?”
Rue gave a questioning “Animus?” in response but didn’t sound opposed to the idea.

Rose nodded a bit. “I’ve been curious about Animus ever since you mentioned him. If you don’t mind, do you think you could tell me a bit more about this mysterious friend of yours?” When Ruse gave her a small raise of an eyebrow Rose continued, “Maybe how you two met or what he was like before you guys got stuck here?”

The child looked thoughtful for a second then smiled. “Animus and I met here in the grove. It didn’t use to look like this… the tree was really pretty and big, and also full of flower that only bloomed when both moons were full. Ama and I used to clime it all the time! It was a lot of fun and I liked climbing to the top so I could see all across the Flickering Vales. I was very high up, but… I….”

Rose felt a twist in her gut. “Something wrong, Rue?” She hated having to pry but she needed the larger picture and this was the only way to get the pieces to make it. All she wanted was to get out of here, help Rue, and find Rycia, and in order to do any of that she needed to know just what was going on, which appeared to be a whole lot more complicated than she as ready for.

Rue waved off her concern with a small hand. “Oh, no it’s nothing.” Rose didn’t quiet believe that but wasn’t about to cut the other girl off or pry into anything unnecessary. “I met Animus here when I was really sad one night. I liked to visit the tree in this grove whenever I was upset. Something about it always made me really glad, and apparently, Animus liked to do the same! He said that he saw me come here often and wanted to know why, so we talked a lot and go to know one another. After that, we became best friends! I’d come and visit him here whenever I could. He had so many stories to tell and a lot of them had really happy endings.”

The girl paused for a second, tapping her chin with a hum. “I think he was really iffy on human at first, though – he said I helped change his mind about us. That always made me really happy to hear.”

Rose nodded in understanding. “It sounds like he really took the time to get to know you, Rue.” She was just taking a breath when it all clicked. “-wait he was iffy on humans? I thought Animus was a human?”

The apparition gave a light laugh and shook her head. “Nope! Animus keeps everyone’s memories safe. He was the guardian of memories – someone who helped us to remember what we lost or forgot… but now, since he’s broken… he can no longer look after our memories. He’s no longer a guardian…” Rue sniffled, her eyes darting to the tree that stood across from Rose, standing tall in the center of the clearing. “He doesn’t even remember me…”

Rose reached out to touch the girl, but stopped half way. Some unofficial rules had sprouted in the time she was here, and one of them was no touching. Rose let her hand drop to her side. “I’m sorry Rue.” She hated how that was all she could say, all she could do to even try and cheer the girl up.

The apparition looked up at her and smiled. “It’s fine. That’s why you’re here isn’t it? You’re going to help him.”
Ignoring the dryness and tightness of her throat the teen nodded, forcing a small smile. “Y-yeah… that’s why I’m here.”

Seeming to be happy with the answer, Rue laughed before turning and zipping towards a small group of the glowing orbs, Muzu following just behind. Neither one of them seemed to notice when Rose let out a long breath, pinching her nose between her hands. Sure she was here to help. But having a mission and actually doing something were two very different concepts, and Rose knew that all too well.

And on top of that, there now seemed to be one more Ancient to deal with. A green orb zipped past her, followed closely by a certain crow. “Rose! Come and help me catch one of the purple ones!” Rue called from the other side of the clearing.

