The Forever Tree [Quest Thread Group 1]

[Claire]

When Claire shut her eyes, she was back at that castle. She looked around at the sea of masked faces, searching for that man with dark hair when she felt a tug at her hands. She looked down, seeing that her hands were already occupied in the grip of a young boy. His mask was white, trimmed with gold, and he looked incredibly solemn for a child. His hair was pale white, but bleeding a much darker tone at the roots. There was something about what she could make out of his face that was incredibly familiar, but she couldn’t place it. The boy tugged at her hands to pull her through the crowd and Claire followed, picking up her heavy skirts to follow.

The boy pulled her through the crowd of swirling dancers and into the castle, where she found herself much deeper than should have been possible. She looked back over her shoulder to see nothing but a dark hallway behind her, then forward to see the young boy disappear around a corner. She followed, but the boy was getting further and further and further ahead of her. Soon she turned the corner and the boy was gone, replaced by a room containing no doors or windows- only a painting.

The woman in the painting was seated around rich red cloth, her hand on a table with an apple in her hand. She was dressed in white, her golden hair falling in waves over her shoulders and around her face. A face that would have been beautiful if it didn’t appear to be melting in front of her eyes. The woman’s features dripped and became obscured, sliding down the canvas. The apple in her hand began to rot and slip from the canvas as well, paint beginning to drip to the marble floor with heavy splats.

Claire took a step backwards, but her back hit the wall. She looked back- the door was gone. When she turned her head forward, the woman’s hands were around her throat.

Who are you?

She couldn’t breathe. The room had gone red, then white.

Who are you?

It was still so cold. Claire could feel it under her fingers, and she looked up. There was a young boy standing in front of her, clearly upset. She had been lying prone in the snow, but she was no longer in the castle. She couldn’t quite tell where she was. The boy was obviously ill-kept, dirty and shaking from the cold and tears that were filling his blood-red eyes.

It hurts… It HURTS! The fruit is so bitter. It hurts!

Claire pushed herself up in the snow and tried to reach forward for the young boy, but he flinched away. She was close enough to almost touch his arm when he was yanked up suddenly and ensnared in roots. They coiled around the young boy as he screamed, squeezing his limbs. A tree grew up around him, a bone white. The roots stilled the boy’s struggling, slid over his eyes and mouth, and then suddenly the screaming stopped, leaving nothing but the enormous tree.

What must move forward but will never move backward? The answer will open the way.

She felt something burning her skin. The stone around her neck felt like fire against her skin and she wrenched it away, sitting bolt upright in the shabby bed. It was so difficult to breathed and she touched her throat, rubbing it. She could still feel cold fingers there and she leaned forward against her legs, trying to catch her breath. Through the thin walls of the inn, she could hear the conversation of two men.

"Did you hear about those trappers that got slaughtered in the Forever Forest?"

"Aye, one survived and spoke of a big white tree that a beast be guarding. I wonder what that horrible thing is guarding."

Claire looked back down to the crystal dangling on the thin rope around her neck and touched the stone- it was back to it’s cold state and she wondered if she had dreamt the feeling of fire against her skin. Her eyes turned to the sword laying on and the vision of that white tree came creeping back into her mind. She pinched between her eyes hard and rose from the bed.

The forest was so cold. Winter was leaving, or so she was told. But it didn’t feel like it. There was still snow on the ground and her breath still plumed in front of her face, filling her lungs with knives like ice whenever she inhaled. These dreams were supposed to be past lives. That’s what she had been told as well, long ago before these visions had begun. But she was beginning to become unsure of how they could have been- things were becoming both too familiar and yet strange for her own comfort. If she was still home, she would have consulted on of the Wise Women about this. But here, she was alone. Alone in the dark forest in the middle of the night, looking for… something.

They would have laughed at her at home. The new friends she had made here would probably look upon her with suspicion for her sanity. Claire was unsure which response would make her more comfortable. But if a white tree did exist, she would find it. So Claire trudged forward through the forest, hand tightly on the pommel of her sword under her cloak.

