The Unknown

Chapter Twelve

(Hunter's POV)

I froze, staring at the beast. Watching its every movement. It's head turned a bit, and it's eyes glanced around me for a few minutes before they finally landed on me. My heartbeat quickened, and I could feel my muscles tense up as fear struck me. I wanted to run from it, but I was frozen in place, and it could easily catch up anyways.

There really was no way out of it. If I ran, I'd be pursued and killed. If I stayed, I'd be attacked and killed right where I was. I was a goner. Dead.

It took a step closer. I looked away for a moment, until I heard heavy footsteps headed away from where I was. When I looked back at where the creature had been, all I saw was its faint figure, stomping away from me. It was tossing one of its heads back and forth, giving the appearance of an angry fit.

As soon as it got a chance, my breath escaped my throat in a relieved exhale. My eyes closed, my body dropped to its knees. It was then that I noticed how badly I was shaking, and that if I held my hand in front of my face I could see it trembling. I needed to get myself together.

And I needed to figure out why it didn't kill me right then and there.

After I calmed down, I did think about it. And it wasn't long before I was in a terrified state again, shaking at the only idea as to why it would've left me alone I had.

That idea was horrible, it wasn't something I could just push back, either. I couldn't help but keep thinking about it, imagining it.

What if it went back because it knew my friends were in that direction?

Not even I knew where they were, but animals have killer instincts, right? It could've easily heard them, or smelled them, or maybe it even saw them and remembered where they were.

Oh no. I couldn't just let that happen, but I had no choice. It was the situation when I realized I couldn't protect anyone all over again. I'd tried, and I'd tried, but in the end I got parted from them, or I flat out failed.

I couldn't take it anymore, especially not if I went back to find that they were all dead. My body was starting to shake again, and my breaths were growing quicker once more. My mind began to slip, my vision became blurry. I couldn't take it. I couldn't.

I couldn't handle any of it anymore. It was too much.

Too much.

Suddenly, I heard a soothing voice, "Hunter.." It said softly.

I froze for a moment before struggling to calm down. It took a few long minutes, but I managed to before looking at where the voice had come from. It was my mother's spirit again. She looked worried, but at the same time she was somehow reassuring, "Your friends are okay.. I... they aren't hurt.."

"B-But... It... It left and..." I stuttered out, hardly managing to say even that much.

"I promise you. They're fine. Now.. I brought you here for a reason.. Have a look around, you'll find it..."

"Wh-Why.. Can't.. Can't y-you just.. Show me..?" I asked, my voice shaking and choppy.

"Because it's not my place. It is your place, though, to find it.. And to bring your friends to this place.. So you can all get out.." She said.

I gave a little nod and took a deep breath before slowly and unsteadily standing, "Y-You're... Right.." I said quietly.

"Of course I'm right.." She said jokingly, I could tell that she was just trying to calm me down more. It worked.

I even managed to give her a little smile.

"But Hunter.." She sighed, the joke over, "From now on.. You've got to keep yourself together better.. Because your friends, their fates are your responsibility too.. Especially now that you know where this is.."

My heart dropped and I gave a little nod, "Wh-What if they die....?" I asked softly.

"If you play it right... They won't." She said, "So be careful.."

After she said that, she disappeared again. I didn't even get the chance to respond. For a moment, I started to worry about whether it was because she hated me or not, but the worry was quickly dismissed as I forced what she'd told me back into my mind. I had to be strong, for everyone I cared about.

So, instead of falling apart, I began to search around the tree. I started by first examine what was around it.

There were mostly more trees, and grass. And a few roots stuck out of the ground. There were a few stray leaves on the ground by the trunk, too.

That led me to investigate the tree. I circled around it, staring at it, until I found a spot where the rough bark was missing. In the spot, there were words carved out. I got closer to read them.

It took a while to comprehend them, but when I did, I found that it said, "The roots of life traced back here. Stay close and you'll be safe."

I took even more time figuring out what it meant, until I just gave up and decided to focus on the second sentence of it, the "be safe" part.

That was the important part. If it was safe here, then the group could come up with a plan to get out of the forest without worrying about attack. It was perfect.

After I figured it out, my mom showed up again. She didn't say much, all she did was told me the direction that my friends were in and to be careful. Oh, she told me where Kai and Venus were still at, too.

So I set off, thinking that things were really looking up for everyone. Maybe everyone could get out alive after all. A smile spread across my face as I thought of it. I'd be saving them, even though I didn't think they'd realize that it was me who did a lot of good for them.

However.. I'm now ashamed to have assumed that things would just go well. I let my guard down in my hopefulness. And I regretted it dearly.

That wasn't even the worst part.

The worst part was that I wasn't the only one who'd regret it.