[Yunari] Spirit Walk (Part 3 of 3)
She reaches a clearing in the grey forest. At the center, amidst fallen broken trees, a narrow sharp-edged figure sits--not a troll, nor is he identifiable as any race she know. She can feel the power in him, sense it in the gentle breeze teasing at her skin and brushing across her bare scalp. He's at rest now, but she knows that if she angers him, the winds will rise and tear her apart. She's not sure what will happen to her then, if her spirit body is damaged, and she doesn't particularly care to find out.
Stepping carefully over ghostly grey branches and fallen silver leaves that rustle as she passes, she picks her way toward him. He looks up as she draws near, though she's certain he noticed her before now. "Ah. This one's the young singer, then?" He seems to be speaking to the wind, rather than to her.
She nods.
He looks her up and down, drumming his fingers against his leg. "Not bad. Not bad." His features shift as he speaks, growing blurred and indistinct before forming into a face quite different from the first, this one old and weathered. His voice changes, too, growing deeper, with a hint of irritation in it. The winds pick up, whipping around them. "Heard she had a rough sstart, we did. Thought we liked colorsss... and lightsss."
Yunari reaches up to touch her cheeks. She feels as if they ought to be burning from embarassment...but then, there's no heat in this spirit form.
Air waves a hand, dismissively. "Fine, now that she's got it ssorted out. Knowsss what we want, yesss." His face twists and deforms again, growing young, childlike. "She's here to make a deal, we think." His voice is oddly high-pitched, sounding more like the whistle of wind through a canyon than the childish tone she expected would accompany the change in appearance. He peers at her closely, wind running across her face and body, exploring, sizing her up. She holds very still.
He finishes at last, hmm-ing to himself and to the wind, and stands, leaping over to her in a single graceful motion. "Ye-ess..." A cold, tickly hand reaches out to brush her throat. "We'll be taking... thisss..."
Yunari shivers, and forces herself not to reach up as well, to push him back. She doesn't want to touch this creature any more than necessary. "My voice?" It trembles as it comes out.
Air looks at her, lets out a hiss. "She is foolish. Not that, never that. How could she ssing to usss? How would she call for uss, then? No, no no." He leans forward, face shifting again into something sharp and cunning. "We will help her, if she asksss... but we take what we want firsst." He wraps his arms around her, moving through her, then steps back. "She will ssee..."
She looks at him, shivering again, feeling a loss of...something. She's not sure what, and worries for a moment. Coming here, she's put herself in the spirits' power, and she'll be lucky if they take no more than she can give them. But, she reminds herself, she needs that greater connection with them. She watches Air, telling herself that whatever he's taken, it will be worth the sacrifice.
Air points toward the other side of the clearing, where a trail leads off into the woods. The wind whips around her ankles, pushing at her with quiet insistence. Bowing to Air, who once again wears the face of an old man, she takes her leave, heading to where she hopes the last of the spirits waits.
. . . . .
Earth--for it could be no other--greets her with the rumble of rocks grinding against one another. A mountain rises up stark and bare behind him, black against the grey sky, littered with fallen stones... some of which look, to her eyes, more like rocky skeletons. She pauses, momentarily unnerved, then reminds herself that fear is worth nothing more than weakness here. Running won't stop the spirits if they choose to hunt her. Resolutely, she steps forward to speak with the stony creature.
He eyes her, sparkling eyes peering out from beneath his heavy brow, black tusks glittering in the dim light from the grey sky. She bows, respectfully, and he nods, grunting, shifting his massive bulk to stand and peer down at her. He is easily three times the width of any troll she's met, with grey, gritty skin and jagged nails, and Yunari fights the urge to back away.
He rumbles again, a gravelly sound, then jabs a massive finger at her: What do you want?
. . . . .
Night time, and the humid forest air still pressed heavily upon the world. The scorched stones and ash of a burned-out fire sat still and cool, while nearby, the river churned and slurped along its banks. Rain fell, rattling over leaves and branches and shrouding the forest floor in a steamy fog, the clattering song diminishing to a steady drip, drip as the storm passed on.
Behind the water sounds: Insects, a night bird, a prowling wolf calling out to its mate. Any other noise was too faint to be heard.
. . . . .
She nods. Blood. It's what she knows, and understands. The earth will be satisfied. Not all, if she's to serve it, but enough.
