Dark Forest - Rune

[runeneko]

The forest was dark; the cloying, sweet scent of rotting clung to dead roots and fallen trees, hidden alcoves where small animals died with nothing to notice their passing but the insects that fed upon their decaying flesh. The sky was hidden by intertwining branches far above, creating a strong canopy that could almost hold the weight of a man. The vast twilight navy above the treetops was clear, but to the forest inhabitants, it mattered little.

To one oddly out-of-place housecat, it was a big deal.

In the highest tree, upon the highest branch, a scrawny black and white cat sat, tail waving below lazily and thrice longer than normal. Two too-large, black, white tipped ears perched atop a small, narrow head to which the only visible green eye was much too large. The other was almost hidden in shadow, the fur so black and eye shut tight, it seemed almost eerie. The single, almost solid emerald green eye if not for the near pin-thin pupil, was trained upon the direction of the awakening sun.

The forest was silent to the human ear, the hush of the new day just blowing in and would soon leave as the residents awoke. But to the enhanced hearing of the housecat, it was teeming with scents and sounds that was as comforting to the feline as the secret glade that housed the graves of her dead mother and caregiver.

Slowly, the sun in the east rose and light kissed the scrawny feline. A sound, like muffled chirping, trilled from the cat's throat, nostrils flaring over and over, like the cat was trying to smell the sun. Once the sun was halfway above the horizon, dying the sky in it's luminescent pinks and purples, the feline turned and scurried down the tree, jumping from branch to branch, entering holes and exiting further down. Emerging from the roots of the humungous tree, the cat took off at a trot and disappeared into the undergrowth.

[runeneko]

The feline reappeared from the undergrowth like a wraith from the deepest shadows. It's footsteps were near silent, only the small crackle of dead leaves and grass signalling presence. The housecat trotted into a glade, not very big by any human means, but to the cat, it was more than enough. Dotted here and there were shafts of sunlight that streamed down from the treetops where the sun could penetrate and within those beams of light, bunched flowers that bloomed beautifically.

The grass that could be seen by the sun was light, airy green that reached for the sunlight like a desperate man, possessed. Compared to the gloomy darker colors of the grass and surrounding trees cast into lightened shadow, it was a shock of color so exuberant, you would be awestruck for but a moment. Unfortunately, (or fortunately, depending on the point of view of the cat) none could see the beauty of the secret glade, as it's name proclaims, none but the cat knows where it is.

Unless you count the insects. The cat didn't really care for the insects.

In the middle of the glade, just in front of the largest bouquet of multi-colored flowers and tall grass, were two oddly shaped sticks, one leaning slightly more to the left than the other. To another, they would seem out of place, but their ignorance would keep them from seeing their true nature. These sticks, as odd and out of place as they are, marked the graves of two. One, the straighter and odder of the two sticks, was the indicator of the feline's mother. She was buried thirteen years previous by the one that rested beneath the second stick.

The other was the marker of the feline's caregiver, whom died eight years past. That grave was much more prominent in the mind of the cat, as the caretaker was actually known to the feline. The mother, the cat was told long ago, died during childbirth. The cat believed it to be so.

Sitting in front of both sticks, as odd and out of place as they were, the cat bowed it's head in silence for but a moment. Then, within several heartbeats, the feline began to shift and churn, tail retracting, ears disappearing, face widening and thinning, eyes growing larger, hands and feet that suddenly didn't need to touch the ground at the same time but did out of forced habit. The being that was once a cat quite suddenly morphed into a human, though curiously, wasn't naked.

When the transformation was complete, the now human feline stood somewhat shakily, quickly regaining equilibrium without the use of a tail. Long, silver-hair dropped straight down the back, ending just under the ankles and kissing the dark green grass just out of the reach of the disfigured circle of sunlight. A long, black scarf, tied awkwardly around the head, hid the right eye and cheek and trailed one or two feet on the ground when walking. A single, thick braid appeared from behind one ear and rested lightly on the still-developing chest, the growing assets being supported by the thick black material wrapped firmly around the waist. The only slightly curved body was dressed in a strange, black dress-like cloth that swallowed both glove-covered hands and allowed the bare feet unhindered.

Altogether, the feline-now-human could easily blend into the shadows of the trees if not for the luminescent silver hair and pale skin. No, that just made the human look like a ghost.

The human girl, for that was the gender if the developing chest had anything to say about it, tenderly knelt and bowed her head, small mouth moving but no sound coming forth. She stayed there for a long while, not moving a muscle but her mouth, her silver hair cascading over her shoulders and hiding her face from view on either side. Finally, for what seemed like forever, she finally stood and walked away from the glade, the gait of her steps resonating a certain resigned determination that spoke of hundreds of things, but only meant one.

It was her final goodbye.