Howling For Blood

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Danylah stopped swimming quickly, looking at Trevor with worry visible in her irises. Danylah obeyed Trevor's warning, and swam to the entrance of the water. She then squeezed out the excess water from her hair, and grabbed her clothes, placing them on with much difficulty since she was still wet. She looked over at Trevor, handing him his pants to help him. "What's wrong?" she asked him with her eyebrows narrowed. Danylah felt quiet vibrations come from the dirt beneath her feet. The hair on her body stood on end, feeling fear start to grow within her core. She looked far into the trees and bushes, seeing above the trees butterflies and other species flying off to another destination.


"Aw damn," she breathed as she looked over at Trevor. "They're coming," Danylah murmured lightly.
 
Slipping his pants up around his waist, Trevor grabbed Danylah by the hand and left the waterfall behind to enter back into the forest. "I'm surprised they even got this close." he said looking back over his shoulder. "Do you think they know we're here?" Trevor turned his head forward and pushed a large fern out of the way. "If they do... going back to Evergreen's house might not be a good idea. We might lead them straight there."

The wind pushed from behind them, rustling the fauna of the forest and bringing more news. "They're heading this way... we should change direction, find out for sure. What do you think?"
 
Danylah placed her trust in Trevor, letting him lead the way. It was dejá vú all over again for the two of them. As they paused, she knew it was too late. She clenched his hand, fear striking through her. "Halt!" A rough voice called out. Danylah moved toward a tree, hiding with Trevor. She then heard a heavy huff, something similar of a horse of some sort. "He's catching something," the voice called out. "This is ridiculous. Why does he have us out here? No one is out here besides nymphes, elves, and other puny creatures," another voice called out. "He thinks they're here," the voice responded.

Danylah looked at Trevor, wondering if they were talking about them two. "Wait," then Danylah was face to face with some odd horse creature. "Looks like Malus was right," the soldier one the horse smirked. The others behind him had blank expressions, surprised to see the King and Queen of Biota--now called Nex.

"Shit," Danylah breathed.
 
Damn it! How did they sneak up on us like that?

Hiding behind a tree, the sounds of men talking among themselves. They spoke of being sent this way, looking for 'them'? Trevor had a sinking feeling in his stomach at who they meant. This was all too familiar for him. Just when he felt free for the first time in his life, he only managed to go two days before someone else wanted him captured. The only difference was, Danylah was now on the run with him.

They were fast to have caught up to them so quickly. The mount of the man who appeared to be leading this group was in Danylah's face. Too close for Trevor's liking. Trevor snarled and clawed the beast across the face, drawing no blood as he was not the least bit transformed and had no claws presently. The creatures head jerked slightly before turning back to it's original position and began to growl. The man riding it glared at Trevor and Danylah, a sneer forming in displeasure at the action. "Men, take them in!" he ordered the others who accompanied him.

Trevor didn't wait for anything else. He took Danylah by the wrist and ran. "Halt!" the voice of the mounted soldier boomed at them. Yeah... like that has ever worked. "After them, men! Don't let them escape!"

The sounds of a half dozen men on foot and the beast charging came from behind. Haunting memories of situations exactly like this one threatened to overwhelm Trevor's psyche. He had never escaped the enemy with so many of them right on his heels before... but he couldn't let Danylah and himself be subjected to whatever it was they wanted them for. Air! Water... help! Something...​ if only he knew what he was capable of with his elements.
 
Danylah watched in fear as Trevor scratched the beast in the face. Now, she knew something bad was going to happen. Then, Trevor and her were running. They held hands as they ran, her heartbeat booming in her ear drums as she dodged upcoming bushes and branches. "Now would be a good time for some sort of nature-like chaos," Danylah commented out loud as she huffed for air. Danylah could feel her feet barely touching the ground, only trying her best to run away from the men and beasts behind them.

Danylah accidentally tripped, letting go of Trevor's hand so he could continue running. She tumbled down, landing on her knees. She looked up to see the men coming after her. She guarded her upper body and face, hiding behind her own arms. The soldiers gasped in shock and awe, then the air thickened all around them. "He only said..." the main soldier trailed off, completely awed by what Danylah was doing.

