[u]Sparrot[/u]

Sparrot’s small eyes fixated suddenly, his mind bursting with excitement as he spotted below him the forest imp he had been waiting for, already eager to please his one and only. Before the bird could consider its course of action however a gentle voice drifted up from below.

[b]"Ah, Sparrot, you give yourself away. No other bird would so brutally murder an innocent fairy. Come now and show yourself."[/b]

Sparrot turned his head and hopped forwards slightly, now that the imp knew he was here and waiting it would be pointless to attempt to conceal himself, not that it mattered to his agenda. Leaping from his perch and taking flight for a few brief moments Sparrot cawed before landing on a branch this time only slightly higher than the ground, practically eye level with his quarry now. 

[b]"The wind is very strange tonight, what kind of sorcery is your master up to this time, eh?" continued the imp "He shouldn't meddle so with my forest, I might become angry."[/b]

The subtleties of Aergar’s tone was lost on the bird, who continued to cock his head back and forth as he spoke. Was the imp aware of his master’s plot already? Impossible, surely he referred to something of little to no interest – after all, only Phrenesis said things that were interesting. 

“Aergar Wald” squawked Sparrot, his voice cracked and slightly shrill, as always involuntarily phrasing his sentences like a peculiar tune “it is not we, who meddle with your forest”. 

The bird paused briefly and narrowed its eyes as it gazed deep into Aergar, taking in the imps features and mannerisms once more. Though his brain and memory were fragmented Sparrot recalled this one, the joy he had felt at the sprites’ mischievous antics and somewhat cruel nature, the complexity of his thoughts and actions went beyond the scope of what the bird could comprehend, but he knew he was capable and was not the enemy of his master, and that was all he needed to know at this moment. 

“Aergar Wald, it is time again, this time, all time” began the bird eccentrically “the darkness grows and with it so can we all, grow, grow grow! Phrenesis my love wants Aergar Wald, and so Aergar Wald must be told, and so he is told”. 

The bird twisted its head suddenly and gazed down at the little mauled fae that lay in the leaves at the imps feat before he suddenly added “it did not know, it did not want to go. So quick, so easy, off it does go. Into the dark, I wonder, does it now know?” Pleased with his cryptic words Sparrot squawked once more before he fell silent, watching Aergar intently as he did so. 

[u]Fritz[/u]

Fritz groaned, his head hurt and he tasted the tangy and bitter flavour of soil. Opening his eyes slowly he realised that he felt very strange, like his entire body was a little numb and tingly and was just starting to wake up. Looking around he could see that he was still in the forest, but it somehow looked and even felt different somehow. Rubbing his cheek Fritz realised that he must have landed face first, a smudge of soil up his face and his glasses where nowhere to be seen. Beside him lay his bag, however it looked like it had come undone and some of his books and things were missing, he quickly rifled through and realised that he only had his chemistry book and his notebook. Several others including a history book, algebra book and his fantasy books were gone. He was also missing a few of his things like his pencil case and a packet of gum that had been in his bag. Standing up he stretched out as he looked around, the trees surrounding him looked different somehow, more… naturally tree-like if that even made sense. The air smelt clean and rich, scents of the forest assailing his senses from all around. 

Looking up he gasped slightly at the sight of the sky, the stars being clear and visible and far more numerous than he had ever seen before. Picking up and shouldering his bag he took a few steps forwards before realising that he had no idea where he was or which way to go to get home. Frowning slightly he decided that the only thing for it was to try and make his way out of these woods one way or another, and so started to walk forwards, however this time deciding to stick to any trails that he could find that may guide him out of here. 

After only a very short distance he heard something, the sound of words making their way through the trees, instantly grabbing his attention and pulling him towards the source of the sound. He couldn’t make out the words but he could tell it was two people who were talking, one of them sounded very strange indeed, though the other didn’t sound like anyone he had heard before either, his curiosity now burning within him. Moving forwards quietly now Fritz peered around the edge of a tree, spotting suddenly a figure stood a short way away in the distance he froze as he realised that the person in question wasn’t particularly a person at all. The first thing to give it away was the pair of short horns protruding from his head, coupled with his definite otherworldly and unnatural appearance Fritz suddenly realised that something very strange indeed was going on. The next thing that came to his attention was the other person who was speaking, or again the fact that it wasn’t a person at all but rather a dark raven perched on a branch who was uttering whimsical nonsense as far as he could tell. 

