Death and Howls Part Nineteen: A Breeze to be Felt!

Darwin:

A rancid breeze lashed at my cheeks, a violent nausea curdling my stomach. Hundreds of corpses lurched around me, my scythe not cutting them down.  The color drained from my face, Mortimus stabbing me in the gut. Stabbing me over and over again, inky blood painted the dirt by my feet. A hand shook my shoulder, the edges of the nightmare fraying away. 

Sitting up with a jerk, my right fist met Acer’s face. The crack of his nose had ruby pouring from his nose, his fingers clicking it back into place. Healing it with basic magic, his brow furrowed with a warranted concern. 

“Not to annoy you but we have a problem. Could you help me?” He asked politely while throwing a new ivory blouse and black pants into my face. “You d-” Shaking my head, his request would always be answered by me. Not by his crown but from my desire to help him out. Motioning for him to leave to allow me to get dressed, his footfalls echoed out of my hut. Luna clung to me, her lips brushing against my forehead. 

“Come back safe.” She pleaded sweetly, her hand cupping my face. “The kids and I are going to be with Rose and Melda today. Don't forget that I love you.” Kissing her lips tenderly, her understanding of the situation had me falling in love with her all over again. Rolling out of bed, her eyes tracked me changing out of my dirty clothes. Tugging on the fresh outfit with a wink, her howl threatened to wake something up. Sliding my feet into my boots on the way out, embarrassment colored my cheeks as I rushed back in to get my scythe. Dropping it into my case, Luna waved in my direction as I stepped out. Acer clanged up to my side in his new suit of golden armor. 

“A nightmare portal has opened up in the forest outside of the capital. Do you think you could help me out with closing it from within?” Waving to his citizens as we passed by them, the guards guided us through a hidden door. What was once lush was not devoured in a shadowy darkness. Portal, my ass! Snapping my head in his direction, the fucking problem had been festering for a while. Shooting him an unimpressed expression, his golden boot dug at the dirt awkwardly. 

“I don’t mean to be a dick but you let this fester for what fucking reason.” I pointed out sarcastically, his hands folding across his legs. Choking out an uncertain right, he ran his hand through his silky hair. Pointing to the angry swirling mass in the center, he motioned for us to enter into the problem. Stepping over the threshold, a rotting forest raised several alarm bells in my head. 

“I couldn’t do this myself and you were busy getting the key.” He admitted with a bite to his tone, a twinkle shining to life in his eyes. “I don’t mean to be a dick but you took your sweet ass time, didn’t you?” Snorting into a hearty chuckle, it was a great sight to see him visibly relaxed enough to joke around. 

“Touche, mon ami.” I returned with a wink, his shoulder nudging mine. “Do we know the culprit?” Shaking his head, my fingers massaged my forehead. Mysteries could be solved after all, a wet drop plopping onto my palm had us looking up slowly. A lump formed in my throat at the sight of a dark purple spider clicking its fangs together, neon green eyes darting in our direction. Whipping the neon green drop onto the ground, my free hand plucked my scythe from its case. 

“How did it get so freaking big?” I hissed under my breath, guilt dimming his eyes. “Have you been having nightmares?” Refusing to answer, his blade bounced off of his leg. Sensing quite a bit of shame, my palm rested on his shoulder. 

“I have them all the time. Hell, last night was a doozy of a nightmare.” I continued with a comforting smile, the long thick hairs on the body quivering. Another person was having a nightmare, its body swelling.  Mortimus’ zombies pulled themselves out of the ground, a quiet panic hiding underneath my bright smile. Maggots squirmed underneath their skin, nausea  sunk a rock in my gut.  Patting my back, Acer spun his new blade in his free hand. Golden maple leaves had been carved into the double edged sword, the golden hilt glinting in the light. Shooting him a look of pure confusion, his eyes rolled. Don’t you dare give me attitude, not now!

“My mother commissioned it! The other one broke while trying to get out of the dome. It combines with my wind powers rather well if you must ask.” He huffed with a tiny smirk, the twinkle returning to his eye. “You get that gal and I will cut the product of your nightmare down.” Shooting out a brisk fine, spiders were one of my biggest fears. A gust of wind blew my hair up, colorful leaves floated into the space. Snapping his fingers, the edges hardened enough to become sharp blades. 

“Run!” He ordered sternly, no protest coming with how serious he sounded. “Draw her to the water and purify this land when you can.” Swallowing the lump that I formed in my throat, his plan made sense. Gathering all the courage I had, the damn thing had to run after me. 

