Era of The Lost

The forest was screaming. It never did it in a sense that would actually be perceived by normal people. No, the ringing that could usually be associated with the invocation of terror was absent from the forest’s cry for help. The plead could be felt in the shift in the energy that usually emitted from it, the subtle pulses that vibrated in their bones. Not too far away from the edge of it, Bianca awoke. As the only person who lived separate from the grand house, she was usually the first one to hear the forest’s warnings. Hurriedly, she took hold of her coat as she lifted herself off the bed. She carefully wrapped her coat around herself and went out into the chilly night. “What is it now you demented lunatic?” She muttered to herself. The forest did not answer, but she wasn’t really expecting it to. It had been a long day and she had wanted to sleep without being disturbed. A side of her argued that she could have waited for someone else to attend to the call and she was doing this to herself. It was her duty, though, one she had vowed to keep. She turned one look towards the grand house, making sure none of the lights were on before carefully soothing the pressing energy coming from the forest with her own. It strained her a little, so much that even with the chill of the night she felt a bead of sweat trickle down her forehead. Whatever the forest was trying to communicate, it wanted it heard. Once she was sure the energy getting to the house was calm enough to keep anyone from leaving their sleep, she walked through the garden and towards the gate. The walls surrounding the small villa were mostly decorative, as the protection guarding the grand house was more than physical. Still, the illusion of safety it created for those who still did not fully understand what the energy was compensated for any inconvenience it might cause in times like this. Bianca felt a familiar hum as she approached the forest, the feeling only intensifying as she opened the gate and took a step outside. There was still a couple of feet separating her from the forest, enough for the call of it not to overwhelm her. She took a look around, cursing herself for not thinking about bringing a flashlight with her. It was much too dark to see anything. She slowly called to her energy, hoping the pull she was making now would not destroy her earlier efforts. It was a tricky thing, even now, to distribute her energy on two places. Slowly, the ground beneath her lit up with firefly-like lights of multiple colors. She looked around again, and gasped. The forest quieted as she finally saw the girl laying on the ground, a trail of blood on her wake as if she had dragged herself through the ground while bleeding heavily. She quickly ran to her, dropping to her side in an instant. The girl’s eyes were closed, her hair an impossibly dark shade of black. A single white streak of hair laid uselessly across her face. Bianca quickly looked her over, her sight zoning into the red stain on her abdomen. She placed a finger on the girl’s neck, her own heartbeat steadying as she felt the soft thump against her hand. “Is she breathing?” Bianca jumped, whatever calmness she had regained from finding the girl alive leaving her at the sound of the voice. She quickly turned around and gave the boy behind her a heated glare. “Ronan, I’ve told you not to sneak up on me like that. You are going to send me into an early grave some day.” Ronan rolled his eyes at her comment. He had been unusually moody today, even for him, Bianca guessed that sleep hadn’t renewed him yet. “She looks dead from here.” “She is not,” Bianca replied, removing her finger from the girl’s neck. “Why did you wake up? I let everyone know I was dealing with it before it could wake them.” “I didn’t go to sleep.” Bianca’s eyebrows furrowed in concern. “Anything troubling you, Ronan? Do you need to talk?” Ronan easily deflected her question. “Even if she isn’t dead, I don’t think she is looking too good.” Bianca noted that she would need to talk to him later, but nodded anyway. “We need to take her to the infirmary. Wake Aven up, we are gonna need him.” Ronan stood still for a moment, his eyes landing on the girl. He seems disinterested by the state she is in, though the white streak of hair does catch his attention. It was her mark, much like the unusual catlike form of his eyes and Bianca’s own slightly sharpened teeth. Still, he hesitated. “Aven tired himself after the accident yesterday, I’ll wake Thea up.” Bianca shook her head. “That blood trail is too long, she needs better than Thea. Wake him up.” Ronan’s mouth set into a thin line. Bianca almost thought he was going to argue with her, but then he just turned around and ran back into the villa. She sighed. Aven had been tired, even if he wouldn’t admit it to anyone. Her guilt quickly diminishes as she looks down at the girl. She wasn’t going to survive if Aven didn’t tend to her. She lifted the girl up with some effort. The girl was not heavy, and she was small enough that the hold wasn’t awkward. She slowly called her energy back to her as she walked back inside the villa. The forest darkened once more. The girl finally stirred, yet she did not waken. Bianca took it as a sign to hurry to the infirmary. Behind her, the forest screamed out a warning, but the girl quickly shut it up with a thought.