The Hermit's Forst

[thehermitsforest]

Not to pick favorites or anything but the “wrong” Forest spirit Cecil (ace/agender) might be on that list. He might murder your entire family in front of you to stop y’all from arguing, but the point is that he’s trying to help, he just don’t understand why that might upset a human. Also he might not speak for 10 days, or he might not shut up for 10 days, there’s no telling.

Could Eduardo get anymore anime protagonist? Who better to help you find your stolen friend than that depressed teenagers whom’s family turned him into a part human, part spirit being, just to sell to the spirit slave trade so they could afford  medical care, for the favorite sibling (Diamond)- Not that he did get sold to the spirit trade as Forest/Cecil, slaughtered mentioned favorite sibling in an attempt to solve the family drama. Not that Diamond who unaware of what was going on deserved to die.

Is this convincing anyone to read my story? I haven’t wrote a new chapter as Eduardo’s got to be sick, and I’ve accidentally created a ‘there’s only one bed situation’ WITHOUT making it gay.

Chapter 7

Chapter 6  

Chapter 5  

Chapter 4  

Chapter 3  

Chapter 2  

Chapter 1  

[thehermitsforest]

Chapter 8

The sun rose slowly across the marsh peaking out from behind new hills that filled Eduardo with relieve and apprehension. To be away from this road, from marsh that looked to repeat itself so much so that he feared that a spirit was playing games, but there would be people there. He wasn’t sure how close they were but with each step he knew they came closer. Cecil walked in front of him, he walked with fair speed but his gaze was that of one going out for a casual stroll. Were these problems so small to him? Did his feet not ache, where was his anxiety? “Do you ever get blisters?” Eduardo asked. Cecil turned and raised his eyebrows for a moment and then turned away. “I am walking, and my feet ache ever the more as they solidify the further from my forest, and especially now with only acorns to keep me from fading back to where I belong, but my feet do not swell with water. I see humans of an evening around fires resting their feet complaining of blisters that look to be as far as I am aware, to be a layer of extra soft flesh. Are they not comfortable to walk on? Like a cushion that you grow?” “No” Eduardo said shaking his head aghast regretting at having asked. “Do you get blisters?” Cecil asked. “Yeah I’ve got a small one on my little toe.” Eduardo said, and Cecil laughed. “You think thats funny?” “Oh?” Cecil asked turning with raised eyebrows and a grin “ignore me, I am just a cruel spirit.” They arrive where the marsh ended, a wooden sign post with four names carved into it. Take the road right along the marsh to head towards ‘Ressida 12 miles’, or take the right road angling away from the marsh past fields and towards green hills to ‘Ayun 19 miles’, a similar road towards the left following more pointed hills and mountains said ‘Ayun Vale 27 miles’ and the left road following the marsh went to ‘Uover Coast 3 miles’. Cecil pointed towards Uover Coast. “That roads quicker.” “You can read?” Cecil turned with a frown “yeah. I can read. Oo-over coast.” “It’s Yo’ver but thats pretty good. Still the directions to Up Town are very simple, we go straight until we find a sign pointing to Up Town.” “I don’t think the traders are dragging their carts across the grass” Cecil said. Eduardo walked to ward the sign and looked straight ahead. Straight ahead passed directly through the middle of the hills on either side, across a field of wild flowers, but there was no roads and it did not look a horse and cart had been through anytime recently. “Can I stop for a brake?” Eduardo asked, Cecil gave a small nod. “I think we are good for time, although I do not know very much of it. Do horses travel much faster than people?” “They do… but Animal would be at Up Town a good week before she was sold, that is how they fetch the highest price, or she would be sold on the soonest weekend.” “Weekend?” “Yeah Urnday, Ospriday, or Worshipday although they’ll probably be closed on Worshipday as it is considered bad luck still.” “How many days of your rotation are there?” “Eight.” Eduardo said pulling a bottle of water out his bag and gulping it. “How many days until this weekend?” “I don’t know. I don’t know what day it is.” Eduardo said pulling out a jar of yellow and scooping out a lumpy sweet smelling mush. “It is a shame Carry is busy now, we may well have need to destroy the city.” “He tried to eat me” Eduardo said. “And, what good would you be in a fight? You do not even know the cycle of your own people, I can tell mine by simply smelling the air.” “I know what day it is in Hopeville, it is Fursday.” “You have a different rotation to the rest of humans?” “Yeah” Eduardo shrugged “we’re - a lot of us have old ancestors that followed the old ways, before people started praying down to the mighty space aliens of above. I don’t really know why our religion changes our days of the week, but thats just the time table we got Mournsday, Oothsday, Whensdays, Fursday, Whyday, Sitaday, and the great Sinday.”

[thehermitsforest]

     “How highly imaginative it is of humans to call each day, day.”

    “That’s what it is.”

Eduardo finished the jar of yellow and placed it on the ground with a splash from his water bottle, then with one crunch of his shoe the jar dissolved to nothing more than sparkly specks of dust. He put his hands in his pockets and looked out to the mountains dark in colour with lightening swirling above them, and he looked to the hills where the light lit them with gentle gradients of greens.     “Right to the mountains or left?” Eduardo asked. Cecil put his hands to his lips in thought and then pointed to the hills “right.”     “Okay, we’re going left.” Eduardo said and walked up to take the path.     “Oh. Okay, why did you ask me?” Cecil asked.     “Wanted to go the opposite way you said. Though I did think you’d pick the mountains.”     “So you wanted to avoid the mountains too?” Cecil asked with a frown.     “Yeah.”     “So now we’re going to the mountains?” Eduardo turned to Cecil with a sigh “what of it?”     “Lets take the hills.” Eduardo shook his head “I’m good at staying out of trouble, if the villagers of either place are violent the mountains offer more protection.”     “I offer protection, protection thats easier to give in the hills, mountains tend to have more spirit, humans become obsessed and name them-”     “How would you know?”     “Word of mouth. Like you I suppose, you know I do talk to humans.”     “That’s a strange way to phrase eavesdropping.” Cecil shrugged “it’s your lead Eduardo.” Eduardo stepped off the main road on to the worn brown one dust reaching out through the wild field “this trip still seem worth it to you?”     “That’s a human concept you know, if something is worth the price, is something worthy? Worthy of what? Money? A completely meaningless currency that though started in good thought has led to nothing but greed, poverty and the harbouring of even human beings as commodities. Worthy of love? Again another meaningless concept-”     “Love is not a concept, and neither is money. Money is based on the trade of rare minerals-”     “Why? Why use a material that there is so few of to trade, when all humans need is food, water, shelter, all of which can be found in my forest, yet these humans with minerals of all things, have taken the ground other stood on, declared it theirs, taken their resources which truly were more valuable then the rare mineral and left them without food, without water, without their needs so they can partake in their only human right left, death. They forced this mineral to mean food, they forced it to mean water and shelter tiny -tiny tokens of freedom where before they had plenty” he said and spat on the dirt ground. The darkened brown circle slowly joined by more dark circles as the sky cracked open slipping drops of the one true resource that meant more than food on to their backs. Eduardo turned his brow furrowed his mouth open as he took a breath.     “Though their growth may have been slower, without the cruelty they’d have been ever better off without it.”     “… Forest, have you kept humans before?”     “No.” He said hatefully to the ground.     “Love isn’t a concept, by the way it’s an emotion alongside happiness and despair.” Eduardo said and continued to walk, after all it was a long walk.     “How would you know?”

The sky was relentless. Eduardo's sweaty shirt was becoming damper even beneath his wool coat, and the air was quickly cooling. Eduardo was not prepared for rain, usually he had shelter at every turning, and he often found the rain itself was warm. This rain was different. Cold shocked him, like a blade taking his skin. He pulled his brown sleeves further down his wrists as pain shot up to his elbows. Eduardo sighed looking around at the tall barbed hanging flowers as the clouds in the distance moved quickly across the sky as though they too had need to travel urgently.     “Whats wrong?” Cecil called hanging just a few feet behind him.     “Huh? Nothing” Eduardo mumbled “just looking for something we could use as shelter.”     “We could stop.” Cecil said.     “No, not if we’re to make it in time” Eduardo said.     “… aren't you uncomfortable?”     “Only nearly always. The rain is making it a little more uncomfortable, so we should walk quickly to get out of it.” Eduardo said, and he slicked back his blonde hair over his forehead. Cecil walked quickly alongside Eduardo and examined him closely. Eduardo sighed and rolled his eyes.     “Please don’t stare at me like that the entire time. I don’t know what you think uncomfortable means, but it is not life threatening for a human, had I a broken bone or open wound then, you might have something.” Cecil tilted his head “can you do me a favour?”     “I’m already doing you a favour.”     “Can you put these in your pocket?” Cecil asked and he dropped a handful of acorns into his palm.     “Oh. Of course” Eduardo said and slipped them into his pocket where the rain wouldn't get to them “I never thought about them rooting, it’s the wrong time though, right? Plus they’re hardy” Eduardo said to Cecil but he was gone. Eduardo turned in a slow circle, before he noticed the green in the corner of his eye. The sound of rain suddenly echoed in gently little pats. “I do not think it is something to worry about.” Cecil said. Eduardo looked up to the large green leaves encircling his head and across his shoulders.      “Oh. Thanks” he said to the plants.     “You’re welcome. I am bored of walking anyway.”     “Oh. Okay.”

