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Description
This the second short story upload I will be doing for all of the work I did for my senior show centering around my own stories and characters. If you would like to view the entire exhibition now, click this link! It includes a number of short stories, illustrations, and character bios for your viewing pleasure!

Briar clutched her limp sister’s body against her chest, her vision blurred, tears streaking down her face. She was relieved to hear Bracken’s heart as she held her tightly, the feeble beat the only sound she could hear in the deathly quiet throne room. The battle they had just endured had been so loud, a cacophony of love, survival and rage as they had blended forms and defended themselves from him, but now, only the weak beating of Bracken’s heart could be heard. A soft, echoing epilogue to an audience of one. It was a quiet melody, but Briar had never heard a more beautiful sound. She was alive. They were both still alive, despite everything. They were together, and they were alive.

Miles away, a ragged and bloodied silhouette staggered his way through the edges of the redwood forest. The figure leaned heavily on one of the trunks as he looked fearfully behind him, catching his breath only for a second as he pressed onward. The trees eventually thinned until he reached an open meadow, and for the first time in months, he saw the open sky. Damascus kneeled on the soft grass and looked upward, taking a deep breath as the soft light of dusk washed over him.

He had escaped them. He had not been able to reach the end of the forest unscathed, and his body ached with cuts and bruises. But he had escaped.

Escaped.

The revelation that he was safe quickly turned from relief to blinding rage. It boiled from deep inside him, hot and searing within his bones. He had escaped, run out of the territory like a whipped dog with his tail between his legs. He bore his fangs to the open sky as he threw his head back and screamed, slamming his fists into the dirt and wincing as his wounds ached anew. He had lost everything. All that time wasted on courting and scheming only to be chased back to where he had started.

It had all been for nothing.

Damascus stared down at the pale dirt and soft grass. He had been here before, staring up at the massive redwood trunks lining the edge of the forest. Back at the beginning.

He had peered into the trees, his ears pricked with excitement as he anticipated who he knew he would meet within. This territory belonged to two elusive spirits, twins, who reigned over this massive forest teeming with magical energy. Twin nature spirits were rare enough, but two sharing their magic and residing within the same territory was even rarer still. This meant there was twice as much power surging through the land, and whoever ruled the forest had control of it. He knew everything he deserved was hidden within those trees, and he was willing to do anything to get it.

Damascus took his first steps into the forest, and the further he walked the denser the canopy became, enclosing upon the golden sky like a pair of talons. Soon the path he walked became dim and quiet, and he began to wonder if he could find his way back. He conjured a swirling ball of light in his hand, splashing light onto the dense thicket around him as he turned around slowly, trying to peer through the endless layers of trees. As the light danced across the surface of each trunk, he stopped when his light suddenly illuminated two pairs of eyes staring back at him. Two large deer stepped soundlessly into the sphere of light he had created. The first was slim and incredibly pale, almost shining in the glow of his magic. The second followed close behind, its fur long and a deep russet brown, the two huge black antlers it sported forming a dangerous crown above its head.

Damascus froze, not daring to move. Were these the spirit’s familiars come to greet him?

“I am looking for the spirits who reside in this territory” he addressed them coolly, hiding his fear. “Can you take me to them?”

The creatures stared back at him blankly, showing little reaction.

“I wish to speak with them. Do you understand me?” he demanded, raising his voice slightly. Finally, the larger brown deer stepped forward. It slowly walked closer until Damascus could for the first time see the beast at its full height, its antlers towering over him as its gaze met his. Damascus held his breath, and the deer curled back its lips to reveal a mouth full of pearly white fangs, glistening as the light hit them. Before Damascus could say anything, the deer spoke, its voice deep like the roots of a tree and soft like the moss that clung to it.

“Run.”

The deer lowered its antlers and tensed its muscles, ready to strike him down. His eyes widened, and before he had time to think his light was extinguished and he was dashing through the dense brambles of the forest, desperately searching for a path out of harm’s way.
The trees blurred around him, low hanging branches whipping at his face and brambles tugging on his legs as he ran. Flashes of the deer’s forms appeared all around him as they chased him through the trees, echoes of laughter taunting him from all around as he stumbled and floundered his way through the dense undergrowth. Dread washed over him as he realized that he couldn’t hear where they were, and in his panic he burst through a wall of brambles, the thorns tearing through his suit and his skin barely registering as he tumbled to the ground in a heap. Suddenly his eyes were filled with light, and to his surprise he had broken through the dense forest and entered an open clearing. He covered his face under the force of the bright light, his eyes adjusting as he lowered his arms and saw where he was.

