Charles & Freya A New Fear

We began the next morning by packing before descending down the tree. Freya had been up already for more than an hour and had just returned from venturing forth out upon one of the branches to get a better view of what lay ahead of us. She hadn’t been able to see anything; the mist over the glade before us was impenetrable.

Freya’s smile was infectious as came bounding back, ‘the birds of the forest chirp in the freedom of the open air before us,’ she said. By the time we were half way down the descending tree our eyes were availed by the dense fog. ‘I believe that the best thing about today will be reaching the ground,’ Freya said her eyes bright above a beaming smile.

The last few feet down I climbed down with Freya upon my shoulder. As my feet hit the forest floor we heard it, not far behind us somewhere out in the mist, the panther had returned. The fog was naught but a few feet above our heads, though before us as the ground descended it lay thick and availed the creature from our eyes. The edge of the forest was before us, on both our right and left the forest’s opened up, as a great red wall ends abruptly upon the boarder of its territory. We were about to step out into a new strange land.

In all hopes of returning,
Charles & Freya

World's Over Journal XVII Green Glowing Face

After a few whispered words the troll lowered her right arm and out stepped a small green faced little girl half hidden under a cloak, much like the trolls. At first I believed that standing before me was a troll and her child, but this thought quickly faded as I realized that it was the light of the green rising sun which made the child’s face appear green, for both the troll and the child at her side had green faces.

The troll turned to face me and sat relaxed upon the hind hinges of its ankles. Both she and I were waiting for the child to respond to seeing me. The young girl raised her hands and removed the hood of her cloak from covering much of her face. At first I did not recognize the child but she at once knew me, even before her hands reached her side, she burst out.

‘Jane,’ the girl chirped in surprise, with that she began to run towards me but the troll put her arm out between and held her back. Then it hit me, the creaking I heard earlier was the tank rear hatch opening, that before me stood Priscilla fully awake.

In earnest anticipation of,
Jane
Without Charles

Charles & Freya Edge of the Forest

In the early hours of the evening on our second day of traversing the red labyrinth high above the forest floor we came to a tree which lead us slowly back towards the ground. As we started to descend the bright green foliage of the Manzanita trees opened up and we could see that before us lay a dense fog, which meant we had come to the gap in the forest.

Neither of us had spotted the panther during the course of our travels that day, though we could not relax, the tension brought on by the uncertainty of fear was unrelenting.
That night we camped in the bough of the dissention tree, upon the largest branch which gave us the best view of the opening in the labyrinth behind us and the fog hovering above the ground below us. Tomorrow we hope to discover what lays below the fog and beyond into the large clearing in the forest, but for now, we rest in peace.

In all hopes of returning,
Charles & Freya

World's Over Journal XVI Behind the Vale of Shadow

The scream pierced deep into my mind, the echo resonating throughout the forest; I was paralyzed with fear. A shudder sped down my spine riveting my entire body from head to foot, as it reached the ends of my toes I was released from the menace of fear, though I knew not how long it held me a captive statue. Slowly I turned to face the terror behind me.

The vale of shadow must have held me longer than I thought, fear has a unique way of slowing down time when it comes over you. As I turned there before me stood the troll, naught but six feet in front of me, her right arm holding something at bay the left held firmly the spear. The hood which covered the troll’s white face fell back in a gust of light wind, I could see her yellow cat like eyes glaring at me above an open mouth full of fangs which bore a wicked grin of malice.

Then, all at once, the atmosphere of fright was pierced by voice, a soft voice both sweet and precious, unlike any I could remember. I could not make out the words, but the troll suddenly stopped paying me any attention, and stooped down sitting upon her triple hinged cat like legs. Whomever the voice belonged to, was whispering into the troll’s ear. Though I could not make out what was spoken, I could visibly see the troll relax its guard.
The tension of the dark and all the fear passed away as the small being stepped out from behind the troll. . .

In earnest anticipation of,
Jane
Without Charles

Charles & Freya The Marshes

Early in the morning Freya woke me, the panther was still prowling in the glade beyond the thicket of thorns. We decided to take to the beautiful network of red and barkless branches of the Manzanita trees, which intertwined to craft a network not so unlike a floating labyrinth. There we hoped to find an easier road or at least one were we could more easily spot the panther coming; her black coat against the red of the trees.

