Looming trees filter the early morning rays of light, throwing dappled shadows across a small hut cocooned within the forest's embrace. The nearest village, miles away, whispers of this hut and its sole resident. The say the Ghost of the Forest lives there. A corrupt witch that can work miracles. They say she can bring people back from the brink of death- that she communes with dark forces. Mothers lay their children to bed at night, warning them never to enter that forest. A demon lives there, they say, and she'll gobble up your soul.
The village would be surprised if they could see their 'witch' now.
She kneels before a small garden littered with vibrant flowers and delicately scented herbs. Her hands- smooth and creamy white rather than the sallow, wrinkled talons that the villagers believe them to be- reach out to pluck several stems from a lavender bush, sending a sweet fragrance dancing through the cool breeze. Her locks, rather than being brittle and crawling with spiders, are a beautiful ebony, streaming in glossy waves down her back.
And her eyes. They are not crinkled with age, or unseeing white nor demonic red, depending on who you asked. No, they are the color of the sky before a tumultuous storm.
The young woman hums softly as she gathers the lavender together, binding the stalks at the base with a piece of cloth. She bounces to her feet and trots to the hut, situated a few feet from the small garden, to hang the bundle of herbs atop her door to dry.
Indeed, the villagers would be quite surprised.
As would the woman, if she were to know that not twenty feet above her, a demon crouches within the tall boughs of the towering trees, his molten amber eyes following her every movement with thinly veiled fascination.
Short and sweet! Expect that slow smolder. Yes, definitely AU. Don't worry, future chapters will be much longer! I already have the story line planned. Drop a review and you'll have my undying love- priceless.