✧･ﾟ Don't wander into the forest...

You’ve heard it countless times, the same tale told to children, still whispered among the adults.If you hear laughter, it’s too late.The laughter echoes all around you, beautiful despite all the warnings. You’ve heard it for a while. You heeded those before you, stuck to the edge of the trees when you were brave enough to venture close. And yet, even with all of your efforts, you find yourself in the middle of a glade.Weeping willows bow over the edge of a pond. Their thin branches flutter, lush with leaves, like curtains on either side of a stage. The water itself is clear and inviting, the reflection of a full moon dancing on the surface. Giant lily pads spot the water. Small white blooms lace each one, countless. You inch a little closer.Don’t go too far.A gust of wind runs its fingers through your hair, carrying the sweet scent of honeysuckle along with it.“Are you lost?”Blood rushes in your ears. The rhythm reminds you of rabbits darting into bushes, their little hearts frantic as they realize they’ve been spotted. Prey in the face of something that would very much like to eat them.You spin around, looking for the voice, when you see her.Where a path once was is a field of lavender, and in the middle lounges a fae. The purple fronds sway with her movements. She sits up to get a better look at you. Her ears, long as they are, lay against her bare shoulders. The horn in the middle of her forehead glints in the low light. Your heart pounds, frantic.She holds a leaf in her hand and raises it to her mouth. Some of the moonlight spills, coursing down her neck.Your tongue dries out at the sight. Despite your misgivings you find yourself longing to know, just once, what moonlight tastes like.

Never speak to the fae.

Then, the smell of honeysuckle. You feel the brush of hair against your cheek. She’s close, the feel of her warmth driving away the chill from the night air. Your eyes can’t help but linger.
“Are you?” she asks.Maybe you were lost once, a long time ago.

Never speak to the fae.

“No,” you say. “I’m not lost at all.”The taste of moonlight lingers on your tongue as she takes your hand.You are exactly where you are meant to be.

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