Will-o-Wisp

Will-o-Wisp
An Aywas Urban Legend

Not long ago in Ay, there lived an oakl named Willow. Her coat was a stunning blue patterned with swirling silver like the stars, her horns were delicately curved and gleamed in the light, and her tail was long and elegant. Never was there a more beautiful oakl in all of Ay. It was no wonder that she commanded attention wherever she went, but no one adored her as much as Modek the witch doctor phanto.

Modek loved Willow with all his heart. Every day she would wander by his home in the woods and stop to talk. She spoke with such sweetness, her melodic voice lifting his spirits, and he fell in love not only with her beauty but with her gentle nature. It astonished him that such a regal creature would even notice him, let alone want to spend time with him. He waited for her every day, collecting shining trinkets to give her, and she in turn would look at him with such adoration that it raised his spirits to the skies. Could it possibly be that she loved him too?

One day, as they were talking, he knew he had to tell her how he felt. He was afraid to do so, but could not deny his feelings any longer. Nervously, he confessed his love for the beautiful oakl. She smiled sweetly and kissed him, whispering words of love in return. And for one night, everything was perfect.

The next day, Willow did not show up. Modek waited and waited, but there was no sign of her. She didn't come the next day or the day after that or the day after that. When a week had passed, Modek was frantic with worry. He flew to the far corners of Ay, searching for the love of his life, fearing that he might not find her. Exhausted, he was just about to give up when he caught sight of delicate silver horns and a coat the shimmered like the stars.

It was Willow, and she was talking with a soli that Modek had never seen before. He hid and waited, watching as the oakl he loved talked to the stranger. Her lovely voice spoke words that were all too familiar. Words he'd thought reserved only for him. She kissed the soli and left, her long tail swishing behind her like flowing water.

No, this had to be a mistake. It simply couldn't be true! He chased after her, calling her name, but when she stopped she looked at him with surprising coldness.

"You followed me," she accused.

He confessed that he had, but it had been for a good reason. She had been gone so long, he'd worried for her safety. Why had she not returned? Who was the soli she had she been speaking to? Why had she kissed him? With each question Willow grew colder and Modek grew angrier.

"Listen, it was fun while it lasted but it's over. I can't have you chasing after me."

"But I love you," he pleaded with her, "don't you love me too?"

"No. I don't."

"But you said - "

"Don't you get it? It's just a game. You were fun for a while, but you've taken this way too far. We're over."

Modek felt his heart breaking. The oakl he loved was not what she'd seemed. She was just as beautiful as ever, despite the harsh look in her sparkling eyes, but the gentle spirit he'd fallen for had been nothing but a lie. Willow was manipulative and cold, using her looks to get the attention she craved from others. When things didn't go just as she wished, she would simply leave and move on to her next target. But she had made a mistake when she chose to toy with the emotions of a witch doctor.

"May your pretty face show only what is in your heart."

A powerful curse took hold of her. Gleaming horns turned sharp and dull. Once delicate hooves became like daggers digging into the ground. Spikes of bone protruded from her spine. Her body twisted and changed and her beautiful face became sunken until it resembled a gruesome skull. Her eyes blazed in dark sockets like blue flame. She tried to speak, cursing the name of the phanto who had done this to her, but her once melodic voice came out as a howling shriek. Horrified at the loss of her beauty, she fled into the darkness.

No one has seen her since, but to this day a ghostly voice still calls to travelers on the darkest of nights.

"Won't you come with me? Won't you love me?"