flooded lungs

The Launceleyn’s first venture into these woods had hardly been a success. Indeed, Loren had seen visions in puddles—which made him wonder if he was going mad for real—and then managed to make the worst possible impression on someone as a result. Granted, the librarian had been reeling from seeing the spectres of his family, but even so he’d been pretty horrible. All in all, it was enough to make him avoid these woods altogether. However, Loren had avoided things that scared him for far too long. If he was ever going to grow, ever going to learn from his myriad mistakes, he needed to challenge himself, push himself further than he was comfortable. He’d always had his family to do that for him—and resented them for it, with good reason—but now he had to be the strong one. After all, other than the children, he was basically the only Launceleyn left. It was a heavy burden, especially given the dark legacy of his bloodline and the chaos that Zariah always seemed to leave in her wake. All that was to say when a rainy day rolled around again, Loren made up his mind to go back to the woods and see if he could get through them this time. He’d left the Manor with little more than the clothes on his back and some rations; his magic could protect him from pretty much everything, or at least he hoped it could, but he couldn’t make food for himself and he hardly knew how to tell what might be edible in strange woods. Although the librarian had been a farmer once upon a time, that was far different from foraging. As he walked, a chill breeze sprang up, and he drew his brown cloak closer around him. Its hood was up, both to protect him from the cold and the water the wind shook from the trees and to protect his identity. While he didn’t think he was in any real danger, there were other reasons he might not want to be recognized. It didn’t take long for him to arrive back in the Wildwood, as it was called, and he started retracing what he thought were his steps. By now, the sun was shining and the day was fair, but still Loren kept himself wrapped up tight. He was still gaunt, with hardly a spare bit of fat on his frame, and so he chilled easily. He spotted movement ahead and he slowed, suddenly wary. However, as he approached, it resolved itself into a familiar frame and a unicorn. Loren was startled to see such a creature around; he was still getting used to the fact that many in the Hollowed Grounds had companions that once upon a time only he might’ve been able to summon. The man, who Loren knew from various meetings and events, had the tall broad frame of a warrior, and the Launceleyn was sure his own thin build looked positively skeletal in comparison. Biting his lip, Loren considered whether or not to turn back. But the sight of the unicorn frolicking in the puddles brought a sense of joy to the summoner that he had not felt in quite a while. Although he felt guilty for feeling happy, that didn’t diminish the awe in the slightest. So, almost unbidden, his legs carried him forward and he found himself speaking up. “Hello there. Mind if I join you?” Loren’s tone was cautious, but polite enough; as far as the Launceleyn knew, he had never met this man before and therefore didn’t need to worry about the warrior’s reaction. However, it was entirely possible the other man friends with someone Loren had hurt, or, more likely, was enemies with Zariah. Zariah had a lot of enemies, and she’d left them all for Loren to deal with. LOREN Not quite an open book