The idea for carnivorous roses came to me in a dream. Needless to say, it was really, really weird. In my dream, there were roses as tall as trees, and they had sticky needles on their stems to keep people stuck to them. Yes, they ate people, not insects. And their pistols were basically people. Their top halves were human, and then they sort of melted into the flower. Their goal was to lure humans up into the actual flower part of the plant so it could consume them. Yep...even my dreams are horrifying. I don't remember anything else about that dream except pasta. Pasta. And it wasn't human-eating, either. Just regular, edible, pasta. Creepy dream, creepy pasta. Yeah, I know it's a terrible pun, but I had to. I couldn't help myself.
If I have not scared you away, please, read on. You should be able to handle the rest of the chapter.
"These are carnivorous rose petals. Because they eat primarily meat, their petals contain an abundance of protein and that makes them acceptable supplements if you can't find any meat."
"I see." I hold one of the blood red petals up to the lantern, examining the tiny grey needles extending from the edges. "What about the sharp part?"
"They aren't poisonous, if that's what you're wondering," Kyoya informs me. "Just don't eat that part." We sit across from each other at the table, a single lantern midway between us and myriad plant parts spread across the wooden surface. I've shown him a few of the strongest medicinal herbs available in the village, but they can't hold a candle to even the weakest plantlife Kyoya has shown me so far.
I hold the petal to my lips. "May I?"
"Go ahead."
Nibbling tentatively at first, I quickly take a large bite out of it when I discover it tastes like roasted bird. How does a plant taste like this? I have to force myself to stop before my lips close around the needles and draw blood, setting the remainder on the table.
Suddenly a gust of cold air rushes in. I look over my shoulder to see Honey and Mori closing the door behind them, Honey quivering like a leaf.
"It's really cold today!" he whines, standing close to Mori for warmth.
"The weather has been bipolar lately, hasn't it?" I observe, reheating the air in the room to maintain the comfortable temperature. "You'll warm up soon. Mori, you're welcome to stay inside tonight if you can't take it. I'm sure trees get cold, too."
"Thank you," he nods. Every time I hear his voice, it surprises me. Really, he barely says anything.
"Well, come farther in already! The area by the door is the coldest!"
"I'm going to get in bed," Honey declares, dashing to the stairs. "I wanna wrap myself in blankets! Takashi, you can use the fluffy one cause I don't think you'll fit with me and Sora on the bed."
As Honey bounds up the staircase, Mori towing behind, Kyoya mentions, "It's going to be packed tonight, with everyone trying to stay warm."
"That's better for everyone, isn't it? I won't be able to keep the air warm once I fall asleep, so the more body heat, the better." I take to my feet, grabbing my tattered cloak from the back of my chair. "Should we stop for tonight? Now we're the only ones having not turned in yet."
As Kyoya packs away the plants, there's a knock at the door. I stare at it a moment, trying to figure out who it could be. Last I checked, all the children were upstairs with Mother listening to the twins tell them a bedtime story. Then Honey and Mori went up, and Kyoya is right here...who else could it be? Maybe Tamaki? I haven't seen him since we first met. He's the only one I met in the forest who hasn't come here yet. Even that pink bunny has come with Honey.
I open the door and freeze, met with the lovely face of Eclair. A fox fur scarf is tied elegantly around her neck, her cloak lined with silver silk to match her gloves. Somehow, the look in her aqua eyes is more chilling than the night air.
"Mr. Eto is an impatient man," she sighs, faking annoyance. "He would not stop insisting that I come fetch you tonight, so here I am. Oh!" She glances behind me. "Is that an elf? My, you have handsome pets. Perhaps you can lend one to me."
"I…" I find my voice, "They are not my pets, and I will not 'lend' one to you! However much he might be paying you, I don't care! Leave me and my family alone!" I slam the door in her face, huffing. And then the knob begins to dissolve under my hand and I jerk away, gaping as the entire door fizzles and collapses to the group as little more than dust.
"I'm afraid he's not paying me, Mari," she chuckles, stepping inside along with the coldness of the wind. "I'm doing this because it's entertaining." Noni, who'd been sitting by my feet under the table, is again snarling in aggression. I lower myself next to him remembering what happened last time, rubbing his side and willing him to stop.
"It entertains you to terrorize an orphanage?"
