username & ID: Hallowitch 4067
name: Emperor
prompt:
[UH all done okay <3]
It wasn't until it was too late that I realized I was in over my head. The forest was inviting - beautiful even. A thin layer of snow covered the ground, sparkling blue in the dappled sunlight. It crunched pleasantly under my pale paws. Everything about that moment was calm.
And then the forest woke up.
Suddenly I felt as though the earth
rocked. My vision blurred just on the edges. My fur and scales bristled for no reason that I could immediately determine. A breeze sprang out of nowhere and I could just make out the sound of a voice on the periphery of my hearing. I looked around, and my heart plummeted.
I wasn't in the same forest. The trees were huge, old and gnarled. There was snow, but it was hard as ice and colorless. A shadow fell over the whole area and I realized then why they say "Keep out of the Old Wood."
"What have I gotten myself into?" I whispered, ears on swivels. There were no normal foresty sounds, no babbling water or calling birds. No insects even. Just the whistle of wind caressing leafless, twisting branches. I wasn't sure if turning back would help me. I didn't exactly
enter this part of the forest, I just sort of...wound up here. Turning back would be counterproductive at best and actively harmful at worst. I had some strange seed of knowledge that said I wouldn't be leaving until I had gotten what I'd come for. Which was really too bad because, as I thought more about it, I realized that...I didn't know why I was here.
What had I come for? Certainly there was a reason I had come to the one place (to the best of my knowledge) that I wasn't supposed to enter. Something niggled in the back of my mind, like an itch I couldn't scratch. I had to think. What was I doing before I came here? Where had I been?
Behind me, a twig snapped. I spun, heart hammering in my throat.
It was standing in the murky shadows of those ancient trees. I could make out a vague shape - larger than two keldines put together and hunched, as if its hulking form stood only on hind legs. Dread flooded me, turning my tongue to ash in my mouth. Everything on my body was tensed, instinctively, claws digging into the icy ground. Silences stretched the moments, punctuated only by the sound of my heart in my ears. It was deafening.
As if on cue, both I and the creature moved. I broke for a thicker stand of trees, desperate for shelter and moment to assess the situation clearly. My mind was still reeling from my earlier revelation. Conversely, the monster moved to intercept me. It moved into the lighter shadows, and I caught snatches of dark golden coloring. It sounded
loud. Like, herd of elephants
LOUD. Ice and branches crashed underfoot as it moved with shocking speed.
I was almost through a narrow gap between two trees when I felt something snag my hind right leg. It gripped hard, hard enough to make me yelp (though I contend the yelp was out of surprise more than pain), and began dragging me backwards and upwards. My claws lost purchase on the ground and I quickly found myself flailing. I tried pushing with my other leg, but the creature held fast.
When I got a look at its face, my stomach dropped out from under me. It seemed to be some type of ogre, but with a beak and a face full of dull golden feathers. It was making some low noises, mouth halfway open, and the stench of rotten teeth was nauseating. Beady black eyes blinked at me. I was certain I was going to be eaten.
Heart racing, I twisted in the creature's grip, scales bristled and teeth flashing. Its grip loosened just enough for me to wiggle myself free, but then I faced a new problem - I had a good ten foot drop to contend with. Rather than deal with that, I grabbed the creature's forearm as tightly as I could, claws digging in, and used the momentum to lift myself up. I'm sure I hurt it, because it bellowed and tried to toss me. I stepped toward the creature's bulk, intent on going over its shoulder and down its back.
As I did so, as quick as I could because I was outclassed in all ways except speed, that same niggling feeling came back in my mind. Almost automatically, as I was tumbling down the back of the creature, I snapped my jaws down on its feathers, intent on taking some with me. As a souvenir? What an odd thing to do.
I landed hard on the ground. My already sore leg screamed in pain. But adrenaline was pumping through me, full force. I had to keep going. As soon as I got my feet under me, I was sprinting into the forest, away from the creature, looking like I had just taken a huge bite of a feather boa. I had to get clear of that monster and get back to...whatever I was doing here.
The forest flew by, and I scrambled through the undergrowth as fast as I could. I'm sure I lost a couple smaller feathers on the way but I kept my mouth clamped shut, willing myself not to get too out of breath.
And then, just as fast as before, I had a moment of vertigo and I slammed on the brakes. I was standing at the edge of the forest. The edge I'd gone in on. The edge of my village. And there were others waiting for me, calling my name. A swell of triumph soared in my chest as I realized: I had done it! I didn't know it at the time, but those feathers were curative, they healed several of the village residents from a curious illness.
I'd gone in for them, and thankfully, the forest had made sure I'd gotten them and gotten out. My leg was sore for several days, but healed quickly. And all my friends and neighbors were healthy and happy. Still, if I had to go back, I'd write myself a note.
{sorry I got really carried away OTL}
