The night had fallen in the Hidden World and the entire area was enveloped by darkness.
Where previously stood a world of green, brown and light, there was now nothing but dark tree trunks, shadows and dark bushes. A moon-like circle could be seen shining through leaves, and tall shadowed pines were stretching up, pointing at the dark sky.
At night, just like during the day, you could catch many scents : rotting leaves, pine needles, fresh air, earthy fungus, tree sap and moss. However, unlike day, at night, the scents seemed to become less pronounced… perhaps it was because of the cold air ?
Apart of scents and appearance, the sounds were also different : we could hear the wind slipping through leaves, creaking tree trunks, the flutter of wings (the two women instantly thought of Owls or Bats), the soft rustling of the grass. However, they could also hear the sounds of living beings such as howling and/or hooting.
However, the most prominent sound you could hear otherwise was silence… not a dead silence but silence regardless.
But then…
"How are your wounds ?" a feminine voice asked suddenly, breaking the silence echoing in the air.
"They are better ! We were lucky to find some Pine Sap on our way here..." another feminine voice answered the first one with a sigh of relief.
"I'm impressed by your knowledge… I didn't even know that Pine Sap could be used this way..."
"At Beacon, there were survival courses… I never thought all those lessons would come in handy !"
The voices belonged to the only 'human' beings in the area : Summer Rose and the Queen of Grimm herself, Salem.
The two of them were currently inside a small cave-like hole created by the roots of a large oak tree. They had walked for a long time, maybe hours, and, just as dusk was slowly turning into night, they had found this perfect hiding place. It was deep enough to hide inside in case there was something big out there and it would also keep them away from the slight cold air.
During their little journey, Summer had found some pine sap and, under Salem's confused but curious red eyes, the Huntress applied the sap on her wounds. When the Queen of Grimm asked her companion about what she was going, Summer explained to her that can act as a barrier between the wound and outside bacteria and debris. Pine Sap could also be used as glue, candles or fire starting… but it could also be used for making turpentine for coating objects.
Salem had been intrigued by this and had listened with interest and curiosity, absorbing the information like a sponge. Look like, even after millenniums of existence, she was still able to learn something new !
After that, when they noticed how everything around them was turning darker because of the coming night, they resumed their search in a good place for the night.
And they found it near a beautiful clearing… in the form of a cave created by the roots of a massive oak tree. Seeing it as a perfect place, they made camp with Salem using her magic to create a little fire to warm them. However, while they did found a good place for the night, the two of them were still on edge, their eyes eying the outside of the cave with apprehension mixed with wariness.
Why ?
Because everyone knows that night was the most dangerous time of the day... and their senses were on high alert because they were in a clearly hostile and dangerous environment. And, judging from the three winged snakes they had met earlier, it was sure to think that they haven't seen the worse creatures of this strange new world.
To make their camp safer, Salem decided to stay awake to stand guard. Summer had protested, saying that the Queen of Grimm should also sleep as it wasn't healthy to stay awake for a long period of time. Of course, while Salem was touched by how much Summer cared for her well-being despite the fact they were not long ago enemies, the Queen of Grimm had explained her point of view.
Firstly, she was immortal, so a night or two of lack of sleep will not do her any harm. Secondly, Summer needed her sleep more than her as the Huntress was still pretty exhausted by not only from their battle, but also the other things that happened afterwards… aka the tunnels, the escape of the snakes and the forest trip. Thirdly, Summer was unarmed, so helpless against any creatures out there… unlike Salem who had her magic.
Summer had reluctantly accepted this explanation, but still pouted in disappointment… which amused her companion greatly. But then, Summer's pout disappeared to turn into… sorrow ?
"Summer ? Is something the matter ?" the Queen of Grimm asked her with slight concern.
"I was taking of my daughters… and my husband… I miss them..." the Huntress answered in a really soft tone.
Salem looked at her companion with sympathy and gently, she reached forward to put a hand on Summer's knee, squeezing it in a comforting gesture.
"You will be with them, Summer… I promise…" she said to the other woman with a look of determination shining in her red eyes.
The Huntress blinked at this, taken aback by the action, but soon, she smiled back at the woman who had been her enemy not long ago.
"Thank you, Salem… It means a lot to me..." Summer began to say before adding
"But first, we have to find a way to leave this place…"
"I agree with you on that..." Salem retorted with a nod.
But then, just as silence settled between them, a sound caught their attention, putting them on alert : the sounds of footsteps. It was faint but it was clearly loud enough to be noticed. Narrowing her eyes, Salem silently stepped out of their hiding place, looking toward where the sound came from before freezing.