“Come on and get me!” I bellowed with nervous laughter, my boots pounding in the opposite direction. Trees crashed behind me, the hungry arachnid nipping at my heels. Something had to give, a sea of spider eggs threatening my composure. Lightning crackled to life around my scythe, a slam of the tip sending lightning everywhere. Melting the eggs, an ear piercing screech announced a furious spider. Neon green venom singed my shirt,  a small yelp escaping my lips. Skidding to a stop, hundreds of scars covered its body. Wondering where they came from, a familiar dark energy had me dodging his sword. Landing clumsily on the spider’s back, she was simply trying to find a home. The nightmares came from the abuse of Mortimus, my mind racing on where to place it. Leaning down to its ear, a pat on the head calmed it down. 

“If you promise to behave, I will find you a place to live. Sorry for killing your children.” I soothed the poor thing, its long hair tickling my palm with her snuggle. “Good girl.” At home, we had a dark and evil forest that would work well with her. Pushing off her back, my god towered behind me. His bones cracked into place, the large hand tapping the nightmare realm once. Dirt decayed, a hot lava bubbling to life. Catching the branch of a sinking tree, a spin had me on the spiders back. Fishing around my pocket, a single go home card flipped in between my fingers. Imagining the Dark Forest, flames devoured the thick card. A shadowy portal opened up, the weak spell threatening to quit on me. Jumping off of her back, my hand motioned for her to go on. Hesitating, one final embrace around her leg granted her the courage she needed. Pausing in the entrance, a low purr tumbled from her fangs. 

“I promise to visit your family and you. Go on and have a better life.” I shouted with my real smile, her titanic form disappearing into the other side. “Time for us to duke it out. Let’s go!” Leaping onto the only piece of rock left, Mortimus had been condemned to his own. The edges of the nightmare realm glitched in and out, my brow cocking. So that spider was the glue holding it together. Acer’s surprise appearance had me jumping into the air, his brother grinning ear to ear.  

“You don’t hold a candle to me, brother.” He gloated with a wicked chuckle, dark magic glowing to life around his palms. “Time for you to die.” Unsure of what he was about to do, the ball zoomed towards his heart. Sensing its decaying properties, his protests fell on deaf ears as I knocked him down. Taking the hit in the arm, a mucky gray devoured my hand. Intense jolts shot up my right arm, a clammy sweat glistening to life on my skin. Spinning my scythe in front of me, the fingers on my right hand began to disintegrate. Aiming the edge of my blade for my elbow, a wet splash stopped his curse. Inky blood pooled at my feet, a quick cauterization sealed the fresh cut wound shut.  

“Nice try! Nobody hurts my friend and gets away.” I threatened Mortimus darkly, Acer begging for me to stop. Noticing my blood, a wicked grin spread ear to ear. “Too bad you are going to hate this. Purify the land of which I stand on! Make it as pure as the lead Elven god. See you later, monster. Sucks to be you buddy!” A blinding glow had him growling in agony, the world around me blurring. The light died down to reveal a repaired forest, his brother getting thrust into the sky. Sinking to my knees, the lush grass caught my face. Acer’s words faded in and out, his arms scooping me up. Begging for help, his finger kept checking my pulse. A medical team whisked me away, a needle sending me into dreamland. 

The God of Death waved me over to his long black table, his shadowy form jolted a couple of times. Blinking a couple of times, I had no choice but to sit down next to him. Hovering his hand over my stump of an arm, gold metal folded over itself until a new arm fused with my body flawlessly. What a wonderful gift! 

“Try to be careful, Master Darwin.” He urged while checking it over, a bit of relief showing in his ruby eyes. “Lottie would murder me if I didn’t fix your arm. Here’s how it is going to work, your magic will permit it to work like your former arm. Test it out.” Wiggling my fingers, his words held an honest truth. 

“Unfortunately, you will have to constantly use magic. Do you think you can get used to that?” He continued in a fatherly tone, his fingers tracing the simple plates. “Do you mind sticking around for a hot minute? I mean how long has it been since we chatted like this? Your kids are so adorable.” Touched by his kindness, his protectiveness of me never left me wanting anymore of him. 

“As long as you are happy, I am.” I returned simply, a cup of tea appearing in front of us. “Thank goodness, you are second in command when it comes to the gods around here. Sometimes I worry about the one trapped in Felina or my fellow companion.” Leaning onto his hands, a welcome silence hung between us. Sometimes, the two of us would sit in the quiet serenity of our relationship. 

“As true as that may be, you still need to be careful. Do you understand, Master Darwin?” He asked politely, his eyes shimmering with love and respect. “Luna is going to kill you when you wake up. Acer should have your side. Speaking of him, please dissolve any of his guilt. We both know that you would have done it again in a heartbeat.” Sipping at my tea, the truth had been spoken once more.