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[Deleted]

Amiee hadn't slept much in the past few days, she had to make up missing those few hours that she stormed off and ended up in the sewers. She also decided to clock in the extra time in case something like that happens again.


Finally, her rest hit the pillow, with Starlight curled up beside her, as her features return to one of a human. Slowly her mind disappeared into the world of dreams.


Her mother was there brushing her hair, as she smiled and praised her for being able to retain her animal counterpart for so long. Starlight as purring softly, as Amiee brushed her fur. It was just how she remember the days spending with her mother.


The scent of smoke and fire filled her nose, her mother quickly pushing her behind her and told her to hide. Not knowing what as happening a man came in with a cruel smile on his lips. Taking his sword, he impaled her mother, before proceeding to slice her head off laughing as if it was the funniest thing in the world.


Closing her eyes, as she made herself as small as possible not wanting the man to find her. The man left licking the blood off his sword, she quickly picked up whatever few things she could gather including her mother fan. When suddenly a little boy came into the tent, with hair the colour of fresh fallen snow and eyes the colour of blood.


Taking her hand, the boy pulled her out of the tent, with Starlight at their heels. It was how her memory went she knew that for sure. Still her let the boy pull her alone, as the dream change with them ending up in a forest. The boy lets go of her hand, as his appearance melted away before her eyes.


"Who are you?" His words were not coming from his lips but echoing in her mind.


His eyes now showed concerned as if he was worried about you or something self. His claws going to wipe away the crimson tears that fell, causing the snow on the ground to turn red. She moved closer to hold the child when he voice echoed in her mind once again.


"It hurts.... It HURT! The fruit is so bitter. It Hurts!"


Wrapping her arms around the child, her did her best to comfort him. The world around her disappeared become an endless void the colour of a raven's feather. The child's tears soon came to an end, as he looked up at her.


She smiled at him, when suddenly he was jerked out of her arms and into the air. She tried reaching him calling him, but it was too late. His body became entangled, twisted into roots the colours of light and dark. She could still see the child curled up without the earthy mash as if he was calling out for her to save him.


A voice this one sounding around her as if it coming from different directions all at the same time. "What must move forward but will never move backward? The answer will open way."


Trying to find the voice, her hears the boy's voice echo in her mind again. Looking back at him, she sees a giant white tree has grown up around him, holding him prisoner.


Reaching out, she tried to whisper that she will save him, as the dream soon faded into black.


Walking up in the dark, she touch her skin it was wet with sweat, Starlight was next to her asking if she was okay. Nodding her head, she let her features change back into that of a cat, feeling the crackling of bones reforming turning her hands into paws, with claws her face stretching a little creating a muzzle as her fangs grew in and fur soon covered her body once again.


Now she could hear that something had happened according to the men she heard downstairs. "Did ye hear about those trappers, that got slaughtered in the Forever Forest." A man spoke. "Aye, one survived and spoke of a big white tree that a beast be guarding. I wonder what that horrible thing is guarding."


She remembered the tree from her dream with the boy calling out for her. It couldn't have been the same tree it just couldn't have been she kept telling herself still not believing it.


Getting dress in a short dress that was given to her as a present by one of the men, it was dark green like the forest in the summer. She picked up her up her mother's fans with the blades at the top of them. Carefully she tied it to her waist as she slide on a brown cloak to keep the chill off her.


With Starlight on her shoulder, she headed out into the forest in a middle of the night. No direction of where to go, she listens to Starlight asking her what she was doing in the forest out in the middle of the night. "Those men spoke of a white tree. I saw one in my dream Starlight. It's why I'm out here. If your cold you can always hide in my cloak it will keep your warm."


Moving Starlight her small kitten companion into her cloak, letting her get comfortable before continuing. She stopped upon seeing footsteps, heading into the forest. Surely she thought if anyone else in the forest this time of night by either be trouble or maybe they had the same dream. Deciding to the second she followed the footsteps, as her thought about the boy in the tree, as her paws touch her fans in case she ran into danger.

