A Tale Of Masters

Fyn.

The scent of ripe grapes filled Fyn's nostrils as a vine loaded with numerous grapes descended before his face.

Fyn could tell from Havu's tightening around his waist that it was wise to accept whatever the forest was offering. His face twisted into a scowl as he reached for the cluster of grapes. At the sight of the delicious fruit, his mouth started watering involuntarily. He could tell from the scent that it would be deliciously sweet. When the grape seemed to melt inside his mouth like butter, he tried his best not to moan.

"I'm getting fed up with this forest." The sound of Fyn's voice echoed as Havu listened attentively. "What's the point of keeping me here?"

Havu slithered off his waist and started to climb up the path toward Kavan's cave. The serpent taunted him by turning its head and sticking out its forked tongue. The same smooth voice echoes in Fyn's head, "It is time to go. From what I have learned, it is always wise to listen to what the forest tells you. There is no point in doing anything else."

With a sigh and a pinch of the bridge of his nose, Fyn expressed his exasperation. Annoyingly, he kept gnawing on the grape, trying to make the taste linger in his mouth for just a little longer. "Their master told me it was alright for me to leave. What's their deal with going against what he said?"

Fyn was torn between his desire to leave and his fascination with the snake, which he followed as it slithered through the ground. He looked up once more and noticed the jagged rocks that surrounded the entrance to the cave of Kavan, just a few feet away. Inside his mind, Havu continued their conversation.

Fyn wondered what the villagers of Gashea would say about him now, feeling a twinge of anxiety in his chest.

Talking to serpents, eating fruits that they have never seen before, sleeping in beds of flowers and leaves.

Now that I think about it, Lost in thought, Fyn absently considered. I wonder how the people in the village are faring.

"You are probably mistaken."

Fyn's focus on the villagers of Gashea was broken as he heard Havu's voice in his mind.

I'll ask when we're back in Kavan's cave, where it's safe.

Fyn came to a sudden stop, his boots skidding on the dirt path. He stood there, looking like a fish out of water, with his mouth opening and closing. Did that thought really just cross his mind? Did he truly believe that the demon's cave could offer a safe haven? He shook his head in disbelief as he savored the taste of the fruit in his mouth. He yawned and rubbed his eyes; it was clear he was probably just tired.

"It is the other way around."

Fyn furrowed his brow as he contemplated the serpent's words.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Kavan is not the forest's master," Havu clarified. "Rather, it is the forest who is Kavan's master."

"What?" Loud and confused, Fyn's voice echoed.

The serpent's slithering came to a halt, and it fixed him with its beady-eyed gaze. With a nod towards Fyn, the creature gestured towards the cave where Kavan was. The echo of Havu's words left Fyn feeling lightheaded. He shivered as the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and goosebumps dotted his skin.

Havu repeated, "Kavan is not the forest's master. The forest is Kavan's master."

"But... but," Fyn's words stumbled out in a jumbled mess as he struggled to articulate his thoughts. He was gulping and flailing his arms around, hoping to convey to the snake what he couldn't put into words. "Isn't he... the demon of the forest?"

Fyn saw Havu's reaction as soon as he spoke, and he knew that if serpents could flinch, that's what Havu would have done. Fyn felt horrible because it seemed like he uttered a curse. He instinctively took a step back, raising his arms in defense. Wetting his lips nervously, he furrowed his brows in deep concentration.

"Did I... say something wrong? Kavan is... he is the demon in this forest, right?"

Fyn's mind raced with the possibility of there being another one. He couldn't understand why Havu looked at him like he suddenly grew two heads. He was jolted out of his assumption when Havu's voice rang in his head again.

"Master Kavan is not... a demon."

Fyn let out a sigh, feeling like a fool for doubting himself in the first place. Havu was Kavan's underling, and he held his master in high regard, never speaking negatively about him. Laughing nervously, Fyn popped the last grape into his mouth and hastened towards Havu. As he touched the serpent, he could feel the cool, smooth scales under his knuckles. With a bittersweet smile, he nodded in agreement.

"Of course he isn't, Havu."

"No," Havu insisted. "He is not a demon. He is a-"

Agreeing almost immediately to what the snake was saying, Fyn brushed its scales once more.

"Of course he isn't, Havu. I shouldn't have spoken badly about your master."

"No,"

Inside Fyn's mind, Havu's voice resounded like a bell. He didn't know if it was just him, or Havu sounded extremely exasperated. Fyn frowned, realizing that he had inadvertently insulted his master. It was what he learned as a child and observed in the years that came after that. The true nature of its master, someone filled with fear and malevolence, was unknown to Havu.

"He is not a demon, he is a-"

The ground shook beneath their feet as something loud thudded behind them.

Fyn sensed a shiver travel up his back without looking back. Kavan's arrival did not go unnoticed by the serpent, whose eyes glowed brightly as he slithered away. Fyn could hear the sound of wings fluttering and feel the sudden gust of wind behind him. He knew that if he turned around at that exact moment, Kavan might tear his head off his body.

Behind him, Kavan's deep voice reverberated. "Havu."

The serpent bowed its head, its forked tongue flickering as it cast one lingering look towards Fyn's direction before slithering towards its master. With a gulp, Fyn turned his head gradually to glance at Kavan. As the demon hovered in the air, its wings were spread wide and flapping softly. Its feet were just a few feet off the ground. Fyn's hair was unkempt, with flowers and leaves entangled within it, and the demon seemed fascinated by this sight.

