Chapter 8: Chapter 8

A vine that carried many grapes lowered just in front of Fyn's head.

By how Havu tightened around his waist, Fyn knew the smart choice would be to just accept whatever it was the forest was giving him. Scowling, he took a handful of grapes. His mouth automatically watered at the sight of the luscious fruit. With how it smelled, he knew it would be sweet and tasty. When the grape seemed to melt inside his mouth like butter, he tried his best not to moan out loud.

"The forest is starting to annoy me," Fyn said loudly to Havu. "Why are they forcing me to stay here?"

Havu slithered off his waist and started to climb up the path towards Kavan's cave. And as if teasing him, the serpent turned its head back and darted its forked tongue out of its mouth. The same smooth voice echoes inside of Fyn's head, "It is time to go. From what I had learned, it is always the wise decision to listen to what the forest tells you. It is futile to do otherwise."

Fyn pinched the bridge of his nose. The grape's taste still lingered in his mouth, and he was annoyingly gnawing on the delicacy. "Their master told me it was alright for me to leave. Why are they going against what he said?"

Despite wanting to leave, Fyn found himself following the snake as it slithered through the ground. He looked up once more, the cave of Kavan in sight just a few feet away. Inside his mind, Havu continued their conversation. Fyn couldn't help but wonder what the villagers of Gashea would think of him now. Talking to serpents, eating fruits that they have never seen before, sleeping in beds of flowers and leaves.

Come to think of it, Fyn thought absentmindedly. I wonder how the villagers are.

"You are probably mistaken," Havu's voice said inside Fyn's mind, taking his thoughts out of the villagers of Gashea. I should ask once we're back inside the safety of Kavan's cave. Abruptly, Fyn stopped in his track. His mouth opening and closing like a fish. Did he really just thought that? Did he really just think the demon's cave was a refuge? Shaking his head, he continued to gnaw on the fruit he was eating. He was probably just tired. "It is the other way around."

Fyn pondered on what the serpent just told him, "What do you mean by that?"

"Kavan is not the forest's master," Havu pointed out. "Rather, it is the forest who is Kavan's master."

"What?" Fyn spoke loudly. Confusion dripping from his voice.

The serpent stopped slithering and turned its head to look at him with beady eyes. Tilting its head towards the cave where Kavan was, it nodded once more towards Fyn's direction. Havu's words echoed inside of Fyn's head, and it made him dizzy. The hairs at the back of his neck rose, and goosebumps peppered his skin. Havu repeated, "Kavan is not the forest's master. The forest is Kavan's master."

"But... but," Fyn stuttered, trying to find the right words to say. Gulping, he waved his arms around, trying to make the snake understand what he himself could not. "Isn't he... the demon of the forest?"

If serpents could flinch, Fyn knew that was what Havu did at the exact same moment the words left his mouth. Fyn felt a bit bad because it seemed like he uttered a curse. Taking an automatic step back, Fyn raised his arms up in defense. Wetting his lips, he furrowed his brows, "Did I... say something wrong? Kavan is... he is the demon in this forest, right?"

Fyn wondered if there was another one. Maybe that was the reason as to why Havu looked at him like he suddenly grew two heads. Except, when Havu's voice rang inside his head once more, he realized his assumption was far from the truth. "Master Kavan is not... a demon."

Fyn sighed, feeling a tad ridiculous he even thought otherwise. Havu was Kavan's underling, he would never speak ill of its master. Laughing nervously, Fyn finished the last of his grapes and walked fast towards Havu. Gently, he brushed his knuckles along the cool scales of the serpent. Smiling sadly, he nodded, "Of course he isn't, Havu."

"No," Havu insisted. "He is not a demon. He is a-"

Fyn brushed the snake's scales once more, agreeing almost immediately to what it was saying. "Of course he isn't, Havu. I'm sorry for speaking ill of your master."

"No," Havu's voice echoed inside Fyn's mind. He didn't know if it was just him, or Havu sounded extremely exasperated. Fyn frowned, it wasn't his intention to ridicule its master like that. It was just what he was taught when he had been a child, and what he saw the following years that followed. Havu probably did not know its master was someone that fearful and malevolent. "He is not a demon, he is a-"

Behind them, something loud thudded, and the ground seemed to shake.

Even without turning around, Fyn felt a shudder run up his spine. With how the serpent's eyes shine, he knew Kavan just landed behind them. With the sound of wings fluttering, and with the sudden gust of wind that was behind him, Fyn knew it was a likely possibility that Kavan would tear his head off his body if he turned around that exact moment.

Kavan's deep voice echoed behind him, "Havu."

The serpent bowed his head, and casting one lingering look towards Fyn's direction, it slithered toward its master. Gulping, Fyn slowly turned his head around to look at Kavan. The demon had its wings spread, flapping almost gently. Its feet were just a few feet off the ground. The demon wasn't even looking at him, his eyes were stuck on the flowers and leaves that Fyn forgot to remove off him.