Chapter 7 

Chapter 6  

Chapter 5  

Chapter 4  

Chapter 3  

Chapter 2  

Chapter 1  

Prologue

[thehermitsforest]

Chapter 8

The sun rose slowly across the marsh peaking out from behind new hills that filled Eduardo with relieve and apprehension. To be away from this road, from marsh that looked to repeat itself so much so that he feared that a spirit was playing games, but there would be people there. He wasn’t sure how close they were but with each step he knew they came closer. Cecil walked in front of him, he walked with fair speed but his gaze was that of one going out for a casual stroll. Were these problems so small to him? Did his feet not ache, where was his anxiety? “Do you ever get blisters?” Eduardo asked. Cecil turned and raised his eyebrows for a moment and then turned away. “I am walking, and my feet ache ever the more as they solidify the further from my forest, and especially now with only acorns to keep me from fading back to where I belong, but my feet do not swell with water. I see humans of an evening around fires resting their feet complaining of blisters that look to be as far as I am aware, to be a layer of extra soft flesh. Are they not comfortable to walk on? Like a cushion that you grow?” “No” Eduardo said shaking his head aghast regretting at having asked. “Do you get blisters?” Cecil asked. “Yeah I’ve got a small one on my little toe.” Eduardo said, and Cecil laughed. “You think thats funny?” “Oh?” Cecil asked turning with raised eyebrows and a grin “ignore me, I am just a cruel spirit.” They arrive where the marsh ended, a wooden sign post with four names carved into it. Take the road right along the marsh to head towards ‘Ressida 12 miles’, or take the right road angling away from the marsh past fields and towards green hills to ‘Ayun 19 miles’, a similar road towards the left following more pointed hills and mountains said ‘Ayun Vale 27 miles’ and the left road following the marsh went to ‘Uover Coast 3 miles’. Cecil pointed towards Uover Coast. “That roads quicker.” “You can read?” Cecil turned with a frown “yeah. I can read. Oo-over coast.” “It’s Yo’ver but thats pretty good. Still the directions to Up Town are very simple, we go straight until we find a sign pointing to Up Town.” “I don’t think the traders are dragging their carts across the grass” Cecil said. Eduardo walked to ward the sign and looked straight ahead. Straight ahead passed directly through the middle of the hills on either side, across a field of wild flowers, but there was no roads and it did not look a horse and cart had been through anytime recently. “Can I stop for a brake?” Eduardo asked, Cecil gave a small nod. “I think we are good for time, although I do not know very much of it. Do horses travel much faster than people?” “They do… but Animal would be at Up Town a good week before she was sold, that is how they fetch the highest price, or she would be sold on the soonest weekend.” “Weekend?” “Yeah Urnday, Ospriday, or Worshipday although they’ll probably be closed on Worshipday as it is considered bad luck still.” “How many days of your rotation are there?” “Eight.” Eduardo said pulling a bottle of water out his bag and gulping it. “How many days until this weekend?” “I don’t know. I don’t know what day it is.” Eduardo said pulling out a jar of yellow and scooping out a lumpy sweet smelling mush. “It is a shame Carry is busy now, we may well have need to destroy the city.” “He tried to eat me” Eduardo said. “And, what good would you be in a fight? You do not even know the cycle of your own people, I can tell mine by simply smelling the air.” “I know what day it is in Hopeville, it is Fursday.” “You have a different rotation to the rest of humans?” “Yeah” Eduardo shrugged “we’re - a lot of us have old ancestors that followed the old ways, before people started praying down to the mighty space aliens of above. I don’t really know why our religion changes our days of the week, but thats just the time table we got Mournsday, Oothsday, Whensdays, Fursday, Whyday, Sitaday, and the great Sinday.”

[thescatteredscribbles]

Hi! I know I've been kind of inactive this past month, which I don't really have a good excuse for... I'm looking to start writing much more starting January. Meanwhile, I would really like to support more writeblrs!

I'm looking for more WIPs to follow, so if you have a WIP that you'd like to share, feel free to add me to your taglist! I'll try to keep track of all the WIPs and reblog them, too. Plus I'd love to make some new friends. So yeah, put me on your taglists!!

If it's not too much trouble, please boost, I'd like to reach as manh writeblrs as possible with this. Thats all for now... happy holidays, everyone!

[thehermitsforest]

I followed back with my main account Suoa! This is my writing only page :)

[thehermitsforest]

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The sound of hurried footsteps quickly approaching landed Eduardo upright on his feet wiping the nightmare sweat from his forehead.

    “It’s just Carry” Cecil said, still sitting crossed leg, gazing along the road.

    “What’s he doing?” Eduardo asked glancing down to him.

    “Fancied a gallop” Cecil said. Eduardo sighed.

    “Really?”

Cecil looked up with big eyes and shrugged “that’s what he said.” Carry came stumbling into view out of the darkness.

    “Whats wrong?” Edmund asked urgently. Cecil turned slowly.

    “Humans, ten of them about a mile up.” He said pointing wildly.

    “Did they see you?” Eduardo asked.

    “I don’t know - they might have.”

    “We should move off the road, get low and wait for them to pass without noticing

 us” Eduardo said pushing his blanket back into his bag. Cecil gave a nod.

    “But - but they’re evil! Spirit traders, if they catch scent of us they won’t leave our tail. We’ve got to fight.”

    “I don’t think that’s the best idea. We should just wait.” Eduardo said.

    “I’m not fond of these traders, so I don’t think it’ll be too much of a hassle to set them straight” Cecil said “you two stay here.”

    “Do you need help?” Carry asked. Cecil paused glancing and Eduardo.

    “Stay here horse.” Cecil said picking up his tree and pushing it in to Eduardo’s arms “I’ll be back in a minute.”

Eduardo watched as Cecil slowly walked away fading into the misty darkness. Carry stood close to him hovering over Eduardo’s shoulder.

    “Do you think he’ll be okay?”

    “Most spirits that aren’t caught within a trap are perfectly fine when it comes to fighting humans, unless the get shot with a spirit gun. Of course anyone who knows what a spirit gun can easily outwit humans. But maybe you would know that if you were a human.”

Eduardo looked suspiciously up at Carry “I am human.” Carry looked at him slyly, a glint in her and then she glanced out to the road again, before grabbing ahold of his wrist.

    “Let go” Eduardo said sternly.

    “If you are human why have the spirit chains you took from me damaged your hands” he said holding his thumb in the palm of Eduardo’s hand with an iron grip. Eduardo struggled the tree he held in one hand shaking up and down.

    “Carry - fine you got me, I’m host to the tiniest essence of a spirit-”

    “Host! You are the spirit, you dirty little human.”

    “Well am I a spirit or a dirty little human? Make up your damn mind.”

    “What would you prefer?” Carry asked “I’m a man eating horse, and I eat small, especially insignificant spirits that have yet to develop their own consciousness.” He said far too closely too Eduardo’s face.

    “Urm” Eduardo said in an effort to gain some time “I’d prefer you didn’t eat me, after all we are travelling companions. What use am I dead?”

    “Every spirit I absorbs grows me, after I take you I’ll take your friend, and I’ll move on to kill the cities.”

    “Interesting evil plot” Eduardo nodded “but I’m kind of busy this week.”

    “It’s of no matter to me” Carry said and grabbed his other hand, the tree fell out of Eduardo’s hand, as Carry pushed him to the ground.

    “Shit! Shit! You stupid fucking horse” Eduardo screamed struggling beneath him.

    “What an odd thing for a person to say who has made themselves enemies of humans and spirits alike” Carry said, and he grinned with a lengthening face, and his opened his face like a crocodile would open his mouth. Eduardo’s eyes were wide, unmoving in fear as the monstrous’s beings clawed hooves dug deeper into him.

Eduardo pissed himself. Then almost at the same time however Eduardo would have preferred before, the tree shook, the branches waved, and they impaled through Carry’s stomach pushing him off of Eduardo. He was across the road in seconds. Branches through his legs, and stomach pushing out a replica of intestines that looked like bunched up sausages. Branches sprouting new buds spread out his mouth and his eyes darted about with the same fear Eduardo had shown not moments ago.

    “Really Carry?” Cecil asked with a laugh and tilt to his head as he stood next to the tree “in front my greens?”

Carry coughed and orange leaves from his lungs showered the path “trees can see?”

    “Of course. Eduardo there are no humans on the road tonight. Can you believe Carry lied to us?”

Eduardo looked from Cecil up to Carry who was quickly becoming a tree “yes?”

    “You know where I come from spirits respect each other” Cecil said, gesturing with his hands. Carry attempted to reply but nothing came out of his mouth, and there was bark so far around his body that he could not move or gesture.

