The Other Side

First Blood

***** TRIGGER WARNING *******
THIS HAS ANIMAL ABUSE AND SLAUGHTER DEPICTED. IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO READ IT I WILL MARK WHERE IT BEGINS AND ENDS!
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I was born to a former rebel by the name of Symphoni in the Magnolia Woods. Before I could comprehend deceit and secrets I was a fairly happy girl. I loved to make paintings out of flowers and decorate the side of their cabin with all kinds of flowers, animals, and nature scenes. I made friends with forest creatures from the time that I could crawl and made even more friends after I started walking. None of them were actual people considering my mother never let me leave the cabin, and hid me in the closet when we got visitors, or clients as my mother called them. My favorite friend was a petite blue fox that I named Asha. She was a delicate fae creature, one that had many tails. While the feywild is a mystical place being on one's own and a child there doesn’t leave much for experiences. Which can lead to a dangerous type of curiosity in a child.
For a short while, I never questioned my mother. But as I grew older so did my curiosity. Why did she make me hide in the closet when we had visitors? Why would she change the topic of conversation when I talked about lineage? I know I didn’t get my blonde hair and blue eyes from her. Her dark black hair and horns made her purple eyes stand out. Finally one day, I had enough and I knew my mother was meeting with a client as she had told me to go hide in the closet. But I was tired of hiding. So I crawled out of the small space and hid behind the door where I could hear what they were talking about. I couldn’t make out the person's face but I could tell it was an Elven woman hiding underneath a dark green hood due to her hair and pointed ears. I knew my mother and I didn’t have sharp pointed ears. Ours were like the deer of the forest that surrounded us. Mother called us Fawn folk. We would easily stand out in a crowd with our legs being that of a deer and of course the ears and antlers. I didn’t have to worry about my antlers currently, they were nothing but small nubs, which made it easier to peek my head slightly around the door to try and get a look at who my mother was talking to.
“She knows nothing and it will remain that way,” I watched my mom say to the strange woman.
“He came for Helvettica at a young age, what’s to say he won’t come for Harmoni as well? They are his children after all.”
“You know I have protection over us. Just as you have over Helvettica.”
“It's dangerous keeping yourselves in the woods with nobody to protect you, even I have the help of a royal court.”
“Going to that city and falling in love is what got me in this predicament. I won’t make the same mistake again, I should have never left my tribe.”
“They can protect you, and Helvetica and Harmoni could meet each other.”
“You need to leave, how I raise my daughter is none of your concern.”
“That's the thing, she’s not just your daughter, she is also his daughter. A child of chaos and shadows.”
“I won’t raise her under that astigmatism, she hasn’t even asked once about her father. As far as she is concerned he doesn’t and never did exist. Now leave.”
The woman walked slowly to the door with a small shake of her head.
“You’re making a mistake,” the woman said as she paused at the door before shaking her head and walking out. I slowly peeked out before walking towards my mother.
“Mama,” I said softly, making her head jolt towards me.
“Harmoni, darling what are you doing,” she gasped as she quickly walked towards me, “You're supposed to stay in the closet till I come for you.”
“I just wanted to know who you were talking to,” I said softly, “Who was that woman, and what did she mean when she said I am also his daughter.”
“That is nothing for you to worry about, he is long gone.”
“But who is he?” I tried asking again.
“He is nothing,” she said sternly before looking around, “Where is Asha?”
I was still incredibly angry after the conversation with my mother but no amount of anger could stop the giggle that passed my lips at the sight of Asha prancing down the hallway from my little room. She stopped at my feet and did a little twirl, her soft tails swiping across my fur-covered legs.
“Go and play outside with Asha while I prepare dinner,” my mother said softly, shooing me out the door. I ran outside with Asha towards our favorite tree. “I don’t think you can understand me, but I think we should play a different game,” I said as I crawled into the hole at the base of the tree. I watched as she tilted her head at me and I took it as a sign to continue. “Well if my dad is hunting me, then I want to learn how to be a hunter too,” I said slowly trying to mentally come up with a game.
“You run, with a 5-second head start and then I have to track you down and hunt you,” I said quickly before turning around and closing my eyes. I heard her feet scamper away before I started to count.
1

2

3

4

Yelp

I stopped counting at the sound of her letting out a little yelp. I looked outside of the tree but saw nothing. I felt my pulse quicken with fear that there was someone else out there and grabbed a tree branch that I had previously sharpened to go spearfishing. I slowly walked out of the little makeshift hut. It didn’t take long for me to find what looked like paw prints on the forest floor. I slowly followed them trying to keep my breaths and steps steady just in case someone was out there. Following the tracks I saw what looked like blood mingled with the dirt on the ground. Looking ahead and up the path I saw Asha curled up in a ball with a small whimper flying out of her muzzle. There was a small puddle of blood around her ear and scratches down her face and the side of her body.

******* LOOK AWAY

I quickly ran up to her and reached down to try and stop the bleeding but as soon as the blood touched my hand I felt a thrill go down my young spine. I could feel my hands shaking as I pulled them up to look at them but I couldn’t tell if it was fear or excitement. It was as if something was taking over my body as I looked down upon her fragile form with a cruel smile. I shuddered as a look of realization washed over her small canine features as I reached for the spear I’d sat aside upon reaching her.

**********

Next thing I know, I am walking back towards the cabin. I take the blood-covered spear and slice it across my front before falling and letting out a cry that sounded false to my ears. It doesn’t take long for my mom to come running out of the cabin, her face pale in fear.
“Oh my gods, what happened,” she cries out as she reaches me falling to her knees and scooping me up.
“We were playing chase and then this black beast came out of nowhere,” I cried into her shoulder.
“Where is it,” she said looking around as she ran into the cabin.
“I stabbed it once with the spear and took off running,” I said as she opened the door, a mixture of blood dropping on the floor, “I tripped and fell over my spear while trying to get away.”
“Where's Asha,” she said suddenly looking down and around for the little fox, and I had to hide my face as a smirk crawled up at the thought that a majority of the blood on my small body belonged to the little fox.
“She distracted the beast and led it away from me,” I cried out looking towards the forest through the open door, “They disappeared into the woods.”
She left the door open and set me down on the table as she went to look at my wound.
“We will find Asha, I promise,” she said, mistaking my tears as fear for Asha, as she pulled out a book of Solei. My mother was the healer of this forest. A worshiper of Solei. She pulled up a healing spell and began praying over me a soft purple light emitting from her hands as I felt my skin slowly stitch itself back together as if there was never a wound there at all.
“The hunters will hear of this.” She said softly before shutting the book.
“Go get cleaned up.”