"Salem ? What is it ?" Summer asked her in concern, having noticed her companion freezing on the spot.
However, the Queen of Grimm didn't answered her companion's question as her red eyes were still looking at something. Narrowing her eyes with suspicion and confusion mixed, the Huntress slowly went back on her feet before approaching her companion to see what had surprised her like that.
When she followed Salem's eyes, Summer found herself freezing in surprise and awe at what her silver eyes caught.
Standing away from them, there were strange creatures and the two women watched them with interest and curiosity as they looked like nothing they knew. The beasts had smooth, pale grey skins, and four spindly legs that ended in large flat webbed feet. The creatures also had very long necks and bulging blue eyes that sat on the top of their heads.
They were kinda cute to look at… even Salem couldn't help herself from smiling a bit at the sight of those big eyed creatures.
But what shocked them the most was what those creatures were doing : they were dancing ! Standing on their hind legs, they were performing complicated moves (which was shocking for an animal) and the two women found themselves entranced by the scene taking place before them.
It was clearly a sight to behold.
"Its beautiful… " Summer mumbled in awe, unable to look away from the rather unexpected dance.
At this moment, she wished that her daughters and husband were also there to witness this.
"I find myself speechless..." Salem mumbled with shock and awe with her red eyes locked on the gray creatures.
Never in her life, she had seen something like this… but she will never forget it as it was a very beautiful sight.
But then, the gray creatures stopped their dances, looking fearful for a moment before rushing back toward the forest with cries of fear. IN a few seconds, they were no more in the clearing. Summer and Salem were taken aback by how fast they disappeared but then, wondered what could have scared them.
Their answer came barely a second later.
"Look !" Summer said while pointing at the sky.
Salem glanced up before gasping in shock by what she saw : a flock of winged creatures were approaching them !
"Quick ! Hide !" the Queen of Grimm said while she and her companion went to hid behind some trees, their heads poked out to stare at the coming creatures.
Their shock grew when they saw them landing in the middle of the clearing.
"Are those...horses ?" Summer asked her companion in a whisper.
Indeed, the creatures looked like horses but with bony figures, dragon-like faces, white, glittering eyes lacking pupils, bat-like wings . Their fleshless bodies seemed to be covered with a strange translucent and glossy coat. The bones could be seen, through their sleek bodies. They had long black manes, a large tail (some had flowing black hair, like horses, but others had tuft at the tip). But the two women also saw that those creatures had sharp fangs.
"What the hell are those things ?!" Summer asked her companion with wide eyes of shock, awe and slight fear.
"I-I-I don't know !" Salem retorted back with an equal expression on her pale face.
This place was getting weirder and weirder by the minutes : winged snakes , cute gray creatures with large eyes and now, dark skeletal winged horses !
What will it be next ?!
Dragons ?!
Unicorns ?!
Fairies ?!
Shaking her head to regain her senses (and maybe to stop trying to tempt Fate), the Queen of Grimm looked back at the dark winged horse-like creatures in the clearing. Those creatures were just standing there, looking around as if looking for something.
"What should we do ?" Summer asked her companion in a whisper, a bit bothered and wary of those new creatures.
Despite being horses, they did not look friendly at all : they gave off a sinister vibe that sent shivers down her spine. Even Salem could feel it and internally, it surprised her that such creatures would make her feel this way as nothing managed to do it before now.
"We stay calm and go back to where we came from..." the Queen of Grimm answered carefully back while not looking away from the dark winged horses. Right now, they seemed to communicate with one another and their cries sounded strangely like shrills or screeches.
Nodding back at her in silent agreement, the two women then slowly backed away while not looking away from the skeletal winged horses, still unaware of their presences. But then, a loud crack echoed in the air, causing both women to freeze on the spot. Salem looked at where it came from and saw Summer looking guilty and annoyed as she looked at her feet for some reasons. Following her gaze, the Queen of Grimm understood what happened : her companion had stepped on a dead branch on the floor.
However, they quickly looked away from the dead branch to look at the winged horses… whose heads were now turned toward them, their glittering eyes locked on them. For a moment, nothing happened as the two parties stared at one another… but then, the creatures screeched loudly, looking agitated.
The two women flinched at the sound, covering their ears because of how loud it was, before looking back at them… only to widen their eyes when they saw the dark horses rushing toward them !
"RUN !" Salem screamed at Summer before summoning her magic to defend herself.
Summer, who wanted to object, remembered her current state (aka weaponless, wounded and exhausted) and nodded at her companion before heading as quickly as she could toward their hiding place… which thankfully was too small for the dark horses to enter.