"It entertains me to battle a witch." She throws her hand out and a sudden force thrusts me back into the wall, causing the entire building to shake. I collapse to the ground, tears spilling from my eyes from the pain. I'd be shocked if that didn't break anything.
And then I'm hovering. She clenches her fist and I scream, everything around me squeezing as if to pop me. The memory of the suffocating nightmare floods into my mind, causing my body to wrack with shivers and my voice to choke.
And then I'm released and I fall into someone's hands. Prying open my eyes, I find Kyoya gazing ahead. I turn my head to look. Hikaru and Kaoru have arrived to the bottom of the staircase, taking in the scene. Eclair smirks and raises her hand in their direction, but they rush her before she can do anything. In an act of desperation, she builds a wall between them and her using the floorboards, again making the house waver. In the time that Kaoru rounds it and Hikaru barrels through it, she's dashed out the door to a more open playing field. Instead of following her, though, the twins stop and look to me. It's then I notice I'm still holding on the Kyoya. Heat boiling in my face, I push away from him.
"It's him, isn't it?" Kaoru spits, face twisted in rage.
"Even though we're your familiars."
I glance between the two of them, confused. "What are you talking about?" And why aren't you going after Eclair? She hasn't left yet. She's just gone outside.
"Why?" Hikaru suddenly plunges his hand through the wall, making me jump. "Why is it never one of us? Either of us?"
"It's not like he can even be your familiar, but you still choose him?"
Kyoya steps forward, his usually placid expression leaking worry. "Hikaru, Kaoru, you're misunderstanding."
"We thought we misunderstood last time."
"He hoped we were misunderstanding."
"But in the end, she didn't pay any real attention to us, did she?" Kaoru growls. "All she cared about was Tamaki! 'Is Tamaki here?' 'Could you fly me to where Tamaki is?' We did everything for her, and yet she didn't pay us any mind until we fulfilled her desire to destroy!"
Hikaru smiles, but not in a friendly way. His lips distort into what can only be called a mangled sneer. "Is that it, Mari? You won't like us until we get rid of Eclair and Mr. Eto?"
"That's not-"
"We'll just have to try out best, then, won't we?"
Turning on their heels, they run from the house. I'm frozen, unable to react. What just happened? They're obviously mad, but over what? Who is...Chiyoka? Is that who they were talking about? Is that the 'she'?
A vivid image of her atop their dragon form flashes in my mind and I gasp. Those dreams! How could I forget those dreams? There was the first one, where she teased them with the possibility of becoming her familiars, and the second where she was romanced by Tamaki. It can't be anyone else but her that they were talking about. Still, though. What did they mean by her 'desire to destroy'?
The sight of Kyoya going after them stirs me from my stupor and I trip over my feet to follow. In the doorway, I skid to a stop, eyes going wide.
A thick, orange-scaled tail slaps the ground in front of me, creating a burst of freezing wind that whips my hair behind me. The two heads raise, shadows against the dark of the moonless night. Their wings, wide and spiked, flex upwards to top even the height of their heads.
"Hikaru! Kaoru! What are you doing?" I shout above the wind their wings maintain. "Why are you in dragon form?"
They fail to heed me, lighting up the night with fire. Their target is the ever so agile Eclair, who dances from one place to the next to avoid their flames. A nearby house catches, sending chills down my spine more effectively than the temperature.
"Stop! I order you two to stop it!"
Either they don't hear me, or don't listen, because they continue chasing after the witch. How do I stop them? If they continue with this, the whole town will burn before Eclair is killed. And...do I even want her killed? I mean, I want her to leave me alone, but dead? Not only her, but the regular inhabitants, too! Surely this chaos will kill more than just her.
Unsure, I look to Kyoya. When he sees my frightened expression, he immediately takes charge. "Get inside and evacuate the kids! I'll go around to the houses! Bring everyone to the enchanted forest, my house! Do you remember where to find it?"
I quickly retrace everything from the forest in my mind, but shake it off when I'm unable to recall. "Honey and Mori will know. Go, get on it!" I wave him away as he darts of faster than a fish. Really, elf physicality is amazing!
A roar makes the earth beneath my feet quiver, snapping me back into reality. I pivot around to rush inside, only to be met with Mother standing in the doorway with Pon in her arms.