He had run straight into a huge circular room, its high ceiling only barely visible from the ground. Damascus slowly raised himself to his feet as he observed the room in awe, its walls a dense woven thicket of thorns, the floor beneath him soft warm soil, and the air around him glimmering with light streaming in from the canopy ceiling above him. The room teemed with life, small jewel-like beetles adorned the flowers they rested upon as hoards of butterflies obscured entire sections of the tree trunks in which they gathered. Small forest dwelling creatures scattered at his abrupt entrance, rabbits, songbirds, and squirrels all fleeing into the safety of the thicket from his presence. In the center of the room was by far the largest tree Damascus had ever seen, its magnificent girth appearing more like a castle spire than a tree. A spiral staircase wound up along the length of its trunk, its steps disappearing before Damascus could see its destination. At its base sat two thrones, composed of the tree's thick and twisted roots, sitting oddly still and empty compared to the rest of the room. As Damascus took in all that surrounded him he realized there was no clear exit, the hole he had entered through having disappeared. Panic filled him as he remembered he was still being pursued by the deer, and he looked around wildly for somewhere to run.

Before he could move, the wall behind Damascus shifted, and the thorns parted on either side of him to reveal his tormentors. They came forward calmly, passing him with heads held high as they walked toward the thrones, and as they moved their forms shifted from beast to humanoid, possessing the faces of deer but the bodies of humans. They wore long silken dresses adorned with flowers that dragged along the ground behind them as they walked. The spirits approached the thrones and sat down, reclining in them comfortably before staring him down. The pale spirit spoke first, her voice quiet and stern. “My chosen name is Briar, and this is my other half, Bracken. We heard you wished to speak with us. You may do so now.”

Damascus stared back at them in utter shock. Before him sat the powerful twin spirits he had longed to meet, who he had traveled days to find, and they had just chased him through their forest like a stupid foal into their inner sanctum. He remained silent, struggling to contain his immense feelings of humiliation and anger as they sat quietly in front of him.

He couldn’t ruin his chance, not now. Not when he was so close.

“Y-yes” he began, slowly regaining control over his words. “I was in the nearby town and heard of your beautiful forest, and I wanted to see it for myself.” He stood up straight, returning to his usual tall confident stance as he fixed his jacket and brushed his suit off.

The twins looked him up and down, and this time Bracken spoke, resting her chin on the palm as she did so.

“What a strange thing to say,” she said cheekily, a small echo of laughter in her tone. “Do you usually barge into someone’s home simply because you will think it would look pretty on the inside?”

Damascus smiled and replied, “Sometimes, if I don’t think the residents will hunt me down and eat me.”

Bracken giggled. “You’re funny for someone so stupid,” she laughed, and Damascus tried his best to hide his indignation at the comment, subtly gripping his claws to his side.

”Well, now that you’ve seen the forest,” she spread her arms wide as she stared him down, “What do you think of it?”

Damascus knew he was walking a thin line, and chose his next words carefully. “It’s absolutely brilliant, everything I imagined and more,” he breathed, letting his genuine awe shine through. “Can I see more of it?”

Briar curled her lips back in anger. “I think you have seen enough,” she sneered, her expression full of contempt as her fangs gleamed in the light.

“You are a bold little fool to walk into our woods with so little respect, and now you ask to see more? You might as well be a rabbit crawling down a fox’s throat, excited to see what he may find in it’s stomach.”

She paused and folded her claws in front of her, her face returning to a more thoughtful expression. “But I suppose you knew that when you came here, didn’t you?”

He couldn’t hide the bristle at her words, and her smirk widened. “Tell me, little rabbit, what do you think is hidden in the belly of our woods that the fox’s teeth don’t scare you?”

Damascus shuddered slightly, wishing he was dealing with Bracken’s playful banter instead of Briar’s scrutinizing stare. However, it seemed she was curious to hear his answer, sitting with her ears pricked in anticipation of his reasoning. Panic washed over him as he realized that his original lie wasn’t convincing them, his mind reeled searching for a better answer.

