a gorgeous white by Heather_anare

240: Reawakening soul

The leafless bushes rustled.

Its branches bare against the frigid snow that clings to its dark surface. It was an ominous sight to the dwellers nearby. The pure white snow nestling in the dark fruitless forest. It was blanketed with towering massive trees, black and naked. It contrasted immensely with the snowy surroundings.

Snap!

At the sudden sound, a couple of children stiffened. They stopped in their tracks, guards raised, and slowly roamed their fearful eyes all over the area.

"Uh... sorry?" One boy smiled awkwardly as he raised his foot off the thin frozen root he had just stepped on.

Three of the four kids glared at him angrily. Their eyes had the same pigment of blue and purple-their skin, pale and almost identical. However, they do not share the same blood. If one looked closely at their hands, they would find a transparent skin connecting their inner fingers-webbed hands.

"Aish! Stop making any noises!" A younger boy with proud eyes hissed at his friend. "What if we're caught?"

"Or worst... Get eaten by malibreeds..." The girl of their group shivered. "I don't want to go anymore. Let's just go home, hm? The elders won't scold us if we do. Let's go back..."

The two boys with him only nodded.

"Yeah, I don't want to miss dinner again..."

"Me too. And my father said that the dark woods are scary. I don't want to get punished."

The proud kid shook his head, and he raised his hand to point out. "But we're so close to the ice cave now! Don't you see that slope over there? I heard the elders say that there's freshwater there! We can finally swim freely! Don't you want to?"

"Shh, stop shouting." The girl drew her brows together as she placed a finger between her lips. The boy muttered a sorry before she continued. "And no. I don't want to get hurt, Altira. Malibreeds have been swarming the area lately. I don't think our parents would want us causing trouble."

The two boys nodded with her.

"No! Let's go and see! It's just a peek."

The three only shook their heads and began to tread back down the trail they had taken.

"Don't be stubborn, Altira." The girl scolded.

The young boy, Altira, clenched his hands. He had never been able to swim in open water. His older brothers and sisters may have, but he hasn't even once. Their parents say the seas and rivers have been corrupted with monsters and that their fellow Merfolk has to live their lives on land. He had heard countless stories of beautiful merpeople doing their rites of their coming of age in the vast open sea. Their shimmering enchanting tails would dazzle under the open sun. However, that was several years ago when the land wasn't plagued by demons yet...

"Altira!" The girl half-shouted and half-whispered to him. The young boy only realized that they had already walked several meters away from him.

Altira pressed his lips together and narrowed his eyes at them.

"Altira?" The three friends looked at him warily. He wasn't going to do anything stupid, was he?

"Fine..." Altira spoke. His response earned him a sigh from his friends. However, he wasn't finished. His eyes are defiant and stubborn. "I'll go there by myself!"

With that, he turned around and bolted through the snow. He wrestled through the thorny bushes, ignoring the scratches on his skin. Everywhere he went, there was a snap and a crack. His ears were deaf to the calls of his friends, and he dashed away. No matter what, he was going to see the lake!