In a flash of Fangs

Necunoscutul

Konstantin had been leading the way through the forest all night and I finally had to stop him so I could rest. It was dark and cold and the sky started to let loose the rain it had been holding since this morning, first it was just dew like, soft and almost warm but then It picked up its pace until it became heavy and every drop stung you like a thousand needles being stuck into your skin. I hid underneath a very large oak tree, thankfully its trunk wasn't wet yet and I climbed up to the first branch and sat on it like a you would a horse.

"Kosti? Where are we going? It has been hours out here and yet I feel like we haven't made it anywhere in this forest."

"Stela... Da told me to take you to Tulcea, he said someone would be there to care for us. Someone within Tulcea Lupeni. We just have to make it to Tulcea ok, then we will be safe." He looked up at me with a strained look before tossing up my new cloak. It was so warm when I wrapped it around myself that I wondered if Kosti had been wearing it close to himself at some point.

I had drifted to sleep as we waited for the rain to subside, my face pressed against the mossy limb of the tree didn't help me stay warm but it was a good pillow, a tad earthy but it didn't bother me as I leaned against the cold pulling the cloak closer to me. I felt a smile rush to my face as I drifted peacefully into the waiting solitude of my dreams.

I awoke with a start as the tree beneath me shuddered, Kosti was alert and holding a knife I'd never seen before. He reached up to me and helped me down from my perch and held me close, I could see the fear in his eyes as he scanned the area. All I could see was a few trees ahead of us and I could feel the sinister force of something closing in almost choking us with its thickness. I looked up at my brother, he was lean and strong but could he really protect me from whatever was out there? Another rumble and the ground shook under the pressure, I leaned against my brother as we fought to stay upright.

"What is that?" I whispered afraid of what might be coming for us. I shuddered as another rumble happened off in the distance and then a brilliant light flashed in the sky. Kosti looked up at the sky and then pushed me hard towards the tree I had just been sleeping on.

"Go. Hide. Do not come down. Whatever you hear you do not come down." He pushed me again towards the tree and I ran, he followed only to help me into the tree and then disappeared into the thick fog. I crouched low on my branch trying to slow down my breathing, I was scared and now I was alone. 

The forest was quiet, almost too quiet after the rumbling and light in the sky, everything had turned silent, just waiting for its next breath to be let out. I couldn't see anything in the fog and I strained my ears to hear signs of my brother, but nothing, still silence.

Snap! I turned my head so fast I thought I was going to fall of the tree as I looked towards the sound of a snapping twig. My stomach clenched and my breath caught in my throat as I heard the shuffling of hooves on the forest floor. It wasn't just one horse I could hear but a few, the riders made no sounds as they guided their steeds expertly around the trees in the fog.

The horses were huge, a draft of some kind and as black as onyx, the heavy hooves left indents in the mulch on the forest floor. The men weren't in any kind of hurry and only kept the horses at a slow walk, just watching their surroundings as if they too were looking for something behind the wall of fog. One of the men held up his hand, a signal that stopped the other riders in their tracks. He looked around and then dismounted his horse and knelt on the ground. He had on a navy coat that ended at his calf, the front had silver buttons running down one side the other void of any designs, the shirt underneath was tucked into his breeches, white as snow and slightly waving with the breeze that had picked up after the rain. His chest slightly exposed heaved with a sigh as he tilted his head towards the sky with his eyes closed as if he was trying to recollect a lost memory. 

I was entranced by this man and his companions but I didn't know where my brother was and started to feel scared again as the man stood up and walked towards the tree that I was hiding in. His coat fluttered causing a whipping sound that scared the horses and made them scatter into the woods, the riders shouting to regain their mounts. I looked on with wide eyes as I noticed another man materialized from behind a tree holding a sword out in front of him, that's when I noticed it was my brother, he hadn't left me after all.

Ok, another chapter under the belt. Hope you all enjoyed this one, I promise VT will be in the next chapter :)