Men & Monsters

New to the Neighborhood

The forest was still. Ever so still. The typical vitality of the vegetation was now dull in color, all of it moist with dew and waiting for the sun's embracing kiss. But that wouldn't be for some time now. The sun, the one these plants worshiped and loved so dearly, was slow to appease to them, as the darkness of night carefully gave way to the hazy morning. Mist enveloped these woods, slithering around tree trunks and hovering just over the tall grasses, as if afraid to be pricked by their sharp tips.

Just like the forest around her, Eira Aune desperately wished that the sun would arrive. But as early morning came, the fog thickened, and it only heightened the girl's fears. High above the soggy ground, Eira held onto a thick branch stretching up out into the air as her eyes darted all about the ground below. The cries had long since ceased, making her believe either her companions were still in hiding or worse: they had been caught.

Her green cloak helped her to blend into the environment, and it was certainly something she was thankful for. With her hood up over her golden-brown hair, her wide eyes never blinked as her heart raced along. If she ever did, she thought, she might miss something detrimental to her survival. Following a nervous sigh she closed her eyes and tried to slow her breathing down to a more appropriate rate, one that might not make her so noticeable. With a gulp she tried to evaluate what had happened. It all happened so quickly, she thought. No room for thought, no time to think in the chance that everything might have ended right then and there.

Things were so typical and routine, it seemed, when Eira and the others set off this morning. As they always had before, they went out in the early morning to collect plants, herbs, and anything useful to take back to the village. From young girls to the older women, the Green Folk girls always trekked together, with a skilled bowman or two with them. But this morning was different. It was one every Folk feared. They were being hunted.

Not by wolves, however. No, Eira would have preferred wolves to this beast, perhaps a big cat instead, or even a pack of giant Wildeboar. Said to be a man back from the dead and gone mad from wandering so long in the woods, the Coffin Spawn was believed to be so stealthy and fearsome that by the time one knew it was around it was already too late. Anyone who ventured off into the forest had to respect its very name.

For most Green Folk, there was no respect. Only fear. Fear in knowing that each morning they left home to find food there was always another predator out to get them. It made Eira hold onto the branch even tighter, as if begging the tree to protect her. Her lower lip quivered as she continued to scan the ground below. But there was something new. A certain stillness lingering in the air made her heart race even faster.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, the young woman slowly turned around. Hopefully, she thought, she had simply encroached upon a bird's nest, or even a big cat's napping place. But these were out of the question, however, when she felt a stiff, cold hand dig deep into her shoulder. Wickedly pointed claws tore her cloak when Eira was pulled back and away from the tree.

Clutching her satchel as she screamed, Eira crashed to the ground with a heavy thump. A cloud of air escaped from between her lips with the landing and disappeared into the morning mist. What's more, the knife typically strapped to her belt had fallen free and landed some ways away from her. The fall was hard. Now winded and defenseless, the timid Green Folk could think of little else to do than curl up into a little ball and await her doom. She wanted to cry as she could only imagine running. The air in her chest, however, was unable to give her enough energy to do so, as she coughed and gagged for a fresh breath. It left her with one option. To plead for her life. She quickly buried her face into her bag and whispered her farewells to those who mattered most to her.