[Deleted]

It was warm, dark, quiet around him. The dirt smelled like home, rich and heady near his face. His eyes opened and were filled with the sight of glowing mushrooms forming a ring around him. Thin, swaying tendrils swung from them, dancing in a wind that didn't exist. The small island upon which he rested sat in the middle of a glowing lake, its waters pale green and still. Ghaur stood and made his way between the trunks of the massive fungi, looking down into the impossibly clear depths of the water. There were no fish there, no plants. He and the mushrooms were all that moved in this little pocket of space and time that he ruled over.

Stepping out into the waters, Ghaur waded until he was up to his waist. Small trails of water rose, covering his freckles and scarification with the same luminescence. Slowly, he sunk into the water, falling metres below the surface. When he looked up, he could see the colours of light dancing erotically along the underside of the water, playfully teasing him with their waves. He stayed there for a while; a week, month, a year, he couldn't tell. And then the colours began to turn a blushing pink and then a deep, dark red.

Blood boiled up from under him. No, it was coming from him! He looked down at the fingers clawing their way from his abdomen, painting the waters with his blood. A silent scream leaped from his body as pain rushed up his spinal column, his hands clutching at the wound to try and keep her inside him. But she kept coming and soon she had an arm out. Her other arm came easier, followed closely by her head. The dark hair floated outwards until he could see her face.

Freya.

His scream turned tangible as she smiled at him, her flesh flaking off into the waters around them. "Let me go," she smiled sweetly before bursting from him in a cloud of red, taking his intestines with her as a gory ribbon to wrap around herself. He reached out to hold her, but when he touched her, she rippled like the face of a puddle touched by a stray leaf. It was a young boy with red eyes and a redder expression.

"Who are you?" The boy asked, looking up at him with the wrong face. Where was Freya? Where was his wife? Ghaur glared down at the child, even as he wiped the tears away with dirty, clawed fingers.

"It hurts… It HURT! The fruit is so bitter. It Hurts!" Ghaur reached out, clutching at the small boy as he began to lash out and whimper, shaking him as if it would give him the answers he wanted. He didn't even notice the water around them fading into nothingness around them.

Suddenly, the small body is yanked from his hands, lifting up into the air in front of him. Roots began entangling him, a white tree bursting forth from the ground of nothing before him. He peered up, snarling at the tree in frustration. How dare it steal her from him! A voice filled his mind.

"What must move forward but will never move backward? The answer will open the way."

"What kind of riddle is this?!" he demanded before he jolted awake, a cold sweat covering his body. His breaths came in shuddering gasps, the thin scavenged sheet of cloth he had been using now soaked with sweat and saliva. "Zepon, grant me guidance," he muttered, biting into his forearm to draw a blood sacrifice from himself.

And, almost as if the god had answered, he overheard two men speaking. " Did you hear about those trappers that got slaughtered in the Forever Forest?" one man said. "Aye, one survived and spoke of a big white tree that a beast be guarding. I wonder what that horrible thing is guarding." The image of the tall white tree flashed in his mind. Ghaur sucked at the blood welling from his skin, rising to his feet. It must be a sign from the gods themselves.

"Aye, I hear your call," he muttered, gathering up his pack. He started from the edges of the city, moving out into the darkness that lay beyond in search of his half-wild mule, Steak. Hopefully the guard he had to report to in the morning for community service would understand his absence. One simply does not ignore such dreams.

