MEHJABEEN
Chapter Twenty

Willow, who is guarding the perimeter, too sensed some movements in the woods to their right, but Elffy’s eyes couldn't pick up anything out of the ordinary.

That cracking sound she'd heard had not been a deer. Thinking of which, a deer wasn't heavy enough to break a branch that large.

She waits, pretending to examine the yellow flowers that cascaded over the edges of the wildly grown shrubs.

Everything was still again, like nothing suspicious had happened thus, the tension in the middle of her back slowly eased.

But her subconscious reminded her to look up, but for... What precisely?

•••

She finally took a break, when she found a squared stage-like build made of coconut leaves weaved one after another in a zigzaggy line, spaced out in the middle of the valley.

It's odd, but to her comfort, she thought that it was the Moon's granting some supply after long hours of multiple actions.

She sprawled on it with an exhaustive sigh left in her mouth.

Finally, alone she took a moment to process the events of the previous nights and this morning.

It was a lot to take in, whatever the last part was going to be.

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But her stomach burning out in hunger distracted her to search for some edible food. Then she saw the root herbs growing around the corner. She hated the roots herb back in her early days. But right now it's a treasured piece of happiness to her.

Hurriedly pulling herself up, she digs the herbs out of the soil, and with the help of Willow, she washes the thick root off the soil and takes a bite without considering the possibility of getting poisoned.

Not all the root herbs growing in the valley are edible.

But the hunger she felt blinded her tasting buds as well as blocked her line of thoughts connecting to her knowledge side.

“Oh, my Moon. It's tasty and fibrous. Why didn't I try to eat those back in my days in Elffenda,” mumbling out some incoherent words, Elffy felt a bit dizzier as she scarfed it down with her mouthful of raw roots as if this was her last feast. But never gave many thoughts to the food, shrugging that it must be the hunger strike doing things.

Later as she fed Kubri some kale and berries which she collected on her way, her mind was still preoccupied, trying to come up with an explanation for the eerie experience in the woods. No matter how she tried to justify what had happened. She kept coming back to the same conclusion:

Someone or something had followed them. It might be he/she/it chased them when they start running.

Thinking of this a sudden thought briefly crossed her mind that predators will chase you if you run. It's instinct. But this theory simplifies that they can't help themselves. And this caused her to suppress a shiver and stared at her tortoiseshell hanging cross on her hipster. Caressing its shell for several minutes, to feel assured that the warmth of someone is beside her, then got up and went on for Moon knows from here to where••• With a thought so stubborn.

‘Tomorrow, I'll do it tomorrow, and will make it to tomorrow, with today.’

•••

They journeyed out across the valley and headed into the widespread woods. Thinking of the woods her mind froze on the spot, that her train of thoughts had led her to forget her speeding up pulse just a bit. What was that?

Unlike her quizzing her brains out, Willow got right to work, like a tiger on the prowl looking after the perimeter for any uncalled visits from the forests.

They reached a damp, narrow trail that led through the tall pine trees to the wider, more used trail that seems to connect to a different path.

Running water sounds from a stream in the distance. It sounded close, but in reality, it was about a thousand feet away.

A cool breeze was blowing, scented with the autumn leaves, and before she knew what had happened, her headaches and eyes turned glassy as the seconds passed.

Sensing the struggle Elffy is going through, Kubri nudges her sides to comfort, but a sudden force of the breeze knocks her down, thereby lulling her into another la mode as Willow was obliged to carry the now fainted master on by itself, with the anonymous thing continues to follows in disguised form, on their tow.

•••

In her dream, there was fire all around her.

Willow struggled to set her free from that scenery but he was spellbound. Parting her eyes away from Willow, everywhere she looked was a solid wall of flame, bright blue at the bottom fading into orange, then pale yellow. She should have been scared or at least passing out from lack of oxygen, but she was somehow calm, knowing that this is just a mere dream, and shall pass like it always seems to be...

She looked back at the wall of flame. There were faces in the fire. Faces from her past and present, and some she didn't recognize, but amongst them, the faces were all watching her with prominent looks, waiting to see what she would do.

•••

Elffy woke up drenched in sweat and wiped her brow with the back of her hand as she recalled the dream. She’d had dreams of her childhood a lot in the past couple of days, with some involving friends and family, and somewhere she was all alone in this forest.

The feeling of dread was a hard knot in her stomach. She was sick with nerves that she didn't know how to explain. That's a lie. About the lack of explanation she means.

