A long walk, a missing trail, a sun that never seems to move from the sky… on and on you walked in the forbidden wood, the infamous Labyrinth Forest, hoping to find the thing that so many had whispered were gone. Few creatures could find their way safely here, many of them disappearing with their human Keepers; many were found, certainly, horribly lost, confused and holding no memory of what occurred in the trees, but every so often someone simply wouldn’t return.

Shadows, wraiths, demons, monsters—everyone had a name for the dangers that were said to lurk within, even going so far as to name a particular phantom The Travelling Haze, said to be responsible for consuming the memories of the lost; if you failed to give up your memories, you’d be trapped, wandering endlessly until a worse fate fell upon you.

But that was superstition. Astral beings existed, certainly, and like every other they could be tamed, captured and befriended—you intended to prove that by capturing The Haze or discovering the truth behind the rumors.

That, or discover what was so worth protecting that shades and demons had to be brought into the picture.

Perhaps you’ve just discovered that. The light overhead changed suddenly, the golden sun taking on a bluish hue that caught you by surprise. With it came a feeling that something had changed, you were displaced, the bark becoming unusual upon the trees, the grass losing its rough sound and green color, the air becoming thick and sweet—something changed, it felt wrong, yet not bad.

A magical aura filled the trees and refused to let go, even as you back tracked, leaving no choice but to press on, toward a pinpoint between the leaves that shifted from blue to pink to purple as you approached, being careful to avoid sticks and rocks in case you scared whatever was causing this liminal space—or in case the sound led it right to you. Pulling back the branches of a bush, you peered through, praying it wasn’t anything large or hungry.

You paused, breath catching.

There, coats radiating in the light that pierced through the canopy, were creatures you’d never seen before: a stag on delicate legs with antlers of amethyst that cast dancing lights over the ground; a tender doe with swaying frills as fine as tulle; a little fawn the color of dusty flowers, hidden in the shade…

Photo edit by me