#grimmsstarter

　　there was an ethereal beauty in the turquoise ocean before him. the soothing sound of its living waves, the way they sparkled underneath the moonlight that bathed the coast. eloi had to find comfort in them, for otherwise, he'd find himself breaking down in tears the same way he had just hours ago. 　　so many things had happened in so little time. dreams had become memories, names did not match faces any longer. for weeks he had been hunted by visions, fantasies at night... a mystery prince, a royal ball, pumpkins turning into carriages, mice sewing garments. ashton could barely go along with his life as he dealt with the newfound terror of turning the doorknob to his room just to find himself locked again. locked in his attic, as poor little cendrillon did right before he was taken away to live a new life, in a land so outlandish. 　　for a moment he expected to wake up back in his old attic, with the duke and his one chance for freedom gone for good. instead he awakened in the middle of a tropical woodland, lost and terrified. but the sea, the sea was comforting. his father had promised eloi he'd take him there someday, to the coasts of tirulia. was he there now? he could not tell.

being  woken  up  from  the  curse  was  one  thing,  but  to  end  up  on  an  island  felt  limiting  for  him.  he  was  so  close  to  where  hades  had  resurrected  him  in  the  first  place,  why  couldn't  he  go  there?  enzi  had  tried  several  times  to  shift  into  his  lion  form,  but  there  was  never  something  that  seemed  to  stick.  the  best  he  could  do  was  summon  up  his  claws  long  enough  to  climb  up  one  of  the  trees.  then,  when  he  heard  someone  passing  by,  he  glanced  down  at  them  and  threw  a  piece  of  fruit  at  their  head.  “ eat  up.  you're  going  to  need  your  energy  if  we're  going  to  escape  from  here. ”   a  cunning  smile  formed  on  his  face  as  he  looked  to  see  if  he  should  climb  down.  “ we  can  help  each  other. ” 

　　his awakening was painful. his back ached as it rested against the cobbled pavement of a road he did not know, in a kingdom he had never been to. it was the nuzzling of a wet nose that made ulric push himself up by his arms and was confronted by an all too familiar set of big brown eyes. don, his loyal dog, a dog he did not own until he came to be one richard hartwin. how could a name he went by for so long feel so foreign all of a sudden? 　　he was a huntsman. ulric, the royal hunstman to his king...his king... 　　"snow white...snow white...." his lips uttered the name in worry, as he finally manged to plant his feet on the ground. where was his king? could he be in danger? ulric had seen him there, in pellar's town. he was an animal physician of sorts, veterinarian? whatever it was, the town was gone, and so was his king. he had to find him, him and florian. find the castle, find anyone who could give a single answer to his million questions. the huntsman aimlessly walked down the road, allowing the stranger dog to follow him as it pushed his snout against the man's hand. it seemed he still believed ulric to be richard. perhaps he always knew he was somewhere in there.

with  everything  rushing  back  to  him,  captain  hook  was  starting  to  get  angsty.  he  was  pacing  up  and  down  the  docks,  heeled  boots  echoing  along  the  platform.  his  memories  of  operating  with  a  hook  were  still  rushing  back  to  him.  so  he  was  trying  to  get  used  to  it.  pick  things  up,  stab  other  things,  which  meant  he  was  already  being  a  menace  by  the  water.  then,  he  heard  someone  else  near  him  and  a  playful  grin  played  across  his  face.   “   going  for  a  dip?  it's  the  perfect  weather  for  that.   ”   not  to  mention  that  aside  from  his  chest  poking  out  of  his  red  button  down,  he  wasn't  showing  much  skin.  so  he  clearly  wasn't  going  in  for  a  dip.   “   leave  your  valuables  with  me.  i'll  keep  them  safe  while  you  enjoy  the  open  waters.   ”   he  wouldn't,  but  it  was  worth  a  shot. 

Samuel can feel his magic somewhere. Just out of reach. He just needs to take it.

He settles himself in a cave on some island he doesn't know anything about. The fire he starts is small, mostly just to keep warm but also to make the shadows around him deeper. He just need to commune with the darkness. Establish his connection with it after all this time.

He feels like he's on the cusp of finally getting it when the snap of a twig outside takes his attention away and... it's gone again.

He sighs, frustrated.

"You might as well show yourself," he calls, gritting his teeth as he tries to find that edge again but it's gone. He looks out to the mouth of the cave where he can make out a figure in the darkness. "You've already made yourself known.

To say Conan is struggling is underselling just how bad it is. The sun is too bright, the dirt from the road feels like it's clinging to his sweaty skin, the woods around him are practically screaming in his ears. Logically, he knows it's just his wolf senses being overstimulated after years of not having them, but it doesn't change how miserable he's feeling.

He stumbles to the side of the road. It doesn't help that he's definitely not in the right clothes for walking long distances. His t-shirt and jeans and some boots. Not like his old boots he vaguely remembers from before. No the boots that look cool while he drives around Pellar's Town on his motorcycle. The boots that he got complimented on when he was picking up guys around town. Boots that aren't made for walking.

He curls up in some shade, shutting his eyes and trying not to panic. He's fine. He'll be okay, he just needs to find... someone... to help...

Footsteps on the road but he can't help but flinch away. He's not in a state to talk with anyone but he's wound so tight he doesn't want to move.