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The exhaustion is coursing through his body. Horse's hooves beat behind him getting closer and closer, pounding louder and louder.
Fear overtook his mind when he saw the crowd outside his home screaming, "WITCH!" He tore off in a random direction, and was spotted by a lady passing by.
His vision blurred and he stumbled. The loud thump of an arrow nearby startled him. He didn't want to find out how accurate these people were.
Running through the woods was difficult. The terrain was uneven, tearing up his feet. He thought this would shake off his pursuers, them being on horse, but they contiued after him.
He thought they would give up. Despite being ahead of them he was on foot and the horses were catching up. The hooves beat louder and arrows whistled past him.
He felt an arrow skim his shoulder, a cry leaving his mouth. He couldn't go on much further, he was exhausted.
But he had to. The cliff was close, only a little farther. He'd rather plummet to his death then burn in front of an angry mob. Just a little farther. A little farther and-
An arrow tore through his leg. White hot pain laced through his leg. He couldn't help the unbidden scream, or the stumble that sent him hurtling down the side of the moutain.
His stomache rolled and his eyes closed as he began to tumble. The pain in his leg roared, and the feeling of not being in control of his body terrifed him.
He was dizzy, and nausea whirrled in his stomache. When was it going to stop?
His body slammed into a tree.
He heard a crack and a scream.
A scream? Oh. That was him. His throat was raw. Sitting here is agony, the pain was getting louder the longer he laid there. Was this it? He was going to die like this?
It didn't seem bad compared to what could have happened, but he wanted to live. He wanted to pour over more alchemy books, wanted to make his own, maybe set up his own shop.
He didn't want to live before the old man had picked him off the street, had taught him alchemy. Taught him that existing wasn't living.
He sucked in a sharp breath, realization poured over him like ice cold water.
He wanted to live. He didn't want to die here. Cold and so, so alone.
He opened his eyes as the tears trailed down his cheeks.
No one would find him, no one would know.
He was alone. There was no old man to help pick him back up. He was going to die, in agony. Bleed out or freeze to death.
That thought alone was scarier then the hooves beating after him.
He was going to die. His life was amounting to nothing. He closed his eyes.
His heart beat thud in his chest.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Thum-
"Givin' up?"
His eyes shot open searching for the voice. Was he delusional from blood loss? He didn't have his glasses, knocked off in his hurry through the woods. He sighed.
"That's rather rude. Ignorin' my question like that."
Definitely not delusional.
Something landed on the ground right in front of him, startling him. Now that it was close, he squinted to see it.
Up close he could safely say the thing wasn't human. Tails fanned out behind it, and it's eyes glowed in the night. Yet it had a humanoid form.
It wasn't going to eat him, at least maybe not now. Of course that didn't mean it wouldnt play with him before leaving him to freeze or bleed out.
"Yer not very talkative are ya?"
Annoying, that's how he would describe this creature. That and it's accent he was unfamiliar of. Despite the tales of magikal creatures, tales of being eaten or kidnapped and lost from humanity, he responded.
"What do you want?" That probably sounded snobby.
The thing laughed flashing it's teeth—definitely sounded snobby then.
The moonlight shined on it's mouth, accentuating it's razor sharp teeth.
"I don't want anythin'. Can't I do somethin' outta the kindness of ma heart?" The look on his face must have shown his distrust, the creature grinned.
"I'll help ya, just say the word."
He didn't believe it was that simple.
Magikal creatures didn't do kindness. He'd seen the bodies ripped apart, he'd heard of people's families going missing.
He knew magikal creatures didn't do kindess but, his vision was starting to blur. He could feel the numbness taking over. He knew he was more afraid to die.
Through gritted teeth he muttered acceptance. A cheshire smile was all he saw before his vision blurred to black.