    “Why isn’t he dying?” Eduardo asked.

    “I could eat him, but then I’d have a herd of horses, and frankly I don’t need them - and not man eating ones not my scene.”

    “Don’t you eat people?”

    “I could let him die, but he’d probably just respawn, so, I’m just putting him in a tree.”

    “Isn’t that cruel?”

    “Not on purpose, ‘though I am nature so theres little I can do about it. Lost my damn tree now though.” Cecil said crossing his arms as he watched his own spectacle.” Eduardo glanced back to Carry, but the sight made his stomach queazy and he was quick to look away, but he could still hear creak of the branches moving around.

    “Let me just.. change my pants then we can go.

    “You don’t want to sleep no more?”

    “No. I’m done.”

Chapter 6

Chapter 5

Chapter 4

Chapter 3

Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Prologue

[thehermitsforest]

I don’t have a good reason to turn Forest into a mouse, but because he has permenent mice residents you should know he can and this is what he looks like

I’m sure I’ll find an excuse

[thehermitsforest]

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

He was awoken in the night by the light of the full moon, and his mother and brother slowly moving him on his straw bed towards the old pig barn.        “What?” He asked sitting up, bits of straw stabbing at his hands like the usually did “what on earth are you doing?”       “Oh, Yeiach put the bed down he’s awake now” his Mother said.       “Ah ha? What a crazy prank that would have been - for me to wake up in the pig barn huh?” Eduardo said, begged, his mother to confirm. His mother stared at him, silent without guilt.       “Mom?” His brother said.       “Eduardo we are not pranking you, we have a gift for you” she said grabbing ahold of his wrist “why don’t you come see it.”       “This is no time for gifts, we must sell what we have to get Diamond the medical care he needs. So thank you but I’ll be returning to bed now.” Eduardo said sternly and tried to pull himself free. It was when Yeiach grabbed his other arm that he truly began to panic, shaking himself in every direction possible, his feet scraping against the mud as they pulled him towards the barn.       “Yeiach! Let me go” Eduardo cried.       “It’s you or me” Yeiach said his finger tips digging deeply into his skin. Eduardo turned for a moment to glance upon the face that was just as upset as he.       “Mother you can’t do this! What is the point must you really favour Diamond above us so that you would see us all perish?”       “No Eduardo” she said as the barn doors were opened by two elders, Vivane who had wandered into the forest and only returned when his daughter died from age and Melan whose lover was a trader, who was still lost in the forest “help! Help!” Eduardo screamed at the top of his lungs and the two elders were quick to grab a limb, someones hand was clasped over his mouth.

Eduardo was dragged on to a chalk drawn rectangle in the centre of the room, leftover straw from the pigs that used to live there was kicked into the air.       “Stop this! You’re betraying our village I have done nothing to warrant this!”       “And Diamond has?” His Mother cried “Yeiach hold down his shoulders firmer.” His mother took a poultice  and put it on his stomach, and from behind herself she pulled a curved black knife.       “Fuck! Fuck! You bitch, you’re a shit mother, you’re a shit parent and that’s why he’s ill! Yeiach if this doesn’t work she’ll take you next” Eduardo yelled.       “Shut up! Spirit of the village who hovers by us from the light of our ancestors I plead of you to take this fresh body” she said, and cut open the centre of his wrist. Eduardo screamed. His mother stood up chanting something unintelligible and then knelt by his other wrist and did the same.

      “No” Yeiach said and let go of Eduardo “this is not what you said would happen.” Eduardo punched the elders in the face and was quick to scramble to his feet but his mother grabbed ahold of him, blood flowing and splashing everywhere it could.       “Where are you going! The ritual is almost complete all you need to do is stay still. You’ll never live now anyway, let us save Diamond.”       “Let him go!” Yeiach cried and pushed his mother away, the knife she was holding stabbing deep into his stomach as he did so.       “Oh Yeiach! Yeiach my baby!” She screeched as he fell to his knees. Diamond opened the barn door, tired looking as always, nose bleeding as usual.       “What’s going on, y’all yelling is-” Diamond paused as his eyes slowly translated the images, but Eduardo was not going to wait around to explain. He made his bloody way out the door running as fast as he could. He didn’t look where he went, he trampled through the wet damp grass and flowers and weeds and nettles that didn’t seem to hurt his skin anymore.       “Most humans ending themselves in my forest choose to do it by rope.” A red eyed creature covered by the shadows of the trees said. Eduardo was not having a good day.       “I don’t want to die” Eduardo said, and almost immediately the ground around him came to life and grabbed a hold of him. He struggled as the plants climbed up him, around his legs and arms before digging into his wrists. The plants were quick getting deep into his flesh, and tying him back together, before leaf like bandages hugged his hands and wrists. Eduardo stared, pain throbbing so that he barely recognised his own hands, but the evil plants feet had left him alive.       “What?”       “It’s nothing personal I just don’t like ghosts and I’m not hungry, so I have little other choice besides I don’t like upsetting the villagers and you have nought me wrong. So there, now realise your fool hardy attempt at an early rest and go back to your life it is short anyway.”       “I didn’t try to kill myself” Eduardo said but the red eyes remained silent, as the sound of crushing leaves were quick to catch up with him. Eduardo darted over to the red eyes but found they had disappeared.       “Eduardo” his mother said, as she, the elders and Diamond trampled to catch up with him.       “They’re trying to bring a spirit forth by sacrificing me! You don’t want that right?” Eduardo said and promptly passed out.       “That was a strong boy” said the red head Melan “he would have served well in the village.” “He will serve better by keeping bad spirits as bay” Vivane said.       “Actually, I’m going to sell him to the spirit trade” the mother said walking over to Eduardo.       “What!” Milan yelled.       “That is not what we agreed.”       “No. No the only thing you agreed to do was help me” the mother said “the amount of money I can get from him not only will I be able to pay for Diamonds health care - but everyone in the village.”       “No one else in the village is sick” Vivane said.       “Diamond has crib sickness there is no cure for him.” Melan said “this is foul Deliah, just because Diamond looks similar to  your late husband? This has cost two of you children. Transforming Eduardo was not forever ending him, but this surely is.”       “Then I’ll leave! Banish me, I’ll go to the city with my children, somewhere pretty where the birds don’t wake me.” The Mother said putting Eduardo’s arm over her shoulder, she tried to step away but her feet were stuck in the ground.       “Shit” Vivane said as he and Melan struggled with their feet.       “Mom” Diamond said frightened.       “Let us go Forest spirt. I’m sorry our drama came this far out, we have not harmed you and we will leave quietly. The leaves of the trees rustled. Viviane looked to the branches his eyes big, sweat dripping down his forehead. Two red dots appeared in the trees above them.       “All this yelling has me working up an appetite. I do not wish to make a mistake with serious consequences, so tell me humans, did you try and turn the blonde into a village spirit.”       “Only so that he could talk to you, and set clear boundaries” Melan cried “we thought he would help to keep us safe.”       “That’s funny” said the voice and the  weeds shot up as sharp as blades through both the elders hears. Diamond screamed.       “Mom! Mom I never wanted this please.”       “It’s okay Diamond, it’s okay” she hushed him “let us go spirit we will leave.”       “I killed the trader waiting outside the village” said the voice.       “That’s okay.” “I hope you’ll be able to find another without to much trouble” said the voice. The woman sighed relieved.       “It will not be too much more work. Thank you” she said. The grass around Diamond stood growing long.       “What are you doing?” the mother panicked as the grass shot out slice through Diamonds throat and he fell choking to the floor.       “Diamond!”

Chapter 5

Chapter 4

Chapter 3

Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Prologue

[nataliedecorsair]

The spirits will find the way https://twitter.com/natalie_corsair/status/1271854114046164997 UPD: added some more arts of them. The middle one is the oldest one

[thehermitsforest]

The Hermit’s Forest

Chapter 5

The sun began to hide from the earth sending pink and purple streaks to comfortably hug the sky, encasing life within a soft warm glow that reflected off the marsh’s water pools, and the road turning them to embers. Eduardo’s burning feet had journeyed miles without a break, now that the pain was making its way up to his thighs, and his eyes were beginning to drift he found he could hold his tongue no longer.       “Cecil” Eduardo called gently dragging behind the endless spirits “I need to stop. I gotta sleep.”      “Oh” Cecil said and stopped and turned around, he looked around over the marsh in search of something “will you be okay on the road?”      “Yeah. It’s probably fine” Eduardo said and fell on to his arse without bothering to dust away any of the more uncomfortably spiked stones.      “Hmm?” Carry hummed turning to glance from Cecil to the boy “you are stopping for a human? Leave him or drag him, the night is no enemy.”      “Please don’t” Eduardo said desperately.      “I could take a nap” Cecil said sitting down as he waved Carry’s idea away.

