17

Devilkghth was walking back home when he caught sight of it; the most beautiful thing he'd ever laid eyes on. There was something so delicate about this particular creature that made it look as though any moment its beauty would crumble away in an instant, to be replaced by some other hideous creature entirely. He wanted nothing more than to touch it but at the same time, his heart skipped a beat when he realized what would happen if he even so much as brushed against the creature; the beast would turn into dust before Devolkghths very eyes. The thought alone sent shivers down his spine because no one deserved to be so horribly treated; no one should have their skin stripped off like that.

With a heavy sigh, Devkin walked up next to it, taking another glance at it, trying desperately to determine what species it belonged to. If he could get it home it would surely save countless lives. If it lived for a few days longer it might just prove to be valuable enough that a small kingdom could afford to buy it out of a fair price. It looked almost harmless though. Its skin was light golden with a hint of dark brown beneath, its feathers a deep royal blue and speckled with gold. The creature seemed peaceful, despite its strange form. The creature didn't even seem to notice him approaching, it was too busy watching whatever was happening beyond the forest. As Devinkhth stood next to it, he saw the creatures' head snap around, eyes widening as though it couldn't quite believe what it was seeing. It let out a shriek and began scrambling away. Devkin watched the creature run, a small pang of hurt stabbing through him. Had he really done nothing but catch its attention?

He quickly dismissed the thought as he continued to watch it run further away until it disappeared behind trees and foliage. For a moment he considered following, wondering what it would be like to have such an amazing creature for a pet; a companion that he could bring to the castle whenever he liked. His mind drifted back to the past, to his father, who'd always told his son that every person's worth was measured not by their appearance but by their actions. No one would appreciate someone who only used violence as an excuse to feel stronger and larger than them. And yet, Devkin still found himself yearning to have a friend, to spend more time with this mysterious being than with his own family. Perhaps one day he would ask for permission and invite this odd creature to live with him at the palace. Perhaps one day he would get to know it a little better...

As though sensing his thoughts, the creature finally stopped running, its entire body shaking from both exhaustion and fear. Without hesitation Devkins reached his hand out towards it. After a moment it took one step towards him. Then two. Soon it had completely come to trust him. As soon as it reached out to him, Devkin gently took hold of it and pulled. The creature stumbled forward, nearly falling over as it tried to keep upright. When it finally got its bearings it looked up at Devkin, eyes full of wonder.

"What do you want me to call you?"

The creature tilted its head to the side, considering Devkins' question. Finally, after several moments, it said 'I don't know'. Devksins chest swelled with pride. How adorable… he's a cute little guy! He thought.

After giving the creature an affectionate nuzzle he decided it wasn't safe to wander around anymore. They needed to return home and find a nice place where they could live together. Maybe he could even ask his father for permission to raise a dragon to be his companion. A companion… Devkins smiled at the idea. It sounded good. In fact, it sounded perfect.

When they reached the house they were immediately greeted by King Zephyr's daughter. Upon seeing the creature she gasped and ran over to her father.

"Dad!" she exclaimed. "I think I found your pet."

She looked up at Devkins expectantly. Her dad looked over at his daughter and smiled warmly. "Really, now? Where did you find it?"

The princess shrugged. "By the river. I was looking for frogs and I found the prettiest frog I've ever seen!"

King Zephyr chuckled. "You shouldn't go hunting alone." He shook his head slightly, his smile remaining unchanged. "How about we take a picture with him? It will make a great story someday."

Once again the princess nodded vigorously. Devinksy felt sorry for the poor animal as the couple took pictures of each other and Devinskis. At least he won't forget about me. Once they were finished they returned to the house. After they sat down, the king opened a map and studied it carefully.

"Well," he sighed. "It seems our little friend is stuck here."

Devkin perked up, curious to hear about the creature's fate.

"We may need to move him somewhere else, however."

Devinksy deflated, once again disappointed. However, this time he felt something stir inside of him as well; a feeling he'd never experienced before.

I must help this creature.

Chapter 2

The morning sun shone bright and warm against the walls of the cottage as Devkis made his way outside.

I must help this creature.

It had been four months since Devkis had rescued the creature in the woods. Now, he'd grown attached to his new friend and he'd spent hours every day talking to it. Devkis was determined to learn everything he could about it, wanting to make sure that he was capable of doing anything to make this strange creature happy.

He was currently making breakfast for the three of them. He'd decided that today he would take care of cooking food for the rest of the week. After breakfast he would continue learning all of the creature's needs, including feeding it.

