It's Always the Pretty Ones

Maybe he was going to die of embarrassment instead. This female had saved him multiple times now. "I don't know why," Zephyr mumbled to himself, trying to figure out why the Slinktail had helped him. 

The Draegorths told her not to. If they found out he was alive because of her, then she would be punished.

Instead of voicing his concerns, Zephyr looked up in her direction. "Fall in love with me at first sight, eh?" What the fuck was that? He was trying to change his ways, but that was lame. 

Fig snorted, running across the thick branch and hopping to another, away from the bloody scene below. "Please." 

Ah, so now he was being left to die. He watched as Fig's frame disappeared in the distance. 

Well, if he didn't do something about his shoulder and neck, he really would die. The Slinktail tried to apply pressure to his wound; all the while, his head began to swim with dizziness. 

The snapping sound of twigs startled him from the agony and slow death, prompting him to see another arrive. If he had the energy, he would groan. 

Zephyr's gaze landed on the figure tiptoeing around the edges of the clearing, assessing the situation. He couldn't see them well, but from their outline, he could tell they held a weapon, perhaps a spear of some sort. Maybe it was even an extension of their body. He didn't know what other creatures there could be in this haunting place.

Well, he didn't know much about the creatures of this world anyway. He huffed a sigh at that. He hated being totally useless and in a crappy body like this.

The 'creature' stepped into what little light the Dark Forest had to offer, revealing a stunning woman. Patches of sunlight filtered through the thick canopy of trees, casting her in an almost ethereal golden glow. There was also a reason he'd barely been able to see the woman besides her outline.

She was wrapped in layers of thick furs, all black, brown and green pelts, aiding her to blend in with the forest. Her hair cascaded down her back, shimmering with hints of amber and mahogany in the sunlight. It gently caressed her face to the slight breeze, revealing dark black paint, possibly war paint, swiped across her eyes and nose. The paint was meant to help conceal her in the depths of the forest, yet it only accentuated her striking blue eyes. With pouty pink lips, a straight nose and high cheekbones, she would have certainly been a model in the modern world.

But this woman was a warrior. One whose gaze had swept across the scene, a kaleidoscope of emotions flittering across her features before her eyes landed on him. Those emotions froze as she glared at him with such fierceness it was like icicles had struck him to the ground, unable to move. 

"You!" The woman marched towards him, spear twirling by her side skilfully. 

So now he was going to be speared to death. It's not so bad to die by a beautiful woman. Sonia has nothing on her, and she used to wear short skirts and low tops to show off her assets. 

No, no, no. Do not be swayed. He did not want to die.

Oh, Zephyr backtracked his mind as this warrior thrust her spear in his face. "How dare you! How could you?!" She snarled, her voice laced with poison as her eyes flicked between sadness and rage, looking at the bodies surrounding him. "This is why demons should be forbidden from entering here."

"No offence… miss…" Zephyr began, his croaky voice and words causing her eyes to widen and stare at him in shock. "They attacked me first."

"Naexi!" Another feminine voice called from the side before she could respond. The woman, threatening him with a spear, whipped her head back at the sound of what he assumed was her name. In doing so, he saw the side of her neck and finally noticed the shape of her ears. His mouth parted. Her fierce beauty struck him so much that he didn't spot her pointed ears. 

Was she… an elf?

Another elf, wearing similar attire and with raven black hair braided behind her, stomped across the forest floor, not attempting to hide herself like Naexi initially did. She also held a spear, her face wearing the same paint, and her eyes dark brown. 

"He killed them, Kyrrha!" Naexi snapped, her head whipping back to glare at Zephyr, who, by this point, had forgotten about the spear pointing at his throat. "He deserves to die!"

"Naexi!" Kyrrha, this new elf, hissed and knocked Naexi's spear away from Zephyr's throat. "All lives are sacred-"

"This thing doesn't count!" Naexi jutted the spear in his direction.

Ouch. Thing? He looked down at his body. Alright, she had a point; it didn't mean he liked it, though. Why was it always the pretty ones that were bitches? A pretty shell hiding the emptiness and waste inside.

"Look at the destruction it has caused!" The spear returned to his throat, something that was irritating him now. While these elves argued about whether he should live or die, Zephyr tried to shuffle backwards. It was futile, really. His body was straining already to remain awake, let alone move his limbs, which were beginning to weigh like lead. 

In his struggles to get away, Naexi was the one to stop his efforts. She reached out in a flash, her hand fisting in his hair, spear dropping by her side replaced with a black dagger beneath his throat. She glared at him, speaking in a language he could not understand, but the venom in her voice was unmistakable, her vengeance and hatred apparent. 

Zephyr hissed, his hand snatched at Naexi's, his claws digging into her skin, drawing blood, but she was adamant about slitting his throat. The blade moved slightly, slicing into his throat before she froze at the sound of her name. 

This time from a man. Zephyr glanced at the man whose looks were similar to Kyrrha's. A relative? The black paint ran down one side of his face where his fingers had dragged down. His long black hair had plaits running down the sides, feathers at the ends. 

"They were my guests," Naexi hissed in response, not bothering to look behind her where this man was. "They couldn't even hunt without being killed by these vile things. Look what this thing has done to our wisp!"

Wisp? Zephyr followed her gaze for a second, realising she meant the skull creature.

"You know how curious they are," Kyrrha said quietly, calmly, her dark, almost black eyes flicking to the blade between Naexi and Zephyr.

"And now it can no longer return to the lake of creation," Naexi snapped back. 

This was no time to watch the elves' drama unfold.

Zephyr used the distraction, twisting the elf's wrist, grasping the sharp edge of the blade, ignoring it slicing into his skin as he yanked it from Naexi's hold and tugged her towards him, dagger mirroring her earlier actions. The blade gleamed against her neck, those startled blue eyes wide, breaths mingling between them at how close they were.

"Leave," Zephyr threatened, allowing the blade to nick her skin slightly. 

Before he could further threaten or interpret her expression, he realised the four of them were no longer alone. More elves arrived around them, all with dark hair and features. 

That wasn't the only issue. "Ah." Black dots started to bubble around his vision, and his grip on the dagger weakened until it fell between them.

The striking elf was yanked out of his vision as Zephyr collapsed. This was it. He stared up at the tips of the trees, regret and anger brewing within him. He ventured into this forest with a foolish plan to become stronger, which led him to his doom. It was a Dark Forest; what did he expect?

The elves continued with their discussions about him. Or should he say arguing over him? What was the point? He was dying anyway. 

"We all play our role. You are to fix him."

"I refuse! Let the fates take him!" That was Naexi. 

"That is an order." The same voice from the man earlier.

"I'll do it." Kyrrha entered his field of vision. The outer edges were ringed in darkness, and she was soon to be swallowed up by it. 

"No, Naexi must learn to obey orders." 

That was the last thing Zephyr heard before his sight was stripped away, and a cold blanket of darkness fell over him.