Dinner and Diplomacy
Harry sighed as the wisp led him deeper into the forest. It flickered weakly, almost apologetically, as if it were tired of this mess.
“Do you even know where you’re going?” He asked.
The wisp dimmed in response.
“That’s what I thought.” Harry shoved his hands into his coat pockets, trudging through the snow. “Brilliant. Stuck in a haunted forest, the monster’s missing, and now I’m trusting a glorified firefly to fix it.”
Another howl echoed behind him. It was distant, but enough to keep Harry’s predatory instincts on edge.
“Alright, alright, keep moving.” He muttered, quickening his pace.
The wisp led him to another clearing, smaller than the last. In the center was a massive carcass–something unidentifiable, all fur and limbs twisted in impossible angles.
“Lovely,” Harry said, wrinkling his nose. “What is this? A buffet?”
The wisp flitted around the carcass, glowing brighter.
“Don’t tell me you brought me here for a snack,” Harry said, crouching down to examine the thing. “Because as much as I don’t care about the whole eating-people thing, I prefer my meals cooked, thanks.”
A low growl rumbled behind him. Harry’s aura quickly became predatory, his hand halfway to the carcass.
Slowly, he turned.
The monster stood at the edge of the clearing, it’s dark form blending with the shadows. It’s eye sockets were locked on Harry, and it looked… different. There was a new intensity in its gaze, a coiled tension in its stance.
“Oh, there you are,” Harry said, standing. “Had me worried for a second.”
The monster tilted its head, then huffed. It padded into the clearing, sniffing the air.
“Friend of yours?” Harry asked gesturing to the carcass.
The monster ignored him, prowling closer to the body. It sniffed once, then tore into the thing with alarming enthusiasm. Flesh and bone crunched under its jaws, the sound almost comically loud in the stillness.
Harry leaned against a tree, watching with mild interest. “You could’ve at least shared.” He said dryly.
The monster growled, pausing mid-bite to toss a chunk of meat at Harry’s feet.
Harry blinked. “Generous.”
He nudged the meat with his foot, debating whether he was hungry enough to try it. Before he could decide, the whisp darted toward the monster, glowing brightly.
The creature stopped eating, its head head snapping up. It growled low, the sound reverberating through the clearing.
The wisp didn’t flinch. It hovered near the monsters head, flickering rapidly.
“What now?” Harry asked, stepping closer.
The monster let out a low rumble, it’s claws flexing. But it didn’t attack. Instead, it stood stil, allowing the wisp to circle it.
Harry frowned, his calculating eyes searching the two of them. “Are you two…communicating?”
The wisp pulsed once, then darted back to Harry. It bobbed in the air, it’s head light steady and calm.
The monster turned to Harry, it’s stance softening.
“Alright,” Harry said slowly. “What’s the plan.”
The wisp flickered, then zipped toward the edge of the clearing. The monster followed, it’s movement less predatory now, almost relaxed…
Harry sighed trailing after them. “If this leads to another creepy monolith, I’m going to lose it.”
But it didn’t.
The emerged from the fog, to find a familiar sight–the archway they’d entered through. The runes on the stone were dark. But the wisp darted to them, pulsing brightly.
The monster growled softly, glancing at Harry.
“Back through, I guess?” Harry said, stepping toward the arch.
The wisp flared brightly, and the runes began to glow. The air hummed with energy, and Harry felt the tug in his magic.
“Well here goes nothing,” he muttered, stepping through.
The transition was smoother this time, the cold and darkness replaced by the familiar gloomy woods near his home. Harry stumbled slightly. Landing with a graceful predatory jump on the floor.
The monster emerged behind him, sniffing the air. It growled softly, then padded toward the House, and gates around it, in the distance.
The wisp flickered for a moment, flickering faintly before vanishing into the night.
Harry sighed trading after the monster. “If you are expecting me to cook a midnight snack after all that, you’re out of luck.”
The monster growled, but there was no malice in it.
“Yeah, yeah.” Harry muttered, shoving his hands out of his pockets. “Next time, I’m letting you handle the creepy glowing Tinkerbell on your own.”
And with that’s they returned to the house, leaving the strange clearing–and it’s secrets–behind.