He poured some eggs onto a plate while he waited for the pan to heat. While waiting for the eggs to cook Devkis leaned down so that he could pick a rose out of a nearby bush. He carried it into the bedroom so that the creature could eat from it when it woke up. With a final check of the eggs Devkis set them on the countertop. Taking one of the eggs he placed it on top of the pan then moved onto the second one. Before he knew it, the eggs were already sizzling in the pan.

Soon after Devkis finished cooking breakfast Devkin heard footsteps on the porch. He quickly turned towards the door but instead of finding his father he found the king.

"Father!" he exclaimed, surprised to see him. "Good morning."

The king waved his arm dismissively. "No, no, no," he said as he closed the front door. "Not so formal with your father. We're not that far apart in age anyways. You can call me Zephyr. What are you preparing for breakfast?"

Devkin glanced back at the pan. "I haven't prepared anything. I hope you enjoy it."

Zephyr chuckled at the comment and gestured to the plates that Devkin had set on the table earlier. They consisted of a mix of bread, berries, cheese and fruit. The prince blushed slightly, unsure if he should've put that last part in at all.

"You are absolutely delicious!" Zephyr said, reaching forward to grab a piece of bread. He paused then added. "Although perhaps you could try making a bit less butter next time?"

Devkin chuckled nervously at his joke. "Sorry about that. My mother used to tell me I need to cut out the excess butter so that my stomach would stop growling so much. I'll definitely remember that next time."

They ate their breakfast in silence, devouring the food in such a ravenous manner that both men were left speechless after devouring half their meal. As they sat there eating they began chattering lightly, discussing how the weather was in town and the crops they were planning to plant this week. Neither of them mentioned the creature, which was starting to become rather bored of sitting next to Devkin's leg. Devkin was relieved when he suddenly noticed movement out the corner of his eye. He looked over and frowned slightly upon noticing that a small bird had gotten into the kitchen. He hadn't noticed this yesterday either; he'd been too occupied by the food. Slowly, slowly, the bird began to approach them, fluttering across the ground in a lazy attempt to reach their plate. Devksin raised his hand in response, holding his hand out slightly, inviting the bird closer. It hesitantly stepped toward him, pecking at his fingers before landing on his palm.

Before long, the bird hopped into Devksin's open hands. It landed in a soft plop before flying off, leaving a tiny feather in the middle of the kitchen.

"Wow, Devki," Zephyr said, grinning broadly. "That's quite a feat. Have you done that with any other animals?"

Devkins shook his head. "My mum taught me, but she died shortly after, so I didn't really want to practice."

"I see," Zephyr mused, a thoughtful expression spreading across his face. "I suppose if you want to improve you might consider taking lessons from the village master or the schoolmaster. That should teach you a thing or two."

Devkin nodded silently, thinking about what his father had said. Maybe if he went into a class he could actually learn something. It seemed like he wouldn't be able to take much more of this boring routine. He wondered how long it would be until he could escape from here.

The next few days went pretty normally. Every afternoon Devkins spent with his father, helping him build the greenhouse. They had agreed that once the building was completed, he would move in to live there permanently. Although Devkins would have preferred living near his new friend, he understood why his father couldn't leave her behind. She would likely get lonely and miserable without him. Also, he wasn't exactly looking forward to leaving her alone either. Despite not knowing what he would do during the week, he was still excited to spend more time with her, although they'd only talked very briefly. Still, he was happy that he would be spending a lot of his free time with his new friend.

One particular day, they worked steadily on building the greenhouse. Zephyr told him all sorts of interesting stories about plants, animals, and history, and soon Devkin forgot all about the loneliness that he felt.

"Well, look at that!" Zephyr exclaimed. He looked down to glance inside the pot he held in his hands. "Looks like our little friend is hungry again. We better feed her. Come on, let's go into the house and get her some dinner."

Devkin smiled happily and hurried inside with the man. When they entered the dining room, however, he stopped dead in his tracks at the sight in front of him. There were a number of dishes laid out on the dining room table and most of them were covered by cloth napkins. On one side of the table stood an elaborate display consisting of various fruits. To the right a large jug of milk and several different kinds of bread were set out.

"Your mother was quite good at preparing these." Zephyr said chuckling softly. He glanced at the prince then continued. "She would bake us sweets every month to cheer us up whenever we had a rough patch at work."

Devkins was staring at the feast as it occurred to him for the first time just how nice life must've been when his mother was still alive.