“Acer is like a brother to me. Why wouldn’t I give up my arm for his safety.” I chuckled softly into the steam of my tea. “Sometimes I feel more at home here. Do you think Lottie would be mad if she knew that?” Shaking his head, we both knew that Lottie would be proud of me and understand. 

“You can always visit.” He pointed out simply, sipping at his own tea. “Besides, where would this dimension be without you.” Smiling confidently to myself, death was the answer. Choosing not to say it, the harsh bite of those words stung my heart. Mumbling under my breath, his hand rested on the top of my head. 

“Worry not, Darwin!” He chirped cheerful, a rare smile exposing his rows of fangs. “You have this. Keep your chin up, kiddo!” Clapping his hands in my face, the space dissolved. 

Sucking in a deep breath while jerking awake, the ivory walls of the hospital wing greeted me. Staring down at my golden arm, the constant use of my magic had me feeling a bit exhausted. Lifting it up inches from my face, dismay dimmed my eyes. The door blew open, Acer rushing up to my side. Apologizing profusely, his eyes flitted between my arm and me. Covering his mouth, a strange calmness washed over him. 

“Like it or not, I was always going to take the hit for you.” I joked blithely, not really missing my arm. “Besides, imagine the damage I can do with my new arm. You didn’t tell Luna yet, right?” The doors blew open once more, a frustrated Luna had me shrinking back. Our twins babbled in her arms, Felina flipping over her. Opening up my arms, her body smashed into me. Luna plopped down next to me, her shaking fingers dancing up  my new arm.  Her frustration melted to relief, Acer excusing himself in order to grant us some privacy. 

“Try not to kill yourself next time.” She sighed with her real smile, Felina clinging to me. “We were worried about you. Acer cleared it up. He mentioned something about almost dying but you stepped in.  Why wouldn’t you? Why was Lottie excited about a new species of a spider?” Felina plopped onto my lap, Luna laying the twins into the crook of my arms. Kissing them feverishly, family and friends made it all worth it. 

“The poor thing didn’t have a place here so I relocated her.” I explained with a shrug of my shoulders, Felina’s fingers poking at my metal arm. “Do you like it? I happen to think it makes me look rather fantastic.” Gushing over how cool it was, the warmth of the moment took the sting of losing my arm away. Laying down on my chest, Luna rested her head on the other side of my chest. Smiling softly to myself, they were all my home. Hell, this place was my home. Please grant me the strength to win the war. Grant me the ability for my kids to run around freely. Grant me the ability  to protect my friend who is like a brother. Yawning groggily, a new wave of exhaustion stole me into a sweet slumber. 

Waking up to a troubled Acer, his trembling hands held a tray of what had to be dinner. Beginning to apologize again, a stern head shake shut him down. Accepting my tray with a gracious smile, the steaming potato had my stomach grumbling. 

“I don’t how many times I have to say this but losing an arm is better than losing a friend.” I assured him in a brotherly tone, his eyes tracking me ripping the potato in half as I sat up. Tossing one half to him, the dark bags spoke of long nights. 

“You are too kind, Dar.” He sniffled with a tired smile, his wind powers cooling the potato down in a second. “This fucking paperwork is going to drown me alive.” Digging at the roasted vegetables, his eyes refused to meet mine. 

“Let me help you. Please.” I begged with a bit of frustration, bewilderment twisting his lips into a grateful grin. “There’s the smile I wanted to see. I used to help Lottie with her paperwork all the time. Not to brag, I was a hell of an arithmetic student  in school. Who else are you going to trust?” Eating his potato with me, words didn’t need to be said. Thankful for his friendship, the two of us could defeat anything that comes our way. Chatting about his days trapped in the dome, his voice was like a warm hug. Sure, people were nice to me back at home. Nobody treated me as nice as he did, our bond growing stronger by the day.

“Thank you for being my friend. No,thank you for being like a brother.” I blurted out honestly, his features brightening visibly. “Things like this are hard for me to say. I wasn’t liked that much back in school. My siblings loved me but the other students would tear me to shreds. I probably don’t look so courageous in your eyes.” Running his hand through his hair, his head cocked to the left with a playful grin. 

“Who the fuck cares! I would have been honored to be your friend in school.” He comforted me with a bigger grin, his palms slapping his lap. “They can go throw themselves off a cliff because I happen to be with the greatest guy in the world. Thank you for sticking around, brother.” Setting the tray to the side, we took turns talking about funny stories of our families. Helping contribute to the conversation had him relaxing to the point of yawning, his head bobbing up and down. Laying his head on the bed, snores spoke of a well deserved nap. Keeping my eyes open, his safety was guaranteed with me. Hell, everyone could rely on me. Letting the chilly breeze nip my cheeks, life sure had a way of pushing you in the right direction.