Dynavwryn (chapter 3)
Chapter 3
It seemed like seven lifetimes. Floating lifelessly in an abyss known only to me. I felt like I was in my mothers' womb again. I felt warm, I felt secure... I felt safe. My existence on this planet has been short and I already hope for an escape from it. I wanted to reside in this bliss for how ever long an eternity would last. Happiness always came at a cost for me. In this stupor my body grew, but I remained with the mentality of a baby fur; eyes first opened to the world and scared of every little thing. But in this delusion I hadn't a worry about what ailments came about, I was happy.
After a while with my thoughts I discovered that I wasn't alone. I noticed that my intelligence was increasing exponentially. My vocabulary was increasing along with my capability of logical thinking. And I soon realized that Triest was educating me, although I couldn't see him - I could only see black- but I could hear his voice, and he was educating me. He told me stories of his past, magical tales of how he has slain dragons and other mythical creatures. He told me why the creatures from hell, coupled with the dragon, were after him: " young one, I can't tell you much right now, but what I can tell you might make you understand why I had to put you to sleep... we didn't meet by chance young one, and there are forces that don't want me guiding you. Forces that would stop at nothing to destroy you, before you have a chance to destroy them. The elders of the lost land have charged me with the task of guiding you. So I put you to sleep young one, because you aren't ready to fight yet."
Eventually I gradually started to wake up. I slowly became aware of my surroundings. I could smell that I was in a forest, but it didn't smell the same as the forest I was born in. I could hear the leaves on the treetops rustle in the wind. The overall atmosphere of the forest was melancholy at best, there were no animals to bask in its serene beauty, and thus, it was dying inside from this pensive loneliness.
Finally I snapped out of my hibernation. I hadn't seemed like I had woken up, due to the fact that the forest was as dark as my sleep was. I stumbled around the underbrush a while until I came across a path. Along this path were patches of mushrooms, illuminated with what seemed to be the essence of life itself. The soft green glow, induced a great euphoria upon the first glance. The mushrooms were the only source of light in this forest, and the darkness coupled with the feeling of loneliness, made me feel at peace. I decided to walk along the path. After about a mile of walking, the path turned into a hill, at the top of a hill I could barely see a stone structure. Something compelled me to discover what that structure was, so I walked up the hill. To my surprise It was a stone mansion. The windows were shattered and there was ivy branches growing up the side. The mansion was decrepit and solemn in all of its dying beauty. My ears flickered and I turned around and looked up into the sky, it was starting to snow. I looked back at the mansion and noticed the front door was open slightly, so I decided to take residence in this mansion until the snow died down. On the second floor there was a nursery, with a crib, a nightlight, and various toys inside. Looking around the upper floor I discovered that the crib was the only bed, "at least I have a bed to sleep in" I said with a sigh... I lived in this mansion for a year, I don't know why, but it seemed that something didn't want me to leave, until one night, I head Triest talking to me in my sleep:
"this is not your average forest young one. The forest is alive, it feels, it lives, and it protects. The mushrooms, show the mood of the forest. When they don't glow, it means the forest is lonely, but when they glow, it means the forest is content, and the forest doesn't want you to leave." Over that year I had collected and read many books that I had found inside the mansion., although most of them were baby books, with whimsical illustrations and simple storylines, one book made my residency worth it. In the basement I found a tattered spell book behind a locked door -which I had to break open-. Some of the spells were basic: invisibility, fireballs, etc. but I did teach myself how to teleport, thinking it might be useful.
My stay in the forest was pleasurable at best, but one September day my residency would come to a close. The sun had set and the forest was still visible with the twilight. I was looking for dinner and I found a rabbit to chase. The rabbit lead me to a path outside of the forest and stopped chasing it because I almost ran into a black bear. 'damn' I whispered as the rabbit ran back into the woods.
"Hiya little wolf" said the bear "do you have a name". I tilted my head. "yeah... my name is....Dynavwryn". the bear leaned forward and scritched me "my name is midnight" "do you have a home" midnight asked curiously. I pointed to the now dark forest, "I live in the forest". ""isn't that a bit scary?" Midnight said wondering. I stood up and was eye level with Midnight "nah I like the darkness." "you must be very brave "Midnight said, patting me on the head "your a very friendly wolf" he smiled happily. He seemed abnormally happy. "do you have a mommy and daddy?" Midnight asked inquisitively. Remembering my mother I lowered my head and sighed "no." "aww you poor thing..."Midnight said "so who takes care of you?" Midnight asked hugging me. "I take care of myself" I retorted. "well would you like me to take care of you" midnight said with a smile. (to this day I don't understand how midnight was so happy) "I don't know" I replied, looking off into the distance. ""well I would be glade to adopt you" Midnight said happily "I could be your new daddy" Midnight said nicely. "but I like the seclusion" I chirped. "don't you get lonely?" Midnight said sighing. "sometimes, but I have books and toys to take my mind away form such feelings." "I know the feeling" Midnight said smiling. "well if your ever lonely or you want a home come down the road to my house" Midnight said with a smile "I take care of other ones like you who have no home "Midnight said nicely. My stomach growled and I nodded "but only for a little while, the forest will miss me." Midnight smiled and we walked down the road.