She didn't know what happened, but only looked up to see a shield of branches bunched together in front of her.
 
Trevor felt Danylah's hand slip from his as they ran and he was quickly overcome with terror. He whipped around to try and fend off any of the soldiers who got close enough to grab her, let Danylah get back to her feet and then continue running. As he approached, something happened that stopped Trevor cold a few steps behind Danylah. When she threw her arms up in panic, a wall of branches and vines grew in front of her, cutting off access from the men chasing them.

Realizing they were now wasting valuable time gawking at this display of magic, Trevor let his instinct force his body back into motion. He helped Danylah back to her feet without jerking on her arm. "Are you alright? We've got to keep moving." he instructed her, not really waiting for an answer to his first question. It had been a trip and she was not a fragile human, after all. He found himself wishing that the trees could have grown closer together, providing more of an obstacle for that beast they had. "How... how did you do that back there?" he questioned while they ran. Maybe if Danylah had the slightest bit of knowledge on how she worked with her elements, Trevor could get some kind of grasp on his own.
 
Danylah was in complete shock as to what she did, wondering how she was able to do that. "I'm fine, I'm fine," Danylah breathed hastily as she began to run once more. "I don't know how I did that. Thank God I did it, however. I just focused on saving us, and it happened," Danylah told him. After running for what felt like forever, the soldiers finally gave up. Knowing the couple would be far off in this unknown place, and the soldiers were afraid to test their strength. They went back to their headquarters, wondering how they should explain all of this to Malus. Danylah stopped running, pulling Trevor to her side as she strained her hearing. "I don't think they're following us anymore," Danylah assured Trevor as she was finally able to catch her breath. She looked at Trevor with a blank expression, not sure what to think or feel about what they just went through.

"We're safe, for now," she managed to mutter as she said this more for her own sake, rather than his. She looked around, looking at the vibrant colored leaves that hung low enough for her to touch their waxy skin. She then looked at Trevor with a bite of her lip, "What should we do?" she asked him softly. They were lost, fearful, and confused as to what they should do next. At least Danylah was. Evergreen was certainly going to kill them, once she found them.
 
Danylah had to pull on Trevor's hand in order to get him to stop. The two had been running for a while now. Nothing he wasn't used to, but she sensed they were no longer after them. "I wonder why they would just gave up after all of that effort in the first place?" he wondered aloud through shallow breaths. He was not used to his pursuers simply giving up like this. Maybe they were up to something... or he and Danylah had unknowingly entered a very dangerous area.

Trevor looked around, utterly lost. They had made so many turns in their attempt to outrun the soldiers that he had lost track of what way Evergreen's house would be in from here. "We... we just need to find our way back, somehow." he found himself hoping their power would again save from from this unfamiliar world. He didn't want to place a lot of hope in something neither of them fully understood but their options were pretty limited. "Come on... earth, or even air. We need a direction." he muttered mostly to himself.

Which way leads to safety?

With this thought running through his head, he began to hear more subtle whispers from the wind. "Danylah," he gripped her hand again, getting her attention. "I think I've got something." Trevor turned his head towards her with a smile. "It looks like that method of yours back there in the forest works."

The wind guided Trevor North-West. The two of them walked, recuperating and saving their energy for when they would really need it, in case anyone or anything like those soldiers appeared again.
 
Danylah watched as Trevor tried to figure something out. She was blessed he was calm, only because he was used to being on the run. However, she wasn't. She was placing all of her trust in him. It was taking much energy to keep her nerves calm and not freak out. For all she knew, the soldiers could have stopped following them to get more back-up. Trying her best to not think negative, she shook her thoughts away. She looked around, scanning their surroundings to see if she could get any ephiany of some sort, or recollection of a path they could walk on. No such luck. Trevor caught her hand, her eyes shooting to him. "It did?" She asked him with her voice filled with wonder and her eyebrows raised. He began to walk, and she simply followed in silence.

