Night had fallen in the forest, or as close to night as possible within the twilight of the trees. Within one of the higher flats in the Enclave within the Dark Woods, the night life of the Elves was somber. Groups would return to their huts and holes within the large tree, and while a few of the hunters and warriors of the Tribe would partake of wine and mead made from the fruits of the forest, they were reserved. And within this atmosphere, a young Beast-Kin was sobbing quietly in her rented hut.

The Owl Beast-Kin was curled up within the hammock strung between the rafters of the small hut, shaking with barely contained tears. Serena had held herself well for the meeting with the Elder of the Tribe, but when she was alone, the darkness and the things that hid within had crept upon her. Hot tears spilled from her eyes, and shuddering gasps rocked her body, breaking through her closed throat.

Felicia, the Fox Beast-Kin that had been assigned to Serena as her maid, could do nothing but stroke the emotional wreck of her Lady’s hair, whispering softly into the large owlish ears on top of her head that everything was going to be alright, that they were safe and that nothing bad could happen to them here.

Serena heard the words, but could not understand them within the confines of her mind. The night terrors that she had been subject to since she was a small child had only grown worse with time, tearing her from her restful sleep and sending her careening into a world filled with gnashing teeth and horrible laughter. It was always the same, every night for the entirety of her fifteen cycles of her life her mind was filled with fear.

And then, it stopped. One day it all just ended, and she had slept peacefully for one of the first times in her life. It was a day that she would remember for her entire life. It was the day that she had met the Mageous.

There was something about him that broke her free from her curse. Something dark, but it was a soothing darkness, something that she had never experienced before. It was a calming walk through a starless night, the comforting dark of a blanket held over the head to ward off the creatures of the black void. And she was drawn to it. Being around the Mageous lifted her spirits as if they were on the rising air currents of a hot thermal, and ignited a fire within her heart.

And then he died. He sacrificed himself so that she might live, so that her mission could be completed for the betterment of her people. And with his death, the darkness stole over her mind with abandon. And the dreams were worse, filled with the dying screams of the Mageous she had come to admire for his strength, and she was frozen within her own mind. She could not move, exactly like that night. She could do nothing for the man, and could only watch in terror as he was killed over and over again in her dreams. Over and over again, she watched him die, be reborn and die again. She could do nothing.

And she screamed, tearing her from the confines of her mind and into the waking world.

Gasping for breath through the tears, the shaking Owl-Kin barely registered the comforting arms wrapped around her from behind. She was a failure. She could not do anything. She was worthle-

“Serena.” Felicia gently whispered into her ear, hugging the quivering girl. “It is alright, Lady Serena. I am here. Nothing will take you.”

Serena finally woke from her thoughts, and crumbled into the embrace from the only friend that she had left. The one friend who had been with her since she was a child, and had been there for her every night.

Time passed slowly for the two Beast-Kin comforting each other. Eventually, Serena had gained enough control over her mind to turn her head and smile slightly at her friend. Tears still poured from her eyes, but they were slowing.

“Thank you.” Serena mumbled, her voice quavering slightly. “I do not know what I would do without you.”

Felicia smiled down at her charge gently, and removed one of her hands from around the Owl-Kin to gently stroke her hair. “Do not worry about that. You will never have to worry about me leaving you.” The two Beast-Kin cuddled closer together, and started their long vigil through the night.

As Serena’s eyes began to close on their own, sharp chirps and hoots coming from the flat outside startled the two Beast-Kin. The voices were frantic, shouting in their strange tongue. Felicia rose swiftly, and laying a gentle hand on Serena’s head, spoke softly into her ear. “I will see what is bothering them, My Lady. Please wait here.” With that, the Fox-Kin strode through the large leaves that acted as a door to the hut.

Serena froze, and in her mind the darkness seemed to sense her fear. Quickly extracting herself from the hammock, she moved as fast as her legs would carry her to the door and, brushing the leaves aside, tried to figure out what had happened herself.

