Saxoph0ne

𝓢𝓹𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓕𝓵𝓸𝔀𝓮𝓻𝓼, 𝓐𝓾𝓽𝓾𝓶𝓷 𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓿𝓮𝓼 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Crack. Just how long had she been walking for? Every second felt like an eternity. Snap. She plunged her dagger into another tree, trying to keep her balance. Her movements were clumsy at best, and the pain that shot throughout her body constantly didn't help. Blood seeped out from wounds on her back and trickled down her chin from her lips, staining her blue robes red. Each breath Liriel took was a battle, shallow and desperate, as the world around her blurred and spun. She could feel her strength ebbing away with every step she took, the once-vibrant green of the trees becoming dull and lifeless, as if it were dying along with her. Her vision swam, and she stumbled forward, trying to catch herself on a branch but failing and falling to the ground. Her dagger hit the ground next to her with a dull thump as she looked to the sky with half-lidded eyes. She was tired. So very tired. And the stars were oh so beautiful... A faint lullaby in the distance snapped her out of her thoughts, and with a trembling hand, she forced herself off the ground. There must be someone- something nearby that could help her. She placed her hand on her face and began to limp towards the source of the lullaby, its soothing whispers drawing her in like a moth to a flame. Every step made the lullaby get louder, draining out all other noise in the forest, and she eagerly followed it. It was addicting. The trees eventually parted to reveal a small clearing, bathed in ethereal moonlight. Before her was an oak tree, its trunk ancient and twisted abnormally. But what grabbed her attention were the flowers. Exceedingly large, brilliant white flowers that glowed like the stars. Liriel slowly approached the base of the tree, falling to her knees as a sudden breeze made her shiver. She could do nothing more than gaze up at the flowers. She didn't want to do anything more than gaze up at the flowers. She collapsed, rolling over so that she was lying on her back, looking to the sky as blood seeped into the soil beneath her. The gnarled roots of the tree emerged from beneath her, engulfing her body in a gentle embrace as it began to pull her down into the soil. Liriel laughed a weak, dying laugh, and managed to smile, despite everything. After all, she was right where she wanted to be. Home. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________