"Mari! What-"
"Get the children!" I command, pulling her along with me. "Hikaru and Kaoru just went mad! We need to get everyone out of here now!"
"Hikaru and Kaoru? Then that dragon-"
"Not the time, Mother! Hurry and get everyone out!" She shuts her mouth after that, dashing up the stairs behind me. Honey is in the middle of the floor, unicorn in form, Mori setting the smallest children on his back and picking up a slightly bigger child onto his own shoulders.
"Good," I huff. "You seem to know the situation. Okay, children! We're taking a trip to the enchanted forest! To Kyoya's house! We have to go quickly, so make sure you don't get lost. Honey and Mori will be leading us. If you lose sight of us, scream. I'll come get you. Jun, Matsuo, Rin, as the oldest you guys are in charge of keeping track of the smaller ones. Does everyone understand?" Having earned a couple nods, I scan the room to be sure everyone is here. Satisfied, I hoist our four year old into my arms, a little bone-thin boy named Naki, and turn. The weight of him against my side causes me to wince, indicating I've definitely been injured by Eclair's earlier attack. "After you, Honey."
The two natives of the forest go first, Mother following with the rest of the children trailing behind her. When there's only three more kids left (two, if you don't count Naki), a tongue of fire licks at the drapes and ignites. Ryo, a six year old boy, begins crying and Haruhi moves to comfort him.
"Haruhi, take his hand and mine, now!" I demand. She does so, and I practically drag the two of them down the stairs and away from the spreading heat. Naki, too, begins shedding tears as we descend the stairs, but I disregard it in favor of concentrating on getting everyone out alive.
Outside, all of the orphanage residents have clumped together to wait for us, Noni included. As soon as the four of us appear, Mother begins ushering the kids into motion again to follow Honey and Mori. Even with a monstrous dragon looming over them, the sound of Mother and me shouting at them jolts them into obeying. As we make our way to the other side of town, townspeople emerge from their homes to gape at the beast. I call out to each of them, telling them to join us, and they follow without question. In times like these, I guess people would rather just listen to someone rather than act out. Even so, I do hear rousing aggression.
"Get the swords and slay the damn thing!"
"Shut up!" I whirl on the man who spoke. "I know it's your home that might be destroyed, but think about your life for the moment! Make sure you and your family escape alive first!"
"If we all attack it at once, even that monster doesn't stand a chance!"
"You have no idea what they're capable of! Haven't you heard the stories? No matter how strong or brave you are, the dragon leaves nothing but ashes. Now pick up your feet and get moving, sir! Be glad you are not the target!" His face reddens with anger, but his wife lays a hand on his shoulder and he obeys, hurrying along quietly. Another, a lady my age, begins to question our destination.
"Are you sure we'll be safe in...in there?" she gasps, running having begun to take its toll on her. "I mean, isn't that where that beast lives? And what about the other monsters?"
"Don't worry," I assure her. "We're going to a safe haven. Did you see the man who was going around evacuating people?" She nods. "It's his house. I promise, you'll be okay there. I've been there before."
We arrive at the forest's edge and people really begin to hesitate, but Mother and I urge them on. I stop before plunging into the wisps of indigo fog, glancing back at the town. With Ryo and Naki having finally stopped crying and the sounds of the desperate townsfolk fading into the trees, the crackle of the wrathful fire consumes the night and casts light across all of the darkness. Its shining yellow radiance meets with the soft purple glow of the forest in battle, slowly encroaching. I think, though, that the town is set far enough not to spread fire to the forest. After all, it would have to cross the river and a field of moist grass to get here.
The roar of the dragon causes me to cringe, but not for the reason most people would. There's something painful about the sound, a mournful tone carried under the fury. It's kind of….almost...lonely.
I'm not sure how well I executed this part. I wanted it to be a little more...I don't know...tense? Suspension clearly isn't my thing. I'm better at just throwing blood and gore into the mess and calling it horror, but then again, aren't most people? Suspense is a hard emotion to master conveying. Although, this is not supposed to be a horror. I promise, it will not abruptly transform into a horror. At least, not to my standards of horror. I hope it won't. I'm really bad at keeping things light and happy, as proven by my previous works. But I promise...actually, I'm not going to promise anything else. I won't say if it'll end happily or tragically. You're just going to have to keep reading.
Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!