A group of Elven hunters were speaking in shrill tones with the Elder that she had been negotiating with earlier. She recognized a few of them as the hunting group that had left earlier with the Mystic Beast Mizutsune, but she could not be sure. The flickering light of the fires spread throughout the flat casted long shadows on their alien features, and it was difficult to distinguish one from the other.

Felicia asked the group a question, noted by a long hoot at the end of her sentence. All of the hunters responded at once, the noises of their feral tongue barely discernable with all the noise. The Elder barked at the scared hunters, and they instantly quieted. One stepped forward, and spoke quietly to the Elder and maid.

Felicia shot a quick glance back at the hut that she shared with her charge, and noticing the Owl-Kin standing in the doorway, she turned and bowed to the Elder and hunters while making an insect-like series of clicks. Standing, she turned and quickly strode to Serena. The Elder clicked and hooted at the hunters, and followed them as they scampered into the night.

“What happened? What is going on?” Serena asked as soon as the Fox-Kin was within a few steps of her.

Felicia paused, staring at Serena with some emotion clouding her eyes. “The hunters have said that there is something within the forest that has the power of a young god. A Tri-Elemental being.”

Serena gasped, her owlish eyes widening with shock. Before she could speak, Felicia raised her hand. “There is more.” She looked down, and her red tail shifted slightly behind her. The Fox-Kin did not want to share this next piece of information, but her duty to Serena forced her. Looking up, she met the Owl-Kin’s eyes and spoke calmly, with no emotion. “The hunters said that, along with being a Tri-Elemental, the being had a unique coloring to its magic. It produced flames of violet, with cores of pitch black.”

Felicia watched her charge. The Owl-Kin’s eyes widened, and an expression of happiness could be seen. But, it was quickly snuffed with fear and self-hatred. Serena’s legs began to shake and she began to mumble to herself.

“No. No, no. No…” She continued her denial, her voice getting louder and higher pitched as she began to lose herself.

“No no no no no no NO!” She screamed, and her quivering legs collapsed beneath her.

“Serena!” Felicia was not fast enough to catch her, and hugged the shaking Owl-Kin as she cried, denials flying through her sobs.

“He’s dead. No. No. He can’t be. He’s dead. No. I watched. No. Dead. Please. No more. Dead. Wake me up.”

___________________________________________________________

Jake sighed, flicking a burnt out cigarette into the woods. He looked over to Mizutsune, watching the fox walk around in circles while sniffing the air and the foliage. They had been walking through the forest for over an hour, passing countless gigantic trees and hundreds of wildlife, which surprisingly hadn’t attacked Jake yet.

“We’re lost, aren’t we?” Jake asked the fox nonchalantly, as his silver companion made his fifth circuit around the tree that the human was leaning against.

Mizutsune glared at Jake with a single sapphire eye as he continued to walk around. “I am never lost, Master. There is just something that has disrupted the scent. It will return shortly.” His cold voice rebounded through the human’s skull.

Jake raised his hands in an attempt to placate the angry fox. “Of course. I did not mean anything by that.” Jake lowered his hands, waiting for a few moments. He looked back at the fox, a slight smirk on his face. “We’re lost, aren’t we Mizu?”

The fox just growled in response. Jake chuckled, glancing around the dark woods. A few pairs of eyes reflected the meager moonlight that was drifting through the branches far above, creating a surreal view. The beasts of the forest had been watching them since the two had joined, but they had not attacked yet.

Scratching his chin, Jake looked over to the agitated fox that was still walking circles around the tree, looking for his lost scent. “Hey, Mizu. You know that I got that one title from the Beast-Kin, right? The [Friend of Beasts]?

“Yes, Master. I am aware.” The fox growled back, his mental voice providing a backdrop to the high-pitched growl that issued from his mouth. “If I may ask, what point do you have to bring this up now?” Jake blinked at the furious fox. This was the first time that he had seen the normally reserved Mizutsune this angry.

Getting lost must have really set him off.

Shaking away the thoughts, he continued with his question. “The title says that I will not be attacked by any beasts. So why have I been attacked pretty much all the time since I’ve been here?”

