In the deep dark deepwood…

…what kind of moron wrote that?! Of course that deepwood is dark and deep! That’s what its name stands for! The deep-fucking-wood! The wood which is deep, and because it is deep it is also dark! Either someone is getting lazy at writing, or some kid got a homework to do – and he or she is desperate to meet the word-quota. Fucking bullshit.

Where was I? Ah, right.

In that very specified deepwood – you know, the one in which the action follows for at least two previous chapters, a certain squirrel was running in circle – completely lost in panic.

I already hear you asking – why the hell should I care about some random squirrel.

YOU FOOLS!

Already forgot that Marie is able to use a spell of polymorph?! And that her first encounter with Zariel and his merry companions was exactly in squirrel’s form!?

I already see you nodding with understanding. “A-ha! I see! So that squirrel is Marie!”

YOU FOOLS! Who told you that!

No! Marie had just a split of second to run away from her attackers, because of that she couldn’t prepare the complex structure of the spell! Oh, she did change into squirrel, or a creature close to being called a squirrel. Quite taller, that is, but when local squirrels noticed her, they all started running amok. It was as if her goddess came from heavens above to grant her people with miracle of her presence. The squirrels bowed before her, created a tiny altar in her honor. She was cherished and worshiped, bathing in local lakes and eating nuts and fruits which were given to her she lived her extremely long as for squirrel life happy and free from every concerns of the outer world.

THE END.

…. That’s what you believed in? Right?

…

…

…

You guessed it – YOU FOOLS! There is literally no way that the story could end this way… on the other hand, the tale of legendary squirrel goddess could be nice. Maybe for future?

Fine.

The squirrel that was running in circle was actually Marie.

As soon as she ran away, she morphed and returned close to the clearing to spectate the battle of her fiancé and savage attackers. She knew that Johann would win. She simply knew that. One, he was turning into werewolf, two – they were in the forest –is there any better battleground for werewolf then forests?! Doubt it. Three – there were merely seven attackers. Seven random bandits, cutthroats or god-only-knows who they are. Merely few days ago similar group was struggling to kidnap him – and it was a group made of experienced beasts hunters, (in)famous S rank warrioress, next priestess of elvish kingdom and the Oracle himself!

The only thing that Marie was afraid of was that she would return on the clearing after the battle would be already over and she wouldn’t be able to spectate how Johann was handing their asses back to them!

Within few minutes she managed to get back, just to notice that Johann was fighting one on one with a single shadow. Did he already manage to get rid of other six?

… No. They were at the other side of the clearing – observing carefully and preparing.

She was not a combat mage. Bah, her skills were actually greatly limited when it came to battle-spells. Structure of these spells was… inelegant. No, she wasn’t picky, she just studied completely different kind of magic – slow, tiresome. Hex-weaving. Creation of single spell could last hours, days even. Every spell she casted she “wrote” in her head from scratch. Combat magic is much more dynamic. It uses pre-prepared formulas which you overwrite in few place (depending on situation) and cast within seconds. Or splits of seconds. Marie was simple unable to make such correction in so limited time. All she knew, was a single fire ball, fire wall and a zap-like spell. The last one was actually nothing more than a prank, or a tool against bit too drunk villagers which tried to admire her beauty from a bit too close distance.

Because of that, she couldn’t help Johann. She just couldn’t. Running away was a best possible option. Now, Johann didn’t have to protect her, he couldn’t focus on his enemies…

… but, on the closer inspection, she could tell that the current Johann wouldn’t give a damn about her. His eyes were so… focused, but in the wrong meaning of this word! They were filled with such a bloodlust and… sick, almost perverted pleasure!

The battle was fast, not in the duration, for it last for quite some time, but the pace – there were times she struggled to tell which blurred object is werewolf and which is shadow. The attacks that broke smaller trees in half were dealt so fast, that the human struck by it for good few seconds wouldn’t realize that he is already dead.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

She could understand that werewolf had such strength and speed, in the end, they were one of the creatures which were feared the most. But, to think that SOMETHING could keep the pace with such a monstrosity? Witch’s heart became a little bit heavier.

