The Dawn Of Darkness

(POV Tanya)

Hearing about what happened to Alice Infuriated me. The fact that Lyric hadn't told us sooner irked me to no end, however the worst part was accepting we were too weak to be of help. Alice was strong but not strong enough to leave us behind. If we stood no chance in even helping her, she likely wouldn't fair well either. I hate being weak, What's the point in getting stronger if you still can't protect anything you care about?

To make matter's worse, I didn't really want to go with Lyric to be honest. I understand that he has family that is in danger, but isn't that what Alice is too? She was a part of our family, and, as it stands, is in the midsts of, by what we've told so far, immeasurable danger. The only reason I really accepted in the first place was because I knew Alice cared deeply about the other demi-human's as well. She would frequently talk about all the fun she had in the forest and all the kind people that had welcomed her into their family. It warmed my heart to see her smile while telling me about them, even the bratty kids she occasionally deals with.

She thinks we don't notice, but when she lets her guard down, when she thinks no one is watching, she looks sad, broken almost. It's gotten worse since Eric died. Everyone has been down since then but there is something else too. I know that if she were to lose them, it would only continue to escalate further, So against every fiber in my body that wanted nothing more than to run into the forest for her, even if it killed me, I held back and followed Lyric.

As he led us to New Home I discreetly began looking at the others, to see if they were showing how they felt, perhaps any anxiety or nervousness about our destination or really anything that could help me feel a bit more justified for my own fear.

Truth be told I've never liked Demi-human's, in fact I was scared of them, until I met Alice and Lyric at least. It's not that I hate them or feel they are less than humans, but I have always been told they were criminals and savage beasts, which I suppose made sense to me when I was younger. The idea used to haunt me, and it still does a bit. The way I see it, if Demi-human's hold the physical attributes of animals why aren't other aspects shared? Just because things have greater intelligence doesn't mean they are all of a sudden agreeable. Take goblins for example, they have enough intelligence to make weapons, set up camps and even learn. Despite this they still kill and devour humans.

Then again, they are not opposed to sinking their teeth into most things, even each other at times, so that's not a good example, but it's hard to tell what's real and what's just a lie made to make you hate something. I'm almost positive that idea of them being terrible monsters was planted solely from me being around people biased against Demi-human's, however, there are some times I'm unsure of where I stand, despite my current knowledge.

Now, I've somehow found myself in this predicament. See, just accepting that I was raised wrong, and actively walking straight into the largest group of Demi-human's in the city, are two vastly different things, and I can tell you now, the latter I need to be mentally prepared for.

I slowly started losing pace with the others as my anxiousness grew. I didn't know what to expect and lyric didn't talk much about his home, other than his sister, and when Alice would talk about them it was difficult to imagine them as anything but normal humans. Perhaps I was overthinking this and that's all they are.

The further we made it into the forest, the more my fear weighed down on me. These dark woods could be full of hidden threats, things that could just jump out and take you away without anyone finding out. Who would want to live in such a place? Nothing short of wild animals would find this comforting. No that's rude, perhaps it's a matter of preference, it may take some getting used to but maybe there's some hidden charm I'm not aware of? Looking up with newfound Vigor, I've decided I'm going to look for the bright side.

" Ah!" I Yelp as I trip over a tree root and fly face first into a spider web. The sticky thread like silk from the web encased my face as I scrambled at get it off. Taking a deep breath to collect myself and stop myself from screaming, I notice everyone staring at me. The stares of the others caused a bright flush to infect my face, as it glows red from embarrassment. " I- I'm fine let's keep going. We need to hurry, we haven't got time to lose." I say quickly and start moving forward faster keeping a close eye on the ground to ensure the roots wouldn't jump out and trip me.

With the thought of moving foliage, the unsettling image of the bloodthirsty trees that took Eric away from us rose in my mind and I sped up even more, raising my guard instinctively to the highest level possible. I needed to get out of this forest, now.

Lyric reclaimed the lead nimbly manuvering through the trees with an almost enviable grace and informed us we were close. His words were proven true, as soon as we started to see lights and small constructs. Lyric briefly explained the constructs to be houses as we passed by. In our rush, I didn't get to really appraise them, however at a glance I likened them most to be more like what was describe to me as elvish in style. A bit treehouse like, but seemed sturdy and not imposing on the forest. They were more ... normal, than I was expecting. For some reason, the image of a bloody den dug into the ground, like something a bear or wolf would have, hung in my mind. Wow, why was that the first thing my mind went to? It's not like they're wild animals. That's not what I thought they were, right?

