Lost and Found (Levy x Rendons2)

[Levy]

It was, by all accounts, an extremely troubling night. Everything seemed to still. The low hum of the wind rustled the leaves of the oak trees, the woodland creatures crept faintly about their respective dwellings, and Persephone stared out into the village, feet planted firmly at the border of her doorstep. She breathed in the cool air and closed her eyes, a mostly futile attempt to calm her nerves. It was the night before the wedding—her wedding. The whole village was already fast asleep to prepare for the day of festivities ahead, and all of the animals had been taken inside so as to not damage any of the ceremonial adornments. No one was there to stop her. If there were ever a time to run, it would be now.

The dismal little village was nestled between a dense woody forest and a stony creek, miles away from any other main towns. The houses each furnished oil lamps atop their entrances, alongside sprigs of thyme and garlic that hung from their door handles with colorful string, a relic of ancient spirit-warding custom. A stone path connected the each of the dwellings with the communal grounds and wheat fields, all of which stopped just short of the thicket. There, a gnarled wooden fence separated the people from the sprawling forest and all of the creatures that resided within it.

The young woman shut the door behind her and padded softly away from where she stood towards the edge of the village, armed with only a backpack, a lantern, and her wit. She climbed swiftly over the fence, careful to avoid patches of splintered wood; the movement was almost second nature to her. With only a brief pause as her feet found the ground beneath her, she took off into the woods, her heart racing, ears ringing, and a deafening voice in the back of her mind telling her that it wasn't too late to head back inside.

Since she had decided to escape in the dead of the night, Persephone only had the light from her lantern to illuminate her path. She had studied the night sky prior to leaving, which accompanied with her compass and vague knowledge of celestial navigation, gave her a rough idea of where to start. Once she entered the forest, the trees obscured the sky far too much for her to reliably make out any stars, so she wouldn't be able to rely on that method of navigation again until she reached a clearing. She did, however, have a map that laid out various towns and cities surrounding her village, which she had ripped from the pages of an old atlas and studied furiously.

However, no amount of studying nor planning could have possibly prepared her for the actual passage through the dense woods. Save from the soft glow of her lantern, the entire forest was near pitch black, the only other thing illuminating it being shards of moonlight that passed through crevices of the leaves. She had to rely on her ears just as much as she did her eyes. Every crackle of a branch, rustle of the leaves, every howl, whine and murmur could've easily been the sound of a sluagh or faerie or any manner of nighttime hunting creature, and she froze each time she heard something out of the ordinary. The night was cold, her legs were becoming weary, and her mind was swarming with what could be lurking behind the next branch.

A few more hours into the journey, and she could hardly distinguish left from right. Her map proved to be of no help—the only thing it could tell her was the cardinal direction and distance from one village to the next, but she had no reliable way of telling where she was in relation to the map. There were no landmarks in the middle of the forest, nothing to tell her where to go, or where it was safe to be. There were only trees, the moss, the occasional nocturnal animal, and even more trees. She hadn't come across a single river, lake, or clearing since she had began walking, and she was beginning to think she never would,

Persephone stopped, and took a deep breath. She was starting to feel lightheaded. Perhaps it would be good to rest for a moment, have something small to eat and drink, and then continue. But the moment she found a tree to sit beneath, her knees buckled, and she fell backwards, hitting her head on the bark of the trunk. Her unconscious body collapsed at the foot of the tree, her bag still nestled in one of her arms with the lantern knocked a little ways away from her.

 

[Rendons2]

A soft moonlight surrounded a figure, sat cross-legged in the middle of a grassy clearing. Light blue irises would stare at the starry sky above, a soft smile on the features of the male, who was shifting, to lean back. He'd quickly find his sides tickled by the blades of green, as he'd lay, a soft smile on his face, as the sight of night would be taken in.

It had become a somewhat usual ritual. He had wandered the human lands for some time, now. There was no particular goal in his pathing around the woods, yet he always seemed to find himself in a spot that could see the sky by midnight..

An obsession, to put it in one way. It had become soothing, a way to lull himself off to sleep..

As he'd let his eyes close, a sigh would escape from his thin chest, just before-

The far-off sound of feet would make the fae bolt to a sitting position once again, as his ears would go alert. Sharp, thin ears would find themselves twitching, as the noises would continue. Someone found themselves still in the woods, even at this hour?

Perhaps this was some stroke of luck, indescribable in the words of man. Someone to toy with..

The fae, with a certain spring in his movements, would quickly bolt to his feet, just before beginning to practically trot, as he'd make his way in the direction of the noise, back toward the wood-line. Those same irises searching for any sign of movement, any light, as he'd wander closer and closer..

It wasn't until his eyes had landed on a figure, slowly making their way deeper and deeper into the forest, that a grin would stretch across the creature's pale features. The warm light of a lantern would flicker and dance, just as the male would find himself slowly creeping closer, before -

What had happened next would've been completely unexpected. The form, lit by lantern, would suddenly find itself falling backward, like a plank of wood.