Our air journey started off a bit awkward, before becoming accustomed to traversing the majestic network of red branches and bright green budding leaves. The panther followed us still, though upon the ground, which gave us both a good measure of peace. Freya had not been able to communicate with the black cat as of yet, though she had made attempts each night from her perch atop the thicket of thorns.

It was not difficult travelling in the trees, but it was slow going for the most part. Often I had to crawl while Freya scouted on ahead, ever a watchful eye cast upon the panther, who had kept itself always out in the open, much to our relief. It was manageable though, for a great portion of the air journey was walking. Most of the trees were larger than any Manzanita tree ever imagined, the trunk was as thick as two great oak trees put together, most of the branches which formed the labyrinth were as thick as a man, or not more so. The bright green leaves of the red trees sprung forth from their buds about us in patches, where they did so we were hidden from the outside world; a truly wondrous sight to behold as the light streamed down upon us, creating a vast shadow labyrinth high above the forest floor.

In all hopes of returning,
Charles & Freya

World's Over Journal XV Twilight Eyes

That very same night, as I sat silently upon the floor, there came a long drawn out creaking, the sound of a boulder rolling far off in the distance, an even more frightening thought of a doorway opening trampled into my mind’s eye. A shadow of fear fell over me for I had heard no such sound of its likeness as of yet in this strange new world. Slowly rising I hugged the outer wall of the tree house as to peer down the hallway and out the front door. No one was there, only an empty front porch light by the moonlight which shown down upon our farmstead.

With a great sigh of relief the fear passed from me; as it lifted I stepped forward still hugging the wall, slowly making my way towards the front door. Reaching the threshold I looked out over glade to our fenced in gardens, near the cliff by the water basin was the troll.

Without averting my eyes from her I picked up the quiver first, then the bow which stood ever ready in case of need, leaning against the porch under the kitchen window. The fear gripping at my heart did not stop me from advancing several steps down the porch towards her. I now had a clear line of fire at the troll, whom, I noticed, was filling the cup dipping it into the basin. There was a spear resting up right, butt end in the ground, beside the troll with a large head of shining steel which gleamed bright silver in the moonlight. The troll seemed to have noticed me for she stepped off the basin's first terrace, though she did not get any shorter. It appeared that the troll's legs were triple jointed like those of a cat, and that she had been sitting there all this time upon the basin, her hind joint collapsed upon themselves. It hit home hard in my heart just how great of size the troll was as she stood there before me, no less than six and a half feet tall. The troll had been making every attempt to make herself appear small and weak, as prey no larger than myself.

Her white left hand took firm grasp of the spear by its center grip and with a mighty twist it came out of the ground, as it did so the troll stepped forward into a battle position. At her side in the shadows of her cloak I saw the sheaths of many deadly blades, I knew then that I was in the presence of a maiden of battle.

Large yellow eyes flickered at me and I felt as if her blade had already pierced my heart, a fear beyond any I had ever known came over me. Brow sweating and hands clammy, my right gripping tightly the shaft of the bow, and the left an arrow no yet set to the string. The troll narrowed her eyes, but they had shifted their gaze from me, she seemed to be looking past me over my shoulder. There came a loud high pitched scream behind me and the next thing I knew the troll maiden had disappeared into the lush forest in the direction of the water falls beyond the glade of Golem Rock.

In earnest anticipation of,
Jane
Without Charles

Charles & Freya The Black Lion

     Today our first meeting with the dangers of the forest occurred. We had just packed up out lunch on the edge of a meadow, amidst a patch of tall grass under the shadow of the Arbutus canopy when Freya 's hair went straight and ridged. Her nose had caught the sent of something or someone close at hand.

     At the far end of the glade the shadows appeared to be moving under a thicket of black berry thorns. It appeared to be very feline like, a large black cat, much like a panther. Though every so often the creature would stood up on its hind legs, extending it's front legs out like arms to reach berries higher off the forest floor, delicately plucking them with its index finger and thumb. Another anthropomorph perhaps, like Freya and the mouse folk?

     For several minutes, that seemed an eternity of both fear and intrigue, we stood in silence. Freya didn't move a muscle as she stared at the creature of shadow. At last the majestic cat seemed to have had its fill of berries, as if by some magic I had yet to perceive or understand, the being went, under guise of shadow, from standing and appearing much like a humanoid to that of a feline again. Down on all fours it moved slowly, as if it had a premonition of being watched, out into the glade.