 Carry sighed and fell down. His arms and legs laying down in front of him, the way a child would mimic a dead horse.      “Can spirits sleep?” Eduardo asked pulling out a blanket, and transportable campfire from his rucksack.      “My horses sleep so I sleep” Carry said “there is not much point in being conscious when they are not.” Eduardo nodded “I guess that makes sense” he said, a curious eye on Cecil but he hid the question.      “Where there are animals there is sleep, squirrels and raptors allow me to hibernate though I am not fond of it, if I could I’d see most of the seasons happily through dormancy.”      “You can go dormant?” Eduardo asked his eyes widening as he struck his fire alight “what’s that like?” Cecil crossed his legs, and tapped his lips “like floating, free of thought or experience, so it is impossible for me to be bored, the longer I am like it the faster time seems to go around me. I used to spend entire winters like that. But nowadays I have to wake every week and make sure people keep away. There  seem to be humans lurking around every corner and though I kill more than ever I still find more testing me.”      “It sounds peaceful though.” Eduardo said.      “My favourite thing to do is catch naughty humans in what I call, a dormant bubble. I can only have one at a time, but I can make them go dormant for years or a season, and oh their face when I release them!” He cackled “there is nothing I adore more!”

     “Cecil! That’s cruel.”      “I either do that or eat them” Cecil shrugged “so it is a kindness.”      “You are a monster” Eduardo said emptying out his rucksack “do either of you want food?”      “We don’t need to eat” Cecil said.      “I know, but I have a lot of food” Eduardo said standing up several jars of different colours.      “What’ve you got?” Cecil asked. Eduardo picked up each jar and carefully examined it.      “Yellow jam, red jam, mixed nuts, sausages” he said opening it and placing one in his mouth, he offered the jar to Cecil. He took one shaking the water off and popped it into his mouth.      “Tastes like human” Cecil said.      “It’s not human!” Eduardo said sharply.

     “Let me try, I eat a lot of humans” Carry said.      “I thought you said you were a horse” Eduardo said and handed the jar over the fire to Carry. Carry looked for a moment at the hand holding the jar, bright red with lumps blotted over the skin, a long scar down the centre of his wrist. Carry squinted at Eduardo.      “Are you going to take one or not?” Eduardo asked angrily.      “We used to be horses” Carry said finally answering him “now we just look like them, we’re omnivores, our actual scientific name is man eating horse.”      “Oh” Eduardo said “well if your peckish, you can have the whole jar.”      “Thanks, but I’m not hungry really” Carry said, taking one from the jar. He slowly took a bite from the sausage and looked suspiciously up at Eduardo.      “This is human.”      “It’s not human” Eduardo groaned opening up a jar of soft cheese, that he began to eat with a spoon “it’s pig.”      “You mean… the humans trapped in pig bodies?” Cecil asked.      “They’re pigs! Animals. Not humans.”      “I thought you were just looking after them, it would explain why your village has recently gone off it’s tits” Cecil said with a thoughtful finger prodding his lip.      “You’re suggesting they weren’t always bonkers.” Eduardo said disbelievingly given a shake of his head.      “Of course they weren’t.” Cecil said. Eduardo frowned at Cecil “very convincing but I know you like to mess with people. Pigs are animals.”      “No” Carry said “all their organs are identical to human organs, do you think thats just random?” Eduardo shrugged “all animals have organs, I bet even his horses have brains and hearts and things.”      “That’s true” Carry said.      “No, Eduardo, those aren’t normal pigs. Those are genetically engineered human clones from centuries ago. They are exactly the same as humans. They were designed that way to get around human right laws, and to smuggle them through borders, and because of a pigs features they cannot communicate or ask for help.”      “Fine then, where’s their human trapped in a pig body spirit?” Eduardo asked firmly checkmating him “they’ll surely be able to confirm your story.”      “No! They’re humans. Humans have their own spirits.” Cecil said, and Carry let out a a sharp laugh.      “Their own spirits? Humans don’t have a spirit! They aren’t anything at all. They’re parasites! Thats like asking intestinal worms where their spirit is, they are a function of science nothing more.”      “Then… why do humans sometimes get spirits of their villages and towns?” Eduardo asked Cecil.      “Humans have their own spirit, but their culture is what makes a village spirit, their believes, their laws, their success and failures. Wilds dogs in a pack have their own personality’s their own thoughts, but they share one spirit. Humans can have both. Humans can even help individual animals form their own spirit, especially if they take an animal from the wild and help to form it within their own borders.”      “Thats ridiculous” Carry said “they do what they do now only more clearly, they kill the spirits animals have. They replace them with nothing. That’s how parasites work.” “Then Carry, what do you think a village spirit is?” Eduardo asked.      “A temporary anomaly, perhaps humans almost becoming enlightened. It doesn’t matter, they never last long. On the land I’m a wanderer and I have seen thousands of  town spirits, and overtime they’ve almost grown up they completely perish. They just disappear, or sometimes humans themselves kill them. No other creature does that, because spirits for other creatures are natural, humans just aren’t supposed to have them.” Eduardo raised an eyebrow to Cecil.      “I am not a wanderer and I keep humans at bay. I cannot say why they are the way they are.” Cecil shrugged.      “Why are you bringing a human with you?” Carry asked Cecil.      “I do not have much experience with humans, so I need an expert in the field, and I also need someone to show me where Up Top Town is.” Cecil shrugged.      “Just follow the signs mate” Carry said tiredly and rolled over, facing away from them. Cecil frowned.      “You sleeping?” He asked.      “Clearly” Carry answered.      “Fine” Eduardo said scoffing his cheese down “just don’t wake me in the morning.”      “That’s fine” Cecil nodded calmly pulling his tree between his legs “It’s not like we’re on a rescue mission or anything.”

Chapter 4

Chapter 3

Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Prologue

[thehermitsforest]

Chapter 4

The grey creature, with four flat feet, one long nose of a trunk, tiny faded eyes, and a tail resembling a brush, was the most unappealing thing Cecil had ever seen. It was the impossible size of at least 20 Eduardo’s, Cecil prodded its skin to decipher whether this thing had been a reality to walk on land, or an elaborate art project. It’s skin was hard, but soft, the way dead animals are when rigour mortis begins to set in.        “I don’t like it.” Cecil said to Eduardo.       “Hello?“ Eduardo called.       “Help me please” the dead beast said       “I don’t think we can” Eduardo said.       “I’m stuck! Please it won’t take a moment” the voice cried out as a hand appeared desperately waving from the other side of the beasts belly.       “This could be a trap” Eduardo said as Cecil walked around the beast, and shattered wood and metal poles that were crushed beneath it. On the other side of the creature there was a tanned man covered in black quarter moons, chains were stuck around his elbows, and one of his feet were caught between two metal poles.       “I’m stuck” he said “please untie me.”       “Who are you?” Eduardo asked. His eyes glanced over Eduardo and landed on Cecil thoughtfully “I’m just a spirit of a herd of horses, you can call me Carry please untie me.”       “How did you get here?” Eduardo asked.       “Got caught by a spirit hunter, this grey asshole fell out the sky, saved my life by squishing ‘em, but I’m stuck, it won’t take a second for you to just pull these chains off me, then I’ll go on my way.” Cecil nodded and leant down to pull the chains off him.       “AH!” Cecil jumped up holding his hand, with a single slightly red finger held tightly to himself “no you’re dead.”       “No!” Carry cried desperately “just use a stick and push the chains off! Please!”       “No” Cecil said “come on Eduardo he’s dead.” Eduardo leant down to the man and pulled at the chains “how did the traders catch you Carry?”       “I don’t talk to humans” Carry said and was silent.       “Fine, then die” Eduardo said and paused.       “W-wait, okay. Release me first then I’ll tell you how.”       “Fine, but if you try to run away he’ll eat you” Eduardo said and nodded to Cecil with his head.       “Thanks but I’m not hungry.” Cecil said, but with a look from Eduardo he amended himself “but I’m happy to kill a tiny spirit such as yourself.”       “I won’t scatter then, damn- who eats people? You need a doctor mate” Carry said, as Eduardo finished pulling the chains off him. Eduardo threw the chains on to the floor and grabbed one of the bars laying heavily on Carry, and lifted it just enough so he could pull himself out. Carry bounced up and joyfully dusted himself off, his arms to his hands were completely red from where the chains had been against him. He stretched and flexed his arms and legs.       “Thank you” she nodded to Eduardo who held his own hands close to his own body, he nodded.       “You folks heading down this road? I’ve got miles to go, so I hope you don’t mind if I gab and walk.” Carry said without stopping to confirm and began marching away. Cecil and Forest were quick to pick up speed, with a curious eye upon him.       “I got caught by spirit traders because I saw a spirit in need of help. Can you believe that?”       “Like you just now?” Eduardo frowned.       “No not like me” Carry said walking quickly. She was much taller than either of the other spirits, and they almost had to jog to keep up with her long strides.       “I actually needed help” Carry said “I doubt I’d have got out of that if that big grey thing hadn’t fallen from Up Top. A spirit called Cave made out like she was injured so I went to help her, and bam next thing I know I’m in a cage. Look out for caves folk.”       “You went to help another spirit?” Eduardo asked confused.       “Absorb” Cecil whispered behind his back. Eduardo rolled his eyes.       “Why would a spirit help hunters? She can’t have been after gold.” Eduardo said.       “No, she had some sort of agreement with the traders where they would keep letting her go back to her cave as long as she helped them catch other spirits, at least thats what I over heard.”       “How’d they catch her then?” Eduardo asked.       “You think I’m made of answers? Wait, what are you two even up to? What are you a spirit of?” Carry asked.       “Marsh” Eduardo said.       “I’ve been out here for days, I’m pretty sure she’s dead.”       “Um” Cecil said holding his tree “the sky.”       “Bullshit. Fine, keep your secrets, though I might start to think you are not as big as you misled me to believe. What are you doing out here?”       “Spirit rescue mission” Eduardo said.       “Boy don’t, no. They’ll catch you, and then you will die. Whole place is like a ghost town, but… without the ghosts, don’t be letting humans take you out for no good reason.”       “We’re going to the big city. Top City. Large City-”              “Up Top” Eduardo corrected Cecil.       “I’m going to kill a whole bunch of humans up there, and brake out a spirit.”       “You know that they have guns that shoot chains at you right? You can’t do anything once you get a pair of those on you.”       “Oh. Eduardo?” Cecil asked.       “We go in quietly disguised as humans and brake her out.” Eduardo said.       “I guess that could work.” Carry said stopping in his tracks. He turned to them.       “Or, maybe you should kill them, I mean with my help and a few others, who knows, we could wipe the spirit slave trade out. The only place they trade is Up Top, if Up Top doesn’t exist, we can go back to minding our own business.”       “That sounds like a hassle” Cecil said “I don’t see it.”       “Our kind is being wiped out, and for just a few months of human flexing. It’s disgusting. Perhaps it is fate our paths crossed, we will lead the revolution.”       “Nah, we’re good, right Cecil?” Eduardo asked.       “Yep.”       “Thanks for your help though, bye.”       “Bye? Ahh, you fellas want me to scatter now?” Carry asked.       “You’re good I won’t hurt you” Cecil said, as Carry looked to the distant road as she walked, silent for a moment.       “That’s jolly good of you to say chaps, but being a horse an all I sure do love to walk. What say I walk with you perhaps tell you more tales of humans, I could even protect you small folks from any bigger spirits.”       “You don’t say?” Cecil asked sarcastically.       “We’re good, maybe we should split.” Eduardo said.       “I must insist, we are both on the same road for at least a day and- I can’t scatter. My arms” Carry said the act in his voice braking as he showed his red raw arms “they’re practically solid. I’m just as strong as ever! But… I couldn’t scatter before, and I still seem to be experiencing the effects….. I’m sure just for a little while, we are all good friends now, and from entirely different places from this country, we should stay separate, and friendly, and work together.”       “Wow that sure is a sophisticated argument” Eduardo said.       “Whatever, then but don’t be starting wars around us.” Cecil said.       “Thank you” Carry said relieved.