Earth grunts, reaching out to grip her wrist, and gives her arm a rough yank as he pulls her close. He dips his head, showing her the sharp point of one of his tusks.
Yunari places her left palm against the point, feeling the prickle as it slips through her spirit skin, and then a more solid sensation in her gut of pain as the earth spirit's jagged tusk pushes through her sleeping body's hand as well, tearing the flesh, pushing bones aside. She grits her teeth, willing herself not to scream, squeezes her left wrist with her other hand to hold herself steady.
After a time, the pain dulls, and she looks up at her damaged hand, still impaled on Earth's tusk. The obsidian curve looks oddly out of place jutting through the flesh, and there's...spirit blood?...dripping slowly both down her arm and into the spirit's open mouth. He licks his lips with the shrieking of stones rubbed together, then looks at her, eyes glinting. He pulls her hand free, then nods to her, rolling back on his heels. Payment accepted, promise made.
She staggers, falling to her knees, suddenly exhausted as she feels the energy sustaining her spirit body begin to fade. And as she falls, she's flying, floating, hovering over the grey-green forest, seeing both the spirit realm and the solid world at once. Water and air rush past her, spirits and elements both, wind whipping the last few raindrops from the branches. Below, earth's hide spreads out, rocky and rough, scabbed over from old wounds and torn where trees push through like troll fur. Lightning flares in the distance--fire!--and she turns toward it, suddenly there, following its smoky, sharp-tasting trail, riding its path down. She ducks beneath the earth's skin, aware of its strength around her, holding her up, supporting her. And something more... She follows this new scent eagerly, pushing, straining, her spirit body left behind as surely as her outer shell, until she reaches the source.
Fire. Roiling, hissing, burning fire, hidden deep beneath the world. She swims through, reveling in its warmth, and the fire coils around her, making her welcome. Making her part of it.
Bargains made, she feels complete, whole, free. She sees the world through a hundred different eyes, and then...
Nothing.
. . . . .
The body was nearly still, save for the slow, slow rising of its chest as the lungs filled with air, then emptied again with a faint, quiet sigh. Over and over again, breath after breath, repeating in the same pattern as it had for hours now. A beetle scampered over the troll, unaware of any greater happenings, followed later by a large squirrel. A bear nudged at the body, snuffling at the blood that soaked into the earth beneath it, then moved on, aware the offering was not meant for him.
A pair of two-toed footsteps approached at last, picking up speed as the body was spotted, a shout and muttered curses following close behind.
Even at this, the sleeper did not stir.
Stepping carefully over ghostly grey branches and fallen silver leaves that rustle as she passes, she picks her way toward him. He looks up as she draws near, though she's certain he noticed her before now. "Ah. This one's the young singer, then?" He seems to be speaking to the wind, rather than to her.
She nods.
He looks her up and down, drumming his fingers against his leg. "Not bad. Not bad." His features shift as he speaks, growing blurred and indistinct before forming into a face quite different from the first, this one old and weathered. His voice changes, too, growing deeper, with a hint of irritation in it. The winds pick up, whipping around them. "Heard she had a rough sstart, we did. Thought we liked colorsss... and lightsss."
Yunari reaches up to touch her cheeks. She feels as if they ought to be burning from embarassment...but then, there's no heat in this spirit form.
Air waves a hand, dismissively. "Fine, now that she's got it ssorted out. Knowsss what we want, yesss." His face twists and deforms again, growing young, childlike. "She's here to make a deal, we think." His voice is oddly high-pitched, sounding more like the whistle of wind through a canyon than the childish tone she expected would accompany the change in appearance. He peers at her closely, wind running across her face and body, exploring, sizing her up. She holds very still.
He finishes at last, hmm-ing to himself and to the wind, and stands, leaping over to her in a single graceful motion. "Ye-ess..." A cold, tickly hand reaches out to brush her throat. "We'll be taking... thisss..."
Yunari shivers, and forces herself not to reach up as well, to push him back. She doesn't want to touch this creature any more than necessary. "My voice?" It trembles as it comes out.
Air looks at her, lets out a hiss. "She is foolish. Not that, never that. How could she ssing to usss? How would she call for uss, then? No, no no." He leans forward, face shifting again into something sharp and cunning. "We will help her, if she asksss... but we take what we want firsst." He wraps his arms around her, moving through her, then steps back. "She will ssee..."