      Stepping out into the glade amidst the shafts of sunlight that streaked down from the towering Red Wood canopy high above, the might cat crept. Its paw was twice the size of my battle hardened hands the fur of which shimmered deep sea greens and blues, every few moments under the sun, along with a menacing shade of crimson and purple. I could have sworn it was scales shimmering under the lion's obsidian fur. The magic of its coat appeared more so as the cat stepped wholly into a shaft of light in a display of power it showed off its form, in a stance of majesty, as a king upon a throne stands when aroused to stand in an array beauty disguising a menacing will.

     It was a magnificent feline indeed, but no panther. An Obsidian main covered its menacing face, head and neck, it was a black lion. It stood there for a moment, taking in the sun before melding into the shadow of the forest once more. Later I would recall that I only saw the left side of the magnificent beast in the light, though while it remained in hidden in the half light dark of the thorn bushes we were on its right. Also, I could have sworn, though that night I did not write it down in my journal, that its right eye was forlorn and grey, while its left remained a vibrant yellow that shimmered a in the light a brilliant emerald green.

     'That was close,' came Freya's voice stammering softly into my ears, waking me as if from a dream, I was stirred back into reality. 'The demon was satisfied with our fear of its power.

     'Can the lions...' I began.

     'Demons,' Freya interrupted, 'There are no lions anymore, only the ancient demon's descendants. They were all wiped out at the beginning of the final world war. It was in that time that man's fear of the unknown nearly swallowed the whole earth, luckily the immortals had a plan.'

     I had so many questions, though I had not the nerve to ask for I was yet still overcome by the terrible will projected from the mighty... Demon. The remained of the day we crept along in silence above the forest floor in the Arbutus Labyrinth. That night we barely slept though neither of us felt the presence nor saw a trace of the Black Lion throughout course of our travels towards the marshes that day.

In all hopes of returning,
Charles & Freya

World's Over Journal XIV Cup Holder

Another night, much like the past few, was passing slowly by. The Troll Maiden coming and going silently, though tonight I had filled the cup of water for her from the tap in the kitchen which was filled from a basin upon the roof so that she wouldn’t have to seek out the basin beyond the fence in the yard.

I rested upon the floor under the threshold of our bedroom door, listening and waiting for her to come for the cup of water. The hallway before me a ran along the western wall of the tree home, the only doors opening on that side lead into the bathroom and a linen closet. A few feet into the hall to my left a doorway opened into the living room. If you did not turn there, then but a few more feet beyond that doorway was the entrance to the kitchen, which opened up to as well to the left and just beyond that down the hall a few extra feet was the front door.

It seemed that I sat there for days in silence, nothing but my heart beating and the distance chirping of a single bird. I felt no fear though, for this silence was serene and not greatly mingled with the overtones of solitude, not like our days in the belly of Bahamut.

In earnest anticipation of,
Jane
Without Charles

Charles & Freya Thorn Thicket Tale

We did not wake with the dawn, green, blue or red, as we did at the tree home, it was late in the morning when we arose from a deep slumber amidst the darkness of the forest canopy, our bones sore and stiff from our travels. We had fallen asleep underneath a thicket of thorns as large as daggers, which bore here and there large orange flowers akin to roses. Freya slept atop the tallest bush inside one of the flowers, hardly visible to the most prying of eyes, her tunic of bright pinks and lavender blended it splendidly.

It was to be a four day journey there and back, if we did not get distracted by some larger adventure unforeseen or captured. Our mission was to find out who or what lay directly to our east, amidst the gap in the forest canopy where we hoped to find water and perhaps more for I held a minute glimmer of hope to encounter more survivors.

It seemed most valuable to me, that we discover who or what lay within close residence to us, especially to the east; as I had no knowledge yet of that which lay to the immediate west of the tree house, save a forest of endless trees and dense underbrush. If the gap in the forest canopy was indeed a body of water, even a thick tangle of a bog or vile smelling marsh, it could sustain an abundance of life. A settlement perhaps already lay there on the rim of whatever body of water lay before us.

If the others did wake someday, Jane wished it sooner rather than later, if there was any hope for such a thing at all, as waking from hibernation akin to death. Jane does not know, but I checked Bahamut every day for survivors who might have woken up, I don’t think it will occur to her to do the same while I am gone. If anyone wakes they will need water very soon after or risk death from dehydration or from the solitude of fear. I hope they wake, or at least someone wakes, also I Jane checks the tank. Wish I would have mentioned this to her before leaving.


In all hopes of returning,
Charles & Freya