Chapter 4

Chapter 3

Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Prologue

[thehermitsforest]

Carry the man eating horse spirit. Note his herd of horses are also man eating.

Some spirits pick up names, some name themselves and others do not. Just like some spirits might choose to keep features of there “animals” and others do not, they look however they feel, but there is usually some resemblance to people that they see passing by most often.

Eduardo

Cecil

Chapter 5

Chapter 4

Chapter 3

Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Prologue

[thehermitsforest]

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The villagers called the forest ‘C'est côté’ which in french means, ‘this is side’ but from what they understood it meant ‘a place in between sides’. Over the past 200 years ‘C'est côté’ slowly evolved to ‘Ce-Co’. Traders who would go out of their way to stop at the small village were rare, especially as this particular forest spirit wasn’t particularly friendly. Those that new how to pass, travelled it like any other road but where traders were concerned few but Cecil would go out of their way to trade with the village. As they aged their visits became less frequent, and the villagers would turn to the forest and ask: “Is that Cecil?” and sometimes it was. There came a time, when that happened for the last time, and all other questions were met by nothing or someone else, but usually it was the spirit of the forest. So the black haired, red eyed spirit and the forest itself was slowly named Cecil.

It’s unusual for humans to live near an active forest spirit. Active forest spirits usually chase, or more often crush humans at the first sign that an infestation may begin. Or if the forest in question is large enough not to mind the infestation then they pretend they do not know of it. The villagers of ‘The Hermit’s Forest’ or ‘C’est côté’ were originally a discriminated group, they escaped the cities to create their own way of life, where they did not need to worry about others . It was said that the kings men heard tale of what they planned and sent soldiers to capture them. The soldiers caught up with the group when they settled for a short brake while passing through ‘The Hermit’s Forest’. Perhaps the Kings men had chopped down a tree, or perhaps they were disrespectful, or maybe it was because they were far fatter then the hungry group, but for whatever reason when the soldiers brandished their sword towards the terrified people the ground rose up and caught them, crushing them and dragging them deep down into the earth. Slowly the villagers came to trust this spirit, if not to keep them safe then to at least keep others at bay, and they built their new home on the east edge of the forest, and planted trees around themselves to encourage the spirit they feared to keep a watchful but silent eye over them.

[thehermitsforest]

So when the forest spirit stepped out of the forest, and slowly began to walk around the villagers tables stacked with harvest, and around small wooden houses, turning his head left and right kneeling to look beneath piles of gourds, no one dared to speak. There was an unearthly silence, goosebumps along arms, and fear like no other. Eduardo, the spirit of the village, who in terms of a spirit and truly in terms of a human was no more than a young man of 18, with light skin, and blond hair watched from across the village, chewing grass half out his mouth as his eyes watched the forest spirit awkwardly scratch at his arm before slowly walking back into the forest. Eduardo spat the grass from his mouth and slowly stood up stretching, and then he began to follow. “Eduardo” his mother called and rushed over, she was a large woman, and strong, she took his hands in hers and looked deep into his face “you must try and make contact.” “I know. We’ve seen each other, that is all that is needed, but I will ask him what he is looking for.” Eduardo said. “You must be careful my son”she said desperately “you are new, he may have been searching for you - he might be angry you exist so close to him.” “He is not your son anymore” Griselda the old hag said angrily “let him go.” Physically his mother let go of his hands “I am just worried.” “Mother, I will be careful” Eduardo said lovingly and his face slowly turned to hate “besides the time for you to be rightfully worried about me has passed.” “I have more than one child Eduardo! More to worry about” his Mother yelled angrily. “I am not Eduardo” he said, even though he was, as he marched angrily past the village huts, and the village fire in the direction that Forest had gone.

[thehermitsforest]

Eduardo followed the spirit through the worn forest paths from where children had been playing hide and seek, it was easy to tell what part of the forest was seldom walked through, thigh high stinging nettles, that looked like they had been planted to form a fence guarded the way, Eduardo stepped through them. The forest spirit hadn’t walked any further he was leaning against a tree a little to the right. He was biting the palm of his hand and part of his wrist as he concentrated deep in thought. He did not bat an eye to Eduardo’s appearance. His skin was white, like crisp bleached paper, and being this close to him Eduardo noticed for the first time that he had grey freckles spread across his nose and cheeks. His eyes were red as the rumours had it and he was covered in mutant leaves that he had grown across him as clothing. “Forest Spirit, why do you come into the village, it is unusual for you, and you seem troubled” Eduardo said. Forest crossed his arms as he looked Eduardo up and down. “You’re the unusual one.” “For a Forest Spirit that has such an uncanny” Eduardo said and then gestured towards him “appearance, you are not one to speak.” “Thats a bold thing for a human to say to a spirit” Forest said. “I’m not human, I am a spirit of the human village, there is a difference.” “Is there?” Forest asked, and he went back to chewing his hand as he slowly stood from the tree and turned to walk away. “Forest, what’s wrong, is there a fire? You know my people would gladly help if there is.” Eduardo called. Forest paused. He was short Eduardo noticed, only five foot at most. He turned back to Eduardo, crossing his arms with a light sigh. “Animal is missing.” “I take it you can experience your whole forest at once” Eduardo said. “Of course” Forest frowned “and I have called to the North forest spirit she frequents, she set out to return to me as she usually does, but she is nowhere around.” “Aren’t you supposed to be able to tell where all your spirits are, even if they leave your territory?” Eduardo asked. Forest frowned “she is not my spirit, she leaves for the winter, but it is not yet winter.” “I see” Eduardo said “what about the animals she has? Humans may have chased them off course by a few days, and she may simply be following them.” “She adores the wolves, and they are here without her.” “Oh” Eduardo said with a deep painful breath “the wolves are in town.” Forest laughed, two breathy sounds through his mouth “she adores the wolves.” “I take it you know they stole and ate several infants from my village?” Eduardo asked. “See human, a spirit would know a human threw them to the wolves. I tried to save them you know, I wanted some wolf people I heard a neat story from a traveler one time - but none of Animals wolves had puppies for milk, besides the infants were too small the human who had thrown them had injured them to much for us to grow.” “Why didn’t you return them?” Eduardo asked surprised. “The humans threw them out.” Forest said tilting his head. “Can you tell me what the human looked like, and I will do my best to help you find animal.” “Yes” Forest said thoughtfully “it was a bulky human.” “Did they appear to resemble male or female?” Eduardo asked. Forest clicked his tongue “they were bulky. A wide human, they had short hair, or it was tied back. They were covered in the water they get. Sweat.” “Thanks, thats really narrowed the search” Eduardo said and sighed “did they have two fat lumps on their chest?” Forest frowned thoughtful “they were wearing a top, but I’d say they probably had a bulky belly too.” “How big?” Eduardo asked thoughtfully. Forest rubbed at his mouth “if you stood sideways, and there was three of you, at least that big, but maybe bigger.” Eduardo, much to his better judgement spared a glance down to himself “so we’re talking at least an adult or someone over sixteen, as most teenagers are my size. With short or long hair.” “And bulky.” “Yeah thats narrowed my list of suspects down to one-hundred and eighty, out of two hundred and three. Could you recognise the human?” “Do you know what kind of tree that is?” Forest asked and pointing. “It’s an oak.” “Oh. Well, next time I see the humans doing that, I could pay more attention to how they look.” Forest shrugged. “I guess thats something. I’ll go ask around and see if any of my humans have seen Animal. What does she look like?” “She likes to be wolves and rabbits.” “Thats not going to help me.” “She is blonde like you.” “Helpful, is she taller than you? What colour are her eyes, what does she wear?” “She is taller, I think they are brown and sometimes yellow, and she wears the skin of an old wolf called Vark. Sometimes she wears the head as though it is her own, so you may mistake her for a wolf.” “Okay, well I’ll go ask. Do you want to come with me?” “No” Forest said. Eduardo nodded and quickly turned and walked back to his village, but Forest slowly followed behind up to the edge of his own trees.

