Fyn.
"That was a terribly long slumber."
Fyn rubbed his eyes, blinking warily as light invaded his vision. Slowly, he pushed himself up, confused. There was something heavy on his chest and when he tipped his head down, he saw Havu, curled in a ball on top of his chest. The serpent lifted its head, tilting it as if bowing and darted its forked tongue out.
"Hello, Fyn," the serpent's voice echoed inside his head. "That was a terribly long slumber."
Fyn pushed himself up, carefully placing Havu down on his lap.
"What happened?"
Havu met his gaze, tilting its head to the side. As if in a trance, Havu crawled off his chest and walked towards the entrance of Kavan's cave. Running his hand through his hair, Fyn pushed himself up, stretching his arms up in the air to get his blood pumping. A groan escaped his lips when he stretched too far up, a pain erupting on his side.
Furrowing his brows, he
Kavan.Kavan lifted his head, just in time to see Fyn enter the cave.As expected, he was carrying more baskets full of fruits and vegetables. Fyn took a deep breath and leaned down, dropping all the baskets he was carrying in one swift motion. He then wiped the sweat that dripped from his forehead with the back of his hand, "They just won't listen to me." "Have you told them?" "Countless times!" Fyn muttered, crossing his arms against his chest. "I told them that there's more than enough food here, but they still keep on leaving these on the edge of the forest." Kavan chuckled. He closed the distance between the two of them, curling his arm around Fyn's waist. As usual, Fyn blushed, averting his gaze. Tilting his head, Kavan gripped his chin with his fingers and brushed his lips along with the man that he loved. "How is her daughter?" Fyn's eyes twinkled. "She's almost ten now. It's really strange when I think
Fyn. Ever since he was young, Fyn knew the forest is a terrifying place. And if he were being honest with himself, he, together with the other townsfolk of Gashea, feared almost everything. The forest of Gashea was large, dark, and primal. Cottonwood, oak, and rowan marked its canopy, their crowns so lush and thick that even short beams of light had a hard time to descend for bright saplings to burst from the boulder-covered grounds below. Curling climbing plants drooped from many trees. There were neither flowers nor trees that bear fruit, there were only just thorny vines and poisonous herbs. Added to the sounds of the occasional splashes of frogs jumping in the nearby lake during the night, foraging beasts, those of which brought fear to the townsfolk caused a cacophony of animal noises. On the light side of a forest was the small, quiet town of Gashea. The township itself looks rough. With its meta
Fyn. Built over centuries ago, the metal concave mirror in the middle of the town of Gashea, had always been used to light the torch with the sun's rays. The fire from the torch acted as a reminder of the struggles and sacrifices of the women who the townsfolk had chosen as the bride of the demon. It had been a constant reminder of how easily life can turn for the worst, as it has for the people in the past. Traditionally, the choosing would happen in the morning. In the village square, the townsfolk would adorn the hair of the next demon's bride with white baby's breath flowers. They would have the bride walk from up the wooden platform where the metal concave mirror was placed and have them light the torch. When the flame lights, the bride holds the torch up high for all to see, to symbolize her bravery in facing the demon for the betterment of everyone. When night falls, the townsfolk would place a brown cloak on the demon's bride
Fyn. Panic took over Fyn's mind the exact moment an old woman placed the very same macabre flower crown he had associated with death on top of his head. Thoughts of the endless pain he would experience once he reached the woods crept up in his mind. What if he never got to see the dawn break? What if the demon decided he wanted his death a few steps into his domain? Wave after wave of anxiety kept coming, and Fyn tried his hardest to stop his tears from falling. Desperate for some form of relief, he sought every solution. Ignoring it, working through it, using it to fuel his strength. But nothing seemed to work. He even repeated the same rhyme that often brought him comfort, but right now, it was nothing but a jumbled collection of letters. He closed his eyes and relaxed his muscles. He took a deep breath, and then another. When he opened his eyes again, an old woman was looking at him with a worried expression. "Don't run away now,"
Fyn. Two jagged antlers that seemed to be as thick as leather rested neatly on the demon's forehead.Fyn had been too busy ogling at the demon's attractive form that he missed this. Of course, he thought, He was a demon. He could choose any form he wanted. Why would he settle on something monstrous when he could look like a god?Fyn's eyes fall on the demon's chest. There were markings, symbols Fyn couldn't quite decipher on it. They were dark, smoking, and even seemed to glow. The demon took a step forward, making Fyn jolt in place. Almost immediately, he felt his heart beat against his chest, his arms raised up in defense purely by instinct. The demon tilts its head at Fyn's action, and Fyn swore he saw something akin to curiosity flicker in them.Again, the demon walked towards him, its muscular legs carrying his demonic body with such a calm aura that if Fyn hadn't known it was the demon in front of h
Fyn. Fyn looked up at the demon's eyes as it pressed the jagged rock he was clutching near its throat.Gritting his teeth once more, he clenched his jaw and his fist along the hard rock. This was an opportunity, wasn't it? Fyn was familiar with hunting, even though he rarely did it. He once hunted for small game, like rabbits, fawns, and sometimes even boars.He knew that a slice to the jugular would mean immediate death.And if he were to grab this opportunity, then that would mean the village of Gashea wouldn't experience any more misfortune under the hands of some malevolent demon.Still, as he looked at the demon's eyes, Fyn felt like something was wrong. A powerful demon such as the one that was in front of him surely wouldn't look like they were ready to embrace death. Surely, even demons could feel fear. The demon's eyes looked welcoming, like it was waiting for Fyn to just kill him. He already felt as if the
Fyn. Fyn didn't know how long he stared at the demon, but it was probably long enough that the demon got tired and left him there, gawking.If he had been red before, he knew that his face probably turned a deep shade of red enough to consider him a tomato. Had the demon actually brought him something to eat? Surely not. Still, if the demon didn't eat fruits, why would he bring a wide variation of them? Did the demon usually feed his captives before killing them? Nothing made sense.Blinking after a long while, Fyn followed the direction of where the demon had gone to. The cave system was dark, but he could hear the demon's wings flapping as he walked. He might still be near. Taking a deep breath, Fyn placed the fruit back inside the rucksack and placed the entire thing near one of the walls. After he secured it, he combed his hand through his hair and slowly walked towards where the demon was.Was there a different demon
Fyn. It was dark out when Kavan returned.Havu had nestled himself comfortably around Fyn's shoulders. They were leaning against the entrance of the cave, waiting for Kavan's return. Kavan landed safely by the cliffside, kneeling as he drew back his wings back inside his skin. The whole scenario felt bizarre, but Kavan did it magnificently. Once his wings were perfectly back inside his skin, he turned around and stopped in place.Kavan's eyes fell on Havu, and it narrowed slightly at the sight. With a growl, Kavan grits his teeth, "Havu, why are you on the mortal's shoulders?"The snake slithered off Fyn's shoulders and went towards Kavan. Crouching down, Kavan extended his arm towards the snake. Fyn watched as the snake round around the demon's arm, nestling just above his head, hanging off his antlers. Kavan stared at the snake's eyes, and Fyn knew they were sharing a silent conversation. With a stiff nod, Kavan's gaze f