Feldora

Spindler

It was dark inside the house. Renny pressed his face against the glass and it fogged up. Outside, the forest was dark. Renny pulled away from the glass and sat on the pile of leaves he'd placed there earlier.

Renny curled up into a ball with one eye still open, a bit like some wild animal. Outside the old hunters' lodge, it was becoming dark. Suddenly, there came the sound of footsteps from outside. Renny sat bolt upright. The door began to creak open. He bolted for the shadows beneath the sagging table.

A tall man wearing a wide-brimmed hat stepped into the lodge, his breath turning to steam in the air. The man placed down something on the table, causing the wood to lean further down.

"Haven't been here in a while," grunted the man in a gruff voice. He put something else on the table and it began to splinter. How does this man not realise that his table is about to break?! thought Renny. There was a crack and the table split down the middle. The hunter and Renny stared at each other for a split second before the man gave a bellow of fury.

The hunter grabbed a dagger off the table and turned back to attack Renny but the boy was already gone. Renny bolted for the door. The dagger thudded into the wall just behind him as Renny threw open the door and raced outside. The door came off its rusted hinges and fell to the ground with a bang.

Renny ducked into the undergrowth and further into the forest. He leapt over a bubbling stream in the bottom of a gully and swerved around a huge fallen tree. At last, Renny stopped. His face was plastered with mud and leaves stuck out of his hair.

Renny swiveled his head from side to side. He didn't know where he was. Suddenly, a sound came from deep within the woods. Yuk tuk tik ti ta, the noise echoed. Renny shivered. He felt eyes scan the back of his head. Renny froze. He quickly surveyed the scene. The trees here did not wish to be climbed. Their black branches hissed softly as they creaked ominously, their black twigs like claws reaching out to grab their prey. The trees swayed as though they were blowing in the breeze but their was no wind.

Yuk tik tuk ti ta. It was the noise again. Renny knew that he couldn't outrun the owner of the noise. He had no choice but to climb a tree. With a gulp he launched himself up onto a dark, wrinkled branch. A wailing sound filled the air. The tree shook violently and Renny almost fell off. He leapt onto a higher branch and the wailing increased in volume. Renny looked down into the clearing to see a skinny buck. It was coal black, with long, spindly limbs and tall antlers with sharpened points. The buck's eyes were tightly shut but it still turned its head upwards and stared at Renny.

Renny's breath caught in his throat. It was a splinder, a very dangerous creature of the deep woods. The spindler sucked in a deep breath and opened its eyes.

Renny tried to look away but he couldn't tear his eyes from the spindler's. Its eyes were deep pools of white. Renny felt himself sliding forwards along the branch. The spindler stared upwards. Wind rushed through Renny's ears as he prepared to jump out of the tree. Wait, why am I doing this? The splindler, its making me do this! Thought Renny. He struggled against the monster's hypnotic gaze. Splindler, I must get to it, thought Renny as he was hypnotised again. He struggled and suddenly his mind was free. But then the tree decided that it did not want him in its branches.

The tree dipped forwards and Renny slid off the branch. He grabbed onto a long branch with a tip as sharp as a sword. The branch snapped and Renny tumbled forwards. He plummeted down towards the spindler. Renny held the sword branch out in front of him. It felt as hard as steel. He slashed the branch out in front of him and felt it connect.

A crack rang across the woods. A blinding shockwave of pulsing white light exploded across the trees. Renny shielded his eyes. Slowly, he began to see again. The spindler stood unsteadily on the edge of the clearing. Its eyes were closed tight. Renny gasped. One of the majestic beast's antlers lay splintered on the ground. The animal dipped its head in silent pain before galloping away into the shadows.

Renny looked around, suddenly wary of more predators. There were none so he began to go back the way he came. He was in the deep woods and no where was safe. Renny silently asked the trees if they would let him climb them. The answer was a stark no. Somewhere far off, the scream of a small animal was abruptly cut off. Renny shivered.

He opened a small drawstring bag. Inside was a small wooden carving of a shield. It was made of cedar wood, which was one of the weaker woods for channeling rune magic. Alas, it would have to be sufficent.

Renny threw the tiny model up into the air. Cedar was known as a dark wood, which meant that it could only be cast under the moonlight. There were also light woods that could only be cast under direct sunlight. There were also more powerful sources of magic such as amethyst and marble what could be cast at anytime.

The rune spun high in the air. A ray of moonlight gently caught it and the rune blazed with light. The rune slowly dissolved into wisps of blue light that wove themselves into a shining shield.

"Shield, divert the weaker dangers from my hiding place and warn me of the unstoppable ones," Renny ordered the enchantment. The shield dipped the point at its tip as though it were bowing. Renny curled up beneath a tall tree and slept.