Chapter II:
A Rose Has Many Thorns
I could feel the droplets of rain grace my flesh, as I remained unmoving. I was laying on my stomach, my face, covered by my hands. I could not comprehend the sudden drops of precipitation, as just moments before the rain had started, the skies were clear. But with this rain, followed a peculiar scent. It was metallic and slightly sweet, and after just one whiff, I was already addicted to its luscious and heavenly aroma.
The aroma that flooded the forest caused me to slowly remove the hands that had, at one point, concealed my eyes. I did not know whether or not I should peek out towards the scene. My eyes were still shut, and I had not wanted to open them…
However… Something felt different than it had just moments before, and I could not put my finger on it. And so, in this utter silence, I contemplated what I must have missed when I closed my eyes.
But then it donned on me. I could not hear anything. With a swift motion of my hands I had checked if my ears were still there, and they were… So, just what was happening around me? That was when I opened my eyes… That was when I had witnessed a miracle.
I took a glance at my arms which were covered in specks of red. It seemed the red drops that covered my skin; were, at one point, the droplets of rain I had felt earlier. It was not hard to figure out what the red substance was, it was definitely blood, but whose blood was it?
Whose blood could it have been if it wasn’t mine? With that thought in mind I turned to get a good look at my surroundings, and I noticed many things… To my right side there was a large gash that was carved into the dirt and stone, it must have been from the whip’s strike earlier, and in front of me, just before the gash started, I could see many vines sticking out from the ground that held a silky rope. It seemed as if I was protected by the forest around me, but I could not understand why… To my left I noticed many thin vines protruding out of the ground like pincers, heading to a predetermined location where they had collided, holding a jointed spider-like appendage, most likely a leg. I could not understand how I had not heard any of this, but it may have just been the after effect of being subjected to such a loud crack of the whip. To my right and left I had noticed the after effect of a large battle, and in front of me was the once pure whip that had been dyed in blood. That was when I had decided to turn and look behind me...
A tear trickled down from my right eye… And then another trickled from my left. Slowly more and more tears streamed down my face following the same route the others had chosen just before.
Am I Dreaming?
Trying to confirm whether or not I was actually awake, I had pinched a large amount of flesh on my arm. I could feel the pain… It was no dream… And yet, I still could not believe what I saw.
(Image Here)
Suspended in the air, was the Arachne who had enslaved me for a third of my life. Vines penetrating her once majestic body. Her first right eye was skewered by a vine that had delved inside her flesh, only to protrude from her orbital socket. I could see her intestines hanging from a deep cut in her sides, and her legs had all been broken and pulled forcefully off her lower spider-like body.
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“Such is the fate of those who break the laws in my forest.”
A crisp firm tone echoed throughout the battleground.
“Man Cub… Why have you trespassed into my domain? This woodland is dangerous for your kind, if I had not intervened, you would have been dead.”
The dryad spoke in a ‘matter of fact’ manner, and I was unsure of what to say to the dryad, so I decided to tell my story. I spoke of my abandonment, my capture, the torture I had received everyday, and how I was always given a chance to escape. I told her of my plan that was formulated, and why I decided to run in this direction. As my explanation carried on, I could see her face get more and more grim, and every now and again, a new vine would join the others penetrating the body of the already dead spider.
“And… That… is how I got here…”
“I see, So you were left to die.”
Silence filled the air as the radiant green dryad, with an elegant red pattern on her body, had a frown form upon her visage. Her leaf like dress danced about in the winds that pulsated throughout the thicket. It felt like eons, but in reality only a moment had passed where we looked at one another in silence.
“I can provide you with a home; however, you must obey the laws of the forest. Breaking any of them will result in your immediate banishment from this leafy abode.”
I was confused as to how I should answer her sudden proposal. I had just been enslaved by a creature for three years, and I had no clue how she would treat me. Should I take the risk? The benefits would be nice I suppose… A home I could call my own, and possibly better meals… meals that would not consist of gutted bugs, and decomposed animals. However, what if I were to be treated worse than I had been as that Arachne’s slave? I shuddered at the thought.
“There is no need to be afraid mancub. I will protect you from any harm, so tell me… What is your name?”
It seems she had sensed my speculations, and the fear that I carried of being enslaved once more. She declared that I would not know harm under her protection, and all she had asked from me was my name, but I did not have one. I have been nameless for three years, my name, taken from me by my mother. It seems I had forgotten to inform the dryad in my long rant of the past of my predicament.
“It was taken from me by my mother… I am nameless.”
“Then I shall call you Licht.”
“Licht…?”
“Yes, it symbolises hope, a light in the darkness, and you shall call me Scarlet.”
After naming me, she pointed to a bright red rose in her hair, and said her own name.
“Licht…”
“Do you not like it?”
“N-no, I absolutely love it! Thank you Lady Scar-”
“Just Scarlet is fine… Now then, follow me, and I shall show you to your residence, as well as explain the rules you must abide by as you are here...”