Chapter 2
The headbands
The cat and woman have started walking. They do not know where they are headed to, nor if it is the right way or what might wait for them far ahead.
The only way for them to really go to is forward, after all. But there are no paths around the place they wonder through, so they have to push between bushes and twist between thick number of trees and dodge their branches. The weather isn't luckily cold, but that doesn't mean less difficulties. The heat is nearly unbearable for the young woman and the constant walking is making her feel exhausted.
There is totally five scratches on her legs, despite wearing jeans. They are demolished by sharp branches and there is a tear on the right knee. Parsley can't believe that she chose her favorite jeans to wear, when she had gone to that Windy Mountain. Now, she certainly couldn't wear them without being reminded of this horrible experience.
Also, she is hungry. Very hungry to be exact. Sphynx has been able to catch some berries and all, but that is not enough to satisfy the hunger of a human. He did suggest eating a mouse he caught, but from obvious reason it didn't go into the woman's mouth. She had shivered, when he had swallowed the dead thing.
Parsley's stomach lets out a very low grumble and she places a hand on top of it in a soothing manner. She wants to eat meat, pasta, potatoes with sauce on top and maybe even some sausages. Berries are good, but enough is enough.
Of course, the cat is in a much better shape than his human companion. He jumps gracefully over a fallen trunk on their way and continues his way without waiting for the brown-haired woman. Though, he does stop, when he hears a loud yell.
"E-eep!" Parsley smashes against the ground. Her legs are pointed up towards the sky against the trunk and she hisses from the painful contact. No doubt this would be leaving a bruise. The hazel eyes shoot an irritated look at the golden ones. "W-what?"
"We should take a break," Sphynx says bluntly.
"Wha- No, no. I-I say we keep on walking for another hour." Parsley starts to stand up and dusts new layer of dirt off of her clothes, but then stops from sudden dizziness.
"And you haven't even fully recovered. I can hear your panting from way over here."
Parsley wants to say something else, but instead sinks into the ground and leans her head against a trunk. The dizziness is getting worse and she wants to drink something. Maybe she is feeling like this because of too much sun without a hat on? Yeah, she thinks that is the reason. Her legs throb and she whines from how much the muscles are hurting. Getting up this morning during the sunrise, courtesy of her cat, had been bad enough. The said alarm clock stretches his back and yawns, before walking next to the woman and sitting down on her lap. Parsley doesn't say anything to that and simply starts stroking his back, cleaning it from few leaves that got stuck to it during the walk.
Neither one of them know how long exactly they both have walked, but the sun is already up in the sky and birds are happily chirping with their daily flying activities. Though, no matter how much they walked, Sphynx didn't still smell anyone else, but them and the other animals near the area. It is worrying Parsley, because she isn't so sure, if surviving like this could hold her alive for a long time.
No, don't think about dying. Parsley closes her eyes and tries to relax. She needs to have enough energy to walk later. Her fingers threat along the silky fur of the cat, feeling his warmth and the soft vibrations of his purrs. Keep your head cool. Sphynx is still here with me. Honestly, if he wasn't, Parsley would have lost her composure the moment she had woken up. Sphynx is in many ways an animal, so the whole situation doesn't bother him as much as it does her.
He doesn't need a soft bed or a roof over his head, like her.
Suddenly, her fingers still and Sphynx glances up. The hazel eyes stare ahead, focused and with a frown marring the face features. Parsley opens her mouth. "This is..."
"Hm? What is wrong?" The cat asks without grasping the gravity of her train of thoughts.
She raises her hand and points to something that is ahead of them. "Look at that boulder over there. Isn't- isn't it the same one that we saw near the river?"
This catches Sphynx's attention and he lifts his head up, ears sharp and eyes even sharper. Even if his vision is better than that of an average human's, he has no doubt that what his friend is seeing is not an illusion created by her mind. The rock standing between the tree lines is quite big, maybe a head taller than Parsley, and with green moss covering its top like a wig.
Now, neither of them want to rest. Parsley stands up with Sphynx in her arms and starts walking briskly towards the rock. Her heartbeat can be heard from the way the cat's ears are pressed against her chest and he can understand how she feels. Anxiety and disbelief cover both of them like a blanket of moss on a rock and when they finally reach to it the sound of rushing water can be heard from behind it.
Please let this not be real. This has to be coincidence. Those are the thoughts Parsley is thinking and begging in her mind, as she rounds the boulder with clear distress on her face. The color fades from her skin, when she sees the familiar river. The shade on Sphynx's fur seems to lighten, too, if that is even possible for a cat. The hazel and gold orbs share a look of shock and then return to the rushing water that they had left this morning.
Parsley's legs start shaking violently. It isn't only tiredness and magic energy exhaustion that takes all the fuel, but the fact that they have moved in circles crushes her deeply and painfully.
She is positive that they have done anything, but that. She has seen how and where they were headed and always tried to stay in straight line with Sphynx. But if this was the result, she isn't so sure any longer about their plan to get back into civilization.
Parsley falls down to her knees painfully and the cat in her arms nearly falls down, if it wasn't for his claws that cling to her shirt. Fresh tears gather in her eyes and slide down her cheek, some drops falling on Sphynx.
The feline tries to stay calm. "Now, now. Calm down, Parsley. Remember what I said about panicking."
His words have nearly zero effect on the sobbing female. "B-b-but...We ha-haven't moved at all Sphynx. My legs hurt, I-I'm hungry and- and sweaty. I wanna go home!" Sphynx lets out a low sigh and lets her hug him tighter. He feels how she buries her wet face to his back and licks her tear stained cheek with an effort to comfort her. The water on the skin tastes sweet, yet salty. Parsley lets out a hiccup and loosens her hold from the warm sensation on her face. That always has had a quick calming effect on her.
"Have you calmed down?"
"...Yes."
"Do you need another moment?"
"No," she says and shakes her head. "W-we...need to find out why we ended up back here."
Parsley starts to stand up and places her familiar down. Her eyes that are still fresh from tears look around the bank, like the answer could lay anywhere near them. However, as expected, she finds nothing worth mentioning. Her eyes look down and see Sphynx sniffing the air once again. His tail keeps swinging from side to side and the woman is momentarily fixated on that movement. It is like watching a clock tick by, which means that every minute is wasted as long as they stay in this strange forest.
