The night passed quickly, the glow from the woods faded as a new dawn arrived. Casitas awoke from a dream, it was strange and all she could remember was that she was dancing with her father, though she couldn't see his face, being blinded by a light. "Master always said, dreams are one of many ways the Gods can communicate with you..." She said aloud to herself, reaching over to pull Markus closer to her. "You know... I might be saying this because I'm tired, but I wish I could lie with you forever..." She opens an eye to look at Markus, only to find that he wasn't there, in fact, she didn't recall sleeping in the part of the forest. She put her hand on the tree behind her to balance herself as she woke up, and realized the tree was fuzzy, and breathing. Castitas looked over her shoulder at an angry hellhound, showing its teeth at her. " Ahh! Markus!" She called for help.
"Pretty boy can't help you unless he can hear form miles away." The beast snarled, another hellhound stepping from the thick woods. "Yeah, but we can!" It laughed maniacally.
Casitas looked around her for a weapon, a stone, a stick, anything. The first hellhound jumped in front of her, biting her arm. Venom seeped from it's fangs, entering Castitas' bloodstream. "No!" She lost control, kicking the first beast in the teeth, knocking them out.
It cried in pain, clawing at her in defence. "You Bith! You gunna try n' kill mutha!"
Castitas yelled. "I don't even know your mother!"
The other hellhound sneered. "Murmur, we need her alive!"
Murmur ignored his brother, continuing to biting and shred at the young girl. "No, she must die!"
Whisper lunged at his brother, pinning him to the ground. "Umbra needs her alive! Don't disappoint mother!"
"Umbra? That's who their mother is?" Castitas spoke quietly to herself.
Murmur struggled, trying to attack his own kin. "Kill! Kill! Kill!" The two hellhounds rolled downhill into the swamp, sinking like it was tar. A group of Fairies nearby giggled at the sight of the two hellhound drowning in the swamp.
"Help!" Whisper calls out, his head about to sink under.
Castitas' soft heart gets to her, turning to the fairies. "Please spare the hounds!" She pleads, grasping her hands together.
The fairies smirk curiously. "They won't hesitate to kill you, you know." They giggled at the priestess.
"They were just doing as their mother told them to do, don't you have a mother?"
The fairies burst out, clutching their sides in laughter. One of the younger ones called out, it's face holding a sad gleam. "I killed my mother... And ate her!" The sadness in it's eyes turned to that of hilarity, wheezing out it's giggles.
Casitas was horrified, grabbing an old branch to hold out for the hounds.
Whisper grabbed ahold with its teeth, talking to his brother through them. "Hold on to this!" Murmur was a bit farther out, trying his hardest to move, but he only sunk faster. Casitas used all her strength to boost Whisper up ashore, putting the branch out again. Murmur barely rested upon the branch, as it broke from the tar like water. "Murmur!" Whisper called out, his brothers snout finally sinking under, few bubbles coming to the surface.
The priestess stood there in silence, seeing that the hound was devastated from losing someone he loved.
"I'm sorry..." She finally spoke, walking slightly closer. Whisper looked on, sitting on his tail. "I guess I know how you feel now..." He replied, getting up. "I should be the one to say sorry, but I guess that's too late now." He almost looks back, but avoids doing so, to numb the pain in his heart. "I guess I should show you back to the knight."
Casitas tilts her head. "Don't you have to take me?"
"I did," he sighs. "I also had to look after my little brother..."
He leads he back to Markus, silently mourning his brother.