Very Short Stories: Leomund and Yvanna


Leomund ran through the trees as fast as his legs could carry him. His swollen
feet ached in his shoes, and his lungs felt like bursting. But even though he
could no longer hear his pursuer, the evil presence still felt like a rock in
his stomach.

Suddenly, his sense of dread deepened. The sky faded to coal black, and he
could no longer see the path. Stumbling through the trunks, feeling with his
outstretched hands, he heard it walk up behind him. Slowly, he turned, eyes
searching the inky blackness. Two points of red stared back at him, and the
creature lunged.

Leomund's eyes flew open. He bolted upright in the small bed, trembling.  Then
he recognized the room, his own bedroom, and the horrified expression left his
face. The sound of his deep, quick breathing filled the space, mingling with
the noise of the crickets.

The dreams were getting worse. His long-dead grandmother had been a seer of the
highest caliber, and the gift tended to skip a generation.  Unfortunately, he
knew none of this.

He hoped he hadn't woken her, but it was no good. The fox beside him stirred,
and her sleepy brown eyes were looking up at him.

"I'm sorry I woke you." He said, placing his hand on her furry forehead.  She
smiled, and placed a hand on his chest.

"You know I don't mind. Was it a dream?"

Leo nodded, and spoke gruffly "The forest one. But it felt more real this
time."

"Oh darling" she looked pained "here, turn over."

He hated to deprive her of sleep like this, but last year, when the dreams had
started to creep up on him, he learned that protesting was no good.  She knew
he needed her, in these moments. He turned onto his stomach, and her
half-sleeping form straddled his lower back. Her warm, gentle hands began to
knead at his shoulders. Leo sighed with relief.

Over the next few minutes, he felt the tension and fear carefully massaged out
of him by his wife, who knew all the right spots. Before long, his breathing
was tranquil, and his heartbeat slow. The fox smiled, and laid back down next
to him, pulling him in close. Though you wouldn't have guessed it from his
stern features, one of Leo's favorite things was to be held.

His hand gently rubbed the orange forearm hugging his chest, a way of saying
"thank you", and then he was asleep again. The fox, Yvanna, placed a kiss on
his back. She stared at the ceiling, listening to the crickets outside, and
smelling the cool night air coming in from the cracked window.

He was having the dreams almost every night now. And deep down, Yvanna knew
that something was very srong with the world. Her husband wrote his visions off
as the product of a tired and irrational mind. Something kept her from agreeing
with him.

But whatever it was could wait, at least until the morning. For now, all the
world was them and their small wooden bed. Yvanna closed her eyes, and soon
joined her husband.

Far away, a swordsman and a musician were making their way towards the town.