Finally, she somehow struggled out of the tangled mess she had made, of those who like to interpret dreams, and had quite a few theories, but none that mattered to her.

But her subconscious mind suggested a few theories, that fire could symbolize a life change, new reunions, re-growth, or a myriad of other things. But also said that it could be different for each person.

Co-relating the above-mentioned tags, all the dreams she had involved a message symbolically as if she's missing a puzzle piece in-between all the drama happening around her. Her childhood never burned her with worries.

Yet she couldn't help but yearn eventually for the feel of coming home. She had no idea what they meant, or if they meant anything at all.

The eerie part was that she always in these couple of days woke up with a weird feeling that subsided only after she held on to the Tokeri given to her: The moonstone ring with maple leaf and twigs and the teardrops of Daisy flower- locket.

At this point, Elffy had no idea what this was to her but she knew there was more meaning to her dreams than simple interpretations could foretell.

Her subconscious always had a strong sense of intuition.

Something is coming, that's for sure. Hopefully, that wouldn't burn her down as she already is messed up pretty bad.

Elffy felt her smile slip too as she looked down at the ground. There wasn't much more to say, so they sat in melancholy silence. She could feel the moisture from the tree trunk seeping through her pants, making her cold. She focused on scratching a patch of lichen off of a nearby rock rather than thinking too hard about their problem. Little green flakes fell to the damp earth as she picked away.

The last part was by far the most troubling to her, not that the others were unimportant, just far from it. Her life was completely and utterly upside-down. That's what she considered, vetoed the idea, she wasn't sure.

Coming out from the haze, she saw that she was a milestone away from their previous walk and now resting under a tree. Willow must have carried her. The poor soul is already in pain. To his remedy, she had to faint with no warning.

She didn't know why she faints again and again. Is her health sickening to the worst, or is the forest doing tricks on her? It's hard to analyze with all the other things running in her mind. Alongside Willow is becoming as pale as the thin air. His usual glow-mixed pastel hue is dying off... This applies to Kubri as well. She's quiet and only intruders when the scenario is not under salvaged.

Knowing that everything's going to be alright, and okay very soon. She flexes her arms and legs and then tries to put her mind out of the box she's into for long.

But soon, Elffy was certain that at this point, she felt bored thinking of her future and fretting about the things about to happen.

Out of nowhere, on the back of her head, she felt an intense gaze hitting on. Finding out that it was a man staring in her direction caught her eye.

He stood at the far end of the valley watching her with empty eyes. His long, near jet-black hair, was styled to perfection in a neat pony. His empty turquoise eyes, emphasized by a deep pit, stared intensely at her.

His stand must be 6’3” with a hulking frame that strained against a mid-strap cross holder, must be a weapon, followed by simple dark leather pants. As Elffy observed him, he continued to stare pursing his lips, which she imagined would be stuck in a perpetual pout. Besides the lips, the rest of his face was the epitome of masculinity: high, sculpted cheekbones, defined jawlines, and a strong nose.

His heavy gaze sent a chill up her spine. What a creep. His mineral-like eyes left her to land on Willow who was whirling beside her.

But before she knew what had happened,

His observant eyes sent her a hint and held some emotion that Elffy didn't understand, except that it made her heart hurt funny. It seemed an admiring gaze, but there was some sadness underneath his orbs. But the visitor too took off somewhere around the bushes, before she could call for his help.

She stares to look around but her eyes were getting soggy with her body swaying left to right, from and back without her conscious knowing.

Willow tries to follow that man but seeing the master under this circumstance, it backs off from that task and blows some chillness to her pain-stuck face.

The poisonous substance which she in-took was making her joints and muscles slowly ache and numbing the parts.

She remembered the same dizziness that she felt after eating, comes up again in force and hits her hard, thus rejoining the clan to increase her miseries to the notch.

She whimpered on the ground, with her mouth gasping for some air as her throat began to swell as she tried to breathe more.

She tries to remain calm, but her energy is already juiced out through all the running and jumping. And all she wants at that moment is nothing more, to have a good night's sleep, so she could see her lover’s face once more, so she could die a happy girl that she's sure. With that thought, using all her remaining energy, she sent a message to him.

“If our love is meant to be, why'd I leave so soon... Why aren't you not here? I'm left alone in this unknown madness. Can't you hear me, my love? I'm dying.

All for you. For loving you. My, DEAREST Quen ••• ” And she’s down hearing Willow’s rushed cries and Kubri’s bubbling sounds.

Author's Note :

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