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 in Gashea that he didn't know about?
Fyn shielded his eyes with his hand once he was close to the exit of the cave. The sudden brightness was enough to almost blind him. Instinctively, he took a step back. Once he realized there was no imminent danger, he continued to walk.
Once he reached the end of the exit, he looked up at the clouds. His feet moving on their own.
Did the demon fly away?
With his hand still hovering his forehead to block the sun, Fyn stared up at the sky, one of his eyes closed. The clouds seemed to be nearer than he had expected, they must have been higher than he thought. No one from the village had ever reached the mountains within the forest of Gashea. Deep in thought, Fyn's mind suddenly blanked when he felt a warm muscular arm wrapping around his waist.
Then he was pulled flush against a warm chest.
Flushing, Fyn froze in place. He could feel his heart hammering against his chest at the sudden contact. He had been far away from the village for as long as he could remember. The sudden closeness and interaction he did with the demon in a span of a few hours were more than the interaction he did with the villagers the entire duration of his life.
He felt warm breath brush his ear. The demon growled deeply, "Do you really wish to die after I offered you kindness again, you insufferable Mortal?!"
"What?" It surprised Fyn he even had the energy to speak. The demon's voice was already deep when he had stood a few feet away from him. Now that he was behind him, speaking directly to his ear, the voice had turned octaves deeper. It made the hairs on the back of Fyn's neck rise up dramatically. A pleasant thrill climbing up his spine. Frowning, he shook his head, Fyn muttered, "I... was looking for you."
The demon actually sounded surprised, "Why?"
"To apologize."
The arm around his waist tightened inexplicably. Fyn didn't know whether or not it would be smart to run away. He stayed frozen in place, his eyes lingering on the muscular arm that was still wrapped around him. Much like a regular human, the demon's arm had bulging veins. The only difference was he seemed warmer than a normal man. With how high up they were in the mountain, the wind had turned cold.
Fyn found himself nuzzling into the arm, finding comfort in its warmth.
"I have no need for useless words." The demon uttered behind him.
Fyn was about to reply when he felt the demon move, still with its arm around him. Confused, Fyn turned around only to be welcomed by the sight of the demon's chest. The smart side of his brain told him to look back in front and just let the demon do what it wanted, but his eyes betrayed him. It stayed lingering on the crisscrossed scars on the demon's chest.
Before he knew it, his free hand was moving, and his fingertips were grazing the scars.
The demon froze.
"Mortal," It hissed, "Remove your hand."
Fyn didn't. He boldly moved his hand across the demon's chest, his brows furrowed. Fyn often thought that demons had miraculous healing abilities and that their skin would be flawless. He was mistaken. The arm tightly coiled around him got tighter as the demon sharply inhaled. Growling lightly, a tail coiled around his hand that was on the demon's chest and stopped it from moving.
Fyn blinked to make sure he was seeing correctly.
The demon's tail was now wrapped around his hand.
"Do you really have a death wish, Mortal?"
Fyn tipped his head up to glare at the demon. Its eyes seemed to shine even a deeper shade of red. As strong as he could, Fyn snapped at him. "You keep saying that, but all I did was look for you! Was simply doing that warranted my death?"
The demon had a look of surprise on its face.
"You were not going to jump?"
Fyn frowned, "Jump? From where-"
Fyn's words died in his throat. He swiveled his head automatically to where he once stood. Goosebumps run along his arm once he saw just where he once was. He had been busy gazing up at the clouds and he wanted to slap himself for even missing it. Just outside the demon's cave was an enormous cliff. And just below it was a waterfall.
A waterfall whose mouth was directly behind Fyn's hut.
"The brides," Fyn muttered under his breath, "They fell to their death."
The demon didn't speak, instead, he continued to pull Fyn far away from the cliff. Once the demon was content with where Fyn was standing, it turned around. Spreading its wings, it bent its knees and was ready to take a flight. Except it didn't get to do that. Fyn's hand shot out, grabbing the demon's elbow, stopping it from moving.
Stiffening under his hold, the demon begrudgingly turned around to look at him.
It opened its mouth but Fyn spoke first, "You're no murderer."
"I am," The demon insisted, turning around to meet Fyn's gaze. Its face showed nothing, its eyes were cold and calculating. Shrugging its shoulders, Fyn noticed its tail not wagging anymore. It lay limply behind him. "Thousands of mortal blood is in my hands."
Fyn ignored what the demon just said, "The brides... You didn't kill them. They fell."
"I didn't warn them about this either." The demon muttered, its face growing bored. "Let go of me, Mortal. I have things to do."
Fyn continued to hold him tight.