“Sure thing!” Rose responded quickly, forcing herself up, though her legs didn’t seemed to be happy about this development. Her mind swirled with thoughts that she pushed away as she pulled her hair back and out of her face. She could worry about all those things later, she had more important things to do.

~~~~~~~~~~

The grove had gotten slightly darker. Presumably that meant that night was falling, though it always seemed to be night so Rose wasn’t too convinced. The teen had been feeling more and more sluggish as of late, especially since her conversation with Rue about the Ancient Animus.

Another Ancient… is it normal for a human to have to deal with this many in a single lifetime? The question always a puzzling one, most humans never met one Ancient in their life, nevertheless eight, nine… ten? What count was she at? Rose didn’t bother to try and remember. The point was, it was a large number. Bet Sorren’s met more, she thought with a yawn. I’ll have to ask him about that later. Leaning back against the wall she was about to close her eyes, another nap sounded good. There was nothing wrong with trying to catch up to the sleep you missed

She hadn’t even made herself comfortable against the branched barrier when her skin prickled and a cold that started in her chest spread to her fingers and toes. She could feel the icy gaze of something burry itself into her. The girl sat up, her eyes finding the tree that stood near the center of the grove. For a while now she had noticed a hollow along one side, a whole in the tree. Now, as she watched the tree with a heated gaze she could see something move, the flickering of a faint light.

She found herself standing before she even knew what she was doing. Taking one step than another she felt as though she were being dragged across the clearing, with no choice but to comply.

“Rose? You don’t look very good…” The teen was snapped in an instant. Rose blinked and licked her chapped lips. She forced her eyes away from the hollow in the tree to look at the child who was watching her with a wary expression.

“Ugh, sorry Rue,” Rose mumbled, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. “Woke up feeling less lively than usual. I’m feeling pretty sapped of energy today.”

The younger girl’s expression changed in an instant, from a question to wide-eyed concern. “Rose… we need to hurry. If you don’t, you won’t leave this place like the rest!”

Rose shook her head, holding her hands up as though they were some type of defense. “Don’t worry, Rue. I just need to get more sleep.” Sure Rose had been taking more napes than usual, but she decided that her lack of sleep was just catching up to her. How long did she go without sleep in the beginning of this mess? In truth, she didn’t really want to know.

“No!” Rue seemed to have a different idea of what was going on. “This happens to everyone when they are trapped here for too long. Both humans and creatures… they all start to get really tired after a while. All they want to do is rest, but the tree and the bad magic from the boogeymen are making you empty. This place… it slowly steal away what makes you whole… it wants to turn you hollow so they can continue to be full.”

The ghost moved forward so she was only a few inches from Rose’s face. The only time Rue had been so close was the first day when attempting to scare Rose away. “Don’t sleep anymore, okay? Whatever you do you can’t close your eyes no matter how much you want to! If you do you do… might not wake up… t-then – the tree… It’ll take you away and drag you into the ground with its roots so it can be full. I don’t want to see that happen anymore! I-I don’t want to see that happen to you!”

Rose looked over the ghost girl and towards the tree that loomed near the center of the clearing. Her stomach dropped. “What in the name of all things…” She looked back at the girl. “… Okay I think you just scared all the baubles out of me ‘cause now I’m really freaked out! No sleep for Rose – got it!” Rose hit her cheeks lightly when she said that, as if it would wake her up. “Don’t want to turn into evil tree food. I don’t think I can sleep after that terrible mental image anyway… ugh this place just getting creepier each day! I just want to go home!”

Rose slumped onto the ground, though she remained sitting upright. Rue crouched in front of her, backing up a bit to give the older girl space. “Home…? That’s Alabaster right? Or is it Silverport?”

Rose was just impressed how much the apparition remembered. “No,” she said with a sigh, shaking her head slightly. “I’m not from either of those cities, though both feel like other homes to me at this point.” Rose sighed. “I’m from a small town on the eastern seaboard of the Oriental Islands.”

Leaning forward slightly Rue nodded. “I think Grammie Seri mentioned that place at some point in time… I recognize the Oriental Islands at least. Tell me about it!”

Rose blinked for a second. How long had it been since she talked about home with someone? Sure she had mentioned it to most of her friends, and maybe told a few stories when something came up or when she was writing a letter, but no one had ever asked her about home, probably because they figured she was homesick or whatever. And that was probably for the best, because whenever Rose so much as thought about the Eastern Kingdom, her home, her gut rumbled and guilt washed over her. Home… whenever she heard the word she no longer thought of the happy times she spent there laughing with her family. The only thing that ever came to mind was the last time she looked at that house as she rode away under the cover of Eldemore’s dual moons.

“Well…” Rose didn’t know what to say, and she wasn’t about to launch into the story of how or why she left. “What do you want to know?”

Rue paused, tapping her cheek a few times before speaking, “you mentioned, uh… Rycia a few times? Sounds like you’ve been through a lot together. Have you always known each other, or,um, did you meet like Animus and I?”

