Before you read!
This is a character introduction story I've been working on for a while. The second part might not be as inspired as the first part, I apologize for that.

I would like to say that English is not my native language. Therefore, there might be some writing errors throughout the story.

Thank you and have a good reading!

"We're almost there."

Inside a car, a woman and her daughter were heading to a countryside house. The woman was driving while the young girl was blankly staring through the window without responding. Her mother did not repeat herself, as she deemed it pointless. She understood why her daughter had been absent-minded for a week now, barely answering when someone would call or talk to her. However, she knew it would be temporary and that she would need some time since the event had just occurred recently.

"She's in a better place now, don't worry."

The woman tried to comfort her. It had to happen sooner or later, yet the adolescent was still not ready. And even if she was, she would still need some time to accept it. As for the mother, being a fourty-year-old adult, it did not really affect her as much as her daughter.

Finally arriving at the gates, the mother opened them from inside the car using a small remote, then drove down a slope to the windowed entrance doors. She carefully parked the car aside, making sure that the path leading to the back of the house would still be accessible. She then stopped the engine and removed the car keys from their slot before considering her half-shaved red-headed daughter for a moment.

"You know, you're gonna have to wash them at some point." She said, referring to the long black mittens the girl was wearing, along with a red and black asian-styled top and black pants.

No reply.

The woman sighed. Yet again, she knew why she had been wearing them for a week as well.

They both stepped out of the car and approached the windowed doors. The mother opened them with a vintage key and entered, followed by her daughter.

There were two main entrances to the property. There were the gates for the cars, leading to the side, and the ones on the road's level, leading to the front doors of the second floor through a small part of the beautiful garden.

There were several ways to enter the house. We could go through the two aforementioned entrances, but we could also climb the stairs behind the building, near the doors on the side, or step into the rooms of the first floor which also had windowed doors. There was a garden all around the house, and the back could also be accessed through a barrier.

In the first floor, it was a total mess, with a ton of boxes and objects scattered around the living room. This floor had not been used for a couple of decades since the woman's brothers left home to dwell somewhere else. There were only a living room, two bedrooms and two bathrooms, a shower room, and a room with a washer inside. There was also a white door in the living room, but it was blocked by the sofa. Thus, it was not really useful for the former lonely resident, the grandmother, who used to live in the second floor only, where all the things necessary for a home were located, including two bedrooms with a common bathroom, a kitchen, a big living room, which was also a dining room, and a room used mainly for storage.

Making their way through the living room of the first floor, they climbed the steep helical stairs in the corner and went through a door at the top. They found themselves in a room which was linking the bedrooms to the hall. The living and dining room could be accessed from the two doors in the hall or the kitchen. There were a bamboo counter next to the room used for storage and a small black dresser next to the room where the two girls currently were.

"Alright, what's for you is in here."

The mother opened an old beautiful cupboard to reveal several boxes and old stuff inside. On one of the cardboard ones was simply written "Chloë". With curiosity, the teenage girl moved it outside of the cupboard and opened it. A bunch of old things was inside; old things that she easily recognized.

Back when she was a little child, she was really close to her grandmother. The old lady told her amazing tales, mostly about a place that the girl never heard of anywhere else: the Endless Forest. It was really something to hear about. It was a place watched over by the Twin Gods, full of magic and peace. According to her, that is.

"You still believe in those fairy tales?" The mother asked not with mockery, but rather with interest.

– Not really…" Chloë answered.

As a matter of fact, she would have thrown away all those ridiculous hand-written books and hand-made objects of childish fantasy. For her, those stories were only to entertain her back then. Kids were so naïve; they would believe anything anyone would tell them. But they were what her grandmother bequeathed to her. They all were used to be hers. And so, Chloë immediately bore them affection, feeling old memories coming back to her as she was examining them.

The first thing she saw was a white and golden shield. It had two shining creatures on it, a human-faced doe and a fawn inside a circle, along with some grass and flowers. Inside the circle were also two statues next to each other behind the two characters. The doe was alongside the fawn, touching their muzzle with hers. It was a shield that her grandmother claimed to have received from the "Twin Gods", supposedly a symbol of protection and care, but Chloë did not believe in those tales anymore. The shield probably belonged to ancestors of a family, most likely hers. It was the only thing that was not hand-made.

Other things included were books written by the old lady herself, with drawings and samples of living creatures, such as fur, feathers, and scales. Other than that, most of the things inside of the cardboard box were old crafted objects which she could not find the use of.

It has been a week now that her grandmother had died. One of the last things she gave to her before that was a pair of mittens which she had always been wearing since then. The old lady was suffering of a cancer and her family never knew about it until she passed away. It was a horrible surprise for everybody, especially Chloë as she was really close to her. Perhaps even the closest.

