This is my attempt at getting back into writing, so I know its not going to be the best, updates will be sporadic (probably IDK)
I dont own anything or I wouldnt be here
We have no Beta. We die like men.
To Rowan there was nothing more comforting than being in the forest. The second she stepped foot inside, it would become her whole world. All of her family lived and hunted in the woods as long as she can remember; however, that was a very long time ago. So long ago in fact that Rowan cannot remember anywhere else; remember anyone else. Only the forest, the trees and the peace that came with isolation; but the isolation came later, much later. All the same, this story is not about the forest and family. This is a story of how Rowan fought, survived and found her soulmate.
It has been silent for days. Unbearably quiet, there was a complete lack of animal, insect or even the natural sounds of the wind blowing through the forest. The only sound she could hear was the soft crunch of the thicket floor. It was quite unsettling for Rowan. It sounded to her like the trees were upset with her. Did she do something wrong? Pausing in her walk, Rowan considers her last thought. The more she considered it the more frustrated she got. No! She did nothing wrong! She followed the instructions EXACTLY as they told her! They are being Mean for absolutely no reason! The more these thoughts swirled around in her head the more frustrated she became and the closer Rowan got to pitching a fit.
"It's not fair! Just talk to me," Rowan whines out and adds flourish to her words by crossing her arms and slightly stomping her feet. She is fully aware of her childishness but at the same time not caring enough to stop fussing like a small sapling. "I just want to know where to go next." She pouts out.
With no response coming, Rowan gets extremely exasperated and flings her arms down towards the floor and stomps onward in a huff. Making her way through the thicket to a small clearing. Every step she takes just riles her up further until a sudden gust of wind blew through the trees, and suddenly the world came back to life all at once; shaking and moving resurrecting everything around. It was as though a bubble popped and suddenly everything was alive and making noise again.
Rowan pauses, as the air floats through the trees and wraps around her carrying the voices of the forest to her. "Danger. Danger. Hide. Hide." They whisper, barely a breath in her ears. With the warning delivered, Rowan hesitates for only a moment before she lurches forward toward a large tree on the side of the clearing.
As Rowan runs forward she started to grab and fold the light that's shining through the branches of the treetops, as soon as she gathered enough energy Rowan starts to fold the light around her body and bend it thoroughly. Just as she was taught in the past, Rowan crouches at the bottom of the old tree and steadys her breathing. Wrapping her arms around herself trying to calm down. Having the rapid mood swings today is making her a little dizzy. Taking one deep calming breath, Rowan pulls the light she has wrapped around tighter.
Ever since Rowan was created the trees had taught her how to survive and live after the incident. Teaching her how to manipulate the light in the air to create illusions and hide herself in plain sight. When molded properly with concentration her illusions could fool any creature; the only downside is light cannot cover her scent. This is where the trees come in, Rowans lucky enough that as a forest dweller her scent is practically identical to that of the woods, so as long as she stands immediately beside the tree, she will have her scent masked. The end result is it appearing as though the clearing is empty and Rowan was never there.
Despite the panic caused by the faint warning, Rowan has been waiting for a seemingly infinite amount of time for this so called danger. The sun is now directly overhead and her knees are beginning to get sore from her crouched position. Rowan starts thinking again. Maybe this is just a mean joke for throwing a tantrum about the lack of communication from the forest. The more Rowan thinks about it the more she is convinced this is true. They ignored her for so long, so of course they would be that mean again. Decided in her mind, Rowan pushes up and stands tall. Just as she is about to call out and yell at the world around her, the world exploded. Again.
It was a sudden rush of noise that startled Rowan into silence. Okay she admits it wasn't an "Explosion" per say, but it scared her enough.
A small herd of deer have filed into the tiny clearing Rowan was just waiting by. All other upset feelings and thoughts just flew right out the nest. Mood soaring Rowan can't help but do one of those small excited shuffles with her face lit up. The only thing Rowan loves as much as the trees is the animals who live with them. To run through the forest with the deer, to nap with the mountain lions or even to forage with the squirrels. She loved the animals and they tended to be amicable to her presence at first, but warm up very quickly as well.
Just about to Drop the light she has wrapped around her and take a step forward, a white flash blurred through the meadow and the deer off; running away in a blind panic. Rowans vision was obstructed at first by the running bodies. Her stomach dropping as the deer cleared out and all Rowan can see is a limp doe held in the arms of an impossibly white creature.
