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The evening light filtered through the branches of the aged forest, nocturnal beings had begun to stir, and fireflies lingered about, their backsides pulsating a luminescent glow. The air was crisp, and a sure sign that nightfall was settling in. At the foot of the old oak tree, black satin wings flittered as the creature knelt in the grass, hands deftly plucking small sprigs from the earth. The black hellebore fairy, known as Levi, was a handsome creature possessing prominent cheekbones, sharp elongated canines, and silver eyes. He was a self-sufficient fairy, and like the rest of his species was most active in the shadows and preferred the cold.
The black hellebore fairy had recently had to relocate from his home and was now making the final adjustments to his new nest. His old dwelling had been swarmed by pesky insects that had sought cover as a rain shower had settled in. He knew how catastrophic the rain could be, at his size the force could tear one out of the sky and should damage incur to the wings, finding adequate shelter would become a troublesome and dangerous task. With that in mind, he had let them stay intending to shove them out once that rain pour had subsided, or so he had thought. Apparently, the insects had taken quite a liking to his abode because they settled in very quickly, literally attaching themselves to the walls of his nest. Naturally, his temper had spiked, it was his place after all. Hellebore fairies lived comfortably in solitude and tended to become aggressive with intruders, but he had made an exception out of the goodness of his heart. Unfortunately, it seemed the insects had misinterpreted his kindness as an offering to cohabit with him, and that was not going to happen.
He had flapped his wings in aggravated warning, eventually deciding to use the sheer force of the wind gusts he was creating to drive them out. It had worked initially, but once the gusts had ceased the bothersome insects scuttered back in to promptly plant their behinds back down again, refusing to leave. Levi had honestly been confounded, being omnivorous he had thought the insects would still recognise him as a predator, but apparently, they were an incredibly stubborn bunch and knew he would not attack them needlessly. What truly revolted the fairy, however, was when one had the audacity to start laying their eggs in his nest. The creatures’ expressionless beady eyes held unbroken eye contact with him as if it were trying to provoke him. Feeling a shiver run up his spine, Levi had, suffice to say, figured it was time to leave as he possessed no desire to share his home with insect babies.
He had learnt a lesson that day, never offer up one’s generosity if the sanctity of your home was to be compromised in the process. Granted, if he had felt truly threatened in such an instance, the tips of his wings could secrete a deadly poison like the blooms of his flower to ward them off, but he thought that a little excessive. The creatures were just trying to survive like everybody else. The fairy had had to fly a fair way before he found a region suited to his liking, the air was crisp and although a little brighter than his previous cluster of trees would serve well for a place to nest, even if it were to be temporary. He had initially tried to bear a few days living with his friend Hanji, however, the mad fairy could only be considered a nuisance having the power to drain him like no one else could. He also felt bad for imposing on their mate, Moblit, he had a generous personality and his patience astounded Levi for putting up with someone like Hanji.
Shaking his head, the fairy continued plucking at the ground with swift movements, gathering the last of the supplies he needed for the completion of his home. He bundled the grass together and then placed them on the growing pile next to his leg hoping to make it easier to carry once he moved off again. The black hellebore fairy devised he would weave the interior by splitting the grass fibres apart and use the pliable material to add a lining to his nest. Ultimately, this would make cleaning a much more efficient process which he would need to be able to comfortably inhabit the place.
The black hellebore fairy remained occupied with his task oblivious to the fact that a small way off, semi-translucent wings peeked out from behind a toadstool watching him. The leaf fairy had had his eyes on the black hellebore fairy for quite some time now, observing him from afar and careful not to alert the other of his presence. The dark and handsome fairy had caught his eye one day after he was doing chores in his cottage. Currently, the small leaf fairy fidgeted nervously, he was wringing his hands together but cautious not to drop his gift. At the time he first caught sight of the unusual fairy he had been sweeping the dust out of his home when a sudden gust of wind had shaken his wind chimes profusely. He lived in a shaded and still environment, the trees providing shelter from big gusts of wind so when the chimes sounded, he would admit he was alarmed at first. Eventually shaking off the mild paralysis, he had plucked up the courage to inspect the sudden commotion by chancing a glance outside of his cottage. His home was hidden in the crook of a willow tree and unless someone was intentionally looking for it, his nest was not obvious to outsiders. As he emerged from his home the fairy had noted nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He had stepped outside a little further, hand still attached at the doorway with uncertainty when suddenly, the sound of frantic buzzing followed by the blurred form of an unfamiliar pair of wings had zipped past his house at astounding speed. The suddenness of it all had him falling back into his home startled by the unidentified form. Recognising the sound of a panicked bug anywhere, he frowned concernedly. Something was chasing that poor bug.
