The Rise of Venus

The Storm

Song: Dreamy Lofi playlist by ChillTown

There was a frosty chill in the air as we pulled up to Thunder Forest. It was peculiar weather considering the cold didn't arrive until November or October. Immediate red flag. I might not have been familiar with magick like Pride was. But I had a gut feeling that the winter bite piercing through the SUV was a direct result of the forest itself.

Putting the car in park, I eyed our surroundings for any signs of movement. Finding nothing but trees and darkness staring back, I lightly tugged Leo's large hand. His exhausted eyes met mine, groaning from the interruption of sleep.

"We here?"

"Mhm." I fixed his messy hair, smiling at the smoothness running through my fingers. "Wake everyone else up. I'll keep watch."

"You got it, Blue Eyes," Leo mumbled tiredly. Wiping the sleep from his face, I chuckled at the disheartened groans greeting his command to wake up. Their childish bickering continued when Leo took away their blankets and pillows.

Fallen leaves crunched underneath my black shoes. I stared in confusion at the crispy orange and brown leaves leading to Thunder Forest. My breath came out in short pants, stunned by the morning air. Puffs of my breathing were visible to the naked eye. We were still in the late summer but somehow this forest was already entering an early winter.

That wasn't weird at all.

The forgotten land became colder and colder the closer I got to the forest. There was a darkness hanging over the tree line that went beyond the fact that it wasn't yet daylight. It was as if there was a physical blanket of black covering the forest entirely. I couldn't see anything beyond the outline of tall trees and the occasional falling of a crispy leaf.

Feeling Pride's presence beside me I asked, "Do you know what this is?"

"It could be Fergus." Pride yawned loudly, triggering my own wide mouthed yawn. His warm shoulder brushed mine as he walked a little ways past me, observing the forest. "I remember he had a particular affinity for elemental magick."

"So he's the cause of this early winter."

"Most likely," he replied. "Or it could have to do with whatever enchantment is hanging over Thunder Forest. None of the books mentioned why it could only be accessed on magickal holidays. No one knows what makes it so different. It's an anomaly to the magickal community."

Definitely something I wasn't too keen on hearing before entering said anomaly.

The dark shadows of the forest illuminated Pride's all white figure. Pulling the strings of his thin hoodie tightly, my friend glanced back and said, "We should get going. My vision ended with Fergus running into the forest but I don't know where he went after. It might take us a while to find him."

Taking the lead, we followed Pride beyond the darkness and into the enchanted forest.

The change was instantaneous.

There was no silver glow of moonlight or the rising of the peeking sun. Everything was strikingly white. Where this sudden radiance was coming from was beyond me. I couldn't find a source of light anywhere.

"Son of a bitch," Flora cursed. When I turned to look she was stripping with distaste. Her gladiator sandals were slick and dripping with snow. Dropping her clothes to the ground, she left her clothes under a tree and shifted. Sky shifted into her brown wolf, ripping through her clothes, and flanked Flora's side.

Shifting my focus back to the scenery, I was shocked to find the white sky warped into a dusky glow. Morning hues painted the smooth canvas but no sun emerged. Only fluffy white clouds joined the forming art. Squinting harder, I realized that there were no stars.