"Oh!" The prince exclaimed in surprise. "I didn't know your parents were alive!"

"Yes, yes, of course. They passed away long ago, unfortunately."

Devkins furrowed his brow. Why would they give up their lives to create such a beautiful home? He had seen plenty of houses on the castle wall where the owner hadn't been able to afford to keep the whole place together. So why did they bother? And how come they had no children of their own? Did they die when Devkin was born? If so, how? He couldn't think of a single reason why they would choose to give up on their child instead of having another child who was even more important than the one they gave birth to. No, this couldn't be happening; this family needed him. He was the son they never got to raise, the son they never got to meet. They wouldn't want to lose him, now would they?

Devkin shook his head, trying desperately to force himself to think of a logical explanation as to why his family wanted him back so badly. He took a step backwards, turning around and walking straight into a chair that was sitting behind him. With a slight yelp he jumped out of the chair before whirling around to find his father glaring at him angrily.

"I don't understand," the prince said quietly to himself. "Why?"

Chapter 9

"Don't you understand why?" Devlin repeated quietly to himself as he stared at his father. His eyes were narrowed slightly and his mouth was pulled into a thin line. Devkin swallowed nervously as he stared at his father who was standing across the room from him with his arms crossed over his chest.

"It's my life. How could I possibly know why they want me back, sir?" the prince asked with a shrug, trying to remain calm.

The king sighed heavily, moving toward the boy. "Do you really think we would have given you the key to the kingdom if we didn't want you to return? We have a special place for you in our heart. Of course, we'll miss you when you're gone, but we have many other sons with whom we can pass the throne." He paused before continuing. "We're going to make sure nothing happens to hurt you or bring you harm, Dev. You have to believe that."

Devlin nodded. He knew his family would do everything in their power to ensure that nothing bad ever happened to him. After all, his father was the only person who cared enough to stay by his side through thick and thin. The thought made a smile creep onto his face, even though he tried to stifle it so he wouldn't offend his father any further. He moved over to embrace the man, wrapping his arms loosely around him and resting his forehead against his shoulder.

His father hesitated momentarily, unsure if he should hug back. Eventually, after a moment, he wrapped his arms around the younger man's shoulders, allowing the tears that pricked his eyes to slip from his eyes and run down his cheeks. "I love you," he whispered, voice strained with emotion.

"I love you too." Devkin whispered back, feeling slightly embarrassed. "I'm sorry if I've caused problems for you..."

He was immediately pushed away by Zephyr, the man laughing as he wiped away his tears with the backs of his gloved hands. "No worries. Now, I believe we owe someone breakfast!" He laughed loudly before rushing upstairs to the kitchen.

Devkin watched after him sadly before shaking his head and returning his attention to his father. Devlins stomach growled at him and he decided to follow after Zephyr, making his way upstairs to the dining room. As he entered the room, he spotted Devinsons new friend sat on the table. She perked her head up at the sound of steps entering, her ears twitching as if she was listening for any danger approaching. She seemed to relax when she saw the prince enter the room. She walked over to stand in front of the young prince with a smile, her tail wagging gently as it swayed behind her. Devkin crouched down in front of her, smiling brightly at her before reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a few treats, handing them to her one by one. The rabbit quickly gobbled them all up before hopping to the floor and scampering over to her pile of toys. Devinsons lips tugged downward slightly as he turned back to watch her play. He was surprised to feel Zephyr lean down beside him and pull out one of his books. Without bothering to say anything, Devkin took the book, opening it to where he left off, ignoring the concerned gaze of the older male beside him.

The door creaked open and Mrs. MacFarlane stepped inside, carrying a tray in her hand. "Hello there, dear." She smiled at Devkins before setting the tray on the table. "I brought you some fresh food from the village."

"Thank you," the prince replied absently.

Mrs. MacFarlane turned to the wolf, frowning in confusion. "Devkins...are you feeling alright? You haven't eaten since yesterday morning."

The wolf tilted her head to the side in question and Devkin shook his head, still engrossed in his reading. "Just hungry. Nothing to worry about. Thank you though."

After a brief moment of hesitation, the older woman shrugged. "Alright. I hope you feel better soon." With that, she left the room again, closing the door behind her.

Devkin remained silent throughout the rest of the meal, refusing to look up as the conversation shifted to subjects that involved him.

Later that evening, while his father was busy with whatever task he had planned, Devkin slipped out of the house and wandered aimlessly through the forest for hours.