Worried for the little thing knowing for certain it was in trouble, he felt the need to drive away whatever was tormenting the insect. Standing himself upright and dusting himself off, Eren pressed his lips together preparing to confront whatever it was. Exiting his house once more, he looked up into the towering branches of the willow to try locate the attacker. Sure enough, the hunt was still on as his eyes locked onto the frenzied movements of the two hurtling in and out of the leaves. Eren had frowned when he noted the wings of the attacker shared likeness to a butterfly’s. He had never heard of an aggressive butterfly... Perhaps he had been mistaken then and it was simply a friendly game of tag? He had known he must have been kidding himself, especially because something about this butterfly seemed strange to him. For one, he had never seen such blackened wings on a butterfly in these parts, the other thing that made him doubtful was the fact that it did not move like a butterfly, its movements were calculated, agile, and almost acrobatic.
Curious and slightly dreading his next move, Eren pushed himself from the safety of his home to flutter up next to the willow as silently as he could. He actively searched for perches as he climbed should the black-winged attacker target him next, and he had to hide. The leaf fairy could still hear the two crashing through the leaves and caught the occasional glimpse of the bug and its pursuer. He had almost made it to the top of the tree when the chaos stopped abruptly. Wary that could mean one of two things Eren nestled himself in the crook of some old bark remaining quiet and still to see where things went next. When several minutes of stillness passed with no change, Eren thought it time to inspect the damage, fearing the worst had happened. With his wings twitching in anxiousness, he flittered up soon peaking at the utmost branch. Not a moment after he had grounded himself on a branch a small gasp had escaped his lips.
It was sitting with its chin resting in the palm of its hand, leg swinging and an expression of displeasure. Eren gathered that the insect had made its escape given the state of the attacker’s mood. Upon further inspection, Eren was fairly certain he was looking at a fairy, but the stranger seemed so unusual. His own colony had wings most resemblant to dragonflies, they sparkled in the right light and could reflect all colours of the rainbow. These wings however were not translucent at all, but rather feathery like velvet. It was a stark contrast to the hard appearance on the fairy’s face.
Still remaining out of sight, the leaf fairy crouched down to get a better look at the face of the black-winged fairy. Everything about his face was incredibly defined, from his cheekbones to his canines. He looked a lot more predatory than Eren, whose diet was strictly plant-based, he supposed some of those assets the fairy possessed were to assist with hunting. Eren watched intently as the other released a pronounced sigh and shifted until he was standing at full height. The ebony-haired fairy rolled his shoulders back and spread his wings slowly until they reached their fullest span. Eren had embarrassingly gawked at their impressive size up close, his eyes blinked several times in a combination of awe and envy, wishing he possessed something so magnificent. The black hellebore fairy proceeded to look down over the edge of the branch he stood before folding his wings back in and without a second thought, dove headfirst toward the ground. Instinctually, the leaf fairy whipped his arm out, panicked and about to leap off after the other only to retract his hand when the fairy’s wings suddenly flattened out allowing him to glide gracefully over the grass. The black-winged fairy kept his wings so until Eren was no longer able to see him.
That had been his first encounter, since then, the leaf fairy had kept close tabs on the black hellebore fairy. The other had a strange routine as Eren noted. He would emerge from his den as dusk settled and the evening air cooled. Unlike Eren, it seemed the fairy was nocturnal and hunted in the evenings, the day Eren had seen him in daylight had been the exception, making Eren conclude the black-winged fairy had recently migrated and had decided to settle into this branch of the forest. The leaf fairy would always be sleepy by the time the other emerged but would hold out for a little longer each time just to observe the habits of the black-winged fairy. He had been impressed to watch the skill of the other in creating his nest from scratch. Each time waking to see the progress of the simple yet charming home the fairy was erecting.
Chewing his lip, Eren grasped the others gift in his hand as he anxiously shuffled from toe to toe. As per tradition in his colony, if a fairy showed interest in another, one would gift the source of their interest something. Eren thought the smooth, shiny, black pebble he had found a few days earlier would be fitting, the colour reminded him of the appealing wings the other male possessed and the shiny facet a tribute to his own wings. It signified the two of them in a somewhat obscure way and regardless of whether the black hellebore fairy picked up on it or not, it was still a pretty pebble adequate as an introductory gift. The issue was that as much as Eren was eager to finally introduce himself, it felt like he was wading knee-deep in honey, he could not move his feet no matter how much he tried to urge himself.