"You didn't kill them."
"What difference does it make?" The demon chuckled darkly, its face contorting to something scary and vile. Fyn's eyes widened as the demon shook his hand away roughly. Closing the distance between them, the demon tipped his chin upward with one of his sharp claws, a sly smirk forming on its face. "Murderer, not a murderer. Tell me, does that make a difference, mortal? With all the hate your species does to things they do not understand, whether I killed those women means little. Just the mere sight of me, mortals like you wish for my imminent death."
Fyn's mouth opened, ready to defend himself and humanity when the demon cut him off. It grasped his chin tight, its long sharp nails digging into his skin, enough to draw blood. "Do not say it is not the truth, mortal. Did you not just attempt to murder me on sight moments ago? Even after the kindness I did?"
"That was different," Fyn whispered, his eyes softening. "I was afraid."
The demon let him go, its face almost telling Fyn that it was sorry for him.
"I do not wish to be the bearer of bad news, but I wish to inform you that you fear the wrong thing."
And within the blink of an eye, the demon spread its wings and flew up in the air. Leaving behind a powerful gust of wind, that almost made Fyn fall back on his bottom. Gazing upwards, Fyn watched as the demon flew across the sky, the sound of its wings echoing across the forest of Gashea.
"The master is often misunderstood."
The voice was smooth and silky, and it made Fyn squeak in place. Looking around, he tried to find where the voice came from, but the only thing he saw was nothing but rocks and trees. He was high up in the mountain, after all. He only knew of one demon living within the forests.
Had he been wrong? Was there more than one?
"Please, understand him," The voice said again. Panicking slightly, Fyn took a step back, careful not to fall down the cliff towards his death. He wouldn't want the villagers to offer another bride to the demon while he was alive and well. At least he would help spare innocent lives. "I am down here, mortal."
Blinking in surprise, Fyn looked down.
Something brushed along his ankle.
By his feet was a white scaly snake.
There was an intelligent look in the snake's eyes. Crouching down at a safe distance, Fyn pointed towards his chest, "Are you... talking to me?"
"There is no one else here," The smooth voice said again. Fyn realized the voice was actually inside his head. The snake was speaking to him telepathically. As if things weren't already strange enough. "I am talking to you, mortal."
Fyn hugged his knees to his chest, "A talking snake."
"That is right," The snake's voice echoed inside his mind again. "You do not seem surprised."
"I'm captured by a demon," Fyn pointed out. "I think nothing is more surprising than that."
The snake slithered close to him, stopping just a few steps away. Powered by bravery, Fyn moves his arm near the snake, and it slithers and rolls around his elbow up towards his shoulders. The snake speaks inside of his mind again, an intelligent gleam in its eyes once more. "The master did not capture you, you are free to leave as you choose."
"You mean, he wouldn't kill me?"
"He would not touch you, much like as he refrained from touching the others."
Fyn nodded in understanding, "The brides."
"The women," The snake said again, "For some reason, they are fearful of the master. Before the master could bring them sustenance, they had already run out of the safety of the master's cave. They fell to their deaths before the master could stop them from doing so."
The news made Fyn's sweat run cold. He already knew that the demon was not a murderer. Yet to have another being, even though it was a magical snake, say it again, made everything clearer. The forest of Gashea did not have a murderous demon roaming within the trees.
Still, he did bring them famine, drought, and disease. He was no saint.
"Who are you?" Fyn asked instead, changing the subject.
The snake moved its head, as if taking a small bow. "The name is Havu. What about you, mortal?"
"My name is Fyn," Before he could stop himself, curiosity got the best of him. "Your... master, what's the demon's name?"
The snake's voice echoed inside Fyn's mind.
"The master's name, is Kavan."