But before she enter it, the silver eyed Huntress turned her head to look at her companion : she was standing alone before several of those creatures and was blocking them with some fire. It seemed to do the trick as the skeletal beings screeched in panic while stepping back from the fire.
However, Summer noticed something strange : the creatures were entirely focused on Salem… none of them looked at her, nor where she was. They were dead set on Salem for some reason…
Frowning, she wondered why and then, a hypothesis crossed her mind : What if those beasts thought that Salem was a threat to them ? It would explain why they were attacking her.
"SALEM ! I THINK I KNOW WHY THEY ARE ATTACKING US !" Summer cried out to the Queen of Grimm after a moment of reflexion.
"WHAT IS IT ?" Salem asked her back, briefly looking at her companion before focusing back on the winged skeletal horses when one of them tried to attack her… only to step back after she unleashed a beam of fire at its hooves.
"They probably think you are a threat !" The Huntress retorted back in a calm tone as she stepped closer.
"Summer ! What are you doing ?" the Queen of Grimm asked her companion with shock and concern when she saw her approaching the dark beasts.
"Seeing if my theory is correct..." Summer said calmly while slowly approaching one of those dark Horses, a strong looking one who radiated confidence and strength, probably the leader of the herd.
The beast was calm and its eyes seemed to follow the Huntress's moves, but it didn't try to attack her or back away, which confused and shock Salem a bit.
"It's okay… we are not your enemies… We will not harm you or your herd..." Summer whispered gently to the beast while slowly reached forward with a hand.
The skeletal creature pulled its head back for a moment before slowly moving it back where it was, allowing Summer to pet its snout, much to the shock of Salem who watched the scene with disbelief.
Summer, her, was smiling tenderly as she petted the creature before shooting a triumphant look at her bewildered companion, saying
"See ? They are nicer than they look…"
"Then, why did they attack me ?" Salem asked her with a frown while slowly releasing her fire.
"I think they saw you as a threat to them…" the Huntress answered back calmly while still petting the beast's snout.
"Then, how can we change that ?" The Queen of Grimm asked her warily while glancing sideway at the other creatures, who stopped trying to attack her to instead stare at her with their glittering eyes.
It was kind of creepy in her opinion… but she would bear it if it mean not being attacked again.
"Come closer..." Summer said to her while using a hand to gesture her to do as she said.
With a frown and a sigh, Salem did just that and slowly, she approached her companion and the dark creature, all the while trying to ignore the way the other beasts were following her every moves, like hawks. Soon enough, she was standing near her companion, facing the dark creature, whose gaze were now entirely on her, as if glaring at her.
"Its okay… she is a friend… she won't hurt you~" Summer cooed at the creature who seemed to calm down a bit, but was still staring at Salem with inquisitive eyes.
Looking back at a stunned looking Queen of Grimm, the Huntress then gently opened her mouth to say "Try to pet him… Its skin is smooth…and it might help them trust you..."
Salem shot a look toward her companion before slowly extending her left hand toward the dark skeletal winged horse in front of her. The beast looked at the pale hand for a few seconds before slowly pushing its head forward.
The Queen of Grimm was amazed by how smooth the skin was despite the leathery-like texture but soon smiled as she realized that the beast was no longer trying to attack her… while also noticing that its herd seemed to calm down completely.
"See ? She is not a threat to you or your herd~" Summer cooed tenderly at the beast who slowly pulled its head back before snorting in what could be described as agreement.
Around them, the other dark horses stopped looking at them to, instead, do whatever they wanted : be it just laying around to relax, running around or standing there to receive some petting.
Looking at the dark creatures for a moment as they made themselves comfortable despite their presences, Salem and Summer then exchanged a smile : maybe this new world wasn't entirely not that dangerous as they thought, after all.
For the next hour (take or give a few minutes), the two would enjoy their times with the dark skeletal horses before the herd left. Once they were gone, the two women returned into the cave to have a good night of sleep, wondering what tomorrow will surprise them with !
However, while her companion fell asleep, her exhaustion having taken over her body, Salem was still thinking about what Summer said earlier
"She is a friend..." the Huntress had said to the leader of the dark horses.
"A friend..." The Queen of Grimm whispered to herself as she pressed a hand against her chest, where her heart was.
A warm feeling was spreading through her body at the memory of those words being said about her and she couldn't help, but smiling warmly toward the sleeping form of Summer Rose.
"Sleep well… my friend..." Salem whispered back with a smile before slowly allowing sleep to take her.
Unaware that a smile had appeared on Summer's sleeping face once those words were said.
But what the both of them didn't know, was that tomorrow, their life would change drastically.
(To be continued…)