Pushing my moral dilemma aside, I began to feel scrying eyes peering at our group, growing in number as we made our way further. Some gazes were simply curious and lingered with a hint of playfulness and fascination, others were jittery and brief as if anxious or fearful, but the ones who drew my attention most, were the hostile ones. I hadn't really considered it much, but the realization almost seemed hilariously simple, if there are humans that don't like Demi-human's, who's to say the opposite isn't true as well.

All this thinking really got my head muddled, but now wasn't the time for this; we needed to prevent the two groups from warring and causing irrevocable damage to the city.

The concentration of houses had greatly increased and we eventually came into view of a massive tree one that towered above all the others. It had bridges and ladders connecting nearly the entirety of the nearby forest and seemed to be a bustling place on a normal day.

Our arrival unfortunately didn't appear to be something routine, because almost all of the people in the area turned to look at us. Demi-human's peppered our surrounding and I was almost unnerved at how diverse they all were. A few men approached lyric after descending the trees and the way they presented themselves seemed rather unhappy.

" lyric, What is the meaning of this?" One of the men say. His eyes scan over all of us and linger on me for a moment making me flinch, and near closer to the others. He definitely had a problem with me. His slender stature and elongated ears lead me to believe he was some form of elf.

" We need to see Grandmother immediately it is extremely important." Lyric said calmly. " So if you'll excuse me."

Lyric politely nodded his head and attempted to pass the men however they wouldn't let him farther.

" Who are they?" The man asked gesturing to the rest of us. I heard a small gulp from gram indicating I wasn't the only one feeling pressure from these men.

" They are friends who were sent with me. Now please excuse me it is important." Lyric tried to get us pass, but the men continued to bar his attempts.

" Oh? And what reason were they sent for huh? To burn down our forest? Perhaps to kill grandmother? Or maybe they were to simply kill as many of us as they can?" One of them growled nearing us. This one looked more mouse like in appearance, he was small and stout but not exactly what I'd call cute.

Lyric's face became alarmed at the accusations. " What? Why would you even say that? How could you accuse anyone of such things?"

" They're Human. They aren't welcome here." Another snarled. " We shouldn't trust them and neither should you."

Without my noticing they had surrounded us. There wasn't an easy way out. I began to curse myself for not just leaving as I had thought earlier, but what's done is done. Now all we could do is try to get out alive. Fighting probably wouldn't work, but we didn't really have an option.

Crouching down and preparing to unsheathe my swords, another voice called halting me. It was withered yet gentle and seemed to get the attention of nearly all the Demi-human's in the area.

" Now what is going on out here? You all call yourself men, yet I see you here harassing children. That isn't the way your parents raised you is it?" The voice called halting the men and even getting them to pull back a bit.

Turning to look at the voice a kind old woman looked on at us with a kind smile. " You all must be the ones That Lyric and Alice have told me so much about. Even little Ravi seemed to be content with your company. Thank you for being such wonderful friends to them." I felt myself become a little embarrassed at the compliment and couldn't help but shy away a bit, then realized the situation and collected myself.

Turning to the rest of the crowd she spoke again. "As you all have heard, These children here are friends and that also means they are apart of our family. Human or not I will not tolerate any mistreatment of them."

" But grandmother, they are human, I cannot accept them being here." One of the men spoke up.

" Why not? You're other brothers and sister's here aren't of the same blood as you. Our quaint little family isn't bound by such trivial things as blood or appearance. The heart beats the same in all living things, and these young children have done nothing to earn our ire. As such we should be treating them as guests, not as enemies. They even accompanied one of our own here to ensure his safety, if Lyric trusts them so to shall I."

" Thank you Grandma." Lyric said gratefully. The men looked uncomfortable about our presence still but it seems the old lady's word was law here, so they didn't try anything else.

" Grandmother, we have something to tell you about. It's really important." Lyric urged, however the old woman gentle calmed him down, not allowing him to continue.

" We know of the growing hostility from the humans. It is why we're so on edge as of late, however your attempts to protect us are admirable Lyric. Thank you. The same for you all." She turned to the rest of us who we're still standing around like a bunch of clueless idiots. "I thank you for keeping Lyric safe."

