I awoke, peering through the many eyes of the forest dwellers. An intruder had appeared, a small intruder, but potentially still dangerous. The species it came from was capable of both great harm, and great good. There was no telling what this one would do.

Watching through a sleepy owl, I chuckled making the owl hoot softly. Apparently, what this intruder would do, was stumble around making enough noise to raise all the hunters in the forest. Gently, I extended my consciousness, warning them away, sending them easier prey so they left the intruder alone. No one wanted the retaliation that would come if this was a loved child, and it was found dead.

The night shifted to day, and still, the child stumbled. Still, it tried to find food, reaching for poisonous berries on more than one occasion. Watching through the eyes of a chipmunk, I pushed the berries out of the intruder's reach; convinced the plants to pull their branches out of the way. This child was worse than useless.

As day turned to night once again, I watched the child push its way deeper and deeper into the forest. It had long passed the point where it would be easily found by any searchers. And with an almost uncanny trajectory, it was headed straight towards my residence, towards the heart. After once again warning the predators away, I withdrew my consciousness from the animals and coalesced into a non-threatening physical form.

I would have to deal with the intruder personally. At least teach it how to survive inside the forest, so I didn't have to keep intervening. And I had just been planning to go down for a hundred-year nap. This would not be fun.

— — — — — — —

"What are you doing? It's a baby bird that fell out of the nest. Leave it to the first predator that comes along." I huffed at my charge. The child had grown larger, though it was still short of a full-grown adult. But it was old enough to communicate properly and was learning survival quite well. I could probably leave it alone now, but... it was nice having someone to talk to. Someone who could understand concepts and ideas that the animals of the forest could not.

"But I want to help it." The child said, hands gently lifting the peeping bundle of fluff. "It needs help."

"Yes, but the natural order of things means you are taking food away from a predator by saving its prey. Upsetting the balance of the forest. That sort of thing." I said.

"You saved me." The child frowned up at me, cradling the baby bird. "Shouldn't I have been a predator's meal?"

I sighed, turning away.

"Come on then, we'll have to go look for things to feed it while you raise it. And I will not be helping you, you will do it all on your own." The child scampered after me, moving with quiet speed, the first thing I'd trained it in; how to move through the forest without calling the wrong attention to yourself. I didn't answer the question and knew the child wouldn't ask again, it knew better than to pester me. But the question wormed its way deep into my heart, waiting for the day it would need an answer.

— — — — — — —

"Come quick, come quick!" The child— though now full-grown, I couldn't bring myself to call it anything else— ran into our sanctum at the heart of the forest. A raven sat on its shoulder, the adult version of the chick it had rescued. I raised my head, frowning at the child.

"What is it?"

"I've been to the edge of the forest and there are men there."

"I know, I felt them step into the trees—"

"They have fire!" The three words dropped from the child's lips and into my ears like stones. Fire. Rising, I moved towards the child, growing as I did so, until I doubled its size. With wide eyes, it stared up at me, as I growled.

"Stay here. You will be safe. I will be back."

I ran through the forest, the trees bending and shifting around my passage, the animals and birds fleeing towards the heart, away from the edges, away from the danger. The noise of their passage was the only sound that reached my ears until I drew closer to the forest's boundary. Fire crackled up the trees, small dark figures moving behind the flames.

"YOU DARE SET FIRE TO THE FOREST!" I shouted, my voice the sound of trees cracking in the winter, the rush of rivers, the loud screams of agonized prey and the triumphant screech of a hunter. The men ran, racing away from the forest, retreating. In two strides I left the forest, reaching towards the figures, all anger and vengeance, determined to destroy.

Arms outstretched, a smaller figure dashed in front of me, a raven swooping in, and landing on its shoulder.

"Stop!" The child shouted, glaring up at me.

"They destroy the forest!" I yelled back, though tempering the volume. "They deserve to die!"

"They will kill you." Motioning behind, the child pointed at the massed ranks of men just cresting over the hill. "Your power is tied to the forest, is it not? Out here..."

I looked at the army arrayed against me, then at the child in front of me. Anger still distorted my features, still powered my desire to kill the attackers.

"Why did you stop me? They are your kind." I lashed out, knowing the words would hurt the child, knowing it might let me pass if I hurt it enough.

