⚠️ tw // nightmare sequence, intense fear . .. ... ᴇɴᴛʀʏ #1 .. ᴛʜᴇ ғɪʀsᴛ ᴅᴀʏ folklore blinked up at the moon, her pearlescent breath framing the starry night sky. though leaf-bare was slowly fading into a newleaf, it still nipped with a frosty bitterness, encouraging cats to stow away safely in their dens. out of the cold. the storm-furred tabby padded sightlessly through the tunnels of the Serptentine Dynasty, olive-green eyes the only visble part of her as she ambled. it had been.. a long day. wake up with the familiar flutter of anxiety thump-thumping in your chest. today was the first day of the rest of your life, wasn't it? follow your littermates out of the den, into the piercing light. smell the coolness of the air, await your destiny with paws you tried to stop from quivering. f̴̨̰̣̙̆͑o̷̤͇̐͛̊͝l̸̳̼͍̂k̴̢̧͗̔̈̋l̸̯͙̅̐̑͝o̸͓͌͂r̵̩͂͑̌e̴͎̋ folklore, that's your name now. filled to the brim with excitement but also a lingering sense of worry for the future. at least fantasy and fable are with you now. learn the basics. someone talking to you; wh-what did they say? folklore gazed past her fang, vision fuzzy as she is seemingly rendered unable to hear her mentor. was heatstroke to blame? she didn't often visit outside of the tunnels, perhaps the sudden switch had shocked her. the pythons would help her, surely.... what.. what was that? hello? darkness overcame her vision. had she passed out? she was scared d̸̦̲͑o̸̢̫͑́n̶͈̱̎̕'̶͍̘͠ẗ̷̮́͆ ̴̮̹͝b̶͇̫̈́e̴͔̯͊͂ ̶̠̊̚ͅf̴̪̕r̷̪͆͘i̶̲̔g̶̬͊͘ĥ̵͘͜t̴̖̦͐ḙ̴̾ͅǹ̷̟̏e̸̮̊͐d̴͖̚ what was that? folklore awoke with a gasp, and as she surveyed where she was, she wished with a beat of terror that it was only darkness. the clearing was empty, devoid of any life, growth, prosperity. laced with a red as eerie as a droplet of pure pain, the young snakelet blinked, hopelessly trying to clear away the effect. /snap./ folklore whipped around, her broken tabby fur crackling like lighting along her spine, green eyes filled with a prey-like fear. the fear of being hunted, being caught. what was out there? she was shaking now, silent tears streaming down her face the only sound that the landscape offered. drip drip drop f̸͓́͊͜o̴̻̽̍ĺ̸͉̟̀k̷̢͎̑͗l̴̖̄o̸͓͖̊̒r̸̛̜̣̈́e̷͇̞̒ heart threatening to beat out of her chest, folklore scrambled to her paws, unearthing a unbridled desire to escape, to get away, to anywhere but here. anywhere. she wanted to go home please, please, I want to go home. let me go home. I-I'll do better. please. her cries came out soundlessly, the ground beneath her suddenly mudlike as she slipped and tumbled. her efforts to get away were futile as she struggled. no, no no. please! someone help! clawing at the mud around her, her desperateness to get away was almost inhumane. she could /feel/ it behind her, waiting, watching as she floundered, gasping and screaming. no one can hear you now. not here. w̶̙͙̾̅̿ḩ̷͚͕̀é̴̜͕̅r̵̘̈́͆̈é̴̤̯͖ ̸̦͆̕ạ̷̣͈̊r̴͎̹̀̋͠ḙ̷̥̄͗͜ ̴̠̿y̷͔̋ȍ̶̙̝͔̒̂u̵̞͐̈́͘ ̵̹̭̀̉͜g̴͚̳̋̅o̴͈̍̂i̴̫̙̐͆̌n̴̳̱̅͒̋g̷̺̽̇͝?̶̻͖̻̈́͋̿ her paw met the earth, two souls touching. she grasped the stable surface, pulling herself away and running, running far. far away from wherever she had been trapped. ẗ̸̢̝̤̘́̈́̓h̸̩̺̳͒̆̚͠ͅé̵̬͇r̷̼̱͚͂̂e̴͍͗̏̇'̵̛̦̈́̚s̶̜̯̘͛͒̎̃ ̶̼̺̩̓ň̷̖̟̟͗ô̴̢̠̙̹̈́͒̈w̶̳͖̜̹͊̀͝h̸̬͌è̵͎̦r̸̢̠̬̺̐̋͑̚e̷̜̖̼͠ ̶̮̈́̓̽t̸̮͗͑̉̅õ̷̝̽̏̒ ̷̘̯̳̫̈́͋̾̕r̴̢̳͇͊̈́͋ű̵̢͍̠̳͛̃͠ņ̶̭̘́̉̓́- folklore ran as fast as she could through the dark, empty streets, her breath coming in ragged gasps and her heart pounding wildly in her chest. terror gripped her mind in an icy vice as the sound of heavy footsteps echoed behind her. adrenaline coursed through her veins, pushing her aching legs to move faster despite the burning in her muscles. her wide eyes darted around desperately, looking for somewhere to hide, somewhere she could disappear into the shadows and elude the horror that hunted her. but the area was bare, with not even a glimpse of hope. escape seemed impossible. panic rose in her throat, threatening to choke her. ahe couldn't keep this pace much longer. she had to get away, had to find some way to survive this nightmarish ordeal. folklore poured every ounce of energy into her flight, knowing it was her only chance to see the dawn. fear became her fuel, driving her onward through the darkness with the relentlessness of true terror. f̴̼͝o̵̬͆̌͌l̷̬̖̋ḱ̶͖͈̝͝l̷̳̱̘͙͊͒̊͝͝o̸͇̽̈́͆̎͜͝r̶̲̱͂̓̎ė̴̟͐̽. f̸o̵l̷k̶l̴o̷r̴e̵.. folklore...! she awoke with a gasp of life. family surrounded her, watching her with faces full of worry and concern. her legs were taking her somewhere, anywhere. where are you going? what are you running from? you are safe. safe safe safe oh, the bittersweet hope of security. and now folklore gazed up at the moon once again, a single teardrop falling down her face. curling into a ball, she cried, the moon looking down upon her sadly. you poor child. . . . (cont)
(cont) dear childhood, where did you go? what reality did you leave with me? where Death and Life are two, and I... I am one. I am the Bridge. The Seer. the innocence of you is no more, my old friend, I am made anew. do I alone bear this burden? purpose. this is my.. purpose. until I walk with you again, where Time and Life bid goodbye, and Death and I walk hand in hand. together. - folklore ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ - amazing art by @goosiito <3 it's finally finished !! starting at 6 moons of age, folklore will have nightmare disorder. she will have a pattern of 1-3 nightmare sequences per week, though depending on the moon cycle or how stressed she is, it could be more. this is the start to her new arc ! she will become more easily spooked, distant, and secretive, not wanting to burden her family. she believes she is sent these dreams, or visions as she sees them, by Life. she believes they are a glimpse of Death, and her mission is to guide everyone into the eternal Life. anywhere but where she's seen. she believes she is the bridge between Life and Death. not my best writing, but it was certainly an interesting perspective !! was going for a diary-like style.