Danylah watched as exotic butterflies flew pass the two peacefully. They danced in the air, a dance only known by them. Why did Danylah noticed simple beauty at a time like this? She chewed on the inside of her lip, realizing she hadn't fed in at least two days. This was a problem, for she was weak and might feed on the next thing she saw. "Trevor, what am I supposed to eat?" She asked, hoping he'd quickly answer her to wash away her worries.
 
A chill ran up Trevor's spine at the mention of Danylah's need to eat. Not that he would ever want her to starve, but he had never fully thought this part out... and he felt like an idiot for it. What were they supposed to do about her way of feeding? "We'll figure something out when we make it back to Evergreen's." he tried to reassure her, not sure what other options they had besides letting Danylah use his blood.

Trevor continued to follow the gentle whispers of the wind. It spoke in a hushed voice not unlike you might expect a ghost. "Thisssss waaaaay" it would often tell him if any sort of obstacle took them off the right track. Trevor started looking around him, expecting to see familiar signs from the previous night. None ever came. The trees and plants however appeared to be growing healthier the more they followed the voice on the air.

"I think we're here now." he let Danylah know, spotting signs of life effecting it's environment like crumpled moss, scratched up tree bark and vines that seemed to be cut instead of torn.
 
Danylah nodded lightly, knowing damn well Trevor didn't have a clue what to do with that difficult addition to their lives. Danylah watched in interest as Trevor strained his ears, listening to the wind. She heard nothing, only the soft music of the white bells that spoke too low for her to pay attention to them. She'd have to ask Evergreen to help her learn how to speak to things as well, if they ever find her. Danylah noticed the difference in plants and trees, seeing as they were more vibrant than the others they had passed moments ago.

"Where is 'here' exactly?" she asked him as she let her fingers graze across the scratched tree bark, feeling its pain. Her eyebrows furrowed in concern, wishing she could do something, anything. A sort of maternal instinct came over Danylah when it came to the forest. A need to nurture it back to health, and be its guardian. Is that what she was? A guardian of the forest, or some sort?
 
Trevor looked around, still not quite sure of where they were. "I have no clue, Danylah." he answered her, "Where ever this is, it's where the wind guided me. I can't hear it's whispers anymore." He was getting agitated, wanting to be back at Evergreen's place but the air brought them somewhere else altogether. He audibly snarled, no longer having the will to conceal his growing lack of patience. Danylah needed food and they both needed to stop being lost. The only good thing about all of this was that Trevor had heard no sound of the soldiers coming back for them.

The signs only grew stronger that someone was living here, or at least had a camp here. There was no telling if whoever was in the area was even friendly though, so Trevor remained on alert. With Danylah still behind him, Trevor pressed further on in the direction the wind last told him to travel.

Trevor's ears picked up something else. It wasn't the wind, though he couldn't see where the noise came from. It sounded like... a child's laughter? "Did you hear that too?" he asked Danylah, looking back at her. "Someone is​ here after all."
 
Danylah sadly looked at Trevor, knowing he was getting impatient, and just wanted a way out of this mess. While Danylah was just hungry beyond repair. Danylah could tell that they were safe, but now they were lost...which was just as bad. Her ears pricked at the sound of children laughing, her eyebrows furrowing in wonder. "Yeah, I hear it too," she trailed off quietly as she walked with him quietly...walking closer to the source of the sound.


Danylah quickly pushed a bush out of the way to reveal a baby playing in a small puddle. It wasn't just any baby, but a magical one--it seemed. Her skin was of a bluish tint, gills at her ankles. Her irises were the color of a lilypad, while her smile was bright. Her hair was in a fishtail, down her back. For a baby, she had long hair which made Danylah smile. "What are you doing here," Danylah murmured to her, not sure whether to touch her or not. The baby giggled, getting on all fours to get closer to Danylah.
 
As the two drew closer to the sound Trevor couldn't help but wonder why there was a young child this deep into the forest. They approached a bush and Danylah pushed it's leaves out of the way to reveal the source of the noise. It was an infant, from the looks of it. She had blue skin and appeared to be an amphibious sort of child, which may explain why she was playing in a puddle. Trevor didn't seem as attracted to it's innocent charm like Danylah was, who seemed like she wanted to pick the kid up. He on the other hand wanted to know where her parents were. Not that he was heartless or hated children, he just found the situation suspicious.