She kept observing the combat, she saw Johann chasing after his opponent at the peak of a tree and then jumping down – right into the trap. Her mind was screaming when she saw how shadows were tormenting her loved one. Even though werewolves were meant to possess extremely high tolerance against pain, he was screaming when hooks were digging into his body.

Then she saw one of the beasts charge at him from the back and stab a dagger into his neck.

She screamed, but because of her morphed body, that yell was unnaturally quiet. No one heard it.

Her squirrel-body became heavy. She felt on her knees. She watched as the body of her loved one becomes first clenched, then, after yet another attack in the head it collapsed on the ground. She didn’t know what can and cannot kill a werewolf, so she believed what her eyes told her that was happening. She saw her loved one being killed.

* “Touched one…” the fastest of the creatures said. His voice was harsh, vibrating, as if someone that didn’t drank anything for days decided to speak “… you know what to do with him.”

They were going to do something with his body!? Was not merely killing his enough!?

* “But elder, what about a woman?”

* “Leave her be. She wasn’t invited by the forest. She is also weak. Eventually, she would either leave the forest without ability to ever come back, or other creatures of the forest would kill her. She is no threat. We can ignore her.”

She clenched her fists in frustration.

He was right. She was defenseless and forest didn’t want her here. Soon, the magic of this place will start throwing her out – messing her senses, leading her outside. And once she would leave the forest, it would completely change its inner layout. She underestimated the power of this place.

She watched as beasts were carrying the body of her fiancé somewhere deep into the forest, and she could do nothing about it.

So.. she just stayed where she was. Broken. With dulled senses. Her spell eventually weakened and shattered, depriving her of safety of tiny body. She lied in the bush, naked, exhausted. Like a shell deprived of will to commit any action.

She reminded herself their childhood. She was always leading herself and Johann into greatest troubles. He would tell her once, twice, thrice – that that was not going to end well. And it almost never did end well. Yet, when they were being scolded by their parents, it was him that would step onward and tell them that it was his idea. He was always taking blame and punishment for both of them.

He – the clumsy Johann. He – the one that whole village mocked for doing the deeds he never committed. It was her – Marie – which was supposed to be scolded. Punished.

Instead, she was treated as a genius, golden child.

So what that she could use magic?! Magic was supposed to be a tool to change the world! To affect the lives of other! So what that she could heal some minor diseases! So what that she could bless crops to grow bit richer!? It was all unimportant! There was only one time when she actually needed to use magic!... it was ten minutes ago.

And nothing happened.

Why do we have power we are restricted to use!?

Why are we given a tools if we can’t use them properly?

Why is Johann dead if it was supposed to be… her…

Since she was 6 years old and Johann for the first time covered her mischiefs she knew that he was a man she wanted to marry. Thought back then he was smaller than her, he was same clumsy crybaby he was now… he acted like a real man. Like someone that would always have her back.

And now, as she was THIS close to truly call herself as his wife… first, this stupid promise, then, this stupid curse… and now this – stupid, stupid death.

Something fell of the ground. It was her tear. A single one, yet soon more of her sisters joined her.

It were tears of sadness. Of anger. Oh hatred. Of panic. Of loss. Of love. Of hate.

She screamed atop of her lungs – it sounded like a voice of nemesis being born. Something started whispering to her, from the depth of the forest. A single thread of magic touched her, like a line leading the way. Motivated by pain and anger she moved forward. Naked – after transformation – tiny sharp stones an vines were cutting the skin on her feet, yet she didn’t even bother looking at them to inspect the damages.

Her body was being slowly cut by thousands annoying stones and plants, if many places got covered by red of tiny drops of blood and small scars. Normally, she would panic that smell of blood would lure predators, yet now – her mind was empty. Focused.

She found it – the thing which was calling her. On a deep, greening – covered in moss bog a single shrine was elected on tiny island. There was no path, no bridge leading there. If you wanted to get on there you had to risk jumping into trickery bog – the place that could swallow and suffocate you in an instant.