It took almost all the afternoon before Devkin finally found himself seated on a tree stump under a shade tree. As always, a small part of him worried about his father noticing and coming to drag him back inside the house. However, he dismissed the thoughts and began to read his favorite novel. He smiled when he realized just what the author had intended to convey in the story. All the characters were living their best and happiest lives because of a loving couple, a mother and daughter. The mother was the queen of the country; she loved her husband, the King, very much indeed, but she also loved her only child, and she knew well just how strong and independent he could be. In addition to being very smart and intelligent, he also had a wonderful mind and was kindhearted. He had many friends, although not as close as the one who was with him all those years ago. But despite being very popular in the town, people still remembered the hardships he experienced. It was because of them that he was able to build a family, and he cherished them dearly.

When the sun began to lower down behind the hills, Devlin rose from his place beneath the shade tree and turned to start back toward the castle. Suddenly a strange feeling came upon him; a sensation of emptiness and sadness spread through his body, causing him to stop in his tracks once again. This time the feeling was stronger. At that same instant, a soft light appeared within the darkness. A bright ball of light formed on the tip of its tail, slowly growing bigger as it became visible. Soon a little girl began to form, wearing a red dress. Her hair was black and curly and fell past her waist. She smiled widely when she noticed Devlin watching her.

She giggled and waved happily towards him, causing Devkin to smile widely before waving back enthusiastically. "Hello, hello!" he called to her excitedly. "Are you here for a good time?"

"That's right!" the girl giggled as she ran over to the tree next to Devkin, sitting down on the tree stump. "My name is Lucy. Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he smiled brightly. "My name is Dev. What's yours?"

Lucy giggled lightly and nodded eagerly. "I like you!"

"Do you really? That makes two of us!" Dev exclaimed. "What are we doing?"

The little girl stood up, taking a hold of his hand. She led him closer to where the light was coming from, and Devlin gasped when he noticed the large house before him. It was huge and grandiose. White walls covered most of the outside, giving the illusion that it was a palace instead of a house. Large golden statues surrounded it, each one staring at him expectantly. Devlin let go of Lucy's hand and ran to the front door, pulling at the door knob to open it. He turned to look at Lucy who simply nodded and gave him an encouraging smile before turning and walking away. Dev opened the door as silently as possible. Once he was inside, he closed the door behind him and looked around curiously, examining every corner.

A familiar laugh sounded suddenly, causing Devlin to turn around and see another girl approaching him. This girl's dark brown skin shined beautifully against her white dress and silver jewelry. She wore long brown curls which framed her face, falling gently onto her shoulders and down to her feet. The corners of her mouth curled upward when she looked at the young prince. "Hiya! Are you here for a good time?"

Devlin grinned and nodded. "How did you know?"

The girl smiled. "Everyone knows everyone else! You're the prince; you belong here. Come on, let's have a lot of fun." She grabbed Devlin's hand tightly, running down the hallway before looking over her shoulder and yelling over her shoulder, "Where do you live?"

They made their way up several flights of stairs until Devlin eventually stopped in front of a door with three golden lions engraved on its surface. The girl reached out with her free hand and knocked three times before opening the door and motioning for the younger man to step inside.

As they made their way inside, Devlin couldn't help but gawp at the extravagant decorations inside the house. The main hallway had two archways with golden pillars that lead upstairs and down to a wide staircase, leading up to a pair of double doors in the middle of the room. To one side of the doors was a balcony, overlooking the entire garden which contained countless flowers and trees. The other side of the doors was a large library, filled with shelves upon shelves of books. In the centre of the room, was a huge wooden desk piled with different types of books.

"This is your room, silly!" the girl giggled happily. "It has everything you need!" she pointed towards the bed, blankets and pillow neatly arranged in a neat pile. On the bedside table were various bottles with different coloured pills scattered along the glass. She picked up two and handed them to Devlin, smiling sweetly. "For pain, you dummy." she said with a smirk.

Devlin giggled at her words before heading towards the bed and climbing in. He laid down, closing his eyes tiredly, before he felt something poke him on the cheek. He flinched and turned his head to find Lucy holding two bottles of medicine. She held the bottle out towards him, her ears flattening against her head and her nose wrinkling slightly. "Take these."

Devlin sat up so he could take the bottles from her hands. He blinked a few times before grabbing the two bottles and putting them in the drawer beside the bed before returning his attention back to her. "Thanks, Luce." he murmured softly, earning a giggle in response.

Once he heard footsteps approaching him, he rolled his eyes when he saw who the new person was. His brother Zephyr smiled down at him, nodding before moving aside to allow Dev his father to come to the edge of the bed and sit down on the chair beside it. "Good evening." he greeted politely.