“Fox got your tongue?” Briar asked, her expression unfaltering, and as Bracken giggled to herself, Damascus realized something.

They were young. They had power and the advantage of the home court, but they were young, with all the naivety and arrogance that came with it. His original lie wouldn’t convince them, but a half truth might.

“Power,” he answered, finally breaking the tense silence. “You are the most powerful spirits in this region. I want to learn from you, understand your magic, and know your ways so I may better myself.”

Briar tilted her head, her expression shifting from distrust to interest. He had her attention. Careful to maintain his composure he continued on. “There are not many spirits in this world that have what you have, I want to influence the world and to do that you need power, teach me so I may become what I deserve to be.”

He stopped, eagerly awaiting their response.

The spirits looked at one another and then back at him, and for a moment, Damascus thought he had gotten through to them. His confidence faltered as they raised their hands simultaneously, and the moment they did so brambles sprung from the earth and tangled themselves around Damascus’s body. He gasped in terror as he fell to the ground, his vision becoming obscured by the thick layers of thorns intertwining around his face and body. Bracken stood up and walked over to him, crouching down just as the last few spots of light began to disappear.

“You don’t toe the line between charm and foolishness as well as you think you do,” she whispered. “But just between you and I, come back soon and try to convince me again sometime, hm?”

In his last moments of consciousness, Damascus felt the spark of an idea. A feeling that he would get everything he wanted before everything fell into blackness.

Damascus woke with a gasp, lying on the ground outside of the forest, the brambles constricting him long gone. He sat up and stared into the trees, taking in all that had just happened to him, and he grinned wolfishly.

He planned on returning very, very soon.

Second story is here!! This time you get to meet 3 main characters wahoo.

-------------------------------------------------------------

The Rest of the series

www.deviantart.com/meadowmood/…

www.deviantart.com/meadowmood/…

www.deviantart.com/meadowmood/…

www.deviantart.com/meadowmood/…

www.deviantart.com/meadowmood/…

Description
This the second short story upload I will be doing for all of the work I did for my senior show centering around my own stories and characters. If you would like to view the entire exhibition now, click this link! It includes a number of short stories, illustrations, and character bios for your viewing pleasure!

Briar clutched her limp sister’s body against her chest, her vision blurred, tears streaking down her face. She was relieved to hear Bracken’s heart as she held her tightly, the feeble beat the only sound she could hear in the deathly quiet throne room. The battle they had just endured had been so loud, a cacophony of love, survival and rage as they had blended forms and defended themselves from him, but now, only the weak beating of Bracken’s heart could be heard. A soft, echoing epilogue to an audience of one. It was a quiet melody, but Briar had never heard a more beautiful sound. She was alive. They were both still alive, despite everything. They were together, and they were alive.

Miles away, a ragged and bloodied silhouette staggered his way through the edges of the redwood forest. The figure leaned heavily on one of the trunks as he looked fearfully behind him, catching his breath only for a second as he pressed onward. The trees eventually thinned until he reached an open meadow, and for the first time in months, he saw the open sky. Damascus kneeled on the soft grass and looked upward, taking a deep breath as the soft light of dusk washed over him.

He had escaped them. He had not been able to reach the end of the forest unscathed, and his body ached with cuts and bruises. But he had escaped.

Escaped.

The revelation that he was safe quickly turned from relief to blinding rage. It boiled from deep inside him, hot and searing within his bones. He had escaped, run out of the territory like a whipped dog with his tail between his legs. He bore his fangs to the open sky as he threw his head back and screamed, slamming his fists into the dirt and wincing as his wounds ached anew. He had lost everything. All that time wasted on courting and scheming only to be chased back to where he had started.

It had all been for nothing.

Damascus stared down at the pale dirt and soft grass. He had been here before, staring up at the massive redwood trunks lining the edge of the forest. Back at the beginning.

He had peered into the trees, his ears pricked with excitement as he anticipated who he knew he would meet within. This territory belonged to two elusive spirits, twins, who reigned over this massive forest teeming with magical energy. Twin nature spirits were rare enough, but two sharing their magic and residing within the same territory was even rarer still. This meant there was twice as much power surging through the land, and whoever ruled the forest had control of it. He knew everything he deserved was hidden within those trees, and he was willing to do anything to get it.

