Realm of the Rogues

Chapter XXVI

I wake up to a sudden shift in Hera's movements. I look up with drowsy eyes and immediately feel the panic ooze from Hera. I quickly jump down from her back, a second struggling to find my balance, causing me to fall to one knee.

I'm about to stand up again when something in my body yells at me not to, and almost physically makes it impossible for me to do so. For a second I'm confused, but quickly realize what's wrong. My left knee, the one I fell to the ground with, has hit something metal.

With one hand I begin shuffling away leaves to get a better view of my situation. I audibly gasp as I confirm my suspicions. A bear trap. A fucking bear trap... And it's not even a small one. If this snapped on me right now, it would probably encase my entire lower body, due to the way I'm sitting.

I remain completely still, terrified that the slightest movement would result in my demise. I dare to look up around me, trying to figure out what the hell is going on. Hera is still standing right beside me, blocking most of my view to my right. Her hackles are raised all down her back, her head bowed and her ears laid back while a deep growl is streaming out between her exposed canines. Her eyes flutter around her surroundings, which only makes me more uneasy since she doesn't know where the threat is coming from.

I try to spot Kai, but can't. There is no other wolf or human in sight, and I can't hear anything other than Hera's growl. I scan the tree crowns, in case he had crawled up there, but no. To my further terror, however, I see a bunch of nooses hanging from the branches. I also spot some smaller collections of bones hanging from small ropes. It's unlike anything I have ever seen before.

A deep feeling of dread starts building within my core. All my senses are on high alert, and again I get this horrible, almost deafening feeling, that I'm about to die. I begin hyperventilating and just before I pass out, I make out four ominous beings approaching us from deeper within the woods.

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I'm back in the white, empty space. This time I know it's not real, and just something in my head. But it feels very real despite this. I can feel the cold air on my body and the hair on my arms raising. I try to pinch my nose, something my grandmother taught me to do, whenever I'm unsure whether or not I'm dreaming. This confuses me because I feel my fingers on my nose as vividly as if I was awake.

I'm suddenly distracted by the appearance of flickering lights emitting from an aura-like 'blop', just like the one I saw last time. I hesitate walking towards it, remembering the feeling of dying I felt last. However, I can't stop my feet from approaching it, as if they are controlled by something other than my own will. I feel a sense of responsibility to see what the blop has to show me. As if my meaning or role in life is to do this, and only this if nothing else.

With confusion, I lift my hand almost automatically towards the blop. Immediately I'm enveloped by the lights. 

I fall on my knees into this new world, as if I just stepped through a portal. I look up and realize I'm still in the forest. But then again, I'm not really there, since I can't feel the ground. I'm like a ghost, unable to do anything other than spectate.

I hear voices further into the forest, and begin walking towards them. I make out two voices; one female and one male. They sound muffled, and like they are coming from a deep cave. Or as if several people talked at the same time with an echo and each with a different tone of voice.

"This is an... interesting situation. Do you think he will cause problems?" I hear the female voice echo from my hiding. 

"Well, this is a problem." The male voice answers.

"How come? He followed through on his end of the deal." The woman sounds pragmatic. I wouldn't be surprised if she was the leader.

"Yes, he did, but he also mated with the wolf. I doubt he is going to give her up. The banshee? Yes, maybe, but..." The male gets cut off. Banshee? Wolf? Who are they talking about?

"The banshee is also whom we wanted. She is more precious than the wolf." The female begins to sound impatient. I dare to move closer to get a better look at them. The first thing I see is what appears to be three tents with antlers at the top. I soon realize that they are not tents, but robes made of brown, discolored flax wrapped around some very tall beings. 

The two of them fall just a bit short of the third, who stands at almost 8 feet (2,5 meters). He turns his back on the two others, now facing me before speaking through the skull of the buck that is covering his face.

"We need them both. If the werewolf can't accept that, we will sacrifice him too." His voice is booming and filled with authority. He must be their leader. The other two bow their heads in confirmation. They are about to walk off, but the leader raises his hand in a swift motion, causing them to halt. With a long, black, and withered finger, he points between the trees and right at me.

My eyes widen in fear and a rumbling sound fills my head. I see that the leader shouts something, but I can't hear it. The other two begin sprinting towards me, but suddenly I'm ripped backward into my mind and everything goes black once again.