[Deleted]

Mordecai didn't take much time to sleep after coming back from death but this time it would seem the sand man had the upper hand as he forced Mordecai into a deep trance of sleep. Mordecai saw himself as the Kray General he used to be, his long dark hair was untied his eyes weren't glowing and they had purple pupils unlike the plain white glow his eyes had in real life. He had normal flesh as he felt his hands, they were soft and had a normal color again. When he looked around he was in his old red chair by the fire place with one of his daughters playing before his wife walked in. She placed her hands on his shoulders from behind the chair then kissed his neck , Mordecai was expecting to hear her sweet voice saying his name but instead she asked him where their second daughter was and who let this young man in. Suddenly Mordecai was shocked

"Young man??" He looked towards his daughter and saw her playing with a strange young man with white hair, confusion was evident on his face "Kara, Where is your sister and who is this young man??" his wife had dissapeared and the young man stood, held Mordecai's hand and calmly spoke to him "I know where your daughter is, follow me" Mordecai followed without any further questions as they left his house. They ran for not too long then all of sudden as soon as Mordecai asked "Are we getting close?" The boy stopped then everything turned dark, Mordecai moved a few feet back and took on a fighting stance before the boy's clean appearence change all of a sudden he was now ill-kept, dirty and shaking from the cold and dropping tears
"It hurts… It HURTS! The fruit is so bitter. It hurts!"

Just as the boy said that Mordecai suddenly changed into what he currently was, mordecai's skin was back to being dark red with carvings in it and then hardened like usual then his hands turned into the unbreakable metal that resembled gold once more, his hair was shortened and turned as white as snow. Reality had come back to him as his eyes turned white and hollow with a demonic glow. He knelt down annoyed and in rage, I was normal, for a second ....for a second I had it all back! Who are you!! Mordecai knew it was too good to be true, he couldn't just become a normal kray once more, before the boy could answer he was yanked backwards by a clear white tree

The tree seemed to tangle the boy in endless snake-like vines and branches that only seemed to grow as it spoke a subtle riddle and Mordecai woke up. As red as ever then starteld Zen his flying monkey companion before hearing two men describe the very tree in his dreams. In anger he got up and left with his coarse set for the forever forest. Usually he would move around trees and other obstacles but today he walked straight forward if a large tree was unfortunate enough to be in his path he would shove it out of the way with one hand just as a person would shove another out of their path. "you might want to calm down" Zen spoke, He was obviously against the idea of knocking down trees, but he was more than used to how Mordecai would act when annoyed.The sound of large trees collapsing caused a few small creatures to flee but there were larger footsteps not too far from him. Mordecai chose to investigate and found a cat like female with a feline companion, He didn't want to startle them even though he doubted they weren't already aware of him being there even though he was a few feet behind them he spoke Greetings lady, would you happen to have heard anything of the white tree? He spoke while his monkey companion flew up into his shoulder.

[Deleted]

Letting out a sigh, she wondered who the hell was in they right mind knocking down the trees in the forest. They trees were older than most of people and held stories that they no longer understood plus she did enjoying climbing a tree every now and again.

After a nod to Starlight, they decided to keep following the track, cause chances are it might have been animal, since they were upwind, neither of them could pick up a scent. Soon footsteps were heard behind, followed by a man's voice.

With a look over her shoulder, her eyes narrow at the man or beast of whatever the hell that thing it. He had the body of a man, but his hair, eyes and arms spoke of a creature that's not meant to live in this world. Taking a closer look, she notices strange writing on his arm, he was not human for sure.

Hearing his question, she wondered if he had the same strange dream. Lifting her nose into the air, she took a sniff. The man's scent wasn't too bad for her nose. Starlight whispered to her, that maybe bring the man along wouldn't be too bad plus with them not being arm at least the man could protect them.

Nodding her head agreeing with Starlight, knowing that to anyone else but her it sounded like exchanges of mews. "The tree you speak of. Did you happen to see it in a dream? If so then I believe that I am seeking the same tree at you."

Looking at the ground, she pointed to the footsteps that she was following. "Judging from the prints on the ground. I can only guess that someone else is seeking that tree."

Casting a look towards the sky she wondered if this was the Gods' doing sending that dream. "Do you think it may be a sign from the Gods?" She asked as she turned her eyes back upon him.

[Claire]

Voices.

