Lord of the forest

Escape

Galen pov:

Galen, the proud Elk, was cast into a damp, black cell whose iron bars sneered at his liberty. The air was thick with smells of damp earth and mildew, and the cold seeped through to the bones like some sly evil chill within. Anxious, he trotted, back and forth, back and forth, across the narrow dimensions of this prison pen, his hooves pounding out a rhythmic cadence on the stone floors.

From his cell, Galen felt the palpable worry of the forest, now their home. It whispered to him softly, churning on the breeze with a sense of urgency, concern for their beloved Boy. At this, Galen's heart ached with a deep longing to stand beside his lord, protecting him from whatever dangers lurked in the shadows.

Yet, as Galen's eyes crisscrossed the dark confinements of his cell, he knew that escape would not be lightly given. The bars were strong and rigid, and there was no tenderness in the guards pacing the corridors beyond. Still, he could not shake the feeling that he had to do something to ensure the safety of his lord.

Galen gave a deep sigh and sat down on the wet floor-it was racing with every possible way they might be able to get out. He scuffed at the ground with restless energy, his mind entwined with thoughts of freedom and the Boy's well-being.

It was then, almost as if a bolt of inspiration had struck through his mind, that Galen's eyes fell onto a thin fissure in the stone wall. Once more, chip-chapping away at the mortar, his hooves worked tirelessly against unyielding stone. Every blow rang out across the cell, a cadenced symphony of determination and desperation.

Hours blurred by as Galen labored to widen the crack in the wall. His muscles groaned with effort, and beads of perspiration slid down his furrowed brow, yet still he pressed on, his heart set on the reunion with his lord and a return to safety of the forest from which they hailed.

Suddenly, after an eternity, an opening cracked wide enough to allow a thin sliver of light to pass through. Galen felt his hope surge for the first time as he realized there was a way out. Faster and faster, wallowing at the stone, with all the more vigor in his hooves, did he strike out.

With the first rays of dawn slipping in through the crack in the wall, Galen felt a jolt course through him-triumph. With one last resounding blow, the mortar gave way; the stone crumbled beneath his hooves, leaving an open gap in the wall.

With a sense of urgency, Galen forced himself through the opening. He then bounded forward with an expectant heart. Beyond the cell stretched a labyrinth of corridors and chambers, any one of which might turn out to be the obstacle that would dash all hope of liberty. But Galen was undeterred, his will unshaken as he went through the kaleidoscope of passages with a grace and agility peculiar to his bloodline.

At last, out into the saucy night stumbled Galen, his heart soaring with relief. The ancient trees swayed in the gentle breeze, though before him another forest, like sentinels, stood as witness to the unconquerable, eternal power of nature.

With a purpose in his heart, Galen strode deeper into the core of the forest; he could feel the steady rhythm of his hooves pounding against the floor of the forest. His lord awaited-he whose fate was laced with that of Galen's, both of them unfit to fathom it.

The need for urgency that Burdette had eaten into Galen's heart was with every striding of his feet in the forest. The lord was in danger, and it was upon him to ensure his safety. He got closer to his beloved lord, who at every step showed determination unshaken in the face of adversity.

It was not until break of day, when the sky was first colored by the rising sun in shades of rose and gold, that Galen came into the clearing where the Boy had been taken. He issued a battle cry of will and charged into the open, ready to face whatever dangers lay in his way: to rescue his lord, to return him to safety in the forest that held their home.