"Why did you save me? I am not your kind." It stared up at me, water forming on its face. Human tears. "Why did you keep me safe, why did you train me, why do any of it?" Looking down at the child, memories of our time together flooded over me, taking me back to that first helpless moment I saw it stumbling through the forest.

"Love." It was a word the child had taught me, even though I had felt it before I knew what it was. "Because of love."

"And I stop you because of the same. Because of love." The child paused, as if summoning up courage. "Because I love you... Mother." I staggered back, the weight of that word slamming into my chest. Mother? I was a god, a force of nature, I had no children, except— Staring down at the small tear-stained face, I held out my hand, shrinking down to a more regular size.

"Daughter. Let's go home."

The child slipped her hand into mine and we turned away from the human army, back to the forest, where the fire had begun to die. She had been right, it had been a trap, destruction to draw me out. I smiled as we walked through the trees. The forest would heal, and we would remain inside. Alive, and together. Mother and daughter.

— — — — — — —

Visit r/Mel_Rose_Writes for more stories!

Alt+4 then grab eraser

What did it say

The glass shattered as the figure stumbled through the window

"I'm here to kill you!" Announced the assassin, an elf girl, Edric couldn't tell her age. Elves were tricky, you see, barely aging through their long life.

"Can you wait until after I've finished my meal?" Edric said, looking down at his ham sandwich, "I've been starving all day."

"I-" the elf faltered, looking back at the man with a bemused expression, "Did you not hear me right, I am here to kill you, I am an assassin!"

"Well there's no need to do it now, unless you're on a tight schedule. I hear the best assassins have multiple hits a day." he then gestured to the kitchen. "Tea?" he asked.

"Are you insane you old man?" she asked.

"Well, I certainly hope not." Edric replied, "I'm only..." he thoughtfully gazed up at the ceiling, performing mental maths, "Twenty eight." he finally said, looking back over to the elf, who was now glaring back at him.

"Why, in the name of the forebearers, did you need to work out your own age?"

"I'm not the best with dates." Edric said, "But if I'm an old man to you, then you must be a very young assassin. How'd you get in the business?"

"Enough!" she exclaimed, brandishing a silver handled dagger, "I have been hired to murder you, can you please just come over here and let me stab you or something?"

"Who hired you?" Asked the man. "I bet it was Gerald, old man keeps thinking 'm spying on him. I'm just admiring my damn lawn, the one I own and keep."

She sighed. "Tedricas Vrone."

"Oh, oh." Edric said, it all clicking into place like some gigantic clockwork...clock. Edric was not a poetic man by any measure. "You're the assassin I hired to kill me."

"What." The look on the girl's face was priceless: confusion, worry, maybe even a little pity.

"I heard there was a new hired killer in this city, I wanted to test their mettle, see what they had in them. You did poorly."

"I did not-"

"You threw a brick into my window, crawled through, and then announced that you were here to kill me, loudly. At any point here I could've killed you." Edric shook his head. "How in the name of the Blessed did someone so loud and utterly unimaginative become a person who kills people for money."

"I-"

"Le me guess," Edric cut her off, "Orphan." he suggested.

She nodded.

"Shame how many there are of you these days. Oh well, good thing you have me to guide you in all this."

"What the hell are you talking about?" she just seemed confused and bewildered at that point; Edric didn't blame her, he had as well when he was her age.

"Now, I am offering the opportunity of a lifetime: I will teach you everything I know about the fine art of killing a man for gold. If you check the contract I sent you, it clearly states that the due date for the killing is in seven years. In that time, I will turn you into the best killer there ever was."

"And then...?"

"And then," Edric stood up from his table, sliding the chair back as he took the plate with him into the kitchen, the elf following close behind, "And then I will put you through the most dangerous day of your life. If you do what you did back there, I wont hesitate to shove that dagger through your own heart. But if you push yourself to the limits, and then even a little further..." he grinned, "Then I will be dead, and you will have fulfilled your first contract."

He then stretched out his hand, covered in tiny scars. "What do you say?"

The elf eyes him suspiciously for a moment, before hesitantly taking it. she then shoved the dagger into his side.

He keeled over, blood leaking from the wound like water from a tap. She turned, walking away.

It was then she saw Edric, completely fine and now sitting back at the table, with yet another sandwich. "Nice try." was all he said, before going back to eating his meal.

