Cold Breath

Briar lied, well not really. In truth the glowing white light didn't bother her it was the fact that the intensity of it increased, making it daylight inside the cottage. And to make matters worse, no matter how loud Briar shouted Adelita's name or shook her, she wouldn't wake from her nightly meditation.

Briar groaned in frustration, rubbing her face roughly. Automatically she reached for the Sleepers Shade on her persons. It took her a few seconds to remember why her fingers grasped empty space. Tate took it and her source was no longer willing to supply her. Ever since Knox admitted to his attraction of the male population, he appointed himself her official gay best friend, and then came to the realization that best friends don't let other best friends find solace in drugs. Even though it was a natural secretion of Arachnoidal Beings, he refused to be a pusher anymore. Briar was starting to think her world was one giant cosmic joke.

Speaking of jokes, Briar was in a state of mental mirth. She may act like a little mouse but with her beady little eyes she saw plenty. She smirked at the memory of Tate and Caia. Finally Tate was using his heat for something useful. Caia was a little frigid, hopeful Tate had enough skill to thaw her frozen heart.

Soon her head began to throb, not even the hilarity of the two love birds could block out the intense light. She needed some air. Briar pulled a pair of sweat pants over her night shorts and a sweater over her head. Silently she slipped out of the cottage. It was a brisk night, actually it was unnaturally cold. A thin layer of frost covered the ground; it was odd for this time of the year. Briar based that on the weather climate at the guild. Maybe Centrum Mundi was a two season kind of place.

Briar slowly followed a twisting gravel pathway, getting further from the cottage. Slowly the cold started to gain Briar's attention. She wrapped her arms around her tightly, trying to keep her warmth from escaping. While rubbing her hands up and down her arms, she jarred her dowel almost knocking it to the ground. She quickly grabbed it before it could fall and gasped; a thin layer of ice covered it.

"My dowel!" Briar was shocked. It was cold, but it wasn't that cold. Was it? She could feel a slow chill creeping into her bones. Maybe leaving the cottage wasn't such a good idea. She looked back longingly at the cottage. It was warm in there, but utterly bright. Maybe Jervan had an extra couch.

She came to a fork in the path and followed the one leading towards the house. She cupped her hands together trying to warm them. Her teeth started to chatter. "This can't be normal." She picked up her pace, but came to a halt as she heard something scurry in the brush. Her eyes scanned the surrounding growth. She jumped and squeaked as the bushed quivered. Suddenly a small boulder sized, egg shaped creature rolled out from underneath the bush. It came to a stop and popped up.

It had big black doe like eye, a stubby tail with blunt points crawling up its spine and stopping behind its ears. Two tiny horns protruded from his nose. Sporadically dotted on its body were leaves and pebbles. Its four legs uncurled from its body. It looked up at Briar and yawned. A little mewling sound emitted from its mouth.

Briar smile widely. "What a cute critter you are," she cooed at it. The creature let two bark like sounds out and its tail started to wag. "Aren't you a cutie?" She bent down and put her hand out for the creature to sniff it. The creature stopped wagging its tail and sniffed the offered limb suspiciously. Without warning the creature rolled into her hand and started licking her.

Briar lost her balance and fell on her butt. The creature took advantage of the fallen body and rolled up her arm to shoulder then her face and started licking and waging its tail like crazy. Bubbles of laughter came out of Briar, only spurring on the little creature on.

"He likes you." Briar choked on her salvia and rolled over trying to gasp for air. Dash was suddenly kneeled next to her patting her on the back trying to help her clear her lungs. Briar froze feeling a shadow swallow her. The biting cold returned with a vengeance. "Are you okay? I didn't mean to frighten you." His patting turned into circle rubbing.

Briar slowly put her trembling hand up, causing Dash to stop his menstruations. "I'm fine." It was barely a whisper. Dash leaned down and cupped his ear. Briar cleared her throat, or tried to. "I'm fine. Could you help me up, please?" She started to tremble a little as Dash stood up, lifting her up by her arm pits. Her trembling grew as she was lifted clear off the ground.

"Sorry." Dash chuckled and gently set Briar down. He didn't expect her to be so lite; he over compensated.

Before Briar could tuck tail and run. The little egg started growling at Dash and biting his shoes. "Little guys trying to protect you. He thinks I'm going to hurt you," Dash said jokingly. He leaned down playing with the little egg. "Bean’s here is a Budic. There odd creatures but friends for life. Ever since I was little he's been around. Their like turtles, they grow slowly." Dash let his finger get caught, letting Beans gnaw on his digit.Dash looked up from the rabid Beans. His smile slowly fell as he took in Briar state of fear.