Claire turned her head sharply in the direction of spoken words, unable to tell where exactly they were coming from in the darkness and thickness of the forest. A sense of dread bubbled up in the pit of her stomach and she pressed forward, drawing her sword from under her thick mottled brown cloak. Even against the snow, she would be difficult to spot in the dark. She drew the hood up over her dark hair and secured it so it would not blow back in the wind.

She did not want company on this mission- whatever it was. What those other people were doing here in the woods was their concern and their concern alone.

A sharp and cold gust of wind threaded through the trees and struck through the cloak as if it were silk, bringing with it a new layer of snow. Claire huddled against it, clutching the cloak tighter around her as she pushed forward, faster now, leaving lighter footprints in the snow. She needed to find that tree- that boy, whoever he was- was trapped there.

[Deleted]

A soft breeze ran through shaggy, ginger hair, blowing it into Dylan’s face. The breeze smelled of grass, fresh air and flowers. The sky was clear aside from a few bright white clouds that decided to obscure the warmth of the sunlight. Grassy hills reached the horizon all around him and in the far distance the shadow of a small town laid in a valley. There were no trees to be found, the only foliage was the occasional scrub and brightly coloured flowers that released their seeds every time a breeze ran through them. The place was so familiar, Dylan was sure he had been there. Better yet, he knew.

A voice in the background brought him out of his thoughts and slowly he turned his head to where to noise came from. A small smile tugged his lips as he noticed a soft purple face. The words where forgotten before they were even registered. He was sixteen again, he knew. How, what or why where detailes, bleached out by the bigger picture and not questioned by the brief joy that he found.

“Sorry, what?” Dylan asked, a sheepish smile upon his face.

“Are you just going to stay out here or are you going to come with me, you still haven’t told me what you wanted to write,” The drow said, crossing his arms over his chest. The brightly coloured robes he wore always seemed to bleach the violet out of his skin, making him look pale and bland.

Dylan blinked a little, not entirely sure whether he said that before or not, but decided not question it. An absent smile instead decided to bare his small tusks a little further. “Yeah, sure…whatever,” He resided looking down to the ground, finding a small flower squashed under booths that where heavy and a few sized too big.

The drow moved closer, brushing some hair out of Dylan’s face. “You should really let me braid that once,” At those words Dylan moved his head away from the hand with such violence that he stumbled back a little. The violet skinned man, huffed and crossed his armed over his chest once more before a small snicker escaped him. “How are you ever going to be a great warrior if your hair keeps blowing into your face like that?” He asked, mildly amused.

Dylan shrugged. “I’unno,” He muttered before he looked back up again. “Would you mind if we stay here for a while? I don’t want to go back yet,” He asked through a sorry smile.

The drow arched a brow before he sighed and sat down next to Dylan’s legs. He was quick to join, sitting down on the grass as well. With a soft sigh he rested his head against the man’s slim and bony shoulder. His head quickly found peace as he gave up on his attempt to find a comfortable spot on the elf. A hand absently ran through his hair. A small sigh escaped him at the gentle tug as it was woven around purple fingers. He closed his eyes and listened to the world around him; the sounds of insects, the town in the distance, farm animals, the breeze and the man next to him. A small frown replaced that when things became silent. The hands where still there, still playing that gentle touch that lulled him out of his thoughts. When he opened his eyes however the grass lands were gone. Instead they were surrounded by forest, this time less familiar. The happy feeling that had bloomed instantly withered and instead of peace, an ominous feeling took over. The drow was gone, nowhere to be found. The only indication of that he ever was besides Dylan was the feeling of fingers through his hair that slowly faded from his skull.

“Melice…” He called out for the man. His voice was no longer that of a teenager but instead that of a grown man. His feet started to move, but it was painfully slow. It felt like he was sucked up by mud, but when he looked down, there was nothing but hardened dirt beneath him.