It is like the trees behind them start to groan against the gentle wind that blows by.
The magician may have only started imagining things because of anxiety, but she has definitely started to feel creeped out. The dark corners in the forest seem to grow larger and form faces of some sort of creatures. They reach out to Parsley from behind and she stays too frozen on the spot to move. The warm sun is shining, but why is it that she is feeling like the darkness could swallow her up from one wrong movement?
Sweat is sliding down her back and Parsley struggles to not let out a noise in the back of her throat. She wants desperately to hug Sphynx again, though. Was the forest so ominous before?
When Sphynx starts to move, she snaps out of her frozen state and starts looking around with him. She walks towards the river and looks down at the water, feeling how the dryness in her throat is aching for moisture. Kneeling down the brown-haired woman reaches out and cup her hands into a bowl. A little water wouldn't hurt anyone in a situation where they had walked for hours at least.
"Parsley! Don't drink the water!" Sphynx is suddenly hissing and runs to her with quick speed. The woman nearly falls over to the river, but luckily, she only falls to her side and lets the water slip past her fingers. The way the cat had yelled startled her. "There is something wrong with the forest!"
"I could have told you that," she says humorously, but flinches when a growl erupts from him.
"This is serious! There is magic in it!" This time, Sphynx directs his glare and growl towards the tall trees. "I caught a faint scent of it but am certain that there is no mistaking about that."
Parsley once again stiffens and looks at the dark shadows in the trees. The branches move once again from the wind and leaves ruffle against each other, not showing any sign of hostility or danger. Even the air is calm as it ruffles the cat's fur and human woman's hair.
Finding any magic in wilderness is rare. Long ago, there were many creatures, both good and evil, roaming across the lands of the world freely. Either doing good or bad deeds. However, maybe the word bad is too light to describe what the magical creatures did during the old days. Those that were full of malice and trickery were scorned, feared and despised, which obviously caused hatred between all the magical creatures and humans. Those that meant or did not mean harm were chased out of their homes by the people that couldn't understand them. Killed, tortured, captured and used were only few things that those one with the world experienced. Even those that sided with them were feared and shun down from other people and those were witches, wizards, anyone who dealt with magic. Witch-hunts were the last straw that sent them all into hiding.
Old folk disappeared from the world, at least from the sight of those that would mean them harm. Some went even as far as offering their last bit of life source to the land they once nurtured. But of course, the land also used that power until it ended completely. New places were created in secret from humans. Only those that knew about the existence of the magic could live there. They passed down that knowledge down to their descendants and this is how the magicians were born. From their roots that reached all the way back hundreds of years.
Anyway, because of all the hate and fear that still lingered, even in the 21st century, it is very, very rare to even feel magic that isn't formed or made by a magician. Familiars don't count, though.
There really is...magic in it? Then, what is trying to keep us here? An image of those horrible folklores from childhood make Parsley's whole body grow tense. Those picture books that she had been shown come back to her memories bringing fear and nostalgic emotions.
"A human, a human, a human is in the forest~" The voice is melodic, filled with mirth and childishness. The sound almost makes the magician and familiar let their guard down, almost. The two take a step back, when a soft glowing light appears from behind a tree.
A girl no older than ten stands there, with a small smile gracing her lips. Green eyes, color of the leaves and the dress she wears, blink through dark eyelashes that fluttered once in curiosity. Long brown hair is decorated by flowers and a crown made out of dark branches sits on the girl's small head like a real tiara. Pale skin glows in the shadows of the tree, never touching the sunlight, as she extents her hand. Emerald eyes narrow and the smile widens into something innocent.
Parsley watches in disbelief at her. When did she…? She can feel the magic flowing all around that one small child who looks like a fair porcelain doll. Her hazel eyes slide from the green ones to the tips of sharp ears that poke themselves out from the long hair that nearly brushes against the ground.
Sphynx growls, looking feral, but the woman next to him barely notices it.
"O child of a man, will you play with me?" There it is again. That hauntingly beautiful voice – too clear and bell-like, but suits a child, nonetheless. More forms move out from behind the trees. "Entertain us~"
The magician's eyes widen in shock. She can see all of them clearly. At first, she thinks that they are just abnormally peculiar children, but her stomach twitches from seeing matching smiles on their faces.
"Parsley," Sphynx's voice whispers with great urgency, "jump into the river."
The woman inhales, noticing for the first time that she has stopped breathing for a moment. She looks down at her friend in disbelief, wondering if she hear him right. "W-what?"
"These wood creatures can't follow us to the water. Quickly now," the cat orders, letting some of the panic he feels rise to the surface. "Otherwise they will devour us."
Slowly, almost like in a movie scene, the amber brown hair whirls, as Parsley turns her head back to the front.
Blood freezes.
A heartbeat later she finds herself staring in horror as the child starts to advance towards her with great speed.
Green eyes narrow even more, the large grin on a pale face is not even human's anymore. It splits the face and shows rows of deadly white teeth that could easily sink themselves into flesh. That same pale hand reaches out again, but this time the fingernails are longer, sharper and covered in dirt. The long brown hair is ragged and flows wildly in the rushing air and lets the withered flowers fall. The crown grows thorns and the green dress turns into a tattered rag under light of the sun.
Parsley's stomach turns, and a shriek comes out of her mouth.
Something slams against her face and for a moment she fears it is the creature's hand, but instead feels the warm fur tickling her nose and gravity pushing her back towards the water. Her neck arcs and her back follows.
Another shriek pierces the air, but this is far fiercer and louder. Parsley's ears throb from the deadly sound, before her body hits the surface of the cold water. She sinks under the surface and holds her breath, letting the flow take her forward.
The coldness around her is different from the warmth on the ground. It is nearly pitch dark all around her and she can't hear anything else, but the ringing in her ears from earlier. Her first instinct is to inhale, and she lets out cough under the mass of water, feeling how the water irritates her lungs.
The child had appeared to be so beautiful and full of life, yet she had changed in a matter of seconds into a monster. If the cat familiar hadn't acted quickly, what would have happened? Was that creature really planning on devouring her?
