Hush Precious Baby

  Red eyes peaked open upon the cool mist, creeping just through the entrance to the den of the Herald before dissipating. An entitiy to observe indeed. Warm red fur beside her was her life force. Beside her, her litter mates had already fed for the morning. Helh had given up. Fighting with them for food as they kicked and shoved her out of the way- battling for the easiest, most filling meal each and every time was disheartening. She would try again later that day when she, only by her mother’s encouragement, would hopefully feel the motivation once more.

 All of the bodies huddled closely in a heap at their red mother’s side was homey, cozy even,. But the mist- what was it. Its aura drew her, spoke to her primal instincts, speaking to her soul.

  Pushing and clawing, she climbed her way to the edge of the den, the mist whispering above her in its murky, turquoise allure. It’s presence was powerful, lurking above the young form as a ominous whisp, whispering its siren’s call and drawing the rebirthed soul away from her den as she pushed herself shakily onto her bony, fleshy legs.

A while seemed to pass, the exact amount of time was unknown to the child of the Herald, the terrain would not let it be known. There was a presence here she seemed to be bound to. By spirit and blood, this thing- this.. being, she belonged to it, and she would heed to it’s will. 

 Further and further she endeavored on her pilgrimage, suddenly stopping. The land spoke to her so; this was the place, the place she was beckoned to by the force she was born to serve.

  The young babe felt as if she choked on her own heart, her blood racing nervously as terror leaked through her veins suddenly, what was this? Something was coming, though the force that resonated in her bones assured her this was righteousness; she stood her ground. 

 From the earth, from the air,..from water, and mist.. from her soul and her heart, her eyes beheld the forms, beings spawning into her realm before her. These creatures, with forms of wolves, eyes as bright as the moon and sun yet with no light of life in them. Her thin bones quaked inside of her, young, deficient legs giving out beneath her frail form as she collapsed to the dirt beneath her, grunting deeply while her air seemed to knock from her lungs.

 She could but stare into the souls of the forms before her, they whispered and slithered as serpents; all of them focused upon their blessed tribute, and charge worthy of the gods that had been given unto them, even by a stronger power than they. Hel was helpless, defenseless, what was their purpose with her? Why was she brought forth from her crèche to gaze upon their heathenous forms.. 

  One of these beings moved close to her, the tallest, the thinnest.. a form bearing deep red eyes that pierced deep into her consciousness and fed terror into parts of her thoughts she’d never delved to. Fear engulfed the child from every angle; every cell of her existence seemed to cry out for deliverance, though there was no salvation this spawn of the darkness, no, not this day. The being simply held their face at the child’s, reading, observing, speaking… though it’s language the child had no comprehension of.

  Just before the girl reached the end of her mind’s capacity, the being turned, gliding back into the forest as the others followed behind, leaving her on the cold, wet earth beneath her to ponder in herself what had just happened.

  The babe shivered, quaking to her core. Her eyes had not deceived her, something had come to her and left her to herself with not only her thoughts, but those of what was given to her. At such an age she could not comprehend, only heave and gasp in attempt to regain her sanity until finally, her broken voice shattered the silence of the misted forest, sending loud, desperate wailing echoing through the wooded swamp. Painful tears poured down her cheeks, her thick chest heaving again and again as her wailing was increasingly pained.

  Oh, she’s cried before,.. she’d been hungry when she simply could not seem to suckle, she’d been cold when her mother’s warmth wouldn’t warm her, she’d been desperate enough in her past to this point; yet this was a new pain she’d never known, the pain of shear.. unceasing, and unadulterated terror.