I swear her jaw dropped before she clenched her teeth and stared straight at me. A small sadistic part of me felt joy at her reaction. For the first time she seemed to be at loss for words, and this boosted my confidents to push even further.
"First of all, Nida darling, my green little snake, you will never be like me! Not even close, second of all, you opened the up close and personal part of this conversation. I am only following up."
Smirking, I didn't even feel a little bad for smirking at her. She's been the one with the upper hand I on all of our conversations and meeting. I've always felt smaller, helpless, or lesser than her in every way. It felt incredibly good knocking her down a couple of levels.
I scoffed and turned my attention towards the meat I had grilling by the fire. "Little human" That's what I've been called all my time here. Of course, at times in a sweet mainour, but it always felt like a way to remind me I am different. A reminder that I was never like them, nothing like any of them and I hated it! A slur for the weaker being in a world filled with magic and monsters. A sly smile twitched from the corner of my lip, and I looked up to meet Nida's eye,
"Oh, you little snake... You will never be like me! Like I said, this doesn't have to be complicated. I will leave at the first sight of light, without you. So, you can slither away through the bushes and do whatever your kind prefer to do. I don't have time for this; I've lost too much already!"
With a swift flick of my stick, my meat jumped out of the burning fire. Burning the tip of my fingers I managed to throw it on a little rock right beside it. Waiting for it to cool down, I laid back on the grass smiling at the night sky drizzled with stars. I rested my head on my hands. Like a painting, the sky decorated the canvas above us. A picture-perfect night view I could never see back on Earth. No single bright signs, streetlamps, or flashing lights in bright red and yellow. Only the darkness and the stars, with a cold full moon. No disturbances, no car alarms, shouting, loud music and wicked laughter filled the air beside screeching car tiers.
"Shadows are a natural occurrence in life and even the afterlife. However, shadows from the afterlife do not belong in the land of the living. Here, they can do significant damage to the carrier and to everything they touch. The darkness stains your heart and soul."
She paused and stared at me, and I sat up and, but I stared back. Unimpressed and with an arched brow, I am still trying to figure out how this has anything to do with me.
"The only way it can travel between worlds is through touch- a touch by the dead. I sense darkness around you. Did you take a shadow back, Eir?"
I frowned and stared at her before I busted out laughing.
"No, no, I didn't- darkness, hate, and cold. Yes, I have that; that is what this place has made me into! This place is evil, cunning, and cruel! I've busted my ass off for everything and nothing! I lost everything, everyone! All I knew! All I loved and hated! Without even a say in it. I will find my sister; I need to find her before this world ruins her, too! Before this world breaks her down, take everything from her like it did to me! I will leave tomorrow, and as long this is all you have to come up with, I suggest you find a new hobby."
"But I think that.."
"No, Nida, just no! I asked you a question. I just entertained you because I felt generous. So, tell me all about you and Huldra."
"Eir, this is a dangerous place. I have no idea what you heard about this forest, but it is even more wicked than you could ever imagined. And, despite all this, Huldra thrives here and that should tell you more than enough to understand you should respect her. Maybe even fear her in a healthy dose at least."
I couldn't help the chill that run down my back, but did my best to hold it back, to keep my composure.
"Nida, that's not what I asked."
"We were old friends."
"For goddess's sake Nida, for someone who claims I don't answer questions properly you sure know how to avoid them."
"Maura forest is Huldra's home, but it is more than that, it is also her prison. What you saw earlier, she wasn't always like that. Once she was a beautiful and kind girl. Sweet as day, and you would always find her surrounded by animals. They loved her as much as she loved them. Despite her horrific background and upgrowing, there was nothing but love and care in her. Nature spoke to her, and she listened. She spent her life walking from forest to forest, always answering natures call. And that is how I met her."
Already deeply involved in Nida's story, I nodded to encourage her. This part was more like the stories and old fables I grew up hearing about Huldra. An incredibly beautiful woman in sync with nature, helping and caring for animals and sometimes even helping humans that was lost in the woods. A woman so stunning, local farmers walked blindly into the forest to find her often leaving them lost and unable to find their way back.
"There she stood, in all her glory fiercely protecting a wounded horse and her foal from a group of laughing berserkers. It was obvious that they were playing with her, draining her but she refused to give up. Refused to give up on the helpless animals. four or five men, I don't remember exactly, switched on attacking her but they never tried to really hurt her. Instead, they cut pieces of her hair, her clothes, laughed and cheered as they successfully exposed her. You have no idea how awful berserkers were, not a single bone in their body knew compassion or kindness. But like the forest goddess she was, she didn't care. All she saw was two helpless creatures in need of help, two lives in need of her assistance. She would have died for them, and if I didn't show up, I still believe she would. Eventually at least."
I could picture it all as she spoke, and it all aligned so much more with the picture I had of Huldra from before.
"Anyways, that is how I met her. Before she was confined to this place, before everything changed. But you have to understand, she was once a human girl. A girl filled with hopes and dreams, but the day on her wedding"
"That is not your story to tell!"
We both jumped to our feet and stared straight at Huldra.