Chapter 4

Chapter 3

Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Prologue

[thehermitsforest]

Please check out my boys! Cecil has shark teeth! Shark teeth! What more could you ask for?

[thehermitsforest]

Chapter 4

The grey creature, with four flat feet, one long nose of a trunk, tiny faded eyes, and a tail resembling a brush, was the most unappealing thing Cecil had ever seen. It was the impossible size of at least 20 Eduardo’s, Cecil prodded its skin to decipher whether this thing had been a reality to walk on land, or an elaborate art project. It’s skin was hard, but soft, the way dead animals are when rigour mortis begins to set in.        “I don’t like it.” Cecil said to Eduardo.       “Hello?" Eduardo called.       “Help me please” the dead beast said       “I don’t think we can” Eduardo said.       “I’m stuck! Please it won’t take a moment” the voice cried out as a hand appeared desperately waving from the other side of the beasts belly.       “This could be a trap” Eduardo said as Cecil walked around the beast, and shattered wood and metal poles that were crushed beneath it. On the other side of the creature there was a tanned man covered in black quarter moons, chains were stuck around his elbows, and one of his feet were caught between two metal poles.       “I’m stuck” he said “please untie me.”       “Who are you?” Eduardo asked. His eyes glanced over Eduardo and landed on Cecil thoughtfully “I’m just a spirit of a herd of horses, you can call me Carry please untie me.”       “How did you get here?” Eduardo asked.       “Got caught by a spirit hunter, this grey asshole fell out the sky, saved my life by squishing ‘em, but I’m stuck, it won’t take a second for you to just pull these chains off me, then I’ll go on my way.” Cecil nodded and leant down to pull the chains off him.       “AH!” Cecil jumped up holding his hand, with a single slightly red finger held tightly to himself “no you’re dead.”       “No!” Carry cried desperately “just use a stick and push the chains off! Please!”       “No” Cecil said “come on Eduardo he’s dead.” Eduardo leant down to the man and pulled at the chains “how did the traders catch you Carry?”       “I don’t talk to humans” Carry said and was silent.       “Fine, then die” Eduardo said and paused.       “W-wait, okay. Release me first then I’ll tell you how.”       “Fine, but if you try to run away he'll eat you” Eduardo said and nodded to Cecil with his head.       “Thanks but I’m not hungry.” Cecil said, but with a look from Eduardo he amended himself “but I’m happy to kill a tiny spirit such as yourself.”       “I won’t scatter then, damn- who eats people? You need a doctor mate” Carry said, as Eduardo finished pulling the chains off him. Eduardo threw the chains on to the floor and grabbed one of the bars laying heavily on Carry, and lifted it just enough so he could pull himself out. Carry bounced up and joyfully dusted himself off, his arms to his hands were completely red from where the chains had been against him. He stretched and flexed his arms and legs.       “Thank you” she nodded to Eduardo who held his own hands close to his own body, he nodded.       “You folks heading down this road? I’ve got miles to go, so I hope you don’t mind if I gab and walk.” Carry said without stopping to confirm and began marching away. Cecil and Forest were quick to pick up speed, with a curious eye upon him.       “I got caught by spirit traders because I saw a spirit in need of help. Can you believe that?”       “Like you just now?” Eduardo frowned.       “No not like me” Carry said walking quickly. She was much taller than either of the other spirits, and they almost had to jog to keep up with her long strides.       “I actually needed help” Carry said “I doubt I’d have got out of that if that big grey thing hadn’t fallen from Up Top. A spirit called Cave made out like she was injured so I went to help her, and bam next thing I know I’m in a cage. Look out for caves folk.”       “You went to help another spirit?” Eduardo asked confused.       “Absorb” Cecil whispered behind his back. Eduardo rolled his eyes.       “Why would a spirit help hunters? She can’t have been after gold.” Eduardo said.       “No, she had some sort of agreement with the traders where they would keep letting her go back to her cave as long as she helped them catch other spirits, at least thats what I over heard.”       “How’d they catch her then?” Eduardo asked.       “You think I’m made of answers? Wait, what are you two even up to? What are you a spirit of?” Carry asked.       “Marsh” Eduardo said.       “I’ve been out here for days, I’m pretty sure she’s dead.”       “Um” Cecil said holding his tree “the sky.”       “Bullshit. Fine, keep your secrets, though I might start to think you are not as big as you misled me to believe. What are you doing out here?”       “Spirit rescue mission” Eduardo said.       “Boy don’t, no. They’ll catch you, and then you will die. Whole place is like a ghost town, but… without the ghosts, don’t be letting humans take you out for no good reason.”       “We’re going to the big city. Top City. Large City-”              “Up Top” Eduardo corrected Cecil.       “I’m going to kill a whole bunch of humans up there, and brake out a spirit.”       “You know that they have guns that shoot chains at you right? You can’t do anything once you get a pair of those on you.”       “Oh. Eduardo?” Cecil asked.       “We go in quietly disguised as humans and brake her out.” Eduardo said.       “I guess that could work.” Carry said stopping in his tracks. He turned to them.       “Or, maybe you should kill them, I mean with my help and a few others, who knows, we could wipe the spirit slave trade out. The only place they trade is Up Top, if Up Top doesn’t exist, we can go back to minding our own business.”       “That sounds like a hassle” Cecil said “I don’t see it.”       “Our kind is being wiped out, and for just a few months of human flexing. It’s disgusting. Perhaps it is fate our paths crossed, we will lead the revolution.”       “Nah, we’re good, right Cecil?” Eduardo asked.       “Yep.”       “Thanks for your help though, bye.”       “Bye? Ahh, you fellas want me to scatter now?” Carry asked.       “You’re good I won’t hurt you” Cecil said, as Carry looked to the distant road as she walked, silent for a moment.       “That’s jolly good of you to say chaps, but being a horse an all I sure do love to walk. What say I walk with you perhaps tell you more tales of humans, I could even protect you small folks from any bigger spirits.”       “You don’t say?” Cecil asked sarcastically.       “We’re good, maybe we should split.” Eduardo said.       “I must insist, we are both on the same road for at least a day and- I can’t scatter. My arms” Carry said the act in his voice braking as he showed his red raw arms “they’re practically solid. I’m just as strong as ever! But… I couldn’t scatter before, and I still seem to be experiencing the effects….. I’m sure just for a little while, we are all good friends now, and from entirely different places from this country, we should stay separate, and friendly, and work together.”       “Wow that sure is a sophisticated argument” Eduardo said.       “Whatever, then but don’t be starting wars around us.” Cecil said.       “Thank you” Carry said relieved.

