[ P ] Stray Rain

It was a quiet evening, the sort during which one would sigh and look to the skies, admiring a tapestry of stars and celestial bodies, breathing in the crisp air, moist and cool. Rafiel breathed out, the warmth crystallizing into a foggy spread as he huffed, shaking off the cold and making his way deeper into the expanse of vegetation. They would need to find a place to rest for the night—it would do them no good to be caught in a late spring storm, after all, potentially even separated in the dark. Besides, they would need their strength in the morning.

He glanced over at his companion, eyes softening when he saw her form appear. “Over here, my lady! Perhaps we may rest in the forest?” Any stray rain would surely be lighter among the trees, where they would be hidden below their strong branches—at the very least, the woods would provide them protection from any fierce winds.

@Merrin

Art by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

Merrin kept close to Rafiel as best she could under the worsening conditions of the storm. A mixture of rain and wind relentlessly whipped her in the face as she followed him. The evening would not be young forever and it was clear that the storm would rage through the night. Her ears perked up to hear her the deep tenor of his voice beckoning her to cover.

It seemed Rafiel had crossed the threshold of a forest that provided them with significant cover as opposed to being out in the open with no way of shielding themselves from the elements. Once shed joined him, she met his eyes and mirrored his smile before moving away from him and shaking excess water from her coat. Her gaze began to wander, taking in the scenery beneath the canopy of trees before she looked back to the golden knight. “Rafiel, do you know where we are? I can’t say I recognize this place…”

@Rafiel

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Knights and soldiers, warriors in service of the realm—they were fierce and steadfast, loyal and true! And, of course, they would never, ever lose their way—navigation was a natural forte for those who traveled in search of their destinies.

But, alas, Rafiel was not one who had those navigational skills, and the curves of the earth, the study of geography alluded him. He was certainly the most inept of all his siblings in finding his way, though he was honest with his shortcomings, self-aware of matters that required improvement.

“Unfortunately, not, my lady,” he said, still chipper, despite the rain. He mimicked Merrin’s behavior, creating distance between them before shaking off the water that drenched his pelt. “But, no matter. I’m sure the storm will pass soon, and if we need to spend the night beneath the canopies, we’ll at least stay dry.”

He was ever the optimist, unawares of the events that would take place in the suspect forest.

“How are you doing, dear Merrin? Not too chilled, I hope?”

@Merrin

Art by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

Merrin held a strong admiration for the gentleman’s continuously positive attitude. Rafiel truly lit up the atmosphere wherever he went as though he were a gift from the sun itself. It was purely infectious to those who came in contact with him and she could not deny that overtime it had affected her too. Her anxieties were lessened and she smiled more, so much more than she ever had in her whole life up to this point.

“That’s quite alright. We might as well both acquaint ourselves with this forest. Who knows, perhaps we’ll be sent here to help someone in the future.” Merrin mused with a gentle smile, peering around and scanning the area around them before taking steps further into the woods. If they were to spend the night, they might as well find a comfortable place to sleep.

She shivered lightly beneath her damp pelt, but she attempted to hide it. If they were still moving, she would be warm enough. Soft lavender eyes connected with vibrant cerulean and she gave him a pleasant nod.

“Oh, I am perfectly well. And you? How are you faring? I’d expect you’d be a bit more exhausted after all of the traveling, to be honest. Then again, I’m not sure I will ever see you worn down, Rafiel. Your energy reserves prove to be unlimited.” She teased him lightly with a chuckle.

@Rafiel

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“Aha! Right you are as always, Lady Merrin! I’m doing very well, thank you! I daresay I enjoy smiling and spreading vivacity all around!” Rafiel said, turning to look in the forest, blue eyes narrowing just slightly in the dim light. Something was… amiss, he thought, though he couldn’t quite pinpoint the cause of this incongruence.

Forests were usually peaceful, serene, a place where one could come to contemplate. However, this particular section of the woods, encased in trees that canopied over the floral, brimmed with a different sort of energy.

It felt… sad, almost, the melancholy melting through Rafiel’s heart. He wondered what it was for, why he was consumed with such negative emotions, despair. “Do you feel that, my lady?” he asked, glancing at Merrin with a curious expression. “It’s colder here, the air feeling closer and feller. I wonder what it could be.”

@Merrin

Art by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

The further they moved into this forest, the darker it felt. Even the light that the Zyphear man always carried with him seemed as though it were flickering as this atmosphere threatened to snuff it out. Merrin’s smile had vanished, replaced by a deep frown that etched itself along her maw. There was suddenly this overwhelming sense of…dread and grief as though she’d lost something very dear to her here.

The sound of his voice pulled her focus away from those feelings momentarily as she met his curious gaze. “Yes…I do feel it. Something is wrong here, Rafiel…” When she spoke his name, her breath was visible in front of her. But this was impossible! It was Spring! Her distress only worsened with the drop in temperature and this horrible weight of sorrow creeped back into her heart, feeling as though it were going to drag her down. There was only one time before that she had ever felt such anguish…

The sound of a pup’s tiny wailing rose up above the din of the rain against the tree canopy. Merrin’s froze, her entire body rigid as each individual hair along her spine rose and her eyes became twice as large. Another cry split her heart into two and she began to feel faint where she stood. She knew this sound. How could she ever forget it? She did not want to turn her head and look, fearful of what she might see, but the shrill cries continued until she was forced to lay her eyes on.

