Elven Love (SAA Book 1) ✔

Part Eight

The whole environment was splashed with a mixture of a champagne pink, dull navy blue, deer brown and an even darker brown that resembled deep taupe. For the most part, it was all land, until it cut off and ended in a sharp jag at the bottom of the floating island. Above the land loomed fluffy tea clouds in a sea of warm grey.

The long yet gentle pink grass swayed along with subtle salmon red ferns. A heavy torrent of trees rimmed the miles upon miles of land, towering and thick. Chipping wooden trunks were painted a natural walnut, and the leaves were split between the complimenting shades of artichoke and silver chalice.

Ice mint speckled frogs sang in croaks as they hung near the pools of misty eggplant liquid. Cat tails cupped the ponds, along with small golden lilies that acted as a blanket to shield the fragile waters. The fish that called it home were small and colorful, some Bulgarian rose and some linen green. Licorice black rabbits hid in small holes dug into the topsoil, which were as invisible as the ground below them.

With stumbles and a few feet crossing over other feet, the two boys fell to the ground, disoriented and dizzy from the teleportation. Clayton was the first to sit up and regain balance, eyes scanning the landscape in disbelief.

He didn't really think it would work...

The grass was up to his shoulders when he sat down, and he inclined to touch one of the blades when he heard a disgruntled noise come from his left.

He turned only to see Oren sitting up with some difficulty. He crawled over to the elf and helped him steady, soon standing up and looking around with unexpectedly large eyes.

"W-- ugh, ouch.. What do you see?" asked Oren from below. Clayton looked down to the elf and threw him a quiet leer.

"Why don't you look for yourself?" he retorted playfully, leaning down and gripping his arm. He pulled the elf upwards and let go right as his feet planted to the ground. His breath grew shallow as his jaw hung open. The sight was beautiful, and the animals that sang around them only added to the peaceful effect.

"Let's go." Oren said tautly, "we're going to explore every inch of this place."

»»---------««

They wandered upon varying species of animal, from small amphibians and insects to large musky creatures which scent reminded them of Nutmeg from home. Oren was fascinated with the puddles and small lakes that were spread unevenly around the land. His eyes liked to trace the distorted Oren staring back at him through the violet water. He dipped a hand into the liquid, experimenting to see if it was any different than the water back at home.

It wasn't; rather cleaner and less polluted than the water from Earth.

Clayton, on the other hand, liked hanging by the flurry of strong trees, listening to the prehistoric birds as they squawked and screamed unlike the delicate chirps he was used to hearing. Meanwhile, Oren felt the velvety texture of a goldenrod lily pad sturdy enough to keep a frog above the waterline. The cat tails were a vibrant blue, complimenting the blotches of bioluminescent light that emanated from the frog bellies and toes.

The fish that lived in small schools in the lakes were stunning. They occasionally jumped up from the water to give Oren undecipherable clickering messages. They seemed friendly and affable, which drew the elf to them in a heartbeat.

The two boys soon wandered further, making brief stops on the way to admire the otherworldly scenery. As Oren walked along the tall blades of misty grass, his foot dipped lower than usual and he tripped, but luckily he kept his balance with the help of Clayton's arm. Upon looking down to see what caused his fall, he found his foot sunk into a rabbit hole.

"Oh, just a ground hole a bunny dug I guess." Oren quickly waved off the trip, until they proceeded and he felt a strange, almost abrupt change in the once cheerful atmosphere. Feeling a sharp tug at his pant leg, Oren turned back to see a rabbit, ears shot back and eyes keen. The teeth weren't marshmallow-shaped.. They were so sharp and rotten that they sunk right through the fabric of Oren's, or rather, Clayton's pants. The fur was mangy and spiked as it ripped the cloth away from the elf's leg.

Oren let out a yelp and he was thrown to the ground, hands helplessly trying to grab onto Clayton as the large creature ran off with Oren's ankle between it's knife-like canines. He let out a scream and kicked, eyes narrowed in on the creature.

As he was dragged through the field of long grass, he thrashed and called many times for Clayton, who was chasing after them. Even at full speed, Clayton was barely able to catch up with Oren. Terrified and defenseless, Oren felt a sudden rush of adrenaline pump through his veins.

He kicked the rabbit as it let go and he scrambled to his feet. The rabbit turned with beady eyes and charged for him, teeth bared and dribbling with venomous saliva. It leaped forward just as Oren dodged the mongrel.

It was only until the elf backed up when he felt an uneasy tightness in his chest. He doubled over and clutched his heart, teeth gritting as the animal paused. Clayton dashed over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Oren let out a wail of agony, eyes closed as his knees gave out, his body plummeting to the ground as boneless legs supported him. Kneeling, he gasped desperately for breath, clawing at his shirt as he jerked and spasmed.

With a final jerk, his back arched, hands falling lifelessly to his sides as his shirt ripped and tore along with the thick, twisting branch that sprawled from his heart. His eyes only opened slightly to reveal a blinding green light pouring from his eyes. The sound of crackling bark emitted as the tree branch grew to the point where the long lanky limbs could squeeze the rabbit before him.

His voice broke on a heart-wrenching sob, the massive plant seeming to tear at him from the inside out. Once the rabbit wiggled away from the tree's grasp, the plant retreated back to Oren's body and he fell to the ground, limp.

No more cries. No more furiously twisting branches. Still, deadly silence followed, leaving Clayton wallowing in his own panic.

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Thank you for reading Part Eight!