Closed The Mystery of Runes SOLO

18 May 2024

The smell of hippogryff dung and hippogryffs in general permeated this part of the grounds, the stables and paddocks of Care of Magical Creatures. The forbidden forest lay just a stone throw away, though Colin rarely came this way when he wanted to slip into the depths of the forest. For a brief moment he remembered coming down here for an errand and zooming about with Tes. He tried to smile at the happy memory, but no smile would grace his lips. Her scent had by now long been overpowered by those of other creatures and other children.

He leaned back against the fence post at one of the corners. Books of rune lore were open to various pages and sketch books were filled with writhing images, records of tortured dreams and visions. Colin had gotten pretty good at sketching scenes from his dreams, and he'd even been keeping a dream journal; but for some reason the ebon dark runes would not take shape with paper and quill!

He tried to depict how they branched off or how one grew from another or how they wrothe and intertwined like a nest of black vipers in a black pit. All attempts failed, and Colin was growing weary. Twas nearly his time of the month anyway, and he was discovering that with each passing moon, he was becoming snarlier and growing surlier. He no longer even cared if shoved other kids aside as he loped or strode through the corridors. "They should know by now to get out of my way!" he snarled to no one.

He growled and threw his sketch book and quill aside!

Why couldn't he sort this mystery of the dream runes out? Colin hadn't slept properly in weeks. He had become obsessed with runes of late, and he even had a minor scuffle in the library with another student over a book of runic lore. It hadn't helped. Yet the answer had to be in a book, right!? After all, that's what books were for! Answers.

Or at least clues...

Colin reached into his satchel. The comforting weight of a heavy bottle met his slender fingers. And there was another, too. One that he would have to try soon, before the dreams of shadow and darkness drove him mad. Colin sighed as his fingers grasped the thick neck of it.

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