Sphynx's claws cling to the white shirt and the cat is luckily saved from being washed away. The grace of pain makes the brown-haired woman hold him close and start to swim towards the surface with great urgency. She and him need air. Parsley's lungs burn as bubbles continue rushing out of her nose and mouth. Her hand reaches out desperately for the light coming from above this water surrounding her. Air!
Her head breaks the surface and she can hear Sphynx inhaling loudly with her. The water is coughed out, but the tenseness of the atmosphere does not lower. However, when they both can see again and look around, there is nobody around anymore. The two of them are alone once again, but Parsley couldn't feel more relieved about that fact.
"W-what was that?" She finally splutters out and wipes her face while keeping a hold on Sphynx.
The cat presses himself closer, as if those green eyes could pop out any moment from the forest. "A tree deity – a spirit of a tree. From the looks of it, she is a very young one."
"Spirit of a tree shouldn't be attacking people!" Parsley snaps but tightens her hold on him.
Sphynx doesn't say anything to that and simply turns his head towards where the river is going to. The golden eyes become brighter in color and his ears perk up. "Well, anyway. Let's forget about that and focus on the fact that I have found a new scent."
Parsley almost wishes to start complaining that this is not the time to get distracted. She ca feel how her face is pale like during the first moments of her waking up from the magic energy exhaustion. She forgets all about the aching muscles and keeps on thinking of that green-eyed monster that… she doesn't even know what it wanted to really do with the two of them. The young woman isn't even sure, if she wants to ever know. Also, there were those other things moving in the forest... her skin just crawls from remembering.
The woman takes in a deep breath, feeling how goosebumps start to appear on her legs from the freezing water. The phone is in her pocket, but that thing is definitely useless now anyway. My phone… how am I going to call for help, now?
She has always thought that everything that is magical is good and wonderful. But history shouldn't be forgotten after all. And she shouldn't forget how many times her own magic has caused trouble, but she had thought for a moment that the creature wouldn't hurt them, even before she knew what it was. She was so beautiful.
"Hey, are you listening to me?"
"Sorry. What kind of scent?" Parsley asks, her mind not fully leaving from their terrifying encounter with the child of the forest earlier.
Sphynx grumbles something under his breath. "I smell other humans. The river isn't affected by the enchantment of the forest, so I can finally smell something else outside of it."
From this information Parsley's mouth drops and her eyes widen. They glittered with hope and she starts to shake Sphynx in her hands. "Really?! Other humans?! Are you sure? This isn't some enchantment playing tricks on your nose again, right?"
"Of course, it isn't. Now stop shaking me!" He hisses, pissed enough already from being soaked to the bone. But he has to admit liking the smile that spreads across the one's face who is holding him. Hazel eyes are glazed over by tears, but the corners of the lips just keep on lifting themselves up.
"Then let's go!" She swims and places Sphynx on her shoulder. His claws grace against her skin lightly through the fabric. Her heartbeat isn't rising from fear anymore, but from excitement. "Where to?"
"Just continue swimming down the stream."
Parsley can't wait to get back home.
The minute Parsley drags herself out of the water, she slumps down to the grass covered ground. Every muscle in her body is screaming from cold and strain so much that she doesn't wish to rise up ever again. Her shoulder rise and fall heavily under the soaked shirt that now has new claw marks on the left shoulder, but that is not so important right now. The thing that is important and somewhat worrisome is how Parsley's lips are turning into a light blue color and the deadly paleness on her face. If she doesn't warm herself up, no doubt there will be a need to worry about hypothermia.
Cold... so cold. She manages to curl up on the ground, trying to absorb the sunlight's warmth. The clothes feel disgusting and weird from sticking so close to her skin and even her shoes feel more terrible than the time she sweated through them. Now, even the ground she lays on feels incredibly warm and welcoming.
"Parsley, hang in there," Sphynx begs and licks her icy cold cheek.
"Y-yeah," she says back, teeth clattering against one another. "I-I can g-get up."
"Don't push yourself. I will start the fire. You stay here and try to stay awake and warm."
"I-I am n-not g-going to-to pass o-out," Parsley says that with confidence. She rubs her arms, trying to get rid of the ice in them. "L-lets ju-just c-c-continue."
The golden eyes give her a deadpan look. "I wonder why I am having a sense of déjà-vu from this morning? You're pushing yourself too hard. We are already out of danger, so some rest won't kill you."
The cat isn't wrong, when he thinks that this scene is familiar. He watches as the brown-haired woman's head collides with the ground limply and her hazel eyes close themselves. The dark strands of her look stark against her skin that is usually so tanned.
The cat's ears flatten against his head. Just when he thought she was getting better this happens.
Parsley isn't looking forward for another swim. She holds her frozen fingers close to her mouth and breathes warm air onto them. How could water be so cold during a weather like this? The bright sun is practically glaring down at anything its rays of light could possibly reach.
After she is slightly warmer from basking in its light, Parsley sits up. "H-how long do we have to walk after this?"
"Not long, I think. The scent of people is stronger now, along with some food."
That is something that gets Parsley cheer up a little. Actual food and no berries, herbs or grass. Her stomach, which has stopped growling some time ago, makes a loud noise and she wraps her arms around herself tighter. The ground is harsh, and it is making her dream of her bed. That softness that she would sink into and wrap herself in warm and soft blankets brings an irresistible desire for to simply fall asleep on the ground that suddenly feels so extremely comforting.
However, as soon as the thought of the ground swallowing her up enters Parsley's mind she is reminded of those haunting green eyes from a while ago.
The look that tree spirit had given her...it had been so different from that child's smile that she saw. Or maybe there was that kind of emotion planted on it from the start, but the brown-haired woman had been blind to it. For a moment, it had felt like time stopped moving forward. Those green orbs that had been directed at her looked out of this world. The rich emerald color had shone in the shadows and held everything that that little girl was. Something that Parsley has never seen before and what is supposed to be hiding deep in its bark.
The tree deities have an appearance of humans. The only thing that could distinguish the races are the ears and of course their origin, according to books at least. It is said that they look like the trees that they live in, so that little girl's must have had rich brown bark and leaves as bright green as emerald stones. But, why did she look so horrible, when she took that other form? The voice she had was beautiful, the angelic hands looked so gentle, but those features disappeared in a matter of seconds. It was like the skin had been torn off and the raw flesh revealed.