Rose paused and a small smile flickered over her face. It was funny how she rarely ever thought of what was probably the best day of her life. Thinking of Rycia now made her shake, but there was something almost warm and palpable as the thought of her and her bondsister’s meeting. “Yeah… I met Rycia back in the Oriental Islands. It’s quite the story actually.” Rue’s eyes lit up and the girl only leaned closer to Rose as if trying to take in every word. “Let’s see… I guess I should start with when I was seven… My older sister, Siara, always took me out of town and over the hills…”

And that was how the rest of the afternoon was spent, both parties sharing stories of what they could remember of their pasts, times that seemed so far away for both of the girls. And for the first time in just over a year, Rose found herself smiling as she described the Oriental Islands and her family that was still there.

[SkieNight]

Notes: Two more posts after this then I'm done. I promise. I'm sorry, this went on much longer than I expected....

~Beginning of the End~

Rose found herself playing with a wisp – it had become something of a pastime at this point – and thinking, something she always did but just seemed to be doing more of now, especially when, at times like this, when it was all she had energy for. Seeing as the girl was unsure of the time that was passing, she was unsure of how long she had been awake. Both Muzu and Rue had both caught the teen about to doze off a handful of times now. And every time, the solution to her sleepiness had been to force the teen up and send her after another glowing ball of light.

The teen managed to catch one this round and only one. She couldn’t get her feet to move any faster to try and snatch a second one. As she sat with her back to the wall, Rose hadn’t liked sitting by the tree before and she certainly didn’t like it now, she let her palms and fingers run over the cool, purple orb that danced in her hand.

Rue appeared besides Rose, no doubt to collect the glowing orb. Rose passed the spirit over as the words danced across her tongue, “so do you know how these wisps will help in all this? There are so many in this grove…” Rose couldn’t help but think of the amount of wisps she had seen when first arriving in the Flickering Vales. She couldn’t remember seeing this many, if any, two years earlier when she came here for the first time. But then again, she had been a little preoccupied with a certain stump.

Rose forced herself to think again, but with it appeared that all the thoughts were jumbled in her half-asleep mind. “I just wonder… since wisps are usually known to be mischievous little things that like to lead people to their doom and all.”

Rue paused for a moment, her eyes drifting off someplace else in thought. “Well Animus once told me that wisps just like to play. I don’t think they mean to lead people to bad places. In fact, they usually lead those who get lost in the Flickering Vales back out to main paths or to one of the villages near by. All they really want to do is collect lost memories from people who forget or have been forgotten themselves.”

Rose hummed in thought. That lightened her chest some; it was nice to think that Rycia could at least be getting some help from the little buggers. She just hoped they could help her mind her lost bondmate once this was all said and done.

Rue continued, as if unaware of the fact that she only had only half of the older girl’s attention. “He said they always helped him to gather lost or broken memories before bringing them back for him to fix. They are kind of like his little helpers! I thought, um, maybe they could help us now is all… especially since Animus can no longer remember anything himself.”

“Little memory helpers.” The thought was an amusing one, especially as she wanted a green orb wiz by with Muzu right behind it. “I don’t know why but that does sound pretty adorable! Despite the fact that they’ve been taunting me and playing ‘tag’ this whole time, I think these little guys are growing on me.” Holding out a still hand, a passing blue wisp darted around her fingers before zipping off across the clearing. “Do you have any idea why some of them are different colors than others?”

Ruse smiled at the question and stood up a bit straighter. “Animus told me that their colors are based on the memory they carry within them. Some carry sad memories, while other carry really angry or happy ones. When you do catch a wisp, you have to be carful to not let its flame go out, though. If a wisp died, the memory they also hold disappear… that always makes me really sad to hear. It’s awful to lose a memory… even if it may be an unhappy one. So promise to be gentle with them, okay?”

“I’ve been good this far haven’t I?” Rose chuckled, but nodded seriously. “But don’t worry, I promise to be extra careful with Animus’ little helpers. Although, they make it pretty difficult to catch in the first place, hu?” While Rose was speaking, Muzu had made his way from chasing one of the orbs on the other side of the clearing, to sitting on the teen’s shoulder. He chirped lightly as if to agree. With a sigh Rose looked back to Rue. “Hopefully they’ll be willing to help us and Animus in the end.”

The ghost girl just nodded slowly in response.

Rose could feel her eyes flutter shut for a second and a long yawn escaped her lips. “Okay, no more sitting around or I might accidentally fall asleep.” She forced herself back onto her feet, which shook slightly under her. Hopefully she wouldn’t have to force herself awake for that much longer. Rue rose up besides the teen, watching her with soft doe-like eyes as always.

“Now let’s go catch another one of those little buggers,” the ghost girl gave Rose a skeptical look and the teen chuckled. “Or at least attempt to, I can’t afford to sit still unless I want to become tree food.” As she spoke her eyes scanned the clearing, looking for the nearest wisp. For the most part they were pretty spread out, darting to and fro as they pleased.

