Darkness surrounded him.
His head was throbbing and his entire being hurt.
He laid in silence for a while as he tried to figure out where he was.
After a while, his eyes adjusted to the dark as he tried to figure out where he was, but all he could see were the slim outlines of trees.
Their branches obstructed his view of the moon thus making him unable to tell if it was full moon or half-moon. He raised himself into a sitting position and looked around, trying to find something that would tell him where he was. It had become apparent he was somewhere in a forest, possibly the ones surrounding his village, although he was sure he had never been in this part before.
He put his hands on the cold, soggy ground and despite the pain in his legs, he tried to stand up.
His palms and fingers dug into the earth.
His head spun and his knees buckled as he desperately clung to the tree next to him to keep from falling. As soon as he got it together he let go of the tree.
The wind picked up and chills ran down his spine, reminding him of how vulnerable he was and quickly made finding shelter his number one priority.
He didn't have a reasoning for it but he went in the southern direction. It felt almost as if he didn't have control over his legs. As if he was a puppet and someone else was pulling the strings.
After a long walk, he still hadn't come across any form of shelter.
The wind had picked up again and he appeared to be in a completely different forest. The trees went from high, deciduous trees to evergreen trees that seemed to get denser with every step as if they tried to swallow him whole. The transformation happened so gradually,he barely even noticed until the pine needles were jabbing him in the jaw.
In the distance, however, the sound of rippling water could be heard. It sounded promising. He picked up his feet and set them down in the direction of the sound with an unsettling feeling slowly growing, feeling as if he was being watched. He shook his head and wrote it off as just paranoia. He told himself it was just the place. It was different then what he was used to. That was all. The sound of the water had become so obnoxious by now, almost as if it could be right past the next line of trees but every time he crossed that line of trees, there was another.
He moved a pine tree branch out of the way only to be hit in the face with another. He swore he could hear a faint giggle but when he looked around, all he saw were trees. The trees behind him rustled and a crow let out a harsh caw. He heard it fly away overhead but didn't look up. Even if he did, he wouldn't have seen it anyway. The trees blocked any and all view of the sky, making it even darker than it already was. He kept looking around and expected to see a set of eyes staring back at him at any moment. Even after multiple turns, there was nothing to be seen.
He took a deep breath and started off again. There was no use dwelling in one spot, especially one like that where no one would see or perhaps even hear him due to the density of the trees. He picked up the pace again as he felt he was being watched. He went faster and faster, as fast as his legs could carry him. The wind picked up even more and the sound of flowing water was all around him now. He looked around in complete and utter panic, paying no attention to his feet until he felt something tugging at them. His body was still in full speed, causing him to land face down, on the cold ground. He looked back at his feet only to see his feet had gotten caught on a branch and let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. With a swift movement of the hand, his feet were freed. He sank his head into his hands and told himself he was being stupid. The wind had laid down and the sound was completely gone. After removing his hands, he noticed it had gotten a lot darker. But something didn't see right. After a good look, he saw that it was a shadow that had been cast upon him. He froze and the last thing he remembered was something cold and hard hitting his head.
