[Story] A Warning in the Skies

 Author Notes: Part 04 of the story {The Shadow of the Dark} is finally here. This part of the story introduces the next companion who will meet up with Mareth, Jamal and Ydros.

I have also updated The Stories page to keep track of what is coming and what is still a work in progress. The photos are the hardest things to convey. The story I already know but matching the photos to them can be tough. Especially when you are working with limited props on hand.

Soundtrack: Twilight from The Witcher

The Wild Woods - half a day's travel from Farnworth

 "A storm's coming." Arianna gazed up at the clear sky from where she crouched, gathering herbs for the night's meal. She studied the shapes of the clouds drifting by and listened intently to the whispering of the wind. 

"From the East." she frowned. That way lay the Kingdom of Caizar. She had heard of the rumours that swirled like striking snakes around the new Empress. Blood magic, they said. Unexplained deaths of slaves, drained of their blood. Soldiers raised up, serving only the word of the Empress, needing no rest or food. Unholy, dark forbidden arts. The words spread like the plague across the land, an impending wave of dread and fear. Even here, in the lonely woods, far from civilisation, she had heard their whispers.

 

Kestrel Hawk from Pixabay. Photographer Ron Porter.

"Did you feel it too?" A brown speckled bird landed on a nearby branch. It shook its body and began to change.

In its place, a creature, human-like in appearance save for the pointed ears and smaller size. She, for it took on the shape of a female, tilted her head slightly and gazed unblinking at Arianna. 

"Something is stirring." Arianna rose and picked up her basket of herbs. The creature, Kestrel was her name floated along beside her as if riding the wind.

"It troubles me." she continued thoughtfully. "For many moons now, I have felt something shift in the air, a change, small but present."

Kestrel floated backwards, her eyes never leaving Arianna. "The trees speak of dark things, the ground shakes with fear of it, the water sheds tears of remembrance and the air shrieks in warning."

They arrived at a resting place, hidden by thick twining branches. Here, Arianna found the mushrooms she had been searching for. Thick succulent bulbs, perfect for cooking.

"There'll be visitors tonight." she said warily resting on a tree trunk.

"Three of them. They bring trouble." Kestrel sounded worried. She plucked something out of the air and shoved it into her mouth.

"We both knew this day would come. We will have to leave the woods." Arianna gazed into the distance. She prayed they would return one day but the wind remained silent.

----to be continued---