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Johnny didn't consider himself a superstitious person. He didn’t believe in the supernatural, and grew out of his childhood fears of the dark rather quickly. There were certainly plenty of tales and myths around, plenty of people desperate to prove him wrong. Despite feeling sure in his belief, or rather lack thereof, if someone provided him with ample proof he would be more than willing to change his opinion. He just hadn't seen such proof.
Not yet, that is.
A hunting trip with two of his friends had brought Johnny to the states. They were making a short trip through a couple eastern states during their peak hunting days, something they'd been talking about doing for several years. It had taken a lot of work to get his Captain to actually take days off for the trip. Gaz had been far easier to convince, though he really wasn’t there for the hunting. Gaz had brought his camera along with him, far more eager to capture the wildlife through photos and videos than a bullet. Despite this, he was more than happy to tag along with the two John’s.
The captain had been the one to get Johnny into hunting, suggesting that some time out in nature might do him some good. It was hard to escape the ways of their job, though, and Johnny had eventually gravitated towards hunting. He preferred smaller game, birds and the smaller creatures that were just a bit harder to spot and shoot down.
They’d been in the states for only a couple days when it happened. They’d settled in for the night, their three tents firmly secured in the ground, Johnny dutifully watching the dying embers of the fire they'd cooked their dinner over. Johnny had tucked away a couple feathers from the turkey he’d killed, his way of saying thanks and showing his appreciation to the game he killed. Just as the last of the embers were flickering out, dimming more and more, Johnny heard a rather odd rustling sound above him. He’s familiarized himself with the wildlife of West Virginia and ran through the animals or birds that could make such a large noise like that.
He came up empty, though. The rustling had been quiet and careful, and none of the animals that could be quiet and careful were big enough to rustle an entire layer of branches like that. An odd shiver made its way down Johnny’s spine, a feeling that just barely tipped over into fear.
“Hello?” He called out, earning another rustle in response. This time he’d spotted the branches moving, making their way across the little clearing. If this creature was trying to hide, it was doing a shit job.
“Whatever ye are, I can see ye.” Johnny wasn’t quite sure why he was talking to this… thing.. that was up in the trees. He was fairly confident it wasn't a human, which meant the creature wouldn't be able to understand him. Or respond.
What he absolutely was not prepared for was for a head to pop out of the leaves above him. It was almost human, the face. Curly, short blonde hair and fully red eyes with rather long eyelashes. If he hadn't been so surprised to see a literal face in the trees above him, he would've been scared.
“Oh.” He said, rather intelligently. “Hi.”
The.. person? Thing? Tilts its head at him in a motion not unlike a curious dog might, its eyebrows tilting up in question. It blinks several times at him before apparently deciding that Johnny is not a threat. The creature makes its way to the lower branches where Johnny can see it more clearly.
The face is attached to a human-like body, though obviously a lot taller than humans were. It appeared to be covered in some kind of black fuzz or fluff in most areas, with an area of extra poof around its neck. The skin that was exposed, and Johnny could only think that it looked like skin, was deathly pale. Nearly white. If the bright red eyes hadn’t yet clued him into this creature being inhuman, then the wings were surely another massive hint. They weren’t bird wings, though. The creature's wings seemed to originate from around the shoulder blade area, and some of its substance seemed to reflect the light of Johnny’s flashlight.
The creature made its way down from the tree in odd, limb stretching motions that made Johnny’s joints ache to watch. He didn’t move an inch as the being approached him, towering a solid two feet above him at minimum. He could see the creatures face much better up close, the incredibly long white eyelashes
and, in what would make Johnny giggle after the fact, a cute little tongue peeking out from between his lips.
The being approached him with no hesitation, reaching out to place a hand on Johnny’s face. The black fluff on its body seemed to be something between fur and velvet, and felt incredibly soft to the touch. Despite desperately wishing to do so, Johnny kept himself from reaching out in return. Curiosity and him dying to feel the plush fluff around its neck, the seemingly soft and dusty texture of its wings. The being was mere inches away from him, now, and it was a startling realization to Johnny that he felt absolutely no fear. If Gaz or Price didn’t wake up and see this for themselves, they'd never believe him.
As the beautiful creature looked, or Johnny thought it was looking, into his eyes, though, he realized he had no intention of telling either man about this experience. He could be dreaming, for all he knows, and he was simply not going to burst the bubble of this moment.
A branch around them snapped and in an instant the creature was retreating, leaving Johnny with his heart racing and mind sprinting at one hundred miles a minute.
What.. had just happened.
Johnny stood dumbstruck in the middle of their tiny clearing, staring into the trees. Some odd voice in the back of his head told him that wasn’t the last of the mysterious creature he was going to see.