The fox paused for a second, thinking over the question. Continuing on his march, Mizutsune’s voice was thoughtful with only a slight hint of accusation mixed in. “If I remember correctly, Master, the title said that your reputation with beasts have improved. And normally hostile creatures would react to you with disinterest.”

Jake pulled up the title, and saw that the fox was correct. Before he could speak, Mizutsune continued.

“But, death rolls off of you in waves, Master. When we first met, this was the cause of all of the wild animals to attack you, except for that Wolf with the strange collar around his throat.” Mizutsune paused again, then sat down with a sigh. He looked over his shoulder at Jake, his three tails waving slightly. “We beasts are very sensitive. We would instinctively fear you. And for the lesser beasts, without any intelligence besides the basic needs for survival, fear tends to lead to hatred. Since you have gained that title, the effects have lessened somewhat.” Mizutsune turned his gaze out into the dark, looking for something.

“And, since you have come back from the dead, it has grown stronger. This has overridden the benefits of your title. It has receded in time, thankfully. Now I am able to stand next to you without wanting to rip your throat out with my teeth.” The fox looked back at Jake, a very human-smile gracing his canine features.

“Haha, you’re hilarious.” Jake sighed, and pushed himself into a standing position. Rotating his shoulder, which had grown sore from leaning against the tree, Jake looked around into the night. “So, what should we do?”

Mizutsune shrugged, eyes focused on nothing.

“Well, it’s not like these elves are just going to show up out of the blue. That would be stu-“

His words were cut off as something sped through the night and embedded itself into the tree that Jake was leaning against with a loud crunch. Turning his head slightly, Jake was met with the quivering shaft of a spear lodged into the trunk, barely an inch away from his face. He slowly raised his hand, and placed it on the projectile, stopping it’s movement. Looking closely, the shaft had runes etched into the surface, which glowed with an otherworldly light in the darkness.

As soon as the projectile hit, Mizutsune had launched himself to his feet and began to growl in the direction that the spear had come from. “You just had to say something, didn’t you Master?”

Figures began to emerge from the darkness, as if they were created from the shadows themselves. When the first one appeared, Jake could not help but stare.

He had expected normal looking elves, like the ones from his world’s movies or the games that he played. Humanoid, with sharp features and long ears. While those could be used to describe these creatures, the differences were too much for Jake to consider them the Elves that he knew.

Their ears, while long and pointed, where jagged. They extended far above the heads of the creatures, and ended with sharp points. The edges seemed to have been cut, like a spoon had been taken to a piece of clay and gouged circular divots into the ears. They swiveled around like a cats, scanning for any slight sounds in the dark surroundings.

Their faces were alien. A smooth ridge extended from where the bridge of their nose should be to the tops of their brows with the sides slanting back to the ears, extending the face forwards like a horse’s. The nose itself was small, with only slits evident for the nostrils on the sides of the ridge. The eyes were on the sides of the ridge as well, instead of the front facing eyes that Jake was used to seeing from the Beast-Kin and other humans. The mouth was large, extending to the outsides of their pointed chins and filled with needle-like teeth.

The head sat atop a large and gangly body, arms and legs like twigs. Their spines were curved, giving them a hunched over appearance, and their long arms were almost dragging on the ground. The legs were bent at the knees, and they balanced on the balls of their feet, keeping their heels off of the ground.

Each of them carried a spear similar to the one that was whipped towards him. Raising his hands slightly in a non-threatening gesture, Jake smiled at the beings.

“Good evening. It would seem that myself and my companion have become lost. Can you help us?”

The Elves stepped backwards when Jake raised his hands, but paused when he began to speak. They looked to each other and began to mutter to themselves, with Jake barely catching snippets of conversation, with ‘Strange One’ and ‘Magi' being the only things he could hear.

“Aside!” A gravelly voice spoke from behind the group, and they instantly scampered to the sides. A far more twisted and deformed Elf strode forward, leaning against a large branch decorated with flashing symbols for support. The old Elf, if how wrinkly and white his raggedy hair was any indication of age, turned his head slightly to the side to stare at Jake with one of his eyes. The pupil was slit like a cats, but instead of the slit being vertical through the sclera, it was horizontal, reaching from one corner of the eye to the other.