[deleted]

Ok it got removed, never fucking mind then

"How do you get from one place to the other so quickly?"

An annoying question to hear while enjoying my coffee, but it is one I do get fairly often. Luckily AI am at home, so I don't have to worry about people being concerned about the 'crazy man talking as if magic is real'.

"Magic. When Mother was raiding me, she understood that because I was a child of hers, I would have innate magical capabilities. She also understood that it would irrevocably affect the world, so she got Melin to teach me about magic and to find a way for me to use it without severely affecting others." I explain, my mind drifting back to those simpler times over a thousand years ago.

"Hang on. I thought you just used a teleportation device." My troubleshooter asked, her voice in my ear.

"In a manner of speaking, I do. Magic comes from a level of understanding that humans are not capable of, in their current state. When I need to travel a vast distance quickly, I go through a door, or portal, as I view them. For me, portals are openings through which you travel from one place to another. You go through the door in the hallway and enter the door of the kitchen. I view those doors as portals and am able to connect with every door on the planet. Makes travelling around highly efficient."

"Sounds incredible, but why can't we do that? Us humans." The inevitable follow-up question.

"Here's the thing. Magic is real, it is not like the magic seen in movies, TV shows or books. Magic helps people shape their perception of reality. When you answer the question "How do you describe your ideal partner?" that question alters how view the world. You will be more attracted to a person that fits those ideals. Even if there would be a better match with someone who doesn't fit those physical characteristics. You shape how you see the world. Magic is just that principle, understood on a fundamental level that humans are not ready for. Because I deeply understand that Magic is real, and how it affects the world, I am able to tap into that."

"But why can't we do that?"

"Fear and doubt. If human was to ever get over their xenophobia, racism, sexism, religion. Any mentality that divides 'us and them' makes it hard to for humanity to tap into magic, because of the fears and doubts that are paired with those negative traits. And as horrible as it sounds. I am glad of this fact. Consider the world as it is now, and throw magic into that maelstrom. Racists who can wield magic, homophobes who can use magic. False believers in gods who can use magic. Politicians with magic." I pause as I physically shudder at that horrifying thought.

"But because of your fears and doubts, you cannot wield magic. Which is not a bad thing. When I send my people into warzones to evacuate civilians, they are able to navigate the portal labyrinth. And as long as they focus on their task, they will not get lost. Imagine what it would be like navigating a labyrinth of doors, then discovering you are lost."

"Maybe us using magic is not such a great idea." My troubleshooter notes quietly.

[removed]

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Suffice to say I’m hooked AND spooked

I'd love more, yes!

No, it mean you are self aware about it

[removed]

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>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include "[Poem]" >* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail >* See Reality Fiction and Simple Prompts for stricter titles >* Be civil in any feedback and follow the rules

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Lol good point. I figure after 20 years of isolation, then a) they've already collected all the cool stuff by now, and/or b) they've become just a little bit wacko re: their priorities

Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.

Reminders:

>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include "[Poem]" >* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail >* See Reality Fiction and Simple Prompts for stricter titles >* Be civil in any feedback and follow the rules

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Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.

Reminders:

>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include "[Poem]" >* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail >* See Reality Fiction and Simple Prompts for stricter titles >* Be civil in any feedback and follow the rules

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Just a big punch to the dick with that one. Your story was good. It was necessary.

[deleted]

[removed]

How tf is this gonna trick me here and real life. Jerk.

That's pretty how much this account started, it's the alt account for writing. I wanted a pseudonym for my writing when I started returning to it. I haven't really considered making all of my projects connected but there's certainly a way to since they don't have to be the same planet/world to be the same universe. I've also had a concept for a while to have at least one character in the background that connects them, like the G-man in Half Life. Not really original but could be fun

Always good to have more reasons to write. I'm working on getting back to it after a while

Plot twist she's luring fellow survivors to the wrong island for nefarious purposes

I used to do a lot of freelance work doing reviews on comics, video games, movies, etc; I used to write a lot of poetry when I was younger; and outside of stuff for a couple of homebrew D&D campaigns I never really wrote any fiction. Now I just work with computers all day.

I really appreciate seeing this and it's deeply encouraging ❤️

I'm relatively new to Reddit and been lurking this subreddit for a bit. Some posts seemed really interesting but I was too nervous to post anything before.

This one inspired me and I knew I had to write something. Thank you!