The little girl made more giggling sounds when Danylah stepped in front of Trevor and talked to her. "Where do you suppose her parents are?" he asked Danylah, trying to keep one eye on her and one out for trouble. "She couldn't have gotten here by herself, right?"

"Yes, that is right," the voice of an older woman answered him. "and her parent is right here. I swear, I let her play out of my sight for one minute and what happens?" She said while she approached from the opposite side Trevor and Danylah had come from. She looked much like the little girl, though her skin was a darker blue. She picked her child up into her arms then took a few steps back. "Two strangers come out of the forest, and scare me half to death! That's what happens." The young girl was still smiling and Danylah, her eyes bright with wonder and her hands were outstretched as though she wished to go to Danylah and meet the kind, strange lady.
 
"Who knows? Her parents could be looking for her for all we know," Danylah murmured, not fazed by his tone. She let her hand reach out toward the baby, a small smile on her face as the baby reached for her finger. The baby curled her little fingers around Danylah's index finger. Danylah couldn't help but giggle, loving how adorable this water baby was. Danylah perked up, looking over to the see older woman. Her hair cascaded in a fish tail all the way down her back. Her eyes were big as well, and green as a lily-pad as well. Her outfit looked as if it was made of algae, and other water plants twisted and knotted into a bikini top and skirt. The baby was the spitting image of this woman.

"I'm Danylah and--" Danylah was interrupted by the shocked expression on the woman's face. Was it something she said? "Danylah? As in the queen of Biota?" the woman asked with her eyes wide with surprise and her smile large. "And you must be the king, correct? I cannot believe my eyes. Come, come! We have to tell the others!" she exclaimed, and began to hurriedly walk down the path. Danylah wanted to object, but she was extremely curious to know what was in store for them. She began to follow, keeping close behind.
 
Trevor followed a few steps behind Danylah, his head filled with questions but he decided to hold his tongue. He could stand to ask things after they got to where the woman was leading them. He didn't want to seem ungrateful for the help after all. He knew this was their chance to get some food and maybe even some new clothes. The woman had changed her tone quickly after Danylah gave her name, even knowing they were here to take back the throne.

"We owe you one, ma'am." Trevor threw in quietly while the three walked together.

"Oh, nonsense my king!" she answered straight away. "You may call me by my name, of course. It's Lilac."

"Well then, Lilac... thanks for the help. We've been lost out here in the woods all day."

Lilac turned to look at the two of them with a smile. "It's no trouble at all for the royal family! Now-" she turned a corner and with Danylah and Trevor behind her, showed them her little village in the trees. Many huts of nearly just as many colors decorated the clearing. "-why don't you two find someplace comfortable to rest your feet? Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Trevor shot a glance at Danylah, feeling uneasy.
 
Danylah smiled at her name, it was so cute. "Lilac, that's cute," Danylah commented aloud with a soft, meaningful smile on her lips. Lilac smiled in return, holding the baby close to her chest. "Thank you, it was my mother's name. And this little lily-pad here is Aquamarine," she told the two as the continued walking. Within a short amount of time, the four of them stood at the entrance of a little village. It looked so peaceful, and adorable to Danylah. As Lilac asked them if they needed any assistance, Danylah felt Trevor's eyes on her.

She looked at him, and noticed the uneasiness in his eyes. Her eyebrows furrowed in concern for him. "Lilac, do you think you can find a shirt or something for Trevor? If you don't mind," she asked her nicely. Lilac nodded, "No problem. Want to stay with Aqua? She's fussing all over just to play with you," Lilac chuckled lightly as she jumped her on her hip. Aqua began to giggle, wanting to play with Danylah. Danylah nodded animatedly, wanting to play with the adorable baby. Lilac handed her over, and she excused herself. Danylah sat on the floor, placing the baby on the floor as well. "Hiya there, Aquamarine," Danylah cooed, letting her hand reach for fish tail to stroke it. "Trevor, do you think something's wrong?" she asked him softly, not wanting him to feel uncomfortable.
 