“Strange One! How speak tongue?” The Elf screeched at Jake, his voice very high pitched despite the gravel in his throat. Jake was taken aback at the abruptness of the question, and took a second to puzzle through what he wanted.

Clearing his throat, he responded. “I was taught this language, along with others, by my patron.” He hoped they understood. He was definitely not going to try to speak in the same clipped sentences that they seemed to be using. He would probably end up insulting them, and then dying again from their spears.

The old Elf stared at him for a few moments, his eye glaring into Jake’s very soul. Jake didn’t break eye contact with the wrinkled creature, and stared back.

“Who Patron?” The Elf barked back, putting an emphasis on the word patron. Jake was unsure of the context, but at least he seemed to understand when Jake was talking.

“Lilith, the Goddess of Change.” Jake responded, and watched for their responses. Please tell me that I understood that right.

The other Elves exploded into speaking again, and Jake was unable to hear what they were saying. The old Elf turned around, and banged his staff against a tree. “Shut!” His kinsmen instantly quieted, and Old-Elf turned back around to Jake.

“Tribe speak magic. Three magic. Prove.”

Jake blinked again, and shot a glance at his companion.

Mizu, did you understand that?

The fox continued to glower at the Elves, but returned Jake’s glance. “I cannot understand a single word that they are saying, Master. What did they ask?” Jake quickly sent Mizutsune a translated version of what the Elf had asked of him. “Hmm… I would assume that they want you to prove that you have control over three different elements.”

Oh, well that’s pretty simple. Jake looked back at Old-Elf. “How do you want me to prove it?”

Old-Elf slammed his staff into a tree again, and shrieked “Prove!” Spit flew from his mouth, spraying the area in front of the Elf.

Jake wiped a small dribble of spit from his face, and glared at the Elf, his anger building. “You want proof?” Purple flames began to grow, licking his body with their fiery tongues. Tendrils of shadow sprouted slowly from his back and the surroundings, trailing their inky darkness through the woods around the Elves. The wind began to increase, whistling through the leaves overhead.

The Elves behind Old-Elf had begun to grow agitated, fear evident in their alien eyes. Old-Elf continued to stare at Jake, unmoving.

“Is this proof enough?” Jake asked the Elf, his voice reverberating through the dark. The wrinkled Elf blinked, a third eyelid quickly nictitating over his eye. The Elf bowed his head slightly, while still making eye contact.

“Proof. God-ling come. Enclave. Half-Beast there.” He spoke quietly, then turned around and strode through the group of frightened Elves. The hunters mumbled to each other, “God-ling” the most prevalent on their lipless mouths. Jake watched the old Elf hobble away, and turned to Mizutsune who was staring at him with a glint of humor in his sapphire eyes. Shrugging, Jake followed behind the Elf, with Mizutsune on his heels. When they passed in between the hunters, they bowed their heads like the old Elf did, but refused to meet his eyes. The hunters then followed behind the human and fox at a distance, muttering softly to each other.

Jake looked down at the fox beside him, his mind stopping on what the Elves had called him.

Mizu, do you know why they would have called me a God-ling?

Mizutsune blinked, glancing up at the human. “A God-ling? What did you tell them?” His cold voice held a hint of accusation.

Jake scratched the back of his neck. That Lilith was my patron.

Mizutsune stared at him for a while, and then sighed. “Master, a Patron is a parental figure, or at the very least a lover that holds more raw power than the other. What you just told them was that you were either the child of the All-Mother, or her paramour.”

Jake stopped moving, slowly moving to face his companion. “… What?”

Before Mizutsune could respond, a blue screen appeared.

Notice me Senpai. All that I want is to bear your children. Please, notice me Senpai! (*°∀°)=3

Jake waved the screen away quickly, slightly shuddering. Don’t even start with that shit. It’s fucking weird.

But Senpai, why won’t you notice me? You said that we were lovers, Senpai! Why are you lying to me like this!? I thought that you loved me! (TT^TT)

No, fuck off. Jake waved the screen away again, just to be replaced with another.

SEEENPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! щ(ﾟДﾟщ)