She looks at him, shivering again, feeling a loss of...something. She's not sure what, and worries for a moment. Coming here, she's put herself in the spirits' power, and she'll be lucky if they take no more than she can give them. But, she reminds herself, she needs that greater connection with them. She watches Air, telling herself that whatever he's taken, it will be worth the sacrifice.
Air points toward the other side of the clearing, where a trail leads off into the woods. The wind whips around her ankles, pushing at her with quiet insistence. Bowing to Air, who once again wears the face of an old man, she takes her leave, heading to where she hopes the last of the spirits waits.
. . . . .
Earth--for it could be no other--greets her with the rumble of rocks grinding against one another. A mountain rises up stark and bare behind him, black against the grey sky, littered with fallen stones... some of which look, to her eyes, more like rocky skeletons. She pauses, momentarily unnerved, then reminds herself that fear is worth nothing more than weakness here. Running won't stop the spirits if they choose to hunt her. Resolutely, she steps forward to speak with the stony creature.
He eyes her, sparkling eyes peering out from beneath his heavy brow, black tusks glittering in the dim light from the grey sky. She bows, respectfully, and he nods, grunting, shifting his massive bulk to stand and peer down at her. He is easily three times the width of any troll she's met, with grey, gritty skin and jagged nails, and Yunari fights the urge to back away.
He rumbles again, a gravelly sound, then jabs a massive finger at her: What do you want?
. . . . .
Night time, and the humid forest air still pressed heavily upon the world. The scorched stones and ash of a burned-out fire sat still and cool, while nearby, the river churned and slurped along its banks. Rain fell, rattling over leaves and branches and shrouding the forest floor in a steamy fog, the clattering song diminishing to a steady drip, drip as the storm passed on.
Behind the water sounds: Insects, a night bird, a prowling wolf calling out to its mate. Any other noise was too faint to be heard.
. . . . .
She nods. Blood. It's what she knows, and understands. The earth will be satisfied. Not all, if she's to serve it, but enough.
Earth grunts, reaching out to grip her wrist, and gives her arm a rough yank as he pulls her close. He dips his head, showing her the sharp point of one of his tusks.
Yunari places her left palm against the point, feeling the prickle as it slips through her spirit skin, and then a more solid sensation in her gut of pain as the earth spirit's jagged tusk pushes through her sleeping body's hand as well, tearing the flesh, pushing bones aside. She grits her teeth, willing herself not to scream, squeezes her left wrist with her other hand to hold herself steady.
After a time, the pain dulls, and she looks up at her damaged hand, still impaled on Earth's tusk. The obsidian curve looks oddly out of place jutting through the flesh, and there's...spirit blood?...dripping slowly both down her arm and into the spirit's open mouth. He licks his lips with the shrieking of stones rubbed together, then looks at her, eyes glinting. He pulls her hand free, then nods to her, rolling back on his heels. Payment accepted, promise made.
She staggers, falling to her knees, suddenly exhausted as she feels the energy sustaining her spirit body begin to fade. And as she falls, she's flying, floating, hovering over the grey-green forest, seeing both the spirit realm and the solid world at once. Water and air rush past her, spirits and elements both, wind whipping the last few raindrops from the branches. Below, earth's hide spreads out, rocky and rough, scabbed over from old wounds and torn where trees push through like troll fur. Lightning flares in the distance--fire!--and she turns toward it, suddenly there, following its smoky, sharp-tasting trail, riding its path down. She ducks beneath the earth's skin, aware of its strength around her, holding her up, supporting her. And something more... She follows this new scent eagerly, pushing, straining, her spirit body left behind as surely as her outer shell, until she reaches the source.
Fire. Roiling, hissing, burning fire, hidden deep beneath the world. She swims through, reveling in its warmth, and the fire coils around her, making her welcome. Making her part of it.
Bargains made, she feels complete, whole, free. She sees the world through a hundred different eyes, and then...
Nothing.
. . . . .
The body was nearly still, save for the slow, slow rising of its chest as the lungs filled with air, then emptied again with a faint, quiet sigh. Over and over again, breath after breath, repeating in the same pattern as it had for hours now. A beetle scampered over the troll, unaware of any greater happenings, followed later by a large squirrel. A bear nudged at the body, snuffling at the blood that soaked into the earth beneath it, then moved on, aware the offering was not meant for him.
A pair of two-toed footsteps approached at last, picking up speed as the body was spotted, a shout and muttered curses following close behind.
Even at this, the sleeper did not stir.