Trevor quietly stood nearby while Danylah was allowed to play with Aqua, the look in his amber eyes softening again for the first time since they had started running that morning. He appreciated her concern over his clothes, but it wasn't their most pressing problem. Since his skin didn't seem to feel cold anymore it was more the point of being inappropriately dressed in front of strangers, ones that thought he was already some sort of king no less that bothered him. He knew that they had returned to become king and queen, but Trevor at least didn't quite feel like one yet.

Trevor also notice that Danylah too couldn't seem to ask Lilac about something that she could eat. When she asked him if he thought anything was wrong he walked closer to her and Aqua before sitting down, taking Lilac's advice to rest his feet. "Danylah..." he began, wiping his hands over his face and speaking in a hushed tone. He didn't want to ruin the simple joy of playing with the baby on her but he saw no alternative. He was also starting to feel exhausted, but pulled his hands away to keep talking. "what are we going to do about finding you something to eat? They'll have something for me, typical food, but I'm more worried about finding you something to keep you going." he confessed, turning his head to look at her. "I've gone more than a couple of days with no food more times than I can remember and right now, it's only been about one since I last ate anything. I'm fine. You, on the other hand need something soon, but we can't just ask them for... blood, can we?" Trevor practically choked on the word, still not used to thinking about it as one more thing they'd need to survive here.
 
Danylah looked over at Trevor as he sat down beside her. She continued playing with Aqua, but then stopped as she saw Trevor place his face into his hands. Her concern began to grow, waiting for him to speak. Aqua crawled into Danlyah's lap, playing with her hair. As Trevor explained his worries, Danylah couldn't help but smile faintly. He was worried about her, while she was more worried for his safety. "Don't worry about me. You need a shirt and food, you've already went through these conditions you don't need to relive any of it. I know I need...my food, but we'll find a way to do it. As of right now I'm not hungry or craving anything. So for now, let's not worry. We have a bunch of other things to worry about," she explained to him. "I don't like when you're stressed," she confessed to him lightly as she took his hand, giving it a soft squeeze to show affection.

As Danylah gave him a reassuring smile, Aqua reached her little hands out, curling her hands around Trevor's fingers. She looked at him with her big eyes, a small smile plain on her face. "Looks like she likes you," Danylah teased lightly.
 
Trevor fell silent while Danylah expressed her concern for him. He wanted to tell her how this was something he'd been used to while she wasn't. That she didn't have to give up so much compared to her old life. He couldn't find the words to explain and even if he could, he knew Danylah wouldn't have wanted him to go without while they only tended to her needs. Trevor's amber eyes dropped down to look at her hand take his and lightly squeezed him. His fingers curled back around hers when little Aqua reached out and grabbed two of his fingers in her hands. His eyes widened and he looked at her in surprise, while she looked up at him with a smile.

Trevor smiled back, "You want me to feel better too, huh?" his tone having lightened now that he spoke to the young child. Reaching out with his free hand he playfully ruffled Aqua's hair. Her big eyes clenched shut but her smile never faded while he did so. After he stopped she blinked a few times before resuming her wide eyed expression and giggling.

"My king!" a voice shouted out, full of surprise and excitement. "I knew you would return!" Trevor's head perked up and turned, seeing Lilac returning with a man of her species, his skin a deeper shade of blue and with less pronounced fins on his shoulders and legs. He was also carrying something, Trevor's clothes and was now running ahead of Lilac after Trevor made eye contact.

"Hi?" Trevor awkwardly greeted the man while he came to a stop, dropped to one knee and bowed his head. "You don't need to bow like that." he told him, humbled by the gesture.

"As you command, sire." He announced, rising back to his feet. "I am your Lieutenant, Tidus." After introducing himself he turned to see Danylah, his eyes grew large. "Ah! Lady Danylah! It is a pleasure to see you returned to us as well." he said with another bow of the head. "When my wife told me you were back I near broke my chair I jumped out of it so fast. I've brought you something clean to wear as requested, my king." Tidus informed them, holding out a sea blue tunic that was decorated to look like the surface of a body of water.
 
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