We walked about a mile or two and arrived upon a small farm house "we're here!" Midnight chimed as he opened the door. A dark blue bear cub ran up to midnight and hugged his leg "I missed you daddy" the cub said. I looked at the cub. "daddy, Starsky went to sleep." Midnight looked at me "Dynavwryn this is Some" "Some, Dynavwryn he has come to visit us" Midnight said happily. I waved and looked around the room "how quaint" I whispered to myself.
"hello Dynavwryn!" Some said shaking my paw. I tilted my head and looked a Some "you're.... interesting." He smiled "I am" he giggled happily as he smiled sweetly. All this...happiness. It was unnatural. It felt like they were covering something up. The room vibrated with negative energy, but they were happy! It baffled me as to how they could act this way. The spiritual pressure was so thick that I could barely breath. I had to get out of that house.
"well don't just stand there come in" Midnight said happily. I almost choked "...midnight, can I show you something?" ""sure you may" Midnight said smiling happily. "ok...grab my paw" I said, having noticeable breathing problems. When midnight grabbed my paw I closed my eyes. A white light emanated from my core and engulfed me, spread up Midnight's arm and engulfed him. We both disappeared from the house and reappeared in the forest, on the path were I first saw the mushrooms.
I collapsed onto my paws and knees, breathing deeply. " you see this path?" I asked after I caught my breath. "I do" Midnight replied curiously "what's with the mushrooms?" "they light the way, but don't eat them, they are poisonous." "we have to walk up this path" I said pointing in the direction of my mansion. We started walking and soon arrived upon my mansion "this is were I live" I said proudly. Midnight was deep in thought as he looked at the house all busted up "may I go inside? "Midnight said softly. "please come in" I said. I ran up the railing of a fallen staircase and leaped over and 8 foot gap the top of the stairs. "want to see my room?" I asked delightfully. Midnight nodded and jumped up the stairs. We walked down the hallway and turned a corner. We past a doorway that you can see the backyard and the kitchen due to the fact that the back half of the mansion had collapsed. (I went on a rampage and collapsed half of the building, but I won't spoil it for you). We walked into the nursery and I turned to Midnight "this stuff was here when I found the mansion."
Midnight gulped and sniffed "it smells like baby powder in here... do you like living here?" I picked up some teething keys and put them in my maw, taking them out shortly to reply "it suffices." "you have a great vocabulary for someone as young as you" he said smiling as he took the keys out of my maw.
I explained to him that I have been alive for 700 years and that a wizard mentors me. : "well I don't see why you don't come live with us..."Midnight said smiling .(that damn smile). Why live alone if you can be with someone who cares for you?" Midnight said happily. "I don't have anyone to take care of me and frankly, I don't want to, people usually drag me down." I said as I walked to the window and looked deeply into the forest. My stomach growled again, "I'm going to the kitchen" I said whilst leaving the room. I stopped at the top of the staircase and up pest the hole in the ceiling. "it's starting to snow" I said to myself. Midnight looked around the room as he saw that the paint has been scratched and ripped at. I was still looking into the fluttering frost. Midnight walked out of the room and looked at me "are you all right?" he asked as I snapped out of my trance. "I nodded and jumped down the stairs and into the kitchen and rummaged round for food, but only found some stale bread.
Midnight entered another room, seeing it was also ripped up. all of the rooms midnight entered were ripped up he sighed and went down stairs. "Dynavwryn?" midnight asked as he went over to me, still eating my stale bread. Crunching the bread I look over "yeah?" ""I want you to come live with me" Midnight said sighing, he couldn't stand how someone could live alone and in this kind of place. I swallowed the bread "why?" "I want you not to be alone...I don't know what happened in your pas but it seems like you had allot of pain...and I don't want that to happen again...Midnight said sadly. I looked at him "no really, I like it here." "it doesn't look like it" Midnight said "it seems like you never had a really family before and it seems like you don't accept being alone...but you don't show it" Midnight said. My gave turned cold and my tone turned stern "I said I am fine, I want to live here!" "how about we move in with you?" Midnight said smile a bit "we could fix up the house and all of us live in it" Midnight said nicely. I shook my head defiantly "I am a lone wolf, people would only drag me down, I have seen very depressing things in my 700 year old existence and it emanates through my behavior, and your 'kids' are too pure to be exposed to this level of corruption."