Damascus took his first steps into the forest, and the further he walked the denser the canopy became, enclosing upon the golden sky like a pair of talons. Soon the path he walked became dim and quiet, and he began to wonder if he could find his way back. He conjured a swirling ball of light in his hand, splashing light onto the dense thicket around him as he turned around slowly, trying to peer through the endless layers of trees. As the light danced across the surface of each trunk, he stopped when his light suddenly illuminated two pairs of eyes staring back at him. Two large deer stepped soundlessly into the sphere of light he had created. The first was slim and incredibly pale, almost shining in the glow of his magic. The second followed close behind, its fur long and a deep russet brown, the two huge black antlers it sported forming a dangerous crown above its head.

Damascus froze, not daring to move. Were these the spirit’s familiars come to greet him?

“I am looking for the spirits who reside in this territory” he addressed them coolly, hiding his fear. “Can you take me to them?”

The creatures stared back at him blankly, showing little reaction.

“I wish to speak with them. Do you understand me?” he demanded, raising his voice slightly. Finally, the larger brown deer stepped forward. It slowly walked closer until Damascus could for the first time see the beast at its full height, its antlers towering over him as its gaze met his. Damascus held his breath, and the deer curled back its lips to reveal a mouth full of pearly white fangs, glistening as the light hit them. Before Damascus could say anything, the deer spoke, its voice deep like the roots of a tree and soft like the moss that clung to it.

“Run.”

The deer lowered its antlers and tensed its muscles, ready to strike him down. His eyes widened, and before he had time to think his light was extinguished and he was dashing through the dense brambles of the forest, desperately searching for a path out of harm’s way.
The trees blurred around him, low hanging branches whipping at his face and brambles tugging on his legs as he ran. Flashes of the deer’s forms appeared all around him as they chased him through the trees, echoes of laughter taunting him from all around as he stumbled and floundered his way through the dense undergrowth. Dread washed over him as he realized that he couldn’t hear where they were, and in his panic he burst through a wall of brambles, the thorns tearing through his suit and his skin barely registering as he tumbled to the ground in a heap. Suddenly his eyes were filled with light, and to his surprise he had broken through the dense forest and entered an open clearing. He covered his face under the force of the bright light, his eyes adjusting as he lowered his arms and saw where he was.

He had run straight into a huge circular room, its high ceiling only barely visible from the ground. Damascus slowly raised himself to his feet as he observed the room in awe, its walls a dense woven thicket of thorns, the floor beneath him soft warm soil, and the air around him glimmering with light streaming in from the canopy ceiling above him. The room teemed with life, small jewel-like beetles adorned the flowers they rested upon as hoards of butterflies obscured entire sections of the tree trunks in which they gathered. Small forest dwelling creatures scattered at his abrupt entrance, rabbits, songbirds, and squirrels all fleeing into the safety of the thicket from his presence. In the center of the room was by far the largest tree Damascus had ever seen, its magnificent girth appearing more like a castle spire than a tree. A spiral staircase wound up along the length of its trunk, its steps disappearing before Damascus could see its destination. At its base sat two thrones, composed of the tree's thick and twisted roots, sitting oddly still and empty compared to the rest of the room. As Damascus took in all that surrounded him he realized there was no clear exit, the hole he had entered through having disappeared. Panic filled him as he remembered he was still being pursued by the deer, and he looked around wildly for somewhere to run.

Before he could move, the wall behind Damascus shifted, and the thorns parted on either side of him to reveal his tormentors. They came forward calmly, passing him with heads held high as they walked toward the thrones, and as they moved their forms shifted from beast to humanoid, possessing the faces of deer but the bodies of humans. They wore long silken dresses adorned with flowers that dragged along the ground behind them as they walked. The spirits approached the thrones and sat down, reclining in them comfortably before staring him down. The pale spirit spoke first, her voice quiet and stern. “My chosen name is Briar, and this is my other half, Bracken. We heard you wished to speak with us. You may do so now.”

