08-12-2010, 12:53 PM
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Evening was falling fast and the incoming hush was powerful. Sound by sound Ethereal Eclipse silenced itself, coordinating with fading sunlight. First the scampering of the squirrels and chipmunks up and down tree branches ceased. Then the random snapping of twigs or rustle in the underbrush was no longer heard as the smaller forest animals settled in for the night. The twittering of the birds was one of the last sounds to fade away, leaving only the chirping crickets throwing their particular song out into the darkness, but bit by bit the crickets called it quits and only the soft fall of footsteps resonated in the still forest. Nayru had ventured out of Dahlia de Mai often enough to feel comfortable with an excursion to the forest that dominated the land west of her home. The cow colored girl had also spent many nights outside of the home she shared with so many others, nestled safely in Wolfville, but always within the borders of her pack. Never had the fairy child been so far from home when the blanket of night blotted out all daylight. Her tardiness in returning to Dahlia had been accidental, she had intended to be back home and in bed by this time but the scent of a roaming bear had forced her to change course considerably, and unfamiliar with the forest this far south she had gotten more than a little lost. Nayru knew well enough to go north and east, but navigating the unfamiliar terrain by blotted out starlight was proving more of a challenge than she would have imagined. Crimson eyes widened in an effort to see clearer but the thick cover of leaves above made it nearly impossible and Nayru was forced to just move as silently and slowly as possible, her ears and nose doing all the work to alert her to anyone near by. Fear was an unfamiliar emotion to the girl, and even now what she felt couldn’t be described exactly as that, but certainly her nerves were on edge more than they had ever been since her coming to Dahlia de Mai months ago. It was the loud breaking of a branch from behind that finally caused her heart to pound in fright, and spinning quickly to face the unknown, she called out, her voice firm and brave even as her hands shook. "Who’s there?" Nayru wished now for the dagger Saluce had spoken about, but unarmed and inexperienced in self defense the best she could do was put on a brave face and hope for the best. |