I went over to my water bowl, which fills up through the drops coming from the ceiling. I drank. I turned to him, and asked with irritation in my voice ,"why do you care anyway, if I hadn't been on the path outside of the forest in the first place you wouldn't know about me, if I hadn't been hunting the rabbit which lead me to the path, I wouldn't have the be interrogated with such intrusive questions?" "I know how it feels to be all alone...I myself was alone for a very long time...it hurt me but I never showed it but when I had someone show me how much that other people did care it showed that I really was hurting and only needed someone to be with me" Midnight said. I just stood there looking at him.
"sir I scoff at this conjecture, no one knows the level of isolation I have felt, to be alone inside a void for seven hundred years with nothing but my thoughts. it has taught me that people only hurt you in the end, a human killed my mother, a human tried to protect me, a human put me into a virtual coma and left me alone and confused, so don't talk to me about loneliness"
"well I'm no human, and things change over time, there are people who have been threw the same thing you have and only want to help" Midnight said "even my kids want to but you did not even give them a chance" Midnight said.
"did I ever ask for help? if I truly wanted to be saved I would ask for help, now if you excuse me, I have to go foraging " I pointed to a damaged cabinet, "I have ran out of food." I jumped out the window and ran deep into the forest to find berries and herbs.
Midnight went threw the rooms in the first floor, he saw pictures of 'family's' smiling happy together "your wrong..."Midnight said sadly as he looked threw the house finding scratch marks everywhere. photos ripped up and other pictures of families and friends. I found my basket by a blueberry bush and started harvesting it. Midnight continues to look threw the house "I need to find some clue that will convince him..."midnight thought. I harvested some mulberries and I took the leaves from the bush. I chased a rabbit and killed it and then went to a river were I had some glass bottle sitting at the bank and got some water.
Midnight heads upstairs and he goes into my room again, it was odd walking into it again he could almost see images of me playing alone as he throws a book out the window angrily. I returned to the mansion and put my foodstuffs by the old fire pit in the back yard, I noticed a book fly out of an upstairs window and yelled to Midnight "what book was that?" no response. "it's okay it was probably just some children's book I have read 200 times."
Midnight saw more images of me being alone as he enters each room. I start a fire in the pit and pour the water into a pot and hang it over the fire to boil. Midnight saw images from the past when the room was fixed and not broken, he watched me destroy everything. I hum to myself as I shred the muscle from the rabbit and place it on a pan and begin to cook the meat as the water starts to simmer. I added the berries to the water and go to the garden and pull some potatoes and carrots from the ground and cuts them up after cleaning them with the remaining water. Midnight picked up my spell book and began to flip threw it and read it, going over section in it titled 'abyssus extraho' (abyssus extraho means hell dragon in Latin).
At that moment I heard Triest's voice telling me to stop Midnight, so I ran up the stairs and tackled him, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" I growled. "I'm only reading a book, now leave me alone!" he said angrily. "you have no idea what kind of power that book holds, so I have no choice..." I raised my hand and muttered to myself and Midnight collapsed (I put him under a sleeping spell.). I dragged Midnight to an old couch that was in the living room and put him on it, and went back to preparing dinner. I ground up sage and oregano that I had in my garden and seasoned the rabbit with it. I cut up the potatoes and carrots and added them to the berry water, soon after I added the rabbit and let it boil for a few moments.
When the soup was finished I took two bowls and put soup in both of them and put them on the old table in the kitchen. I went over to the sleeping body of Midnight and said a spell to wake him up. I smiled at him "hungry?" I asked. Midnight woke up as he looked towards me "what happened..."he said sleepily. "you picked up my spell book and almost opened a portal to hell, so I put you under a sleeping spell to stop possible destruction, and the spell makes you hungry, so I suggest you eat some of the soup I made. Midnight looked at me "no thanks" he said as his stomach growled. I got two spoons out of a drawer and placed them at both of our bowls "it's really good soup that someone (Triest) showed me how to make, so eat up." "no thank you." Midnight said again as he went upstairs to look around again, each time he went in a room he could see more images of me alone and frustrated. I growled and followed him upstairs, I grabbed his arm and teleported him to the kitchen, "just try it, I'm trying to show hospitality!" "I thank you for the hospitality and I am also showing you sympathy and curiosity" he smiled as he took his hand away from me and went back upstairs. I growled again and followed him, but this time blocking the doorway to a room " this is my house, I am the host, and you are being very disrespectful!" midnight ignored me and looked past me, slowly he started to speak "can...you see them?" I tilted my head "see what?" "can you see the past just from looking at this room?" midnight asked watching a smaller version of me rip the room apart and crying on the floor.