That shriek had also been the exact opposite of an angelic appearance. It had been harsh, loud, high pitched and filled with anger. The spirit had clearly been enraged for not getting Parsley in time.
The brown-haired woman looks towards the cat that is pulling a piece of wood out of the forest with his mouth and claws. He has already gathered some wooden sticks into a pile and throws the last one on top of it. Then, he ruffles his fur splattering the remaining water off of himself. I truly would be dead without him.
But, why did a spirit want to devour me?
"Sphynx...do spirits hate humans that much? The professors have always said that they appear when they like us."
The cat pauses between a stretch he is making and looks towards his own human. Parsley can't read what is happening in his eyes.
Water soaked clothes clinging to her shivering form, wet hair framing the sides of her face that is beginning to have some color to it, but what catches most of the cat's attention are the eyes. They are red from both water and crying, but the color of hazel is covered by many layers, which begin with fear, anxiety, sadness, tiredness and finally curiosity. She looks so lost, while looking at him like that. It reminds him of the times, when the young woman had been much younger.
He turns his attention to the pile and feels how Parsley watches him do a fire spell. Flames flicker and soon small smoke starts to rise up to the day sky. "Come here. You're soaked through."
Not even wanting to be told twice, Parsley walks to the campfire and sits down near it. She takes off her shoes and immediately feels how her icy toes are being warmed up by the sun and grass. The brown tree branches turns black inside the flickering flames.
"Of course, some deities and fays hate, despise even, you humans," Sphynx starts quite bluntly, but Parsley listens without taking her eyes away from the warm yellow and orange glow. "Of course, I base this all on my own theories and what other much older familiars have told me. Your mother's race – the one who possess no magical abilities – chased them nearly to an extinct, tore their very lives apart and tormented them for many hundreds of years. Those that have lived long enough to witness all of that will possibly never forgive humans. And quite honestly, I wish they wouldn't."
"You hate humans, right?" Parsley smiles a little, not at least bit surprised by it. Though, she feels a little sting of sadness that she is used on carrying whenever the topic rose up. When he looks at her with a flicker in his gaze, she lets her smile widen. "Papa told me once. Though, he has never said why."
Golden irises look at her and she meets them steadily. Sphynx stays silent for a while, measuring her, but then comes closer and leans against her, despite how wet she still is. "I don't hate you and your family."
"Thank you," she says it so happily that a bright smile can be heard on her tone. Her cheek start hurting from the way they stretch themselves. "We love you, Sphynx."
He humps and turns his head away. He is clearly embarrassed. "Anyway, I am sure that the spirit that we saw finds humans displeasing. Though, from her reaction to your presence, we can say it is more than that. However, I have never seen a tree spirit before, so I am not sure what caused it to take...such an appearance."
"...she looked so aggrieved. Like she didn't only want to kill me, Sphynx," Parsley says with fear on her tone. "Do you think that there are more around here?"
"No. Now that I can smell more, I can be certain that we have left those creatures' land behind. You don't have to worry," the cat answers with a flick of his tail and licks the cold skin on her palm. "Shouldn't you take your clothes off?"
The answer to that question is clear. "No. If we are close to people, I don't want to take risks. Besides, with fire this near and the warm sun warming me the clothes will dry in no time."
"Suit yourself," Sphynx shrugs and then lays down more comfortably. "I can't exactly pinpoint our location, but from that magical presence back on the upper stream of the river I could say that we are somewhere near Murky Way or the Old Land of Fields. Luckily you didn't transport us to the human world, right? We would be hopeless navigating through it."
Parsley shivers. "Please don't even bring up the idea. Mama, papa and Orick would freak out."
Sphynx merely chuckles. "Their faces would surely be an interesting sight to see."
"Sadist! Their reactions will be more than horrible enough, when someone calls them and tell that we are on the other side of the magic world," the woman barks out a laugh. She feels better while talking like this with her feline friend or maybe she is so relieved to get herself back around humans that she can't stop herself from being a little giddy.
"No doubt they will order you to move back to their house," the cat laughs along with her.
For some time, there are no spirits, fairies or anything dark lurking around the corner. It is simply the woman and her cat together next to a fire that continues burning. The human laughs, and the cat chuckles to anything they find amusing in their conversations. This is how things continue lightheartedly for a while, without worries or fears to rip apart the warm moments.
However, neither of them notice new shadows forming in the shade of the trees.
She hadn't expected it at all.
At first, Parsley thinks she is merely imagining things and that what she feels and sees are not real. However, the minute something cold and hard is pressed harder against her neck, the woman feels the gravity of the situation sink in.
She is surrounded, like a mouse in a corner with a cat. However, what is more bizarre is that how the "cats" possess masks. To her, all of them are like blank pieces of paper. She sees them in a blank light. Why? Because of the masks they all worse. You wouldn't be able to tell what their faces look like, because of those. From a cat mask to one that resembles a dog. Those are the ones that she is able to spot from her angle, before the weapon had appeared.
There are more than she has counted around the place – Parsley is sure of this.
But what makes the cat and woman more alert is the fact that they all had appeared out of thin air. At first the two were walking and at the next second, they weren't alone anymore.
Parsley's body starts to shake, after the blankness from shock in the head starts to fade away. She becomes aware of everything that is happening and nearly jumps from the sound of Sphynx hissing and growling. One of the strange, terrifying people had picked him up by the scruff of the neck. A tip of a sharp sword is pointed near his head.
The woman's eyes widen in panic and she tries to move away from the one holding her with a deadly grip on her arm.
The grip tightens to the point that she cries out in pain. "Anata wa dare?"
"P-pardon?" Parsley manages to ask through the pain. Though, she cries out again, when the blade starts to make her neck sting. A wound has no doubt appeared and she starts to feel how her knees buckle against one another.
Sphynx trashes around even more wildly, after hearing his friend cry. He growls and hisses loudly. "You! Let go of her this instant! I will claw your hands off!"
The masked people flinch, all of them drawing their weapons and Parsley also flinches violently. They must be surprised that the cat can talk, which could mean...