Chapter 4

Chapter 3

Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Prologue

[thehermitsforest]

Chapter 3

Chapter 3 (part1)

The man went unnoticed by the rest of the villagers, but Forest who had watched the people grow, though without remembering them individually knew that his eyes had never seen this person before. He wore the bag of a traveller, but his hair was cut in a round bob different to the other styles Forest had seen on passers by. He wore glasses, that were perfectly round and had on black and white canvas shoes. It was a style of shoe Forest had only seen on one other person.        “You’re lost” Forest said as he tied acorns into his hair. The man smiled.       “A little, but it doesn’t matter. I’m looking for a few old friends of mine. Do I stick out that much?”       “You have a few tells old one.” The man nodded “I need to buy some clothing from around here then. They say you’re a spirit and not a human, is this true?”       “Do I look human to you?” Forest asked.       “I come from a time where any human could have looked like you. I came looking for you specifically, well a spirit that wouldn’t be afraid to show themselves, and from your bounty poster I took it you would be one search person.”       “Firstly, I don’t know what a bounty poster is, secondly I’m not here to have a gab, I was here to threaten and then maybe kill you.” “I’m looking for other humans like me.” The man said, and Forest pointed to the villagers.       “Ahh, homo oblitus” he said and laughed to himself “no I am homo sapien.” Forest sighed and shook his head “at least one a century. I’m not banging you, and no, I’m not making my plants bang you either. I’m glad you’ve found the courage to come out the closet, however I think you’ll be better of finding more people like yourself in the city.”       “I was looking for you specifically, I know my friends at one point must have passed through here at least once, and an older person would be more likely to remember them. I have a good idea they lived somewhere around here, I’m just not sure when. You said you knew I was older, how did you know?”       “You smell like… an old memory of someone I used to know.”       “When? Last year? Ten years ago?” He asked excitedly “do you know their name? Robert? Sam?”       “At least a thousand years ago” Forest said, “I do not remember the names of humans, as they usually perish.” The mans gaze faltered “so I take it they are long gone.”       “Yes, but they left, they didn’t die. They appeared often for a time longer than any of these humans.” Forest said and gestured to the villagers “if you are ageless too you will find them eventually.”       “It’s a little more complicated than that.”        “Forest? Are you ready to go?” Eduardo asked walking slowly up to him looking suspiciously at the man, as he clung to the bag on his back.       “Yes” Forest said and picked up a small tree in a pot.       “That seems like over kill but okay.” Eduardo said.       “Bye” Forest said looking up to the man.       “Oh, may I pass through your forest, spirit?” The man asked and bowed his head.       “I was going to kill you as soon as you had walked out of sight of the village, but since you ask so nicely I guess I could make one exception, do not hurt my trees.”       “Thank you.”       “What is your name? So if I see another of your family, I will be able to pass it along, since that is all your type ever seems to ask?”       “Thank you. My name is Ben, maybe we will meet again Forest.”       “I can’t die, so perhaps.” The man smiled sadly “be careful, I have seen a thousand others perish with the same words. Even homo oblitus would readily make the same mistakes as their ancestors if for a while they could pretend to be better than another.”       “I mean, I always thought straight people were like that anyway” Forest said and shrugged. Ben squinted, but nodded politely. Forest turned to walk beside Eduardo, who stuck close to his side. Eduardo walked far too closely to Forest to be happy with until they had walked out of the village,  and past the scattered trees, up the road that led to the sea, and inland.       “If you’re going to keep walking that close to me I may as well absorb you” Forest said.       “No!” Eduardo said taking a good few steps back and then looking back towards his village.        “You know that guy wasn’t human right?” Eduardo asked “are you sure he’s safe?” Forest blinked and tilted his head “he wasn’t human?”

Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Prologue

[thehermitsforest]

Into the dusty road the two stepped to travel further than either had ever travelled before, 30 miles, it would take 3 days to get there, a day for the escape plan and 3 days to get back.  Through the marshland and across farmland, stealthily through the lower and upper towns, and then before the journey is finished they’d have to do the whole trip again backwards. Forest sighed, the tree in his arms as he walked a little slower behind Eduardo.      “When you say it like that it all sounds like a hassle” Forest said.      “Give the word and we’ll turn around” Eduardo said, without even turning to spare a glance.      “No, no it’s fine.” Forest mumbled.      “The hardest part is you, you do not look human, you will need a disguise.”      “Some guy in your village said I did.”      “That guy, was not human for all I know he was one of the twelve.” Forest gave a sparing glance across the miles of deep wet marshland surrounding the little yellow road.      “Who are the twelve?” Forest asked.      “My village do not believe the twelve are gods, but according to everyone else they are. They are to be respected and worshipped, and if you do not believe they are gods you must not anger them, else they’ll kill you.” Eduardo said, as though he himself had asked the question once before and been given the same monologue explanation.      “Are they spirits?” Forest asked.      “They’re aliens.”      “From which land?”      “From another planet.”      “Planet?” Forest asked pausing momentarily “I have no idea what you’re saying.” Eduardo frowned “you know of the spirit of earth.”      “Obviously” Forest said “though she does nothing, thats a territory spread to large that is.”      “What if I was to tell you that there were other spirits like earth?” Forest froze to the spot “wait what?”      “We are a circle like the moon and sun, what we stand on is called a planet and the planets name is earth. You understand how the sun and moon go around us?” Eduardo asked finely sparing a glance back to Forest.      “Earth goes around Sun, and Sun cares not for her” Forest said. Eduardo frowned.      “Well, whatever it is the same, you know when the sky is black? If you were able to walk up into that blackness and walk for a billion years you would find another moon, and another sun, and another planet similar to earth, you would find twelve of them, and that is where the twelve come from.” Forest pulled back his hair over his forehead “that’s insane.” Eduardo sighed “don’t believe me-”      “No I believe you. Just. It’s going to take me so long to spread my territory that far.”      “Forest, even on this planet, this country, you are tiny, although albeit old compared to the rest of the forest’s around this part.”      “I’m a slow grower, I’ll get there eventually.”      “Sure you will.”

[thehermitsforest]

The road seemed to go to the edge of the earth crackling beneath their feet with each step, the marsh around them almost appearing stationary, each blade of grass sticking from each water crevice identical. The only thing to show the passing of time was the passing of clouds over head, which Forest would look up at and loudly announce its shape.     “Squirrel!” He would proclaim at the squirrel shaped cloud.     “Fish!” He would clap.     “Your infants eaten by wolves!” He would laugh.     “A pretty little bird” he would say a little more tiredly, until at last Eduardo spoke again.     “As I was saying! You don’t look human, and you can’t go by the name Forest around humans.”     “What? How silly! Plenty of people used to be called after us, well me not you. They’d - they-” Forest said quickly lost in thought “I have known - there have been humans named after nature, River I believe was more common at one point, and even Forest they would take to, as they’d name people by the spirits they lived close to, to earn the spirits sympathies.”     “I have never met someone with such a name” Eduardo said “it is important people do not become suspicious of us, or we will encounter more people than we can fight, and you did say you’d keep me alive. I find it hard to imagine you doing that with 100 people attacking you.” Forest sighed “that may be slightly difficult out here. Fine, I suppose you know humans more than I, what would be a good name?”     “My people call you Cecil, that is a good human name, although it is typically male gendered so do not change your appearance too much.”     “Your people named me?” Forest asked with a growing smile.     “Hmm? Sometimes we use that. Especially when you lurk the boarders and scare the children. Instead of saying that is Forest, dangerous and deadly spirit of the land we sit on we say, that is Cecil who protects his trees from outsiders.”     “I only stare in occasionally.”      “Yet somehow that makes it worse, but I suppose if we come back, and you don’t kill anyone on your return then my people will be far more at peace with you.”     “Why?”     “Acknowledgment that we are here, and that you are not going to kill us for trespassing.” Eduardo shrugged.     “I guided your humans to that spot” Forest said and tilted his head “why would I not be okay with it?” Eduardo turned and frowned “you guided them?”     “Yes, though I did not say much I do not talk to humans-”     “You were talking to one the second you stepped into my village-”     “A singularity. I did welcome your people on that border. The sea there is too close for my fancy so I was not worried about them seeking safety there.”     “That is not what I’ve heard. All that I know of spirits say that they will kill humans on them, unless they are such a large territory that their presence goes completely unknown, and after  that the only thing that might save them is if they have their own spirit to speak their words. Is this not true?”     “Cecil. C-E-Cil! What a great name, and I do so adore it, I love the human who chose it although I do think they died off generations ago. Everyday I feel as though I peep into that little village there are new people, even the ones I like die just as freely as the ones I do not. It’s odd. I feel almost as though my personal opinion on people should give them strength to live forever, perhaps this is because I have such power to end the life of those I dislike immediately.”     “Hmm” Eduardo said putting his hands in his pockets “whatever, just don’t change your appearance when you’re in front of humans.”     “I cannot change my appearance anyway.”     “What?” Eduardo asked turning sharply.     “No change-o no problem-o.” Forest said, as Eduardo searched his face.     “I saw you morphing out of a tree, just a few hours ago.”     “I can be anything in my land, and I even have a few bug forms but I cannot be any other human form.” Forest said. Eduardo searched his face, desperately hoping to find a clue there.     “Stop looking at me like that” Forest said unsettled “I am not like you.”     “We need to find away to cover your mouth, and your skin, and if anyone asks why your eyes are that colour, just tell them you’re high.” Cecil stopped where he was.     “I’m not explaining to you what that means” Eduardo said tiredly.     “What is that?” Cecil asked, and he pointed past Eduardo to something large on the road, as a man cried out in pain.

