Almost like a Fairytale

[Corporal Light]

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Koal Lynch breathed in through his nose, smelling the lovely fall air as it passed through the trees. The sunset had just passed over the horizon, basking the area around him in a brisk twilight. The wind created beautiful whistles as it traversed the forest, with the clapping of his horse's hooves against the dirt path providing a tranquil beat to his journey. He felt like leaning forward, placing his cheek against the horse's crisp mane, and closing his eyes. Just so he could enjoy the peace while it lasted.

He didn't, though. His fingers remained firmly clamped on the reins of the horse, not willing to give up control just yet. As much as he liked the serenity nature provided him, he'd much rather appreciate it in the confines of a tent or some kind of hobble. Not traveling on horseback while his eyelids slowly caved into his skull. Lynch sighed, bumping his feet against the belly of the horse, trying to make it pick up the pace a bit. The saddle rocked up against his pelvis as he looked around the environment, trying to find some wide open area where he could set up camp.

Eventually, he noticed a clearing, about fifteen feet to his left, surrounded by tall pieces of grass. They shook in response to the evening breeze, but otherwise made no movements. One particular part of the grass was separated slightly, providing plenty of room to enter in a way that almost seemed to be beckoning. Past the entrance was a large tree, though not nearly as large as the ones around the forest. The tree itself seemed to shine the brightest out of any wood in the area, probably thanks to the generous amount of moonlight shining through the cracks of its branches. Lynch's eyes stared through the entryway, mentally noting how open it was, and how peaceful it seemed. It was the perfect place for a camp setup.

However, just as he was about to turn his horse to the left, a loud wail erupted from the tree. The sound bounced around the area, causing birds of various species to fly from their respective nests in the trees, and the horse to rear up onto its hind legs. The horse let out a loud neighing noise as Lynch swiftly patted its neck, trying his best to reassure it as he gazed in shock at the tree. A moment later, he noticed a new sight. One far stranger.

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Ballad let out a loud yelp as he barely managed to catch himself from falling off of the tree branch. His gloved right hand dug into the brown bark as Ballad looked down towards the earth. His glowing eyes morphed into a shocked visage as his legs swayed against the breeze. Ballad let in a few quick breaths as he twisted his head up towards his hand, seeing it firmly gripping the branch. Ballad glanced back down towards the ground, having decided what to do next, and released his hand from the limb.

The resulting fall was... less than graceful. It wasn't too bad, but Ballad had grossly miscalculated where his feet should've touched when he hit the field. His legs seemed to collapse from beneath him, causing him to stumble onto his stomach and his arms to flail about before settling down on the dusty ground. Ballad let out a loud groan as he lifted his face up, raising his arm to wipe his nose clean of dirt before drawing it back, covering his forehead with his hand.

"God dammit.. what the fuck? What the fuck was that?" Ballad said to himself, his voice hoarse and clearly exasperated. What he had just experienced was, to put it lightly, intense. What was worse was what he thought it meant. He didn't know for sure what had happened, but to be honest, he didn't want to. It was complete insanity, was what it probably was.

Ballad hardly had any time to reflect on his nightmare before his ears rang with the sound of an approaching beast. He peered at the entryway he had created the day beforehand; his bisque eyes shining like the moon as they caught the sight of a tall man riding on horseback. Whoever he was, he wasn't the one he was looking for.

And it would've been that, if the man wasn't heading into--

The trap.

Ballad's eyes bulged out of their sockets for a good moment, the man's intentions striking true and quick in his mind. After that, he wasted no time. He hastily stood up, and just as the horse was about to cross, pulled out his revolver, and aimed it at the man.

"Don't you even FUCKING move!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, a hint of fear in his voice as the barrel of his gun lined up with the rider's head. His thumb rested on the hammer of his weapon; his index finger planted stiffly on the trigger. His eyebrows kept their frowning expression, and his eyes tore a bullet hole straight through the encroacher. Right where his own bullets would land if the man moved another inch forward.