After Arthur had declared his intentions to the telepathic pack of wolves, they all glared at him. Not at him, but through him, into his soul in a way that felt all too invasive. It's like they were looking into him, reading over his every though, his every memory, knowing him in all of its entirety. It felt as if his mind was correlating its contents with the rest of the universe and all that it knew, and this was a feeling that scared him. They knew his intentions by now, after looking as deeply into his soul like that. Arthur couldn't help but shiver after the ordeal, he had no fucking clue what had just happened beyond being looked into like a book. To be completely honest, Arthur almost felt violated by what they had just done. Nobody would want to feel like somebody knew their entirety as a person from their memories, thoughts and desires. Nobody should have that power. And yet, a random pack of fucking wolves had that power. It made him wonder what that Amelia girl had gotten herself into, that she had come into contact with these creatures and that they were protecting her for some reason.
Where these creatures druids perhaps? They came in many forms, and it was surely something to be considered. For one, they seemed entirely too protective of the forest and all of its inhabitants. They seemed capable of communication, which pointed towards something magical. Another thing that pointed towards them being a druid would be the shapeshifting, taking the form of any animal necessary if it means the capability to protect their land. It would make sense, then, the situation Amanda had found herself caught up in. Probably by accident, she had gotten messed up in some sort of druidic cult and was being abducted into its rank. If Arthur had to guess, it was the boyfriend that had gotten her into the cult in the first place. Hell, it was entirely possible that the boyfriend was one of the wolves in front of her having shapeshifted prior. This was giving him a headache, why couldn't it have just been a simple search and rescue, not some mind-altering wolves. If it weren't for those particular breed of canines, this job would have been over already. Arthur couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt over the fact that her mother was probably worried by sick at this point, wondering what was taking so long. He'd find her though, he had to. If he gave up because of a bunch of freaky wolves, he had no business being what amounted to a benevolent mercenary.
Arthur stared down the leader of the pack.
"Alright, what did you see, then? If you've looked into my soul, have you seen my true intentions with Amanda? I don't see the need to plead if you've already looked into my mind and all of its contents. Please, just let me through. I know you can see how much her mother is hurting right now. If not for her mother, do it for Amanda. She probably has no clue how she got into this mess, and her boyfriend, or whatever, got her into it."
It was like they understood every word that came out of his mouth, faces and snouts reacting with interest at every syllable. This was actually quite possible, given the circumstance he found himself in. If they could speak to him, they could almost definitely understand him. A terrifying seed of doubt formed in his mind. What if this was some type of set-up? A trap meant to sacrifice him to whatever these creatures actually were. It was a clever thing, if its explanation was a setup. Arthur stopped the train of thought from descending down that road. He couldn't afford to think like that right now. Right now, he had to focus on getting past the wolves and getting Amanda home to her mother.
Another wolf came forward. Its demeanor was different than the harsh bristling of the ones before. It held a symbol between its eyes, one that glowed blue in the moonlight. He couldn't tell what the symbol was, but it appeared somewhat lunar in nature. Its coat was snow-white, a marvel for a wolf living in the arguably filthy wilds. Maybe somebody was tending to the wolves, keeping them fed. Not a train of thought for today though, he could consider all of this at a later time, when time wasn't of the utmost essence.
Follow me. The wolf spoke into Arthur's mind, rattling his senses with its all-encompassing nature.
Doing as he was told, Arthur kept on the wolf's tail as it lead him away from the pack and into the forest. Part of him didn't particularly trust the white wolf, but it's not as if he really had a choice. The woods was dark now, almost pitch-black, there would be no finding his way out without using his magic and alerting anyone with sense in the area. That would not be preferable, but it was an option if it came to that. He had to admit, though, that this entire situation was interesting. Never did he think, upon taking the job, that it would lead to him being guided through the forest by some type of nature avatar.
A few minutes of guidance later, balls of blue light became visible in the forest's total darkness. Orbs of brilliant flowers lit the way as their unnatural brilliance lit the air like fireflies. It was magical, in a way, how the flowers produced light not unlike a lacrima. The vegetation was bigger here, too, oversized in a way that was almost intimidating. The air in this part of the forest was charged in magic, and everything was cast in a spiritual blue from the blooming light-flowers. Suddenly, the forest came upon a small clearing in which the blue fairy lights were concentrated. Resting in a field of flowers, the two teenagers were sleeping peacefully. Oversized toadstools grew around them, alongside equally large flowers and clovers. This part of the forest was special.
