Shadows Of Men

Chapter 1

The first thing he felt was the piercing cold surrounding his body like a thick blanket. It seeped into his limbs, stiffening his joints and filling them with a tight pain. The ground was wet underneath him, soaking into his thin, torn clothing, making contact with multiple parts of his bare skin. It left his back and the calves of his long legs damp. A harsh pounding in his head kept his eyes tightly shut, bright lights danced behind his eyelids, enhancing the suffocating pain making his thoughts muddled. His eyes opened in small slits, blinking harshly in the morning light.

Giant trees towered above him as he lay on, what he could only guess was, the forest floor, their branches protruded from the thick trunks, caressing each other as they brushed, keeping a thick dark green canopy high above his head. A strange unfamiliar feeling grew deep in his chest, a shaky exhale left his chapped lips. He pushed his body up with a grunt, trying to get his legs underneath his shaking body so he could stand and lean against a nearby tree to try and determine where he was. The pounding in his head grew until he was kneeling on the forest floor, knees pressed into the squishy ground. Harsh pants left his mouth, small beads of sweat dripping down his forehead, though the air around him was cold and made the hairs on his arms stand up.

His thin, slightly sunken golden eyes flickered around, taking in more of his surroundings. A dense, tangled undergrowth lay thick on the mossy forest floor, surrounding the trees like a large crowd of people. Strange looking yet beautiful flowers stood against the green of the bushes and unknown plants that took part in the undergrowth. Rocks of various sizes dotted the ground, layered with a bright colourful moss, different from the forest floor. Long vines fell from the branches closest to the forest floor. Some were so long that they brushed the highest areas of the undergrowth. The strange, unfamiliar feeling started to grow larger, as if the same vines on the trees were wrapped tightly around his lungs, stealing away his breath.

His breath came harsher, and he no longer panted from extortion but from, what he now realized was panic. Hot pools of tears filled the corners of his eyes, making his vision blur. He had no memory of where he was or how he had gotten there in the first place. Why had he woken up in a forest rather than...wherever he had first come from? His breath shuddered out of him as he tried to choke down the sobs, he could feel growing in his throat as the tears dripped slowly, almost delicately down his face.

Confusion and panic gripped him with a tight fist, making him shake all over and sob from deep in his chest, he inhaled sharply in between his sobs choking on them as he tried to breathe. A rustle from inside the bushes caused him to freeze completely. A cold sense of realization hit him...if he had no idea where he was then he had no idea of what could be around him, not just plant life, animals as well.

A distorted snarl echoed from the bushes, filled with rage and malicious intent. His tears stopped and his body went cold. A tall creature rose up from it's hidden spot in the undergrowth, thick white saliva dripping from it's open maw. Multiple long, thin arms extended from it's twisted torso. Long dark fur covered the creature's entire body, it's stark white eyes staring at him as he shook in place.

A few moments went by as they stared at each other, one frozen in fear, the other for an unknown reason or no reason at all. Then, with no warning the creature dropped it's jaw and let out a horrendous scream, swiping it's long arms at the man and reaching out with it's sharp nailed hands.

The man let out a pained yelp as one of the flailing hands made contact with him, claws digging in deep into his chest, blooding spewing from the wound. He flew into a nearby tree, his head slamming into the wood, blood now dripping heavily from the back of his head and the wound in his chest. But, through all of this, he felt nothing as his heart pumped furiously with adrenaline, with a strangled whimper, he scrambled to his feet and struggled to dodge another flailing attack from the creature, the claws grazed his left thigh, blood welling up and dripping slowly down his leg. He yelled as he slammed into the creature with all of his weight, the thing screeching as it was pushed to the ground.