Cricket, as the fae was referred to, could hardly contain a cackle, despite his slight concern for the figure before him. He had intended on scaring them, perhaps toying with them to allow themselves to be lost even further in the mess of the woods, and yet.. He hadn't intended for anyone to actually be hurt. Just a bit of fun..

To add onto that, the fact that he hadn't even been able to entertain himself had caused the entire situation to be wasted.

"Hmph." he'd hum, before continuing his trot forward, no-longer feeling as-if he had to hide in the darkness.

As he would approach closer, his eyes would scan over the scene. A bag, tucked firmly under the thin arms of the girl, and the lantern tipped on its side in a pile of leaves..

The fae would stop at the lantern, his foot coming to it briefly, as he'd lightly touch it, tilting it onto its corner for just a moment, before he'd frown. The flame hadn't gone out.. If he wasn't there, it was fully possible that could've started a fire, he'd ponder, as his lanky, slightly dirty fingers would pick it up, only to snuff the flame out between his index and thumb a moment later.

And then, a certain sense of mischievousness would wash over the boy, as his eyes would land on the bag between the girl's appendage and torso.. With careful steps, he would come closer, placing the lantern a mere few feet away from the girl's face, as he'd softly take the opening of the bag.. Pulling it up slowly, he'd find it quickly snatched away from her 'protection', before he'd look down at her. He had no real care for what was inside, as he'd move to crouch just past her feet. He'd stare up at her for a moment, before grinning madly, and holding the bag close. He had decided that there would still be a game, if the girl hadn't killed herself on the fall. He would wait, until she would regain her consciousness. However long that would take..

 

[Levy]

Persephone woke with a jolt to the sound of twigs breaking under heavy feet, sunlight shining bright onto her eyelids. Just as quickly as she shot up, the injury at the back of her head began to throb and the memories of the previous night poured into her mind seemingly all at once. The girl winced sharply, bringing a weary hand to cup the back of her head as she lifted her eyes to survey her surroundings.

It looked like she had passed out quickly and suddenly at some point during the course of the night, and judging by the violent throbbing at the back of her skull, she must have hit the ground or a tree fairly hard on the way down. Her eyes drifted only a few feet from where she was planted, until they landed on a blurry figure towering tall above her. Persephone couldn't have scrambled away faster, and she rubbed her eyelids to make sure she was seeing correctly.

"Who are you? What happ—" She cut herself short as she scanned his figure: tall, willowy, head adorned with woody antlers, ears resembling that of a deer, and his expressed unreadable beyond vaguely roguish. A fae, and if she were lucky, one of the spring or summer variety. She had been told they were the most benevolent, albeit mischievous, but probably not enough to fear for her life. If he were anything else, her fate would be nothing more than a coin toss at that point, dependent entirely on how this fickle creature felt that morning and how well she would be able to navigate the interaction.

As the gears churned in her mind, Persephone's eyes landed on, perhaps most importantly, the bag gripped between his slender fingertips. The bag that previously rested upon her back only several hours ago.

"That's…" She began to speak, but found that she wasn't able to find the correct words. Her eyes flickered nervously from the bag up to his gaze, and then back again.

Her mind drummed endlessly, mouth frozen in a slight part as she attempted to make sense of her current situation. Who was this creature? Had he been the one to knock her out? Was he following her the duration of her journey, or did he happen upon her in the morning? Why was he holding her bag? Was it petty thievery? If so, why was he still standing there in front of her, looking directly at her? Did he mean to barter with her for it, instead? Was he dangerous? How much so? Could he have done anything to her while she slept?

Persephone's worst fears about the escape were practically being realized before her eyes—she hadn't been able to make it to the next town overnight, she didn't know where the hell she was or how much time had elapsed since she fled, and she couldn't run away from this creature in front of her without first knowing its temperament. For several moments, she simply stared at him, bewildered and unable to speak.

 

[Rendons2]

Cricket would find himself madly grinning, as the girl in front of him would quickly scramble backwards. He could see the obvious fear, confusion, and then anger take hold, as she'd realize her bag had been taken.

Holding it out toward her, and then dangling it ever higher, the fae would madly grin. "Your bag." he'd speak, before that same grin would overtake his features even further. He seemed happy with the fact that he had someone to toy with, even as the girl below him would seem to take a moment, in an attempt to understand what had happened.

"You know, you left your lantern burning even after you went to sleep." he'd start to scold her, before interrupting himself with a mischievous laugh. "I put it out, and of course, saved the forest and the fae. You can thank me later, of course. I guess I sort of saved you too, huh?" he'd eagerly continue, in a tone that screamed he was almost too proud of himself, despite the clear playfulness behind it.

Another moment or two would pass, before the creature before her would finally stand from his crouched position, to hang the bag that was within his hand higher than his own head, further out of her reach. His eyes would remain on her, before he'd take a few playful steps backwards, his weight carrying a certain playful momentum side to side, as-if he could juke her with ease. He wanted nothing more than to play with her at this moment.

"What brings you into my forest?" Cricket would suddenly question, with a forced deeper tone, and a serious face briefly stretching across his features, before that same mischievous grin would overtake him. "Don't you know we eat people who get lost in the woods?"