They start to speak, but the language that is used is something Parsley has never heard before. The fact makes her stomach twist in unease. The one holding her in place yes something straight into her ear, but she simply shakes her head violently in confusion and pain.
"I-I don't understand! What are you even saying?!" She knows that if she can't understand them, they can't understand her or Sphynx. She cries again, when the blade presses itself closer. "St-stop!"
Sphynx looks livid, despite the sword that is still also near his furry face. "You dirty humans! I said let- Gah!"
Parsley shrieks loudly this time, as she watches the blade sink into her friend's shoulder without a warning. The cat's cry sounds horrible to her ears and her eyes widen, tears dripping down from them, from the blood stain that is left on the sword. Drops of red fall down from Sphynx whose small face is twitching in pain.
"Sphynx!"
"Anata wa dare?!" The question that she had heard once before repeats itself loudly next to her ear.
This time the hazel eyes see the blade directly in front of her face. As it nears, she becomes more focused on the sharp shape, the one that could actually pierce through her flesh, just like with Sphynx. His blood is making a small puddle on the ground, but the cat keeps on growling and hissing weakly. And the masked people keep on growling, yelling or speaking back with terrifyingly calm voices under their breaths. Either way, all those words, or maybe sentences, are directed at either Parsley or her familiar. But because the brown-haired woman doesn't understand them, she becomes even more horrified.
There is only one language that is used in the magic world and that is English. However, this clearly isn't that language and the swords, mask, sudden appearance and strange clothing prove it.
So, all of this means one thing: Parsley and Sphynx were in the human world. Exactly where around there? The woman has no idea. Though, clearly not anywhere civilized.
Cruel facts that this might be the end in the hands of barbarians makes the brown-haired young woman tremble more violently. She is already crying openly, and Sphynx isn't there to lick the salty tears away like during the moment near the giant boulder. Something wet, other than water, appears between her legs and Parsley wants to cry more loudly than before. The problem is that she still has a weapon pointed at her and despite the flush of shame, fear is more powerful.
She closes her eyes tightly shut and thinks about the people she would never see again. Mama, papa, Orick...Sphynx.
Help me.
It's so dark, that is what Parsley keeps thinking.
She isn't able to see a thing no matter where she looks. There isn't any scents around and it is absolutely silent. No Sphynx's hissing or making a racket, nor those strange masked people speaking with that strange language of theirs.
When a human is put in a space like this, they might slowly grow mad. Constant isolation makes the mind play tricks and the victim starts to see things that aren't even there. Also, the darkness is not what could actually help anyone in that kind of situation. In fact, the brown-haired woman starts to slowly whisper under her breath. The sound of her own voice is somewhat comforting.
Parsley rubs her face against her wrists that are tied together by rope. She can tell what it is by the rash and hard sensation against her skin, but it gives her something else to think about. Like that her legs must be in the same condition because she can't move them either. Also, she isn't sure where she is laying on anymore. At first, she thinks it is a very hard and cold thing she is sitting on, but now it feels so much softer like the grass she had laid on next to the river – actually, Parsley starts to think she heard the water rush again at one point.
The darkness shifts and instead of looking at the constant shadows she sees the desk back in her apartment. The lines on the wood form long strings on its surface and twist along it like thousand snakes. The wind blows through the window against the woman's face as she watches a single bird fly by. Pink flowers bloom from the walls and Sphynx curls up into a ball next to his human friend. She wishes to stroke him and hear those familiar purrs. She reaches towards him with both of her hands, but the second her fingers nearly brush against him, he disappears. Parsley knows that he isn't here but can't hold back an aching pain of disappointment in her chest.
Another thing that aches is the wound on her neck – small or large? She can't tell.
After those terrifying people had tried to "talk" to her, everything went black. Parsley can't recall anything else, but an aching pain on the back of her head the moment she woke up. Sphynx wasn't or isn't near, she can just tell. They had been taken with hostility.
Who are these people? Are we being kidnapped by terrorists? She knows what that would mean, and a tear falls down from her eye followed by a second and third one. She is crying again and is able to remember the soaked jeans. Their stench reaches her nose and a strangled cry leaves from her lips. Her body turns cold from terror. I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! I screwed up! Now we are going to get killed? Is Sphynx even still alive? The image of his blood dripping down to the ground makes Parsley curl up into a ball on what she now understands is a cold chair. Sharp pain keeps attacking her from the stomach and chest. She is nervous, hurt and afraid. Please be alive. Don't leave me alone in here.
Something creaks, and Parsley jumps from fright and shock. That is the first sound that isn't coming from her head. Blinding light hits her face and she cringes. Coldness spreads from the tips of her toes to the top of the head. Heavy footsteps come into the room that used to be closed and the woman feels a heavy gaze directed on her. It is obvious, because she is clearly the only one in the whole place.
The door closes heavily and whoever has entered walks towards the woman in the middle of the room. There is a desk in front of her and papers are placed on top of it by the man dressed in black. Unlike those with the masks, his face can be seen. Brown hair, dark brown eyes with lines marring middle-aged features and a large, black cloak covering the rest with dark gloves. Strange headband is tied around his head, though, and hazel eyes find themselves staring at it in puzzlement and slight fear.
Parsley feels how her face pales. Is that... a mark of the organization?
Suddenly, another bright light appears, and it's directed at her face. She lets out an uncomfortable sound in the back of her neck, closes her eyes and leans back.
"What is your name?" The man speaks with that strange language Parsley heard before. He drags another chair back, the heels screeching against the ground. The sound can make anyone's ears bleed, but he isn't even noticing the frightened look on the brown-haired woman's face.
Parsley has missed seeing another face for quite a while, she really has. That is what living in a forest for a week with a cat can do to you. The solitary treatment she has received hasn't lessened that desire, but right now she wants to do nothing more than to back away from this person. He is a terrorist. The strange headband and the foreign language are both pointing to that. Also, the masked faces of the ones who had brought Parsley here kept mulling in her thoughts and she isn't able to stop cold shivers from spreading across her body.
When she opens her eyes, the light is still sharp, but she has gotten somewhat used to it.
The man slams his hand down to the table loudly, terrorizing her even further. The wood shakes and the papers nearly go flying around the place. "What is your name!? Answer me!"
