Moonlit Shadows
The Awakening
The blue skies turned orange as it neared sunset. The cool air rushed past Tifa as her hold on her horse tightened. The black beauty had carried her across the ruins of the Kingdom of Romoldane. Squinting her eyes, Tifa spotted the battered palace a couple of miles ahead, the old gates left unguarded and open.
"There it is, just a bit more, Rose," she murmured as she stroked her horse's long mane of black hair. Rose gave a tired grunt as she trudged ahead, quickening her pace as she moved closer. Tifa held her breath as she came closer and Cloud's home came to a full view. The walls used to be strikingly white before, now the stones were plagued with black soot and paned windows were shattered and broken.
They were now only a few meters away from the gates as Tifa gently patted Rose on her side, motioning her to come to a stop. She slowly slid off the saddle, eyes roaming around her surroundings. There wasn't much left of this place, it looked to be a dirt pile, with the exception of the actual palace, but even that was stripped of the beauty it used to have.
Careful not to make a sound, Tifa made her way towards the gates. She stood there for a couple of minutes, contemplating whether she should go in.
And as she made to take a step inside the gates, the sudden sound of a horse filled her ears as it got louder and louder. She turned her head to the right, and sure enough, was a white horse. A black clad hooded figure behind it, coming towards her. She quickly took a step back, and her heart skipped a beat as another horse, similar to the first, appeared. A black hooded figure was also riding it.
Before she had time to think, both horses came to an abrupt halt in front of her, blocking her way. Tifa took a couple more steps back, fearing that the horses would attack her, as they were violently breathing in and out of their nostrils.
"Who are you?" demanded a deep voice that belonged to the first man. Tifa's wide eyes flew to his face. She could not make out much; his dark hood had cast a shadow over half his face, only allowing her to see his straight nose and pale lips. His skin was also pale. A strap embraced his shoulder armor, it had silver brooch, and it seemed to resemble some type of animal. He looked to be powerful, with a structure that was tall and dominating. Another grunt from the horse caused her to revert her attention to the man in front her.
Swallowing her fears, she put her chin up, looking straight at him. "I am Princess of Amortania…And you are?"
"You are forbidden to enter the gates of Romoldane. This is not your Kingdom; you cannot present yourself here as you please."
"I just came here to see what had happened…I was on my way home, when I noticed the smoke rising—"
"Your concern is not needed" he said coldly. At this, Tifa narrowed her eyes. Who was this man? And why was he being so…rude?!
"May I remind you, had you have forgotten, or perhaps had you not known at all, that we are in fact allies, and thus I do believe that I have the privilege of coming here as I please, and what does it matter to you if I am concerned or not?"
An impatient growl escaped the other hooded figure. He too, had most of his face covered. Both of them were identical in appearance, except for the silver brooch, which was only attached to the first man. The one in front cleared his throat, clearly frustrated as well. "I don't have time for this nonsense. You cannot enter these gates…I suggest you leave before things get out of hand."
Tifa opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off. "It's not safe for you, Princess. Please go back to your kingdom."
Tifa clamped her mouth closed. She knew that they wouldn't leave until she left, thus she had no chance of entering the palace, anyway. Sighing she let her gaze wander about the castle one last time before she turned around, making her way to Rose.
---
It was well past sunset now; the sun had disappeared through the horizon as night fall swiftly took over. The princess knew she was in for quite a bit trouble once she returned home but frankly, she did not care. There was too much going on, too much to make sense of. In fact, nothing seemed to make any sense.
It's not safe for you, Princess
What did he mean by that? What was going on? And who were those two men anyway? He didn't even answer her question. Tifa sighed in annoyance, remembering the hooded figure's cold approach. Though they weren't the kindest, Tifa felt they couldn't have been the ones behind the destruction of Cloud's kingdom. It just didn't seem right…
She was in the meadow again, sitting on one of the stones near the pond. A tiny daisy was held between her fingers, idly twiddling it as she thought about the incidences that occurred earlier.
Find him
Before they find you
Tifa had almost forgotten about the crumpled piece of paper. She wondered who that scribbled and messy scrawl belonged to. Had it been the Queen herself?...Or did the two hooded figures have something to do with it? After all, they did warn her about her safety, as did that piece of parchment. But what did they mean by "him"? Who was he? Where was she supposed to go to find him? And what did she have to do with any of this in the first place?!
It's not safe for you, Princess
Find him
Before they find you
Promise me?
I Promise.
What was happening? She felt exposed, and she was alone…out in the open, waiting for the unknown. She didn't even know what to expect.
An angry cry escaped her as she let herself fall to the ground, her fingers clawing at the green grass.
"Stupid Cloud!" she muttered whilst pulling blades of grass out from underneath. She was frustrated. She was scared. She didn't know what to do.
She felt alone.
Her eyes burned as she slammed her fist against the ground out of helplessness.
"Stupid! Stupid!" It was all his fault. Had he been here, none of this would have happened. She would never have these dreams, his mother could have been saved, along with his kingdom. All of this wouldn't have to make sense, if only he was here. She let out a small cry as the anger died down. She bowed her head down, her soft brown hair cascading down, hiding her face.
