She always thought Lunar Forest existed as rumours, a bedtime story, but in reality, it’s a living nightmare. Its unlike any forest she knows, one of perpetual darkness, with creatures she prays to never meet again. It’s a foul place where the trees grow high enough to not only block the sun but the Gods as well. Nothing penetrates their waxy leaves which stretch beyond the springy branches.

Time stretches for miles as they trudge the winding trails. She divides the forest into two distinct periods, the time of animals and the time of plants. The creatures, a kind of hairless rodents, scurry between their legs. A breed of screeching bat enjoys zooming from tree limbs to terrorize them. But it’s the insects that put her on edge.

They’re the first omen, and with their buzzing the plants will soon awake. The wasp size mosquitos zoom; whirring in her ear before vanishing into the void. Its the blackness that makes the forest unbearable. Her staff provides a dim light, which glows a foot or so ahead of her. But the use of her magic is taking its toll. Already she feels weak, and the forest offers no exit in sight.

The stench of wet decay surrounds, constricts, and smothers every inch of her. Every inhale is warm, thick, and heavy. The soft spongey ground molds to her boots, as if she walks over the chest of a dead man. She keeps Sara in her staff’s proximity; it’s the only thing that keeps the plants at bay. Her only hope is Eclipse, he alone seems to understand the woodland magic. His tail occasionally sweeps across the spotlight which relieves her anxiety, if only for a minute.

He doesn’t speak, he seems to be on the hunt for something. The magic surrounding them is different from what she’s sensed before. She can’t put it in words but it feels darker, not evil, but its origin isn’t from something positive. Life breathes life, and she senses it in every forest she’s had the pleasure of being lost in. But here, life isn’t a beautiful blessing, instead it seems like a curse.

She hears growls, low at first, then growing from the belly of some inhuman beast. Heavy leaves rustle in the distance followed by silence. Eclipse didn’t say it out loud, but she understands. Something out there is corralling them. But to where, no one knows.

Wait… where did the mosquitoes go?

It begins as a quiver, a rustle of leaves, and her heart thumps against her ribs. She squeezes the wooden handle; taking comfort with an old friend. The forest is silent, like a gulp of air before a plunge, she waits for it to make it’s move. Sara whimpers, tightening her sweaty grip in her hand.

“Moira,” Eclipse whispers, directing her to the lower left of the path.

“Die!” a scream erupts from the bushes.

An abandoned soldier, blood dripping from his head and coated in vines, screams from the undergrowth. He tosses his limp body like a seal over the sand, crawling with a broken sword in his hand. Char gnarly fingertips graze her muddy boot as the plants entwine; snapping him backward. His weapon flings through the air, the glistening bell emblem on the hilt glimmers in her magic’s light. Guess they didn’t get out either.

“Eclipse, take Sara.” The tiny fingers slip from her grasp as he yanks the girl away. She’s safer with him, Moira reasons, listening to the shuffling of clumsy feet race in the distance.

The soldier’s cries cut through her; his anger, despair, and anguish roll over her body. The lump in her throat swells as his body flails, kicking clumps of moss into the air. The more he struggles the deeper the plants sinister thorns dig into his skin. Her stomach twists as they glide over his flesh; cutting it like butter. Each excruciating shrieks beckons her to act, to help, to end it. But she can’t chance even the slightest of movement. The creatures who live in the dark don’t hunt with their eyes.

Thin razor like thorns whir past her, stinging her cheek as they swallow their victim. She fights the urge to run, retreating one careful foot at a time. Until a crack of a dead branch echoes. It takes a heartbeat for the roots of a nearest tree to pry themselves from the forest floor. She slides the fist size Opal across the soil. A spark ignites, creating a flickering flame over the gem.

Deep breaths, calm mind, strength comes from within. She repeats her mantra as the forest rustles behind her. A wave of her hand spins the fire into a ball. Tugging it with her fingers, it spirals like a ribbon over her limbs before circling her waist. The tangle of vines launches in her direction but the flames lick across the leafy flesh.

Their rancid stench clings to her nostrils. As one vine crumbles to ash, two more replace it. The opal glows crimson, searing anything it touches. But a vine twist across her arm; snaking around her occupied hand. Digging in her heels, she struggles against the pull towards the trees. Her muscles burn; her shoulder aches, ready to pop from its socket. With her free hand she motions over the flames. They crawl over her exposed forearm, searing her skin, before clamping on to the enemy.