Parsley is frozen, as she stares up at his face. The lines have become deeper and he is obviously glaring at her, being angry at her. However, she can't speak, because of the absolute terror that is freezing every small vein and muscle. The only thing that differs from that kind of sensation is the burning one in her eyes. The cold gaze she is receiving doesn't change from the tears that slide down her cheeks.
"Who sent you!? What is the name of your village!?" The man yells, making the poor woman before him shake badly.
That does it. Parsley opens her mouth, but strangled sounds leave from it. "...a...I...W-w-wha-"
"Stop acting retarded and answer the questions! Mist, Sand, Lightning? Which one?!"
Parsley doesn't truly understand what the man is even yelling about with that foreign accent. He doesn't rise up from his seat, but the intimating atmosphere is skyrocketing. Suddenly, she is missing the silent and embracing darkness, for the light is too bright and piercing.
She shakes her head quickly, with tears wetting her face. "I-I don't un-understand! I really- r-really don't understand what y-you are even saying! Does- does anyone h-here speak English? English. I s-speak-"
"Quit speaking gibberish!" The man's expression is angrier than before, and he once again slams his hand down. Small whimpers that are a sign of vulnerability don't have any effect on his stone face.
The room is silent for a while and the only thing that can be heard is the echo of Parsley's cries. She tries to hold in the tears inside her eye socks but can't. If the incident with the masked people hadn't happened, Parsley would be wetting her pants by now. In these kinds of situations, people need to stay calm, but it is proving to be quite difficult for her. Chill travels down the spine, when she even tries to twitch her body away from the man. What if he kills her from slight movement?
Brown eyes observe the teary hazel ones that lower their gaze to the table. "Your darker skin tone suggest you might be from Lightning."
What does he want now? Parsley nearly grumbles in distress and wants to bury her face into her hands. She could always use whatever magic she has to free herself from here, but with that came their own risks – she knows them very well. Every time the children of magician families are born, all of them are taught a very important rule that nobody can break without consequences. Never let non-magical beings know about their existence. If somebody finds out, erase the memories of that moment. If you purposely tell about what you are without a good reason, then you are thrown behind bars. Cases like Parsley's mother are not uncommon, though.
Parsley is snapped quickly back from nearing depression by a hot, white pain on her face. A gloved hand has connected with the skin of the wet cheek, causing her to nearly fall over from the chair. Shakily, Parsley gasps. Her cheek starts to throb painfully and her teeth grit together to prevent a sob from breaking through them. The force of the hit has made her head turn to the side and she keeps staring at the ground with wide eyes.
Goosebumps spread all over her body.
"Don't space out. Keep your eyes on me," the man dressed in dark speaks fairly calmly compared to his earlier outbursts. The change stills the very air in the room. "I'll strike you as many times as I have to. Now, let's begin again, shall we? What's your name?"
The throbbing continues on the spot that will definitely form a bruise sooner or later. Honestly, nobody has ever hit her like this and the brute strength behind it is making her feel like a helpless child.
However, this is only beginning, for she doesn't think this is all they could do to her.
"STOP IT!" Screaming makes her dry throat crack under the pressure, but she continues doing so anyway. Her whole face is throbbing and feels like it's on fire.
The thick, wooden pole is brought down again, and she cries out in pain. This time, it is her right arm that gets taste the harsh impact. Bruises are slowly forming everywhere, but the attacks don't cease from cries and tears. Instead, they seem to become even harsher.
Parsley is not allowed to move from where she is cornered to. Every direction she tries to move to are the places where she will be hit next. Still, even if she stays as still as a dead person, they won't stop it. Parsley's ears are ringing from the shouting she has been doing and the yells of the three men surrounding her. All of them wear black and have that same cold look on their faces.
They just keep raising their voices, but don't seem to buy that she doesn't understand them. Even when her shrill cries becomes louder than their own voices and she curls down on the floor in a fetal position. Blood trickles down Parsley's forehead and she wishes for them to just kill her already. They must be trying to interrogate her, because there is a new blow between the words they say. But whenever she manages to say something and only with her own language...
This is torture. It hurts. Please, stop. Somebody...
...help me!
Parsley covers her face with her tied up hands to protect it from yet another attack. It hits her arms and she bites down on her lower lip. This is how it goes: burning pain that will turn into dull throbbing, tears and screaming and then only a small break before it all starts again.
This isn't anywhere near that burning hell Parsley endured through the casting of the wrong spell. It is far less painful, but not bearable. Everyone sometimes wonder what death feels like, when will it come or will it be painful. Now, the hazel eyed woman is thinking those sorts of things in her terrified mind. She wants to know; how long will she have to endure this anymore and will she die?
The latter makes her heart clench in cold ice, but she can't currently do anything other than focus all of her nerves into the areas that are being struck.
"Stop, please!" She is trying to make them cease the violence, again. Her cries fall to deaf ears.
"I ask you again: Who are you? What is your purpose here? What of the cat that was with you?"
"For the thousand time, I don't understand what you're saying!" Parsley nearly roars this in hysteria, but her throat's state prevents it. How many times she has screamed by now, exactly?
"This really isn't going anywhere," the one on the right with the pole lets out a sigh that sounds frustrated.
Or is it the one on the left? Parsley doesn't care anymore. That tone is something close to giving up and she allows her body to remain in its rigid state, but keeps her eyes closed. She doesn't think that they are done yet, but when another blow doesn't come Parsley nearly goes limp from relief. There is still nothing to be glad about, though.
Until this moment, she has mostly been worried about being hungry, dirty and lost. Talk about change of circumstances to a drastic level. She is alone with these torturers – no Sphynx around and without a way to escape. Dealing with that tree spirit was bad, but this is all beyond worse.
How can humans do these sorts of things to others like them?
This must be similar to what the ancestors of magicians endured. Questioned and hurt by the ones that were no different from them. Hunted by those that wore the same face as them and yet never seen as an equal. That made them all feel helpless and afraid, because not even humans could share their pity to them and end all the turmoil. For such a thing to happen to the ones in the modern world was unheard of. The Dark Times were over.