After a while, some tears rolled down the young girl's cheeks while she was lost in her memories. Even if the tales were absurdities, she would have done anything just to hear her grandmother's voice recounting them once again.

"You're okay, dear?, her mother asked.

– Yeah..." Chloë replied, trying to choke back tears.

Then, after a pause, she added:

"I'd like to be alone for a moment, if you don't mind…"

The woman nodded. The adolescent put the things back into the box which she grabbed and moved into her mother's old room before closing the door behind her. The room was as messy as the ones downstairs, with a piano near the bathroom door.

Chloë sat on the bed with the box next to her. She dug out the stuff again. Suddenly, something caught her eye.

It was a beautiful white owl mask, with red markings and red feathers stuck on the sides, hidden in the very bottom of the box. She was puzzled for a moment.

A mask? I've never seen it before. And I don't remember her talking about it.

Upon taking it in her hands, she noticed a note that was underneath.

"My dear Chloë,
This is a mask I conceived for you. It will help you mingle with the creatures of the Forest. Rest assured, they will watch over you everytime you will travel from our world to theirs. Perhaps it has changed since the last time I came, as it was a very long time ago. But there is nothing to fear. I know how it has been difficult for you these years, but you will eventually find what you have been missing for so long.

Eternal love,
Your grandmother who will always be by your side."

Chloë tearfully smiled. All of those objects were just pure fantasy. But this mask was made to be worn by her. It was the most precious thing in the whole world now.

After packing everything back into the box, she played a bit of piano. Her mother eventually poked out of the door after twenty minutes.

"It's time to go, sweetie!"

The teenage girl nodded and grabbed the box. Before leaving, she visited the house and the garden one more time.

After being back from school, Chloë immediately went to her room. She pulled the cardboard box from her closet and looked inside again to find the shield and the mask. Then, sitting on the bed, she put the shield on her lap and held the mask in her slightly trembling hands. It was so beautiful she could not help but to gaze at it for a while. She then stood up and went to the bathroom to put the mask on, looking at her reflection in the mirror.

The teenage girl smiled. It perfectly fit her style.

Removing the mask, she sighed. She still had not coped with her grandmother's death as it was too sudden for her. No proper goodbyes. No last words of love face-to-face. The sorrow was abruptly overwhelming her.

If only the tale was true. She could have met all of those creatures and asked them questions about her. How was she back then? Has she truly done great things there?

She locked herself inside her room and sat on the bed. Her hands to her face, she quietly wept as the rain came crashing down outside. She lied down with the mask and the shield in her arms, then closed her eyes to try and get some sleep, soothed by the rain sounds.



Chloë opened her eyes to find herself in a pure white void. Around her was nothing. She was all alone.

But something was not right. It felt as if she was not completely herself. However, it's only when she looked down that she realized she had hooves, black legs, a grey body, a small tail and a reddish-pink back with odd black stripes. She touched her face with her hoof. No muzzle. She had a human face! How was it possible?

Where am I!? And WHAT am I!?, she panicked.

All of a sudden, two cervine silhouettes appeared, fading from the void as if they were walking through a wall. The adolescent could not have a clear look at them, they were all bright and shining.

"Greetings, Chloë, a male voice said.

– We've been waiting for you." A feminine voice followed.

Chloë blinked several times.

Am I dreaming?

"Who…who are you?, she asked.

– We are the Twin Gods, creators and guardians of the Endless Forest.

– And we assure you that this is not a dream."

Chloë could not believe her eyes. However, should she really trust them? They said it was not a dream, but it looked like one. Were they real or just the fruits of her imagination?

"How do you know who I am?

– We know it.

– Moreover, you have her shield."

Her shield?

She glanced at her back. The shield was there yet she was sure that it was not.

"Wait…so is it true? Does this Forest really exist?

– Yes, it's a different world from yours where there is no human, only creatures of all kind.

– Your grandmother would come to visit quite frequently.

– How would she travel there?, Chloë inquired of them.

– She would fall asleep while thinking about the Forest to teleport there.

– Like you just did."

She thought it was not real, but she wanted to believe it. She wanted it to be true. She approached the silhouettes and asked:

"Can I really go there?"

The smile of the Twin Gods was now apparent.

"Of course you can.

– Are you ready to see our world and meet its inhabitants?"

The adolescent simply nodded.

The Twin Gods looked at each other with a nod and then said to her in unison:

"Close your eyes."

Chloë obeyed, wishing from the bottom of her heart that it was not a dream.

A sudden feeling of happiness overwhelmed her as she felt something surrounding her body, tears rolling down from her eyes.

Suddenly, she was sure of it.

The tale is true!