The briskness of the air brushed leaf and limb alike, faint lines of moonlight pierced the colossal trees to illuminate the area. Gloam frowned at the concentration of shadows before him. The skeletal features stared down with unsettling green glowing eyes.

“This one is mine!” Gloam hissed. “I found her first! Beh' gon! and take ya foul athame with ya!” The shrouded figure glanced at Aes, who lay asleep, curled and shivering on the ground by the smoldering fire pit, then back to the sour-faced spirit. Its boney feet twitched, causing Gloam to flinch.

"Beh' Gon!" Gloam ordered once more, the spiritual flame inside the lantern brightened with his command. The hooded figure melded with the darkness. The ornate dagger along with it...

Gloam murmured as his light dimmed slightly. Aes lifted her head from sleep as the flames of the fire perked up with a pop. Sitting up, she looked beyond the hearth to the outside of the grotto. Gloam observed her behavior in silence.

"Was someone here?" She asked the spirit. "Hm?" Gloam inquired, "Sum? Naw, de'ah naw. Tis just you and I..." He answered with an ephemeral smile. "I could swear I saw...I heard you talking. I couldn't move, though. I was paralyzed!" she said, inching towards the fire to get warm. "Hm, how pe'culiar..." He responded, trailing off in thought.

"What do we do now?" Aes asked, placing small bits of debris on the fire. "Gloam...?" She insisted, he was preoccupied with something beyond. Aes crawled to his side "What are you looking at?" He didn't respond.

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Dissonant whispers fumed from the broken soil in a haze of green mist. Bits of foliage, bathed in a pulsing, radiant red hue, twisted upon themselves. Stems of all matter of vegetation stretched out with their leaves clasping like aggressive fly traps for droplets of the crimson fluid. Some breeds of plant life cannibalized others whose bodies had been unfortunate enough to be covered.

A strong gust of air pulled and pushed the carnivorous flora, streaks of dark red mist soaked into the nostrils of the wolf hound. With a deep whiff, the torn and ruptured form ignited from within it's reanimated body. Ungodly green flames sparkled with stimulation from the sweet smell of fresh human blood. It released a slow, orgasmic exhale. It's vision sharpening in the depths of the darkness. Revealing a glowing blue trail from an ephemeral figure of Aes.

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"No! Hell no!!" Aes protested. With a sour expression at a rotten tree truck.

"Ya gotta eat, Childe" Gloam insisted.

"Worms!? I'll starve first!"

"Aes, cease ya demurral. Now slick ya hand inside!" Aes whimpered as she slid her petite hand into the slime and muck. She fought back tears. She gasped as her fingertips felt the writhing of a pale, fat grub. Tearing her hand from the insides of the trunk, the muck covered worm soaring through the air.

"That thing is hideous! I'm not eating that!" She squealed.

"Ya rather eat some thin' pretty?" he chuckled. Aes sneered at the slimy thing. It was as large as her own hand. Examining it from a distance. It thrusted a hooked spike that protruded from its backside as it writhed away. Aes kept her sour expression as she watched the grub claw its way into the wet soil. Cautiously, she stepped closer to watch with curiosity.

"That thing has got to be full of germs!" Aes exclaimed grimy.

"Such a delicate creat'ah ya are." Gloam continued to laugh Aes glared and tossed the cackling lamp.

"Don't laugh at me!" She roared as her nostrils flared. Gloam was unable to stop himself. The human crossed her arms tightly glaring at Gloam with fire in her eyes. He expression changed quickly; loud gurgling came from the pit of her stomach.

After a minuet of laughter, Gloam spoke again. "Well then. We shall have to search for somethin' more suitable for ya palette. Gath'ah ya strength, we will go a huntin’ for sum Wyld Fruit!"

"Dare I ask what those are?" Aes asked skeptically, lifting the lantern back up.

"...Nourishment." He replied, a familiar grin that cause Aes to rise a brow. "Given the location. I would say...Jenny-Apple would most certainly be prevalent. And before you ask, yes, it is edible..." He assured her "...more or less." He continued under his breath. Another loud rumble came from Aes' stomach. She winced and held her abdomen. With an irritable sigh she ventured forward.

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Neither brush nor bramble, thorn or thistle slowed the wolfhound's movement. It's bulky chest and shoulders propelled the lithe frame of the beast. A trail of ghastly black shadowed in its path. It's unsettling green eyes never broke from the spiritual scent of the blooded human female.

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With the faintest whispers of wind, it took to the air with a leap. Springing from trees, rocks and other natural formations from the Hedge. The ephemeral echoes of Aes and Gloam's voices. Their forms fazing in and out like still images. The hound rained down upon the distant red haze of blood. With a deep mouthy inhale, the pit of its maw came alight with a sickly green glow as the essence of blood waft down it's throat.

With bones popping and flesh twisting, it keeled over in sporadic fits. It's back arched in a raspy howl, that gradually became articulate...

"I don't recall..." He murmured squinting his eyes as he examined the area.

"Are we lost?" Aes inquired trying to get a visual idea of her own location.

"Lost? No, I know exactly where we are going, just not where we are currently..."

"That's what 'lost' means, Gloam..." Aes huffed, rolling her eyes.