"Where are you…Cloud?" she whispered.
There was a sudden movement behind the trees, and a gush of cold wind breezed past her, sending chills down her spine. Her head snapped up towards the dark forest, and what her ruby eyes saw was enough to put a stop to her heart. Her mind was suddenly sent back, rewinding, rushing back to the day she saw it before for the very first time; those deadly, red, blood thirsty eyes. They were back. Right here. Glowing red against black shadows.
Red eyes were staring right at her.
Heart pounding, Tifa abruptly stood up, taking a shaky step backwards. She froze as a voice echoed. A low, screeching hiss.
" I've found you…," Tifa's eyes went wide. "Princess."
The trees rustled and a tall man in black stepped out. Skin pale as white stone, hair dark and long, left wild, and a cruel, evil smile. Crooked, sharp teeth.
Fangs.
Blood.
A terrified shriek escaped Tifa as she turned on her heel, running as fast as her legs could carry her. She could hear his loud footsteps behind her; he wasn't too far behind.
"You can run, sweetheart but you cannot hide!" he yelled with delight as he was rewarded with another scream. He sneered as his arm reached across and grasped her arm.
Her screams only got louder as she tried to escape him, but his pale hands roughly grabbed her wrists, keeping them tucked at her sides as her back was pressed into his chest. His cold breath was at her neck, his hold around her becoming tighter and tighter as she struggled to break free.
"HELP! Please someone! He—" the man's cold hand slapped onto her mouth, muffling her pleading cries.
"Shhh…now, now, princess, we'd like to keep this private, if you don't mind." His lips were so close to her neck, she could feel them on her. "Just between you and me." He hissed.
She shut her eyes tightly. Tears slid down her cheeks. This couldn't be happening. What was happening?! She was dreaming! It's just a nightmare…
Slowly, ever so slowly, Tifa lifted her free arm and elbowed him hard in the gut. A surprised yelp escaped him as Tifa found her chance to get away. Clutching tightly onto her locket, she ran for the forest. The darkness enveloped her as she found refuge behind a large tree trunk. Pressing her back against it she prayed she wasn't seen. Her heart was pounding hard in her ears and her breathing was shallow. She had no idea how she'd get away, the night was pitch dark now, and there was no way out of this forest. She fought the urge to cry, she couldn't let him hear her.
She could only hope for a miracle…
She held her breath as his footsteps were heard. Louder and louder…
Louder…
Her eyes were shut tight. Her lip between her teeth. Breath held.
Louder…
And then
Silence.
Nothing…
Eyes snapped open, wide and alert. There was no one. Heart still thrumming, she shakily pushed herself off the tree. Looking both ways, still there was no one in sight. She knew he was still here. Waiting. But there was nothing she could do. If she stayed out here, she'd die for sure.
She had to get out of here.
Furrowing her brows, she took in a breath. Hiking up her dress above her ankles, she made to turn around. Only to collide with glowing eyes. A foot caught a root and next thing she knew she was on the ground. Struggling to get back up only caused her to trip and fall once again.
The dark man loomed in front of her. Eyes gleaming, and a smile of glee on his pale face. His lips broke into a grin, displaying those jagged, sharp fangs.
"You're mine" he said before he lunged forward.
A flash of grey blazed past the trees and violently rammed into the man causing both to fly into a tree. Frightened ruby eyes watched in horror as the creature came into view. It looked much like a dog, but much more fierce. Dangerous. Cunning. Eyes were glowing as it crouched into position, ready to attack. It's lips pulled back, revealing angry canines.
"So…" drawled the man "the wolf wants to play."
A vicious growl rippled from the animal as he leapt into action. Rough paws collided with cold hands. Sharp claws with razor-sharp nails. Tifa watched with terrified eyes as both exchanged blows with one another.
A shrill hiss erupted from the man as he suddenly flew back, colliding into the trees. The wolf swiftly jumped across the mess of trees and landed on top of him. Fury raged in his eyes as he roared, lifting his claws to attack him—
"You can't kill me!" the dark man shrieked. "You know the rules!"
His paw stopped in mid air, the animal growled again, as if speaking to the other.
Tifa watched in surprise as after a few moments, the man stood up, dusted his torn cloak and turned on his heel, disappearing into the shadows within the dark forest. Holding her breath, she wondered if he was going to run back in. But he didn't.
Her eyes then shifted fearfully to the wolf. He was pacing the ground as if searching for something. His nose almost touching the grass, he grunted. And then, in a split second, he darted towards her left, as he too disappeared through the trees.
Had he not seen her? She wasn't sure if she was thankful or disappointed. She let out a breath, eyes wandering to the dark sky.
If only this was a dream…
A really bad dream…
A/N: Chapter 5 is up! This is my longest chapter so far…I wanted to write more…but it was getting a bit too long. Hope you liked it…please review! And thanks for all those who have reviewed my story! I'm really sorry about my slow updates, I was busy with school and all…but now I'm free! So hopefully you'll find quicker updates ! ^^
Oh! And I only reread it once, so there's bound to be some errors and typos, please excuse them ^^, thanks.