Damascus stared back at them in utter shock. Before him sat the powerful twin spirits he had longed to meet, who he had traveled days to find, and they had just chased him through their forest like a stupid foal into their inner sanctum. He remained silent, struggling to contain his immense feelings of humiliation and anger as they sat quietly in front of him.

He couldn’t ruin his chance, not now. Not when he was so close.

“Y-yes” he began, slowly regaining control over his words. “I was in the nearby town and heard of your beautiful forest, and I wanted to see it for myself.” He stood up straight, returning to his usual tall confident stance as he fixed his jacket and brushed his suit off.

The twins looked him up and down, and this time Bracken spoke, resting her chin on the palm as she did so.

“What a strange thing to say,” she said cheekily, a small echo of laughter in her tone. “Do you usually barge into someone’s home simply because you will think it would look pretty on the inside?”

Damascus smiled and replied, “Sometimes, if I don’t think the residents will hunt me down and eat me.”

Bracken giggled. “You’re funny for someone so stupid,” she laughed, and Damascus tried his best to hide his indignation at the comment, subtly gripping his claws to his side.

”Well, now that you’ve seen the forest,” she spread her arms wide as she stared him down, “What do you think of it?”

Damascus knew he was walking a thin line, and chose his next words carefully. “It’s absolutely brilliant, everything I imagined and more,” he breathed, letting his genuine awe shine through. “Can I see more of it?”

Briar curled her lips back in anger. “I think you have seen enough,” she sneered, her expression full of contempt as her fangs gleamed in the light.

“You are a bold little fool to walk into our woods with so little respect, and now you ask to see more? You might as well be a rabbit crawling down a fox’s throat, excited to see what he may find in it’s stomach.”

She paused and folded her claws in front of her, her face returning to a more thoughtful expression. “But I suppose you knew that when you came here, didn’t you?”

He couldn’t hide the bristle at her words, and her smirk widened. “Tell me, little rabbit, what do you think is hidden in the belly of our woods that the fox’s teeth don’t scare you?”

Damascus shuddered slightly, wishing he was dealing with Bracken’s playful banter instead of Briar’s scrutinizing stare. However, it seemed she was curious to hear his answer, sitting with her ears pricked in anticipation of his reasoning. Panic washed over him as he realized that his original lie wasn’t convincing them, his mind reeled searching for a better answer.

“Fox got your tongue?” Briar asked, her expression unfaltering, and as Bracken giggled to herself, Damascus realized something.

They were young. They had power and the advantage of the home court, but they were young, with all the naivety and arrogance that came with it. His original lie wouldn’t convince them, but a half truth might.

“Power,” he answered, finally breaking the tense silence. “You are the most powerful spirits in this region. I want to learn from you, understand your magic, and know your ways so I may better myself.”

Briar tilted her head, her expression shifting from distrust to interest. He had her attention. Careful to maintain his composure he continued on. “There are not many spirits in this world that have what you have, I want to influence the world and to do that you need power, teach me so I may become what I deserve to be.”

He stopped, eagerly awaiting their response.

The spirits looked at one another and then back at him, and for a moment, Damascus thought he had gotten through to them. His confidence faltered as they raised their hands simultaneously, and the moment they did so brambles sprung from the earth and tangled themselves around Damascus’s body. He gasped in terror as he fell to the ground, his vision becoming obscured by the thick layers of thorns intertwining around his face and body. Bracken stood up and walked over to him, crouching down just as the last few spots of light began to disappear.

“You don’t toe the line between charm and foolishness as well as you think you do,” she whispered. “But just between you and I, come back soon and try to convince me again sometime, hm?”

In his last moments of consciousness, Damascus felt the spark of an idea. A feeling that he would get everything he wanted before everything fell into blackness.

Damascus woke with a gasp, lying on the ground outside of the forest, the brambles constricting him long gone. He sat up and stared into the trees, taking in all that had just happened to him, and he grinned wolfishly.

He planned on returning very, very soon.

Second story is here!! This time you get to meet 3 main characters wahoo.

-------------------------------------------------------------

The Rest of the series

www.deviantart.com/meadowmood/…

www.deviantart.com/meadowmood/…

www.deviantart.com/meadowmood/…

www.deviantart.com/meadowmood/…

www.deviantart.com/meadowmood/…