Voice of the Fallen
#3 of Musings of a Minstrel
18+ Only: No, I'm not lying. Sex does happen. So does violence. And all that jazz.
The notebook in front of me lay empty, the blank lines staring back eagerly as if awaiting something. A pencil found its way into my hands for the eleventh time this evening, placing another dot on the paper from where the lead touched. Once more though, I cast it to the side and put my head in my hands. Vivid images burst through my mind of my dream the night before, blood beginning to run cold through my veins. My throat tightened as I recalled the engulfing darkness that consumed me, the creature that attacked me, and the quite real pain that I felt although it was naught but a dream.
'Write, Lendar, I will wait here.' That odd feminine voice echoed through the bruised halls of my mind, releasing the pressure on my throat. I slammed my fist on the wooden table and pushed the chair I sat in away from it. Bones cracked and muscles groaned as I stood up, the chair now facing away from its original position.
"Write, Lendar. Write. What do you expect me to write? How do I write about something I can't even comprehend?" It was already eight o'clock, four hours already wasted trying to write something I knew I couldn't. My ignored hunger began to hit me, and I decided the best course of action would be to appease it.
After my snack I found myself once more in front of the notebook. I lost myself in the blank lines, becoming mesmerized. As I felt my mind lull into a state of sleep my eyes closed, and darkness took me.
My eyes opened again, and I felt myself in the same world I was in last night. Everything was dark, and I felt increasingly alone with each moment passing. The den was in the same condition, nothing had moved or transformed. This was a dream, something my mind knew, but I still decided to pursue it. Once more I walked outside, this time everything was normal- as normal as it could be with such a distorted vision. My Dad's car was in the driveway, a small sedan that in this world was a light shade of gray, though in the normal world it were a light blue.
My eyes squinted to something that was resting on top of it, legs hanging off of the back of the car as it sat on the trunk. I knew it hadn't noticed me by the way it was sitting completely relaxed.
"Who're you..?" I voiced aloud to the figure, and I saw it tense quickly and jerk it's head in my direction. The fog didn't allow me to see the creature closely, though I felt as if I had seen it before.
"You aren't done writing yet, Lendar." That familiar voice rang out through the thick air.
"It's you.. you're the one who saved me.." My voice trailed off.
"Yes... Why are you here?" I thought for a moment, I wasn't really sure of that either.
"I don't know, I didn't ask to come here."
"I know you didn't, no one asks to come here. This is all a mistake." My nerve had returned slightly, and I began to creep out of the doorway and down the porch steps.
"What do you mean this is a mistake? Why does all of this feel so real?"
"I can't answer you that. You haven't finished writing." She stood up from the car, which shook slightly from the lost weight. "You should return home. This isn't safe for you." I felt anger rising up within me, as if I were being denied.
"What do you mean this isn't safe? Why won't you answer any of my questions? Don't you think I would go home if I could? I don't even know how I keep ending up here." My anger leaked into my voice. She turned back to look at me, and I gasped slightly when I had gotten a good view of her.
"What is the last thing you remember?"
"I was writing.. or trying to at least, then I nodded off." A piercing howl reverberated through the thick air, shaking my entire body.
"I will send you home, you've attracted too much attention." Her physique sharpened, and I stuttered as I saw her physique.
"W-w-wait, before I go. Who are you? What.. are you?"
"What I am isn't important right now." My mind got foggy, and I felt as if I were slipping into sleep once more.
"Wait.. please. Whats your..n-name.." I collapsed to the ground, and feelings faded quickly.
"You can call me.. Sylvara."
I groaned as I opened my eyes, a sharp pain on my forehead. Raising my head off of the desk, I realized that the notebooks spiral was the source, a rather deep indentation remnant in my skin. Fortunately for me it was the weekend, and I didn't need to worry about being late for school. I stared at the blank pages of the notebook for a few moments, then decided to go about my usual waking-up activities; Food, bathroom, computer.
Once more I found myself in front of the notebook, pencil in hand. I still wasn't entirely sure on what to write, and looked up toward the ceiling, hoping maybe there was a hint up there.
There wasn't.
Sighing, I put the pencil to the paper and began writing the first things that came to my mind of the experience.
Sometimes I lay awake at night, unable to sleep. This isn't because of school, or my deceased mother, or even my lack of anyone to talk to about the things in my mind; It is simply because I am not yet ready to fall asleep and find myself in a realm of infinite possibilities. Lately, I have found myself in a place that isn't quite the dreamworld, nor is it reality; It is the realm beyond dreams, a netherworld. Not in the sense that it is underground, but in the sense that it is beyond our comprehension.
Everything that exists in the real world also exists there, cars, houses, even inhabitants. There is something very different about this world that separates it from the real world though- Everything is made of darkness. The only way to determine objects is by the silver-like border that outlines everything. For the past few nights, when I close my eyes, ready to rest, I find myself here: A borderline between dream and reality.
As thoughts came to my head I found my writing become faster and faster, until there was no hesitation in my movements. My fingers began to throb from the pressure I put on the pencil to keep it in it's place, though I kept writing. Suddenly, the room felt ice cold, as if I breathed heavily I could see it. My heart began to pound, quicker and quicker as if I were about to go into cardiac arrest, and my breathing began to quicken. I glanced over my shoulder to the small couch behind me and to my left, feeling my skin cover itself in needles.
She was here, the creature from the netherworld. Sylvara, was it? I couldn't remember then, not knowing what was going to happen, or if I had begun to confuse the real world with the netherworld. As I turned my chair closer to facing her, the features I saw captured before were indeed correct. Sylvara seemed Human, in some aspect. She stood on two legs, and two arms, semi-large catlike ears, and a small faded pink button nose. Dark fur covered her entire body, and I assumed it also was under the meager clothing she was wearing: a black low cut top, with black-or incredibly dark brown- jeans; Which I found a part of my mind oddly wondering how pants would work with a tail.
"Speechless, huh?" She asked in that feminine voice, although now I could detect a slight variation in the voice to a Humans; Maybe feline?
"U-uh.." I stammered out, not entirely sure what to say. "..Yes?"
"May I see what you wrote?" I didn't respond to her, simply picked up the notebook and handed it to her. Receiving it with one of her arms, I got a good look at her hands. They were also furred, but the hair seemed much finer, with very sharp-but feminine- looking claws. Oddly, she didn't seem bothered by my mental studies of her, maybe she was used to it? I thought.
Sylvara closed the book slowly, and brought one of her hands -or paws? I don't know- to her chin and I heard something like a mixture of a purr and a sigh. She handed the notebook back to me and I put it on the table once more before looking back at her. I wasn't sure if I wanted critique on it or not, especially from someone who was in it.
"You know, you're pretty observant." A statement from her, in that same unidentifiable voice.
"Thanks..?" I really wasn't sure what was going on, but my heart rate began to slow, though the room still felt cold and the needles persisted. We sat in silence for numerous moments before I broke the silence. "So.. what are you?"
"I'm a lot like you. Only different." That has to be one of the lamest answers ever, and felt a little irritated by it.
"That's one of the lamest answers I've heard to a question. Ever." Immediately, I regretted saying that; It was probably enough reason for her to eat me.
"Fine, you want a better answer? I'm a hybrid of a human and a feline creature, but most of my features are human with some feline characteristics since I was a human, and when I'm ready I'll become feline in this world." My mind wrapped around her words, but completely failed at deciphering what exactly she had said. The only thing I could really do was stare at her.
"What?"