Isla de Kesh, Yunan.
The silence reigned in the grove, cold and dark, its tall trees with green leaves were bathed by the pale rays of the moon, and scarcely any animal could be heard prowling through the underbrush. The deliberate steps of the being making its way to the village were laden with disappointment.
It had promised that this would be the last time it would approach it. After having done so for so long with the hope that this time it would be accepted. If the humans disappointed him once more, he would not try again.
The gloomy aspect of the grove was all it knew and desired so fervently for the gates that delimited the village from the rest of the forest to finally open and its task to be fulfilled. However, it knew the likely outcome of its visit.
A small, thin snake with navy blue scales emerged from the bushes and slithered up its leg. It continued on its way until it positioned itself on its left shoulder, and the moonlight shone on it, its eyes glowing celestial around the thin slit. The creature did not stop its walk and glanced at it, questioning.
"Are you going to try again?" The voice of the snake, deep and melodious, resonated in the mind of the creature, which did not even flinch at its question.
The creature remained silent, and the snake patiently awaited its response.
"This will be the last time," it pronounced sharply.
The snake observed it with an indiscernible gleam in its celestial eyes. It knew it was trying to disguise its sadness with anger. The snake said no more, the light in its eyes disappeared, and it quickly descended from it to vanish into the greenery.
"This will be the last time," the creature repeated softly and cast its gaze beyond the forest's exit. It could already see in the distance the orange lights illuminating the entrance to the village.
***
It was already late at night, and the Village of Cepir was nearly asleep. Some guards protected the towers of red wood at the entrances, dimly lit by two torches.
One of the guards in the tower at the northern entrance was falling asleep on his feet, leaning on his long spear while his companion talked about something he could barely understand.
He nodded off and stumbled forward but managed to maintain his balance aided by his weapon. He noticed his companion had stopped talking.
He brought one hand to his face to rub his eyes and squeezed them shut.
"What's wrong, are you finally going to give me some peace?" he asked, disguising a yawn.
But his companion did not respond. The guard looked at him strangely; it was very rare to see him so silent. The other watchman stared with wide eyes at something in the darkness of the forest.
"Can you tell me what's suddenly wrong with you?" he asked irritably, turning his gaze in the same direction as his companion and finding nothing capturing his attention.
His companion swallowed as his throat had gone dry.
"It's... it's..." he tried to swallow again but couldn't.
The guard squinted to focus and brought a hand to his forehead, trying to look into the distance. He found what had taken away his friend's speech slowly approaching their village.
"It's... him," he managed to complete at a stretch, his companion beside him.
The guard's eyes widened, quickly leaving his spear in a corner and grabbing with both hands a horn that was placed at his feet. He took a deep breath, and its sound spread throughout the village, warning of the impending danger.
The village's tranquility was shattered instantly by the resounding horn. The villagers began to emerge from their homes alarmed and armed with pitchforks and spears, ready to confront whoever the threat might be. The noise of their steps filled the air, quickly gathering at the north entrance, and murmurs began to spread among the crowd.
"It's him."
"It's the creature."
***
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The creature, still covered by the shadows of the night, looked up at the resounding sound coming from the village's wall; there had been too many occasions when it had heard it, and it never boded well.
It emerged from among the trees, and the scant moonlight filtering through the clouds poorly revealed its shiny navy blue scales. It did not stop until it stood in front of the huge red wooden gates where archers were already prepared to release their arrows at it.
The torches' fire gave them a somewhat eerie appearance with their dangerous features as sharp as those of a dragon, their slow crackle being the only thing perceived for a moment.
The gate opened with a sharp creak, and a ray of hope filled its chest. Could they possibly be willing to receive him after so many failed attempts? However, this feeling was overshadowed at once by what was on the other side. It clenched one of its claws.
A crowd of people, with torches and weapons, awaited it menacingly. As it feared.
***
From a window, where the crowd could be seen, a woman watched anxiously the scene to her right. She was naked, only covered by a sheet held with one hand in front of her chest.
"Elia, get away from the window and come with me," a man impatiently pleaded from the bed in the room, also naked.
The buxom woman seemed not to hear him, absorbed in what was happening outside. The man lost patience and made a face. He approached from behind without her noticing and wrapped his arms around her, pressing himself against her. His scent, sweet and earthy like barley, invaded all her senses as he brought his lips to her neck and began to cover it with passionate kisses.
"Will the gods ever leave us in peace?" Elia said almost unconsciously.
"The only goddess that matters to me right now is here with me," the man responded amusedly, squeezing his burly body against hers.
The woman let out a small laugh, and he smiled even with his face pressed against her neck, satisfied. He had managed to bring her back to the room.
Elia gave one last look to the commotion outside before turning around, letting the sheet covering her drop with a mischievous smile. She wrapped her arms around her partner's neck, who was taller than her, and had to stand on tiptoe to kiss him. Everything around them disappeared almost instantly.
***
"Excuse me...sorry...can I pass?" a young girl repeated as she made her way through the crowd. The smell of smoke and the heat of the torches, combined with the limited space, were stifling, but she wanted to see him. She took advantage of her parents "having fun" to go out, even though they had forbidden her to do so.
She had been listening to the villagers' threats towards the creature for a while as she tried to advance.
"Get away from here. We don't want deities near us."
"If you take a step inside Cepir."
"Go away, abomination."
Accompanied by everyone's boos, only insults could be heard, making it clear that they did not want him there. The girl didn't care. She wanted to see him with her own eyes and check if what they said was true, but the villagers were being very rough, raising their weapons to intimidate him.
The young girl lowered her hands, resting them on her knees. She was exhausted and breathing heavily, but she kept her head up, still looking ahead. She tried to straighten up, but she fell to her knees, her hands on the damp earth, as a villager had pushed her. The crowd was now advancing towards the creature, cheering. They had managed to drive him away. The girl lamented; perhaps she wouldn't have another chance like this.
The villagers celebrated their victory with more threats, and the girl remained defeated, looking at the ground, feeling ashamed of her own race.
"Don't come near again, beast."
"That's right, go away and don't come back."
The screams faded as the creature ventured back into the grove, but the flame of hatred would continue to burn. Ready to incinerate everything in its path, it was only a matter of time.
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I leave here a thank you to all those who venture to discover this story.
"Every story is meant to connect with a particular person." (y.j.Yero)
I hope mine reaches the right reader. :)