The Guardians of the Woods [#JustWriteIt]

Chapter Two: "Will I be okay?"

*I didn't take the photo, I just messed around with it on Gimp*

    I looked around, keeping my head low. What did she mean by any more rabbits like that?? "I can fight a bunch of rabbits, what's Momma so worried about?" I stopped in place when I heard a low growl. I could feel and hear my heart pounding. I slowly turned my head and noticed a rabbit behind me. The same rabbit, looking even worse than before.

    "Uh...Hiya, little Demon? Sorry about before. You know, who doesn't fight back when being attacked? No hard feelings, right?" I nervously said.

    The rabbit sat down and growled. "Vos paenitebit tuae puer," It snarled in a very raspy voice.

    "Uh...What?" I blinked and tilted my head. Then the rabbit leaped onto my neck and sunk its teeth into me.

    I screamed in pain and swung it off. Then I turned around and kicked the rabbit away. There was a stinging feeling where it bit me, so I rushed back to our home, calling for Momma. I saw her and Milu, a stag with amazing antlers, in front of the den discussing something. Momma turned, and her ears flattened when she saw me.

    "Teo! What are you doing here? I told you to run away from here, not - Wait, is that a bite mark on your neck?!" She backed up, terrified.

    Milu walked up to me, towering over me. He examined the bite and sighed, "It's still fresh. But it'll infect him soon enough."

    "Oh, my little Teo..." Momma sobbed, coming over and nuzzling my head.

    "W-what? Am I gonna die?" I asked, whimpering. You idiot, why didn't you stay like she told you?! IT'S YOUR FAULT, EGO!

~*~*~

    "Momma..." I was in the Quarantine Glade, where the deer put anyone possibly possessed by a Furor. Four large and mighty stag guards were surrounding it, keeping watch. It was almost like I was a psycho wolf they were keeping in prison or something. Momma was laying next to me as The Elder examined my bite. The Elder was a small, grey stag with a brown tuft of fur on his head. He also had fangs. He's our odd-looking Teacher/Healer.

    "Yes, my sweetheart?" Momma sadly said, looking at me.

    "Will I be okay?" My neck felt even worse than before, almost burning now. Momma worriedly glanced at The Elder, and he looked away.

    "Y-you'll be fine, Teo," she said, not even looking at me. I could tell she was trying to hold back tears.

    The Elder led Momma out of the den to talk to her. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I heard Momma crying. That can't be a good sign. I sighed and shook my head. The Elder walked in and signaled for me to stand up.

    "Teofilo, I need you to tell me, your mother, or one of the guards if you have any slight thoughts of attacking anyone. Not just the concept of attacking, but thinking of wanting to. If your bite burns like acid, I need you to get me immediately. Understand?" he said in a slow, dry voice. Listen to them this time!! I nodded, and he slightly grinned.

    "Good lad." The Elder pat me on the head and left the glade. Then I laid down, closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

    I found myself running in the cold, dark woods. But from what? I felt terrified, but why? The bite's gone, but how? I stopped at a dead-end of trees. I heard a growling like before, but louder and deeper. Almost likeWolf. I whipped around and saw a large, male, bulky grey wolf walking toward me. He had hackles raised and bared teeth. He was hungry, and he just found a meal.

    Suddenly, an odd deer came out of the forest. Even more unusual that The Elder. He was larger than the four stag guards. He looked almost like a river mist, but still making a solid body. He was blue and glowing, almost like seeing a full moon reflect on a lake. He swung his antlers and struck the wolf, sending it flying. The wolf landed, lifeless.

    A strange black mist came out of it. It took the same form as the wolf it was just in. It had an odd, red symbol on its chest. Almost like an oval with a dot on the left and right sides. It growled and ran off. The stag turned to look at me, and he lowered his head.

    "Teo, more of those will come. You mustn't let them hurt you. If they do, it'll only make the infection worse." He spoke in a thick, but gentle voice.

    "But what are they, and who are you?" I asked, terrified.

    "They are the Demons of Furor. That bite did infect you, Teo. You're in a dream, but if they hurt you, it hurts you physically and mentally. You don't want to end up like that rabbit, do you?" His voice was sounding less kind now.

    "N-No...What happened to it? Did they kill it in its dreams?" I asked, still wondering his name.

    "Yes, they did. He doesn't even know who he is now. He's just a lifeless host. The demons slowly infect your spirits and kill both of them, not sparing either of them. Someone infected goes insane and become more and more distant all the time because of this." The stag looked away as if he experienced someone going through that.

    Suddenly, the ground seemed to break apart under me. The stag lifted his head, exposing a blue symbol on his chest. It wasn't like the one on the wolf, though. It looked like a zig-zag pushed to the right, with two small dots under one of the corners.

    "You're waking up. Teofilo, I will be in your dreams to help you. But, still be careful." He said before running off. The stag stopped and turned around. "My name's Apollonios, by the way." He said before fading away.

    I found myself back in the glade, Momma sleeping next to me. "It'll be okay, Momma. I'll be all right," I softly spoke as I nuzzled her, trying not to wake her up.