“You’ll die in here with me scum!”

He fights tooth and nail to reach her, to drag her into his hell. The feverish crimson reflects in the white of his eyes. A manic laughter escapes from his torn throat; the shrill stabbing her pounding heart. She can’t ignore the shaking hand clawing into the decayed earth as the plants gobble his torso. As more bones snap, he disappears into a gapping mouth of thorns and slobber. The roots squeeze, pull, and twist her, but she can’t quit, Sara depends on her.

Ferus, for all is holy, don’t let me die like this.

The vines constricting her sizzle, as the smoke twists upward, they fall limp at her feet. Pulling the fire from the Opal, she stretches it over her body; it spins as the vines slam against it. Beads of sweat dribble over her forehead as the sweltering heat radiates. Already her skin begins to blister; she darts in the direction Eclipse went, hoping to reach him before the flames, or the enemy, consume her.

The frenzy of convulsing bushes drowns out the inhuman screech echoing from the trail. Her chest tightens as the growl follows at her heels. But she fights against the fear and focuses on Eclipse. He had protected, nurtured her, and had never left her side. In the forever changing world he was the one certainty she allows herself to have. And now, she recalls the warmth steadfastness of his presence. His magic pulses through hers, warm and electrifying, and directs her towards him. The vines graze her cloak, the forest closes in on her, but in the distance shines a ruby light.

Eclipse.

A beacon in the shadows, only a few meters away. She pushes her aching legs forward, trying to close the gap. But her foot hitches on a root, tumbling over the tree, she smacks against the ground. Through blurry vision she watches the beacon fade. Coarse bark scratches over her limbs as they force her to the mud.

They ignore the fire barrier, choosing to set themselves aflame, rather than allow her to escape. Like a snake nest, they curl and constrict around her. The pain, riding on a wave of fear, floods her senses; breaking her concentration and shattering the spell. No longer protected, the Opal lays dormant.

They slither around her torso, squirming until they reach her neck. She claws at them but their death grip is impossible to break. The forest is a blur of shadow and movement, the back of her head throbs and its harder to breathe. Her body collapses under the weight, they cover her like an uncomfortable blanket; as they lull into death’s slumber, she hears a roar that rocks the leaves.

She takes a breath, a gulp of the damp stale air, and relishes in it. The branches constrict in protest, panic bubbles as they squeeze the blood flow to her leg. A red glow flashes around her, between the whipping vines is a glistening set of sharp teeth.

They tear the plants to pieces until they slip from her throat and she gulps the stagnant air. The screeching surrounds her until she feels the vines slither into the shadow. His furry face nudges her, taking the cue, she grabs the staff and follows the pulsating rose light.

The thunder of cracking trees reverberates as the forest clatters to life. It hunts as one predator, moving when they move, trying to predict their course. Her chest aches as she struggles to breathe, it takes everything ounce of energy to stay one step ahead. The ruby birthmark on his head glows, guiding her through weaving restraints.

She must be dreaming, or a likely concussion is already in effect, because between the leaves ahead of them is a radiating indigo glow. What new level of hell is this? But he keeps racing towards it, no hesitation or question. Fragments of lush grass glimmer on the other side of the illumination but the plants had a different plan.

They lace themselves across the path, weaving like silk embroidery, blocking their escape. Eclipse, sleek and nimble, leaps through the closing gap, landing on the other side. Her heart races and her limbs complain, but the gap shrinks by the minute. Leaving her fate to the Gods, she tosses her body through the space. Thorns tug against her pants, tangle her hair but she slips through. From the damp ground, she watches the wall close behind her with an eerie finality.

“Get over here!” he shouts from the edge of the radiating azure void, “we are not finished yet.”

Thorny vines spring from the shadows, but fear pushes her upright, and sends her running. The final leg of the race for her life, leads her to the clearing. The thorny branches scream and twist as the radiant haze repels them. At last, her legs give out and she tumbles over the soft ocean of grass. Face down in the waxy leaves she allows the coolness to soothe her tired muscles.

“Moira you're back! Eclipse, you did it!” Sara cheers, waving a wayward stick in celebration.

