BEASTLY ALLURE

●White & Gray.

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"How long is this going to take?" I grumbled, my frustration getting the best of me.

I couldn't help but remember those funny memes people used to make using that exact sentence. I used to laugh at them, thinking it was just a joke.

But now, I understood the irritation behind those words.

It had been three nights of walking along the riverbank, sleeping wherever I could find a somewhat comfy spot, and munching on the fruits I had in my bag.

That morning, I woke up alone. The mysterious purple guy was nowhere to be seen.

Panicked, I scrambled up and checked all my stuff, half-expecting he'd swiped something. But nope, everything was exactly where it should be.

What caught my attention was a small pile of fruits placed beside me, along with a little pouch.

Inside the pouch were these colourful crystals of different sizes- green, purple, white, and orange. I had no clue what they were, but they definitely looked precious.

Curiosity propelled me to look around for that purple-eyed guy,Assuming he had left the fruits and crystals for me.

But no sign of him.

I'll admit, I was a bit skeptical about the fruits at first. But oh my goodness, they were the most delicious things I'd ever tasted.

After stashing away the gems and making sure that pouch, made from deer skin, was securely tucked into my bag...

The weirdest part? I woke up feeling like a new person. No fatigue, no exhaustion.

Even more baffling, the scratches that had marred my face and hands were nowhere to be found. It was as if they never existed in the first place.

And the big question nagging at me was this: how in the world did he have purple eyes? I mean, we're talking real, non-contact lens purple eyes.

It's not something you see every day. And it's not like I noticed any physical disabilities. He seemed perfectly normal, which just added to the mystery.

Was he some kind of mage or something, performing magic tricks that made my scratches vanish into thin air? Or did he have some voodoo mojo going on? The possibilities were spiralling in my head.

Come to think of it, I didn't even know his name.

But I pushed those thoughts aside and focused on my immediate situation. I had reached the end of this side of the riverbank, facing a mountainous rock ahead.

To continue my quest for civilization, I had to swim to the other side of the riverbank.

"Alright, Aurelia, you've got this," I mentally cheered myself on. Gathering my determination, I took the plunge into the river, bag in tow.

Swimming against the current while hauling my bag was no walk in the park, let me tell you. But somehow, through sheer willpower and a little bit of muscle power, I managed to make it across.

I heaved a breath, chest heaving as I pulled my now waterlogged bag out of the water.

The terrain offered no respite, just mud everywhere. My pants and shirt were caked with it, and there was no clean spot to take a breather and recover my energy. I soldiered on, drenched and muddy.

With nowhere to stop and rest, I trudged on, embracing my soggy self. After a while - I had no idea how long I'd been walking - I finally gave in and took a seat beneath a tree.