Fireflies - begining draft
He felt regret shadow heavily over his heart as he slumped on the grass which was still covered in a sheen of dew. The feeling loomed above him just like the fog that crawled over the lake, covering everything within view with a melancholic blanket. A few stray rays of sun were peeking through the murk at the far east edge of the dark water, but they were still not enough to break through. Not enough to pass the cloud that engulfed him tightly.
Abandoned he lay on the field of green letting moisture from beneath him seep through his robe, stream down his cheeks. It was just one of those days when his wings refused to carry him, too weak to manage the additional weight of his dark emotions. One of those days that became frequent over the last couple of years. Or was it centuries? He couldn't remember.
He couldn’t quite recall how many mornings he welcomed like this, sprawled lifelessly as if waiting to be consumed by a bird. Or a fish when he lay too close to the shore for comfort.
Inviting death.
It was a half-hearted attempt since none of his mortal enemies would approach him in his current form. Not when he looked so human. Lean limbs, long legs, elegant fingers and a pretty face framed with a mess of dark curls.
Deep ember eyes that knew all the downsides of a limitless lifetime.
He did know death, after all it took most of his friends away by now. Eating them up or catching with nets and locking in jars, treating like an ordinary bug with luminescent organs. Even a demon firefly would wither away in a cage. Freedom was one of the sources of life.
Freedom.
The word made him chuckle darkly. It stung like a knife in his back. Tasted too much of solitude.
This lake and this meadow were supposed to be his freedom, his haven. It was the place that he choose more than four hundred years ago as his shelter. Running away from all the places that bore too many painful memories.
Happiness filled his heart to the brim in the first decades he spent in this charming area. Mornings were full of sun and joy as he spread his wings to clean them with dew. Energized he would fly around for hours as if on a patrol; a secret guardian of the beautiful lake. He loved the serenity, the quiet, and the animals that loved him back as they felt a fellow in him despite his human form. He knew every single inhabitant, every rock and tree. The forest surrounding the blue waters held no secrets from him. It was his home.
A home he had no one to share it with.
Back in the days humans used to wander into his territory by sheer accident. Taking the wrong path, losing their way, exploring the mysterious and unknown. They brought entertainment and he humored himself with talking with them pretending to be a wandering merchant or a scientist of sort.