Dusk

Chapter One

The stag was beautiful. It's pelt a pure white, so bright it looked as if it shimmered in the soft dusk light of the clearing. I watched it from behind the trees at the edge of the clearing, reveling in its beauty. It bent it's head to eat the clovers at it's hooves and I took that as my opportunity to move closer. I deposited my bushel of arrows and my bow into the grass beside me. I had no intentions of killing the stag, I merely wanted a closer look. I slid from behind my tree and crouched, moving slowly.

I was a few yards away from the stag when I paused, taking a moment to take in how the fading light danced and moved across its pelt, flecks of silver catching the light and reflecting it. Creatures such as these had faded from the lands of Cansadora centuries ago. I couldn't help but wonder if maybe this stag was one of the creatures of lore. The Old Ones had disappeared from this place long before I was born, long before my mother or even her mother had been a thought. I had seen depictions of them in tapestries hanging in market places before my city had fallen to ruin. The High Elves and their Fae kin with deadly beauty and how graceful yet powerful the angelic Seraphim appeared, their wings spread proudly behind them. I remembered how my eyes would grow wide in awe at their dark winged brethren, the Vængi. The brutal looking Dragon-borns and so many more creatures of fantasy and myth.  All of them beautiful in their own way. All of them deadly. I sighed at the memories.

I immediately realized my mistake.

The stags head snapped upwards and its eyes ensnared me in their gaze. I froze, breathless from the sight. It's eyes were a deep gray with flecks of silver. But what struck me was that they looked so sorrowful, so wise. Slowly, not breaking eye contact, I stood. The stag continued to watch me gaze not wavering. We stood there a moment, just watching each other.

Re.
I jumped, feeling the voice caress my mind. I went into a defensive mode, scanning the trees. What had spoken to me? Spoken to me in my mind?
Re.
The voice came again, smooth and reserved. I looked back at the stag, wide eyed and amazed. It was coming from it. The stag was speaking to me.
Hello Re.
"H-hello." I stuttered. By the Mother, this wasn't happening. But instead of running, I moved closer pausing a few feet away.
Re. You must find him.
"What? Who?" I was bewildered. What was it saying?
Find him. There is not much time Re. He needs you even if he doesn't know it yet.
The ground began to quake at my feet. The stag snuffed at the air and turned back to me, it's eyes seemingly more urgent. Those beautiful gray eyes swirled with an emotion I couldn't grasp, the silver flashing as it backed away. Only then did I notice the shadows. They were writhing, oozing from the trees like spilt ink. I watched in horror as one by one the shadows slid around the stags leg and drug it to the ground.

Its eyes never left my face.
Run Re. Find him. Run.
"Who?! Tell me who!" I cried. I tried to move forward but my feet were rooted to the spot.
Wake up Re.
The ground at my feet was crawling with maggots and roots were wrapping themselves up my legs. My stomach churned at the sight. Panicked, I looked to the stag but it was lost beneath a simmering mass of shadow, save for the singular silver flecked eye boring into me.
Wake! Up!
I snapped awake in my room, panting heavily. Swallowing drylily, I sat up. The stag again. The dream was starting to reoccur more and more often, always stopping when the stag and I met eyes. Tonight was the first time it had progressed past that. My throat burned and I fumbled around on the floor for my water skin. My hand knocked over my bundle of arrows and I quickly moved my hand from them, remembering them in the dream. I didn't want to think about those eyes. Those beautiful, haunting eyes.
I found my water skin and opened it with shaky hands. I gulped down the contents trying to rinse the taste of bile from my mouth. I couldn't get those shadows, the singular burning eye from my head. It was seared into my eyelids.
Find him.
I recalled the smooth caress of the stags voice and shivered. It had been so persistent, so urgent. I had to find a remedy to this dream. I would venture into the city at daybreak and seek counsel from one of the priestesses there. They claimed that they had a direct line to the Old Ones, even the Mother herself. I didn't quite believe all of that but I did know that whatever those priestesses were doing, it worked. Even if they couldn't decipher the dream, maybe they could recommended a sleeping drought to render me completely unable to have it again. I wouldn't mind. All I had were nightmares anyway.

I tossed my water skin onto the floor and tiredly laid back down.
That's all it was. Another nightmare. The priestess would confirm that.

I slipped into a fitful sleep.