Merrin’s legs nearly buckled beneath her, yet instinct propelled her forward as she rushed to meet the small bundle that could only have been her daughter. “Etherea!” She came close enough to lower her muzzle to touch her nose to the infant, but it vanished into a fine mist at her feet. A choked sob rose up from her throat and she collapsed in a heap, only to lift her head again as she heard the same crying coming from another area of this cruel labyrinth. What could it possibly want?

@Rafiel

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The cool air felt damp and pervasive, chilling Rafiel right down to the bone—it was odd, in fact, he thought, because it was not nearly as cool outside of the forest, even in the storm and wailing winds and rain. The darkness grew thicker, more foreboding, and even a golden knight exercised hesitancy, ears folding forward to scan the area.

He heard nothing, smelled nothing. “Oh dear,” he said in hushed tones, hearing the thump of his heart. “Nothing is ever quite this silent. I agree—something is wrong with this place.” He stepped forward, walking with Merrin, and although he was a man rarely on guard unless he was certain of the dangers ahead, he kept his eyes open, breath loose, muscles poised in case his strength was required.

“Dear Merrin? Are you all right?” He noted her posture, the fear in her eyes—and, then, he heard the source of her anguish. “A child?” he thought, and before he could return to his companion’s gaze, she had raced off into the forest, the wailing of a pup echoing in his ears. There was something that felt… off about the crying, however, something that rung as unnatural to him, spooking his senses.

He could smell nothing—that was it. There was no scent. This was a phantom, and nothing more. “Merrin!” he called after her, barely able to keep up with a mother succumbed to grief again. “Come back! This cry does not belong to your Etherea!” But no matter his reasoning, Merrin would not return until she collapsed on the ground. “What happened, dear?” Rafiel said, having not witnessed the ghost of the child as she did. He nudged her neck with a gentle, wet nose. “There, there. It will be all right.”

Then, the cries sounded again.

@Merrin

Art by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

When Rafiel finally caught up with her, she stared at him with wide eyes, her chest heaving with panic breaths. His lips were moving and she witnessed them form her name, felt the deep timbre of the vibration of his voice, but she was not registering what he was saying. Merrin slowly let her eyes fall on the area between her forepaws where the pup should have been, utterly heartbroken.

She leaned into the comforting touch at her neck, but then the cries resounded once more, causing her to tense. They started as a ringing in her ears, but then grew louder until she could not tell if the pain of hearing them was physical or if it was all in her head. “Make it stop, make it stop!” Merrin whimpered and cuffed her own ears with her paws as the lost child’s lament echoed throughout the grove.


@Rafiel

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Her sword and shield, the first and last line of defense he could provide—he longed to be that for her, but as she collapsed in anguish, paws over her ears, whimpering in despair, he felt his own heart constrict at the very sight. Rafiel did not see all that she saw, but he thought he understood well, having been told her history during their travels. It was a grave subject matter, but he felt honored having been trusted with this information.

“Merrin?” he said, softly, the whisper made between her cries. He lowered himself so that their bodies touched. He thought, perhaps, his warmth would bring her comfort and allow her to grasp reality once more. “It’s all right. The child is not… real. She has no scent. She can’t be.” It was difficult to believe, or even speak, for certain, but Rafiel trusted his instincts enough to understand what had taken place here. “She is a phantom. I don’t know what’s going on in this forest, but we should leave.”

Rafiel nudged her again with his nose, letting his breath tickle her ear. “Do you require assistance? I can help you stand, if you need.” He would even carry her out of this terrible place if he had to.

Still, leaving felt wrong, if he was being honest with himself. There seemed to be a force here, a spirit, a ghost that needed their help. But he could not care for a phantom—Merrin was his priority.

@Merrin

Art by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

The sound of her name and the warmth by her side drew her face up. Merrin trembled lightly, trying to keep more tears from emerging, sniffling and swallowing it all back with all her might. She searched his face as he explained that everything she was experiencing wasn’t real, none of it was. That realization was almost more painful, for all she had wanted was even just one more day with Etherea. Her gaze grew distant and then she slowly lowered her head until her nose rested atop her forearms.

There, she squeezed her eyes shut, and let a few more silent tears slip out in mourning for her baby girl. Her ear flicked against the warm breath that moved through the tufts of fur there and she turned her head towards him but could not look Rafiel in the eye, out of shame. She’d allowed herself to be completely incapacitated by a mere spectre! How could she ever dream of becoming a knight when she could not even face ghosts of the past?

Merrin shook her head in response and then began to lift herself slowly from the ground until she was back on her paws again. She opened her mouth to apologize, but her eye caught something from behind Rafiel and she froze. It was pup, much older than hers, standing there with a sad, defeated look about her. The child started coughing and she had wounds about her form, black and oozing. “Mother…Father…” The poltergeist wheezed, clearly weakened by some horrible sickness.

This…this was not her Etherea…

“Rafiel…” She whispered in a quivering voice, gesturing towards the misty figure with her snout where it swayed on its paws. Merrin only prayed that her companion could see this too.


@Rafiel

table by Yahtzee-Penguiduck [da], click for attributions