You should let them rest, for a little bit anyway. They are exhausted and deserve it.
WC: 1041 TWC: 1041
Where these creatures druids perhaps? They came in many forms, and it was surely something to be considered. For one, they seemed entirely too protective of the forest and all of its inhabitants. They seemed capable of communication, which pointed towards something magical. Another thing that pointed towards them being a druid would be the shapeshifting, taking the form of any animal necessary if it means the capability to protect their land. It would make sense, then, the situation Amanda had found herself caught up in. Probably by accident, she had gotten messed up in some sort of druidic cult and was being abducted into its rank. If Arthur had to guess, it was the boyfriend that had gotten her into the cult in the first place. Hell, it was entirely possible that the boyfriend was one of the wolves in front of her having shapeshifted prior. This was giving him a headache, why couldn't it have just been a simple search and rescue, not some mind-altering wolves. If it weren't for those particular breed of canines, this job would have been over already. Arthur couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt over the fact that her mother was probably worried by sick at this point, wondering what was taking so long. He'd find her though, he had to. If he gave up because of a bunch of freaky wolves, he had no business being what amounted to a benevolent mercenary.
Arthur stared down the leader of the pack.
"Alright, what did you see, then? If you've looked into my soul, have you seen my true intentions with Amanda? I don't see the need to plead if you've already looked into my mind and all of its contents. Please, just let me through. I know you can see how much her mother is hurting right now. If not for her mother, do it for Amanda. She probably has no clue how she got into this mess, and her boyfriend, or whatever, got her into it."
It was like they understood every word that came out of his mouth, faces and snouts reacting with interest at every syllable. This was actually quite possible, given the circumstance he found himself in. If they could speak to him, they could almost definitely understand him. A terrifying seed of doubt formed in his mind. What if this was some type of set-up? A trap meant to sacrifice him to whatever these creatures actually were. It was a clever thing, if its explanation was a setup. Arthur stopped the train of thought from descending down that road. He couldn't afford to think like that right now. Right now, he had to focus on getting past the wolves and getting Amanda home to her mother.
Another wolf came forward. Its demeanor was different than the harsh bristling of the ones before. It held a symbol between its eyes, one that glowed blue in the moonlight. He couldn't tell what the symbol was, but it appeared somewhat lunar in nature. Its coat was snow-white, a marvel for a wolf living in the arguably filthy wilds. Maybe somebody was tending to the wolves, keeping them fed. Not a train of thought for today though, he could consider all of this at a later time, when time wasn't of the utmost essence.
Follow me. The wolf spoke into Arthur's mind, rattling his senses with its all-encompassing nature.
Doing as he was told, Arthur kept on the wolf's tail as it lead him away from the pack and into the forest. Part of him didn't particularly trust the white wolf, but it's not as if he really had a choice. The woods was dark now, almost pitch-black, there would be no finding his way out without using his magic and alerting anyone with sense in the area. That would not be preferable, but it was an option if it came to that. He had to admit, though, that this entire situation was interesting. Never did he think, upon taking the job, that it would lead to him being guided through the forest by some type of nature avatar.
A few minutes of guidance later, balls of blue light became visible in the forest's total darkness. Orbs of brilliant flowers lit the way as their unnatural brilliance lit the air like fireflies. It was magical, in a way, how the flowers produced light not unlike a lacrima. The vegetation was bigger here, too, oversized in a way that was almost intimidating. The air in this part of the forest was charged in magic, and everything was cast in a spiritual blue from the blooming light-flowers. Suddenly, the forest came upon a small clearing in which the blue fairy lights were concentrated. Resting in a field of flowers, the two teenagers were sleeping peacefully. Oversized toadstools grew around them, alongside equally large flowers and clovers. This part of the forest was special.
You should let them rest, for a little bit anyway. They are exhausted and deserve it.
WC: 1041 TWC: 1041