Devlin returned the greeting before asking, "Dad, why are you here?"

The king chuckled quietly, placing a hand on his son's arm before shaking his head. "I am here to visit you." he stated calmly.

Devlin tilted his head in confusion, blinking owlishly at his father. His father smiled and continued to speak. "The last few days you've been acting strange, and I want to make sure everything is going to be okay. Your mother tells me your stomach has started to hurt again."

"I'm fine, dad." he answered quickly. "You don't have to keep worrying about me."

"I know that you are alright, dear boy, and I am happy to hear that." Devlin felt his father lean forward a bit and rest his hand on top of his own. He stared at the king intently, trying to figure out what he wanted to say. Finally, after a few seconds, the king broke eye contact, seemingly choosing to ignore whatever it was that he had been trying to tell his son. Instead, he simply asked. "Can you show me what you've been doing today? It seems like you've spent some time in the woods."

Devlin nodded and hopped off the bed, grabbing his book bag and following his father out of the bedroom.

Chapter 11

He watched from the window in his room as the carriages carrying the king and queen drove by on their way home. As they approached his estate, Devlin sighed loudly. He could already imagine the scene he would no doubt have to deal with later: His father's disappointed and angry expressions; the king's disappointment and anger; and his mother's guilt and sorrow. He could easily imagine their reactions even if he hadn't seen any of them yet. They would probably berate him endlessly. Devlin sighed once more. If he was lucky, they would only yell at him.

Unfortunately, luck seemed to not be on his side tonight. Not that he could blame her. How could he possibly explain this to her? 'So, mom, remember how I was talking about a bunch of children living in my forest when I was younger?' Well, turns out I met one of them while hunting and helped them get back home safely.' No, that wouldn't work... 'Well, guess what?! I ended up becoming their friend, and then I found out that all of them are actually princesses. Turns out it was only me that didn't notice it.' Okay, that might work too; however, they'll be upset at me for keeping such important secrets.

Just as Devlin was about to turn around and leave the window, he spotted someone entering the castle grounds on horseback and riding across the bridge towards his home. The horse was black, with white patches across his forehead. The rider also had white fur and looked much larger than any animal that had ever lived anywhere near Devlin's forest. Even so, he continued to stare at the person as he neared the gates.

The rider soon drew to a halt outside the castle gates. The guard raised the gate and allowed the stranger to enter without question. Once the stranger disappeared inside, he shut the gates before riding into the yard and dismounting his horse. Without bothering to tie the reins to the hitching post, he walked up to the entrance and entered the castle with ease.

Inside the castle hallways, everyone bowed respectfully before they went to work as normal. It was almost always the same routine, except Devlin never bothered to pay attention to any of the guards anymore because whenever anyone bowed in his direction he either ignored them or nodded his head politely in return.

Eventually, Devlin left his room and headed downstairs to his breakfast with a sigh. When he got there, the guards were standing outside of the kitchen area, their arms folded and their eyebrows raised, glaring at him. Devlin sighed again, knowing very well that they weren't angry at him personally. However, their expression gave it away anyway. Devlin shrugged. He knew exactly what they were thinking right now. Why couldn't he just behave himself sometimes? Why does he have to make it difficult for everyone?

He walked through the door slowly, his steps slow and quiet. It wasn't until a plate full of food appeared in front of him that he finally noticed that there were people standing in front of him. A couple of servants that usually stayed behind were standing next to him, smiling gently. The king and queen were the ones who had served them since the day they had moved into the castle. Their names were Elizabeth and Arthur and they both took care of the boys. Devlin's father was busy working as he was the royal advisor to Lord Dallin's father.

Elizabeth placed a plate in front of Devlin and Arthur. She spoke to them softly, saying something to Arthur while gesturing towards Devlin. After a short while, she nodded once before turning towards Devlin again. Arthur grabbed his plate of food, followed shortly by Elizabeth and Arthur walked away.

Devlin stared at the plate and frowned. There was no syrup, cheese, milk, butter, eggs, bacon, tomatoes, sausage, lettuce, and mushrooms. Just bread, fruit, toast, cereal, water and coffee. He glanced up briefly towards the king and queen and then shook his head before turning back to the food in front of him. He lifted up the fork and jabbed at the food before shoveling it into his mouth. Then, after swallowing the bite he had just taken and swallowing the coffee in his mug, he set the dishes back down onto the tray.