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
Fyn. A vine that carried many grapes lowered just in front of Fyn's head.By how Havu tightened around his waist, Fyn knew the smart choice would be to just accept whatever it was the forest was giving him. Scowling, he took a handful of grapes. His mouth automatically watered at the sight of the luscious fruit. With how it smelled, he knew it would be sweet and tasty. When the grape seemed to melt inside his mouth like butter, he tried his best not to moan out loud."The forest is starting to annoy me," Fyn said loudly to Havu. "Why are they forcing me to stay here?"Havu slithered off his waist and started to climb up the path towards Kavan's cave. And as if teasing him, the serpent turned its head back and darted its forked tongue out of its mouth. The same smooth voice echoes inside of Fyn's head, "It is time to go. From what I had learned, it is always the wise decision to listen to what the forest tells you. It is fu
Kavan. Kavan stared at the white flowers on top of the mortal's head.He knew damn well what the forest was implying, and he would rather face death instead of doing whatever it is they wanted him to do. It was already annoying that the mortal had to stay at his abode, but to have the forest take care of him? Gritting his teeth once more, he grabbed the crown of flowers from the mortal's head and threw it roughly on the ground.Then he grabbed the vine that wrapped itself around the mortal's waist. Shaking his head, he wrapped his hand tightly around the vine, narrowing his eyes, "Stop. I do not need this."'I do not need him.'He felt something sting in his chest. Confused, he blinked and looked down. Surprise flashed in his face once he noticed that his chest stung because the mortal was currently slapping him on the chest. The mortal's face was a deep shade of red, and Kavan tilted his head at that. He h
Fyn. Fyn pinched his arm to make sure that he wasn't seeing things.Standing just a few feet away from him are turnips. Normally, turnips wouldn't make him so dumbfounded. Occasionally, he would plant some turnips at the back of his hut and harvest them during early spring. That's why he was obviously aware of what turnips should look like, smell like, and taste like. He knew for sure that turnips weren't supposed to walk.Turnips most especially shouldn't have faces.And most of all, turnips don't talk.The turnip just a few feet away from him had not only eyes, but a mouth, and four limbs. It was standing on two legs and standing two feet tall. Fyn pinched himself again, blinking as much as he could. He gaped his mouth wide open, staring unbelievingly at the thing right in front of him. Sure, he could accept a telepathic snake, a demon with wings, antlers, and a tail, and a forest that moves all
Fyn. Fyn stood by the cave entrance, Havu around his waist again.It was close to night time and Kavan had disappeared to who knows where once more. Sighing, Fyn crossed his arms as he leaned against the cave, the cool rock seeping through his blouse. The sky had turned dark, and cool air kissed Fyn's cheek. Back when he had been outside the forest by his hut, he would have been getting ready for bed. This time, he just didn't feel comfortable sleeping on his own. For some reason, he couldn't quite explain."I apologize for the master's actions," Havu mentally told Fyn, tightening around his waist. Fyn had gone accustomed to the serpent. If he had known a few days ago that he would find himself with a snake around his waist, tightening on him, without him fearing it all, he would have not believed it. "He is not usually like this. I'm afraid he just isn't hospitable."Fyn shook his head, brushing his hands against Havu's c
Fyn. Fyn woke up that morning with the realization that the village had offered no one that night.With that thought in mind, Fyn bit his lip, looking around the cave. There was now some light coming from the entrance and as usual, Kavan was nowhere to be found. Just a few feet away from him, curled like a ball, was Havu. The serpent was not sleeping, Fyn wondered if serpents even knew how to do that. Instead, the serpent was watching him silently, and once it noticed that he was awake, it slithered from where it was laying down on and crawled up its neck, circling around him like a scarf."The master had left a few hours before your wake," Havu's voice echoed inside of Fyn's mind. "He has things to do."As carefully as he could, Fyn stretched his arms up above his head to get his blood pumping. Yawning, he rubbed his eyes and scratched his belly, "Don't worry, Havu. I'm getting used to not having him around. Plus, you're
Fyn. Days turned to weeks.Despite that, the village of Gashea offered no new brides.Fyn couldn't help but both be thankful and worried about it. Everything seemed alright and fine, and Fyn couldn't help but think if it was just the calm before a tremendous storm. That was how it usually turned out for him, after all. Over the next few weeks, he had found solace within the community of Næps inside the forest. As much as he could, he would go to where they were and help them.He often taught the little Næps about herbs, how to consume them, and just what would work with them. He taught them about the poisonous ones and the healthy ones. That was how he usually spent his days within the forest."What about this, Fyn?" One of the Næps asked. "What should I do with this?"Fyn grabbed the herb from the Næp and carefully sniffed the colorful herb. The aroma immediately hit him and he smiled
Fyn. Fyn woke up pressed against a certain demon's chest.Surprised, Fyn opened his eyes immediately awoke but froze once he realized Kavan was still there in front of him. Usually, Kavan would have left by now. During the mornings, he would do rounds around the forest, checking and looking for those that would need his help.It had been cold recently and there was only one place to sleep in Kavan's cave. During the night, when Fyn and Havu had already fallen asleep, Kavan would silently slip next to them. He would wordlessly wrap his wings around Fyn and the serpent, making sure they were warm, even in their sleep. Sheltering them quietly. Fyn always notices when Kavan would rest beside them, but he would never speak out on it.He relished the warmth. Fyn always had the best sleep when Kavan was next to him. Not that it mattered since usually, Kavan would leave in the morning. Except for this time, he woke up before the d