Rose walked along the edge of the parameter, as if walking around the tree. Something caught the corner of her eye and she glanced over and across the clearing. The branches in the wall that surrounded the clearing twisted together as if they were snakes. Slowly, it looked as though the wall was moving in, crawling forward. Pausing slightly she found her scratching her chin, rubbing her eyes, then pinching her cheeks.

“What is it, Rose?” Rue asked softly, floating besides the older girl.
“Nothing just…” Rose rubbed her eyes again, before squinting towards the other end of the clearing. “Is it just my severally sleep deprived self, or is the grove a lot smaller than is was before?” Like always, Rose wasn’t sure how much time ago. No wonder Rue thought it had only been a few weeks.

The apparition’s eyes widened as she looked around quickly mumbling under her breath, “no, no, no, no…”

“Rue…?” Rose found herself chewing on her cracked bottom lip.

The ghost turned around her eyes wide and small, translucent body shaking. “He’s starting to wake up Rose. Animus and the boogeymen know you’re here now. It’s happening just like it did before. So many people… so many creatures… they all got trapped her the same way over and over.” The child gripped at the ghostly cloak that surrounded her. “They were all scared. I- I couldn’t do anything to help them. I tried! But none of them could hear me…”

“What? But you talk to me just fine.” Rose leaned against the wall of leaves and twigs behind her hoping that the movement woud allow for clearer thinking. “Do you mean that the people who were trapped here before, never saw you?”

Rue nodded. “You’re the first one that I can remember who has been able to speak to me and see me. Sometimes, if I have enough energy, I can try to scare people away, just like I tried to do to you when you came… but then, most times I can’t do anything but watch.”

The teen’s stomach dropped. Watching Ancient’s knows how many people get sucked to nothing and pulled to the ground sounded terrifying; she couldn’t understand how a child put up with that over and over again. The things this child has seen… Rose wanted nothing more than to pull the girl into a hug. But of course, that wasn’t exactly a possibility.

When Rose really focused back onto the ghost child, she noticed a new brightness to her gaze. “What?” The teen looked around. “Is it a wisp?” Her hand went to her face. “Is something on me?”

Rue shook her head. “You can talk to me with no problems, that means you can talk to spirits like me! I thought that only me and Ama could do that, but I guess it has been a really long time since then. Maybe there are more humans who can do it now too?”

Shrugging, Rose let out a small breath. After all, she had never really thought about it that way, she just figured the communication was all the ghost’s doing. “I really don’t know.” She finally mumbled. “You’re the first ghost I’ve ever seen or spoken to really, and I can’t recall reading about it anywhere. Not even my mentors have ever brought it up so it may still be an uncommon thing among humans.” Of course she could talk to ghosts, and of course that wasn’t totally normal. At this point, seemed like everything in Rose’s life was at least a little abnormal, she wished she could say she was surprised but she wasn’t. The teen let out another breath. “I’d love to look into it… if I get out of here that is. Any idea of how much time I have left? What happens when the grove gets too small?”

“The grove shrinks until you are forced to be close to the tree. That way it’s easier, you’re closer to the roots when the boogeymen force Animus to finally wake up.” Rue looked down at the ground, her voice soft but firm. “You don’t have much time left now…”

“Right.” Running her hands through her hair the teen chewed at her cracked bottom lip. Of course, when did she ever have time? Maybe it’s for the better Rycia isn’t here… Rose had a feeling she wouldn’t have had the answer, even with her bondmate by her side. She didn’t have much time to think and with her mind clouded with sleep, everything seemed to be functioning slower. “Get near the tree and you get dragged into the ground to your doom. Yeah... I’d really like to avoid that if I can? Especially since I have a few people expecting me back eventually.”

She ran her hands over her face, leaned her head back against the wood behind her, and let out a long groan. The more she thought about it, the more her chest tightened and the less air she found herself capable of breathing. And in her current state of mind she needed as much oxygen as possible to keep herself thinking. “I’ll think of something.” She forced herself to say. Thinking of something wasn’t an option any more. Rose kicked herself for not trying it sooner, maybe she wouldn’t be here if she had. “Just… give me time. I’m running on fumes at this point and my mind isn’t working all to well.”

Rue frowned and nodded slowly. “Is there anything you want me to do?”

Give me space. But Rose wasn’t about to snap at a little girl, especially the very spirit who had kept her company all this time. The teen blinked at the apparition as she rubbed her nose. “I-Just…” Muzu fluttered at her cheek, cutting her train of thought as he pulled at strands of her hair. She waved her hand, brushing him off her shoulder. He meant well, but she couldn’t have any distractions. “Just take Muzu and do some more wisp hunting. Who knows how many we’ll need.” Or even what good they’ll do at this point…

“Okay.” Rue nodded and took a step back. “And i-if you want someone to talk to... I’m here.”

Rose gave a small, forced smile. The only one she really had at the moment. “I know.” She watched the ghost walk away with the blue-eyed crow hoping off Rose’s shoulder to join the ghost. The girl leaned back against the wall of twigs and sunk to the ground head in hands. She wasn’t sure how much longer of this she could take but she’d try, for Rue’s sake and Rycia’s. She owed her bondsister that much at least.