From a corner of his eyes he could see a movement. Quickly he turned to look passed the scrub and tall, dark, intimidating trees. “Melcile?” He tried once more, watching a humanoid figure run away. Moving now seemed easier and quickly he ran towards the figure. The trees parted way, leading to a field surrounded by a thick wall of dead looking foliage. Dylan looked around, trying to find a way out but the they reached up to the night skies and were squished together like prison walls. In the centre stood a large tree, this one different from the other ones. A small boy stood underneath, the branches fanned out over him like a large parasol. Thickly he swallowed, finding something familiar about the red curls. When he looked closer, he noticed he was looking at himself. Frozen to the spot Dylan stared at his eight year old self.

“Who are you?” The voice was foreign.

The child started changing colour and facial structure in what seemed to be a heartbeat. All of the sudden the child he was looking at wasn’t him anymore.

‘who are you?’ Dylan tried to ask, but his world were muted. He noticed the boy’s lips moved, but all sound seemed to be gone for the moment.

His red eyes seemed to shine like jewels on the pale white skin. Their eyes met and a confused expression tugged Dylan’s features as he stared at the child. The once thick and sturdy tree behind him withered and died before the kid started twitch and cry. He was lifted up from the ground. White roots crept over his body, tangled around him and pulled him, like a ragdoll, in position until there was nothing standing before him but a white tree.

“What must move forwards, but never backward? The answer will open the way,” The voice seemed like a whisper from the wind before all faded to black.

Slowly he opened his eyes, for a first time not actually forgetting his dream instantly. With a small groan he brushed his hair out of his face. It had been glued around his tusks with drool, like every time he woke up. He looked around the dark room he had hired. It was always the same one in the gallows inn. There was no money for an actual home. He could hear men talk underneath his window and groaned a little as he sat at the edge of his bed, his face buried in his hands. He wasn’t ready to face the world yet.

“Did you hear about those trappers that got slaughtered in the forever forest?” He could hear a voice that was still too loud for his liking.

“Aye, one survived and spoke of a big white tree that a beast be guarding. I wonder what that horrible thing is guarding,” Another voice followed.

Dylan looked up from his hands, quickly straighten out his position. He hoisted himself off his bed without any further thought as to why. Instead he lazily pulled his kilt over his hips and quickly pulled the slight armour he owned over his shoulders. On his way out through the door he grabbed his axe, before he made his way to the forest.

He frowned as his half-conscious state picked up the scent of another orc…but not quite. He narrowed his eyes as he noticed a man on what appeared to be a horse, moving in the same direction as him. Briefly he picked up the phase and quickly moved closer.

“Hey! Hey you!” He called out, but his voice was still raspy. When he came closer he noticed it was an half-blood as well, on a mule nonetheless. He slowed down when he finally caught up and looked up at the man. “Do you happen to go to that forever forest thing?” He asked, keeping up with the man.

[Roland]

Roland sits in the guardhouse filling out the pay sheets and rosters. He looks up as he hears some laughing from outside the window. When he looks out he sees several small children playing. Kids aren't supposed to be out on the training fields, they're gonna catch a crossbow bolt in the eye. He thinks to himself as he rises to his feet.

"Hey you kids!" he shouts out the window, but when he looks out he finds only a single child standing right before the window. What the hell?

" Who are you? "

His red eyes looking back with a concerned expression. His appearance worn and ragged with mud caked bare feet dragging as he walked.. Crimson, tear filled eyes staring back at Roland. The child obviously upset over something, rubbed his tears away with dirty, claw like fingers.

" It hurts… It HURT! The fruit is so bitter. It Hurts! "

The child begins to whimper and act out; sniffling the words out in a more anxious and frustrated tone. The guardhouse suddenly disappears and is replaced with a void of deep black. Roland suddenly becomes fully alert. A dreamwalker?! He thinks preparing mental defenses.

A few more sniffles and the crying stopped. The red headed boy suddenly and violently is jerked up off the ground an into the air. His small body rapidly becoming entangled, twisted in white and black roots. In trapped in a circular root-tangled prison, held in a fiddle position within a earthy mesh. A large white tree emerging from the ground and soon towers over Roland an soon the over the sky.