Then, why is this happening? There were clearly still many hostilities between normal people and their countries in human world. Everyone, even magicians know that the other world isn't as peaceful as their own. But the hazel eyed woman has never been able to comprehend where those kinds of negative feelings could get a person. Now, she knows – beaten up, frightened, starved and bleeding. She pitied every single person that had to go through this and died. Though, maybe they suffered more painful end than she could ever imagine.
The man suddenly decided to change something, so one of them pull Parsley up by her hair. She cries again, but he doesn't bat an eye to it and starts dragging her towards the table in the middle. By the time that she is seated, she is afraid that she has a bald spot on her scalp from vigorous tugging her strands endured.
A new face steps into the room and for a moment the light outside is calling out to the tied-up woman, until the door slams shut heavily. The person is taller and bigger than the other three that had left as soon as he had stepped in, which makes him far more intimidating. Hazel eyes don't look up at him, but Parsley can hear how his heavy footsteps approach the table like a silent threat.
"You don't look like much. I don't understand why they have had such a hard time with you," he speaks with a voice that is quite deep and rough.
Parsley makes no movement to acknowledge him, since she can't even know what he is saying. She's simply glad that he isn't hitting her.
"Now, let's try something different."
Papers are placed on the table and the woman sighs quietly under her breath. On the inside, she is crying. They are going to probably yell at her again, when she answers with something they can't understand. Do they think that a gentler approach will make her automatically speak their tongue after a heavy beating? She almost wants to laugh, but the sound is stopped, when she sees a picture that is pushed towards her.
"The vermin is your companion, correct?"
It is like the pain numbs from the mere sight of the cat's image in a small piece of paper. However, Parsley's heart skips a beat and her eyes widen from the way he is shown in it. Her hands, purple and blue under the long sleeves, clench into fists and tremble. The breath stops flowing in and out of her nose, which the woman doesn't notice until the lack of oxygen makes her feel lightheaded – or maybe she is feeling dizzy because of something else entirely.
What she does notice, on its early stage, is a boiling sensation in her gut and how her eyes burn. The hairs on the back of her neck stand up. How dare they?
Immediately, she is reminded of the time, when she had been barely aware of her surroundings and seen Sphynx float in the air beside her after the spell had gone wrong. The golden orbs are closed like during that time and even the stillness reminds her of a corpse. Dark pecks cover the grey ground that he lays on. The shoulder that had been stabbed is still open and not properly taken care of, which is truly worrisome. The wound could definitely get infected, but that really isn't the main point. Sphynx is somewhere out there, looking like this and these people are doing gods knows what to him. He looks half-dead in the picture already.
Parsley feels livid and for the first time looks through her blurry vision at the newcomer. She freezes from the rough two scars that are running across his even rougher looking face – the scars look as if a wild animal has attacked the man at some point.
He smirks, probably from the expression she is making and from finally looking at him. "What do you think is going to happen to this feline, if you don't cooperate?"
Hazel eyes watch the gloved finger tap the corner of the picture, tauntingly. Parsley still doesn't understand a word, but that doesn't stop her from putting pieces together.
"W-what..." her voice is unstable, she can barely think.
The man raises an eyebrow from under a dark bandana. It has the same symbol on a metal plate like those other men. He smirks. "Are you ready to talk?"
"...what h-have you done with Sphynx?" She isn't daring enough to raise her voice. Just speaking this calmly is making her recall every hit she received from doing so. "Where i-is he? Did you people...k-kill him? Where is my friend?"
The man frowns from the response but doesn't show any signs of anger. But there is a twitch of frustration. "It says here in the report you and this cat were found in the forest near the village. The cat seems to be able to use fire jutsu and has an ability to talk. He must be a ninneko, but we haven't found any proof that he is one of those that live around here nor is there a record of him. We have tried using several sources that might help in identifying him, though. Still, nothing has been helpful so far..."
Parsley can't stand listening anymore and sits up with her shaky feet. She is seeing red. "Stop speaking as if I can understand a thing! Where is Sphynx?! If you dare to hurt a small cat, then you all are just walking pieces of sh-"
She can't finish that sentence, when a sharp, dark knife is impaled down at the picture of the cat. Her mouth clamps shut, but she wouldn't be able to speak anyway. The tip of the weapon has hit the part of the picture where Sphynx's wounded shoulder is. Parsley feels how her stomach turns over and takes a step back, the back of her leg hits the chair. Horror fills her features and she is waiting for what could be thrown at her next, but it doesn't happen. The man seems strangely pleased and pulls the knife back up.
Parsley keeps her wide eyes on both the knife and male.
"So, you really care about this animal," he says and even sounds pleased. The strange knife is twirled around from a hole on its handle, before it is thrown down at the picture again.
Parsley flinches but doesn't move. Has she made a mistake by yelling? Does this man threaten to really get rid of Sphynx, if she doesn't answer him? Can't he or anyone else in this place see that she just can't? Why don't they believe her?
The smirk on the scarred man's face widens an inch. He mumbles something under his breath.
The knife is now on top of Sphynx's head, covering it almost completely. With blood in the picture and the cat's limp form, it looks like he really is being pierced by the weapon. Though, he may as well be a goner by now. From the methods this organization has used, you can do the math and conclude that mercy is not in their dictionary.
Sphynx. That name is what Parsley calls out for in her head. It is the sound of helplessness that she hears from it. A cry of a child that has lost its ability to speak. A flame of anger still burns but diminishes under the waves of ice-cold water and makes her shiver. The brown-haired woman sits back down limply, submitting. She has to stay meek, otherwise who knows what will happen. Please be alive. I beg of you. This idiot will even do her best to stay alive. We will get out of this together.
"Now, give me your name and the name of your village."
"..."
"I told you to give me your name!" Her silence makes the man yell out and she flinches. With those scars and the tall build of his, it is like facing with a monster. "Do you think that your silence will provide any protection or that we won't find out about anything that you and that cat are hiding!? No, we will break through any sort of defense you might have by force and break you on the way!"
Parsley flinches again, when the knife raises and swings down at the picture. Her eyes widen, as the sharp end cuts it in half in a blink of an eye.
She cries again. Sobs echoing against the empty cold walls.
The dark eyes looking at this turn into steel.