Blushing, Fyn started to delicately remove the remaining plants that the forest had deemed necessary accessories for someone like him.

"I have noticed," Kavan started, his voice almost a guttural growl. "That you are still here, mortal."

Fyn tried to hide the annoyance in his face, but it seemed to come naturally as he stared up at the demon floating a few feet away from him. Angrily, he waved his arms up towards the forests. Snarling, he rolled his eyes, "Believe me, I tried to leave. I was running for hours last night. However, they decided I should stay. The forest made me run in circles and if Havu haven't found me this morning, I don't know where I would have landed."

The demon furrowed his eyebrows in his direction. Fyn blinked, his hand going towards his chest at the audacity. Was the demon really mad at him right now for something he didn't even do? If it were him, he would have left a long time ago!

Grunting, the demon clicked his tongue and then looked down on his serpent. Again, as if in silent conversation, Fyn watched as dozens of emotions flashed on the demon's face in a span of a few seconds. There was mostly anger, but there was something that reminded Fyn of an emotion he only ever saw in children. The emotion that would flicker in them once their mothers tell them they would not be having sweets for dinner.

The demon was... annoyed.

And Fyn wasn't an idiot, he knew it was probably annoyed at him.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Fyn stomped his feet on the ground and pointed towards the trees again, waving his arms around like a lunatic. "Listen! It's not like I wanted to be here. They made me stay. So wipe that anger off your face, you're making me nervous."

Surprisingly, the demon did wipe the frown off its face. Blinking in surprise, Fyn tilted his head and watched as the demon slowly landed on the ground once more. Crouching, it extended its arm towards the serpent and Fyn watched as Havu slithered around the demon.

"Mortal, did the forest not let you leave?"

Fyn nodded, tipping his chin up. "I would have if they let me."

Clicking his tongue in annoyance once more, Kavan looked sideways with narrowed eyes. Fyn would have been offended by the action since it wasn't really his fault that the forest was preventing him from going back to where he came from. Except with how Kavan was looking at the trees, Fyn knew the demon's anger was directed towards the seemingly, but far from it, innocent forest.

"Mortal," The demon said, making Fyn jolt in place. "Whatever they told you, it was a lie."

Fyn felt the side of his lip tilt upward. The demon... Kavan, if he didn't know any better, he actually sounded embarrassed. Again, Fyn was reminded of village children. They often spoke and acted that way when their parents had embarrassed them in front of others. Was the demon feeling like that, too?

Before he could stop himself, Fyn smirked. Crossing his arms against his chest, he was just about to tell Kavan that the forest told him that the demon was lonely and needed someone to keep him company when out of nowhere, branches and vines approached him once more. They were carrying random fruits, flowers, and leaves.

Without meaning to, Fyn opened his arms up so that he could catch whatever it was the branches and vines were throwing at him. Confused, he narrowed his eyes and looked at Kavan, who also looked as if the forest's action had startled him. Fyn grimaced, careful not to drop the assortment of fruits and flowers on his arms, "Not that I need any assistance, but could you please tell them to stop?"

"I cannot."

Fyn frowned, "What do you mean you can't? Just say that I don't need any more gifts!"

Havu's voice rang once more inside Fyn's head, "The forest is Kavan's master. He cannot tell it to do something the forest does not want to do."

"That's ridiculous!" Fyn exclaimed, trying to balance the growing collection of fruits on his arms. "I have no use for this, I would be leaving when I can already."

With a sigh, Kavan slowly moved Havu from his arm to his antlers. Then, surprising everyone, he approached Fyn and grabbed the pile of fruits and flowers in his arms. Furrowing his brows, Kavan shook his head, sending a glare towards the branches and vines that still attempted to place more on Fyn's arms. With a deep reverberating voice, he announced, "I do not need this ridiculousness. Stop this instance!"

Thinking he was the ridiculousness Kavan was talking about, Fyn automatically slapped the demon's arms. The consequences of his actions were far from what was on his mind that instant. Kavan dropped the fruits and flowers he was holding from Fyn's sudden attack, and Fyn, who was ready to shout profanities at the demon, was surprised he even had it in him.

If the villagers only saw him now, he would be awarded as the manliest man ever.

He had not only spoke back to the demon, but he tried to attack it. Not once, but twice.

Kavan licked his fangs, "Mortal, did you just hit me?"

Flushing, Fyn took a tentative step back.

Then, as if adding insult to injury, he felt a vine wrap around his waist. Frowning, he tried pulling it off, only to find himself flushed against the demon's chest after the vine roughly pushed him towards the raging Kavan. And, as if things weren't already bad, it took a turn for the worse.

He felt a small crown of white baby's breath flowers drop gracefully on top of his head.

Biting the inside of his cheek, Fyn closed his eyes, wondering just how many prayers he needed to utter to make sure he gets to live throughout the day.