She didn’t think twice, bah, she didn’t even slow down when her body started sinking into mass of disgusting green. Thick moss quickly cling to her body making it much heavier. At first, she got covered to her thighs, then to her stomach, till finally only her head was pointing out. One wrong step, and she could die. One hole in the ground she couldn’t see – that’s all that it would take to one and for all end her life.

She almost saw the contours of the shrine. The shrine of Aira, of course it is, more like one of many surrounding the main altar.

Aira has many face. The child, the lover, the mother and elder. The wolf and lamb. The snake and mouse. The spider and fly. She was a symbol of everything that lived and was changing. The treed being food to insects, insects being food to spiders, spiders being food to birds, birds being food to cats, cats to wolfs, wolfs to bears… And at the very end, it would all fall to the ground and nourish the trees. The perfect cycle.

The strong cherished it, for it proved their right to dominate, but, if you would force the full cycle to end, to make a full turn… you could ask – who eats who? If the insects ate the tree which previously grew on bear’s corpse… does it mean that they ate bear? Does it mean they ate wolfs, cats, birds and spiders?

Then, in the end? Who eats who?

The shrine, she noticed a totem in the middle.

It was deprived of magic. Broken, forgotten.

The totem of doe.

A shrine of prey was calling her.

What a joke! Isn’t that funny!? For the first time when she really wanted to give her life for something bigger, what called her was… a sacrifice of lamb!?

That’s what the forest wanted to tell her?! That she is no better than a meat to be prayed and preyed upon!?

She finally reached the island. Few meters wide, barely enough to hold a stone pedestal and totem covered by circle of rocks.

She looked in the dead-eyes of the skull, which was located atop of the totem.

* “Do you hear me?”

She asked, yet skull was extremely not-talkative.

* “The fuck do I even bother.”

And her fiery state of determination vanished just as it came – suddenly – leaving her the way it found her – broken, empty shell.

* “Why? Just why… finally when everything was going with a small steps in right direction… why did you take him from me?” she asked with dulled tone.

Skull remained silent.

* “Why did you brought me here? Did you just wanted to feast upon my magic?!”

No answer could be hear.

* “WHERE ARE YOU, YOU FUCKING GODDESS, WHEN YOUR PEOPLE NEED YOU!?”

She took a swing and hit the totem. The skull felt down, bounced few times and rolled down into the bog in which it sank.

* “FUCK! DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU ALL! CELESTIALS! DIVINES! THIS IS WHAT WE ARE TO YOU!? A BLOODY THEATER?! A SPECTATE TO WATCH?! THEN WATCH THIS!”

She kicked the pedestal down, picked the stones of the circle and started throwing them into the sides.

At very end she picked the long dead tree-pole which was the core of the totem, broke it on her leg and casted aside.

* “DO SOMETHING! YOU USELESS GODDESS! WHATEVER! SMITE ME! KILL ME! CAST ME INTO OBLIVION… JUST PLEASE… please… don’t make me live without him.”

Something started gurgling in the mass of mossy bog – in the direction where the skull fell. Suddenly, on the huge location, as if the bog started boiling in this particular place.

Then, a person emerged from a green abyss. A beautiful woman, almost completely naked, just like Marie, with thin, yet trained body, with a bow over her backs and a quiver full of arrow located by her belt – which was the only piece of clothing on her body. Her head was adorned with a skull of doe – the same that minutes ago was thrown into the bog.

She gracefully entered the island and looked around it, judging the mess that little witch caused.

* “I am the Doe – the avatar of hunt. One of two, to be precise. Guessing by your humiliating and completely cringy display from a minute ago I believe you need a helping hand or two – One holding bow, the other pulling arrow. Oh, and by the way - all you had to do was to share some of your magic with me. There was absolutely no reason for you to demolish my house.” She looked at her with reprimand in eyes “… thought your emotions did the trick. Now, after we are done with whatever you came to me, you better build it back, the way it was or even better…. YOU FOOL!”