Delicately removing the plants the forest had bestowed upon him, Fyn couldn't help but feel like a reluctant participant in a sylvan fashion show.

"I have noticed," Kavan's sudden start and low, growling voice made him jump. "That you are still here, mortal."

Fyn's attempt to mask his irritation failed as he looked up at the demon, who was hovering a mere feet away from him. With an angry gesture, he pointed his arms towards the forests. Rolling his eyes, he let out a low snarl of annoyance.

"Believe me, I tried to leave. I spent hours running last night. But they ultimately decided that I shouldn't leave. I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off in the forest and if Havu didn't find me this morning, I don't know where I'd be now."

The demon's eyebrows furrowed, and he shot him a withering glare, his lips curling in disdain. His mouth fell open in shock as Fyn blinked and his hand moved towards his chest. He was confused as to why the demon was angry with him, considering he had not done anything wrong. If it were solely up to him, he would have left a long time ago!

Clicking his tongue in irritation, the demon looked down at the serpent and let out a deep grunt. The demon's face was a reflection of the conversation it was having with Havu, and Fyn watched as different emotions flickered across it rapidly. Fyn sensed mostly anger, but there was an undertone that evoked a childlike emotion. The reaction that would momentarily appear on children's faces when told by their mothers that there will be no sweets for dinner.

The demon was... annoyed.

Fyn wasn't oblivious, he could sense the annoyance directed towards him.

Fyn pointed towards the trees again, his arms flailing wildly as he stomped his feet on the ground like a madman. "Listen! This isn't really my first choice of places to be. They wouldn't let me leave. Take it easy and lose the scowl. You're freaking me out!"

Surprisingly, the demon did wipe the frown off its face. With surprise etched on his face, Fyn tilted his head and observed as the demon descended and touched the ground. As the demon crouched down and extended its arm towards the serpent, Fyn could hear the faint sound of Havu's scales rubbing against the ground as it slithered around the demon.

"Mortal, did the forest not let you leave?"

Fyn nodded, his chin tilting upwards in agreement.

"They didn't let me, so I couldn't."

With narrowed eyes, Kavan clicked his tongue in annoyance, his impatience growing. Fyn would have been offended by the action because it wasn't really his fault that the forest was preventing him from going back to where he came from, but with how Kavan was looking at the trees, Fyn knew the demon's anger was directed towards the seemingly, but far from it, innocent forest.

"Mortal," The demon's words made Fyn jolt in place. "Don't believe what they said, it's all lies."

Fyn's lips curved slightly upward into a smile. The demon... Kavan. It was hard to tell, but Kavan's tone suggested it might have been a bit embarrassed. Fyn was reminded of village children once again. Whenever their parents embarrassed them in front of others, they would often speak and act that way. Did the demon feel the same way?

A smirk crept across Fyn's face, much to his dismay. With his arms crossed, he opened his mouth to speak of the demon's solitude, but the forest's sudden movements cut him off. They plucked whatever caught their eye - from juicy fruits to delicate flowers and crisp leaves.

Without thinking, Fyn spread his arms wide to catch the barrage of trinkets and food from the branches and vines. Puzzled, he narrowed his eyes at Kavan, who also appeared taken aback by the forest's unexpected action. With a pained expression on his face, Fyn held tightly to the assortment of fruits and flowers.

"I don't really need help, but could you ask them to stop?"

"I cannot."

Fyn frowned, "Seriously, why not? Just let them know I don't want any more gifts!"

Fyn heard Havu's voice in his head once again, loud and clear. "The forest is Kavan's master. The forest has its own will, the master can't make it do anything.

"That's ridiculous!" As the collection of fruits grew, Fyn exclaimed and struggled to keep them balanced on his arms. "I don't need this, because I'll leave as soon as I can."

Kavan let out a sigh as he slowly transferred Havu from his arm to his antlers. The silence was broken when he approached Fyn, surprising everyone, and scooped up the pile of fruits and flowers into his arms. Kavan's brows furrowed as he shook his head, sending a glare towards the persistent branches and vines that continued to offer Fyn more trinkets and food.

Kavan's deep, rumbling voice echoed through the forest as he hollered.

"I don't have time for this nonsense. Stop right now!"

Fyn didn't hesitate to slap the demon's arms, assuming he was the nonsense Kavan was talking about. At that moment, he didn't realize the gravity of his actions and the impact it would have. The suddenness of Fyn's attack caused Kavan to drop the fruits and flowers he was holding, the sound of them hitting the ground echoing through the air. Hitting someone was not something Fyn ever imagined he was capable of until now.

The villagers would have no choice but to acknowledge him as the epitome of manliness if they saw him now. Instead of cowering in fear, he took a bold step and attacked the demon after speaking back to it. Not once, but twice.

Kavan licked his fangs, "Did you seriously just hit me, Mortal?"

Taking a tentative step back, Fyn felt his face flush with embarrassment.

As if the situation couldn't get any worse, a vine entangled itself around his waist, causing him to stumble. He frowned and tugged at the vine, but it wouldn't budge, and he was suddenly shoved against the demon's chest by its rough force, sending him hurtling towards the furious Kavan.

Just when Fyn thought things couldn't get any worse, they took a turn for the worse.

Delicate white baby's breath flowers fell gracefully onto Fyn's head.

Fyn wondered, with his eyes closed and cheek bitten, how many prayers he needed to say to ensure his survival.