Legacy: Hunted

Prologue

The dried leaves of autumn trees brushed together softly in the distance, the forest was quiet to most, but to others filled with the worries of life and stillness. A stillness like each tree was holding their breath. Every bird and night creature was silent in suspense.

A sudden crunch cracked through the concerned quiet. A young boy, with black hair, streaked with blond, walked through the decaying leaves and ground matter on the forest floor. He held himself tightly, his arms wrapped around his chest, playing the part of a dam to his overwhelming emotions. Emotions that spewed out of his eyes. Sadness, anger and an overall sense of feeling lost, the whole package. Two slightly long elf-like ears were laid back in the only way they could in the moment, pushing bird-like feathers back along with them.

The fifteen year old boy wasnt the oddest sight of Notos. But definitely one of the most unique, He stumbles through the forest like a bat with a mask on, tripping slightly at anything that got in his way. He didn't know where he was going, but neither did he care in the moment. At every slight trip, the feathers running down his neck and under his ears would flatten flush to his olive skin. He would sniff and hold back borderline sobs, almost beginning to tremble in his state of unsteady emotion and tears.

Reese normally wasn't like this, he was a rather quiet kid, but not because he was always sad. He just didn't really talk to alot of people, Which had led to the development of this odd coping behavior. Just randomly walking off into the woods without telling anyone where he was going, probably since he didn't really know himself. To Reese, the forest was a pleasant escape, no one trying too hard to be friendly, no one trying to make small talk, just him and the kind embrace of silence.

Slowly, as he walked, he found himself calming down. The urge to give in and let everything out no longer quite burned in the back of his throat, and he overall felt a bit better. The tight hold of his sides released, since he felt the river that is his mind and emotions could flow in a more easy and calm manner that was far more typical for the boy. With his emotions reigned in, he stopped for a moment to feel the fall breeze that paced through the trees and paths.

Then he heard the whispering.

The forest suddenly seemed alive with muttering and fast paced speech, like someone pulled the plug of a drain. While it wasn't loud, he found it hard to ignore. With all of the constant talk through the leaves of the trees, it was hard to make anything out.

Reese's green eyes watched the tops of the trees, sounding like the source of the hurried murmurs.

"The..spirit!"

"Help...."

"Free..!"

"Go.."

All Reese could make out only filled him to the brim with concern. Why were they 'saying' these things? Is something in danger? And gods forbid if the trees were talking to him, how could he help? At only fifteen, with not knowing how to fight, and not having good social skills? There was no way he could win any kind of fight or walk away from an altercation.

But, in a way, he felt like he had to...

...Like he had to do something.

He looked around the trees, searching for a way to go. The once soft breeze that had stopped him in the first place suddenly changed paths, rushing past Reese off to his left slightly, and well off the path. The boy didn't even think about it, following the sudden strong winds. He ran after the wind. The constant whispers started getting louder and more frantic.