Sphynx's eyes are merciless. In all his long life for a cat, he doesn't ever remember looking at someone like this. Oh, wait. He does recall few times, but those things seem minor compared to this. His shoulder is throbbing. Hot, seething, irritating pain sends jolts of electricity all over his body from the injury. His fur is standing up, his tail that is kept down with chains is also doing the same. He isn't feeling angry, but livid.
Shapes that are supposed to be blurry to a human eye are clear as a day to a cat. It isn't one of those masked people, but someone wearing a dark coat. Sphynx calculates two more in the box-like room with a single door in it.
Golden eyes shoot up to glare at the closest one and a low growl erupts from the depths of the cat's chest. He isn't afraid of these people. Not in the slightest. In fact, their actions simply put fuel into the fire. Like now, when one of them sticks out a stick-like object, but when it touches the cat, sparks fly all around the feline.
He feels how electricity runs across his body. It burns every sense he has, nearly numbing the pain on his wounded flesh. Stars dance in burning vision and he closes his eyes, letting one loud yell before falling down limply. The effects of the electricity is still in his system, though. It turns into tingling after a while, but as soon as it does the process is repeated again.
Fools.
What do these humans think they will accomplish by doing this, is what he keeps on thinking in the midst of the cycle of pain. All they are doing is poke him around like there is no end and speak with that strange language of theirs. They are so hardheaded that they can't get it through that Sphynx doesn't even understand them. Truly, he sees these two-legged creatures as nothing but idiots.
They are so desperate to get something out of him that it is pathetic. Though, the cat will give them credit for withstanding the stench of his flesh and blood this long. He certainly knows one person who wouldn't like it.
The long, wavy auburn brown hair is the first thing that comes into his mind. Then the hazel eyes covered with tears and his friend's features twitching in pain. That is how he saw Parsley during the last time in the forest – the last time before everything went dark.
He can still feel how his vision almost turned into crimson from seeing her being handled so roughly. Sometimes cats have their differences and disagreements, but his kin never even thought about truly harming or killing another cat. That is why...
These humans are repulsive! He growls and tries to bite down on the hand holding the stick. Unfortunately, it is too far away for him to reach it with his glowing white teeth. I have no time for someone like you people! That child is definitely crying somewhere because of you!
Sphynx wouldn't speak again. He has already done that mistake once. Revealing his true abilities to normal people is punishable by law. Though, he isn't exactly sure, if these humans are even normal. The way they had appeared out of nowhere in the forest is still a memory that haunts the cat. He can simply tell that it hadn't been a spell, but there didn't seem to be other explanation for it. And that is what makes these humans dangerous enemies to the familiar, because he doesn't understand what is going on.
What Sphynx does get is that Parsley is suffering the way he is. Though, she is much more delicate in mind, so he keeps worrying how long it is going to take for her to break down. But even if she does, these humans wouldn't stop there.
Parsley would be broken physically as well.
As if I will allow it to happen! Sphynx almost screams these words out, when the electricity attack comes again. He truly desires to rip this man's face off.
"It's no use. It doesn't respond other than with growling and hissing," the man lowers the stick and turns to other two.
The one holding few layers of papers scoffs. "Do you think that those ANBUs have finally lost it?"
"Don't be a fool!" The third man barks out angrily. "This cat could be a ninneko and simply pretending not being intelligent enough. And since when ANBUs have been mistaken about something they have seen and heard with their own eyes."
The one with papers shrugs. "It could have been genjutsu. The female prisoner in other room could have done it, right?"
"That is the possibility and that is why we need to keep trying to get necessary information out of her. However, she seems to be proving to be quite difficult. They say that no matter what you do to her she keeps on spouting gibberish that nobody can't comprehend. I say that she got hit on the head too hard."
"Hey, isn't Ibiki-san the one doing her interrogation today?"
"If that is the case, she will crack up soon enough. How long do you wanna bet she will last?"
"I say five minutes."
"Seconds."
Sphynx frowns, not liking how the humans' tones have changed. They sound amused and he can see how their mouths curve into smirks. An animal's instinct about danger is always right, but to the feline's surprise the men start to leave the room.
In a way, Sphynx is happy that he doesn't have to stand their poking anymore. But he is frustrated because he wasn't able to land a scratch on them. Few red lines across their faces would have fit perfectly.
As if sensing his thoughts, the last one turns around to face him. The golden eyed creature doesn't bother recalling what he has done to him and simply gives the human another glare. The man frowns, his own dark eyes giving back an equal glare.
"Dirty rodent." The door is slammed shut.
I didn't understand that, but it was definitely something nasty! Sphynx snarls but tries to settle down. There is no telling, if someone is still watching his every move.
Still, he can't simply keep on laying in this room like a lazy housecat. Well, technically he is, but not with these kinds of circumstances. First, this place smells nasty enough and he can't stand it. Secondly, there is no warm fireplace for him and a soft lap to lay on. Back at Parsley's house he had those things. Not to mention that he is feeling rather hungry. Parsley will surely give him a nice sardine later, once all of this is over.
Speaking of his friend, that is the one who he needs to get to first. That is what he needs to concentrate on accomplishing... The question is how.
They didn't even have enough decency to undo the chains. He proves the point by struggling a little against the bindings making them rattle in the dark. They are too tight, though, and he slumps down in defeat. Well, this is certainly good for those humans. Because if they hadn't been smart enough to chain him, then Sphynx would have definitely attacked them. Though, getting out of these things isn't that difficult. They don't have magic suppressing qualities, so he can simply undo them himself.
Still, like he thought before, anyone could be watching him right now. But he can also ask them to help him out a little.
"I know you're there… Fairies," Sphynx whispers quietly to the air. To others, it may seem like he is simply moving his furry mouth, but there are creatures that can hear him.
A moment, two, three passes in silence. And he is about to open his mouth again, when a soft giggle reaches his sharp ears that twitch from the sound.
"My, my~" the voice continues giggling. "I never thought that someone with a form of flesh would call to us again."
"A cat, a cat. Furry and lousy cat~"
"Chained and down~"
"Oh, poor, poor cat~"
Sphynx's black pupils narrow. He knows what he is getting himself into, but is somewhat regretting it by now.