Dawn was about to break and the Piper didn't stop. He continued along the path, seemingly oblivious to the rising sun.

This form of the Piper was less solid. His hair, which had started out as black, was now beginning to shift to an orange. The same color of the changing sky.

"Aren't we going to camp?" you asked, breaking the hours long silence between both of you. Upon waking up, the Piper had muttered a less than enthusiastic greeting and started down the path.

"No."

"But, you said that it was too dangerous for us to travel during the day."

"That wasn't me," he said. "Now, come on. We'll set up camp this evening."

You listened hesitantly and followed behind him. You allowed the magical tether--tying you to the Piper--to tighten slightly by placing more distance between the two of you. You could tell he felt it too, turning back to make sure you weren't trying to run away.

"Keep up," he said, slowing to allow the tether to loosen around both of your waists. "We're coming into a dangerous area. I need to keep an eye on you."

"Is it only dangerous during the day?" you quipped, annoyed the Piper hadn't allowed you to rest after nearly an entire night of walking.

The Piper tensed, his jaw setting in a firm line. Yet, he remained silent simply pushing on.

xXx

You were near a large lake, but through the trees it looked like an ocean. The trees were closer together now, their large roots tangling together beneath your feet.

The Piper had slowed his pace moving over the roots carefully. But there something off about him, the way he constantly checked behind him to make sure you were still there.

"We should be through these woods soon," he said. "Then, we'll make camp."

As you turned your attention to the Piper, one of feet caught on a branch and you feel onto the soft Earth, littered with pine needles. You felt them stab into your chin and hands as you attempted to get up.

You shifted your weight to your hands, trying to push yourself onto your knees, but you felt something wrap around your ankle. You turned onto your back catching sight of the the thick root which had wrapped itself like a snake around you. A rumble from beneath you hinted that other roots were moving upward, ready to drag you down.

You let out a scream, struggling and trying to shake the root off of you. But another root burst upwards from the ground, taking hold of your other ankle.

You whimpered but stopped as a hand clamp over your mouth. The Piper was crouched beside you. The hardened look in his soft eyes that'd you'd become so used to, had changed as he felt your panicked breaths on his palm.

"The trees--" he started. "They feed on weakness. I-I'm going to need you to be strong for me."

"Why are trying to save me?" you asked, when he removed his hand from over your mouth.

"Stop talking," he said. "Take deep breaths."

"Wouldn't this be a relief to you? I'd be out of your hair. Bet, you never had one perish this fast."

The Piper stopped and looked at you with his softened eyes again. You weren't sure whether you found it comforting as he intended, or more unsettling than the hard looks you'd become accustomed to throughout the day.

"Shut up. I have my reasons. Now, listen to me." The Piper crouched down again, his knees fully on the ground. He didn't seem worried the roots would take hold of him; his posture relaxed and his voice soft. You weren't sure if he was doing it to relax you, or if he knew these trees just as you knew the forest back home.

"Relax completely into the ground," he said. His hair changed from the sunrise orange to a light pink; your favorite color. Maybe he was in your head after all.

You allowed the small of your back to touch the ground beneath you. The soft ground began to swallow you; wrapping its lips around you.

xXx

It reminded you of when you learned to swim. Your dad held your shoulders with one hand and underneath your knees with the other. He kept you afloat gently, allowing you to feel the very top of the water.

"Imagine yourself floating just on the very top," he said. He lightly removed his hands from underneath you and you felt yourself floating at first. But, your didn't know how to balance your weight without your father's hands there to guide you. Your body began to sink, slowly at first with just the very middle of your back giving way, but soon water entered your ears. You couldn't hear anything anymore except for the soft sound of sinking. Your ankles tried to pull back up, but they, too, succumbed to the water.

Your father's hands lifted you back up before your face could fully submerge. You gasped despite the water not entering your lungs. It felt like it had. You sat with your father's arms around you until you felt the water make its way out of your lungs and you could breath deeply again.

"Darling, I won't let you sink, I promise."

xXx

"I won't let you sink, I promise," the Piper said.

He held your hand with both of his, one of them wrapped tightly around your wrist with its fingers resting on your palm. The other massaged your fingers lightly, bringing the life back to them.

You hadn't recognized it until that moment, but you'd panicked. You don't remember seeing the Piper's worried eyes as another root shot from the ground and encircled your waist. You never remembered when it happened, simply the moments before and the moments when you came back to your senses.

"I know it's hard," he said. "But, try to relax. Come on, as long as I have you, it can't take you completely." He gave you a small smile which for some reason made you forget the exhaustion you felt and slowly begin to relax your limbs.

It took a while, but just as the sun was beginning to set, the last root untangled itself from around your ankle. You sighed in relief as you stood up. There was a ring of raw skin and slivers from where the roots held their deadly grasp.

"Come on," you said. "I want out of here."

The Piper didn't move. He stayed on his knees and looked down at his hands.

"I can't do this," he said, quietly, you could just barely make out the words over the silence.

"Piper, what do mean? We need to get out of here before the trees try to take one of us again."

"I can't do this," he said, louder, coming to his feet. "I can't take you to him!"

"Him?" your eyes filling with a mixture of curiosity and dread.

"Abraxas," he said, his eyes hardening.

There was silence. The name carried off among the trees, still lingering overhead like a rogue storm cloud.

"I never think I'm strong enough," he said. "I guess that's why I was weak."

"Piper, I don't understand what you mean."

The Piper's hair began to change again into a blond, so light it was almost blinding. Soon, actual light was emitted from the Piper that you could no longer see.

When the light died down, you saw the Piper laying on the ground. His hair was back to black, a bit shorter than before. As you approached, you realized it wasn't the same form anymore. This one was younger, he seemed quite like the first Piper with a lean body and visible strength.

You reached out to brush the hair back from his forehead, the Piper was sweaty and seemed almost sickly. As your hand made contact, his eyes burst open.

A/N: Another chapter finished! Thank you so much for reading! I'm not gonna lie this chapter turned out much longer than I originally intended, I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I did writing! Let me know what you thought of the new chapter. Any new predictions after this one?

The next chapter may take me a little longer as I don't have as much planned out going into the next one. But, don't worry, I will have it out as soon as I can!

Follow the sound of the flute~

-FarFromSuga