“Are you okay, did you get hurt?”

“No, Eclipse brought me here before the plants attacked.”

“Then I had to venture into that death trap to fetch your sorry rear.” He wanders toward the fire burning by the bubbling brook.

She sighs, stretching her muscles, and following Sara to the fireside. A wave of peace washes over her as she notices the smear of sky overhead. The midnight cloudless heavens smile with an ocean of glimmering stars. She didn’t realise how much she misses the stars, a sense of normalcy in a backwards reality.

But it’s the mysterious light blanketing the clearing, that draws her curiosity. It radiates from the still water pond at the center. Smooth, lush grass splays over the flat landscape. Low growling, like a treacherous song, hovers at the edge of the azure glow. The small forest animals ignore the waiting predators as they scurry from mushroom patches to drink from the pond. The serenity calms her as she takes a seat near the crackling fire.

“What is she doing now?” He huffs, watching Sara position herself near a patch of plump pliable mushrooms. Her curiosity of the strange vegetation grows with each forest cycle. Although she prefers Sara’s obsession be on the types that didn’t try to eat them. The child opens a small notebook and doodles a crude drawing the mushrooms at the water’s edge.

“Probably something she learned from Lady Rose.”

“Sara stop touching them, they are poisonous.”

“The animals eat them, Eclipse. If they're good enough for them it's fine for me!”

“Moira, will you do something?”

“Alright,” she sighs, pulling a handkerchief from the pouch at her waist. “Okay kiddo, how about you humour us with some caution. No skin contact until we get them to an apothecary and figure out what they are.” A smile curls on her elvish face as she uses the cloth to stuff the mushrooms in her bag. “Whoa, if the animals need them, take what you need and leave the rest for them.”

“I am forever concerned about your future children.” He mutters, crossing his forepaws.

“Let’s escape this place first then you can worry about my unborn children.” Pulling a balm from her pouch she applies the cold aloe cream to her burns.

“I told you a fire barrier is short term use only. You are not impervious to fire, and your staff is useless if you are suffering from third degree burns.”

“Third degree? Eclipse, this won’t even blister, relax, will you?”

“Have you forgotten where we are?”

“Please remind me again for the hundredth time, by the Gods Eclipse, I get it.”

“Are you quite finished?” She takes a deep breath, pushing the frustration aside. “As I was saying, I suspect the carnivorous plants' agitation is from the soldiers hunting us. It is best that we preserve our strength and find our exit sooner rather than later.”

“If we walk in the dark, they attack us. At least if I use Ceraphim magic it keeps them at bay and we can make some progress. I either use my magic and die slowly or don’t and die quickly. I’m doing my best to get us out.”

“You are not alone Moira, we will—as we have always done—survive. Besides, I may have a solution to our problem.” He motions to the meandering brook that feeds the pond. Her eyes follow the rushing water until it vanishes into the trees.

“Do you think we can follow it out?”

“Pray to Ferus for her blessing, we may need it. Although, I must admit, we would not be here if it were not for the twerp.” He made himself comfortable beside the embers, “her life’s purpose is to annoy me.”

“There’s no need to be dramatic,” a chuckle escapes her throat, but she abandons the fireside to lay beside pond’s edge. Its glow is memorising, reflecting against her skin. Its cool and inviting, her tired limbs will love to soak for hours in a place like this. She dips her hand in, swirling it around the minnows swimming under the surface.

A memory of her mother drifts from the dark recesses of her mind. The lapping waves roll over the sand and blonde locks dance in the breeze as she walks into the waves. Its all around them, the magic swirling in the salt air. She isn’t afraid, like a warm bath, it washes over her. Fills her with bliss and comfort.

She watches her mother’s feet, counting the waves as they splash over her toes. Until they don’t; one step onto the wave, and then next. It flows under her but firm enough to hold her weight.

There’re no instruments, but her mother begins to dance. The gentle breeze, the rhythmic waves, and even the ship bells in the distance become an orchestra. Swaying, twirling, and leaping, her mother dances over the surface like its an oceanic ballroom. She's a nymph, the ocean follows her; cascading like ribbons behind her. She’s happy. She’s at peace.

If only we stayed at that beach forever.

Her heavy eyelids close and sleep takes over.