"when I meditate I can, my spiritual energy is very strong in the upper part of this mansion for some reason and I leave blueprints of my past, -I pointed down the hallway- you can see me running down the stairs giggling in the early morning - I pointed to another room - I sometimes see me chasing my tail late at night when it is thundering and lighting out -I grabbed his paw- right now you are picking up my spiritual energy that has been left behind, after a while your emotions will turn to anger as my energy mixes with yours, what say we go eat?" "I bet these haunt you..."Midnight said, picking up more images of me "these all are of you, I see you destroying every room in this house, even the photos..."midnight said depressed "not all of them are of me destroying, I see happy times of the family that used to live here, I only destroyed it up here because the family WAS haunting me." I replied, "they didn't want me here, but I got them to leave once I found a certain spell in that book."
"you forced them to leave there own home...inst that cruel?" Midnight said looking towards me. they died here long ago and their spirits stayed around, I helped them pass over" I said looking back into his eyes. "You don't force them to leave there own home if they don't want to leave" Midnight said seeing another image. "I could sense their distress, they wanted to move on, but they couldn't, they were all murdered, one of the kids came to me in my sleep asking me to help them pass over." I said as I looked down the hallway. "And what about you?" Midnight asked "I cant leave you alone..."Midnight said seeing one that he destroyed half the mansion with. "why can't you leave me?" I asked, getting annoyed. I wont..."Midnight said getting really depressed seeing more images. "lets go eat!" I said, almost shouting. I grabbed his paw. Midnight didn't respond "please leave me to my thoughts and your past..."Midnight said nicely as he took his hand away...:Midnight patted me on the head as he enters what looked to be the master bedroom he was starving as he looked at the images that he was able to see they started to get more violent more emotional.
I sighed. "since you are so obsessed with the upper portion of my house then I will just go enjoy dinner by myself, it's a pity really, I thought it might be nice to have someone accompany me for dinner, but maybe I was wrong." I left the room and jumped across the gap in the stairs and headed into the kitchen and started to eat my still warm soup
I sighed as I spun the soup in the bowl with my spoon. I looked solemnly at the empty chair across form me and put a spoonful of soup in my maw and swallowed it. Midnight continued to look for something that would convince me that I was wrong and that I needed a family, He kept looking feeling everything getting worse he gave up and went down stairs. I finished my soup and went to tend the fire, "another night of eating alone...this is why I don't want influence from people, when I want them, they don't want me." I threw the bowl deep into the forest, "why bother cleaning it?" I decided to take a walk to clear my head, I hoped that Midnight would have left in my absence. Walking along the mushroom-lit path, I said aloud to myself " why does he want me to leave so badly? I like it here." I shivered and looked up at the sky, I decided to go back to my mansion. When I returned I saw midnight sitting at the table eating from the bowl of soup I made for him.
"it is very good" Midnight said smiling. I nodded. he smiled happily "I need to get going..."Midnight said "my kids are probably worried about me unless you want them here?" Midnight said softly. "I am afraid to say this but, go be with your kids, take some of the soup, I am sure they would like it." I said, almost not wanting him to go. "I will come back tomorrow with my kids, they would enjoy it here" Midnight said smiling happily. ": I don't think that would be a good idea" I said sighing. "why wouldn't it" Midnight said with a smile "or maybe you could come over to our house if it bugs you that much" Midnight said nicely. I walked over to him and placed my paw on his shoulder "I think it is time for your departure" I said as I teleported us back to his house, then myself to the backyard of my mansion. I looked over to the fire pit and I saw Triest eating from the pot. "you make my recipe well young one." Triest said with a smile. I smiled back and walked over and sat next to him. "I don't like it here Triest, things seem...off" I said to him, looking into his eyes, waiting for him to preach his wisdom. "I don't think you are right for this time either young one, the world isn't ready for you." he raised his hand and put me back to sleep. My body fell limp, my head fell onto his shoulder. He picked me up and carried me off into the fog in the distance.