Briar's eyes were wide with irrational fear. She didn't know where the fear steamed from. Maybe the guild cultivated it from being looked down and picked on. But she got the nagging feeling it was from something in her childhood, but it was a blank spot in her memory. She knew instinctively Dash was a good person, but his demeanor was intimidating. That’s was frightened her. That was until she saw the saddened look on his face. His eyes lost their joy and pain filled them.

"Sorry to bother you. I was checking on the plants and Beans. I will be going." He turned and started dragging his feet back to the house with his head hanging. The little egg looked between then completely torn who to go to.

Briar felt like crap. She let her head fall and caught sight of the dancing butterfly. Think before you act. The wind whispered all around her. It was her father. He seemed to know more than he let on and was always giving her advice. It was after a visit from a psych-mage that Briar's father was always around. As far as anyone knew Briar was just fearful of the world, but the truth was the mage put a binding spell on a memory that would cripple her.

The memory of his words and the strength behind them, made something weaken in Briar. On instinct she sprinted forward and swept the startled Beans into her arms and quickly blocked Dash from entering the house. Briar was scared, but the need to make things right was stronger. Dash didn't deserve the fear people placed solely on his appearance.

Dash tried to side step her, but she copied his foot work, trying to stop him. "Dash, wait. Please stop." He let out angry sigh, but stopped. This was her chance. "I apologize for my actions." Briar slowly let each word slide from her mouth. Not because she thought he was slow, but because she wanted to make sure she made things better not worse. "I don't know what makes me so fearful of...well everything. But please don't take it personally."

The whole time Briar spoke she was fidgeting, shifting Beans from hand to hand. It was uncomfortable for her to admit her faults and the fact that she didn't understand why she was the way she was. When Dash didn't say anything she looked up.

His face was scrunched in concentration. His facial expression was void of any readable emotion. Slowly his face relaxed. "Apologize accepted." A small smile graced his lips. Dash looked down and laughed. "Why don't you keep him? I think he likes you." Dash pointed to the Beans.

Briar didn't even notice that he had fallen asleep. His legs and tail were tucked under him, making him look like a white egg with mold.

“By the way, why are you out here?" Dash asked. On cue Briar shivered.



Centrum Mundi was huge. Jervan recommended that they partner up and leave the house in staggered amounts of time, so it wasn't a mass exodus causing attention. Briar would've rather gone in the afternoon, but Knox was the first up and was banging pans around in the kitchen. Lucky her, the couch she slept on just happen to be in range of the kitchen.

"You look...tried." Knox smiled sweetly as he kept hold of Briar, making sure she didn't get lost in the mass of beings.

"I haven't been sleeping well." She shoved her hand into sweater pocket and smiled. The little egg had stowed away in her sweater, after she tried to leave him at the house with Dash. However, Briar couldn't complain; he was warm and seemed to keep the chill away. She was starting to wonder if anyone else noticed how cold it was or if it was just her.

"Withdrawal symptom. Sorry. Your sleep cycle should even out in a week or two." Briar wrinkled her nose in irritation.

"Thanks. So do you have anything you want to see or do? We have a few hours to kill." They were passing a more colorful part of the city where the fae frequented.

Briar suddenly stumbled, knocking into a female fae causing her to face plant into the food she was eating. Knox growled as water was suddenly dumped from a second story room, soaking him.

"What is going on?" Knox pointed to a nearby crowd. They both noticed how everybody was having some kind of misfortune, whether it was slipping or tripping, or catching on fire. Some were worse than others, while others seemed to be spared.

"It looks like bad luck." Briar jumped as a voice suddenly reached her. Before Briar and Knox was a short chubby man. He had white hair that caused his solid blue eyes to pop. He grimaced as two fae started yelling at him in a language that sounded like earth shifting.

Briar was confused. How did the little fairy know what was going on? She nudged Knox, but he didn't respond she looked up at him and swallowed a laugh.

Knox was starting at the man like he was a tasty treat. The man turned slightly to avoid a chair flying through the air. His back revealed a pair of wings that dusted glitter. They were of average size and resembled bee wings with a slight glow.

"Like a juicy, plump fly. I can't wait to get him in my web and-"

"Knox!" Briar shouted. Knox shook his head as if in a trance. The fairy was looking at him like he was crazy. Knox smiled showing his fangs.

The fairy backed away with wide eyes. "Watch it Keleb!" The little fairy was shoved into Knox. "Nobody wants you here. All you do is attract trouble." The other fae shook his fist at Keleb taking a step towards him, until Knox showed his fangs.

Briar watched Knox and Keleb try to untangle from each other. She was about to lend a hand, when she caught sight of a shadow in the distance. Two red eyes stared out of it. The shadow shifted and cobalt light flared in the center of it then quickly died down. A sudden and aching chill course through Briar then tapered down to a slight chill. She took a breath and breathed out frost. Her eyes widened in fear and distress. She searched for the shadow, but it was gone. Her stomach fell as her fingers had a slight blue tint to them.