Shock. That's the only word Rowan can think of. That's what this must be. This cold twisted numb feeling that is slowly filling her limbs; that's freezing her legs in place until she cant move anymore. She can't think straight, She can't even think at all. Her vision grows smaller and smaller until the only thing she can see anymore is This horrible monster. All pale, translucent, shining skin and hair tinted with blood. It holds down the innocent deer, mouth on its neck; Shredding the neck of the poor doe. Terrified, but unable to move to help her; what could she even do!? Absolutely petrified, what if it can see through the light? What if it finds her next!? Will it slaughter me too?
What feels like forever passes when the monster finally throws the body of the deer away from itself. Done with its vicious murder, the monster blurres once again and dissapers.
As soon as it's gone Rowan lets out a choked sob, it didn't even eat it! It just killed that deer for no reason. It just ripped out her throat and left her there for no reason! In Rowans panic she can no longer tell if she is crying for the deer or if she's relieved to still have her life. It's probably a combination of both.
Taking huge gasping breaths Rowan tries to get her heart rate down to a reasonable level and stop hyperventilating. It seems to work after a few minutes of deep breathing on the forest floor. Floor? How did she get down here? Rowan slowly shuffles her legs underneath her and uses her hands to push herself up off of the ground. As soon as she is up, she presses the palms of her hands to her eyes and tries to clear out the tears and sting of her now beautifully inflamed face. Taking one last shaky breath, she starts to compose herself.
Only now that she is standing does Rowan realize exactly how exhausted she is after the emotional vomit she just coughed up everywhere,. Taking small measured steps, she slowly makes her way to the middle of the clearing. To where the corpse is.
The closer she gets the worse her stomach rolls and the heavier her feet feel. Sooner than she wished for, she was directly beside the poor girl. Rowan can't help but gag as the sickly sweet scent permeates the air. It feels absolutely suffocating as the whole area is drenched in the cloying scent. Just standing there Rowan could tell she was right, the monster not only didn't eat the deer, but it injected her with a venom so no other scavengers could make use of its senseless killing either. Her stomach lurching one final time before deciding she could no longer take it anymore; She slowly backs away, every step making her feel better because every step takes her away from the body.
Now feeling more lost than ever, Rowan numbly scans her surroundings; no longer having any idea where she was going in the first place. Hoping for some clue to come and tell her what to do next. She didn't have to wait long before she could even start to worry about that, the wind picks up again. Gently moving through the clearing and slowly helping blow away the horrid stench and lightly buffing at her face. The cool air on her skin was possibly the most soothing thing she could have at that moment. The relief it afforded her, knowing that it wasn't a cruel prank for whining and she truly wasn't alone. Once again as the breeze wraps around her she hears, "Follow us,"
Turning around and seeing where the wind was blowing through the thicket, she starts moving with purpose. The forest constantly moving and wind at her back allowed her confidence to grow once more. Of course they wouldn't abandon her, they loved her. They were protecting her, guiding her.
Making her way down the overgrown woods, not a thought in her head of where she is going or how long it would take her to get there. She trusted the woods to lead her to where she would be safe. While walking Rowan can't help but compare that horror to herself, as it is the only creature she has seen so far that looks even remotely similar to herself. As loathe as she is to admit it, they seem to have the same body structure to their species, however the insane speed and callous murder makes her think she couldnt possibly be from the same secies. She was supposed to coexsist with nature not brutally murder it and destroy it. Not only that but their appearances were vastly different. While obviously that was a male and she is obviously female, her skin is tanned and warm, her hair is long and unruly, with piercing green eyes and warm round features. Absolutely nothing like the cold and sharp visage of that creature.
A full body shutter passes through her as she invisions the demon again. One of the downsides to creating and controlling illusions was that your imagination goes into overdrive. To create anything realistic you have to be able to envision every single detail about it. Anything you don't think of, does not come to life and then you have something that no one would believe. This means every nightmare is hellish and every dream is euphoric. In an attempt to faze the darkness from her mind, Rowan tries to envision her mate again.
It's one of the few things that always brings a smile to her face. That never fail to give her hope. Is he strong? Kind? Rowan always envisioned them the same way; because she has no idea what others of her species looks like, she imagines that they have the same colouring as herself. Tanned skin and dark hair, green eyes. They will be tall and protect her. Someone who will cherish her and their bond. It never fails to lighten her soul and fight back the dark. Filling Rowan with a much needed light and warmth, Rowan lifts her head and marches on.