It started out as an exciting day; the young Marcus was finally getting to see the mysterious forest of wonders that captured his interest some time ago. He loved nature even as an eight year old kit and his favorite season was basically an everyday thing there. He just couldn't wait to finally get there and build some snowkalons before entering the beautiful forest of Kamrann.
After him and his parents arrived there, they signed up to a tour in the woods. Their group got a nice guide who always answered all his questions without hesitation; Marcus knew then that this trip was going to be even better than he expected.
During the tour, while he wasn't asking questions, he got to know another kit who was not that pleased to go into a forest full of mysterious things, be it harmless or not. Despite this, they got to know each other a bit before they entered the woods, and they walked beside each other during the tour.
When the tour started and the group set foot into the forest of Kamrann, Marcus just fell silent.
He was completely taken aback by calm quiet of the place; the undisturbed snow aroud them told him that their group was that day's first group there. He felt lucky because of this.
The tour was going quite well for the kit, but his new
friend just couldn't help but feel like something was off.
Despite Marcus trying to calm him down, the kalon became more
worried and jumpy halfway through the tour.
When the group reached the deepest part of the forest they were allowed to enter, Marcus was still trying to calm his small friend, but despite his worries,
Marcus still enjoyed the beauty surrounding them.
After a quick break, just when they were about to head back, the group heard noises that sounded like thumping. As it grew more and more louder, Marcus felt more and more curious about what it might be, while his new friend tried to talk him into getting out of there, with or without the group.
Marcus should've done as his friend said.
It all happened so fast.
One moment, he was adoring nature and calming his friend, the other he was being shielded by his mother from something. He had little time to process what was happening before he heard the other kalons scream in terror.
He didn't see the reason of the chaos because of his mom.
All he heard was the sickening snap of something hard while someone screamed before a gurgling sound came from their throat and stopped the shrieking. Gross sounds of something wet being chewed on loudly, something hitting a tree hard with a thud, another cry cut short by a snapping sound.
He heard his mom whimper, then he heard her scream his father's name. Then, she fell silent. The young kit's sight was still obscured by his mother body, but the sounds of what might've been happening left him disturbed.
He heard his mother whisper to him: "Marcus. Run."
Her shaky voice was filled with such a serious tone it sent a chill down his spine.
She sniffed. "I won't be able to follow you, but please save yourself... Don't look back, sweetie, just run... Run!" and with that, she pushed the kit away from herself hard and turned back to face whatever threat she saved him from.
And Marcus did as he was told.
He ran and didn't look back.
The kit didn't know if he was being chased or not. The adrenaline and his mother's words kept his feet moving faster than ever before.
He heard a distant shriek.
He wanted to stop when he recognised it, but he couldn't.
He just ran, forward, not knowing where he's going or where he was going to end up. He jumped over a tree trunk, ran through a bush, tripped on a rock, but he ran.
His vision blurred as tears started streaming down his cheeks, making him feel like a bunch of needles were poking his cheeks.
After what felt like an eternity, his legs finally gave up. The kit fell face first into the soft snow, near a fallen tree that's end was still hanging onto the stump.
He was beyond exhausted. How long had he been running? How far was he inside the forest? Where were his mom and...
Oh.
Right.
Tears started stinging his eyes again. With what energy he'd left, the kit crawled under the trunk and curled up into a ball. He'll wait then.
Someone will find me eventually...His eyelids felt heavy. Sniffing, he decided it was not worth fighting it. Maybe it's just a bad nightmare, and if he falls asleep now, he'll wake up in his bed again, with his mom and dad in the room next to his, sleeping peacefully.
He sniffed, rubbed his eyes and after wiping off his tears one more time, he let himself sink into the darkness of sleep.
A loud roar caught the attention of a young creature playing in the soft snow.
