Dame de la Lune

~Chapter 2~

As I walk through this forest, I can't help but admire its beauty. The darkness of the wood contrasting against the green of the trees have me in awe. What does it mean to find beauty in something so deathly? Looking up to the now auburn sky, the trees look down on me, with their leaves falling to the black pigmented floor. I watch the trees above me as they  sway in the wind. This forest is an illusion of peace. I have not heard a single creatures' voice whisper through the trees or the sound of their scampering.

The only sound I hear is of the wind through the trees and its pitch that changes with its speed. It creates a tranquility which placates me and provides a feeling of safety even though I know I am anything but. For every second I spend walking freely in this forest, my life is in danger. The forest reeks of death, between the black color of it and the stench. And yet, for some peculiar reason, I don't want to leave. I try to shake away the absurd thought as I walk behind my companion. But why do I want to stay?

This forest will offer me nothing but death, and yet, I don't fear it. Death is merely a part of life, and a part of this forest apparently. I do, however, fear dying before uncovering the truth of what truly happened to me and leaving this world as a ghost. The further we walk through the forest, the more conflicted I feel. I hear a voice in my head urging me to run out of this forest and to never look back, like a faint memory of someone warning me. But then I feel a presence pulling me in deeper, telling me I'm safer here. Why can't I remember? I try to imagine how hard I must have hit the ground that would have left me with no recollection of my entire life. Yet, I can't imagine being able to exert that amount of force on myself, unless my memory loss wasn't due to my fall.

What happened to me last night? I feel a cold wind run up my spine, it wraps around me, almost like it's pulling me into the depths of the forest. The sun has set now, leaving us in the light of only the moon. I look down to my feet as I walk, inspecting the ground around me. All kinds of flowers blanket the forest floor, and all are a deep rich black. How strange. Not paying attention to the path that lay ahead, I walked into something, or someone I assume. I stumble back and look up to see my oh so tremendous partner has now stopped in his tracks.
"What's the matter?" I ask, analyzing his features.
He doesn't respond, but as he turns to face my direction, he stares intently at something behind me. As I go to turn around, he grabs my shoulders to keep me facing him.
"What are yo-"
Before I could finish my question, he placed his hand over my mouth and twisted my body to pin  my shoulders against his chest, while his forearm pressed around the front of my throat under my jaw, all the while moving us behind a tree. I widen my eyes at the sudden action, trying to get out of his hold.

As I muffle out a whine in his hand, and tug at his arm that is caging my shoulders against him, yet he nudges me, motioning me to be quiet. His arms tighten around my chest, keeping me still. I look up so that my eyes are in the range of his. Yet, I'm not met with the brown irises I've grown fond of, instead they are tightly shut almost as if he's scared of what laid before his eyes just now. What's the matter? Suddenly, I'm snapped out of my thoughts when I heard footsteps approaching.

His hold on me is too strong, I can barely move to see what's approaching, but I don't need to. The creature comes into view, with its back facing me. Its fur was black as night, with a tail that looked to be curved at the end with a sharp tip. As it was down on all fours, it was sniffing the ground, tracking something. I couldn't see its face, yet I felt the arms around me start to loosen. I look up to see him staring at the creature as though it might attack at any moment. His breathing felt heavy against my back, I felt his heartbeat quicken every time that creature slightly moved.

The man in black starts to slowly walk around the tree, with me still clutched to his chest, in hopes of getting out of the creature's peripheral view. But as he moves, a twig breaks. I hear him suck in a tight breath, waiting for the creature to respond to the noise. I felt his arms tighten around me to the point where I could feel my own heart beating. Slowly, the creature, with its back still facing us, stood up on its back legs. It was almost as tall as the trees that decorated this forest. Its head started to turn all the way around. 
"Close your eyes."
He spits out quickly before the creature turns fully in our direction. I shut them as tight as I can, but not before I catch a glimpse of the creature's face. It didn't have a mouth, but its eyes were just white. No pupils. No iris. Just white. Without my ability to see, I felt anxious not knowing where the creature was. But suddenly, I could feel the weight of the creature's breath in front of me. I started to shake out of fear, and I felt the man in black squeeze my shoulder twice, as if he's reassuring me that everything will be ok. I find that hard to believe considering the predicament we are currently in.
"Look at me," I hear a soft voice say. "Look at me, my lune."
My moon? That voice remarks a familiar feeling, almost like I heard it once in a dream. I slowly open my eyes to see a woman standing in a white nightgown, and with long black hair. I knitted my brows at this woman. Who is she?
"Come to me," she says as she inclines her hand in front of me, "let us reunite under the moonlight."
I felt drawn to her, I felt as if I've seen this moment before. I went to move towards her when I felt the arms around me pull me back and push me to the ground. I fall back on my side, and turn my head towards the woman to see her now transform back into the creature she was before. The man in black takes out his sword from his back sling, and swings it in a circular motion to his side, preparing for the fight. With his eyes still closed shut, he advances towards the creature. I fear for his life since he is fighting through darkness. Yet, he does not hesitate.