Questions began to assail Fritz’s mind, who and [i]what[/i] were these people? Where on earth was he? What were they talking about? He strained his ears intently trying to listen, but all he heard were some squawks and something about going into the dark. Shifting forwards slightly Fritz flinched as he stood on a sizable twig, a very audible ‘snap’ emanating from it a piercing the moment of silence. He remained very still for a moment before deciding not to try and stay hidden like some eavesdropper who had been caught red handed, and so took a step away from the tree and into the open, his heart pounding with both excitement and fear. 

“H-hello?” he managed to blurt out, his voice traveling clearly across to where the pair were stood, his pulse still racing as he waited for an answer. 

[u]Phrenesis[/u]

The sweet sickly smell of sugar was thick and pungent within the small backroom of the shop, mixed with numerous other odours associated with flour, honey and general baking. A pot atop the large iron stove was filled with a dark gooey paste, stood before it was a young woman who was covered in all manner of different substances, flour smudged across her chin and neck, one hand coated in dried honey with bits of different nuts and seeds stuck within it, even a bit of egg shell had managed to find its way into her long auburn hair which was tied back into a haphazard bun. Rubbing her eyebrow she managed to add a splotch of the dark gooey paste to her face before she sighed loudly and twirled herself backwards and onto a wooden stool sat beside a counter covered in all kinds of ingredients. 

“Impossible, impossible…” she mumbled to herself absentmindedly, pausing for a moment in deep thought before she suddenly exclaimed “I know!” reaching over to a small crate that was obviously out of place in the small kitchen, its wood being old and somewhat rotted after a period of long storage. From within the crate she pulled out an old cobwebby jar and attempted to open it several times with her hands, the lid staying stuck fast. After more failed attempts she sighed excessively once more and exclaimed to herself “daamn these fragile arms…”

After a brief moment of thought she shrugged before throwing the jar directly down at the ground with all of the strength she could muster, causing it to shatter as the finely ground contents spilled out onto the floor. “I suppose there are other advantages to keep in mind” she continued, reasoning with herself as she took a brief moment to once more run her hands up her body before resting them briefly on her chest and giving a quick squeeze or two as she did so an unhinged grin remaining upon her face. Reaching down she took a pinch of the substance that had spilled from the Jar, sprinkling it into the troublesome looking mix that was now beginning to bubble as it heated. Licking the remaining powder from her fingers she then licked her lips and made yummy noises saying “Oh it’s been so long since I’ve enjoyed powdered unicorn!” 

The woman continued in this way, speaking to herself and adding various ingredients into whatever she was making. At one stage she picked up a wooden cutting board which was covered in eggshells, bits of dough and a few other bits of miscellaneous kitchen waste before taking it outside to where there was a grate that fed down into the little cellar the shop was built upon. “Here you go daddy!” she said merrily, sweeping the waste down the little shoot to where the girl’s shackled father was restrained, the refuse tumbling down and out of sight into the gloomy cellar. The stubborn baker man had gotten too smart for his own good, having realised after the other night that his daughter was being possessed by some kind of malevolent spirit and then trying all manner of stupid folk cures to rid her of it. Phrenesis had been entertained at first, mocking and toying with the man by pretending to be driven out before then continuing to return and torment him, eventually it had gotten to be too much and he broke the man’s will a little. As much as the man begged to be trusted and assured Phrenesis that he wouldn’t try to escape or tell anyone whilst the spirit was in possession of his daughter for fear of what it might do, the chaotic spirit had in turn decided to lock him securely in the cellar where he could do no harm. Once there Phrenesis had begun to question the man on all manner of topics regarding baking and such delicious treats, bombarding him with some of the most senseless and ill-considered questions he had ever heard, the spirit clearly knowing nothing about baking at all. 

Moving back inside the little kitchen the woman once more began to sing and prance around as she continued to make what would undoubtedly be some very very bad pastries, giggling to herself the whole time.