Forming a fist and shaking his head in frustration, the fairy finally willed himself to move. It would do him no good hiding behind a toadstool for the rest of his life, it was now or never because the black hellebore fairy looked to be finishing up his sheafing and would be hard to catch up with once in flight. With a small boost from his feet, Eren lifted his weight off the ground leaving his toes suspended above the earth as he beat his wings. The leaf fairy propelled himself forward and began making his way to the other still knelt on the ground.
Upon hearing rapid fluttering approaching him, Levi tensed the muscles between his shoulder blades preparing to engage in a fight with a potential predator. He flared his wings to make himself appear larger as it seemed the approaching being did not possess common sense, given it had ignored the warning markings on his wings. As he swivelled around, bulking out the appendages to tower over his form and baring his teeth aggressively, to his astonishment, instead of confronting an attacker his hard gaze met that of a dainty hand and small pebble being shoved up in his face. For a moment Levi was frozen stiff and cross-eyed, having to force himself to blink twice to regain his composure. After a drawn-out pause, his eyes wandered upward where he met the shy, averted gaze of a small leaf fairy.
The black hellebore fairy’s wings fluttered involuntarily; he had never encountered such an ethereal looking fairy. A blush slowly crept over his tipped ears, the fairy had such delicate, near-transparent wings and the soft glow being emitted from nearby fireflies caused a twinkling light to sparkle in the fairy’s viridian orbs. Levi’s features twitched unsurely but remained captivated by the brunet stood before him. Realising now how the fairy’s face appeared to progressively become more strained Levi looked back down again and saw he was still being presented with the shiny stone. Levi was unsure about the meaning of the black pebble but judging by the wilting expression on the leaf fairies face he should probably accept it regardless. Instinctually folding his wings back to appear less intimidating, Levi hesitantly lifted a hand hoping the other would not flinch away. When the leaf fairy made no move to retreat, simply staring at Levi with his large green eyes, Levi took the chance to take the stone as gently as he could. As he held it in the palm of his clawed hand, he noticed that the heat from the brunet’s hand had seeped into the black pebble making him feel an odd sense of comfort.
It took a moment, but he watched as elation formed on the leaf fairy’s face, apparently, he had done the right thing as it had greatly pleased the other, the leaf fairy’s wings fluttering with excitement. Levi gulped and felt as his heart quickened pace, this was all new to the black hellebore fairy and he was having difficulty keeping up with all the emotions currently swarming him. He had thought he was completely satisfied with his life of seclusion. It appeared he was very wrong because this curious fairy had captivated him and now, he wanted more.
‘What is your name?’ The gentle voice asked. Levi’s tipped ears enjoyed the mellow sound and felt compelled to answer just to listen to more of its soothing effect. He had never quite known such a pleasing sound, and shamefully desired it only for himself. Trying to form the word, the black hellebore fairy stammered.
‘Le-’ He abruptly coughed when his own saliva seemed to get caught in the back of his throat. The raven cleared his throat awkwardly and offered a stiff smile as he made a second attempt at sharing his name.
‘L-Levi.’ He corrected, as he felt himself flush in embarrassment. The fairy had wanted to impress the other and this was the consequence? He blamed it on the fact that there was an otherworldly being stood before him, with a beauty that could not be compared. As he had criticised his inability to function normally, melodic notes of laughter had proceeded to emit from the pretty fairy. The sound had his eyes widening and furthered the hammering of his heart in his chest. After a moment, he plucked up the courage to ask the leaf fairy’s own name.
‘May I know yours?’ He inquired timidly; hesitant he might somehow offend the other with his question. Once again, an enchanting smile dawned on the leaf fairy’s features and the twinkling lights from the bums of the fireflies caught in his eye creating a hypnotic effect.
“Eren.” The pretty fairy replied. Levi breathed out no longer able to hold eye contact with Eren whose name suited him so perfectly. When the eye contact was lost a delicate hand reached out and clasped his wrist. Levi stared down at the gesture, unsure of its motive. When he felt a slight tug, it seemed to indicate the other wanted him to follow.
There was no doubt in Levi’s mind that he must have been bewitched because his feet were moving long before he had even registered it so. It appeared he was more enchanted with this fairy than he thought.