Of Beauty & Beast (Scomiche)

1. Nature Boy

His adoptive parents warned him about wandering off to the forest without at least one of them by his side. They even promised to take him there after school each day, but he couldn't wait that long. They didn't understand but he knew that they weren't like him. His mom and dad didn't feel the woodlands calling to them, pulling him at his very core to it's tall trees, cool springs, leaf-covered and moss-patched floor.

No one else did, either. No one else would say that the forest made them feel complete and sparked up a power inside of them like nothing else could. But the forest was his entire life.

So, every night he snuck out using his bedroom window, easing down onto the trashcans beneath it like step-stools, and walked. He followed the silver moon and it's fellow nightlights, going towards it until it brought him to the dead-end signs a few streets over.

That dead-end beheld his paradise.

The little boy smiled as he stepped from the concrete sidewalk and onto the dirt bed of fallen twigs, decaying leaves, and tangling roots. Energy and warmth shot through him, as if he was being welcomed home after too long away, and it made every inch of his small being thrum with joy.

As he slowly started to delve deeper through the undergrowth, he held out his hands, palms up in front of him, and mumbled a short request. A small, swirling dot of light appeared as his words ended and gradually grew into a decent sized ball above his palms. He grinned when it was finished forming and gently tossed it up into the air before taking off in a carefree sprint through the ominous darkness. His ball of light stayed a few paces ahead of him, weaving around trees with a smoky trail behind it, and illuminated potential trip-ups.

The life around him would have terrified anyone else at this time of night since it was made up of big traveling shadows and nocturnal animals moving about and emitting noises that seemed to come from every which way, but his haven never frightened him. Plants caressed him as he passed them, lively owls greeted him, and other animals and insects kept careful watch over him.

He felt as if he was crossing into another world every time he came here, and it was one that he actually belonged in. He fit in here. Not out there with the ill-hearted kids at school that told him he wasn't normal, or the unimaginative adults always stopping his ramblings about magic and the Earth.

He only wished he had someone to share the beauty and fun of this place with, and to show his tricks to.

The young child followed his light for a few minutes to a hidden clearing he had recently come to adore. The area sat deep within the forest, and was his favorite area to play in. The messy forest floor that went on for miles bled off into bright neon grass here, and tall, wide-trunked trees formed a circle around the enchanting landscape. Their branches tangled like intertwined hands, as if they were standing guard. At least he liked to think that they were.

He removed his shoes and closed his eyes, taking a big inhale. It was cooler here, as well. While the night itself was warm from the Summer season, the air here was chilled, more crisp, and that had everything to do with the small waterfall that emerged from a cliff of stones and calmly poured over into a reflective pool.

He hadn't even known how to swim the first time he waded into the clear waters, but it was like a whisper had carried through the forest telling him it was safe. That he was safe. So, he walked in and just as he was promised, the water kept him afloat. He wasn't able to do much more than that at the time.

But now, the boy inched into the chilly water with the intent to swim about as he pleased. When the water was at his waist, he bent forward and pushed off the rocks beneath his feet to dive under the surface. His ball of light shot down and submerged itself with him, guiding him around until he felt the need to come up for air. Then it went above again.

He played like this--kicking his feet and scooping water to push his body back and forth--until his fingers and toes pruned up. Then his light started to lead him back to the fall's edge.

And that's when he heard it.

He paused mid-stride out of the pool, head shooting up. Something was whimpering and whining in the distance. Maybe it's a puppy, he thought while walking in the direction of the pained noises. As he went, he absentmindedly snapped his fingers and the water dripping from his pajamas and shoulder-length hair evaporated into thin air. His shoes were forgotten at the water's edge.

The closer he neared, the louder and more frantic the cries of the creature got. He stopped a few meters away from the poor thing and squinted into the night. When he still failed to see what the animal was, he cupped his hands together, glancing up at his bright guide. The ball immediately descended and he murmured something once more. He watched as the light split into two, each sphere hovering before him. Then he sent them forward to settle around the hurt animal.

A weak growl erupted and a small paw reached up to swat at them. He frowned at the animal.

"You're not like any dog I've ever seen," he deadpanned, fearlessly ambling over to the now alert thing. "...You're a wolf?"

It was laying fairly limp on it's side, but was obviously slightly smaller than himself. It had piercing eyes that almost resembled his magic lights with how brightly they shun, and the whitest coat of fur he had ever seen-given that he hadn't ever seen another white wolf before. No wolves were supposed to be in these woods at all, his parents made sure of that after the first few times he'd wandered off.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked it, dropping to his knees in front of it. It whimpered again, eyes staring into his own as if begging for something. The kid scanned every part of it for a second before he narrowed in on a patch of red on the left hind leg that was disturbing the snow-white fur. Knowing what he needed, his glowing globes pulled in closer and revealed a long cut trickling crimson onto the Earth.

The boy gasped and covered his mouth, instantly searching around for what could have caused it. A few feet behind them laid a large tree limb. It's end was jaggedly broken off and he glanced up at the tree directly above only to find matching uneven wood protruding from it.

"It snapped off... and fell on you," he concluded. The animal had managed to drag itself this far before just giving up. "Poor wolfy."

He wondered if it was out here alone and how it got here. Then he wondered if he could help it. The boy had never used his abilities on his own scrapes and bruises so he wasn't sure if he could do anything for such a wound, but he still had to give it a try.

He took a second to pet his hand down the side of the scared wolf, so that the little guy would know that he was safe. When his hand passed over the wolf's head, it lifted it's muzzle and pressed it's head further into his small hand. He assumed the animal was telling him that it trusted him. So he took that as the go ahead and reached down in an attempt to see the wound better.

"I'll try my best," he promised.

But right before he could get his hand near the already shallowing cut, the sound of heavy pattering feet surrounding them filled the air. And he froze, head turning every which way. Pairs of different colored eyes, including two sets of red ones, were suddenly watching him from the surrounding brush. They seemed to float in the darkness.

Little wolf in front of him howled and snarling growls erupted a moment later. He jumped so hard at the sounds that his glowing orbs turned into drifting white smoke, and for the first time, he wasn't so sure that he was safe in his forest.