They're getting shorter... Lomax/TL
Softly, sweetly, the song floated through the trees, twisted and roamed the sun dappled forest. He couldn't make out the words clearly, but they were still beautiful.
A slight smile on his face, eyes fixed on the way ahead, he walked the forest paths, a slight human in dark colours. Dark brown hair, darker brown eyes in a pale face, the only real colour to him a slight glint of gold on the jewelled brooch set at his throat.
Heedless of brambles and roots, Lomax pushed out onto the edge of an easy slope of bright green grass that dropped to a small pool fed by a pure babbling brook. Sunlight glinted and glimmered on the bouncing water, and the melodious gurgle of the brook joined the female voice raised in gentle song.
In the pool, a woman of natural beauty, a creature of light eyes and smooth limb, bathed and sang of love and hope and beauty.
He stood there frozen, bound more powerfully than any spell woven by a foe. His eyes drank her in and in and in. A gentle breeze stirred the leaves of the trees.
She sees him, a slight start, a modest turning away, a shy glance of green eyes, always her voice sings, now a lullaby, soothing and warm and welcoming. She reaches one arm to him, fingers extended, fine and delicate crown to shapely perfection the colour of the ash trees that surround the mouth of the brook.
Slight smile still on his face, he descends slowly with smooth easy steps. Joy sings in his heart and anticipation of joy to come. His hand meets hers and warmth floods his head, the world drops away and only she remains, drawing him on, down into the brook. Their limbs intertwine, her body molding to his, firm and smooth, and their lips meet, linger.
She pulls away from the kiss and he drowns in her eyes, whispering words, "I love you...", and she smiles, trails kisses down the side of his face, down the side of his neck, hesitates over the pulsing vein then pulls back for the strike.
Grimey green fingers clamp on her throat and she is lifted bodily from the water, thrown in a single motion almost six metres up the slope and into a tree.
He cries out, the pain, the anguish of loss tearing through him. Tears stream down his face as strong arms enfold him, hold him close.
"It alright, Lom, it alright, me here...", she whispers to him. Over his shoulder her red eyes glare, locked with the pure green of the forest that shines from the Nyad's eyes. Razor sharp teeth extended, the Nyad hisses at the two of them from the muddy bank of the silt filled pond. Sluggish waters flow into it from the brook, partially dammed in several places by the bones and possessions of past victims.
With a glare, the Nyad pulls herself upright on the tree, then as naturally as she regained her feet, she pulls herself into the tree itself, eyes fading into knotholes.
After some time, the wracking sobs wind down and she pulls back, delicately lifting his face with one finger under his chin. "Lom...?"
"I'm... I'm alright, Gor... just cut it a little fine... No harm done." He visibly pulls himself together, frowns and a spark rekindles deep in his eyes. "Not yet, at least, eh?"
"We finish now.", Gor states, an answering spark kindling in her eyes.
"Oh yes, I think so.", he hesitates, then draws her back to him and kisses her quickly, hard. "And just to be clear, it's you I love, Gor, not her."
She grins around her tusks and as they step from the pool, bone crunching underfoot, and hands him the axe from her belt. "Prove it, weakling."
He hefts the blade and steps towards the tree she points to. "You bully me into everything."
Soon a new song sings in the dappled sunlight of the forest.