The Monster

As the voices got louder and louder, it brought me some kind of hope that I had gotten out of this god forsaken forest. I never thought I would ever be as lost as I was, but it goes to tell you that you might not know something as much as you thought you do. All I wanted was to get home and crawl into my comfy bed and sleep, hopefully making my back hurt less.

As I saw the treeline approaching, I picked up the speed, just wanting to hurry up and get out of here.

"Home sweet-" I started to say as I passed across the treeline, but I froze almost instantly where I was when my vision cleared.

My eyes widened in horror and fascination as I saw in this open area were a bunch of little cottages, farm animals, horses, and the people! The people are what drew my attention first as they wore such weird clothing. It was kind of like what you would see in a history book about the people's clothing from a certain era. There were swords strapped to the men's waist, and even the women seemed to be wearing daggers.

Has this place been here and no one's ever noticed it before?

"Excuse me!" I called out to someone nearby, seeing them swinging their ax to cut up wood, "where am I?"

The person looked up, and I saw their eyes widen in what looked to be terror as the ax fell from their hands to the ground. I raised my hands to try to signal that I meant no harm, but all of a sudden, I felt a shiver of fear crawl up my spine, and I instantly knew that something was behind me. Very cautiously, I turned around, and what I saw made me cower in terror.

"What the-" I whispered, gazing up at the scary creature.

Standing a few meters behind me was this giant wolf-like creature. His fur was as black as coal, and it's glowing red eyes were piercing through me. Its jaws parted, showing it's glistening three-inch canines that looked like they could bite through bone. As the creature took a step forward, my eyes looked down to see how long its claws were. I think I'm going to die here.

"Run, you fool!" I heard someone scream behind me.

Whatever kicked my ass into gear, I wasn't sure, but I quickly turned around, running as fast as my legs could carry me. I heard the fearsome roar of the monster behind me. It's paws hitting the ground practically shook the area around it, and I knew it was gaining speed. I could practically feel it breathing down my neck, moment's away from ripping my throat out.

The moment I just knew it was going to lunge, I quickly changed direction, hearing it's jaws snapping shut in the place I had just been. It was a close call, but as I looked over my shoulder, seeing it shake its head before turning those beady red eyes back on me, I knew I was done for.

"SOMEBODY, HELP ME!" I screamed, praying for anyone to be there.

I should've known it wouldn't be the case, the villagers having rushed into their own homes to hide. Having not been paying attention, I tripped over something that was in my path, hitting the ground hard, feeling like the wind had just been knocked out of me. I tried to rush to my feet, desperate to catch my breath but run at the same time, but it ended up being futile. I stiffened as the shadow of the monster loomed over me, a sinking feeling inside of me becoming more noticeable.

I'm going to die.

I raised my arms, thinking that maybe I would be able to protect myself from it, and it'll just go on its way after attacking me. I could feel its hot breath on me, the soft growls escaping it, feeling as it got even closer.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

I pray it be fast.

It released a rumbling howl, as if signaling that it's time for dinner. I shuddered as I felt its wet nose brush against my forearm, knowing it was right there. I braced myself for the attack, my heart slamming into my ribcage.

But…

It did nothing.

Warily, I opened my eyes, wondering if the beast had gone. I froze as I gazed into the eyes of the monster mere inches from mine. The creature was watching me, an intelligence there that confused and frightened me at the same time. Why didn't it attack me?

"What are you waiting for?" I asked softly, knowing I was being a little crazy by doing so.

It growled, and I flinched back, expecting it to be the end. What I didn't expect was for the creature to back away from me, growling as it quickly turned around and ran away, leaving me baffled.

What just happened?

"How did you do that?" I heard a boy's voice.

My head jerked up, and I saw that the villagers had come out of their homes, eyeing me with a caution and fear that I wasn't expecting. By the look on their faces, I knew instantly that they did not trust me, and this was probably going to end really bad.

"Get up, and come with us." A man grumbled, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, "we need to take you to him."

Oh no.