End of Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 3

Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Prologue

[headspace-hotel]

Like...I think you can’t actually write for yourself unless you’re writing what’s genuinely just...enjoyable for you to write.

Because when you try to “write for yourself” by writing the thing you would want to read, then it’s not really For Yourself, it’s for a hypothetical Reader You that doesn’t have to write the damned thing

[thehermitsforest]

or you in 5 years- I almost completely wrote a story i really wanted to read - and it was hard! and i left it for five years, and reading it shook me like reading a stranger novel because i have a brain of a sieve - so write a treat for yourself to read in a few years time.

[tate-lin]

Unfinalised Excerpt #2

The 13 Zodiacs

Chapter 1 | Unfinalised Excerpt

Context: Mid-Autumn Festival

The lights were stark in their brightness against the backdrop of a cloudless night sky. Hung beneath rows and rows of lines anchored across post to post, a multitude of lanterns swayed in time to the clash of cymbals and beating of drums down below. At the very epicentre of the Yang Clan’s courtyard, a lion soared through the open air. Landing neatly on their feet, the crew of lion dancers snaked their way across the square to where a trail of fruits dotted the ground. Peering down at a particularly bright orange in curiosity, the lion blinked once before swooping down to gobble it whole. A round of laughter, whoops, and cheers rang across the open grounds.

Up above, where two dark shadows could be seen sprinting across tiled rooftops with lanterns resting atop their heads, one of them paused briefly to chortle at the sight, before quickly straightening up when overtaken by the other. Grinning fiercely, the two continued their rapid race across rooftops with renewed vigour. Leaping from building to building, spinning over dragon ornaments, and zigzagging their way beyond each other’s grasps, they vaulted over the final hurdle and into the garden awaiting them below. Dropping into a barrel roll, the two bowled one after the other over the perfectly manicured lawn and right into the expectant feet of their parents. Snapping up, the two twins shoved their lanterns straight into open arms and quickly stepped back, awaiting the results with bated breaths.

But even before their parents could peer through the holes and check the flames, Ren already knew that he lost. @tate-lin

-

Tag List

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@hearteyeswrites @justahalfling

[thehermitsforest]

reading your chapter has struck me deep, i’ve almost completely forgotten to put sounds in my stories.

Thats a good way to start a story! I’m intrested to know what they were trying to win :)

[scribblesofanaricat]

Kaleidoscope Icarus

(big thank you to Toni for helping me with parts of this)

Alone in bed. Covers twitch. Clock hands rattle around their beaten path and I count it backwards. A meander towards oblivion.

I see my reflection blink. It must like watching me thrash in blue sleep.

Narrow staircase, no socks, tea bag fossils pinned to the wall, I count them up, all six, any colour I like as long as that colour is yellowish grey.

Keep reading

[thehermitsforest]

it is long but I adore your style! I love the rhythm you write with!

[thehermitsforest]

Chapter 3

Chapter 3 (part1)

The man went unnoticed by the rest of the villagers, but Forest who had watched the people grow, though without remembering them individually knew that his eyes had never seen this person before. He wore the bag of a traveller, but his hair was cut in a round bob different to the other styles Forest had seen on passers by. He wore glasses, that were perfectly round and had on black and white canvas shoes. It was a style of shoe Forest had only seen on one other person.        “You’re lost” Forest said as he tied acorns into his hair. The man smiled.       “A little, but it doesn’t matter. I’m looking for a few old friends of mine. Do I stick out that much?”       “You have a few tells old one.” The man nodded “I need to buy some clothing from around here then. They say you’re a spirit and not a human, is this true?”       “Do I look human to you?” Forest asked.       “I come from a time where any human could have looked like you. I came looking for you specifically, well a spirit that wouldn’t be afraid to show themselves, and from your bounty poster I took it you would be one search person.”       “Firstly, I don’t know what a bounty poster is, secondly I’m not here to have a gab, I was here to threaten and then maybe kill you.” “I’m looking for other humans like me.” The man said, and Forest pointed to the villagers.       “Ahh, homo oblitus” he said and laughed to himself “no I am homo sapien.” Forest sighed and shook his head “at least one a century. I’m not banging you, and no, I’m not making my plants bang you either. I’m glad you’ve found the courage to come out the closet, however I think you’ll be better of finding more people like yourself in the city.”       “I was looking for you specifically, I know my friends at one point must have passed through here at least once, and an older person would be more likely to remember them. I have a good idea they lived somewhere around here, I’m just not sure when. You said you knew I was older, how did you know?”       “You smell like… an old memory of someone I used to know.”       “When? Last year? Ten years ago?” He asked excitedly “do you know their name? Robert? Sam?”       “At least a thousand years ago” Forest said, “I do not remember the names of humans, as they usually perish.” The mans gaze faltered “so I take it they are long gone.”       “Yes, but they left, they didn’t die. They appeared often for a time longer than any of these humans.” Forest said and gestured to the villagers “if you are ageless too you will find them eventually.”       “It’s a little more complicated than that.”        “Forest? Are you ready to go?” Eduardo asked walking slowly up to him looking suspiciously at the man, as he clung to the bag on his back.       “Yes” Forest said and picked up a small tree in a pot.       “That seems like over kill but okay.” Eduardo said.       “Bye” Forest said looking up to the man.       “Oh, may I pass through your forest, spirit?” The man asked and bowed his head.       “I was going to kill you as soon as you had walked out of sight of the village, but since you ask so nicely I guess I could make one exception, do not hurt my trees.”       “Thank you.”       “What is your name? So if I see another of your family, I will be able to pass it along, since that is all your type ever seems to ask?”       “Thank you. My name is Ben, maybe we will meet again Forest.”       “I can’t die, so perhaps.” The man smiled sadly “be careful, I have seen a thousand others perish with the same words. Even homo oblitus would readily make the same mistakes as their ancestors if for a while they could pretend to be better than another.”       “I mean, I always thought straight people were like that anyway” Forest said and shrugged. Ben squinted, but nodded politely. Forest turned to walk beside Eduardo, who stuck close to his side. Eduardo walked far too closely to Forest to be happy with until they had walked out of the village,  and past the scattered trees, up the road that led to the sea, and inland.       “If you’re going to keep walking that close to me I may as well absorb you” Forest said.       “No!” Eduardo said taking a good few steps back and then looking back towards his village.        “You know that guy wasn’t human right?” Eduardo asked “are you sure he’s safe?” Forest blinked and tilted his head “he wasn’t human?”

Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Prologue

[thehermitsforest]

Into the dusty road the two stepped to travel further than either had ever travelled before, 30 miles, it would take 3 days to get there, a day for the escape plan and 3 days to get back.  Through the marshland and across farmland, stealthily through the lower and upper towns, and then before the journey is finished they’d have to do the whole trip again backwards. Forest sighed, the tree in his arms as he walked a little slower behind Eduardo.      “When you say it like that it all sounds like a hassle” Forest said.      “Give the word and we’ll turn around” Eduardo said, without even turning to spare a glance.      “No, no it’s fine.” Forest mumbled.      “The hardest part is you, you do not look human, you will need a disguise.”      “Some guy in your village said I did.”      “That guy, was not human for all I know he was one of the twelve.” Forest gave a sparing glance across the miles of deep wet marshland surrounding the little yellow road.      “Who are the twelve?” Forest asked.      “My village do not believe the twelve are gods, but according to everyone else they are. They are to be respected and worshipped, and if you do not believe they are gods you must not anger them, else they’ll kill you.” Eduardo said, as though he himself had asked the question once before and been given the same monologue explanation.      “Are they spirits?” Forest asked.      “They’re aliens.”      “From which land?”      “From another planet.”      “Planet?” Forest asked pausing momentarily “I have no idea what you’re saying.” Eduardo frowned “you know of the spirit of earth.”      “Obviously” Forest said “though she does nothing, thats a territory spread to large that is.”      “What if I was to tell you that there were other spirits like earth?” Forest froze to the spot “wait what?”      “We are a circle like the moon and sun, what we stand on is called a planet and the planets name is earth. You understand how the sun and moon go around us?” Eduardo asked finely sparing a glance back to Forest.      “Earth goes around Sun, and Sun cares not for her” Forest said. Eduardo frowned.      “Well, whatever it is the same, you know when the sky is black? If you were able to walk up into that blackness and walk for a billion years you would find another moon, and another sun, and another planet similar to earth, you would find twelve of them, and that is where the twelve come from.” Forest pulled back his hair over his forehead “that’s insane.” Eduardo sighed “don’t believe me-”      “No I believe you. Just. It’s going to take me so long to spread my territory that far.”      “Forest, even on this planet, this country, you are tiny, although albeit old compared to the rest of the forest’s around this part.”      “I’m a slow grower, I’ll get there eventually.”      “Sure you will.”