" How did you know that's why they came?" Lyric asked astonished.

" Hmm, you all were sent here by little Neori weren't you?" The woman asked, " Though you all seem to refer to her as Mrs. Himeko. That girl is so predictable, she's just like her mother."

" Wait, you know miss Himeko?" Lyric asked astonished.

" My dear little Lyric, this world may be vast, but the part we live in is far smaller than you may think. But, Yes, I have known her for a long time. She used to live here once, long ago. Though it has been some time now, I can still remember the day she left, in search of her father. Now tell me how has that little girl been doing?" The woman asked. " No, first come inside it's far more comfortable there. You're friends are welcome too."

" No need we should probably be going, thank you for your hospitality, but it's for the best." I attempt to decline, however I was denied.

" Nonsense, there is no need for you to leave so soon. Please come join us for some tea, or perhaps you would prefer some kind of juice? Lyric here has never been a fan of tea but he does have quite the thing for purrot juice. But forgive me, if you have other obligations you must see to I do understand. Don't let this old withering soul hold you back from the rush of your youth. You're only children for a short time."

I could tell what the old lady was trying to pull, but I couldn't help but feel guilty about attempting to run away now. Looking back at the others she seems to have gotten into their heads too. It was actually better to stay than leave anyways. Should there still be individuals that want to harm us, it would be easier when we were alone and isolated. This old lady would probably be the safest bastion we had currently.

After seeing the others more or less agreed with staying for a little, I spoke for the rest of us. " Well then, We'll be in your care."

" Splendid! Now lyric, would you be a dear and Go get a table set up, I'll be back shortly." Turning the old lady returned into the giant tree, and left is outside.

" Well she seemed nice." Gram spoke up, with a small chuckle.

" Indeed, I am quite fond of her already." Emmy agreed.

" I wonder how old she is." Julien muttered to himself.

" Rude!" Caroline smacked him in the back of the head, eliciting a pained "ow" in response.

" We were all thinking it." He mumbled again, then flinched under Caroline's gaze.

" Good luck finding out. She never answers that question, I doubt anyone here knows how old she actually is. Heck, I doubt anyone even knows her name. I've never heard it before." Lyric said, them beaconed us inside." You can ask her this yourself later, but first come in and take a seat."

The inside of the Tree was deceptively large, showing the true Size of the tree. Easily the size of a small house, the main hall was a relatively simple yet marvelous sight. Sitting around a small table that Lyric led us to. We awaited the old ladies return.

She was a boisterous and eccentric, quite the entertaining host as well. Our small tea party was spent talking about school, we discussed The people and topics a bit as well as the progress we all had made over the months. The topic of what happened to Alice and Ravi came up and the entire town was soon in an uproar. Word spread of their disappearance like a wildfire as anyone who was capable of helping volunteered to help in any way they could. In no time at all a small force had been assembled to help try and track down the two missing children. Another had been created to evacuate the forests of the other demi-humans who were gathering wood from the forest.

Their ability to work together was inspiring, and it was almost surreal the amount of care these people had for one another. Some of them seemed to know Alice and Ravi personally others seemed less connected but there contribution wasn't any less once learning of their peril. As I witnessed unity and teamwork on a level I didn't believe existed, I felt my reservations towards them disipate, in fact I began to feel a bit guilty of thinking these people were anything like what I was told. I began to wonder, were something like this to happen to a human child would other humans be so willing to help. I highly doubted anyone from the village I was raised in would react the same should I disappear like this. It was almost disheartening.

It had gotten dark by the time of our departure and just as I had gotten to become comfortable around the demi-human people, they had began to accept us as we didn't just stand idly by as they worked. They offered to host us for dinner before our departure as a thanks, however I knew my parents would probably be worried so I politely declined before returning home with Gram and Julien.

I was scolded upon my return home by my mother for being out so late and not informing them of what I was doing, and once again once my father and brother returned from looking for me.

After the irritation had yielded to the salty fragrance of a delicious vegetable stew and fresh baked bread, I began retelling my journey to my family of the home of the Demi-human's. Once they realized where I had been I was scolded a third time for doing something so dangerous. I don't blame them though, I hadn't thought much of the Demi-humans until I found out what they were truly like, I'm sure they would feel the same. Nevertheless, I finished my story front to end careful to not leave out a single detail.