𝐄𝐘𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐌 ʙᴇʟʟᴀᴍʏ ʙʟᴀᴋᴇ

𝐨𝐧𝐞.

DEMONS , imagine dragons

' Your eyes they shine so bright, I wanna save that light '

Third Person POV

     SUNLIGHT MAKES ITS WAY THROUGH the tall trees, creating dappled shadows on the ground as Hope makes her way through the forest. The gentle breeze blows through her hair and rustles the leaves overhead. The soft thuds of her boots hitting the ground was the most abrupt sound near, as the wind blowing through the trees created a false sense of tranquility.

     Hope pauses her walk as she hears the rushing stream just a few meters ahead. Quickening her steps, she heads towards it.

     As she approached the river, all she could hear was rushing water. Hope looked around, seeing only forest and foliage. She took her bag off her shoulders and grabbed her canteen, small, but enough to carry a decent amount of water. After taking another quick look at her surroundings, she quickly bent down to fill the container.

     Being alone in such a noisy spot was making her anxious. She wouldn't be able to hear her surroundings due to the rushing water. Filling the canteen and whipping her head around for every whisper of wind she heard would surely leave her with whiplash.

     Being alone for only a few months lately had left her on edge, and considering how she left things with Mikael, she knew for a fact that she wasn't safe. She didn't know if he was alive or dead and though she wouldn't say it out loud, Hope had missed him terribly and wanted him back more than anything.

     Screwing the lid back on her canteen, she quickly shook her head of all thoughts she had about him. A warrior doesn't mourn the dead until the war is over.

     The blue-eyed girl stood from her crouched position and took a moment to look across the river. The boundary. She knew she would be a fool to cross, but what if they had Mikael? The thought had crossed her head more than once. She'd never gone toe-to-toe with the Maunon, but she had seen first hand what they were capable of in the territory of the tree-men and she didn't want to think about what they'd do to her on their own territory.

     With one last look, she turned around and headed back home. A few hours into her journey she started to hear footsteps behind her. She had continued walking for about 3 miles before she decided to stop. Knowing tree-men tactics, she looked up at the trees and saw a figure quickly move behind a branch leaving a few leaves falling from the tree.

     Despite knowing exactly where her stalker was residing, she slowly spun around in a circle to speak to them.

     "I know you're there. I heard you walking, and based on the timing of your steps and the distance of sound, I say it's about three to four meters behind me," She projected her voice up into the trees, not bothering to hide her annoyance. "I heard when you poorly climbed into the trees, almost taking a terrible fall, and you've been dropping leaves ever since. So, how about you get your creeping ass down here or stop bugging me."

     The figure came into her view, sitting on a branch, but she was unable to see who it was due to their hood, camouflaging them. They stayed on the branch, looking down at her, not saying a word. They simply stared at each other. Their staring competition was interrupted by a battle cry behind Hope. She could feel someone coming up behind her and quickly pulled her sword from it's sheath on her back and quickly spun to her right, the attacker coming from her left, and did a 360 turn, slashing the assailant's side as she did. He grunted in pain and grabbed at his side. She faced him and shrugged off her bag and got into a defensive position, ready to fight.