"Tis what you presume."

"Okay, what *does* it mean then?"

"It means We don't know where we are going, De'ah"

"I'm gonna throw you against that tree, I swear!"

Gloam chuckled "Onward, Aes de'ah, we should fill that delicate tummy of you'ahs and soon." Aes whimpered and muttered curses with every step. As her tiny bare feet pressed against the ground. Traveling cautiously in the directions her imprisoned guide instructed.

The icy waters were alit with the moon's radiance. Mirroring the celestial light from its simmering surface, it filled the grotto with reflections of dancing gems. High above, trees swayed, and winds howled. The formation of the grotto's walls created a natural barrier from the elements and a safer passage for the young human. Aes delicately stepped over the wet soil to approach the glimmering stream. She tasted her parched mouth and lips.

"Is this okay to drink?" She asked.

"I have done so." Gloam answered.

"You wanted me to eat a giant worm with a barb in its butt!"

"I have done that too." He smirked.

"Is that why your teeth are so snaggled?" Aes snarked as she set the lantern down and knelt to fill her petite hand with water. She slurped loudly and gulped hard. Gloam raises a brow at the less then graceful display. Turning his attention to the study of his surroundings. He looked between the landmarks of their location before suddenly examining something far beyond the fading darkness and swaying trees.

"...What *is* that?" He whispered.

=====================

The wolf hound arose from the ground. Areas once torn open upon its body had gradually sealed. Vegetation had withered several feet from its large frame. It lifted its long, narrow snout into the frigid air. A low voice spoke through the shadows. The beast knelt on its left foreleg.

"Yes..." The sinister voice began "Now, my vassal, you perceive true power...Let the essence flow within your body, can you feel it my loyal minion?" The hound struggled, its mouth opened and closed as if to speak. "You understand. Good! there is much more I can offer, once you bring me the mortal childe!" The beast struggled with its senses to nod to its formless master.

"Go now! Let the power of the Ancient Night guide you!"

The beast smiled. Its face distorted with a terrible toothy grin. Again, it leaped into the night air, making not a sound or even a paw print upon the ground. He seemed to dash upon black mist, freezing and rotting away the plant life that strived for life. The beast's feral eyes dilated as it dove down to the ground hard. Crashing, headfirst before the radiant flow of the waters.

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he murmured as the young human scooped up more of the waters, cleaning her skin and face. She combed her jet-black curls with a wet hand. Looking at herself in the water's reflection as Gloam pondered.

"We need to advance. Continue to follow the stream, we are sure to locate somethin' growin' 'long side it." Aes sighed deeply. She had just dipped her sore feet into the waters as he spoke. Taking the lamp in hand, Aes drudged forward.

"I need some damn shoes!" She whined.

"In time De'ah, in time."

"At least it's not freezing cold in here." The mist over the rushing stream shared the vibrate glow of the waters. Aes pushed through lush greens and strong, bent trees as she continued on. She winced and held her nose as the color from Gloam's lamp changed.

"What is that stink!"

"Jenny-apples! Up there!" Gloam exclaimed. Aes looked up at a thick gnarled tree. It grew from the cliff and dipped hard down into the waters within the grotto. It's limps taking root into the soil.

"It smells like ass!" Aes complained.

"Indeed, a dirty one and it is just as bitt'ah" Gloam replied "I love them!"

"And you want me to eat that?" She asked, Gloam only beamed from within. Aes's stomach rumbled once more. She frowned at the twisted, dark-spotted fruits which grow from a large tree-shrub. They were plump, as big as a soft ball. Aes reached up and plucked one from its stem. She stepped away quickly from the tree's unbearable smell. Aes look a look at Gloam, who was encouraging her to eat a bite. With a grim face, she gently broke the skin with her teeth, and gagged.

"OH MY GOD!" she gasped. "It tastes like a rotten onion!" Gloam chuckled at the human.

"Always more grubs ta eat!" He cackled. Aes took a small and painful bite of the apple. Tears began to roll down her face. Both from the smell and her own sobbing. Her face and neck showed signed of physical strain, and she chewed the horrid fruit. Gagging with each strained bite, consuming more water to rinse her palette.

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A black smoke seeped through the cracks of the grotto walls. A dark fluid dripped like warm honey down the rough stones. A large paw pushed from the concoction of the two. The burning green eyes of the wolfhound forced itself through and into physical form. Jagged claws sank into the floor to pull its broad shoulders through. Dull scraping sounds echoed at it muscled its way out.

With an exasperated snort. The black hound approached a pile of burnt ashes. It's flaming eyes focused upon a ghostly scene.

The disembodied echoes of Gloam's voice filled the room. "This one is mine! Beh' Gon!" The hound sniffed the area. Its vision filled with drifting hazes of various colors. Slowly it approached a long and vacant void. An empty form, no shape or scent. The hair along the exposed spine of the undead beast rose. Its torn tail curled between its back legs.

The scene played out more. A soft light from the human brightened as she awoke. "Was someone here?" "Gloam...?" "What are you looking at?"

The ghostly light from Gloam rose almost to a blindly level, his eyes squinted deeply. Searching and scanning until they locked on to something. Both, Gloam and the hound were staring directly at one another...