Devlin pushed away from the table and started making his way up the grand staircase. Once he reached the third floor he entered the bedroom where he slept and opened the door carefully. The room was completely dark apart from the glow of a lantern that lit up an area around his bed.

When Devlin walked up towards his bed and climbed into the warm sheets, he yawned tiredly. As he lay his head on the soft pillow, he closed his eyes. His dreams were filled with monsters, monsters, and monsters.

-----

It was dark and silent. Devlin could see nothing. Nothing but darkness around him. And then suddenly something was crawling towards him from under his bed. It crawled towards him until it stood above him, its legs covered by a dark brown cloak. The closer it came, the brighter it became until finally, Devlin was able to make out the monster's face.

The monster smiled down at him and leaned forward to whisper something into his ear. Devlin could feel his skin crawl with cold and fear. But then he felt it, he felt something. Something warm and comforting flowing through him, seeping into his bones, and filling him with joy and peace. Everything suddenly stopped. All sound ceased. Suddenly, Devlin could feel something else besides warmth and tranquility. It was pain! Pain coursed throughout his body like fire and ice at the same time.

Suddenly everything changed and suddenly it wasn't him lying underneath the covers, it was the king and queen. They were screaming as they struggled to wake up but they couldn't move at all. The monsters were still laughing as they dragged them to the ground. Then something grabbed his leg, pulling him to the ground. Devlin yelled in agony before he felt a sharp, stinging sensation across his face. He could barely hear anything, his ears ringing. Tears flowed freely from his eyes and his vision turned black as everything faded away.

----

When Devlin opened his eyes, he realized he was lying flat on his back. He sat upright quickly upon hearing a familiar voice coming from somewhere nearby.

"...are you awake yet?" a female voice asked. It took a moment for Devlin to place the voice as belonging to the maidservant.

Devlin nodded, feeling rather groggy from having just woken up.

"That's good." she replied in a relieved tone. "Your father wants to have a word with you," she informed him, standing next to his bed and giving him a smile.

Devlin nodded again as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"Go ahead." said the servant. Devlin nodded again and pushed himself off of the bed. He made his way over to the doorway of his bedroom as instructed and stepped out into the hallway. He could hear voices coming from the room that his parents shared. When he rounded the corner, he caught sight of his father and Queen Charlotte sitting at one end of his father's desk. They were deep in conversation but when he appeared in front of them, they immediately stopped talking. Devlin looked at them expectantly. What could they possibly want? he thought to himself. They've been arguing nonstop these past few days about me. Surely, they must have come to some sort of agreement that I am supposed to go back into the forest again tonight.

Instead, his father smiled brightly at him as he got out of his chair and walked towards him. His mother did the same thing. Devlin could see the concern written all over their faces. "Good morning, dear boy..." his father began, sounding slightly anxious and confused, "I know you must be really exhausted from all of your travels last night, so we decided to let you sleep for another hour or so."

As Devlin processed what his father had just said, he tried to ignore his growing sense of confusion and unease. Finally, it hit him all at once. It was the same thing he'd felt before leaving the castle that afternoon and he'd been hoping desperately it wouldn't happen today. Now it was definitely happening and it meant one thing: he was going to spend another whole week with the princesses until he figured out what to do.

Devlin swallowed nervously. "Thank you." he murmured quietly. At his response his father smiled and pulled him into a quick hug. Devlin's mother followed close behind. After pulling away, her husband cleared his throat and motioned to a chair situated near the windows.

Devlin nodded and sat down in the chair. His father returned to his seat, leaning back in his chair and folding his hands together in his lap. His mother stood beside him and looked down at Devlin expectantly with a kind smile. Devlin took a deep breath, trying to stop himself from trembling.

"Now Devlin." his mother prompted gently, "Tell us exactly what happened yesterday."

Chapter 2

Chapter 1 - A Brief History of Devlin's Adventures in the Forest

Devlin sighed as he leaned back in his chair, clasping his hands together on top of his stomach. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and stared straight ahead at his two mothers. "Okay..." he muttered. "Yesterday afternoon I went to visit my friend Olivia."

His mother hummed in response before turning to his father, "Was Olivia already there when you arrived?"

"Yes," answered Devlin's father. "But I did notice that the forest seemed different. There was more fog, less sunlight. And there seemed to be less animals, birds, and bugs around too."

"Well... I guess that makes sense." mused his mother. "After all, I wouldn't be surprised if a demon might have escaped its prison within the Forest of Shadows."

Devlin nodded.