" What must move forward but will never move backward? The answer will open the way. "

Isn't that time? Roland wonders as he prepares his magic to attack the tree in his mind, but before he can the boy's voice calls out faintly, before everything fades to black.

Roland suddenly snaps awake and readies a spell before realizing there was no one around aside from a couple of guards gossiping. He listens in and hears " Did you hear about those trappers that got slaughtered in the Forever Forest?" one man spoke " Aye, one survived and spoke of a big white tree that a beast be guarding. I wonder what that horrible thing is guarding. "

Without any further prompting Roland gets up, puts on his clothing and coat, grabs his white oak staff and a hatchet then strides out the door.

"Sir where are you going?" One of the men asks before the other stops him.

"To deal with a problem." Roland growls back as he leaves and takes a horse from the stable. He rides it to the forest and then sends it back before entering. After a little bit of wandering Roland starts to wonder what the hell was going on. He felt sure that was more than a dream, but what was it? A cry for help? Or a clever trick to lead him into a trap.

Either way he soon finds something he did not expect to see. As he steps out into a clearing and comes face to face with Claire. His eyes narrow in suspicion and he asks "what are you doing here?"

[Claire]

A cold burst of wind pushed Claire through the thick of trees and into a clearing. She looked up, squinting at the dark sky and the snow dusted air. Was she walking in circles? She couldn’t remember if she was here before. Her fingers pushed up against the crystal around her neck, ice cold against her skin. This was a terrible plan. Wandering in circles looking for-

A voice.

Claire turned her head sharply in the direction of that voice, her hood blowing off her head. Her eyes widened at the sight of that shadowy man from the bar and the ball and the sewers. Goddess, not again. Not this man again. Anything but this.

Claire pulled her hood back up over her head and burst into a sprint across the clearing, dashing at full speed back into the trees. She gathered her cloak up and just ran, letting instinct and pure anxiety guide her through the trees. She had to find this tree and she would endeavour to put as much space between her and that man as humanly possible.

[Roland]

Ai's tits and Zepon's Tadger this forest is confusing. He grumbles to himself as he comes face to face with Claire. As he asks her what she is doing there she immediately takes off. "Ahh~ hell don't make me do this." he complains and takes off after her. He didn't even know if she'd done anything wrong, but any good guard knows that if someone starts randomly running from you it's a sign you might want to arrest them. Besides every one is guilty of something.

As Roland chases after the woman he finds his breathing growing more labored even as maintains a steady lead on him. "*gasp* Glades! That woman is fast." He gasps I must be out of shape. Alright no more cheap ale on Fridays. He resolves as he continues to follow after her.

"Why the hell you running?! You're going to hurt yourself or get caught by a magical tree!" He shouts at her not knowing what else to do. "That's it I'm learning an acceleration or teleport spell at some point." he resolves as he contniues to puff his way after her.

[Claire]

Claire pushed herself forward through the snow and roots, holding her cloak up near her knees so it couldn’t be caught in bramble or dragged into the snow. The only problem with this is that her running left heavy footprints in the snow behind her, leaving an easy to follow trail. But clearly the mage was falling far enough behind for her to plan some kind of escape. Claire looked behind her when she heard Roland call out, then looked up. There was an easy enough to climb tree a few paces behind her, and the height might make it easier to spy the white tree. With any luck the mage would just rush past her.

Claire moved backwards through her footprints to the tree she past and jumped, catching a branch. She pushed herself up and into the branches, snow falling in clumps to the ground as she pulled herself up. Goddess, this was hard. And it didn’t supply nearly as much cover as she hoped. But at least she was high up. Claire wrapped herself in her cloak tightly and pushed her back hard against the trunk of the tree, pulling her hood back up. She gripped the branches around her tightly for balanced and looked down to see if Roland was approaching, then back out to the forest for that tree.

