him in the woods. Not once did I look back, even after I climbed back up to the balcony. My hand protesting each grasp.
I remade the bed before climbing on top of it and getting comfortable with the book. Using the light from the fireplace, I flipped to the first page. Penned in an elaborate script , was a strange language I hadn’t seen before. It was a mixture of straight lines and curls. The next page had a family tree with names on branches and the trunk, scrawled in the same hand.
The page following was a map of our world, shrunk to fit the width of two pages. Small 'x' marks were scribbled along different points. Curious of what the marks meant, I continued through the pages, flipping through because the book was written in the same strange language.
I stopped on the pages that had illustrations of different creatures. They were extremely detailed, which made the picture almost lifelike. The first was a dragon, fiercely drawn, standing on its hind legs with its wings outstretched. Its mouth was open in a permanent cry. It looked like it was standing on the edge of a cliff, readying for flight.
The next was a vampire. I recognized it by the stories I’d heard of them. Their looks could hypnotize you, placing you under thei r power. Their skin as pale as snow, as was their hair, until they claimed a victim at which time it would change in color, much like the detail in the picture. The figure was holding a goblet of liquid, while their hair started dark at the roots and faded to colorless strands at the tips. They were said to be beautiful creatures, however this one simply looked half-starved with sunken eyes and skin that barely stretched over their face. I couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman.
The next creatures in the book were fairies, gnomes, elves, dwarfs, centaurs, and goblins, all depicted with their own background suited to their ways of life. Then the last creature was human looking, with features akin to the wolf. The nose smoothly joined its cheeks with skin pulled tightly under its eyes. Its brow slightly swelled out farther than a human's would. The picture of its eyes was solid black with only a dot of light in them. Its lips kept a human shape. Even the jaw line looked human . I'm sure there were more differences in character than what the picture showed. This one was a man. He was dark skinned and had short spiked hair. His eyes held a warning in them, but also a deep sadness. He looked so familiar to me, yet I couldn’t say why. I broke away from the book shaking my head.
“I'm seeing things in this damned book,” I said as my mind swam with questions. This is what Marren was afraid of? That I would turn and run away because of something so magnificent, so wonderful?
There had to be more, something I hadn't seen yet.
I returned to the book, flipping through pages until finding parts written in Common. Pictures of people called Ancients and descendants of Ancients. I didn't bother reading much about them, too concerned with wanting to find what Marren wanted me to see.
I nearly made it to the end of the book when a picture of him stared me in the face. His long black hair, his onyx eyes, the lips that felt like silk against mine, his pointed nose and equally pointed chin, his high cheek bones, and long arched eyebrows, drawn exactly as I have seen him. My heart pounded hard and rapidly.
“This is impossible! This book is so old and worn!”
He stood with a long shirt on, the laces loose and dangling the length of his torso. Underneath, the word 'Therianthrope,' was written. I slammed the book shut then tossed it to the foot of my bed and hugged my knees to my chest. I stared out past the balcony. The moon had finally risen; the night would be long and I had more questions than ever.
***
I woke to find Marren standing out on my balcony. He wore casual clothing, a red tunic with a brown leather vest and pants, as opposed to his normal concealing robes. His black hair danced
I remade the bed before climbing on top of it and getting comfortable with the book. Using the light from the fireplace, I flipped to the first page. Penned in an elaborate script , was a strange language I hadn’t seen before. It was a mixture of straight lines and curls. The next page had a family tree with names on branches and the trunk, scrawled in the same hand.
The page following was a map of our world, shrunk to fit the width of two pages. Small 'x' marks were scribbled along different points. Curious of what the marks meant, I continued through the pages, flipping through because the book was written in the same strange language.
I stopped on the pages that had illustrations of different creatures. They were extremely detailed, which made the picture almost lifelike. The first was a dragon, fiercely drawn, standing on its hind legs with its wings outstretched. Its mouth was open in a permanent cry. It looked like it was standing on the edge of a cliff, readying for flight.
The next was a vampire. I recognized it by the stories I’d heard of them. Their looks could hypnotize you, placing you under thei r power. Their skin as pale as snow, as was their hair, until they claimed a victim at which time it would change in color, much like the detail in the picture. The figure was holding a goblet of liquid, while their hair started dark at the roots and faded to colorless strands at the tips. They were said to be beautiful creatures, however this one simply looked half-starved with sunken eyes and skin that barely stretched over their face. I couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman.
The next creatures in the book were fairies, gnomes, elves, dwarfs, centaurs, and goblins, all depicted with their own background suited to their ways of life. Then the last creature was human looking, with features akin to the wolf. The nose smoothly joined its cheeks with skin pulled tightly under its eyes. Its brow slightly swelled out farther than a human's would. The picture of its eyes was solid black with only a dot of light in them. Its lips kept a human shape. Even the jaw line looked human . I'm sure there were more differences in character than what the picture showed. This one was a man. He was dark skinned and had short spiked hair. His eyes held a warning in them, but also a deep sadness. He looked so familiar to me, yet I couldn’t say why. I broke away from the book shaking my head.
“I'm seeing things in this damned book,” I said as my mind swam with questions. This is what Marren was afraid of? That I would turn and run away because of something so magnificent, so wonderful?
There had to be more, something I hadn't seen yet.
I returned to the book, flipping through pages until finding parts written in Common. Pictures of people called Ancients and descendants of Ancients. I didn't bother reading much about them, too concerned with wanting to find what Marren wanted me to see.
I nearly made it to the end of the book when a picture of him stared me in the face. His long black hair, his onyx eyes, the lips that felt like silk against mine, his pointed nose and equally pointed chin, his high cheek bones, and long arched eyebrows, drawn exactly as I have seen him. My heart pounded hard and rapidly.
“This is impossible! This book is so old and worn!”
He stood with a long shirt on, the laces loose and dangling the length of his torso. Underneath, the word 'Therianthrope,' was written. I slammed the book shut then tossed it to the foot of my bed and hugged my knees to my chest. I stared out past the balcony. The moon had finally risen; the night would be long and I had more questions than ever.
***
I woke to find Marren standing out on my balcony. He wore casual clothing, a red tunic with a brown leather vest and pants, as opposed to his normal concealing robes. His black hair danced
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