GODS, TYRANTS AND MONSTERS

THE GIANT FOREST

His eyes slowly peeled open as the red sun greeted him. It was dawn and the sun was coming up.

“ Shepstone!” He yelled as he sat up right and scanned the area.

A tall forest stood before him, it was the tallest he had ever seen in his life.

He stared in awe as a gentle breeze blew by. Suddenly, he saw a huge shadow amongst the trees.

Even from where he was, he could hear the beast growl.

Quickly, he got on his feet and moved backwards.

A claw made of the hardest tree bark appeared from the front row of trees.

Horrified, Nijahoeba began to run as the sun’s light touched the front row of the trees.

The claw disappeared and only the shaking of the ground could be heard as day came to be, brightening the whole land.

His feet ran across the plain, never looking back.

“ Shepstone!!!” he yelled crazily. “ Shepstone!!!”

That was when he felt a stinging sensation on his neck and touched his neck.

He felt something sharp like a needle stuck on his neck as his body became stiff.

“ Shep…” he tried to talk as his legs failed him and he tumbled on the grass.

Everything went blurry and the only thing he saw were dark figures heading for him.

After that, he went into a peaceful sleep.

“We pray to the New God that he leads us successfully as we invade the city of the bull, Kalil! May all our enemies fall before us!”

The voices of countless men cried as  shadows of the twelve Upper Beings appeared behind the burning world.

“ Noooooooo!!!!” Nijahoeba cried loudly as he opened his now hollow and black eyes. Veins appeared on his body as he sat up right.

“ Aina!!!!” the familiar female’s voice warned as all the guards held down their weapons.

“ Nijahoeba,” Shepstone’s voice gently said as Nijahoeba’s eyes turned back to normal.

“ Shepstone?” He said in disbelief.

“ Yes, my friend.”

“ Where are we?” Nijahoeba asked, his voice now hoarse.

“ A small village near the Giant Forest.”

Nijahoeba looked at the cinnamon skinned woman next to Shepstone. He knew her, she was the woman who had attacked them back in the ghost town.

“ My name is Enah,” she spoke with such respect. “ I am the leader of my people.”

“ Enah?” Nijahoeba slowly asked.
She nodded.

“ I…I saw one of them! Amongst the forest,” he continued, recalling the claw of bark that had appeared amongst the trees.

“ He is…”

“Nué,” continued Enah. “ You saw the prophet, Nué”

Nijahoeba looked at Shepstone, his whole body shaking terribly.

“ You live with an Upper Being?” Shepstone asked Enah in worry.

“ No. Nué lives in the Giant Forest and we never set foot there. He is not a god like most of them, we do not worship him.” Enah explained.

She then turned around to face the exit. Her footsteps echoed as she and her guards walked out of the small room, leaving just the two men.