Vampire Nightlife

What were the earliest memories that she could remember? It was something that made up a large portion of who a person would be. Childhood events. People they've met and known.

A young cub walked behind the form of her tremendous father, the sounds of soft grassy blades crunching underneath her paws. Soft. Delicate. Pliant. It was easier to focus on her feet than the eerie and sometimes overwhelming cloud of mists that surrounded them.

She was afraid that she'd lose him in the thick veil of mists, but the lumbering and large figure was reassuring. This was the few times that he'd ever taken her out on his own.

It was odd that they'd left her brother behind–normally, they'd be more concerned about him, and she understood because he was sick but… there was her time with her own father and that was worth something.

Especially when the fogs seemingly vanished and gave way to the serene view of a lake, and a singular large tree in the center of it all.

Unlike the mostly dreary and dark place that they were living in, the warm rays of sunlight basked this world that seemed separate from her own. Beautiful pop of colors of every flower she hadn't even seen before decorated their surroundings.

"Woah," Ursa's eyes widened. She ran on all fours towards the waters and her head dunked across the cool water. A soft yelp escaped her throat before she was quickly picked up by her father and deposited back into the dry ground.

She looked at him in glee.

There was a sweet fragrance in the air which was once again a far cry from the mostly earthy aroma of the woods they've traveled into. But all of it came crashing down when she saw the serious expression on his face.

"This is…"

Ursa's feet stopped moving as Lukas and the other two glanced at the most absurd place in the entire Veil Forest. The moonlight atmosphere and the water lilies in the water was a contrast to everything they've seen before.

"Incredible?" Lukas wanted to say, but somehow, the fact that this was the only area that seemed 'good' managed to make him feel uneasy all of a sudden.

"It's like its own paradise." Chaerin agreed.

"Which is unnatural." Theodore murmured as he glanced around the area with a wary expression. If the rest of the area was a desert, then this was undoubtedly a mirage. Some kind of illusion.

"Nobody's supposed to come here." Ursa quietly said as her gaze focused on the large singular tree that was separated from everything. It stood by itself within the water, a lonesome thing.

"And yet you've led us all this way?" Lukas turned to her slightly aghast.

"You wanted to see the heart of the forest." Ursa narrowed her eyes, but then gestured to the singular tree. "There she is–sleeping, trapped by her own self."

"How do you know that?" Theodore frowned. He didn't expect her to know a lot, but his assumption was wrong. There was a lot of confidence and reassurance in her words–as if she had seen and heard all of this before.

"The reason for the Veil is because she refuses to see." Ursa said plainly.

"Um, yes, that's all good." Chaerin smiled. "But where did you hear this from? Your parents? Or–"

"Cervus' parents, before they died." Ursa said. There was a stony expression on her face but she clutched her hands together until they were pale white. "Wanted to pass the knowledge before they were gone… they knew her story. That's all I remember."

Theodore rubbed the bridge of his nose. "This isn't exactly helpful as I'd thought."

"That seems to be quite a situation." Lukas coughed quietly.

It made sense that some individuals would know the truth–they lived here for almost the entirety of their lives compared to Lukas who just arrived, but how were they going to deal with it then?

"Yes." Ursa nodded. "Best for you guys to leave. Find another way back to your home."

Theodore sighed, but then turned to the way they've been from. "If we move fast, we'll avoid any battles then–"

"Well, we can't exactly give up too quickly." Lukas waved a hand. "You said she was sleeping?"

"Yes, she cannot be the judge." Ursa frowned.

"Uh uh, we don't exactly know that. She's not exactly like us." Lukas pointed to them. "We might end up not knowing what happens while we're sleeping, but that doesn't mean that the same applies to her. How else would Cervus' parents know her story if she was unconscious?"

There was something pricking inside of Lukas–like a torrent of emotions that swirled inside of him that yearned to be released, and the answer was just within his fingertips.

"That's…"

"Dreams!" Rhea suddenly shouted.

Lukas sighed inwardly at Rhea saying it for him, but then nodded. "That's right, we can probably communicate with her–and we just have to give it a try!"

"You mean that Ursa has to try and communicate with the Dryad of the Forest by herself?" Theodore raised a brow. He looked a little doubtful of the idea.

"Well, we can all give it a try." Lukas smiled. That way, it wouldn't be too obvious when he tried to enter the Dryad's dreams–if Theodore was keeping secrets, well, Lukas didn't want to reveal all of his cards either.

"Don't you think that sounds dangerous?" Chaerin asked. "If there's a reason why someone is asleep, then, it sounds better not to try and disturb her. Let sleeping giants lie."

"We won't know exactly if we don't try." Lukas reassured her with a thumbs up. "Besides, I think she'd appreciate it if she gets a little rouse. Sleeping for too long doesn't sound entirely healthy."

"So you say." Theodore frowned, and yet eventually sighed. "But alright, let's give it a try. Do we try to touch the tree or something? Wouldn't that require us to pass the waters first?"