Alone in the Woods

It's becoming more like a labyrinth than a forest. It's been hours and we're still here in this godforsaken, vegetated warren. The sun is just moments from taking its slumber. Purple and orange hues engulf everything our eyes can see and the woods dims darker every second. Fatigue is starting to make its presence known. Masid and I even stop having a conversation for a while now to conserve energy. The maps don't seem to hold their true purpose. We're lost. I'm beyond confident I'm religiously following everything that's written on these old pieces of paper, but it appears that the farther we go in the woods, the more the tracks become complicated. It's too late to go back now. I must see things through.

          "You think we can still go back?" Masid asks, carrying himself heavily with every step. "I'm hungry."

          A realization hit me. Mother told me she'll cook my favorite for dinner but I guess we won't be able to go back tonight. "If you want to, you can go." There's no hostility to my tone. "I can go on by myself."

          "Nah, I'm staying." He responds. "Being back there is fun but it won't be as fun without you." I offer him a smile. "There are just a lot of rules with your Mother and Calista is fun and all but she's too fragile for me. Fragile in every way thinkable. She gets angry very quickly and she doesn't want to play fight with me. She's too similar to your Mother and that is scary."

          "I won't argue with that." I laugh while trying to test my luck by conjuring flames. As soon as it gets dark, we must have an alternative light source.

          "Hey, what are you doing?"

          "Watch this." I stretch my arms forward, hands facing upwards, placing one palm on the other. I concentrate, feeling the constant hums echoing around my flesh. "Etingi." A ball of flame forms from thin air, sending warm waves to our exhausted bodies.

          "That's amazing!" Masid jumps in astonishment. "You're getting used to your new found ability quite well." I picture him smiling at me. I smile back.

          It's a good time to rest, I reckon. Traversing the woods in the dead of night is not a good call. With the flame in my hand, Masid helps build a fire pit so it can stay ablaze throughout the night. We grab a few dozen leaves and branches to serve as our bed, sheets, and fuel to the fire. Instead of having dinner at the cave with Mother, we're lost here in the forest eating some fruits we foraged and a couple of fish we caught from a stream a few paces back. I hope she'll understand. I'll tell her every facet of this journey as soon as I get back. I just wish they would be as fun as one of Father's countless tales.

          I hear the howls of a distant pack of wolves signaling that the night has finally come. If it wasn't for the fire I conjured, Masid and I would become one of the meals the darkness can feast on just to be rescued by the sun on its tomorrow's return. From the harmonious music of the morning birds' chirps and wingbeats, they transitioned to calming lullabies of the crickets nearby. Strange calls from owls are heard occasionally but that doesn't merit any fear, unlike the darkness that just sits where the light of the flame doesn't reach. To avert my attention, I just look up and let myself be amazed by the vast array of stars twinkling randomly from the skies. Then, I let my sleep take control.

          Deep into my slumber, I feel my right cheek burn in pain. "Wake up!" A voice of a… woman? She seems to be calling out for me. My senses aren't fully awoken yet so everything is still foggy. "Wake up or you'll die!" She calls out again. I look around and true enough, a woman is crouching right next to me, grabbing me by the collar and shaking me violently.

          "What? Who are you?" I sit up straight but my senses are still far gone. Then, it hit me. "Wait. You're a person!" I stand up hastily, laughing so hard I could fill the entire forest with my laughter.

          She grabs me by the end of my green tunic and yanks me back to the ground. "Do you really want us to die out here?" She exclaims, her eyes glaring at mine. I feel warmth and not from the pit fire but from… her. "It's not safe out here. Come with me."

          "Wait. Masid. We have to get Masid." I say adamantly but looking at where he was just resting, no Black Panther is found. The warmth I was feeling was immediately replaced by cold, freezing worry.

          "Whoever that is, we'll find it later. Now, come on!" She beckons. She puts out the fire with a single swing of her foot on the ground, sending a hefty amount of dirt to extinguish it.

          I let myself be dragged by this woman across the forest to only she knows where. I don't sense any animosity from her so she's probably someone friendly. Not taking into account that she slapped me earlier to wake me up. With the moon and the stars' natural light, I can see that this woman sports a hair as vibrantly colored as my favorite flower. Her long, wavy, crimson-colored hair accentuates her soft, pale skin. I can tell that her skin is soft because she's been holding me tightly over the course of this run. At a distance, I can see a silhouette of what appears to be a cabin. Is that where we're supposed to be heading?

          "We're here." She announces as we arrive at the cabin's entrance. Her tone is as sweet as maples on a cold winter morning. She quickly opens the door and lets us in all while looking at me with an undeniable question in her eyes. "Who are you?" She asks, gesturing for me to sit on one of the wooden chairs available. I'm guessing it's her living area.

          "I'm Vatic," I reply, still in awe of seeing the first human being after years of being cooped up in the cave. "I'm so glad I finally met someone alive!" I reach my hands to her for a handshake but she's taken aback, pushing my hand back down using one of her arrows. I just noticed that she has a bow placed across her torso and a full quiver of arrows dangling from her back.