[Roland]

As Roland follows after Claire, puffing along she eventually does manage to get out of his line of sight. Though since he was still just as lost as every he decides to what what he had been planning to anyways and draws several high class simulacrum that he made out of his coat and exhales a breath onto each. They birds go darting off in different directions, but one white bird flies up to Claire and seems to hover just outside of sword reach watching Claire, though not seeming to make any aggressive gestures.

In the meantime Roland stomped up the hill while sculpting what appeared to be snow bunnies then breathing on them and sending them off into the forest in search of the tree he'd seen in his dreams.

When he finally does get to Claire's general area he calls. "I know you are around somewhere, just let me ask you, do you know anything about a boy going missing here?!" He calls as the innocent was his first priority before trying to bring in a criminal.

[Deleted]

Having caught Steak and mounted the crazy thing, Ghaur headed out into the Forever Forest. He wasn’t quite sure how long he had been riding for. Maybe a half hour or a few hours, it didn’t matter. The dream still haunted him. His mind had gone into a lull before it was drawn back into reality by a stranger’s voice and a scent he’d hoped he’d never had to have the pleasure of sniffing ever again.

Pulling Steak to a stop, Ghaur peered around, seeking out the lonely voice in the middle of the thrice-damned forest. After a few moments, his eyes caught a hold of a green-skinned man approaching him, his scent proceeding before him like a herald with an obnoxiously big trumpet. His fingers reached for his axe, preparing for a fight. He knew orks and he knew half-orks. It didn’t put him at ease to say the least.

He was surprised, however, when he heard the man ask if he was heading towards the forest. “Are you daft? We’re in the Forever Forest,” he grumbled, pulling his hand away from the weapon. “I thought you’d know that, kinsman,” he said. Now that the man was closer, Ghaur took a moment to really inspect him. He seemed vaguely familiar, though Ghaur was sure that was pure coincidence. He hadn’t seen another male half-ork before.

“Why do you want to know, hmm? It’s not safe to be out at this time of night by yourself. Go home, you’ll thank me for it later.”

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There was a moment of silence and Dylan frowned a little when he registered what the other man had just said to him. He stared around him, a little sheepishly. Oh…yeah. With a huff he brushed some of the hair out of his face and behind his pointy ragged ears. “I just rolled out of bed, don’t judge me! I’m barely awake!” He growled in defence before he shook his head, coming back to the point he was to make. The words that followed however emptied his mind from any thoughts he had or wanted to say and instead he frowned.

“I? I have to worry? Not sure if you’ve noticed but I’m fine taking care of myself, not a lot of people that want to mess with the giant ork,” He huffed and puffed out his chest as he did so. “At least I’m not part….” He fell silent. What was this man? Not human, that was for sure. High-elf? The colour of the sclera just threw Dylan off. “Fairy,” He finally waved his hand dismissively. “I mean what's up with the eyes anyway?!” He waved towards Ghaurs face, as if it was a conscious choice the man made.

With that said he slumped again, shaking his head. “I’m not leaving” He lowly said to himself before looking back up to the other man. “I..I just…I don’t know why I’m here,” The half-ork finally admitted as he rubbed his face. “It’s just, this weird dream, some kid or something talking about shit going backwards or what ever…” He rolled his hand with the words in a et cetera kind of fashion. "I heard some people outside of the Inn talking about the forest and...well.." He paused, frowning a little as he heard his own words. "I think I was still a little drunk when I rolled out of bed," He said, the corners of his mouth pulling backwards at his own words. This was stupid, even for his standards and it was only in conversation that he noticed.

“Actually I was hoping that, since you're here too, I'm not the only one that decided this was a good idea," He shrugged, hoping for a sign of any kind that he wasn't going insane...or had to stop drinking for that matter.

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As the group traveled, they would hear a loud cry in the distance…it sounded like something young, but not quite human. Whatever it was it seemed to lead further into the forests.