Walking On Glass ∆ Drarry AU

two ∆ through the forest

The Forbidden Forest always seemed far more gloomy once one was fully submerged in the looming trees. Lichen, rocks, and twigs littered the uneven ground. Sir Harry took note of the distinguished markings on the trees and such as he made his way through the light foliage.

Not even an hour had passed before Sir Harry began to fear what lie further ahead. He knew many of the noises he had heard were likely caused by the light breeze that had been following close behind.

It was then a loud crunching noise sounded ahead. Placing a hand on the hilt of his sword, Sir Harry sucked in a sharp breath, and marched onward.

As he kept his guard up, Sir Harry couldn't help but pray that whatever it was, it wouldn't give him too much trouble. If he were to be stopped by a threatening battle, he feared he wouldn't make it to the other side before sun fall.

Once he saw it, however, his hopes of a peaceful encounter diminished completely.

In the clearing ahead lie a doe, bloodied and unmoving. The moment Sir Harry's eyes locked onto her, he unsheathed his sword. Whatever had done this couldn't have gone far.

Cautiously, the knight stepped closer to the nearly unrecognizable animal. At only few feet away, he could tell there was no hope for the creature. With her stomach ripped out, and her neck mangled, she was already lost.

"I knew I smelt a human..."

Sir Harry jumped at the sound of the disturbing voice behind him. He spun around, and gazed wide-eyed at the massive spider that stand not even a meter away. It's fangs were nearly as long as the sword he held in his shaky hands. Taking a step back, he hoped to put some distance between them.

"So you want me more than the deer, huh?" questioned the knight. He had somehow managed to keep his tone even as he spoke.

It's massive legs moved closer, causing Sir Harry to move further back, to the edge of the clearing where the trees began once more.

"Of course," the creature replied, tone condescending. "Surely I'm not the first of my kind you've encountered?"

"No, certainly not." It was a lie. Sir Harry hadn't been particularly fond of searching out for the beasts he'd heard tales of throughout his life. However, he hadn't remembered ever being warned of a creature with a craving for human flesh over that of a freshly slaughtered doe.

"Humans rarely dare to venture into the forest, and if they do, they're almost never alone. Taking out a group is surprisingly difficult, even for myself. You, however-"

Sir Harry didn't let the arachnid finish, before he bolted fully out of the clearing. Weaving through the tightly packed trees, he hoped they'd slow the large beast down, or at least give him enough time to think up a decent enough plan.

"Keep running; maybe you'll trip and fall on your sword..." hissed the beast from behind. "It'll just make it easier for me to kill you!"

A body of water came into view from ahead. Sir Harry heeded the spider's warning, and watched the ground as he sprinted.

How long had he been traveling for? Surely he would be at the edge of the forest soon...

The knight's breath caught in his throat, as he turned at the edge of the water. Splashing could be heard from behind. Slowing to a creep, Sir Harry glanced back, and found that the creature had begun to swim to the opposite side. Clearly it's plan was to cut him off; to corner him so he had no choice but to run off in the direction from which he had come.

He didn't know what to do. Even in his light armor, he'd barely managed to outrun the beast. If he'd been wearing anything else, he'd probably already be long dead. Swimming just wasn't an option.

He'd have to face the creature head-on.

Charging forward along the murky edge, Sir Harry held his sword out to his side, and braced himself. Just as he looped around to the opposite side, the spider slipped out of the water. He clenched his teeth in anticipation.

The arachnid approached. "Decided to finally give yourself up to me?"

"No," he replied, though gritted teeth. "I've decided to do to you what you did to that innocent doe."

When the beast lunged forward, Sir Harry was ready. Just a swish of his sword sent it's left front leg flying into the depths of the dark pool. It cried out, and shifted back.

Sir Harry let out a huff. "Thought you'd put up more of a fight."

It was then the spider jumped. Ducking, the knight was caught off guard. The creature crashed down behind him. He fell back, as a large claw slipped through the thin plates of his armor, and dragged across the soft flesh of his arm.

Sucking in a sharp breath, Sir Harry rolled onto his side. He tightened his grip on his sword, as he forced himself up off of the ground. The arachnid shifted back, as the knight  threw himself forward, and furiously slammed his sword into one of the beast's beady eyes. It fell to the ground in a heap, the foliage crunching beneath it.

Out of nowhere, creeping could be heard. Sir Harry turned towards the noise. Hundreds spindly legs moved towards him -- belonging to what seemed to be an uncountable amount of creatures exactly like the one he had just battled.

"My brothers..." croaked the dying spider, "...will avenge me."

Eyes wide, the knight darted away. There was no way he'd possibly be able to fight off that many of the beasts, especially with his arm injured and stinging as it was. His only option was to continue to sprint, and just hope that the edge was near.

Sir Harry couldn't help but let his mind wander slightly as he ran. If he did make it out of the forest alive, how was he ever going to accomplish what he had been sent out to do?

Even if the Malfoy's didn't possess this so-called magic, there still was a very likely chance that they wouldn't tolerate spying. Hell, they probably wouldn't even tolerate King Arthur himself assuming -- and spreading false information -- about such a thing.

Suddenly, the knight was snapped out of his thoughts by the sight of a deep ravine, but also the edge -- safety. For a moment, he thought to stop at the edge, to turn around and face everything that was chasing after him. Instead, like the idiot that he was, he sheathed his sword -- and jumped.

Right on the edge, Sir Harry caught himself. With his wounded arm, feared he didn't have the strength to pull himself up, that he wouldn't be able to lift himself over the edge, and to the other side -- to safety. However, just as a few of the spiders caught up, and attempted to leap over to him -- but ultimately met their demise below -- the knight gritted his teeth through the searing pain in his arm, and pushed himself up to safety.

He turned, and watched as the arachnids each loomed over the edge. They were probably more-so mourning their fallen brothers, rather than plotting a way to make it to the other side. Sir Harry didn't wish to take any chances, though, so he simply spun around, and made his way, finally, out of the forest.

Gray clouds loomed over the large, distant, dark castle. An ominous vibe seemed to surround the whole area; it made Sir Harry feel overwhelming uneasy. Not even the energy from the Forbidden Forest could compare to the feeling this place created. It almost made one want to turn around, and never look back.

But, alas, he continued forward.