          "What do you mean someone alive?" She raises both of her eyebrows, her posture stiffening.

          "I'm sorry. I understand how that may sound a little off putting to you." I start to explain. "You see, I was told that no one is living here anymore so seeing you here is beyond my wildest dreams. I admit the circumstance can be more appealing but nonetheless, I met someone alive!" My voice slightly narrows in excitement.

          She just responds with a confused expression. She doesn't put her weapons down. She's on high alert. "And who is this Masid? The one you wanted to bring with us back at the clearing?"

          "Right!" I stand, letting the chair fall onto the floor. "I have to find him."

          We suddenly hear echoes of snapping branches nearby. Our gazes steer to where we think the sound came from. Instinctively, I take my combat stance, daggers in hand. I shot a glance at her and I was surprised that she seems to be agile on her reflexes as well. She already had her bow out of her torso to aim her arrow towards our suspected target. Heavy footsteps are heard closing in and stopping at the door. She gestures at me to check up on it with her eyes and I oblige. Looking out from the window, I couldn't see a thing. There are no sources of light around here aside from that single candle she lit up for us.

          I reckon that it would be best for me to go out there and check so I gesture towards her to keep her silence, putting my pointer finger of my right hand on my lips and grabbing the doorknob with my left. I can feel the panic coursing through her. Her pearl-black eyes glimmer in wait as the scarce light from the candle catches them, but her aim is still steadily pointed at the door. I attempt to open the wooden door ever so slowly. I hear something sniffing. To our surprise, the door was violently pushed open revealing an unusual yet familiar silhouette. It's just Masid. He jumps towards me and caresses me like he always does, sending us both to the floor but I realize that this may look different from her perspective but it is too late before I can act. She releases her shot straight at Masid's head.

          "No!" I exclaim. I have to do something and fast or he'll get hurt or die. Her aim is too precise to gamble. "Rierra–" I started to chant but fell short.

          He quickly disengages from me, tilts his head up, redirects his weight to his left. He bit the air and caught it. He caught the arrow that was aimed directly at his head. He's safe now but the same can't be said for her. Masid bit even harder, breaking the arrow in his mouth into three pieces. Spitting them to the floor, he shifts his glare towards her. Golden, sharp glares reflect from her equally sharp, pearl-black eyes. Her brows tighten to aim better. The intensity in this room can put us all up in flames. I have to intervene. She grabs two more arrows from her back, places them on her bow, and aims them again at Masid and… me. What is happening here? Masid seems to notice this. His sharp claws emerge, piercing through the wooden floor of the cabin. He's about to attack her with them. It's now or never. 

          I force myself to stand up and run as swiftly as humanly possible between them. Everything happens so fast that I almost lose my breath. Masid jumps high in the air triggering her to release her arrows. Suddenly, I feel two stabbing pains on my back; one is on my right shoulder blade and the other is just inches above my left buttocks. Aside from those, seething slashes of something so sharp course from my left chest down my right pelvic muscles. This completely shatters my favorite green tunic and blood splatters everywhere. It hurts. My entire body is ablaze from the pain I'm feeling all over. But, I was successful in killing the tension between those two. I drop almost lifeless on the floor. I couldn't conjure my remaining energy to heal myself.

          "Miss, meet Masid." I struggle to form my words. "Masid, mee–" Her expression is astonishing to witness, eyes wide open from shock and her hair is a little messy after all that commotion. It sends warm shivers throughout my mangled flesh.

          "Are you serious right now? You're bleeding to death and you want me to meet this woman?" Panic ensues in his tone. "I'm sorry, Vatic. I didn't mean to hurt you. That's supposed to be for this kidnapper here." I force a chuckle.

          "Why are you laughing? You're about to die!" The lady exclaims, rushing towards my bloody stature and attempting to stop the bleeding. "Here, let me tend to your wounds. Panther, if you don't have anything better to do, get out of here!" She now probably figures that he's with me.

          "Is she really asking me to slice her throat off?" Masid mutters, anger seeping out of his dark coat. It's a good thing I'm the only one who can hear him.

          "Calm down. I'm not dying." I whisper to him then glance back to the lady. "Let him stay. He's a friend."

          She nods reluctantly then grabs a couple of sheets to cover my wounds. I can't wipe my widening smile off as I watch her tend for me. I don't mind the lack of a decent light source. Her beauty illuminates everything that matters. She's worried for me. I can tell. There's a certain way of grace and elegance exuding from every move she makes that I wish time would stop or at least slow down so I can experience this bliss even longer. Masid on the other hand, constantly moves out of her way and comes when she asks to. He's so smart.

          I gently grab her arm as she carefully cleans my wounds. She startles but doesn't pull back. "I already told you my name. What's yours?" I ask, trying my best to smile at her.

          "Aelanora." Her smile fills me with phantom energy that I was falsely certain that I'm already healed. "But please, call me Aela."